image essay#6

I attended Daniel Graham's lecture last evening, and to my surprise I was left more inspired than I could have imagined. Daniel Graham's lecture was quit fascinating to me. I believe that first of it was his character that captivated my attention. He presented himself as a very genuine man. He did not fear being humorous, and that was a quality I much admired. His reflection on his work, however, is what most enthralled me. When he spoke of his art pieces they were not this simple concept behind the work, but these elaborate metaphors on life that pertained to every single material he used within a piece. There was a tremendous dialogue I saw between him and his art; this poetic chemistry. Everything had detail and was thought out. The greatest attribute to his work was that he intertwined his memories (whether embellished or not).I related to Daniel in this sense because I articulate reason for every inclusion of material; I really appreciated his thought process.
The workshop this morning was very interesting. We began with an exercise as difficult as re-writing a fairy tale. It was trying to come up with a reclaimed story in a matter of minutes, yet the practice was worthwhile. After that portion we went on to make a list of phrases that would illustrate our feelings or memories towards a color. At the end of this we used one line from the fairy-tale retelling as well as a line from the color depictions, making a brand new unlikely sentence. Mine was: "She could see the future, dull, verging on passion." Then in groups of eight we took each of our sentences to form a story. Daniel's purpose behind all of this was to show us, how at first our ideas lack what it takes to make pieces of art; and that through examination and combination we can create a more profound work that relates a larger variety of feelings and emotions.
From our group’s stories, we created characters that pertained to our own sentences. We were instructed not to merely illustrate our sentence, but rather create a character or picture that contributed to the purpose of our sentence. I chose to draw binoculars that were a way I imagined my character could "see the future." Than we collaborated to create a scene in which all of our characters interacted.
I enjoyed this workshop very much, and that it was a great way in which we could tangibly explore our imagination and further our own understanding of our ideas.

image essay#5

My hope is that what I am taking so much time to do with this project, taking risk and making this piece a true example of my concept, is evident now even in the beginning stages. I am quit aware that I have so much work ahead of me, but I am not fearful or discouraged but mainly exited and dedicated to the execution of the piece. Instead of 11x17 paper I am using a 17x24 piece of ply wood that I painted white. The image is drawn on symmetrically, and where the "halo" is around the figure-I've painted it gold, with yellow beam lines. I incorporated color into the piece because I think it makes the concept and the symbolism three-dimensional. For me the color yellow is representational of God, light, warmth, and love. It is also the color that is typically used as the color of halos in paintings. So my using it draws the viewer to the irony of this glowing religious and violent figure.
I also chose the wooden board because I plan on attaching my textures not by gluing them to the surface, but rather nailing then to the board. I thought of using nails because there is a sense of drama with them and the literal "hammering in" of ideas. I believe in the finished piece you will be able to see the image, but also there will be these nails that extend forward; and from the side angle of the piece you'll be able to see the amount. Also I am using mostly, if not all, transparency papers for the texture, rather then normal paper. I feel that by using transparency I will have this great effect of overlap; and conceptually I am using transparency paper because the terms in which I am voicing 'wrath' are not transparent--they are complicated and under communicated, so once again I'm playing with irony.
I am sorry that I can not physically show you gestalt principles in the piece do to lack of texture at this time; however I can assure that those principles will be applied with the utmost concern.

image essay #4

This painting entitled "Beethoven frieze: The desire for the luck," was painted by Gustav Klimt one of my favorite painters. He so eloquently details his paintings with elaborate textures and designs that are extraordinary for anyone to look at. When first viewing this painting I notice the stark gold of the knight against the white background. It is clear that the knight and the women dressed behind him are the object of our immediate attention. Then our eyes follow back to the left where the nude people stand pleading. Also from this portion of the frieze we also see one woman in the upper left corner on a cloud. The piece has a true sense of omission played by the knight ignoring the pleas, as well as the spaces that are without texture. The way the nudes are painted is relevant to there emotion. Their bodies are sharp and fragile. Perhaps these people are begging for money, are maybe more simply clothing. In either case the knight appears selfish and arrogant along with the women behind him appearing in vanity. The piece is agile and thrilling. There is a certain sense of romance, as in all of Klimt's painting; however this is counter played by people desperation. This piece is beautiful.

image essay #3

This image by Bansky is very interesting to me. It is extremely striking. Upon viewing the image something within me is stirred. I believe that this has happened with this image, along with most other Bansky imagery, because he plays with emotion, culture, reality, and what in our society is too commonly un-talked about. This image portrays a young girl with a bloody nose standing amongst the wreckage of houses, possibly her own. The image is immediately striking because the child is crying, holding her teddy bear, bleeding, with fear and lonesomeness. Bansky has created a piece that is exceedingly powerful using imagery that is recognizable. I believe that the girl is possibly located in New Orleans. There is a couple of Red Cross workers who are about to approach the girl, however television media are preventing them from aiding her. There is a camera man, a photographer and what appears to be a producer. The three men are trying to “capture a moment” using the image of the child as a sob story for the nation. The image is compelling and heart breaking. Bansky has used honestly black and white to expose the rawness that is this scene. He also splashes some red on the girls face and in the uniform crosses. This image creates tension both literally and figuratively within the context of two-dimension. The piece exhibits well thought out meaning with thoughtful symbols. Bansky’s image is very successful and a favorite of mine.

{blog entry 2}

I believe that this piece has the great ability to keep your eyes moving. The image contains much movement with the motion of stirring, and the objects that are tangled within the action. I feel that this piece has a high level of investment and that is clear to any viewer. The elements in this piece including: a spoon, a cup and saucer, a tea bag, swirls, and splashes of tea, make the viewer’s eyes stay. The meaning is apparent pretty soon after the viewer first looks at the piece, however, because of the attention to detail the viewer wants to keep looking. I believe I created a true sense of definition all throughout the piece, displayed in several different textures. There is a wonderful quality of scale; the spoon is very large as is the tea bag. An interesting portion of the piece is the tea bag string that is exaggerated in proportion and appears to be rope-like. The perspectives also change throughout the piece particularly with the spoon. The top of the spoon seems to be extremely close to the viewer’s eyes, and then extends backwards into space. The craftsmanship in this piece is also very well done. It is clean with little or no smudges. I think this piece is successful.

Image Essay #2

M.C. Escher has brilliant take on a self-portrait in his lithograph "Hand with Reflecting Sphere." The image is so intriguing and gripping, first because it is unlike any other self-portrait I have ever seen; with the area of focus, the artist himself, contained in a metallic sphere. Your eyes simply gravitate inward towards him, as all existential groupings form around him. The little objects surrounding him suction your eyes. The focal point is further attributed by the brilliant use of dominant black around the sphere. Even though the black is dominant, it forces the eye towards the more concentrated. The way in which the hand begins at the edge of the paper and moves towards the center is yet another brilliant way in which Escher calls the viewer to himself. The composition has a stunning balanced shown greatly in his use of the black and white distributed equally; as well as the shapes that are placed according to their visual weight.
+ another intresting fact about this painting is that M.C. Escher was left handed, as reflected in the sphere, however, the hand in the foreground is his left hand also, contradicting the reflection.

Image Essay #1

Large Interior W11 by Lucian Freud
Upon viewing this painting, the first thing that attracts the viewer is perhaps the color. A mustardy yellow glazes the surface of the painting, a toned-down brightness. The painting has an offset balance; in the right foreground there is a heavy distribution where the people sit. The left background is rather empty its only real weight is the sink and faucet in the corner. It is a little unsettling this way because it feels as if the people are leaning towards you, it feels uncomfortable. The composition is certainly asymmetrical, there is no mirroring in the painting, and your eyes cannot help but move around. An interesting aspect of the painting is that it incorporates the use of the triangular hierarchy, whether or not the people’s positions are telling of their importance. The young man is at the top, and so go our eyes to the two young women on his right, following the women on his left, and finally the young lady on the floor. The viewer begins to assess who these people might be, and why they are in this room. The clump of people exhibit the most dominance throughout the painting, they cause the most investigation.
Overall the painting is well composed and an intresting one to spend time on.