Logo Design

1. Creating my logo was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Where a company has a clear concise idea of the message the wish to convey with their logo, I had no clue. I am constantly changing my views of my self, and my views of the world. I therefore had to narrow down exactly what I wanted my message to convey.

2. The first thing I did when starting this project, was to list what concepts I wanted my logo in incorporate. I narrowed this down to the most important. I decided on, energy, philosophy, and radical thinking. There were a number of logos that I created on scrap pieces of paper prior to sitting down to complete this project. There were a number that were visually stimulating, but didn't convey the message I wanted them to.

3. I learned that there is a lot more to life that interests, and fascinates me than I thought. It was very difficult to incorporate just a few of them into my logo.


4. From the video about DA group, I learned that even professionals try out countless ideas before coming up with one that a company even wishes to pursue. This gave me the confidence that I would eventually land on a logo that I felt comfortable representing me.

Responding to Art Work

Works that made an impression on me.

1. Claude Monet "Chemin De Halge a` Argenteuil (Tow-Path At Argenteuil)" Oil on Canvas 1875. 

What first captivated me about this painting was the motion of the short quick brush strokes that made up the majority of the painting. Towards the end of my visit I found myself drawn into this work again, but from a different angle. From this new direction I was able to realize the counter intuitive transition of focus, from clear at a distance, to somewhat blurry up close.

2. Robert Raushenburg. "Ace" Oil, cardboard, wood, metal on canvas. 1962

I was originally captivated by the movement from left to right of the installation. At about the same I realized this, I noticed that the letter R was crossed out at the bottom, and lined up exactly with the word Ace at the top of the page. I interpreted this as the artist warning us against racing through any transition. This made me appreciate the slow transition from rainy to bright (or pain to joy). It made me think twice about enjoying the ride, instead of trying to rush the next great thing.

3.  Donald Judd. Untitled Galvanized iron and plexiglass. 1969

I was captivated by the seemingly infinite staircase to another world. Although there were only 10 "shelves" they seemed to travel infinitely high, and infinitely low. I was inclined to immerse myself into the art work somehow, and probably would have tried, had I not been at an Art Gallery.

Works I felt a connection with.

1. Chain Soutine "Carcass of beef" oil on canvas 1925

I felt a connection with this piece from the moment I saw it. It was quite disturbing, and profound at the same time. The meet was portrayed in the shape of a human heart, and appeared as if it could explode at any moment. The use of  different shades of red inflamed the senses to no end. It seemed that the artist was attempting to use invoke a sense of horror on the viewer, as a means to move them to vegan lifestyle. This concept continues to be portrayed by the usage of the word carcass in the title.

2. Max Beckmann "Hotel Lobby", oil on canvas:1950

I felt an immediate connection with the gentleman seated at the focal point of the piece. This is of course no coincidence, all pairs of eyes but one are on him in the painting as well. Well I never came to a conclusion as to why that I felt sure of, many possibilities ran through my head. I contemplated the fact that he was in the midst of a high class poker game, and wondered if perhaps he was on the run and everyone was starting to figure it out.

3. Jehan Georges Vibert "The Marvelous Sauce"

 I felt a connection with this painting, simply because I've seen the picture unknowingly imitated in many of my family members kitchens. My dad and his sister are both half Italian, and often transform into purebreds when cooking classic Italian dishes.

Works I wished to know more about.

1. Franz Marc "Die Wolfe" (The wolves(Balkan war))" oil on canvas:1913

 

The image of the wolves hovering around a dieing or dead wolf speaks to the brutality of the war. Although I have done substantial research on major wars of the 20th century, I am just vaguely familiar with the Balkan War. I found it necessary to plan on investigating this war more in depth, in order to gain a better understanding of the painting.

2. Jean Hans Arp "Somersault", Bronze 1947 and "Pedestal Column" wood and marble. 1964

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This two sculptures were created 17 years apart, and yet fit together as one art work brilliantly. I would like to know if the "Pedestal Column" was deliberately sculpted to act as a base for the Bronze work, or if this was decided after the fact.

3. Daniel Ridgeway Knight "Springtime" Oil on Canvas" 1890

 

This work of art appears to be a photograph, superimposed onto a painting. While other paintings are nearly perfect renditions of their subjects, the image of the woman in the painting literally appears to be a photograph. I cannot help but to wonder how he accomplishes this.

Project #1

1.Both creations were a lot harder than I thought. The color wheel was especially hard, because I've always been used to traditional primary colors. Without the video I didn't even know what colors to expect. Also, I found it difficult to create ten different shades with a pencil. Before I actually stepped back and took the picture, it seemed like a lot of the boxes were the same color.
2.  I enjoyed the acrylic paint the most. The fluidity of the medium made it fun to work with. Even while just brushing the different colors on to my color wheel I found myself wanting to paint something.
3.  I gained an appreciation for the  perfect colors a good artist can make. Prior to undertaking this project, I assumed creating perfect colors would be a lot easier than producing a perfect musical note. I now realize that the two are very similar in their level of difficulty.
4.  The most important thing I learned from the videos would have to be the true primary colors. I thought the value step scales video was very helpful. The color wheel video was extremely fast. Because of the YOUTUBE format, rewinding repeatedly was very difficult. However the content was very helpful, and I would have been lost without it.

Color and Emotion

1. It can be argued that the first thing the viewer sees in a work of art is the color. Therefore, before he really gets a chance to explore the painting, his feelings are already decided. While a particular hue such as blue may elicit calm feelings, the colors intensity is what determines the viewers emotional experience. We start with the primary colors, moving on to the secondary colors, and continuing with the subtractive process until were at black. As we move through this cycle, the colors get more and more dull, and the emotions elicited become more and more dark.
2. When the particles that make up a color are mixed evenly, the resulting color is more intense and pure. I think this is pretty cool, because it brings to mind paintings by Van Gogh where all the colors used seem to be swirling, and falling about at the seems. Perhaps this plays a hand in his paintings taking on on ethereal character.
3. Van Gogh trying to portray a cafe as a place that makes someone want to commit a crime by using the complimentary  colors that signify Christmas, blew my mind.
4. "Black paintings" can provoke dark feelings by portraying hell on earth

Photography As Art

http://s1114.photobucket.com/albums/k535/tonyryanworldwide/Photography%20as%20art/

First lets get the boring technical stuff out of the way. I used my girlfriends 14.1 mega pixel Casio camera to capture all of the images in the slide show. I am not a very proficient camera user, so i simply left it on auto-flash, and auto-focus. All I had to do was point and click. I can assure you the creative aspect was much more in depth.

Since I first became comfortable with the elements of art, and the principles of design earlier this week, I've been taking mental notes on which elements applied to different scenery I would happen upon.  My first idea was for form. This huge concrete structure at the end of my road seemed perfect to capture the idea. By the time i completed the half hour walk, I was just about done. At any given time I was only thinking for one of three different elements/principles. However, I rarely found what I was looking for. For example,while looking for either pattern rhythm or texture, I happened upon a black and white cat in a field of grass. I captured the photo in a way that the cat was the only non-green item in the frame. Just like that I had my representation of emphasis. One other artistic accomplishment I feel I completed was while taking my repetition photo. From my original angle everything seemed off. I then decided to move slightly to my left so that the stacks of pallets were framed by the rails of the fence.

As a whole, I was able to gain a whole new appreciation of photography as an art form. I always though it was a "lazy man's" excuse for art. I still have a greater appreciation for paintings, simply because of the time and effort that goes into each work, but in today's fast pace society, a good photo can get us through until the next masterpiece is ready.

Video review

1. Video 1- Aristotle said " The chief forms of beauty are order and symmetry and definiteness which the mathematical sciences demonstrate to a special degree". The word form here means quite literally means, the physical appearance of a work of art. Another concept discussed by Aristotle was "The Three Unities". They used to describe the expected form of a tragedy. The unities included, unity of action (no subplots), unity of time (tragedy should take place within a 24 hour period), and the unity of place (all the action takes place at the same location.

The concept of beauty was defined by Batista as " the combination of harmony and perfection. Others continued that God is the origin of beauty. Kant claimed that all things can be made beautiful except for the disgusting. He explained that the aesthetic experience is not constrained by either natural or moral law. The expression theory, which was developed in the first half of the 20th century claimed that art is the expression of emotion. The Avante Garde movement of the the second half of the century refused a standard definition of art.

   Video 2- Changeux's definition of art and aesthetics: Art is artifacts, human productions...specialized for inter-subjective communication that use symbolic forms. He also claimed that it is a means of non verbal communication. Both Scientists mentioned the interconnection between the limbic system (area of the brain dealing with emotion and motivation, mainly for the use of survival) and the pre-frontal cortex. The novelty of art is important in that the pre-frontal cortex becomes more stimulated when it is presented with new works of art. Ramachandran informed us that thirty areas of the brain are used in the visual process. His explanation of the point of art is, arts purpose is to deliver a hyperbole or an exaggeration of reality in order to deliver pleasing effects on the brain.

2. The Prussian philosopher Immanual Kant was born in 1724. He did the majority of his work during the 18th century Enlightenment period. Kant's most important contribution in my eyes, is the statement "a description cannot identify why something is beautiful".  He goes on to claim that all one can do is offer a hypothesis as to why something may bring about some elicit feeling. He claims that there cannot be a science of beauty because beauty itself is subjective. This helps us to understand why aesthetics is the philosophy of beauty, and not the science of. Another claim he made is that the only thing that cannot be made beautiful is the disgusting. In other words, if something does not want to be expelled once consumed (metaphorically) beauty can be found in it.
3. The most interesting fact I learned from Changeux's lecture, was that our brain is approximately the same size it was 100,000 years ago (1400 cm^3). Learning from Ramachadan that 30 areas of the brain are used in the visual process was fascinating. I appreciated the scientific approach to art. For me to gather an appreciation for art, I am going to need to know exactly what I should be enjoying and why. We take in art through our eyes. It only makes sense to study how the brain processes these images. Art is of course supposed to be enjoyable. What is more enjoyable than having a series of aha moments while doing something that is sociably fashionable.
4. Video 1 and the book both speak about the aesthetic experience. The video goes more in depth, but the book gets us started by informing us that simply stopping to take pleasure in a work of art is an aesthetic experience. 
    Video 2 Changeux claimed that art evokes stored images in the brain, thus bringing out emotions. The book suggested that bringing outside information into your experience with art will lead to a better appreciation. Changeux's theory suggests that one cannot help but to do this. The overall lesson is, the more you have to bring to the table the more you will enjoy your experience with art.
Ramachadan referenced iconography, saying that it is often religious statues in places of worship, and isn't necessarily high art. The book gave the impression of the opposite.
5. Video 1 was remarkable in that it got me thinking about what exactly art is. The book attempts to give a definition of what art is, but Video 1 made me realize that there is no correct answer. I most closely identify with the idea that Art is whatever the art community says is art. I would actually go a little deeper and say, whatever anyone who claims to be an artist says is art is in fact art.
   Video 2 was very enjoyable. What I understood of Changeux's lecture was quite interesting, but Ramachadan was exceptionally real. I agree that there are universal laws for aesthetics, but not necessarily for art. This suggests that not all art has an aesthetic value. That part I'm not so sure about. I guess my point is, that he really got me thinking about all the elements than go into explaining art.

First Blog

1. The process of creating a new gmail, and setting up the Blog was easy and straight forward
2. What do you expect to learn in this course? I expect to learn how to enjoy looking at art. Also, I wish to understand what an artist is thinking when they create a work of art.
3. I enjoy being able to do the work for this class at my leisure. This is especially convenient in the summer.