Self Portrait

3 Inspirational Portraits:

PORTRAIT OF A SADIST, 1984 by peter berg, pastel on paper 

PORTRAIT OF MOMPER, NOT DATED by anthony van dyck, etching

PORTRAIT OF D.M. FROM THE PORTFOLIO NINE PRINTS, 1967 by Carol Summers, 

My Original Photograph

My Finished Self Portrait

1) I selected the 3 inspirational portraits because I thought they were different from a typical portrait.

2) I selected the media I used for my portrait because I thought it was a unique way to create it.

3) The challenge I faced in creating my portrait is that I am not very good at drawing or painting. I overcame this by using a computer to create my portrait.

4) I feel this piece represents me because it is rather different. The city background also represents me.

5) I feel I used shading to create an emphasis on my body by darkening the surrounding background.

6) I did enjoy working on this project.

7) I think my self portrait is well done because it is a little different then a typical portrait.

Week 15 Art Criticism Article

1) I reviewed the exhibit "Man's Best Friend" by Andrew Reed.

2) I selected this exhibit because I love dogs.

3) I think the only challenge in writing this article was trying to decide which pieces from the exhibit to highlight in my article.

4) I think it is interesting critiquing fellow classmates because it gave me an opportunity to view others work and see how they did things differently from me.

5) I would like to read the critiques that my classmates have written about my exhibit.

6) I would rate my article a 9. I think it gives the reader a great picture of what the exhibit was bout and some pieces that I thought were a major attraction within the exhibit.

7) I did enjoy this project because it allowed me to view other people's exhibits.

Week 15 Video Review

1) Greenberg on Art Crticism: An Interview by T.J. Clark: This video is Clement Greenberg being interviewed by T.J. Clark. Greenberg answers questions and explains his views on how art criticism should be carried out.

Greenberg on Pollock: An Interview by T.J. Clark: In this video Greenberg is once again interviewed by Clark. Greenberg evaluates and critiques the works and style of Jackson Pollock. Jackson Pollock was an American painter in the early to mid 1900's.

An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance (Giorgio Vasari): This video focuses on the Italian Renaissance and many of the artists from this time period. The artists covered in this video include Gitto, Donatello, Bonticelli, Leonardo, and Michelangelo.

The Critics: Stories from the Inside Pages: This video focuses on how art criticism can blend with and have an effect on society. Critics can have an influence on media and also trends stemming from the art world.

The Colonial Encounter: Views of Non-Western Art and Culture: This video examines how art from other cultures is viewed by Western cultures. The video talks about art from the 1900 world fair. The video also talked about the art of the Dahomen people.

Jackson Pollock: Michael Fried and T.J. Clark in Conversation: In this video we see how art can be analyzed by different people. Although two people can be viewing the same piece they can have very different interpretations of the art.

2) I think the videos do relate to the art criticism project. They gave me better understanding of how some people  believe art should be analyzed.

3) I thought the films were interesting because you get to see how other people analyze and critique artwork. I think they added a little depth but ultimately it is up to the viewer to decide how they want to critique artwork.

Project 4

I think this project was very interesting. The title of my exhibit is "Grey Matter", I chose this title because I thought it was a play on words as my them was all artwork by Alex Grey. This project allowed me to analyze and interpret art that interests me. The flow of my exhibit guides the viewer through Grey's paintings and into some of his drawings. I chose a neutral grey background color to fit the title and theme but also to make the artwork stand out to the viewer.

Week 13/14 Video Review

1)  The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art: This video was about Lowbrow art. Lowbrow art was given its name by Robert Williams. This style of art seemed to be generally abstract and the name means lacking culture which seems to be just the opposite.

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach: This movie was about how art should be displayed in an exhibit according to the Tate theory. In this theory art is displayed according to the subject matter and not the medium it was created from.

Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology: This video was about the remains of Native American bodies. The bones and remains of these people have been collected for research and examination. Native American people strongly disagree with this practice and are working to have the remains returned so they are not desecrated.

George Eastman House: Picture Perfect: This video was about George Eastman and his contribution to art through the creation of personal photography. Eastman founded the Kodak company and the Eastman House is a photography museum which is located in Rochester, New York.

2) I believe these 4 videos do relate to the art exhibit project. The videos help add guidelines to help us create our exhibits.

3) I thought the films were very interesting and will ultimately help in the creation of my art exhibit.

Week 12 Video Review

1) I selected the following 4 videos to watch because I wanted to learn more about the given topic.

2) Andy Warhol: Images Of An Image: This video was about Andy Warhol and his art. He was an artist during the Pop Art movement. He is one of the most well known artists from this time period.

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s and 60s: This movie was covers numerous artists and their work from this time period. Artists include Andy Warhol, Franz Kline, and Jasper Johns. The video is filmed in museums as they describe the artist's artwork.

The Power of Art: Rothko: This video is about Rothko who was an abstract expressionism artist. He was most well known for his use of color. Rothko was a very successful artist, unfortunately he committed suicide in 1970.

The Art of Henry Moore: This video was about the artist Henry Moore who is most widely known as a sculptor. His sculptures were generally abstract bronze sculptures that can be found all over the world. His work was often abstract renditions of the human body.

3) These videos relate to the reading in the text by expanding on the topics.

4) These videos were very interesting. They expand on topics in the readings by providing visual evidence to go along with concepts from the book.

Art Gallery Visit #2

Step 1: The Exhibition:
1) The title of the exhibit is Victoria Sambunaris: Taxonomy Of A Landscape.
2) The theme of the exhibition is the landscape of America.

Step 2: The Gallery:
1) The lighting for the exhibit was concealed in the trayed ceiling.
2) The part of the walls where the images were hung were painted in light neutral colors which really made the photographs pop from the wall. The bottom part of the wall was dark which really centered my concentration on the images.
3) There was molding on the wall that separated the drastic change in wall color from top to bottom.
4) When I entered the exhibit I felt directed around the exhibit in a clockwise manner.

Step 3: The Artwork:
1) The artwork was all mounted on the wall it what seemed to be the artists journey across the United States, almost as if you were following her map.
2) The artwork was all similar in a sense because it all had the theme of American landscapes.
3) The artwork was all different because they were each images of a different landscape. Many of them were also different because of the vantage point of where the photo was taken. Some were from above, others below, and some on an even plane.
4) The artwork was all framed in but different but conservative frames. I feel the simplicity of the frames really allows the photographs to speak for their self.
5) The artwork was identified and labeled generally to the right of the photo. Details included what the image was of and most did not contain an name given by the artist as they are untitled.
6) The artwork was all evenly spaced apart and offered room between images which allowed for transition to the next image.

Step 4: Art Criticism

Description: A photograph taken by Victoria Sambunaris, and is Untitled (Hercules Gap). The image is very recent as it was taken in 2004. I think the image is representational of the beauty of America's untouched areas.

Analysis: I think the artist did a great job using the lines of the mountains to direct my attention through the gap between them. The lighter colors at the bottom of the gap also attracted my attention to this spot. I think the artist chose to stand a great distance back from the gap to give us true indicators of the space pictured.

Bracketing: This artwork is very representative of what you can easily see by getting out of the city and in to nature. When I look at this picture I am reminded of images from magazines such as National Geographic. It also reminds me of vacations I have taken to the west coast.

Interpretation: After reviewing this artwork I feel the artists intention is to display the beauty of America in areas that have remained generally undisturbed. The photo makes the viewer realize the importance of these natural areas.

Description: This is a photo taken by  Victoria Sambunaris. It is Untitled (Red containers, wet ground) and was taken in 2000. The image is of a landscape of concrete and trucking containers. I think the work is representational of the destruction of nature.

Analysis: I think the artist used the weather on this day to capture the emotion of this scene. The gloomy colors of the sky and ground really give off a somber or dark feeling. The containers form a balance to the sides of the image and give us an idea of the space the image covers.

Bracketing: The artists image to me is similar to other photographers who capture images that represent problems such as destruction of nature, or decaying architecture. When I see this photograph I just think of bust highways and large trucks.

Interpretation: I think the artist intended on the viewer to compare this photo to her other work of vast untouched landscapes. In this photo you can almost see in your mind what this area would look like if it was not ruined by concrete to make a parking lot. It could be a sunny day looking out over a vibrant green field but instead it is rainy, gloomy, and covered in cement. 

Description: This is also a photo taken by Victoria Sambunaris. Much like the others it is Untitled but is an image of a copper mine in Utah. The photo was taken in 2002. The image shows us the massive crater that has been left in the earth by this mining venture. 

Analysis: I think the colors of this photograph are very plain are are meant to show us the earth depleted of its natural resources. The rocks and jagged cliffs also show us the texture of the earth. Capturing multiple sides of the crater give us a 3-dimensional space.

Bracketing: I think this photo relates the need for conservation of our world. What I think of when I look at this photograph is something drained of its resources and left vacant. It is almost like seeing a large building that has been abandoned and left in distress.

Interpretation: My belief is that the artist uses her photographs of America's landscapes to show us what areas might have previously looked like before they were changed by us. Many of her images are of beautiful natural landscapes and the other half are of landscapes of what man has created or taken away. 

Question 4: I think visiting a gallery to analyze how it has been set up really draws your attention to how the curator has used art to direct your attention to the art of the exhibition. 

Week 11 Video Review

1) I chose the following four videos because I was interested in learning more about the given topics.

2) Matisse and Picasso: This video was about the artists Matisse and Picasso. It explained how the two were friends as well as rivals. The video described their differences in styles and also what inspired them.

Dada and Surrealism: This video explains the movements of Dada and Surrealism. The video touches on many artists from these movements including Hoch and Dali. These movements is generally associated with Europe.

The Impact of Cubism: This video explains the style of Cubism. Cubism was a new way to depict scenes by using flat, angular segments. Picasso was well known for this style. Objects that were normally curved or rounded were displayed using sharp angles and straight lines.

Expressionism: This video was about the movement of Expressionism. This video talked about various artists that practiced Expressionism including Marc and Beckman. The video also talked about their various pieces of artwork.

3) The videos directly relate to the readings from the text. They review all of the main concepts from the book.

4) I enjoyed the videos very much. They did a great job at expanding on the readings by adding visual examples to major points from the book.

Mask Making

These are the 3 masks I thought were inspirational. The first mask I chose because I thought the colors did a great job of defining the shape of the eyes and nose. The second mask appealed to me because of the detail and visible texture. The third mask I chose because of the vivid colors.

I drew sketches of three different masks that I thought would hold importance to certain cultures. The top left mask is an intimidating figure with sharp teeth. The top right mask has importance to nature as the hat is made of leaves and a river runs across the mask. The third mask is a dog like creature with flames surrounding its mouth.

I chose to make this mask because I think it might look like a mask made by a earlier culture. It has animal characteristics and also displays fire. Fire is important  to all cultures. I think the colors of the fire could also be intimidating as well as show the importance of fire. The tongue is three dimensional. I thought this was a very interesting activity because it involved thinking about what would have been important to some past cultures.

Week 10 Video Review

1) I selected the following four videos because I was interested in learning more about what the topics covered. I chose topics that I knew little about.

2) Buddhism: This video did a great job of explaining details about the culture of Buddhism and its contribution to the art world. Much of the information given is about the architecture of Buddhism. Temples were often built to honor the leaders of the Dynasty.

African Art: Legacy of Oppression: This video was about the many cultures contained within this region. Africa probably contains the most variations of culture in any given area. Much of their art was actually used to define their culture and set them apart from surrounding tribes and threats. Masks were created to instill fear in their opponents during tribal warfare.

Chinese Art: Treasures of the National Palace Museum: This video was interesting because it showed some of the differences in art from Dynasty to Dynasty. Much of the Chinese art was functional just like art from Africa. Their design was similar to the Africans as well; they used mythical beliefs to influence their art. The Chinese used designs with dragons quite often which is of course a mythical creature.

Hinduism: This video was similar to the video on Buddhism as it explained certain cultural beliefs and how their art reflected these beliefs. The video touches on the architectural style of Hinduism. Temples and places of worship were built with great detail but were relatively smaller than other cultures. The reasoning behind this is because the Hindu people do not worship in large groups. Instead they worship alone and the size of their buildings reflects this practice.

3) The videos directly relate to the readings from the text. They expand on points in the book by going into more detail.

4) I enjoyed the videos and feel as if I have learned from them. The videos add depth by giving visual examples to what we had previously read about. I feel it is important to visually see things to really retain important details and information.

Week 9 Hand Sketch

1)  I thought it was rather difficult to use my hands as subject matter. I think it would have been easier to sketch something in front of me that I was not using. I needed my hands to draw so it was tough to get good detail because I had to keep positioning my  hand and then trying to memorize the lines.

2) I selected pencil as my medium because I figured it would be easier for me to work with.

3) I did not like using my non-dominant hand to draw. I felt almost helpless while trying to draw. It felt very unnatural. 

4) I think this a successful study. I think my drawings show that I can create more realistic and detailed work with my dominant hand.

5) I would not consider using my non-dominant hand in the future.

Week 9 Video Reviews

1) The videos I chose were all picked because I was interested in learning a little more about each specific topic.

2) The Drawings of Michelangelo: This video was very interesting and showed how Michelangelo used different techniques to create weight and mass in his work. This skill allowed him to depict accurate images of items including the human body. I think his work as a sculptor would have helped him to better illustrate with such detail.

Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mind of the Rennaisance: This video was a very interesting video about one of the most important artists we know. Da Vinci's is very representative of his passion to understand things to the best of his ability. He seemed to be obsessed with detail as he worked to study the proportions of the human body. His knowledge allowed him to represent the human body very well in his works.

The Night Watch (Rembrandt): This video was very interesting to me. It is about Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" painting which is not actually the name of the painting! The painting was changed by the layer of varnish over the oil and smoke from a fire which darkened it to appear as if it is at night. This was obviously not Rembrandt's intention but almost makes the painting more unique than it should be.

Velazquez: When you think of famous painters I think most people would point towards Italian painters. Velazquez was a Spanish painter who painted many works as a court painter. His style however was primarily influenced by the work of Italians. His work in the courtroom of depicting what he saw as precise as he could also defined his work outside of the courts.

3) The videos relate to the readings by touching on many points that are in the book but also expanding on those ideas. These videos really gave good information on the artists they covered.

4) I thought the videos were very interesting. They add great depth to the readings by expanding on ideas and getting into more detail. They help me better understand the readings by giving visual relevance.

Week 8 Video Review

1) All of the three optional videos I selected were selected because I knew little to nothing about each subject and wished to learn about them.

2) More Human Than Human: This video explained the significance of symbols and images to humans. They have always been an important form of documentation and expression as far back as we can tell. The video touches on realism.

Late Gothic Art and Architecture: England 1400-1547: This video teaches us about the architecture found during this period in England. Gothic architecture was very prevalent during this time and many of these buildings still survive today with their beautiful and detailed structure.

The Birth of the Middle Ages: This video explains what led to the middle ages. This time period was basically the settling of migratory people into areas that are now modern day Europe. The video also touches on the "dark ages".

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure: This video discusses Greek art which often contained elements of the human figure. Greek art displayed the body with perfect physique. They did not use naturalism in their art of the human body. The art depicted very muscular and tone men.

3) These videos all relate directly to the readings. They provide more background information on specific topics that were introduced in the text.

4) I enjoyed the films that I selected. The videos add depth and examples to what was provided in the text. The visual examples provided in the videos help add to the verbal descriptions found in the text.

Week 7 Video Review

1)
Prarie Style is a great video that touches on the fundamentals of green architecture. Wright wanted his structures to be almost natural and blend with their surroundings. I think this video shows that green architecture can be more complicated and maybe even more expensive but the environmental effects far surpass the time and money.

Architecture: The Science of Design is a very interesting video. My roomate is an architecture major at UB so I was previously aware of the amount of work and science that goes in to designing a structure. Every measurement must be very precise or the structure will not be able to stand up to stress from environmental elements or the force of gravity. It is still astonishing to me how much science is involved in building a structure before the aesthetics even come in to the picture.

Classical Architecture did a great job of discussing how buildings can symbolize great things. Architectural styles originally used by people such as the Greeks and Romans are often used in the design of modern buildings that are meant to symbolize politics, religion, or other important ideals. A good example of this that we are all familiar with are many of the buildings found in Washington DC.

2) These videos relate directly to the readings from the text by supporting the information we have already read. The videos touch on all the important points highlighted in the text.

3) I thought the films were very interesting. I feel these videos add depth to the readings by providing us with visual examples to better solidify the writings.

4) For my optional video I selected Last Call for Planet Earth: Sustainable Development and Architecture. I chose this video because I was interested in how new ideas of green architecture may be coming in to play more and more during our lifetime. We need to start doing things differently to leave less of a footprint if we wish to save our environment.

Installation Art

Step 3:
A) Installation art is when a space is presented as a work of art that can be entered, explored, experienced, and reflected upon.

B) Installation art can be constructed out of any type of materials.

C) I think the main purpose of installation art is to allow the viewer the chance to "walk through" the art and explore the piece that has been created from where they would like as opposed to just standing and looking at a painting.

D) I think one of the most interesting installation pieces is Ann Hamilton's Mantle. I thought it was very unique that she hid speakers in the flowers to produce noise as part of her work.

Step 4:
A) I really felt a connection with Ann Hamilton's Mantle. I felt a connection with this piece because of her use of audio in her art. I think that audio can play a very large role in how art is perceived.

B) I explored the Self theme for this project.

C) For this work I used an electric guitar, amplifier, cds, drumstick, and a guitar pick.

D) This installation is located in an empty room in my house. I use this empty room to practice guitar so I felt it was a good place to set up my work.

Step 7:
4) Description: I love music and love playing it. This is my expression of the elements that it takes to make music and also finished products of music as shown by the cds.

5) Analyze: When I first created this piece I just had everything layed out randomly and it felt like something was missing. After some thinking I arranged the items and used the guitar cable as a line to tie everything together. The line starts at the guitar and leads the viewer through some of the elements and components of music.

6) I thought this project was very interesting. I feel there is more freedom in installation art then there is in other forms of art.

Week 6 Video Review

1) Through the Eyes of a Sculptor- In this video I learned how precise the art of sculpting is. I originally thought that an artist would just sit down and create a sculpture in one try. I did not realize how in depth the process actually is.

Glass and Ceramics- This video was very interesting. The process of creating glass art is very cool from heating to cooling as well as shaping. It is amazing how much glass can be manipulated when it is in molten form.

Installation Art- This video did a great job of providing great detail of what installation art is. I only   saw installation art as a 3-dimensional work that uses space to create the art. The video expanded my view by showing that even structures can be considered installation art.

2) The videos directly relate to the book by touching on all key topics. Seeing the visual side helps in understanding these concepts through demonstration.

3) The videos were very insightful. Art is something that can be very complex and difficult to learn by simply reading. The videos provide visual foundation and depth to the topics from the text.

Gallery Visit #1

Which artworks make an impact or impression on me? Why?

Roy Lichtenstein's "Explosions from the Portfolio 9", Print, 1967

- This print made an impression on me with the use of colored dots to fill in space instead of solid colors. I have a few art prints that have a similar style so this really appealed to my eye.

James Rosenquist's "Nomad", Oil on canvas, 1963

-This painting made an impression on me because I love to travel. The term nomad means not stayingin onve place for very long and moving from place to place. I feel this painting expresses this idea by showing a variety of different objects from different places.

Mark Rothko's "Orange and Yellow", Oil on Canvas, 1956

-This painting caught my eye with the color selection. My favorite color is orange so this appealed to my eye. I feel that orange is a very warm and glowing color.

Which artworks do I feel a connection with? Why? 

Norman Kent's "Albright Art Gallery", Print,  1941

-I felt a connection with this print because I know what it is and I have seen it in person. I feel that it is a lot easier to connect with art sometimes when you are already familiar with the subject.

William Home Lizars' "Bridge Across the Rapids at Niagara", Print, 1827

-I really felt a connection with this print, again, because I am familiar with the subject. When I first saw this print I was thinking what would this area look like to the artist today? Things have changed a great deal since this print was made.

David Plowden's "Erie Lackawana Railroad...", Photograph, 1947

-I am from Buffalo and when I first saw this my response was similar to above; what would this photo look like if it was taken today. Clearly taken when the steel plant and surrounding area was booming with thousands of workers and a great industry. Today you would find a train station not in use and empty, decaying buildings with their best times long gone.

Which artworks would I like to know more about? Why?

Donald Sultan's "December 6, 1978", Drawings and Watercolor, 1978

-I wanted to know more about this piece because it seems unfinished to me. Was this the artist's rendition of an unproductive day?

Sheila Isham's "Magic Mountain XV", Acrylic and Pastel on Paper, 1982

-I wanted to know more about this piece and specifically where it is assuming it is a real place. I think it is a very unique use of colors that I would not automatically associate with a mountain but maybe that is because it is not a real mountain?

Thorton Willis' "Sharon's Dream", Oilstick on Paper, 1980

-It would be very helpful to understand this piece with a little more information. I can not grasp how this could represent a dream, more information could help to change my reaction.



My Logo

1) I thought this exercise was a great way to attempt to describe myself through the process of creating art.

2) My thought process began with thinking about what my friends would say about me if they were asked to describe me. I think they would touch on my two favorite things which are snowboarding and traveling. From there I drew a scene of a warm sunny tropical setting on the medium of a snowboard. The base color of the snowboard is orange which is my favorite color.

3) I think the most important thing I learned in creating this logo is that I may not have the greatest artistic ability but I feel that I can do just enough to express my thoughts with art.

4) I thought the videos were very good, my goal is to eventually work as a graphic designer and advertiser so these information sources were helpful. I think the most important thing learned is to make sure your logo really expresses what it represents while remaining visually appealing to the eye and memorable at the same time. 

Art Making

1) I thought this art project was a good way to explore value and the color wheel. The activity was fun.

2) I enjoyed working with the paint more than creating the value scale with pencil. I thought the value scale project was fairly boring and bland.

3) I think the most important thing I learned from this project was the importance of the value scale. Although we did the value scale in pencil so it was black and white it can also apply to colors as well. It is also interesting how our eyes can detect the slightest difference in value.

4) I think the videos helped a great deal in giving a visual representation of what the project actually was asking for. Seeing the color wheel serves as a guideline for what we were asked to create. I think the videos are very helpful for the student to truely grasp what is expected for their creation.

Elements and Principles of Art

Below is the link to a slideshow I created with images that display the elements and the principles of art.

Click Here to Enjoy My Art

The first image represents Rhythm. The guitar picks create repetition across the picture.

The second image represents Emphasis. The concert ticket is emphasized by being placed on a plain background.

The third image represents Unity. The three items in the picture are all needed to have a glass of wine and create unity with agreement.

The forth image represents Shape. The image shows a two dimensional square, showing length and width only.

The fifth image represents Proportion. It is a series of bottles in a line all of different sizes.

The sixth image represents Movement. It is a picture taken of a hula girl in motion, the ghostly image outlines allow the viewer's eyes to move slightly side to side but maintain focus on the central image.

The seventh image represents Space. The empty room shows a great deal of negative space.

The eighth image represents Color. This is a picture of a sweatshirt that contains yellows, reds, and oranges. The pattern follows the color wheel.

The ninth image represents Form. The form of the candle is determined by the boundary formed by the glass.

The tenth image represents Balance. This is a picture of two concert posters that form symmetrical balance.

The eleventh image represents Texture. The picture allows the viewer to see the surface quality of the blanket.

The twelfth image represents Variety. The different colors of the controllers make the viewer focus on the centered images instead of focussing on the background.

The thirteenth image represents Line. The strings of the guitar lead the viewer from the body all the way down the neck to the head.

The fourteenth image represents Value. The Pepsi can is illuminated in light against a dark room.

This project was very stimulating and allowed me to learn about the elements of art and priciples of design by creating my own art.

Blog 3

1)  Color can generally be broken down into 3 categories; primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Primary colors consist of red, yellow, and blue. They are primary colors because they cannot be made by mixing any other colors. Orange, green, and violet are secondary colors and are made by combining two primary colors. Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color that it is next to on the color wheel. Colors have an emotional effect on everyone but there is no exact science to tell us how people will feel when they see a color. The emotion felt has a lot to do with the culture and society people live in. A good example from the book is that Americans see green and red as Christmas colors and generally happy, Van Gogh made a painting where these colors suggested a tense environment. These are quite the opposite feelings felt by looking at the same colors.

2) I think the most interesting thing about color theory is really just what color is. Color is refracted light that we see in different colors. Thinking of color as light really puts a new twist on my thoughts when I see colors.

3) In the Color video I was most impacted by the scenes in Venice through the canals. I have been to Venice before and seeing this video and the colors reflecting on the water brought back many feelings that I remember having as I was sight seeing in Venice. Very Cool!

4) Earlier we learned that art reflects the period in time and place that it is created. I think the colors that were used during the Renaissance really explain both the time and place that they are depicting. The colors show what was a pretty dark time to begin with and it can be seen in art from this time period.

Week 2

1)  The first video was very interesting as it described what could be considered the evolution of aesthetics. It was essentially a timeline of theories and philosophies about aesthetics and how they have changed over time. It is interesting to see who contributed their theory to the argument over a large period of time to give us what we know today as the aesthetics of art.

The second video was also quite interesting as it described the process the human body goes through when it is evaluating art. I think the most interesting thing that came to my mind is even though the process is the same for everyone, there can be so many diffferent outcomes when people analyze art.

2) I think Immanuel Kant's theory on aesthetics is one of the most important. He was an 18th century philosopher. Kant's philosophy on aesthetics included the belief that judging the beauty of art is not rule bound because it is based on feelings. I think this is important because people feel and experience different things when they experience something so there can be no formal guidelines to what beauty is.

3) It is very interesting to look at the scientific side of how the human body views art. Some of this video did tend to be a little hard to understand though. Changeux explains that as society has changed so has the art, the views of the people living in certain time periods played a huge role in the art that was created at this time. I think Ramachandran does a good job explaining that people essentially view art based on things they know to be real life occurances.

4) The videos do a great job by expanding on the theories and science behind aesthetics. The book supplied the basic fundamentals and the video added more depth.

5) I think overall the videos were very helpful in explaining aesthetics although they were a tad long. I do feel as though I have a better understanding of aesthetics after watching the videos, the book was a little vague. The video touched on all the major points and supplied a lot of additional information.

First Blog

1.) Setting up a GMail account and blog was very easy and user friendly!!

2.) I expect to learn aboutdifferent types of art and how they are used in society. I know very little about art.

3.) I love taking online courses, I work full time and feel these classes offer great flexibility for my schedule.