Final Blog Post: Visual Analysis / Reflection

My Final project replicates the art of Pierre Bonnard.  I first made a sketching, like Bonnard would do, and then painted the scene.  For the Visual Analysis, I will only be examining the painting.  The medium I chose was the Bristol painting paper.  To produce the colors, I used the chalky paint that came in our supply kit and used one thin paint brush.  The painting technique was pressing the paintbrush straight down on the paper.  This created dots, lines, and white space.   It is tough to develop a Rule of Thirds for this artwork, but multiple triangles can be seen in the image.  This connects the objects and gives a path for the eye to follow.  The first thing that catches my eye is the person on the Quad wearing a red shirt.  This draws my eye because red is not found anywhere else and the bright color catches the eye.  My eye then moves up because there are more colors on the top compared to the bottom.  The colors are all bright except for the stone path which has a darker grey because I was trying to recreate shadows.  The color scheme is very hard to determine.  I would say it is either triad or a square color scheme.  Only four colors were predominantly used: green, blue, brown, black.  White was used to alter the shades of these colors.  Although the colors are brighter, they are cooler rather than warmer.  I enjoy the texture of this 2D painting.  The way it was painted and the white space creates the sense of edges in the object.  It gives it depth and the sense of being 3D, especially for the grass.  Light can be seen on the stone path and the blue sky.  For the stone walkway, it starts off darker on the left side and then gradually becomes lighter.  As for the sky, it is brighter on top and then becomes a little darker.  In general, the left side gives the sense of having a shadow.  Overall, I am very pleased with this painting and how it represents Pierre Bonnard

I enjoyed Two-Dimensional Design very much.  Going into it I was not sure what to expect because I am not very good at art, but I learned a lot.  I am a much better artist in terms of creating art, examining art, and having knowledge about the subject.  One thing I will use from this class is properly examining a piece of art.  Before this class, I would look at a painting for a minute and then move on.  Now I can stare at a painting for 30 minutes and get a meaning from the art.  I can recognize techniques used and the message the artist was trying to send.  I think I first realized this when we went to Loyola’s art gallery and we examined a photograph.  The photograph was of a stream and rocks near a shore.   I could put myself into the scene and my five senses were activated.  I imagined what standing in that scene sounded or smelt like.  This is a skill I can use for the rest of my life.  For how the class could be improved, I think my least favorite project was the one where we listened to a song a depicting an image.  It’s not that it was bad, but I was not too sure what to create.  I guess this is the point because I painted however I felt during the song.  I just felt like I did not do a good job because I was not sure if I was doing it right.  

Postmodernism Project Write Up

      The quote I chose was, "It is always the same: once you are liberated, you are forced to ask who you are".  My project displays the thoughts that first came to my mind when reading this quote.  The denotative meaning of my project is focusing on the idea of being liberated.  The printed picture is cut up, but it shows a person being freed from chains.  It also focuses on the main question of being "Who am I?".  There are question marks throughout as well to show that this is a question that is constantly asked.  The paint is very unorganized to show a flood of emotions and thoughts that come with this question.
      The connotative meaning applies more to the paint than the actual picture made in Photoshop.  I used strictly primary colors because I thought these were the most basic and controlling colors.  I wanted to show that this was limiting the creativity and that people have to be "liberated" and try other colors.  Although this may be tough to get, I tried to make this symbolize society because there is a picture and painting that shows a city.  By making this art, I tried to free myself of constantly trying to make everything symmetrical, so that is why the paint is wild.  I tried to live the message my project was sending.

Post-Modernism

I like idea the postmodernism is revolutionary and combines a little bit of everything.  This is very appealing because you can always find something new and something that relates to you.  That being said, it is also hard to grasp.  For example, the author described it as having "a new kind of flatness or depthlessness".  If a painting is 2D I find this very hard to understand.  Does the author mean the picture is not as 3D or there is not as much meaning?  This mystery also is appealing because there is never one correct answer.  Postmodernism is confusing, but very interesting.

The Shape of Time

I found it very interesting when the reading said, "Times and opportunities differ more than the degree of talent" (6).  I took this as meaning it matters more who you know than what you know and that timing is everything.  This is why the author says it is pointless to compare artists such as Leonardo and Raphael.  They were both skilled in different ways and both achieved this talent in different ways.  I liked that the author said that Bernardino Luini and Giulio Romano were both very talented, they just had the poor luck of entering the art world at a time when the art world was saturated with great artists.  These are two people I have never heard of, yet they are being compared to great painters such as Leonardo and Raphael.  This stood out to me because it gave me hope.  As an unskilled artist, it gave me more motivation to keep striving to improve my work.

Data Visualization Video

Drawings and visualization has been used throughout time and has become more intricate.  Humans used to draw maps in stone to draw information from them and we continue to do so, but it has become much more developed, for example Google Maps.  The history of Visualization is essentially the history of Science.  Galileo saw sun spots through his telescope and put his visions in a drawing to express his findings to others.  There are a few principles in Visualization.  This includes you, the reader, and the actual data.  Using shapes, colors, and designs will influence what the brain sees and the emotions the drawings cause.  This is very useful.  An author and convey complicated data through a simple visual image that allows anyone to understand it.  Data Visualization has always been associated with the development of society and it will continue to be there.

BMA Drawings

 "Still Life with Pitcher and Plate" by Felix Vallotton

 "Basket of Fruit" by Pierre Bonnard

 "Landscape of Beaucaire, near Provence" by John D. Graham

White Objects

I chose three white items to examine: drawing paper, printer paper, and a tissue.  On the top, I had a lamp on next to the items.  On the bottom, I just used sunlight.  It is easier to see the difference in color with the lamp light.  This may be because the light gives off a yellow vibe.  The printer paper is the most clean in regards to being white.  The drawing paper appears to be a little yellow.  Lastly, the tissue is in the middle in regards to color.  This may be because it is also very thin.  The sizes and textures of the objects do play a role in how white they are.

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Ways of Seeing

First Insight
One line that really stood out to me was "The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe".  This affects are to a great deal.  The article gave the example that fire in the Middle Ages probably meant something different to what fire means to us today.  Art is the same way.  The things that people saw and experienced in the past are drastically different than what we know today.  For example, in the 15th century Da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper probably had a very different meaning.  Maybe at that time people were more or less religious.  There are many factors.  This also makes art very unique.  Every person has seen different things in their lifetime, so everyone gets a different message out of a painting or drawing.  This makes art timeless.

Second Insight
It never occurred to me that the camera had such a strong influence on art, particularly paintings.  In the past, a painting in a building often captured the atmosphere and represented the individuality of the building.  Having a beautiful painting made a person very proud.  The reason for this is that there was only one of the painting.  The only place that piece of art could be seen was in that building.  The camera changed this forever.  The camera was able to capture an image and reproduce it.  This allows the image to be seen by everyone and everywhere.  The uniqueness of that painting and the building is gone, "Because of the camera, the painting now travels to the spectator rather than the spectator to the painting".  The invention of the camera allowed the works of artists to be seen by many more people which is good, but it also diminished how much people appreciate art because it can be found so easily.

Trip to Baltimore Museum of Art

 Last week we went to the Baltimore Museum of Art.  We were able to look at real art up close instead of a picture on the computer screen.  This allowed us to view the details that can not be truly appreciated on the computer screen.  Two examples of this are the brush marks that artists use and the pure size of the actual painting.  Viewing art in person is much more fulfilling than just scrolling through pictures on the internet
    While we toured the museum, we were asked to pick three works of art that we liked the most.  The three I chose were: "Still Life with Pitcher and Plate" by Felix Vallotton, "Basket of Fruit" by Pierre Bonnard, and "Landscape of Beaucaire, near Provence" by John D. Graham.  My personal favorite was "Landscape of Beaucaire, near Provence" for many reasons.  The two main reasons were because the colors were very vibrant and full.  It made the image really pop out and I enjoyed that.  Also, the use of shadows.  I was memorized at how the artist utilized darker colors and angles to make the image of a shadow.  I know many artists do this, but this just stuck out to me.  

Visibility

Every day we see something knew, whether it is with our eyes or with our imagination.  In his article, Visibility, Italo Calvino gives an extensive look at how images play an important role in literature, art, and even religion.  When writing a book, authors often focus on the visual image that is being sent to the reader.  It is very difficult to perfectly construct this image.  In a way, it is about thinking of an image first and then turning that picture into a story.  This makes it very important for the author to choose every word carefully which is difficult and takes time.  Creating a visible image for someone is a talent. 

I have never given it much thought of how difficult it is to write a good story.  Thinking about it now, I remember times when I heard a poorly constructed story or even terrible stories that I have told.  Getting a message across heavily depends on the way it is told.  In the article, it mentions that “imagination as an instrument of knowledge”.  I agree with this because by visualizing something, a person is able to learn or teach something.  As an example, I am a very visual learner.  If I cannot picture the idea in my head, then it is very hard for me to learn it.  I often seek out pictures or examples to help me understand a subject  Being able to imagine an image through words is a talent that many should seek to learn.  

The Whole Ball of Wax

Every day, no matter where you are, art can be found.  Sometimes it is hard to find, other times it is very obvious.  In Jerry Saltz’s article, The Whole Ball of Wax, he argues that art is similar to disciplines such as science and religion.  Art is a necessity of life because it provides pleasure and an energy source for individuals.  This idea is partly inspired by Mary Midgley.  She argues that art is about the experience, not about whether you understand it.  Art can also send messages, such as a political idea hidden in the colors. 

In my opinion, art never has one clear message.  The feelings and thoughts that a person gets from a painting, drawing, or sculpture is very personal.  It is different for everyone.  It is almost certain that everyone will relate a different past experience to the piece of art they are viewing.  In this way, I agree with the article that art provides pleasure and an energy source for individuals.  A painting can help you recall a memory or learn a lesson.  When viewing a painting, I often associate a childhood experience and it draws the emotions that I felt at that time.  Because of this, I believe that art can foster a movement just like science or religion.