BLOG #6

How has your 6 weeks with art affected/changed you...or what does art mean to you now?

Initially when I was choosing my classes for the summer and I had come across Art History, I never realized that it would actually be the history of art, rather than the study of some artists and their pieces. Although, we did in-fact study about artists and their pieces we also looked at the history of art in a larger perspective, including but not limited to- the particular time periods when certain techniques and variations of art were created, the birth of certain and important artists, and the beginning of true beauty in art. Art is a beautiful concept and creation and through this 6-week course I was able to familiarize myself with techniques that dated back to the 1500s and that are still seen in art today. These techniques are what make today's art so vivid, beautiful, unique, and strong.

A week into this class I was afraid I was falling behind and not quite grasping the full potential of art history as a whole. I was afraid that I was not understanding everything in detail and knowing what everything meant and how it related to each artist. Fortunately, as the weeks went on I realized that it is not necessary to fully understand each part of the reading as long as I am able to understand the concept as a whole and how it contributed to the history of art, to that particular artist, and to today's art. This class has opened my eyes to a lot of different pieces of art and has taught me how to distinguish certain pieces and relate them to their particular time period. I am now more open to view art and comment on it because I have learned different periods, different techniques, different artists, and all in all how they all relate to one another and how one piece can have all these difference incorporated to make it very unique and beautiful. Art is what the artist chooses to make it, and it has no limitations or guidelines.

Now, when I look at pieces of art I do not just ignore the details and the techniques that are used. I am able to see the differences and appreciate them because of the knowledge I have acquired through these 6-weeks. Even though a 16-week class was squished into 6-weeks, it was still very powerful and very helpful. It took a lot of time, patience, and effort to get through the readings and understand what each time period was about, but in the end it was completely worth it. Art is beautiful no matter what, we can only criticize to the extent of what we admire and do not admire in a piece, but we are not capable or in a sense- allowed to criticize an artists decision to use certain techniques in his piece, because art is what the artist wants it to be. We all view different pieces differently and make our own interpretations of them and that is the true beauty of art that it is not limited to one meaning or interpretation.












Art no longer is just the painting on the wall or the sculpture in the courtyard to me, but it is also a story that is told through the various techniques in the painting, or through the various textures in the sculpture. Art is what we want it to be.

BLOG #5

After reading about Manet and his influence over artists of his generation and those that later came I noticed how inspirational he truly was. The piece on the right is a modern painting that was greatly influenced by Manet because of its detail, no-guidelines, and uniqueness. This piece is full of geometric shapes that all come together to form a story. This piece can also be divided into multiple stories because of the color division in the background. The geometric shapes form people and the current socializing they are doing. If one looks closely into this photo he or she can notice the action that is going on and how each figure (or person) is socializing with the one next to them. It looks like a dance party and the bright colors represent the happiness and excitement of the party. I enjoy this piece a lot because of the shapes that form people and in the mean time also has the mood set for the party. The combination of all the beautiful colors adds to the impact of the shapes and to the piece. The colors help with the movement of the photo and the movement of all the figures in the photo. This truly is a beautiful piece and it is greatly inspired by Manet. He was one of the first to create pieces that were not accepted by society and that told stories that were always shh-ed in public. Manet took great pride in his work and so did those that followed in his footsteps, and because of him artists like Philip Noyed were able to created pieces as the one above. Philip Noyed's pieces tell stories that during Manet's time would have been banned and frowned upon, but still are very beautiful pieces.

Supplemental 5

After reading all the biographies on the impressionist artist I concluded that I found Pierre-Auguste Renoir most interesting. This is because he showed such incredible talent at a very young age and soon after began painting plates in a porcelain factory. Renoir attended Atelier Gleyre where he met and became close with Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Jean Frédéric Bazille. They mostly influenced his art. I mostly enjoyed the multiple colors used in his paintings and the lack of browns and blacks. One of my favorite pieces of his was A Dance in the City, because of its extreme beauty and perfection. This piece reminds me of the perfect first dance as a couple where there is still true love and beauty present.

BLOG #4

ART IN SOCIETY

Art and society have always gone hand in hand in history because one reflects the other so well. During the time of Flemish and Baroque art people and society were more focused on class system, materialism, and political powers. One of my favorite pieces that we have seen through our readings is Peter Paul Rubens' Marie de' Medici, which is a piece in honor of Queen Marie de' Medici and to celebrate her astounding political career. In this piece there is a portrait of Marie that is in the center of the huge canvas and the Gods and Goddesses are all surrounding it and reaching their hands out to it. This piece represents how Marie was viewed as a queen and it glorifies her role in politics. This piece definitely represents the time and society because in during that time a queen's actions were important to the people. Art and society work well with each other because people paint what they see and feel and it is true that it reflects the society they are currently living in.














Today's society is reflected more through color, texture, and shapes; artists are not necessarily focused on representing people or places in their art, but rather geometric shapes and things. Our paintings and sculptures today are more shapes because they truly reflect society, our society is a big mess currently with the recession, lack of gay rights, and a newly elected black president. Our society should not and is not represented through people portraits, beautiful landscapes, and of gods and goddesses as the pieces were in the 15th-17th centuries because our society is not as sync anymore. Every era in history is represented through a different era in art history, and because of this we are now seeing more of geometric shapes, a lot of color, and a huge focus on textures.

Art and society collaborate with one another to reflect the truth about the current time in history. There is only so much that can be told through words about history and the occurances of the time, and the rest lies in the art of the period.

BLOG #3

Propaganda has been the source of influence in America since the first days of our country. During the wars there were many pieces of propaganda, most usually influencing young men to enlist in the war even before being drafted. Other pieces were to encourage women powers while their men were out at war. One of the most famous pieces of women propaganda was the "WE CAN DO IT" which is believed to be Rosie the Riveter. This piece initiates woman's strength and power in constructing bombers, fighter planes, and the like which would help the men at the front. This is one of the most appreciated pieces of propaganda for women, because it was the time when women were not only considered housewives and mothers, but also needed employees.





Today's propaganda mostly focuses on keeping our children, teenagers, and adults alike away from cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. The campaign for Living Above the Influence is one of the most well known ads on our tvs, in our magazines, and on our billboards that encourages everyone to stay away from drugs. This piece is vital to our lives today because many children are losing themselves in drugs and failing to adhere to their every day responsibilities. I think it is important for everyone to do their part in keeping our children occupied with extracurriculars, jobs, school, etc.






Propaganda is the reason for many people doing certain things, because such pieces as those above and below are huge influences for individuals. Unfortunately, many people cannot and choose to not do things on their own and for that very reason having propaganda in their lives helps them make decisions. During the prime years of Marlboro many people chose to become smokers because the Marlboro man made it look very cool. Propaganda is a part of our every day we see it in all of our magazines and on all of our billboards, and even if we do not necessarily agree we are still in some way influenced by the message that it is being presented.

BLOG #2

This reading made me realize how many terms I knew the definition of, but was never aware of the actual term used. I found it very interesting that many of the terms used in art today came about during the renaissance. All these art terms are commonly used in our every day vocabulary, terms such as a horizontal line, texture, spacing, and/or brightness. We relate to these terms every day, but in most cases are not aware that they are terms from the renaissance era relating to art. I have always wanted to be good at 2D art, but never really had any skill for it; therefore, I spend my time behind a photo camera lens. My favorite photos are those taking at the beach and are a prime example of a horizontal line, which is where the ocean meets the sky; although, to the naked eye it seems as if the ocean becomes the sky. This photo is one of my own down at Capitola Beach and it represents a horizontal line right at the end of the ocean where the sky begins. The horizontal line is also evident between the back end of the ocean and the front end of the ocean. This line divides all the different textures and colors of the sand, ocean, and sky.




Along with horizontal lines come terms such as texture, color, density, depth, perspective, etc. A lot of my photographs focus on texture. I make sure to find places where the texture differs and it is noticeable in the photograph. Although the texture is not tangible through the photo the texture is still seen in the picture. Most of my favorite photos from the beach are very texture oriented. The photo to the right has a lot of texture which is not just seen through the rocks and their roughness but also in the water and sand.






All the terms from the renaissance era and the art that people like Donatello, Michelangelo, Botticelli, etc. produced were then and are now vital to our every day lives. Even when we do not realize it, these terms and these pieces we use every day, whether it is to teach a 7 year old how to draw, a high school-er how to take a photograph, or an adult what is important in architecture. The renaissance era set a foundation that is very much needed today and that will be forever needed because of the terminology and the message they put forth for us. Art is timeless and its message is timeless, we all see something different in a photograph, painting, sculpture, etc. but at the end of the day, we all see something.

BLOG #1

Is art and religion relevant today?



I have realized that both art and religion are relevant today, in fact, religion is still rising with the addition of religions such as Scientology, which emerged less than 90 years ago. People rely on religion to guide them through their every day and to save them from all the evils in the world. Even though religion is not as highly accepted as it was back in the ancient world it is still vital to our lives. We see the rise in religions through the constant building of places of worship for the many new followers. Sadly, there is a lot of controversy in religion today because people fail to accept religion for what it truly is without compromising their religious beliefs with their political thoughts. We see religion alive today during Christmas and Easter in malls, parks, and other city attractions. For example, Valley Fair and Santana Row, one of the biggest malls in our area, puts up a Christmas Tree every year during the holidays and has Santa there for the children. This helps keep religion alive in not only the adults but also the children.



Art, very much like religion, is also alive in today's world. Although, it is not in the same form that it was in the 15th century art still shapes everything around us. All the beautiful music, buildings, novels, poems, sculptures, etc. are our forms of art which keep us alive and sane. Artists of today still rely very much on ancient art to find themselves in each individual piece that they make. Art is a form of expression for the individual and in my opinion will forever stay alive and be relevant to our lives and the lives of the generations to come. Art is a greater power that we do not have any control over, yet it has all the control over us. It shapes who we are and who we want to be, because we express our true selves through art.



Through my own experiences I have seen that art and religion will forever be relevant in people's lives and forever help them express themselves.