module 12

            I selected the video the power of art.  I’ve heard about Rothkos art before, but only seen it on occasion.  I was glad I could get some further insight.  Rothko was a painter who’d “spent so much time in the realm of death that he killed himself”.  Quite a way to start a video.  When you take a look at some of the painting, you can read see this.  As an abstract painter, Rothkos suicide might leave some too solemn to view his works, which were in stark contrast to much of the more lively art at the time.  Mostly, art was bright and popish, and Rothkos art was not.  His suicide did bring up some interest into his art, and the art of other solemn pieces of the same nature.  Even the lighting in Rothkos works room was to be kept low, which also helped set the mood.  The Dark reds/purples were really allowed to cut deep into your psyche without the reprieve of lighting.  Interesting that Seagrams would enlist such a dark painter to do the décor in their headquarters, although Mark was in his prime.  Rothko questioned, as did many others, how far art can take us, how much effect can it put over us. At 2.5 million offer, Rothko took an uncanny amount of time before accepting the offer.  Even Rothkos early art was dark and bleak.  Interesting to see that Rotchko felt his art was not an expression of his own feelings, but of the world for what it is.  Many artists express themselves.  Rotchko focused on the dark nature of the simplest of human emotions, but objectively, not out of his own heart.  Matisses “Red Studio” had an impact on Rotcko, and you can really see if you look into Rothkos art as to why.  Thebook mentions Rothko in a very minimal way.  It shows Rothkos painting orange and yellow, 1956, which is lighter than many of Rothkos other works.  It makes no mention of the real dark, dreary nature of most of his paintings, but does show us a different version of several of his other works.  The fields of color with a constant, hazy border is still present.  At times is seems to me that while Rothko claimed to not be displaying any inner feelings, I believe he had some serious psychological issues.  This is reinforced by the fact that he spoke a desire to have people negatively effected, influenced by the darkness of his works.  He wanted them to feel the despair and sadness of the world.  Others not being overwhelmed by these feelings caused Rothko personal anguish.  The film showed a strong opinion of the artist without questioning any of his positions.  I think it would have done well to do so at least a little considering how deep into the person of Mark Rothko as it did.

            The second video I watched was Uncertainty:modernity and Art.  After exploring Rothkos realm I felt slightly engrained and interested in an aspect which showcased depravity and chaos, a realm of art I’d only slightly explored in the past. (Chapmans' Fucking Hell)  The title drew me in, being similar in material or not.  5 yards of red, interesting and compared to Greek sculptures, a unique view.  The fil begins by showcasing many of the differences in modern society vs classical society relative to cultural cohesion and uniformity.  Moving onto specificities, Picassos works are cited, referencing a change to abstract visions.  Hitler and the Nazis identifying modern art as a perversion is a very interesting concept to me.  The idea that things are not concrete and life is always changing and true, however in a sense we dictate the differences and uniformity in our lives.  Creating a world of consistency and uniformity is just as likely and real as a world of realistic art.  Art seems to come from a form of our society, a display or our feelings and current political fervor.  This is interesting and supported by the different art based on the governmental scheme possessed by the different major factions prior to and during WWII.  Abstract art seems to be the anti-realism.  To say a truth is in abstract art, is purely subjective.  While subjectivity is an interesting topic, no one can say that they mean any more or less than realistic art.  How can one understand abstract art?  However they want.  What type of art is more true?  Is open mindedness truly good?  Is it bad?  Is it subjective.  The book shows some of the differences in art, from photographic to digital, but says nothing about the nazi views on art.  Also the book really goes into little detail about some possible causes (modularity)  of the transition, but rather of what modern art is.  This was an interesting video, but slightly chaotic.  It didn’t really follow a constant theme, besides the theme of chaos and difference, which is exactly what contemporary art is.    

A talk with the twelve

       The theme of my art exhibit is the Greek Gods.  I called my exhibit "a talk with the twelve".  I have always been a fan of the ancient greek and roman cultures, and I'm a big fan of the sculptures they created.  I think this work took an enourmous amount of skill and find it just a fun topic.  I called my exhibit a talk with the twelve because there are twelve major greek gods.  I would put some conversation in the pamphlets for the exhibit, and reference some of the detail about each specific God.  Since the Greeks often went to temples with sculpts of the Gods I think it would be a cool way to kind of take a trip into their shoes.  The sclupts were massive and designed to be more than human.  THis is referenced in one of our weekly videos 'more human than human", and really being able to look into a sculpted face of a God could almost alow you to picture them in an earthly and very comprehendable way as opposed to just the theory.  Finally, I included some much more modern versions of the greek sculpts.  Typically, when we think of sculpts of the Gods we think of old chizzled marble.  When you toss in some totally contemporary and abstract versions I think it creates a very unique juxtoposition that I thought was an original idea so I ran with it.  I can understand it may not 'mesh' the exhibit as well as some might be, but that was sort of the point.

From my discussion post^
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I was really trying to take something that was old and stale and maybe add a little spice in the middle to make it relevant again.  I'm not much a fan of modern, contemporary art but when I see something like the original contemporary art that I found while searching through for this project I really could relate.  Many times I see a random set of splotches on paper and really just cant pull anything from it.  the sculpt Demeter I selected for example...just wow.  After reading about the god and seeing some ancient sculpts about her, I took a look at the organic take by Jean Arp and I could really 'feel' it.  Really cool feeling.

       As far as coloring, I imitated what I would use at the exhibit through my text in the slides.  I would try and remain very neutral for my backgrounds, pedestals, and mountings that were classic, and really try and add something for the ones that are contemporary.  Some color, colored lights, maybe a little sound for the newew pieces.  The older pieces I think I would set in a very classic look, maybe some plants and marbled floors or small fountains with running water.  After some thought, I would try and switch out maybe every piece or two contemp, classic classic, contemp, in a way to create some juxtaposition and allow the viewer to really see the same thing from different angles.....very different angles.   Not really ever mixing the two types, but instead placing them side by side for comparison.  I really tried to explain an aspect or two using specific terms from our videos and assignments, but I sort of found it to be kind of redundant as most of the pieces were sculpts.  I enjoyed this project a lot as I had the freed to more or less plow along as I felt on a topic of my choosing.  While its easier initially to have a set goal and perameters, being able to chose ones own topic and explore it as they like it more rewarding in the end.  This project was, as other have been, a realm of which I have no experience in.  It's extremely refreshing that we're able in the class to be able to vary so much on the subject of art the assignments are not simply the same grind every week!

Module 11, a different direction of art

The two videos I selected this week were "matisse and picasso" and "dada and surrealism.  The first I selected based on the fact that I'd heard of picasso.  The latter was selected based on randomness :)

Matisse and picasso was an interesting video, and differed from many of the other videos that focused on two artists because of the relationship that the two had.  In most cases, famous artists appear to deal with or interact very little.  In the case the they do interact, it is typically not the most friendly of cases.  Matisse and picaso had a very strong relationship.  During some times, they were close and actually conversed with eachother about their works.  Other times, they would communicate from a distance.  One may see the others work and mirror it, or compose a work of a complimentary nature.  Their art was unusual to me, and I wasnt really aware of picasos style.  To me, the unnatural appearences in these two artists work is not very appealing.  It's seemingly lower quality then many of the more realistic works we've been seeing.

Dadaism is very unique.  I've seen some modelling expos that appear to have been an offshoot of this type of art.  They were a hodgepodge of smaller statues and trinkets, combined with smaller gears and other mechanical items, all combined together and then painted into blend them all.  This seemed similar to the idea of dada'ism without the political element. 

The video on matisse and picasso went very in depth about the relationship between the two, while the book made little mention on this.  On the subject of dada'ism and surrealism, the videos paid special attention to many of the artists personal.  It showed and explained how some artists personality fir well with their work, while others lived lifestyles completely devoid of the expressionism that was showcased in their art.  Also, the videos mentioned a lot of the political cannotations that were evident in the work while the book went less into this type of detail.

The two videos I selected for this weeks video review were hinduism and budhism.  I originally selected the budhism video because I was interested in seeing if the mini budha statues I've seen were really based on something and how they came about.  Also, I was interested to see if there was any connection made with the art and sculptures from the Mediterranean and India.  The other video I selected was Hinduism.  I guess I figured that it would compliment the hunduism video and maybe fill in some gaps that were left open or compliment the other.

The budhism video was unique in that it really showed a religion that kind of originated out of nowhere.  True human belief in humanity and a unique perspective on our existence and how subjective we can be.  The art that was shown was relatively simplistic in nature, and really represented the religion itself very well.  I found the temple designs to be thought out, and while ordinary and seeminly bland, possesed a true balance and correspondence with the overall theme of the religion.
 
Hinduism on the other hand was much different.  Some of the temple designs were extremely complex in nature.  I was pretty skeptical about the statues with all the sexual themes right on the temple.  This seemed very out of place to me, as I've never really drawn any type of sexual messages out of the idea of religion.  Their art was also shown in some of the rituals that they performed.  There was a certain method to their rituals that was adhered to from the physical body motions to the actual display. 

I didnt really find too much to focus on in the artistic area besides the temple design that was displayed.  The book focused more on smaller detailed works rather than looking at the religion at a whole and the life and culture behind it.I did like these films and felt they provided a view on many aspects of religious art and history that has not yet been portrayed in any of the other topics covered so far in this course.

This was an interesting project...I'm not much of an artist myself, so I was pretty worried with how this was going to come out, but I'm not as horrified as I thought I'd be.  It's weird to draw your hand...we use our hands so much, focusing on it is almost like focusing on an object....but it's not because really it's you.  When I switched to drawing with my non dominant hand, I kept wanting to just put the pencil down and use my normal (right) hand to draw in the details and stuff.  It was kind of frustrating but also kind of a neat exercise. I'd say it was pretty successful, but I wouldnt really use my off hand in the future unless I put a lot of practice with it first and trained my brain to be able to use my left hand.

Mod 9, Mike n Leo

One of the videos I've selected for this weeks video review was The Drawings of Michelangelo.  The video
 showcases several of Michelangelos work, but primarily focuses on his development as an artist and the inner workings of his thought processes.   The video shows us several of Michelangelos works, as well as many of the design stages of these major works.  There is much to be found in viewing the design stages, as we can really see what the artist was thinking in producing and planning.  It's interesting, as mentioned in the article most of the sketches and design prototypes were destroyed, not through war or other destructive activity, but by the artist himself.  One thing that was learned through the sketches was that much of
Michelangelos work and early learnings show much of the same techniques used by his mentor.  Although
Michelangelo claims to owe little to his mentor, he owed much to his teachings.  Also, we can see how exactly the artist came about some of his works.

The other video I selected was Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance. I selected this video because I wanted to compare da Vinci and Michelangelo.  Da Vincis life, while similar, seemed to be painted in the video in a much darker sense.  Forced to cope with much political strife, da Vinci seemed to travel a lot more.  Also, due to many other factors including his own doing, there seem to have been many works by Da Vinci which never were completed.  This is a shame, as there may have been many more works from him for us to flounder over.  Interestingly enough it seems that there was some dissent between these two men.  This makes sense, as both existed during the same time and surely had to hear about how great the other was.  It's too bad, perhaps with different circumstances the two may have worked together to create.  Similarly, it seems both men left little to go on with regards to the stages of their work.  Maybe it was due to the times or their own desire for perfection, but each man did much to prevent their sketches from remaining and being shown to the world.

The movies differ from the books in that rather than focusing on the works specifically and who they were being made for, the videos showed really a much deeper, more 'real' version of these men.  It questioned and focused on their inner workings, and really how their work correlated with their stage in life.  The book gave a much more paper man type feel to the artists, and seems to have forgotten that in light of their accomplishments, they also suffered and experienced what we all do.  It was a much more relatable way to get to 'know' the artists.  I feel that the videos did this very well, even if the video on Leonardo seemed rather dark and sort of depressing.

Video Reviews MOD 8

The video more human than human was quite interesting.  The majority of the video was centered on the expanse and use of art in Egyptian culture.  This is probably because Egyptian culture is really the first and oldest widespead use of art in a culture  that has endured through the ages. The video was investigating not only how art was used in the past but actually why humans show art in the way we do.  One factor primarily centered on humanities natural engrained desire to accentuate varios portions of the human anatomy in representational way.  Before this and the reading I hadnt really fully understood the terminology realistic, unrealistic, representational. 

The video I selected to watch was The greek awakening.  After watching the first video I wanted to see the greek cultures art history more specifically and in more depth.  This video focused more on specifically how the greek culture demonstrated art and the parthenon.  It showed how the greek view of art was effected by their culture, and really how western civilization was sprouted sort of out of a Greek beginning. 

The videos were similar to the text in that both showed the development of art over time, while also showing that even if thousands of years go by, we as humans have a tendency to revert to many of the same styles or similar creations.  They also both show that while culture has a great effect on how we specifically portray ourselves and our art, there are similarities that span not only thousands of years but thousands of miles.  Interestingly enough that the same type of exagerations are shown in different cultures who may have never had interactions with each other.

I believe showing the history and most basic functions of any subject are vital to a full understanding of other aspects of the field.  These vidoes, to me, provide this knowledge and I find them very interesting.  Without really seeeing art from where it began, we cant fully understand it.

M7, and artiswhereyoumakeit video review

Hey there!

       One of the videos I watched was on the science of architecture.  Basically, the video demonstrated a lot of the technicality behind some structural designs, and how different designs require different materials.  Prestressed concrete for example can provide a much stronger final product than regular concrete.  Also, it can allow for a much larger variety of designs based on it's composition. 
        The other video I watched was on the last call for planet earth.  It composed of several different architects explaining in their own opinion how the architecture of various buildings can have a positive effect on the environment.  I guess it wasnt so much a positive effect but rather less of a negative effect.  Their design attempted to incorporate natural provisions in order to have a lesser effect on the environment as well as less energy use.  The most interesting part of this video (to me) was the federal building that did not have an overrideable climate control system. If the buildings functions did not provide for a perfect climate for the inhabitants, than pretty much just too bad for them.  The architect stated that this is not a big deal because the energy usage is less of a personal preference and more of a green status...to me it seemed kinda like a little BS though, and likely it was just because the building could only function so well without the inclusion of a modern HVAC system.
       The videos complimented the reading well. I felt that, as was the case with previous chapters, the reading provides a much more theoretical and 'art' perspective.  It focused on elements and thought behind the structures where the videos also provided a lot of material regarding the specifics of its systems construction and functionality.
       I tried to choose the video on Roman architecture but it was no longer available on the website.  The last chance for planet earth I chose because I've always had a small interest in 'green' living.  It typically involves a very minimalist style, but some of the designs in the video were large scale which was pretty neat.  Also the science of architecture focused a lot on the physical construction, which I am a fan of and do a lot it myself(although on a much smaller scale)

Peer Review Fun

 http://bryannagraham.blogspot.com/

Annnnnnnnes Blog


Well I took a look at a couple other peoples blogs and I have to say it was pretty enjoyable!  Normally when I look at art i have a tough time trying to figure out really what the heck is going on.  Not sure if it's my limited experience in the matter or what but this was neat and comprehensible.

Firstly I was able to see how others have done the same things that I did, but in a totally different way!  I could compare my processes to what their processes might have been (although there were not good descriptions on the photos in the Photoshop slideshow of how they came about taking the photo and applying an element)  I think maybe people should look at what they are taking a picture of rather than look for a picture that represents and element....or maybe do both and the outcome would be different...idk if this is clear or not but...I agreed with most of what others had posted but not entirely, I think some of the pictures I maybe had a tough time identifying with the proposed element.

One of my peer reviews did have the same art in it!  Bryanna and I both took a look at the 'Cinema art exhibit and both wondered what was going on in it!  She wondered more about the R while I went I little outlandish with my thinking but we both were curious about it!

I really liked a couple of annnnnnnes pictues of the elements.  I thought they were really creative and I could see what she was thinking when she took them.  I would definitely have seen the same thing and woulda been right on the same page!

Truly I really liked this activity.  As I said before I am kinda having a tough time looking into art for more than what I see physically when I look at it.  In this, I'm able to look and say "okay I was thinking this when I portrayed (or attempted to portray...!!lol ) this element, what were they thinking" and then when I look at their picture I can 'get it'.  Also the knox review was pretty cool too, although again with the abstract art thing I sort of get lost...but it makes it easier when someone on 'my level' tells what they are thinking rather than an art reviewer critique where when I read it I'm all like confused, and my brain is scrambled eggs from the scrambled or fried work at the exhibit.

oh and I think I'm going to be able to clear up a little misconception for someone because I videod the video art and I dont think they watched it all the way through!  Very cool coincidence!

Glass, ceremics, and how a mini-sculpt grows up

The video "Through the eyes of a sculptor" provided some deep insight on the processes and depth that many go through in order to reach the finale of their work.  I'd not realized how thorough the process was prior to the video.  I figured there was a guy out there and he chizzled away at a block and you pretty much got what you got.  Similar to the videos on logos however, there is really an intricate process involving many steps, combining different people with different specialties.  I really liked how the initial phases used an actual model in one portion of the video.  The sculptor then took this smaller sculpt and made a mold, he used the mold to make a plaster model of the sculpt, and then took that sculpt to someone else to enlarge it!  Also the process and history of mining the stone for use was pretty interesting, although I wouldnt want to be the guy laying the cribbing for the giant shipment of marble coming down a hill...

The video on glass and ceramic also provided some useful information.  I'd previously watched some videos on glass art, and was hoping there would be some information on commercial glass production.  Also, I'm still curious to find out how the louve (sp?) made their glass so clear.  The section on ceramic was very interesting though!  I wouldn't have guessed that you mix up a goop and pour it into a form to make some plates!  kinda like how the glass was made too, but you heat that goop up pretty hawt. 

The readings in the book provided many more unique and contemporary examples than were shown in the video, as the video focused mostly on classical reproductions.  Also where the video left off in classical the book picked up into ancient sculpts.  Also, when it came to glass the video didn't really cover too many different types of art relating to glass but rather it's function in modern construction and utility purposes.

I personally enjoyed the films.  When it comes to truly understanding any topic, it is important to have a solid foundation of all of the aspects of that topic as opposed to the intricacies.  The videos provided a solid point from which to stand and further delve into their individual subjects.  Coming from someone who is not 'artsy', I can say that they make me feel more equipped to look at and understand the topics and even to talk to others about them.

Knox Gallery Visit

I had a pretty enjoyable time at the gallery, although I must admit that contemporary art is not my preferred type and there is quite a bit of this abstract in the gallery.

I had a couple pieces that I found a connection with, which actually surprised me because I have somewhat  of a hard time 'feeling' art.

One piece was this painting Electric by Edward Ruscha.  It is an oil painting on canvas.  I am a worker in the electric field, and this caught my eye and seemed to reflect the 'modern' view of electric from the past, like a throwback.  I was surprised to realize that it actually was from way back, 1963

Another painting that I felt a part of was of a man on a bridge in a small seemingly empty town. Again, it was the power structures in the backround that got my attention and interest.  I wondered about how the lines were installed and the ordeals that people had gone through.  Although the painter probably wasnt knowledgable in electrical utility work, it was neat to see how the painting pretty accurately reflected current practices....i.e. old equipment that is no longer used has been stripped, but the supports that used to hole it remain.

For some reason that I cannot figure out, this random picture caught my attention and I keep thinking about it.  The piece is Scrambled Eggs, and it's a bunch of randomness with an egg-looking thing on it.  The 'egg' (cooked over-medium possibly) is what actually caught my attention and I laughed when I saw the name of the piece.  I didnt particularly like it, but it definitely left an impression on me.

I was also impressed by a sci-fi kinda painting called La voix des airs (The voice of space), 1928.  The painting almost looks like a technological pacman surrounded by darkness.  It gives the impression of something in the midst of nothing.  I like sci-fi stuff and thought it was interesting.

There were two seperate pieces that seemed correlated to me, one was a sculpt and the other a painting titled George Segal with Cinema, by Fred McDarrah.  When I saw the sculpt initially I was impressed.  The light of the cinema board really grabbed my attention.  As I looked to the figure and the empty board I began to wonder.  With just an 'R' on the board (okay I guess not empty then!) I thought about what movie might be being shown at the theater, what letters might the man be putting up next?  I wondered if it was his first time setting up the lettering on the board, or if he'd done it before and knew a good way of accomplishing his task.  I wondered if there were many cobwebs and bugs in the sign and around it, and it the man liked his job.  When I was the painting (Gelatin silver print) There were two men.  Possibly the other man was out getting his ladder while the first (guy in the sculpt) started the lettering, but then I could see the mans arm was still outstretched, so he wouldn't stay in that position waiting for the other man.  Then I wondered back to the sculpture itself....what if the sculpture was a capture of the mans psyche at that exact moment....even though the other man was there the whole time, the first man did not think about him or 'realize' him.... instead, he just went about his work and his thoughts in his own mind.  :)

Lastly, Emily Bouchards oil on canvas of the scene Winter.  While the piece is very desolate and empty,  the road itself tickled my imagination.  Where did it go?  Who had kept it clear of the snow?  Did the author even think that someone must have cleared the snow, or did they just paint a winter scene that was in their mind and not give any of this a second thought.

I've always thought that artists should publish documents with their art detailing the inner workings of their minds when they do their works.  On that note though, I can understand why many would strongly disagree with this notion.  Often we like to see what we want in art, regardless of the authors intentions.  I think this ability to interpret a lot allows an artists work to reach a much wider audience, and really allows them to 'talk' to each person that views their work separately, and in a sense very personally. :)

I don't know why this site load my images upsidedown....anywho!

link to photobucket...

So I tried to follow the same steps as seen in the logo creation media.  What is my logo to represent..what do I want to show?  I brainstormed some designed and combined my final logo for myself.  I used my name to come up with an alphanumeric representation of me.  CRONE...CR ONE....CR1...The red was chosen to show an emphasis on that portion of the logo...that is who I am, myself, so I made it bold.  The blue bar at the bottom gives a strong foundation for the lettering.  Without it, the lettering floats and doesnt really seem to stable.  I'm a professional in the electrical field, so I put the lightning bolt in there.  I also think that the yellow of the lightning bolt (and the bolt itself) shows energy and is a good symbol to give some life to my Logo!

I learned a lot about the creative process involved in logos, I had no idea how much went into creating a simple design.  I liked the videos.  They were enjoyable and provided me with a lot of interesting information.  I really liked seeing the back and forth between the company who wanted the logo made and the company making the logo.  It was interesting to see how they reacted to the feedback.  Also I'd like to try the sandwich spread :)

photo bucket properly rotated pics

I don't know why this site load my images upsidedown....anywho!

My attempt at a color wheel using CYMK...lol

So I'd say in general this wasn't the most accurate project ever.

The initial progression from black to white was made using a charcoal pencil.  I filled in the initial black box and made many passes until I had a finish I felt was completely covered.  Then I slowly worked my way up.  Initially I was very careful during the subsequent boxes as I knew IF I went to dark I would not be able to come back.  So, I filled most of the boxes just lightly with very light and slow passes.  I then slowly created my transgression from the bottom up, careful not to reach my final point until I was sure that I would be able accurately continue.

Then came the color wheel where I determined that my art package purchased for this class was not sufficient as I lacked the CYM primaries, so I had to make them.  I'm not sure how I really missed it in the chapter, but I was of the impression that RGB were the primary colors, which I discovered to be inaccurate as I couldnt come up with a yellow....I tried to make a version of CYM using what I had, and it came out okay.  I was actually surprised when I was able to come up with a green, and it showed the truth behind the color theory despite my initial mis-application.  Also, my center dot didn't really turn out black.  I consider this an effect of the inaccuracy of my initial color triad and application vs the only other possibility, that the color theory is incorrect.....

Proj 1 artistic elements and photo album

This is the first time I've ever done a photo blog like this...I put a lot of thought into the pictures, but took most of them right on campus.  Insight on each photo to follow.

Link to my photo album!


In the album I've showed some insight into my shots!  take a look!

Colors and emotions

       There are many different ways that colors can effect us, and through research and human history there have been mildly varying theories on why colors effect us the way they do.  Many people have argued different points, but the consistency and widespread common effects on different peoples are enough so that it’s safe to say certain colors effect most people in similar ways.  To say more clearly, it is uncommon to say that the color red invokes feelings of peace and tranquility.

          The most interesting aspect of art to me is the aforementioned theory of specific colors having specific and consistent impacts on a vast majority of people.  I like how this was explained in from a scientific point that throughout our evolution these colors have impacted us to react to them in a certain way.  Blood being red for example has caused us to regard the color itself as a somewhat hostile color. 

          It was also interesting to see the way that we are able to interpret different shade of colors and the lighting associated when a color photo is made black and white.  Even though we weren’t able to see the light (which is the source of all color) we are able to interpret a measure of its magnitude and direction.

          The emotions video can sort of go along with this.  In many of the paintings we see the artists using light but dull coloring to invoke the feelings of pity and despair.  In the painting of the Romans taking up arms, we can see the women and children painted in a very dull manner which is done to elicit the feeling of sadness and helplessness.  The men in the middle are robed in strong colors, and the father at the center also dons a red cape.  Also interesting is not only the colors used

       This article about the brains perception on art was interesting to me, but at the same time some of the points that were contained seemed to be made more complicated than they actually were.  Patrick Cavanaugh states, professor at University Paris Descartes.

"For science, we're just fascinated by this process: Why things that are not real, like lines, would have that effect," Cavanagh said. "Artists do the discoveries, and we figure out why those tricks work."

This point does not really seem interesting to me or something completely magical.  The human mind has the ability to recognize symbolism and implied meaning much further than simple visual stimulations.  In reading these comments that I’m making right now, the reader is able to use words that in some instances have no actual visual reference for their meaning, and just meaning of themselves.  Words can be just as complicated, or even more so than this.

        A part I found very interesting however was the relation of impressionism to infant recognition.  An infant being able to recognize facial patterns written on paper does show us that even without an understanding of the difference of a real face and a drawn face, the infant will show preference to the facial pictures vs. the non-facial pictures. 

        Margaret Livingstone proposed some very interesting points on aesthetical theory in the area of Color vs. luminance.  In explaining from a very scientific standpoint about the relation of human focus, she was able to describe in a very palpable way what explains part of the mystery behind ‘moving art’.  She claims that the reason behind why people may interpret to see different facial expressions has to do with our focal and peripheral vision.  The explanation seemed sound and reached by a reasonable amount of supporting points.

 

I didn't like the process for creating a blog...gmail is apparently blocked at my work and it was a pain.

I expect to learn about different types of art and how art has developed.  I also expect to expand my knowledge and understanding of the topic.

I'm excited to take the course online as its difficult to make all the classes in person due to my jobs.  I hope the class is challenging however and maybe even have some good conversations about the human factor in art.