Self Portrait

1.       Why did you select the inspiration pieces?

I selected Frida Kahlo’s Self-Portrait With Braid (1941), Berthe Morisot’ Self Portrait (1885), and Annie Liebowitz’s Self Portrait (unknown). I wanted to concentrate on the work of women artists. I was looking for portraits of grown women, not young girls or old women, who were looking directly at the viewer. I also wanted different styles represented, including at least 1 photographer, from somewhat different time periods. I knew that Frida Kahlo was especially known for her self-portraits, so I wanted to include one of her works – I think in this one she even has a hint of a smile.

1.       Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?

I wanted to do the best job I could and pencil and paper are what I feel most comfortable using.

2.       What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?

I wanted a more naturalistic rendition. I think the biggest challenge I had was trying to get proportions that were realistic enough that the portrait actually looked like me. I feel my attempts at drawing always look like a child’s drawing. Doing multiple attempts helped me to experiment with different values, proportions, etc and improve the quality of the work.

1.       How does this piece represent you?

I noticed that self-portraits often have a very serious facial expression – while I’m a serious person I think I’m also generally a contented person and I wanted that to show in the self-portrait. Two of the self-portraits I chose include the artist with something related to their work/art. Since I teach and have had a life-long love of books, I included a book in my self-portrait.

2.       What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?

As I noted above, I was trying to get a naturalistic piece, so I was striving for natural proportions in the elements of my face. As a monochromatic piece, I relied on lines and values to create the elements of my face – values for cheekbones, for example, and lines to give some texture to my hair.

3.       Did you enjoy working on this project?

So-so. It’s something I’ve never done before, but I tend to be a perfectionist and I’m very aware of my limitations in trying to create a work of art.

4.       What do you think of your final artwork?

It’s certainly better than my first effort – the biggest thing I notice is that I made my face too long and the proportions of my eyes are off. But I think I did a better job with this effort playing with values to create cheekbones, etc.

Reflection of AED 200

1.       What were you expectations for this course and where they met?

As noted in my original post, my expectations were that I'd have a better appreciation for the work and thought process of the artist as s/he develops a work of art, and be able to look at a work and notice/understand details that I didn't before. These expectations were definitely met.  I think it’s fair to say that I’ll never look at art the same way again, now that I have at least a basic understanding of elements, principles, and methods of interpretation.

2.       Now that you've been through this course, what is art? How would you define it now compared to your initial posting?

In my initial posting I said, “I find art hard to define. I think visual art involves creativity and interpretation, not just copying. It's intended to provoke some kind of emotion.”

I’m not sure I’m any closer to a firm definition of visual art. I think most works of art are designed to evoke an emotion; however, I think others try to appeal more to the critical thinking part of the brain. Still others I think are primarily intended to record or commemorate, like formal portraits.

3.       Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you think so?

I mentioned Van Gogh and Hiroshige in my original post and they are still among my favorites now. The assignments gave me the opportunity to rediscover some artists I’d been introduced to in the past, like Georgia O’Keeffe and Charles Burchfield. I think I still especially like Van Gogh and Hiroshige because now I can appreciate their use of the elements and principles of art. I also have a better understanding as to how their works were influenced by others, and the influences these artists had on other artists.

4.       Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different?

As I noted in my initial posting, I’ve taken a fair number of online courses. I don’t feel much differently after completing this one – I like the flexibility of online, even though it lacks the interaction of face-to-face courses.

Art Curation Project.

I entitled the project “Winter Through Different Lenses” and the theme deals how different artists over the years (and different cultures) have addressed different aspects of winter.

             In viewing the videos on curation, I noticed that several of the curators noted the importance of the exhibit’s theme to the particular place/culture of the exhibition and how the culture of the exhibition place also affected choices regarding the exhibit. I’ve lived in western NY all my life and I thought about what themes tends to define life here. For better or worse, what came to my mind were our winters and sports, but I preferred winter as a theme. I wanted to show how different artists depicted different aspects of winter, including different media and works from different cultures.

            I chose a clean font and ice-blue slide background that I felt would support the theme, be easy to read, provide sufficient contrast, and not be too “busy” to distract from the pieces.

            I wanted to include my favorite artists (Hiroshige, Van gogh, and O’Keeffe), so I googled their names and found a variety of works they had done on this theme, ultimately choosing works that I felt fit the theme well and showed diverse views of winter. I also chose a piece from Burchfield because I wanted at least one piece to have a close connection to the WNY area and thought this one especially captured the fury of a WNY winter.

            For the remaining pieces, I wanted examples of different styles, media and cultures represented. I used the text, provided links, and Google to find additional pieces, but was less successful finding pieces outside of American and European artists (with the exception of the Hiroshige print).

            I ordered the paintings first, in chronological order to show how styles of interpretation changed over time. Then I put the 3-dimentional pieces in to contrast with the paintings. Lastly, I put in the Burchfield piece to tie the project back to the Buffalo area.

Module 11 videos

1.       Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

-          Expressionism – I found the text discussion interesting about artists painting based on their subjective feelings rather than objective reality

-          The Mystical North – I find Goya’s intense emotion interesting and also the Surrealists. I also had an opportunity to see a gallery of Dali’s work in St Petersburg, Florida once on vacation.

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

-          Expressionism – The text indicates that expressionism existed in the early 20^th century, but the video shows its influence throughout the century. The video shows how very different the styles of various Expressionist artists were. Artists like Munch and Kirchner made different versions of the same work over time (Ashes and Five Women on the Street, respectively), indicating how the artist’s subjective feelings changed over time.

-          The Mystical North – Northern Spain is home to subcultures that speak languages other than Spanish and don’t necessarily identify with mainstream Spanish culture. The evolution of Spanish art was closely associated with historical events like the Napoleonic conquest and the civil war between the communists and the fascists. Many artists changed their styles  radically over their careers. Goya began as a traditional court painter, but created extremely dark and nightmarish “Black Paintings” later in life. Picasso experimented with many styles over the course of his long career.

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

-          Expressionism – The video gave much more background to the lives of artists like Munch and Kirchner. As noted above, it gave much more information on the influence of the Expressionists throughout the 20^th century.

-          The Mystical North – As noted above, the video gives much more of the historical context behind the artists presented.

4.       What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

-          See above