Module 10: Video Reviews

1.      Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I selected the videos “African Art: Legacy of Oppression” and “African Art” from the list because the seemed most interesting out of the selection. I also thought that these videos would be helpful in providing information and inspiration for the mask making project in this module.

2.      For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Video 1: “African Art: Legacy of Oppression”

·         African Art has several different styles since there are so many different cultures

·         Africans did not focus on realism or naturalistic statues and masks. Many of their art objects were created unrealistically to portray ideas and concepts to the audience in order to form meaning

·         When bicycles were invented, rubber was found everywhere in Africa, and soldiers were sent to obtain rubber to meet quotas. Slaves were terribly mistreated in order to meet these quotas.

·          African culture was able to withhold the prevalence of art in their culture  regardless of the horrendous experiences they endured over the years

Video 2: “African Art”

·         Many statues, mask and other objects in museums have been previously used in rituals

·         Many artifacts were made of wood and straw, and since these materials deteriorate, they are typically not more than 200 years old in museums

·          Agricultural life spread after 7000 BC to Africa, and Egyptian ideas and artistic expression eventually spread to Africa as well

·         Great Zimbabwe contains a central feature that was most likely a royal residence. This site includes elegantly carved soap stone birds that inspired modern Zimbabwe’s national emblem.

·         African Art was relatively unknown to the Europeans until the 19^th century

·          Perceptual art is based on the artist’s observation of visual reality. Artists use perceptual reality to create life like or human like statues

·         Conceptual art differs as it flows from the artists imagination, and expresses an internal opinions or ideas rather than realistic objects

·         African Art was focused typically on making masks, home décor, or embellishing utilitarian objects. Artists’ talent was based on focusing on creating traditional works of art with more skill rather than unique pieces.

·         African Art is intertwined with magic and religion, and everything is harvested by unseen spirits. Art is supposed to represent a spirit, not another person or animal. Believed that art gave humans access to power or religious authority, through statues and masks.

·         Statues were created to be a “home” for ancestors or spirits, and the statues often included pieces of their hair, etc.

·         African sculptures are usually rigid frontal sculptures. Masks are often embellished with feathers, fur or other materials. Wearing the masks in Africa ensures that you gain power, a bountiful harvest or a successful hunt.

·         Today, these masks are often found in museums, and African artists focus on creating objects for tourists, collectors, and interior decorators.

3.      How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These videos relate to the readings in the text because Chapter 18 has a section detailing the Arts of Africa. This section in the text discusses several different famous pieces of African Art, and the elements they contain. The videos also discuss famous masks and sculptures, and how the challenges that Africa has undergone throughout history have never prevented the creation of these works of art.

 

4.      What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I thought these videos were very interesting, in regards to learning about the history behind African Art. It was easier to see how African Art was created and why they chose to repeatedly create masks and sculptures with more skill as opposed to creating unique pieces of art as European artists focused on doing. I think that the videos add more depth to understanding African Art than just reading about certain sculptures/masks in the text.

Module 9: Video Reviews

1.      Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I chose the video “Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master” and “Velázquez” because they seemed the most interesting and they were of shorter duration, which allows me to easily focus on key concepts and facts.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

 

Video 1: Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master

·         Durer was very talented and made a self-portrait at the age of 13.

·         He enjoyed painting hands and cecame an apprentice at 15 to Michael Wolgemut, and eventually painted his portrait

·         In 1489 he journeyed through southern Germany to Switzerland, as a traveling craftsman

·         After marrying Agnes Frey, he went to Italy, where he began painting landscapes. He introduced real, not idealized landscapes into the backgrounds of his artworks.

·         His style changed and the Venetian style began to influence his art. The colors he used were bright and the images were softened and natural. He would apply 4-6 layers of color to achieve an enamel like finish

·         He learned to eliminate color and use light and shadows to determine solid form in his works.

·         Durer was eventually able to take advantage of printmaking, as he could create hundreds of copies of images. He made prints of scenes from daily life too.

·         Experimented with steel engraving techniques, and he was constantly evolving his art

Video 2: Velázquez

·         Skilled at capturing timeless elements in his works, truth, sensibility and emotion

·         Studied Italian painting in Venice and Rome for two years, and became a deeper painter upon his return to Madrid.

·         Painted very slowly, and his works matured in his studio, often taking years to complete a painting. He worked on paintings a little at a time.

·         Has been called a realist, but is more an idealist. He tried to conform reality to an inner concept of order which was as precise as geometric pattern but with no concern for shapes themselves.

·         His subjects appear fixed where he paints them but animated with movement.

·         Created portraits of jesters and other goofs for the kings, but struggled with portraying their unattractive features. He didn’t know how to balance the subject’s humanity with their deformities. He suggested depth through soft/strong colors and lack of detail/details so the viewer would look in to the character rather than at them.

·         Paints the truth in what he sees, and does not paint what we perceive as beauty.

·         Had minimal interest in color

·         Painted some of his greatest works during his last 10 years of life

·         Believed the purpose of painting was to guide the beholder’s eye to what the painter had seen

3.      How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The text Chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17 discuss different eras of art, particularly in Europe, and other countries. The videos discuss the eras of Durer and Velazquez and the impact traveling to parts of Europe, particularly Italy, had on their painting style. Both artists spent time in Italy and upon returning to their homes, they were strongly influenced by the Italian heritage and even though they were from different eras. Velazquez is discussed in Chapter 17, and many of his paintings are shown in the text and video.  

4.      What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

It was easier to explore the style of each artist through watching the videos, rather than reading about the explanation in the text. The videos discuss several topics and ideas that are present in the readings, but images in the videos are easier to interpret than the text descriptions, and the videos go more into depth than the text.

Module 9: Exploring Line

Left Hand (Drawn with dominant hand)

Right Hand(Drawn with non dominant hand)

 

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing?

 It was interesting to use my hand as subject matter, because there are so many different lines to look at. I think that hands are extremely difficult to capture because of all the different lines to capture.

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why?

I chose to use a graphite pencil because I am most familiar with it, and have never used charcoal before. 

 

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand?

I found it extremely difficult to make lines and control the pencil with my non dominant hand. It did not feel natural at all.

 

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies?

I think that the drawing done with my dominant hand looks more controlled, and the lines look smother and more organized. The drawing done with my non dominant hand looks less controlled and the lines look more shaky and sporadic, which is in a way successful for the subject. I think these drawings were successful in focusing on lines, however they could be sketched much better by an individual with more artistic ability.

 

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future?

I would not consider using my non dominant hand to create artwork in the future. I do not have great control with my non dominant hand and it was very difficult for me to create this artwork. 

Module 8: Video Reviews

1.      Explain why you selected the video you choose from the selection listed above.

I selected the last video, “The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure” because I was most interested in learning more about Ancient Greece, and why Greek artists created so many human forms. I have learned throughout my life that Ancient Greeks are widely respected for their contributions to society in architectural, political and social aspects. 

2.      For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Video 1: More Human Than Human

·         The modern world is dominated by unrealistic images of the body, and ancient art was too.

·         Sculptures were made in different countries with similar exaggerative areas.

·         Ramachandran- performed an experiment with birds to help determine why people’s brains were affected by art. A specific type of bird, had a beak with red stripe, and he performed a test in which the birds were shown a stick with a red stripe on it. The birds were stimulated by the simple red stripe, regardless that it was on a stick and not a brain. More stimulation and excitement was discovered when there were multiple red stripes shown.

·         Ramachandran believes that using grotesquely exaggerated figures in human forms is a similar concept to the birds red stripe test. Our brains are stimulated by the exaggeration of what matters most.

·         Egyptians- In 1090 BC ancient Egyptian artists didn’t create exaggerated figures and they were hardly realistic. Artists chose to show each part of the body at the most realistic angles. This type of art was consistently created as the only image of the human body ever seen for 3000 years. All images were created utilizing the same grid, and they were obsessed with precision, order and consistency in human forms because of their culture.

·         Ancient Greece- Greeks were completely fixated with the human body and what it should look like ideally. They believed that their Gods took human forms and the bodies they took were only the “perfect” looking ones. They created realistic statues of human forms in order to see the gods. This realistic style of human art forms occurred for a generation but then stopped even though their culture strived for this realism. The ancient Greeks then started to incorporate the exaggeration concept, which other ancient civilizations had used in the creation of their art forms. While continuing to create idealistic human forms, the human bodies were exaggerated to replicate an athlete in movement.

Video 2: The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure :

·         As far back as 3000 BC, Greeks were obsessed with the human body. They were obsessed with working out and their bodies and it was reflected in their art forms.

·         In the 6^th century Greeks developed a sense of realism and started to produce the body in 3D, and in movement.

·         There is a lack of record of ancient Greek paintings, but there is a lot of pottery. The pottery and sculptures were painted.

·         In the classical period Greek artists were great at making idealized perfect human forms and portrait sculptures.

·         The Greeks tried to portray ideal beauty rather than ordinary beauty in the human forms. Their obsession with beauty has dictated how we look at and think about other people and ourselves in the 21^st century.

3.      How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos discuss how ancient civilizations impacted the world of art today. The first video focuses on why humans, past and present, are focused on creating unrealistic images of the human body. Ancient Greece and Egypt artists created unrealistic human forms that were not similar at all, but they both included exaggerated features. Chapter 14 in the text discusses how these two cultures differ from each other. The second video relates to the text because in Chapter 14, there is a section about the Classical World of Greece. The text states that Greeks excelled in many fields, and their art can be considered classical because their intention was to achieve the highest standard of quality art. This concept is reflected in the video as it discusses the Greeks focus on perfecting human figures. They produced these human forms to show the “perfect” human figure that their society strived for, for example through sculpting their bodies from working out. The chapter also discusses the Greek sculptures that focused on including complicated and intense movement which was also discussed in the video. 

4.      What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I thought these films were interesting, and the videos were easier to interpret than simply reading the text. I enjoyed the second video more, because it focused solely on the Greeks, and the duration of time was shorter so the information was to the point. The videos added to my understanding of the concepts because I found the images and sculptures shown in the videos easier to interpret than the ones in the text. I found it interesting to learn about why societies today are equally as obsessed with human body perfection as they were in past civilizations.