Art History/Reflections/Elizabeth

Elizabeth's Reflections

August 27: Today I browsed through van gogh's works and tried to pick one to write about. I like the drawing "Cart With Black Ox" because it expresses the load that Van Gogh felt he had to carry. I spend the remainder of my time researching his life leading up to his accident (cutting of his ear) and it helped to better understand the man with a mental condition. I learned that starry night caused him to see yellow and this could be a reason that the sky swirls.

September 6: Yesterday we had to evaluate ourselves. I found it really hard to do because I am critical of myself. I learned that I would have done a better job if we had been given the guidelines before the project was due. The good thing about having the rubric is that now I know what to expect and what information to research for my next project(s). Today during class we discussed how we evaluated ourselves, and I think that Emma made a really good point about why she chose the artist that she chose. I agreed with the fact that the reason that I picked Van Gogh was because I was familiar with the kind of art he produced and I had seen some of his work before. I think it would have been more interesting, like Emma said, to research an artist I have never heard of so I can be more involved in gathering facts. With this in mind, I am looking forward to the next project assigned because I have never heard of the artist and can't wait to learn about his work.

September 7: Today I added about 4 museum sites (last night they didn't post for some reason.) After that, I went to the museum of modern art website and read a biography of Serra. I discovered that he was born in 1939. This would give him exposure to different time periods that could have inspired his work like World War II, the 60's & 70's "hippie ages," and equal rights movements. (Martin Luther King Jr and other great influential men of that age.) I would like to further explore this exposure to try to better understand the historical setting and what thoughts the artist himself believes. (Alot of artist's opinions/beliefs appear on their works.)This project sounds interesting, but I am nervous about how I am going to write my review. I have questions like: What audience am I appealing to? Do I describe the work? Do I share my opinion of this work with my audience? Hopefully with further research, writing a review of Richard Serra's work will be easier.

September 12: After two classes of discussing Serra's work, I have noticed a change in my thought process. When I originally observed his work my initial reaction was "how can this possibly be art" but now, after seeing the videos in class and listening to the discussions, I can easily understand why his work is art. He takes mathmatical influences and not only does he try to defy gravity itself, but he tries to defy the model of art and what people percieve as art. This idea I really enjoy. His video also said that he wanted to inspire young artists to do the same. (That is, to defy the boundaries that you are given to create your own form of 'art.')I found this inspiring because Serra is encouraging the way art is created. Pieces that seem so easy, such as four curved plates, are actually incredibly complex. This idea is an idea that has been rejected thoroughout history. (Any new idea, no matter how simple it SEEMS, is rejected by the community. Ex. Copernicus's discovery that the planets revolve around the SUN not the earth. Of course, as we all know, with time and further discovery, this view was accepted and has been used ever since.) Serra sees his work as a door opened to aspiring artists ready to break out and a way to take the art world to a new level.

September 17: I really liked the review we read in class. My review did not go into enough depth like the review from the new yoker did. It was incredibly well written. I felt like I did a good job on my project, however, it was a bit short. Reading a review like the one from the new yorker was beneficial because not only was it pursuasive, but it created an interest in the work, not just tell a story. Oh, and here is the bibliography that I forgot to post:

"Richard Serra Sculpture: Forty Years."http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/exhibitions.php?id=2866. 10, September 2007.

"Richard Serra Sculpture: Forty Years."http://moma.org/exhibitions/2007/serra/.12, September 2007.

"Biography." http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/serra/index.html. 13, September 2007.

www.artstor.org. 10, September 2007.

PODCAST REFLECTION!: (Due September 21, 2007): One of my favorite artists (singing) is Teddy Geiger. I feel like I can relate to him because he is a young musician that writes all of his music and lyrics. He tries to get a point across to his fans. I went on itunes and found a Teddy Geiger podcast, but Itunes was frozen so I couldnt subscribe. After this, I went online and typed in "teddy geiger podcast" because I really wanted to hear what he had to say. A link came up and I listened to the podcast. I was dissapointed because it was short and it was more of an interview. There were no feelings discussed and none of his music was played in the background.

September 25, 2007: On Friday we had William Anderson come and talk to us about his work. As I listened to his speaking, I felt moved to tears several times. The reason being, viewers of this man's work are so ignorant. People in general judge something before learning more about it. At first, I enjoyed William's pictures and looked at them with a light heart, but after hearing him explain them and as I started to understand them, it was incredibly powerful. When I first looked at the picture, "Ghetto Baby", I thought it was a silly picture and I even laughed a light hearted laugh. As William Anderson told us that this little boy's brother had been shot at his home, I was overcome with sadness, and I felt ashamed of myself for viewing it with such lightheartedness.

October 3, 2007: Today Yeshwanth and I recorded our podcast. We had to improvise a great deal during the actual thing---so it wasnt scripted. I felt like we did a good job because it was as if we were in a class discussion. We hit key points during our podcast (told stories & background information about the artist as well.) I was relieved after it was all over but proud of myself because I realized that throughout this class I have been achieving a greater appreciation for art.

October 8, 2007: Right now I am posting some information I have gathered about the 5 piece theme collection project. After a computer crash, 2 hours of work trying to repair it, and having my computer delete what I had written 3 TIMES because groupwise needed to "refresh my account", I decided that this information would be safer if I just posted it on the wiki. (None of this is final.) Kristen is working on finding pictures/media of immortality while I work on finding pictures/media of mortality. Here is what I have so far (I hope it doesnt delete):

Headdress Facts: -Called "Tonkongba" -Kept in front of a clan shrine -Attributed to the Landuman people -Worn by dancers during ceremonies involving sacrificing & funeral


 * This African headdress is a vital asset to the collection for the theme "Mortality and Immortality" because it was worn during ceremonies involving Landuman sacrfices and funerals. This piece represents mortality and immortality within African culture. According to African legend, your soul lives on after a person (mortal) has died. (This idea of life after death represents immortality, as it is an "everlasting life") The headdress is placed at the head of a family's gravemarkers as a representation of this belief.

Skull Facts: -By Alvin Langdon Coburn -Called "Rough Hints Upon Mortality"
 * This digital reproduction of a carving upon a building in Edinburgh, Scotland is an important piece that represents "Mortality and Immortality" because of the etched figures that surround the skeleton. The focus of this carving is surrounded by whips and swords that could have affected the way he/she died. This piece represents mortality because it has a visual image of death in the center (skeleton) and is surrounded by other images of violence/death.

Painting Facts: -By Irene Brady Thomas -"EndoftheSeason"


 * At first glance, this painting appears gloomy. Like winter, (cold, dry, and lifeless,) Irene Brady Thomas witnessed first hand, death. To be specific, the death of her father. She painted the bare, weak branches of the tree overlooking the pond around the time when she felt that everything was dying. Everything about this painting represents mortality. The leaves have fallen, the chairs are empty, and the pond is still. No life is apparent, and from the artist's perspective, it will take a few seasons until everything is "green again."

October 11, 2007: Posting: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself While You Are Researching Art for a Theme: (Edited)

1. How does mythology influence artists?

2. If greek gods are supposed to be immortal, why don't we hear about them anymore?

3. Can a regular person become immortal, or is an immortal person born with the qualities they need to posses to become immortal?

4. If no one wants to live forever, why are we scared to die?

5. Were beliefs of mortality/immortality changed throughout history? If so, how and why?

6. According to African belief, why are souls immortal? Why don't they posses a human form?

7. Why is the theme immortality/mortality such a large one if we are afraid to be immortal or die? Is that the reason it is so widely used/expressed?

8. If going to heaven (or any belief of life after death) is as wonderful as it is portrayed, wouldn't we be excited to die and return to perfection? Why are we so afraid?

9. Why do other opinions of immortality/mortality affect everyday life? In what ways?

10. Do I agree with what this piece is saying? Why am I so drawn to this piece? What factors are in it that could cause a reaction (negative or positive) and why?

After listening to all of the presentations on themes, I know that I understand themes better and can identify them in pieces. I did not realize, however, the thought process that goes into researching for pieces of art. It is much more complex than it would seem. Also, with our theme "Mortality and Immortality," there were ideas that branched off of it---for example, Ms. Davis mentioned that we could find pieces that were found in tombs or around them in several time periods. I found this very interesting, and now I am starting to realize that in order to appreciate art, I have to think outside of the box, and into those side categories surrounding my theme, or whatever I am supposed to be researching. I am looking forward to working on our final project of the catalog, but I am nervous about the podcast. (Podcasts are fun to make, but they make me nervous.) The thing that worries me the most about them, especially with this project is the feeling of "How am I going to describe this piece? Will I find enough historical context on it? Will this be interesting? Am I thinking outside of the box? All of these questions and the ones I have posted before. I have faith in myself because after the last podcast project was over, I felt like I did a good job, and I should be proud of it. Hopefully, after this project is over, I will have the same feelings towards it.

October 22, 2007: I was out today because I was on my discovery retreat (and I am very tired!) I recently updated my questions that we read aloud last week, and I believe that I did a better job this time, that is, I followed the assignment! Hopefully these are a little more open minded because all I have right now is a very tired open mind. On the trip, we had an activity called solo. This is where you go away from the rest of your group, sit in a beautiful place, and reflect on life. Being alone in a world where you can never be alone due to chaos, really helped me to understand myself better. I realized that I am scared to do alot of things...this made me think of our art history project (the theme.) I thought to myself: "If I had more than one chance to do something, would I be so afraid?" This reminded me of immortality, and from that thought, the questions above (in their original slot) were born! :) [[Category:Introduction to Art History-- M. Davis]