Drawing

1. Using my hands as a subject matter for a drawing  made me think of the old saying "Know it like the back of your hand." Hands are something we obviously see most of everyday but to look at them more closely to draw them was interesting. It was interesting to observe all the lines and shapes.
2. I chose pencil because I felt more comfortable using it and I could achieve thinner, sharper lines.
3. It felt very awkward drawing with my non-dominant hand. I did not feel like I had much control.
4. I feel my works are fairly successful. You can definitely tell they are hands but they do not look that similar. They look like they belong to two different people.
5. I was actually surprised that my non-dominant drawing came out as well as it did. However, I do not think I would use my non-dominant hand to create future work.

Renaissance Video Reviews

The Drawings of Michelangelo
I chose this video because I have always been impressed by Michelangelo's works, especially the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo would draw from the core of the body and then contour out
Born in 1475
Sketches were used to get rough idea of placement of figures and space and used cross-hatching to give figures mass
David-13 ft. The first colossal sculpture to be carved in Italy since antiquity. Political symbol-republic's resistance to return of Medici family
Details of life combined with abstract views-not entirely natural. Worked the body to try to achieve perfection
Began Sistine Chapel in 1508
Passionate about beauty of male form
Michelangelo was also deeply religious
Last Judgment is a reflection of Michelangelo's realization of his mortality

La Primavera
I chose this video because I have always admired the beauty of this work but I did not know what the figures represneted and I wanted to learn more about it.
Large scale-10 ft
9 Classical figures shown-Venus, Cupid, 3 graces, Mercury, Zephyr, Chloris, Flora-Chlorus becomes Flora after being raped by Zephyr. Zephyr'a guilt later makes him take Flora as his bride.
500 individual flowers
Botticelli born around 1444
depiction of movement in the female forms
idealized version of figures
Venus and Cupid are reinterpretations of the Virgin Mary and Jesus
use of egg tempera in paint helps create translucency
flowers are symbolic of love and marriage

Albrecht Durer
I chose this video because I did not know much about this artist and wanted to learn about him.
1471-1528
Introduced Germany to Renaissance art
gifted at portraits-represented people in real (not idealized) form-attention to the process of aging
First true landscape artist in Europe-grasped the mood of landscape
Narcissistic
Searched for perfect form
Learned many techniques in Italy
Many works inspired by Protestant Reformation

Velazquez
I chose this video because I did not know anything about this artist.
1599-1660
Private painter to King Phillip IV
Took mythological figures but portrayed them so it appeared as if it was just occuring
concerned with nature not order
Painted the truth but makes viewer see the hidden beauty in his subjects

3. The videos relate to the readings because they discuss Renaissance artists and the importance of the Renaissance in terms of artistic technique.

4. I found the videos very helpful in better understanding the terms of Humanism, Neo-Platoism and Idealism.

Video Review

More Human Than Human
Images of human body share the idea that they are unrealistic
Venus of Willendorf-25,000 BCE-May be symbol of fertility. No face and very small arms. Artist chose to exaggerate some features and virtually ignore others. Reason: Brain programmed to exaggerate most desired features because of their importance.
Ancestors were nomadic hunter/gatherers.
By the 5,000 BCE severe weather changes had occurred that made people gather by river banks
In opposition, ancient Egyptians chose to depict humans from clearest angle. Did not change for 3,000 years because the scientific technique used to create images were used to keep order and consistency-both important Egyptian values
Greeks-believed Gods took human form and had beautiful bodies. Thus, the more perfect your body then the better you were as a person. Artists created statues of gods because they wanted to them realistically. Greek artists used Egyptian masonry skills to create more realistic, life-size statues.
Kritios Boy is first example of artists creating statue to mimic distribution of weight
Too realistic made the image boring, so Greeks had to change to make more interesting
Polyclitis divided the body into 4 quadrants and moved each quadrant so the statue looked it was in motion-proportion and details are not realistic
Cultures' values dictate what will be exaggerated in works of art

I chose the three videos below because each is from a different period in history and each period is one that I enjoy learning about.

The Illuminated Manuscript
Monasteries were centers of knowledge. Monks created written works to spread the word of the Bible. However, most citizens were illiterate.
Each book was copied by hand and most  monasteries only had about 20 books
Monks wanted to preserve knowledge
The process of creating a book was very long and labor intensive
Scribes believed there was demon that made them make mistakes and these mistakes would be used against at their final judgement-however, copying just one letter was said to forgive a sin
Universities began to open and book trade flourished
Sign of wealth to have books copied and illuminated
Printing press replaced scribes

Cairo Museum
160,000 artifacts in museum but only half are on display
Valley of the Kings (40 mummies of kings) was discovered by a goat herder who sold many of its treasures at market
Conservation is important part of the discovery process and being able to put them on display and make recreations
There is still more to be discovered

The Greek Awakening
Greeks wanted humans to be represented more realistically then stylistically
3 million people visit the acropolis every year
"perfect symmetry"-looks perfect because made corrections to compensate for viewer's vision (a straight line will look bowed, therefore building it bowed makes it look straight)
Sections of the the frieze and pediment at the Parthenon are on display at the British museum-copies have been placed on the Parthenon
Greek comedy and tragedy began in the 5th century

The videos gave more detail about specific works discussed in the book. For example, the book talks about "Warrior A" and the video More Human Than Human explained this work fully.

The videos were very interesting, especially Cairo Museum because it mimicked what I love about ancient Egypt, which is its mystery.

Architecture Video Review

Prairie Style
Frank Lloyd Wright philosophy
-open, horizontal space
-reflect time, place, landscape
-series of horizontal bands-prairie style
-door not the focal point
-lower ceilings brings eye down and force to look out
-follow the sun-sun orientation
-organic-grew out of land not built upon it
-lasting legacy-respect for landscape, open spaces, relationship of interior and exterior

Architecture: The Science of Design
Steel structures that are riveted together
2 parts- superstructure (all that is above ground)  and substructure (underground)
Foundation-steel, wood or concrete piles driven into ground until reach solid rock can each depths of 60 meters or set on slab of re-enforced concrete
Wind large factor-create vortex that make buildings sway
Re-enforced concrete has steel bars put into it to make it stronger and so it can handle more stress

Classical Architecture
In England used characteristics of Roman architecture on new buildings
Palladio's I Quattro Libri defines English classical architecture in the 18th century
Greek Orders-all have pedestal, column and entablature
-Doric Style-plain
-Ionic Style-more curved and feminine
-Corinthian- more ornamental

Imperial Rome, Ostia, and Portus
Tiber River became lifeline-fertile land and access to the sea, as well as defensive advantages
Aqueducts part of complex water supply that allowed people to live in city. Doubled as defensive wall
Expanding city and population required a large port-Ostia
Ostia became one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire
Rome and Ostia were very densely populated
The piazza of the corporations-double columnated portico, black and white painted mosaics
grain warehouses had raised floors to protect the grain from dampness and pests-equally practical and beautiful-arches, vaults and mosaics
5 story buildings called insulae. Richer citizens lived closer to ground level which had a water supply. Higher floors housed poorer people
Public baths had terra cota ornamental spouts and pipes which were connected to lead pipes that were connected to the aqueducts
Imperial palaces were first monumental buildings to utilize concrete technology
Pantheon-made of brick and concrete and covered with stucco and marble-highly decorated-coffers used to decorate and make dome less heavy-concrete was laid less thick towards top-the oculus makes what would be the weakest point of the dome strong
Public baths were important social meeting areas and were elaborately adorned
Developed technology to improve quality of life-concrete, aqueducts, public baths

2. The videos went more in depth with the discussion of different types of architecture. The videos give more examples and better understanding of differences in architectural styles.

3. The films were helpful in understanding the concepts in the text further. Although, I felt a lot of the information did not pertain directly to the class.

4. I chose to watch Imperial Rome, Osita and Portus because I have always enjoyed learning about his period in history and I always marvel at the incredible feats of construction they accomplished.

Installation Art

Installation art is a work designed in 3D. It is meant to take up an entire space so that the viewer is forced to interact with the piece. It can permanent or non-permanent, indoors or outdoors and can utilize any material the artists wishes. Installation art gives the artist a lot of freedom. I really liked the Sprial Jetty installation.

I was really unsure of what I wanted to do for this project. I decided I wanted to do something outdoors, inspired by the Spiral Jetty. I was also inspired by the Pfeiffer's Caraytid work from the Albright-Knox. I decided to make a man's footprints and a woman's footprints walking alongside one another. I then left the shoes as the ghostly remains of the couple. The footprints after the shoes are unified. The left foot is the woman's and the right is the man's to show their unification.

Peer Review

1. http://lkrug92.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html
2. http://krolci07.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post_25.html?showComment=1299288363605#c5241292405195812790
3. http://firsttimeartstudent.blogspot.com/2011/02/project.html
4. http://eyesonart-karen.blogspot.com/

2. I agreed with the elements and principles that my peers used for this project.

3. The only image that was the same for myself and my peer was for Pfeiffer's Caraytid. Most of the other works this peer chose were also works that I liked but chose not to write about. The second peer reviewed did not have the same images because they went to different gallery.

4. As I stated in my previous answer,many of the works my peer chose were pieces that I saw and enjoyed viewing but chose to not write about. My other peer did make me want to go to the gallery they went to.

5. I think this process is helpful. It helps me gauge how my work is comparing to others. I think it was helpful to review the gallery visit because I was able to read how someone interpreted the same works I saw.

6. The comments I had were not helpful from a technical perspective but I was happy that someone enjoyed my work.

Video Review

Through the Eyes of a Sculptor
Limestone is a sedimentary rock (formed at the bottom of ocean floor)
Restoration-the artist has the geometric shape but use feeling to give the work life again. Replace old stone with stone and make a duplicate.
Sculptor must consider: aesthetic, how fragile the stone the is, how much the stone can handle, the environment
Bridge attachments-uncarved pieced of marble to reinforce sculpture during transport
Steps of a sculpture: Draw, make model out of clay, make silicone mold of clay sculpture, make plaster cast of silicone impression. This plaster model will be used as reference to make the final statue. Make a life-size model that will be used to create the final statue.
Marble is made from limestone after it has been pressurized

Glass and Ceramics
Glass is made from sand
Glassmaker uses a mixture of silica and fluxes to create better fusion which is at around 1500 degrees Celsius
Molten glass is blown into shapes at will
Turning the rod continually shapes the glass
can continue to be cooled and re-heated until it reaches final shape
a propane torch can also be used to shape the glass
Stained glass-artist wants to modulate light
can tell entire stories
ceramics are made from clay base and fired
quality is determined by the quality of the materials used and what temperature it is fired at
dry pressing-fine particles of slip are compressed to form shape, then fired and covered with a glaze to make water resistant

Installation Art
The artwork takes over and defines the space
viewer is forced to interact with the art
video installation-one or several images projected in a large format, usually a darkened space

2. The videos gave more examples of the concepts explained in the text. I have a better understanding of crafts and installations after watching them.

3. The films definitely added to my understanding. They were more in depth of the process of sculpture and craft like ceramics and glass. The installation video gave more examples and helped me understand what constitutes an installation artwork.