Module 11 Video Reviews

Dada and Surrealism

• Hoch’s art was angry, it “tore into society like an angry dog”, her work had chaotic energy. In her piece “Cut With the Kitchen Knife,” no one was spared, different materials collaged together like books, newspapers, and adverts.
• Hoch’s art judges and surveys a changing world, she uses the techniques of mockery and caricature to represent her hatred for society in scandalous ways.
• For the Berlin Dadaists, as for the Italian futurists, it was important that the world of art should be combined with the world of technology.” This meant photomontages were introduced in Dada, in Hannah Hoch’s “Net of Stars” she used scraps of material and paper.
• George Grosz, born in Berlin, created clown-like white painted faces, he invented characters. His work found an excellent market in Berlin and went through several periods of uncertainty with his work.
• Before and during the First World War some artists showed rebellion. In 1926, Grosz re-emerged with his new works with colors, and “energy of bitterness”
• Grosz found subjects from the low-life of Berlin

This topic was picked because I didn't know what Dada or Surrealism is at all

The video taught me that Dadaism is war related.I hope to one day travel and see some of the pieces.

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s and 60s

• Helen Frankenthaler’s “Mountains and Seas” put her on the map in America
• The colors in the painting are described as “soft and pale”
• The elements of art like color and form are largely represented in “Mountains and Seas” Frankenthaler manages to make the figures come out of the surface of the painting
• Frankenthaler early in her career learned about the importance of the independence of an artist’s language, the language of line and shape.
• Pollock's method was to let the paint drip directly out of the tin onto the canvas, which was laid flat while he worked. Jackson Pollock is an action painter.
• “Mountains and Sea” is a landscape, the blue is meant to create a contemplative mood.
• Willem de Kooning’s “Morning, the Springs” creates a light, airy, and fresh feeling as nothing in the painting is recognizable straight away. A lot of the painting is monochrome, and it is like the featheriness of a Chinese scroll.
  I know the 50s and 60s was a Funtime period people weren't afraid to express themselves. When I hear of the 60s I think rainbow
  
  

Module 10

Olmec Mask

The Olmec Mask was made of a polished stone. These mask were from a culture that was older than the Aztecs called the Olmecs. When the Aztecs found these mask they would bury them in their offerings as a sign of appreciation to the historical pieces of work.

Feathered Headdress
      
The Feathered Headdress was made of many different feathers and also gold. Headdress were part of the costume that Aztecs wore during their many ceremonies so it holds a significance in their beliefs. 

Bundu/ Sowei Helmet Mask:
This mask was worn on the top of the head. Women wore the mask instead of men. The mask helped transition young girls into womanhood. When the mask was not being worn it was displayed in the house when worn it was seen as spiritual.

Female (pwo) Mask: 

Made by the Chokew people in the Republic of the Congo. The female mask would have been used and danced by a male dancer and carved by a man. The mask was used to honor women, particular young and fertile women who had given birth.Rather than a traditional dance, the dancer would walk in a very graceful and stately way, since the women really did dance gracefully as this The whiteness around the eyes are connected to the spiritual realm, so they are the most important feature of the mask
Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island:
Made by people who lived on an island in the Torres Strait Made of turtle shell divided into three registers there are many pieces to the mask stitched together, including turtle shell, other shell, feathers, and raffia.

2- I Have many different mask in my house but they were brought here from Africa. So it was cool to see different mask from different cultures. They also helped to teach what went into creating each of these masks.
    

Module 9

Key Concept of Each Video


  Death of Marat:
- David was part of one of the most extreme groups in favor of the French revolution,  he was even one of the people to vote for the beheading of King Louis XVI
  -The Death of Marat was a image that he created to depict the revolution.  The painting made the martyrs of the revolution look heroic. Marat is made to look beautiful and is in a pose similar to an image of Christ is order to help achieve this.
-- This painting was revolutionary in two ways, since it was painted during the French Revolution and that it depicted a contemporary event. Before this, he had painted classical scenes.

Cassatt:

 - Pictures of mothers and children were created  many times, but often times as religious figures. Cassatts painting brings a new closeness between mother and child in a painting of a mother bathing her child.
 - The mother and daughter seem very focused on each other, which also helps the viewer get drawn into this moment they share. It is  shown in unexpected angles to make it seem more like a real life moment

 Monet:

 - The atmosphere and suns light helped to contribute to the images he was painting
 - Monet sometimes only had about 7 minutes to work on a canvas before the lighting changed too much and the effect he was painting was gone, so he would have to return day after day to capture the same effect
-  he returned to a scene many times to try and capture it perfectly. 

  Early Photography: Making Daguerreotypes 

- Louis Jacques-Mande Daguerre created the technique to make Daguerreotypes and sold it to the French government, so that it could be made freely to the public without dealing with copyright restrictions - Daguerreotypes were expensive to make and took a lengthy time to prepare the camera, take a photo, then develop the photo

- Daguerreotype mania swept across France, then the world. It became most popular in America, as it was an affordable way to get your portrait done that was very true to life
 

Beyond The Great Wave:
 - Hokusai wanted to live to be 110, because he believed that by then he would be so skilled that every line he painted "would come to life" - The two paintings are thought to be a reflective self portrait of Hokusai towards the end of his life

  Delacroix:
-Delacroix made this painting very large to depict a contemporary event, when paintings of this size were often reserved for historical events
- The painting depicts a battle of people of all classes coming together to fight in the revolution against the monarchy

  -This painting defies many of the rules of the Art Academy at the time

2-Both the reading and the videos go into the depth of why the art were made the way that they were. But the text gives more detail overall than the videos do.

3-I enjoyed the films I liked the 'Cassat one the most because I am use to seeing such paintings when I go to church so its nice to have a sense of familiarity. 

Module 8 pt 2

1~My hand has alot of details on it so was hard to capture every line and looking at my hand while drawing was also quite difficult.
2~I used a pencil to draw my hand because charcoal is a little too messy.
3~I can't even write my name neat with my non dominant hand so drawing with it was even worse.
4~I do believe I was successful in completing my left hand but my right hand looks a little messed up.
5~I will not use my non dominant hand in the future to create artwork.

Module 8

The two videos that I chose to watch is  Florence: Heart of the Renaissance and Understanding Art: Baroque Part 1 I mostly chose the renaissance video because everyone has basic knowledge on the renaissance period, that's the one that I know the most information on and I chose baroque because I barely have any knowledge on the topic.


 The Renaissance began in 1400 in Florence

People are sculpted nude, this celebrates the human body more and more. 

Donatello invented the Renaissance style of art, Michelangelo would come next and perfect what he started.

   - Art was a combination of appreciation for the human body, usually still with a religious reason, creating detailed and realistic "holy scenes"

- The city was very wealthy being the center of much trade, and many used this wealth to commission art for religion and pleasure


Understanding Art: Baroque Part 1

"Rome is basically a Baroque creation", the main architecture there is Baroque in style

       - The Cornaro Chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria is considered by many to be Bernini's masterpiece, including by Bernini himself

         -"Whatever it took, whatever it cost, the Baroque was up for it" is a good way to describe this movement

        -There had been ceiling paintings in Italian art for centuries, however the Baroque had an extra focus on it due to the advancements art and the spending around it had seen

3- Both showed that they wanted their paintings and art to persuade followers to be more intune with their religion.
4-The video was a perfect length. Not too long and just enough information to get their point across.

Module # 7

The 2 religions that I chose were Christianity and Islam.
The similarities that I found in Islam ad christianity is the time that they take to ensure that their place of worship is a beautiful place. 
I chose Christianity and Islam because they can relate in many ways. And I already had a basic understanding on Christianity because I follow it so I wanted to further my knowledge on Islamic Religion and compare my new found knowledge to each other.
I enjoyed watching both films

Islam
Various significant Islamic mosques were examined. This video started out by describing the first great masterpiece of Islamic art built in the seventh century, the Dome of the Rock. The Great Mosque of Kairouan has a  amount of columns in the prayer room and it is remarkable. It was said that the intended propose of these series of columns was to create a sort of forest to block the view between those who pray and the imam. It was also dim, faintly light by countless chandeliers, in the prayer hall to help people focus on their prayers. In Islam, the relationship between people who pray and god is direct.


Christianity

In Christianity, so many events take place in the churches-- births, marriages, services, funerals, and more. I learned that a lot of these churches were created over time with a variety of inspiration and contributions. For example, the San Vitale church brought together cultural traditions of Greece and Rome. Something that I found interesting was the decor of the Durham Cathedral was described as "Romanesque". This was known as the first church in the world that had pointed arches at the top, inspiring many others. 

Module 6

The three videos helped to further my understanding by adding depth and explaining the background of where influences came from for art. Hearing the background of art and then seeing it tied it all together. 

Beyond the Classical: Byzantine and Later Greek Art

This video gave information on Greek history. The church had a big impact on greek history because Greece is a very Religious country.

The war of independence led to the next development of greek art. All events were documented and it Gave the greeks a sense of nationhood. Greeks were able to document things from their everyday life and turn it into paintings. 

The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th Century BC

Symbolism was a major factor, the building symbolized the emergence of Western Civilization. The building that they speak about is Parthenon. The building gets millions of tourist a year. Pollution is a big part of Parthenon.

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

Artist was obsessed with the human body and it became evident in their artwork.

"Man is the measure of all things" is a key phrase. Portrays humanism in the Greek culture and their art reflects all specs of the body.