Modern Artttttttttt ;D

Here's an example of modern art that we saw at the MOMA. Modern art reflects everyday life and common objects. Pop artists actually take an image and personalize it in some way. A lot of modern art is brand name items. They use repitition in most of pop art in order to get the viewer's attention. Another instance we see modern art is in sculpture. Whether it's a fabric cheeseburger, or a sculpture of a refigerator, all of modern art incorporates modern society's popular culture.

Field Trip

On our class trip to NYC, we experienced so much in one day. My legs got really tired after the second stop, but it was definitely worth it. We got to see so much artwork, including an artwork that you can walk into- the St. Patrick's cathedral. It was so cool to see that in the middle of the city. It was a block away from Times Square. At the Whitney and Moma, we got to discuss our own opinions of what makes something art. For example: "OOF" This was such a debatable piece that we got into arguments in class the next day. Over all, the trip was very fun and worth while.

Impressionism/Post Impressionism

Impressionists explored their own views and painted what they saw in front of them without any prep sketching. They often used a technique called impasto, which is what we used in class to paint the sunflowers. We used popsicle sticks to enhance the texture on the canvas.

The next period that followed was Post-Impressionism. It was pretty much the same, except for their liking for geometric forms, and to use unnatural or random color.

The play we watched for this painting above brought each character to life and told stories about their lives. It was really interesting and the actors/actresses did a great job, even though few people liked it.

Romanticism <3 Neo-Classicism and Realism o.o

At first, I thought Romanticism focused only on emotion. When we got to the actual definition, I learned that movement, action, and color were key elements in this style. Every painting seemed to be a snapshot moment frozen in time. I liked how intense these paintings were and how they immediately commanded a reaction from the viewer. It is like being part of what was happening and feeling connected to the emotions by reading the characters expressions. Body language and facial expression were most dramatic in Romanticism for easy interpretation.






Neo-Classicism, which brought back a lot of Roman traditions. It was also against Baroque and Rococo. Artists of this time wanted to return to more pure subject matter.
Realism is litterally the "real" aspects of life and opposed exhaggerated scenes full of emotion. Photography was very popular at the time and also light was brought into paintings.

Ro-co-co-co-co-cococococoooo

Rococo art followed Baroque. It was a bit similar in the way people were painted, but very different in subject matter. Rococo art was extremely risque for its time and showed a lot of partying. I think a lot of the painting techniques were very well done but they could have been put to a better use. The one of the girl on the swing seemed so innocent at first until we discussed it in class. I'm not trying to say that it was wrong to paint such things, but I think it would have been better without so much innuendo. There's a time and place for it, as for many things in life. I guess I just don't understand what it was like to live during that time.

Baroque

The art of the Baroque period had distinct similarities. They all had a very dark background with the main character or object illuminated. They used vivid contrast to draw attention without having anything to distract the viewer from the focal point. Also, the movement in these paintings was very easy to follow and strategically done. Another thing was the emotion in the characters and their obvious facial expression, as well as body language. It was pretty intense. The last thing about Baroque art was that it was ordinary people doing every-day tasks. It was very original and candid, which I liked.

DYING EASTER EGGS... Pysanky Style...

Pysanky has a lot of symbolism in the decorations on their eggs. It's an annual tradition and is taken very seriously. First I chose a saw line, which is representative of the sun or life-giving heat. I love being warm and the feeling of being safe under the covers. Also, laying out in the sun really helps me to relax my mind. Second was the ladder, which is a symbol of searching and rising above the petty problems of life. I believe that I take the high road in most situations and I'm proud of that. Thirdly, I added spirals to symbolize the mystery of life and death; they denote divinity or immortality. I'm always wondering about life and death. Next was the three leaf, which is for immortality and/or eternal love. Eternal love is something I hope for in the future. It's a strong, if not, the strongest force in the world. I didn't choose any of the animals, but I did choose an insect. A butterfly represents the pleasure and frivolity of childhood. It also is said to remind one that things of delicate beauty must take their own course rather than be contained. I totally agree with the second part and it makes sense that a butterfly is the symbol. A butterfly starts its life journey as a caterpillar and then transforms into a gorgeous creature. Also, it has been and will continue to be very hard for me to let go of my childhood. Lastly, I will explain the colors: orange, blue, and purple. Orange shows endurance and also represents the red of passion tempered by the yellow of wisdom. Blue signifies the blue skies or the life-giving air. Purple signifies patience and trust. These are pretty much self-explanatory.

The Renaissance

The Renaissance in art history class went by too quickly because it was such a great unit. We watched a movie about Michelangelo's struggle to paint the ceiling of the sistine chapel. I thought it was really cool and seemed to be accurate because the acting was very well done. Also, I liked how we got in groups and focused on a panel of the ceiling. I wasn't here for the presentation unfortunately, but we all worked together and bounced ideas off of eachother to write our papers. Most of all, the most fun I had was recreating Venus with cat ears and a moustache. I learned a lot about new ways to paint and mix skin tones.

Byzantine Art

ERiN

I honestly almost forgot about this one. Byzantine art was very 2-D and the one type of art that we studied the most was mosaics. A mosaic is a piece of artwork that is put together with tiny pieces called..... everyone forgot this word on our quiz. The word is tesserae!

Anyway.. when you look at a mosiac up close, it's just a bunch of colors, but when you step back you see the masterpiece.

In my opinion, the mosaics were really the only thing that intrested me in Byzantine art. Even some of them i didn't find appealing. I like when there is depth to artwork. Here's an example.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/72/207150510_d7cb117675.jpg

http://www.alifetimeofcolor.com/study/images/byzantine_art_s.jpg

Egyptian Art

ERiN

This unit was the most memorable so far, and also seemed like the longest. However, that was a good thing. It was fun recollecting the process of mummification and reincarnation. Ancient Egyptian society is most likely among the most studied at least in our country.

Since I secretly still play with Barbies occasionally, I enjoyed cutting off all of her hair and wrapping her alive with that plaster. It took forever, but it was fun. Then, when it came to our shoebox tombs, they took even longer. It was fun decorating them when they were done, though.

http://www.imagekind.com/art/egyptian_art/egyptian_art.jpg

http://www.themysticcorner.com/images/Egyptian_Art.jpg

African Art

ERiN

African Art was cool. We covered so much in this unit: from masks, to sculpture, and even ceremonies.

Secondly, the fun part was when we got to make our own masks. I probably would have liked to carve one out of wood, but construction paper was okay. Besides, it was intresting because it was two contrasting colors.

http://www.visitingdc.com/images/african-mask.jpg

http://www.eso-garden.com/images/uploads_bilder/tribal_african_art_3.jpg

Roman Art

ERiN

We didn't really talk that much about Romans, so I guess I'll talk about architecture. The Acropolis was the most significant building built and is still standing today. The Romans' use of roads and irrigation was new and helped future architects.

Since we didn't do a project for this one, I found this example of Roman sculpture.

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2007/10/17/acropolis460.jpg
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/r/images/roman_augustuspr.lg.JPG

Asian Art

ERiN

When we were covering Asian art, we did Chinese and Japanese at the same time. One of the key similarities that we learned was the style. They both were inspired by nature in their work. Also, they are very detailed and intricate. I had fun painting bamboo with the water colors. Mine turned out abstract.

http://www.kuffner.org/james/gallery/art/chineseBamboo.jpg

I found this picture and decided to include it because it's The Great Wave! Done by Japanese artist, Hokusai. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2142/2291705343_06c3ccfe7a.jpg

ERIN

I learned a lot about Prehistoric Art, mostly Cave Art. The conditions and the way cave people had to paint in were hard to grasp. Painting on the pieces of paper bag with the different bases, spices, and jello was cool. We weren't working with exactly what they used, but it was similar to the method. Also, I learned that some paintings were done on parts of the wall where it protruded out. They used it to accentuate muscles and other parts of the animals' body.

http://www.artchive.com/

Cave paintings served the purpose of weakening animals before they were actually hunted. I found this concept interesting because they used art as a hunting ritual. The cave people didn't seem to understand much, so the only trace of their thoughts were recorded in cave paintings. There were paintings of animals most of the time, but there are a few of people. This prehistoric method of painting set a very early foundation for what we have now.

http://www.humanities-interactive.org/