Module 10

1) I selected the video Hinduism and the video Buddhism. These were chosen because in my global studies class we never went into detail about these religions where we did get in depth with Islam and Christianity.  Therefore I decided I wanted to learn more about these two religions instead of reviewing the others.

2) The Hinduism video explains how their religion is show through their art and architecture. Also how they accept other religion and worship many gods which they display in their art work. They do not build large temples because they believe they can worship anywhere, but they do build many small monuments covered in art work.  

Buddhism explains the origin of the religion. Much of their art is a step or a stupa, into enlightenment which is the point where all earthly wants are let go and you are content. The person going on this journey is known as the pilgrim. Also a great deal of Buddhist art is very symbolic and has many meanings designed into them.

3) The videos relate to the reading in the text because the text explains how the religion uses art and how it affects their religion, where the videos explains in depth the and how it relates to the religion. These two concepts being brought together help a person understand the religion and their art much easier.

4) The videos were interesting. They helped me because I can visually see the people practicing their religion in the videos instead of it just being described in words. And how they use the art and see it, compared to my own view of it, which is two completely different ideas. 

Mask Making

 These are the masks I used for inspiration. I chose the blue Chinese mask and South American mask because they reminded me of cartoons from when I was younger, those being Avatar the Last Air bender and Emperor's New Groove. The other two  I chose because I just found them interesting to look at, and I liked the animal like detail they have in them.
The blue Chinese mask is demonic type mask, that uses large teeth, large horns, and a wrinkled brow to express angry and violence. Deer Dragon mask is a dragon like mask that has a built with a muzzle to make more dragon like look, where the deer aspect comes in in the way the antlers are built. South American mask  is a human like face that is male going by the beard-like structure. The final mask is obviously suppose to be a hybrid of human an animal with the slit nose but human mouth and brow.
The elements that I found to be in the masks were balance, all of them are very symmetrical. They also used texture, for instance in the silver Chinese mask, the lines that are engraved in the mask help make the mouth snarly and the nose like an animal's.  The South American Mask also used texture to show what I believe to be a beard.  On the Deer Dragon mask pattern is used to show scales of the dragon, but there are also patterns used on all of them to keep them balanced. There is also a great use of form to make them 3 dimensional and more realistic. Color is also used to show contrast between pieces of the masks and bring forth certain aspects, such in the blue Chinese mask that white of the eyes and teeth immediately shows contrast of the blue skin, making you notice them. Shape is also used in the South American mask.

The sketches are above.

This is the finished mask. In it I used balance, unity, color and lines to make it. Lines were used in the eyebrows, golden strip from his mouth and the hair at top. Unity is used in the colors as the black, red and god seem to go very well together. The balance comes from me attempting to make it as systematical as possible like the rest of the masks. I used color ti make certain things stand out, like the white teeth and horns. The bright gold to make detail stand out against the black.
I like my mask. It's kind like a demon but more playful. I really thought about the two Chinese masks when creating and wanted to keep in with their theme. But I also wanted to add my own twist which is why he is smiling and looking rather jovial. I also made him black to nod to the blue mask, but gold to add an element of  South American Mask.

Module Nine

1) I chose “Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance” because of the first chapter for this section was about the Renaissance and Da Vinci goes hand and hand with that period. Also I never really studied him in depth so it was interesting to learn about him. The second was The “Drawings of Michelangelo”, which chose because he is my favorite Renaissance artist so I picked that to learn more about him. Also to see how he approached making his master pieces.

2) In “Leonardo da Vinci: The mind of the Renaissance” he shows about Da Vinci’s life. How he was encourage from a young age to use his skills and how he studied not just art but all areas. Also he considered himself a military tactician and weapons creator, and displays his ideas for structures in Milan, where continues to do works. He creates inventions and paintings, but he more often is experimenting with his sciences, and creates entertainment with them at Milan. Here he studies architecture and studies anatomy. He eventually returns to Florence and here unveils many of his most known master pieces like “Mona Lisa”, he died at 63.

“Drawings of Michelangelo” explains his life and the difficulty he faced as he planned and painted the Sistine chapel. How he had a fascination with the male body and his drawings showed the ‘perfected’ male body. Also shows his drawings of the paintings and sculptures he created. It fascinates artists looking at the beginning drawing and the complete art work. His art also displays a movement that few others can replicate.

3) The videos relate to the reading because the reading explains how there was a return to showing humanity and its beauty that the Romans and Greeks had, that seemed to disappear for a time. In the videos it show the masters are studying the body attempting to show it in all its glory and how beautiful it is. The videos show the return to trying to recreate the human body with that spark of life in artwork that occurred during the Renaissance. Also how the masters were fascinated by this and pushed it further by exaggerating figures like the Romans and Greeks to create the perfect human and show their beauty.

4) I liked the films. I especially like the Michelangelo one, it is reassuring to see that the masters also struggled sometimes and had to try again. It adds depth by explaining through visuals what the reading tried to do in words. By seeing the concepts compared to real artwork and ideas it is much easier to understand.

Art Making/Materiel Exploring Drawings

1) It wasn’t really different from what I am use to since I have drawn my dogs from looking at them, not from pictures. Although it was nice to be able to not have to refigure the drawing because the subject kept moving.

2) Pencil because I figured when I switched to my left hand it would give me more control to make nicer lines, also I figured that that the drawing done with my left would smear if I used charcoal because of how much my hand rubbed on the paper. I stayed with the pencil with my dominate hand so that the images would be comparable.

3) To create a drawing with my left hand was odd because my left hand shakes a little and of course doesn’t have the muscle control that my right has so the line wouldn’t come out straight. This meant instead of doing longer lines I just drew short lines and did not get as in depth with the shading.  I kind of had to rethink my method of drawing, which was confusing and I also kept wanting to switch to my right for finer outlining and things, but I had to remind myself not to.

4) The drawing done with my right is obviously the better of the two, but I do like how the drawing done with my left came out, it is sketchy but looks like the subject. I would say they are successful in seeing how motor control in the hands works, but not of what my hands look like, as the drawing with my left doesn’t have the detail that the other does.

5) I’d use for drawing plants and trees since the lines wouldn’t be as controlled but that is ok for drawing like that as it gives it a more real feel. I wouldn’t for things like faces or bodies due to the fine detail needed to make it look right.

Drawing with non-dominant hand

Drawing with dominant hand

Module 8

1)      I selected the “The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure” video because of the pervious video ending on the Riace Bronze statues and the Greek idea of what was desirable to exaggerate. The second video I figured would tie in with the previous and expand on the Greek culture and their view of the human body. Also I found the topic interesting and wanted more information on it.

2)      The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure discussed the expansion of Greek interest in the realism and making a human figure as pleasing and athletic as possible. It described their transition from Egyptian style to a much more realistic style. Also how they studied and worked to make things life-like but exaggerate features to make them even more visually stunning.  How in all their work there is still mythology which is tied into to their religion and still managed to create life-like statues. More Human Than Human describe how it is mentally ingrained in the human to want to strive for more perfection than possible, especially when to do with the human body. That this desire can be suppressed when culture demands, but will still come out, just in different ways for each culture. Also that it is still very much present in our modern society. This instinct to exaggerate humans to extremes has been around for as long as we have replicated humans in art as well. It is also this is present in other animals, due to the seagull experiment of them finding the three stripe stick better than the one because you are exaggerating what their brains find desirable.

3)      The readings in the text explain why when you examine art you have to look at it from the time period and the culture to decide if it was ‘good’ or not. It also goes into individuals who have pushed the boundaries and pushed art forward into a more life-like area or changed the way it is done and how this influenced their society. The videos show how art has changed and has been influenced by what the culture perceived as the perfect body and what they felt need to exaggerate on the body.

4)      I found both videos interesting. I especially like how the More Human Than Human described the changes in what the culture perceived as beautifully and how cultures learn from others to advance their own art, and how all seem to have a fascination with the human body, even today. 

Module 7

1)  “Architecture: The Science of Design”, this was about how to design a structurally sound building that won’t collapse and will last throughout time. Two of the important things that are needed when building difficult structures, such as skyscrapers are steel and concrete. Concrete has been around for  very long time, and buildings made out concrete during Greek and Roman times have remained standing to this day. Steel is more recent discovery, but it is very important in skyscrapers due to them being at risk of high winds and other hazards.  By using steel buildings become more resistant to winds and a more solid structure. These two materials are used a great many buildings today. “Frank Gehry: Architecture as Art”, is about how he goes about designing buildings, which he sees as his art. He explains how he is inspired by various designs from the past. Also that architecture is art and he has to apply principles of art to his design and convey specific things through his buildings and design. The trick though is he also has to aware of the structure and foundation to be sure his building is safe. His buildings also must reflect the location from which they are built, to fit in with the culture and history of the area. Also since the terrorist attack of 9/11 architects now have to be more careful in size and structure of buildings because of the risk associated with these attacks.

2) The reading on texts show the basics and ideas of architecture. It explains how the structure is established and thought about to become solid and to remain standing. Also how there is an artistry to architecture and it is the same as a painting or sculpture. The videos explain why the basics are important and how these ancient techniques are applied to modern buildings and have been expanded so we can now create gigantic structures like skyscrapers. The videos also explain how these new structures have now obstacles which ancient techniques can be the basis to the solution.

3) The videos were interesting. The one on Frank Gehry, was especially because it give me a more in depth look at how architecture can be an art and how architects are artist in their own right. The skyscraper video explained the application of the basics and why these are so important to building. Also how these gave way to the kind of buildings we have in the modern day.

4) I chose the videos I did because to see architecture from the architect’s point of view and see how they get inspired like other artists was an interesting concept for me.  It explained how architects apply principles of art to things to make the building mean or symbolize a specific meaning. Also how they take things like how the lighting of the area will effect the building. The second video was on the basics of architecture.   I chose it because how can you understand something without understanding the design process, it would be like not learning basic bone structure and trying to draw a realistic person. Basics are always very important to learn.

Module 6

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

For the “Through the Eyes of the Sculptor” the key concepts were the processes involved in creating a life-sized or larger craved statue. It first showed the step of drawing and planning the artwork, then sculpting using clay, a cheaper material that is easy to manipulate and make into a form. Then to make the plaster mold and then the plaster version. Then to sculpt the huge version. Also how things like balance and fragility play a large part in the creation of the piece. It shows the time it takes to make the statue and key concepts that are required. And that the original idea may be a single persons but the work becomes a collective group of people having to work together to make it. The “Glass and Ceramics” videos show the concepts of making glass and creating glass figures and structures and how it is used in many things. That glass starts as sand, that can be made in to an endless possibility of things and creations. It showed how regular glass is made, the differences in making stained glass and how the glass is made for architecture. Also how firing and material used to make the glass has a tremendous effect on the glass and must be taken into account. And like the sculpting all aspects must be taken to account. 

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos give you a visual on the concepts that the text described therefore making it easier for you to understand and the work involved in creating art. It allows a deeper understanding of how are is created and made, which is what is described in the text.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation, and Craft?

They show you what each is and what classifies as each. Also they give examples of each of the three topics, which gives you a much deeper understanding of what is trying to be explained in the book because it is being shown to you and not dependent on your imagination. I found that they were interesting due to the showing the artists processes and especially in the sculpting video, how artist flock to certain places and find inspiration in the same things and places as other artists. That the same thing can inspire people yet the outcomes are completely different, even though the inspiration is the same.