Ms. Miller's Art Blog

Artist of the Week - Jean Paul Gaultier

2012-01-22T20:44:00.003-06:00

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk

Exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art closes February 12, 2012

GO SEE IT!!!!

I just have to make a post about this exhibit. It is just spectacular! The way the show is hung is amazing and so perfect for the incredible fashion in the exhibit. When you step into the first gallery, there is a virtually animated image of Jean Paul along with the other mannequins. It is an eery virtual presence, but I thought it was just marvelous and mesmerizing. I was fascinated with this technological aspect of the exhibit.

As we wandered through the show, I noticed the conversations the viewers were having about the show. They were animated! People that were next to us, who we didn't know, were striking up conversations about the work they saw. I've never really seen so many people talking and interacting with the work quite like this show. I think perhaps it's because we all wear clothing and can relate to what we see (either thinking we could or couldn't wear a particular fashion statement). I really loved seeing so many people marveling at the time, effort and money that was put into each piece. Watch the video below to get a tiny glimpse of the exhibit.

As a textile artist, I sewed a lot of my clothes in junior high and high school. During my weaving career, I had a line of handwoven clothing I sold, though I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I've always loved fashion and as I came to the end of the exhibit (for my second time), I said to my husband, "I just don't push the fashion envelope like I used to!" It seriously makes me want to play (though my closet needs some new pieces to play with!) more with my clothing. We'll see. I suppose I marvel at how much fun he has had as well as how fearless he is in his art. As an art teacher, I just love this exhibit of divergent thinking! I am always encouraging my students to think more divergently - his divergent thinking is to the power of 10!!! A great inspiration, Jean Paul absolutely rocks the catwalk!

Aesthetics in the Classroom - Video Games and Importance of the Visual

2011-12-03T16:52:00.001-06:00

(Wish I knew who to credit this image to!
If you discover it, let me know!)

OPENING A CAN OF WORMS!

It all started with an Artist of the Day that was about a video game. I had been thinking I wanted to bring in topics that my students were interested in, but I think my hesitation was that I didn't know much about video games myself.

I have played "Bejeweled" and "Fruit Ninja" on my iPhone (don't laugh!), and when the Nintendo DS was out, I went through a phase of playing games that strengthened my frontal cortex (being the age I am and reading about the new brain science), but though I am aware that many games are out there, I really don't know much about them.

Anyway, after the video was showed in class, one of the students made the comment that they didn't know that art was a part of the video game. What? Really??? How could they think that? This was puzzling to me, so Kim (my student teacher) and I decided to have the theme for the next week be the art of video games.

Kim (with the help of her gaming boyfriend) selected the videos for the week. The videos specifically featured information about how the artistic, cinematic, story, game play or sound was conceived and created to produce the games. They were:

Rage - Making of the Sound and Art Video
Guild of wars 2 - Growing the Silvari: Art Design Revealed
God of War - Art of the Game
Assassins Creed - Development Diary: Art Direction
Rusty Hearts - Development Diary 3 - Game Art

We showed the videos, Kim and I taking turns leading the classroom discussion after the viewing. We asked if they liked the game, the responses varied. Some liked the more fantasy or anime aesthetic, others the more realistic and dark environment aesthetic. We talked to them about the cinematic aspect of the games - what was important about that? They felt they were a part of the game. I pointed out how the video gaming industry was booming and was a huge opportunity for artists, as well as the need for those artists to continually be coming up with new, fresh and divergent concepts for the games. I asked why they got tired of games and wanted new ones: they completed all of the levels, they got bored, they wanted something new.

I prepared a short questionnaire for them to complete on Friday. Here are the questions with a few of their responses:

Before we started looking at video games this week, did you think about the role art plays in it's creation? Why or why not?

No, I never imagined how art worked in games, I just thought about technology.
Yes, but I thought teachers and adults didn't consider it art.
Well, I am not a big video person. I seriously didn't know art was really involved in video games.
Even though I like for games to have good graphics, I never thought of the art because I just like for it to be fun.
I knew it took a lot of art, but whenever I play video games I always think about either how good or bad the graphics are, but I never really realized all the thought that went into it.
As far as marketing goes, I do consider the artwork. I've never really thought about the effort and time it takes to create it.
Yes, because I've seen and researched character designs, weapon designs, and world designs for popular games I liked.

How important is the art in your enjoyment of a game? Explain your opinion.

It is very important because I enjoy looking at the background and interacting with objects in the game.
The art of the game is very important because it makes you feel like you're in the game.
Video games are fully visual experiences, and for the hardcore gamers especially, it has to be endlessly immersive for them.
Very. Nobody wants to play a game with terrible scenery, bad graphics and unrealistic characters.
Very important. If I don't like the art, I won't play it. If everything is too dark, I can't play it.
Good art and graphics, I think, are sometimes even more important than the game itself.
The art is the greatest part since it is what pulls you in first and what captivates you throughout.

After we looked at the videos this week, do you think you will look at the artwork of games more closely?

Yes, because after this week I will be more into games than I was before.
Yes, actually I already do!
Just a bit, because I've always enjoyed observing aspects of the visual elements of my games.
Maybe, only if it really amazes me.
Not more than I already do. While art is important in video games, there are other things that are just as important, if not more.
Yes. Some of the artwork from the videos has made me very interested in the field of graphic design.

What kind of artwork do you prefer in a video game?

I prefer artwork that looks realistic, but has the idea of fantasy. It's cool to see something not in our physical world come to life.
I prefer video games that have more realistic art work.
EVERYTHING and ALL! I have games ranging from anime style to Super Mario. But I usually prefer cartoony because I have a 10 year old brother and realistically drawn games are usually rated Mature.
I guess I like realistic with fantasy! It's a good combination!
I prefer artwork that relates to history, like in Assassin's Creed. Certain fantasy-like artworks in a video game also look nice, as in Zelda.
Clear, crisp images/graphics like most of the PS3 games have. Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core & Final Fantasy XIII are my favorite games.

One of my first thoughts, after reading through their responses, was that they are VERY articulate about what they like or don't like about video games! Much more articulate than when they are addressing other forms of art like paintings, sculpture or installations. Interesting. Roughly half of the students didn't consider the art of the game before watching the videos for the week. That surprised me a lot initially, but I can see how the "game" and the competitive aspects of speed and accuracy could command most of their attention. What did please me was that after watching the videos, about 80% of them said they would be noticing the art of games after learning about what went into the production of them. And, not very surprising, 62% preferred realistic artwork, 18% fantasy, 14% cartoon-like artwork and 6% anime/manga artwork. With the resurgence of 3D movies and the availability of 3D televisions, the blurring between the virtual and real is becoming even blurrier! They want those realistic experiences in which they feel they are a part of the game.

Certainly this generation of gamers is driving a billion dollar industry. With improved technology, the realism these games create is truly astounding. As I was preparing this post, I decided to find out a little about the history of video games and stumbled on this video put up just yesterday that chronicles both the hardware and software from 1958-2011. Six plus minutes long, it clearly shows the move from clunky controllers and pixelated game environments to body controlled games (Wii and Kinect) and amazing environments and characters. I understood why some students thought the art in a game was just technology - you see those little Pac Men gobbling things up and they look like computer programmed characters. Not very sophisticated, the early games had color and movement, but don't look very "artistic". Where the artists stepped in along the video game timeline, I'm not quite sure, but now the games are produced like a full feature film with game designers, environmental art designers, character designers, writers, modelers, programmers and marketers. Check out this website that lists the statistics of video game sales - unbelievable!

As I was cruising around the Internet looking at stuff, I found this blogpost that addresses the thorny topic of art and video games. Apparently, Roger Ebert proclaimed that "video games can never be art". The author of this blog, Dante Stack, believes (as I do) that video games are a new art form and could be THE art form of the gamer generation. Hard to argue with. And, as Mr. Stack points out in his post, this all gets back to what the definition of art is (enter the can of worms), etc., etc. Perhaps one reason it might not be considered art is that it's not exclusive to the rich and powerful as "art" has often been over the last several thousand years or so. What are some of the important aspects of art (the kind found in "the canon")? Canonical Art is thought to be:

Powerful - But video games are powerful to the common man - they are democratic.
Innovative - Technology is taking this art form of video games to an incredible level where reality and fantasy are blurred.
Persuasive - Because we are in the explosion, it's difficult to know how this form of art is changing the workings of the human mind - there is much controversy about this. I don't usually source Wikipedia, but they have an interesting page about science's study of the pros and cons of playing video games if you want to check it out. So not only are we changed socially, we could be reframing the brain for the 21st century as well.
Beautiful - Whether you are a gamer or not, these characters and environments are undeniably lush and gorgeous. Many of the games draw on aspects of art from other periods of art history such as the Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci.
Intellectual - The games of today are multi-faceted and multi-layered. They involve concentration, dexterity, skill, imagination and their own form of critical thinking skills.
Pleasurable - Art through the ages has always had this element, whether it was created for love, religion or politics. Video games have evolved to a level that connects with most of the senses: physical, auditory and visual. With 4D, the sense of smell is the only sense missing in these realistic environments.

So....what am I thinking about all of this? I'm thrilled. I see evolutionary change happening right before my very eyes. It takes me back to Captain Kirk's and the Starship Enterprise's mission, "to boldly to where no man has gone before"; that's where we are going. I sent the preview of this post to Kim to see if she had anything to add, as the co-creator of our experience, and she sent me three links from the TED Talks that are powerful. Get a cup of coffee, or a nice cold drink and settle down for a bit longer - these presentations are definitely worth the time.

Gabe Zicherman - How games make kids smarter
How video games are an interactive form
Jane McGonigal - Gaming can make a better world

This week's activity has changed me. In the end, I am truly inspired and encouraged. I am a believer of the power of man, the power to reinvent himself yet again. My own generation was a transformative one, living during civil rights movements, the Vietnam war, Woodstock, women's liberation and the power of peace and love. This generation, the one I teach, is going to change the world in an unbelievable way. I'm glad I will be able to see what they will do.

Aesthetics in the Classroom - Letter to the Artist

2011-11-20T09:10:00.001-06:00

Last week I attended the Texas Art Education Association's annual state convention in Galveston, TX. It was a great conference! I reconnected with art teacher friends, got inspired by the great keynote speakers, and discovered some new lesson ideas to take back into the classroom. One of the sessions I attended, "Exploring Aesthetic Choices", was presented by Dr. Carrie Markello who teaches art education classes at the University of Houston. I really enjoyed her presentation. One of her observations about her pre-service art ed students was the lack of wonder they seemed to have. They were interested and diligent in completing the work for the course, but only because they had to jump through the hoops to get their credit. She asked herself the question, "How can I instill a desire to wonder in my students?" She admitted that she did not have the answer, but her question led her to creating an aesthetic activity called "Letter to the Artist".

She asked her students to choose a work of art they like and then write a letter to the artist, commenting on the piece and asking the artist questions they might have about the artist, the process or the work of art itself. I liked the activity a lot, and decided to do this with my own students. I've been bringing artists to them all year in my Artist of the Day activity; I was curious to find out what artists they would select given the chance. I'll share four of their letters with you in this post. (Note: a little bit of editing has been done in grammar, punctuation and word selection.)

Tattoo Art, Kat Von D (My student wrote: This Artist is My Favorite Artist and Type of Art, Tattoos)

Dear Katherine Von Drachenberg,

I love your work. It is my greatest inspiration in life. I've always wanted a tattoo, but my parents always say, "Over their dead body." This drives me to want one even more because I want to show them that tattoos aren't just drawing on your body. I think tattoos are a way that you can express yourself and show others what you feel and like. I also think it's a way to stand out. I think tattoos are an art that everyone can see - it's like something you can take with you forever. I think that tattooing is a way for people to ask questions and wonder what the tattoo is supposed to mean.

I like how you always ask someone that goes into your tattoo shop, "What does this tattoo mean to you?" or "Why are you getting this certain tattoo?" My 3 questions for you are:

What inspired you to be a tattoo artist?
What you have become if you hadn't started tattooing?
What was the meaning of your first tattoo?

Sincerely,

Delette

I was not surprised that a student chose a tattoo artist - tattoos are so prevalent today! I don't have a tattoo myself (I don't think I could commit to an image for life!), but I recognize the power of the art form. I did not realize until I looked up the history of tattoos that they started about 5,000 years ago! I used to think they are were a passing fad, but they are obviously here to stay.

Seascape near Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, Vincent van Gogh, 1888, oil on canvas

51 x 64 cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Dear Vincent van Gogh,

I like this painting because it reminds me of the past. When I was younger, during the summer I would go up to Wilmette, Illinois to visit my grandma and grandpa. My grandfather had a sail boat that we would go on every day. The waves of the ocean remind me of the waves of Lake Michigan, when I would sit off the side of the boat and run my fingers through the dark blue water. I like the colors you used to highlight how the light hits the water. This painting brings me back to the good times of the past.

What inspired you to paint this painting?
Were you at this location when you painted this?
Have you had a past experience that you can relate this painting to?

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Julia

My heart swells! This is one of the goals I have for my students in this activity: that they can find a work of art that relates to their life. Marcel Duchamp expresses it beautifully:

“The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act.”

― Marcel Duchamp

After my students leave their high school Art I class, I want them to continue to decipher, connect to and interpret the art they see. More importantly, I want them to know that they have the power to decide for themselves what the work means; that they will have the skills and confidence to express their opinion.

Before I Die, Candy Chang, 2011, 41' x 8', chalkboard paint, stencils, spray paint

Dear Candy Chang,

Your installation of the "Before I Die" wall was one I found particularly intriguing, thought-provoking and altogether an exquisite example of creativity and it's effect on a community. The question itself is a very loaded one, and it's interesting to see the different answers - funny, heartwarming and crazy - all written in broad daylight.

I can't help but wonder if you chose New Orleans for this project because of it's history and hardship with Hurricane Katrina? If so, this wall would not only symbolize the desires and longings of a random group of people, but a group of people who have seen the long-lasting effects of death on their community and have the ability to appreciate life in all the chaotic glory it deserves. This would, in my opinion, only further its purpose as both a point of interest as well as a reminder of the gratefulness we sometimes lose in pursuit of material and worldly objects in life.

Having grown up in the current generation, I suspect that this wall is often, in light terms, repurposed by teenagers with accessibility to graffiti-making tools. Is this true or false? Though a project like this would seemingly command a great deal of respect, thoughtfulness is often wasted on the youth, and I would suspect globs of red paint proclaiming 'S.W.'s love for D.W' is not far from the realm of normality in such installations.

Lastly, what, if any, type of media or influence struck this idea in you? There is no denying the innovation of such work as either a product of a creative mind or an external muse.

Sincerely,

Brenna

Wow! First, I was really surprised (and thrilled!) that one of my students found this great artwork. I knew about it, but it got buried deep in my brain somewhere, so I was really happy to be re-acquainted with the installation. Brenna's thinking shows a high level of thoughtfulness, observation and curiosity. A quiet student in the classroom, I would not have known the depth of her thinking had I not given her this assignment.

Henna Body Art, Artist: Anyone who can make Henna, Materials: "cone" and a blend of leaves from the henna plant

Dear Artist of Henna,

Hi! My name is Cynthia, and I am very interested in the Indian tradition of Henna which is focused primarily on the women of the house. I really love this type of art. Most people don't consider it to be art, but I do. One of the really cool things I love about henna is that the finished product looks so delicate. There are many small and intricate details. This particular picture of henna is one of my personal favorites. It looks like the art is flowing from her fingertips up to her forearm.

Henna makes me feel happy. I wish I could make this art. I've never had henna done on my body; my reason is because I don't want to mess with the Indian tradition. I have many questions about henna, but I'm afraid I can only ask you three of my very important questions.

When henna is being applied with the "cone", does it hurt the women in any sort of way?
Is it possible that non-Indian girls could get henna without disrespecting the Indian traditions?
My third and final question is, how much time does it take to make henna that has very delicate, small, and intricate detailing?

Sincerely,

Cynthia - A Fan of Henna

Oh, my! A response from another quiet Art I student, I am truly blown away by not only her choice, but the sensitivity and respect for another culture's traditions (Cynthia is Hispanic). I was surprised to see Henna show up, but delightfully!

Most of my students didn't turn in their work on Friday, the deadline for the assignment, so out of the 100 student responses I was expecting, I got 26. Out of the ones I did receive, there were letters to several van Goghs, a couple of Picassos, Walt Disney, Monet, three da Vincis (yes - the Mona Lisa showed up!), Steven Moffat (for Dr. Who), Tanemura Arina (a manga artist), and some artists from Deviant Art. It was interesting to me how the sampling was from current pop culture and from the great artists of the past. I loved the divergent thinking in some of their choices.

"Homework in art? Why do we have homework in art?", they ask! I'm not sure they would really understand if I tried to explain it to them, but this homework assignment is important to me. It enables me to find out so much more about what they are thinking, what they are interested in, and how they feel about the art that they choose, not what I choose. I am grateful to Dr. Markello for this aesthetic assignment idea. It's super juicy!

Aesthetics in the Classroom - What is the Purpose of Art?

2011-11-05T16:10:00.002-05:00

What is the purpose of art?

This was the aesthetic question of the week and I had help from my student teacher, Kim, that has joined me for the rest of the semester. It's been fun introducing her to one of my favorite parts of my art classroom - Artist of the Day! I explained the aesthetic project I'm doing with my students, and she was eager to lend a helping hand with it, so she chose the video lineup for the week knowing what the aesthetic question was. (We only had four this week because one day we had a shortened schedule for our end of the football season pep rally!) I thought Kim selected some wonderful artists that might challenge the students' ideas about the purpose of art. This was the lineup:

Monday - Marcel Duchamp's 'Fountain' installed in a bathroom in Liverpool
Tuesday - Damien Hirst's 'For the Love of God'
Wednesday - James Turrell's 'Skyspace"
Thursday - no video
Friday - 3 short videos of Golan Levin's work:

On Friday, after viewing the videos, they were given a handout that asked these questions:

We saw 4 videos this week that challenge the viewer's ideas of the purpose of art. What do you think each of these artists' purpose for their art was?
Marcel Duchamp - urinal - "Fountain" -
Damien Hirst - diamond skull - "For the Love of God" -
James Turrell - sky reflector - "Sky Watch" -
Golan Levin - mechanical eye - "Double-Take (Snout)" -
What do you think the purpose of art is?
How did these artists challenge your own ideas about what art is for?

At the end of the day, Kim and I eagerly sat down to see what their responses were. I have to say after 7 weeks of asking them to write down their opinions, they are gradually going deeper with their thinking. I'll list a few of their responses for the reader:

"Fountain", Marcel Duchamp, readymade, 1917

What do you think each of these artists' purpose for their art was?
Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" -

he chose the urinal to create controversy
use it for humor
to challenge the concept of art itself by presenting something most people wouldn't expect
to show that the idea behind the art is more valuable than the art itself
to show that art doesn't have to be skillful or beautiful or even professional
(one student replied: I thought it was not art and not a good idea to do that)

"For the Love of God", Damien Hirst, 2007, platinum, diamonds, human teeth

Damien Hirst's "For the Love of God" -

to show that death isn't a demise, but a fabulous beginning of something
riches are useless when it comes to death
he wanted to make a visual metaphor of death's beauty and how when a person dies, their last memories and feelings will be forever frozen
art can be very valuable
death costs a lot (Ha! Out of the mouths of babes! If they only knew!)

"Skyspace", James Turrell,

James Turrell's "Skyspace" -

to see the sky in a different way
a way to bring the sky closer to you
to show nature is calming
you can imagine being in the sky
that the sky is art, the universe is art, and everything is art
to give a persona a sense of solitude that only nature can bring and that can't usually be experienced in normal city life

"Double-Taker (Snout)", Golan Levin with Lawrence Hayhurst, Steven Benders and Fannie White, (2008) interactive installation

Golan Levin's "Snout" -

challenged people's belief that art was something for you to look at, and made so that it was looking at you
that technology can be made into art
humor on the whole security watch system
art can be fun
to show that someone is always watching

And, the larger questions for the day.....

What do you think the purpose of art is?

to express yourself and your talents
art serves as anything that evokes real, true emotions, whether they be good or bad
the purpose of art is to show that creativity can be endless, and that anyone can create it
I think the purpose of art is to let your conscious and subconscious mind let it's thoughts be reproduced through physical form
to entertain people and keep them asking questions
to express a feeling or emotion without the barrier of language or words

How did these artists challenge your own ideas about what art is for?

it made me think that art can be taken to a different level of critical thinking
art is more than just a drawing
by showing that art does not have to be amazing
they made me think more about what they're trying to say and I feel like art teaches me new ways to look at things
they showed me that art has no limit
their artwork is not traditional, but is testing the boundaries of creativity and originality
they made you think; art doesn't necessarily make you feel good - it just makes you feel

Awesome! Admittedly, I just picked a few responses out of the many, but some of these responses were repeated frequently. There were some students who didn't think the selections were art, and yes, some thought they were boring. But those were in the small minority. The large majority responded in a way that lets me know that their preconceived notions about art when they first entered the class are now expanding. Artist of the Day has got them thinking, and that's the most I can hope for.

So, I asked my student teacher what she thought about Artist of the Day and this is what she said:

I think it's a good way to introduce a lot of different artists to the class that are not usually covered. It's also a really good way to expose the students to the artists' processes and ideas. When I was in art class I don't remember being able to hear the artist talk about their concepts and how they go about their work. I really like the theme of the week - it helps organize the thought process that lies beneath the idea of the artwork. And, it's a good way to show them more than one artist within that question for the week, so the students get a broader view of different interpretations of a concept or idea. I am interested in continuing this when I have my own classroom. And, I don't think this is good just for high school, but would also be great for elementary students.

Kim & me

Nice! Passing on a passion (for me, my Artist of the Day) is not always an easy thing to do. We are all unique and different, and what I love, others may not. It pleases me that Kim has caught a little of the fever for Artist of the Day. I get to see it six times a day and I love every minute of it. Plus, I love it when the kids are as enthralled as I am in someone's work. It's a time when we can come together in wonder and amazement.

Aesthetics in the Classroom - Does Art Have to be Beautiful?

2011-10-29T08:41:00.002-05:00

Student A - Happy

My students and I have been entertaining the question "Does art have to be beautiful?" I have been observing their reactions to art they don't like (it's boring or dumb). It's not just that they are responding to the visual, but also to the meaning and emotions that are in an artist's work. I wondered if they were able to connect to their emotions and feelings in the art they made, perhaps they could relate to the feelings of other artists. I came up with an activity that really seems to have connected my young artists with their own feelings expressed through their art.

I asked my Art I students to create two artworks: one representing happy emotions and one sad emotions. We used oil pastels as a quick, expressive material. I asked them not to draw something recognizable, but to try to draw what their emotions might look like. Then I asked them to answer four questions about their drawing. I selected these four (out of over sixty 9th & 10th grade students) for their artistic expression and their responses.

Here are Student A's responses:

Does your art have to be beautiful to be meaningful to you?

Your heart doesn't have to be beautiful to be meaningful to you just as life doesn't have to be great to have importance.

Do you think your art reflects your emotions successfully?

I think the first picture reflects my feelings better because it's more expressive of life as a whole.

Which work do you like the best and why do you like it the best?

The second picture is too true to be true. Being average humans, we don't usually go a day without expressing griefs and sadness, making it more real.

Do you think making art in this way could help you deal with emotions?

I think I can reflect my emotions through art successfully and organically, but when we get assignments that I can't relate to, it's harder to do so. This can help with emotions for sure.

Student A - Sad

(NOTE to teacher self: try to make all assignments engaging to all students! Is this possible?)

Student B - Happy

Student B's responses:

Does your art have to be beautiful to be meaningful to you?

No, just as long as you think it's beautiful, it doesn't matter

Do you think your art reflects your emotions successfully?

Yes, I think it does.

Which work do you like the best and why do you like it the best?

The bad drawing because when I'm mad there are storms going on.

Do you think making art in this way could help you deal with emotions?

Yes, because you can color different types of ways.

Student B - Sad

(Is it possible by connecting to their emotions in making, that they might be able to extrapolate to other artist's emotions?)

Student C - Happy

Student C's responses:

Does your art have to be beautiful to be meaningful to you?

No, it does not - it can be ugly and still mean something.

Do you think your art reflects your emotions successfully?

My art does reflect my emotion.

Which work do you like the best and why do you like it best?

The sad one cause that's how I am in the inside.

Do you think making art in this way could help you deal with emotions?

Yes, it would help me a lot.

Student C - Sad

Student D - Happy

Student D's responses:

Does your art have to be beautiful to be meaningful to you?

No, it just has to mean what you feel, no matter what it looks like.

Do you think your art reflects your emotions successfully?

Yes, because when I think of sad, I think of grey, black and red. I think these emotionless colors mean pain. When I think of happy feelings, I think of vibrant colors that pop out. I think blue, yellow and green means happy and light pink is peaceful.

Which work do you like the best and why do you like it best?

I like the sad one because it might be simple, but when I look at that one I feel empty and sad, which is the way I intended it to be.

Do you think making art in this way could help you deal with emotions?

Yes, I do; it gives you a way to express your feelings in a good, positive way.

Student D - Sad

This activity, which helped to connect them to their feelings seemed worthwhile. Elliot Eisner says:

"The distinction between feeling and knowing is deeply ingrained in Western culture. It is also deeply rooted in our educational culture. Relatively few theoreticians dealing with epistemological issues in education underscore the importance of feeling as a way of knowing." (Eisner, p. 115)

The arts are a perfect place to reconnect our students with their feelings. As they reflect on their own emotions and use those emotions to create, my beginning art students hopefully are starting to understand (know) that those feelings are a powerful place to tap into for their creative expression. Perhaps through connecting with their own feelings, they will begin to recognize other artists' emotional messages in art and be more open when considering art they may not like.

This exercise works on another level as well, because I want my art students to come away from their art class ( because it is possibly the ONLY art class they will ever take) with the understanding that art can heal the viewer as well as the maker. Having an outlet of expression, like art, to mediate between the physical and emotional can be of benefit to them in the future. The creative and expressive experience is ingrained in us, and sometimes we just need to know how to tap into that power.

Imagery is a function of the right side of the brain. Every experience we have and the emotions that accompany it are perceived by the body and the right brain as imagistic sensations. Although any of the senses can produce an imagistic impression, visual imargery, which can be anything form a recognizable object to an abstract shape or color is usually (for sighted people) the strongest of these sensate impressions. That is why when we feel angry, we often say we see red. When we are sad, we may say we feel blue. Or when we near the end of a difficult ordeal, we may say we finallly see a light at the end of the tunnel. These are prime examples of the universal imagery we all share and associate with particular feelings or emotions. (Ganim, p. 10)

So as maker or viewer, finding and relating to these universal images can be exciting and healing. As I looked at my students' work, I was amazed at the variety of their expression. Their images are visually diverse yet spring from a common place. I'm going to hang this work up in the art room as an installation and we'll have a conversation about it. It will be interesting to hear what they say. I hope they are beginning to understand the power of art.

Resources:

Eisner, E.E. (1998) The kind of schools we need

Ganim, B. & Fox, S. ((1999) Visual journaling: going deeper than words.

Aesthetics in the Classroom - Artist of the Day

2011-10-21T18:29:00.002-05:00

I feel a bit like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz this week...at the end when she wakes up in bed, surrounded by the ones she loves (who strangely look like the ones in her "dream") and she realizes everything she wanted was right there in her own back yard. So it is with my Artist of the Day videos and the aesthetic experience.

I started Artist of the Day last spring semester as a result of divine inspiration - the idea just came to me, possibly the day before the second semester started: show a short video (under 5 minutes) of artists' work at the beginning of class each day. Last semester I stabbed around, searching for interesting, dynamic videos that I thought would capture my students' attention and imagination. I didn't use it as an instructional tool particularly, but was interested in finding out what they were interested in. It was a hit. Even students who were hard to engage would watch the videos, and I LOVED seeing them six times a day!

Fast forward to this semester. I have launched into an effort to include more aesthetics activities in the classroom for my graduate semester project. We have been reading Elliot Eisner in my coursework, and when I got to his essays about aesthetics, I stopped in my tracks. I felt as though I had strayed away from teaching the students about aesthetics, that we were blazing down the trail of making art without stopping to consider nuance and meaning. My last four posts have recapped beginning aesthetics activities: liking, finding the words, asking 'is it art?' and ranking art. This project has inspired me to create weekly themes for the videos, and not only was I hoping that my students were thinking more deeply about art, I was also taking Artist of the Day to a new level.

Last Friday I gave midterm exams and included a question about the Artist of the Day videos. I wanted to find out what they were thinking about the videos. What else might they be thinking beyond the activities we've been doing together the last month? I gave them the beginning of 4 sentences to complete (they could choose two of the four to respond to):

The thing I like most about Artist of the Day is....
Artist of the Day helps me....
Artist of the Day is fun because....
I wish Artist of the Day was....

Their responses really surprised me - truly! I don't think I realized that Artist of the Day was impacting them on such a deep level (hence the Dorothy analogy). Aesthetics learning was happening and I didn't even know it! Here are a few of their responses:

The thing I like most about Artist of the Day is....

it wakes me up
it makes me think of art in my everyday life
it gets my creative juices flowing and gives me inspiration
seeing how people can create magnificent stuff just from their imagination
it inspires me to have a more open mind
it encourages divergent thinking
it's relaxing and entertaining

Artist of the Day helps me....

learn something new
meet new artists
open up the creative side of my mind to get ready for class
wind down from another class
analyze art better
challenge my ideas of what art is
become more cultured
find inspiration to further improve my artwork
by inspiring me to be a better artist
by giving me something to look forward to

Artist of the Day is fun because....

each day it shows divergent thinking
it expands my horizons
it gives me new ideas to make unusual art
I get to see the people in my class vote for the kind of art they like that week
it's a behind the scenes look at how an artist makes artwork
it shows that we are all unique through our methods, creations and differences
it gets me in the mood for art
it's the only thing that amazes me
it takes just a little time and helps you understand so much more about the world

I wish Artist of the Day was....

something we could talk about the whole period
more fun, more interactive, that we could try what the artists are doing
more interactive so students could tell the teacher what artist they like most and find a video on them
longer!
was ME

Wow! Talk about a happy art teacher!!! Very few of my 170 students had a disgruntled view of the videos. Some thought that some of the videos were boring (I already knew this - they have a high need for excitement). There are times I don't get it right - BORING, they tell me. But that's OK, seeing a variety of work is what matters. Pushing both our comfort zones has its rewards.

And, how Artist of the Day matters to them (and to me) leads me back to Eisner's ideas about art education (pgs. 97-99).

I am interested in the contributions arts education makes to both the arts and to life beyond them.
1. Arts education should enable students to understand that there is a connection between the content and form that the arts take and the culture and time in which the work was created.
2. Arts education should refine the student's awareness of the aesthetic qualities in art and life.
3. Students should acquire a feel for what it means to transform their ideas, images, and feelings into an art form.
4. There should be a willingness to imagine possibilities that are not now, but which might become. A desire to explore ambiguity, to be willing to forestall premature closure in pursing resolutions, and the ability to recognize and accept the multiple perspectives and resolutions that work in the arts celebrate.

I believe Artist of the Day hits the mark on all points, using a 5 to 10 minute activity to help them understand what's happening in art at the beginning of the 21st century, giving them opportunity to express their opinion, getting them inspired to practice more divergent thinking in their own art expression and opening them to the unbelievable variety and diversity of art being created and being shown on the Internet for anyone to see - here, now, relevant. Artist of the Day rules!

Resources:

Eisner, E. E. (1998) The Kind of Schools We Need

Aesthetics in the Classroom - Ranking Art

2011-10-15T17:20:00.002-05:00

Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci, 1503-1519, oil on poplar, 30 in x 21 in, Musée de Louvre, Paris

This week's aesthetic activity was object ranking from Marilyn G. Stewart's book, 'Thinking through Aesthetics'. My students did this activity in small groups but each student had a form to record their individual opinion. They looked at a collection of artworks and gave them a rank depending on how they valued each object. Not only did they have to rank the art from 1 to 6, they also had to provide a reason for their determination. I have a large art postcard collection and was able to make a like selection for each table grouping (typical images in this post): 1 master painting card (i.e. da Vinci, Michelangelo), 1 Zulu telephone basket card, 1 Van Gogh card, 1 Matisse card, 1 Ansel Adams card and 1 contemporary/minimalistic sculpture card. I wanted them to have a diverse selection of art within the six cards and hoped some of the work would be familiar while other work would be new to them. I also wanted to find out how painting, sculpture, photography and basketry would be ranked against each other.

Zulu telephone wire basket

It was serendipitous that my reading for my grad class last week revealed a passage from Elliot Eisner's book 'The Kind of Schools We Need' that lined up with my activity. He believes art education is vital in teaching students to use an aesthetic frame in order to respond to the things they see and hear. As a result of providing these experiences, they would be able to speak with intelligence and sensitivity when they talk about art. "It means that they will know not only what they like or respond to in a work - or a walk, for that matter - but why. This means that they will have reasons for their preferences, they will be able to bring to a work what they need to render the work intelligible." I was excited to see what this activity would reveal to them as well as to me!

Tetons and the Snake River, Ansel Adams, 1942, gelatin silver photograph

There was another serendipitous event last week - one of my colleagues in my graduate program came to observe my class for a day. It worked out that Melissa visited the day I was going to conduct the ranking art activity. We could both learn something from the experience! I asked her to write her observation of the activity to include in my blog post:

One observation I had that was very interesting was duringyour aesthetics assignment. You gave yourstudents six photos of famous artwork in different mediums and asked them torate the photos and explain why.   Somestudents thought there were “right” and “wrong” answers and worked as a tableto figure it out. Others voiced theiropinions but had a hard time explaining why they gave a specific rating. Some of their explanations were:
·      Because I like it
·      I hate it
·      It is creative
·      I like eagles

Ithought it was interesting that they had a hard time elaborating the “why” intheir responses (e.g., why they liked it, why they thought it was creative,etc.).

Thisshows me how important it is to have students critique artwork at a youngage. It helps them articulate why theylike or dislike things more effectively-- something they can use in life.

It is wonderful that you are having yourstudents work on aesthetics assignments, like the one stated above, to helpthem think critically about artwork.

Bedroom at Arles, Vincent van Gogh, 1889, oil on canvas 28 3/8 in x 35 3/8 in, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Once they put pen to paper, they actually were pretty articulate about their reasons, even if they couldn't elaborate on them further. There were LOTS of reasons, both pro and con about each artwork. Here are some of their reasons (high and low ranking) for the "categories" of artwork they looked at:

Mona Lisa - (high) by da Vinci, famous, a favorite, beautiful - (low) just a woman, she never smiles!, normal looking, common picture
Ansel Adams - (high) captured the moment, dramatic mood, great composition - (low) I can take photos, needs color, just a bunch of mountains
Zulu baskets - (high) colorful, creative, took a long time to make - (low) ugly, boring, not important, I could do it
van Gogh - (high) more free, original, it's a classic, love texture and color - (low) don't like the color, not the best, doesn't look like art
Contemporary sculpture - (high) simple design, unique, creative - (low) lacks color, don't know what it is, irrelevant, I've seen better

Night Road, Anthony Caro, 1972, welded steel, painted, 93 5/16 in x 27 1/8 in x 60 7/16 in., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

After I gathered all of their opinions, I analyzed their rankings to see how the baskets fared against the photography against the sculpture and painting. It was interesting, and for those of you who are into polls and statistics it is a telling snapshot of their opinion:

van Gogh: 61% in top ranking (1-3) - 39% in bottom ranking (4-6)
Ansel Adams: 60% in top ranking (1-3) - 40% in bottom ranking (4-6)
Zulu baskets: 32% in top ranking (1-3) - 68% in bottom ranking (4-6)
Contemporary sculpture: 29% in top ranking (1-3) - 71% in bottom ranking (4-6)

I agree with Eisner and Melissa about the importance of giving students the opportunity to voice their opinion about what they like in art. But I learned some other things as well. Not too surprising to me was their favoring of van Gogh's painting and Ansel Adams's photography over the more utilitarian Zulu baskets and conceptual contemporary sculpture. Their rankings showed a preference for work with a strong narrative in an artwork, it gives them something to grab onto. They love color and have some awareness and appreciation for historically great works of art. More education and knowledge about the techniques and cultural background of basketry could change their perception and appreciation. My experience with the general public about contemporary art reflects in these young art appreciators' opinion - there isn't an easy entry to the work and can be more easily disregarded. Again, exposure, contextual information and understanding the conceptual ideas behind such works might not change their opinion about whether they like it or not, but could broaden their understanding of the diversity and expressive qualities of art. They still might say, "It's really boring, but that guy put a lot of effort into it!" And just adding a qualifier to their opinion would swell the heart of this art teacher!

The Yellow Dress, Henri Matisse, 1829-1931, oil on canvas, 39 1/4 in x 31 3/4 in, The Baltimore Museum of Art

Aesthetics in the Classroom - Is it Art?

2011-10-08T08:40:00.000-05:00

This week I wanted my students to consider the question, "Is it art?". I explained the process for the week to them: after viewing the 'Artist of the Day' video, they would answer this question about each video; they would talk about it together in small groups then decide their personal opinion. Here are the 4 videos I chose that I hoped would push their thinking about art:

An Elephant Painting (8:29)

Yarn Bombing in Madison, WI (1:29)

Andy Goldsworthy (5:53)

'Overflow' (Plastic bag installation) by Virginia Fleck (4:48)

After viewing each video, I gave each table group a survey form to fill out. I asked them to discuss it with their table mates, then place their name in either the yes or no box to indicate whether they thought the work could be considered art. There was another box for them to list reasons why they thought it was or wasn't art. This method encouraged both group discussion and they had the ability to express their personal opinion as well.

Their responses were interesting - here's a sampling of what they thought (space constraints are such I can't list all of their comments, so I'll do my best to summarize their thinking):

Elephant Painting: (133 yes, 9 no) - The reasons for it being art included:

everything can be a work of art
the elephant is expressing thoughts and feelings through painting
the elephant has talent
he used the elements of art in his painting (line, color...)
he did better than I could
humans are not the only ones that can make art

The reasons it wasn't art:

the elephant has been trained
only humans can make art
the art is taught, it's not expressed
it's a fake

Yarn Bombing (101 yes, 48 no) - The reasons for it being art included:

anything can be art
there's meaning behind it (to foster community unity)
includes the elements of art (color, texture...)
comes from the heart
incorporates design

The reasons it wasn't art:

yarn is not art
the color is not thought out
knitting is a hobby, not art
it doesn't express
it's just random stuff in public places

Andy Goldsworthy (129 yes, 11 no) - The reasons for it being art included:

nature is art (and can be used in art)
he expressed himself and used imagination (& divergent thinking)
it makes you think
includes the elements of art (texture, color....)
it's beautiful, creative and unique
he used one thing to make another thing

The reasons it wasn't art:

it's random and in weird places
he's just rearranging nature
it's just nature (nature not art?)
nature is already art
it's photography

Plastic bag installation (85 yes, 65 no) - The reasons for it being art included:

it's a new type of art
it creates a message
used something simple to make something interesting
conveys a message that can be interpreted different ways
uses the elements and principles
art doesn't have to have a purpose)

The reasons it wasn't art:

it's just plastic bags and looks like pollution and trash
lacking in emotion or purpose
it's just tying plastic bags together and anyone can do that
it's not a painting or drawing
there's not purpose and it has no emotion

I'm not sure I could have predicted these responses and comments, though I suspected they might question the yarn bombing and plastic bag installation as being art (and that's why I chose those videos). I was pleased that they thought more deeply about why they felt the way they did. I still got a few "amazing" and "boring", but very few overall. They shared their thinking with each other and evaluated for themselves if it was art or not. And by having my little survey form, I got to see how really juicy their thinking was - much more than if we had had a class discussion.

Aesthetics in the Classroom - Finding the Words

2011-10-01T09:48:00.000-05:00

'Artist of the Day' video associated with this word cloud: Christo & Jeanne-Claude's "The Gates" NYC in a Stowstorm

Next week I plan to start asking the big cahuna art question, "What is Art?". For six weeks I've been showing an 'Artist of the Day' with the objective of exposing them to different artists and thinking about the videos they see thematically (last week was stop motion animation, this week installations). I give them a chance to express whether they like the art that day with a show of hands, then we take a vote on Friday to see who the favorite artist is for the week. 'Artist of the Day' is intended to get them thinking about the big world of art. Already some of my students have told me they have gone back to find out more about a particular artist that interested them, or they have brought a suggestion for an 'Artist of the Day'. Yea!

But before we start asking more questions about art, I wanted to spend a little time developing their vocabulary about describing the art and their feelings about it. 9th and 10th graders typically have a narrow range of words to express their feeling about an artist or artwork: awesome and cool to stupid and boring. There are not many words in between. Since divergent thinking is a big theme in my classroom this year, I came up with a classroom activity designed to get them to dig deep and find other words to communicate their ideas and feelings about the art they are seeing.

For three of the five days, after the video was shown, I gave each table a piece of paper (1/4 of a sheet of printer paper). There are about 6 students per table group, so it makes a nice small group activity. I encouraged them to talk to each other about other words they could use (get that collaborative thinking generated), then to list each student's name on the paper and write down their word. Each day I reminded them about thinking more divergently and suggested that they each come up with their own word within the group.

'Artist of the Day' video associated with this word cloud: Cadillac Ranch

I gathered the sheets by period and clipped them together. Great - now what? Quite serendipitously, or cosmically as I like to say, I stumbled onto another blogpost that gave me a fun idea. Innovative Educator Consulting is the blog, with a focus on "Inspired Technology Leadership to Transform Teaching & Learning". Perfect! This feeds right into our 21st c. learning objective to incorporate more technology into the classroom! The specific post I read is titled "Word Cloud Makers Are Here" and it has a juicy list of free sites that are available to teachers to use as instructional tools in our curriculum. I took the time to go through the entire list and chose Taxedo.com mostly because you could put your word cloud into a shape.

You can see the word cloud for each video here and it really was quite revealing. I showed the students the word cloud the day after they saw the Christo video (I chose colors that reflected the gorgeous saffron of his gates) and we looked at what happened. When you type the words into the application (in my case 170 words from my student body), the more frequently a word is used, the larger the font and it's prominence in the cloud. Contrast and colorful were the most frequent responses. I was delighted to see words like flowing, relaxing, graceful and soul.

I created the next word cloud from their viewing of the video about Cadillac Ranch. The next morning, I put the two word clouds up side by side and asked them what they saw. Colorful and creative were the most prominent words, but this time we had some other words that weren't in the first cloud: changing, painstaking, unpredictable and representative. Yesterday we watched a video about a very different installation, an Art:21 artist, Pepón Osorio, and we gathered words for our last word cloud of the week. Not much overlap here with interesting, confusing and mysterious being the major ideas. Some nice observations were intentional, reflective, eyeopening and mystifying.

This activity was valuable in getting each student to express their opinion. At the beginning of the week, I tried to generate classroom discussion. My first period class has from the first day of school been unnaturally silent. I can hardly get them to talk! By Wednesday, I came up with the idea of having them write their idea on paper along with their name. Now I could actually see what each one of them was thinking, and it gave them the freedom to be more expressive and candid. There is a large percentage of students who don't want to speak out in class because they are afraid they will be wrong or the other kids will think they are stupid! It's hard to overcome. Smaller groups get them loosened up. One other thing that I think was valuable for them to see was their differing opinions - some thought an artwork was interesting, some uninteresting. Some of their typical language showed up, like weird and awesome, but overall, I was extremely happy in the way they were able to express their opinions, push their thinking and then be able to see their thinking in a visual way. Word clouds are a great way to get a snapshot of collective thinking!

'Artist of the Day' video associated with this word cloud: Art:21 | Pepón Osorio (For a longer, more comprehensive look at his work, see the official Art:21 video that is about 15 minutes long. His section of the video is Chapter 13 of 16, 40:09 minutes into the 53 minute video. It's worth a look!)

Aesthetics in the Classroom - The Art of Liking

2011-09-24T21:38:00.025-05:00

21st c. learning is the big buzz word in our school. Incorporating student driven learning, the use of more technology and fostering collaborative learning in the classroom are the charges we've been given as teachers. As most other teachers, I was a bit more of a "sage on the stage" instead of a "guide from the side", and I have been working on letting those teaching strategies go as I adopt new ways of learning for my students.

Last spring semester I began a new feature in my classroom: Artist of the Day. Each day I show a video of a contemporary artist to my 9th & 10th grade students. The videos are short, usually under 5 minutes. Sometimes I would show them a website, but I noticed that they were not as engaged when I walked them through a website as they were when they watched a video. So this was the first thing I learned - they are used to action and high stimulation. Last year I didn't use them for instructional purposes particularly, but each day I was interested in knowing if they liked the artist with a quick show of hands. At the end of the week, I took a weekly survey and conducted a vote up on the board and each class could see what the other classes voted for.

In this day, "Liking" is a big deal. I see it as a first step in teaching aesthetics to our 21st c. students. They "Like" things on Facebook, give reviews and post comments on all manner of things on the Internet. Conducting a vote on the artists they see is something they know how to do and are pretty comfortable with. It's fun for me to hear them say on Monday, "I'm going to vote for this artist this week!" only to change their mind as the artists unfold. And, sometimes I put something up that I think they will like but it turns out to be a big flop.

I am beginning a project this semester of incorporating the study of aesthetics into my curriculum. Though they practice aesthetic thinking when deciding how they feel about the artists they see, when I ask them why they do or don't like a video they can rarely tell me, except for it was awesome or it sucked. Note to self: they don't have much of a vocabulary to explain why they do or don't like something.

This last week I created a theme for Artist of the Day - stop motion animation. In the past I've bounced all over the place with media and process when selecting the videos, but I want to focus their thinking (and mine!) more. Instead of a quick show of hands vote, I asked them to write about the lineup. We just finished studying the Elements of Art, so I asked them to write down which Elements they saw in the work. They could do this fairly well. I also asked them what divergent thinking they saw in each video, and they were able to see examples of that. (Divergent thinking is a BIG theme in my classroom this year - seeing it in action and practicing it.) But, when I asked them how the materials and processes of each video affected how the communication of the art, a good percentage of the students couldn't make the connection on that more subtle level.

Here's the selection for the week and the voting results. I am also including some of their thoughts about the connection of material to art; some great connections were made. If you would like to watch the lineup and place your own vote, the links are here and it will take about 12 minutes to view all five videos. I welcome your comments and input on my blog. And now Ladies and Gentlemen, Artist of the Day - Stop Motion Animation!

68 votes - Pencilhead Fatboy Slim - smoother flow of movement, filled with energy, more cartoonish

33 votes - Street Knowledge by King Adz - some sections look 3D, strong detail, urban feel

28 votes - The Dot - world's smallest stop motion video - surreal effect, more excitement, specific focal point, though it's about destruction bright colors are used (NOTE: if you have another 5 1/2 minutes, watch the companion video, "Dot. The making of" - it's great!)

26 votes - Game Over - PESfilm - use of toys create a nostalgic and humorous feel

1 vote - Stop Motion Photographer - more realistic look, nature has calming, peaceful effect (NOTE: This was the dud. One vote. Back to our students and what they like - fast, exciting, complicated, dynamic.)

Which one do YOU vote for?

Oil and Cotton - Creative Exchange

2011-06-05T19:07:00.007-05:00

My scarf made out of prefelt

My new favorite thing is felting! I've been taking a series of felting classes at Oil and Cotton Creative Exchange in historic Oak Cliff in Dallas, TX. They have been fun, informative and great experiences. The more felting I do, the more I want to do! Lizzy Wetzel has taught the felting workshops last fall and this spring and they are really helping me get ready to teach felting in my classroom next year.

One classmate's fun dog portrait in felt

We've dyed wool, worked with prefelt, made thick felt, shaped felt into sculptural forms and more! The timing of today's play time couldn't be better because I'll be attending the Surface Design Association's Confluence conference in Minneapolis next week. One of my anticipated activities is a 5 day workshop to make a coptic style felted book. I can't wait! Anyway, Oil and Cotton offers LOTS of different kinds of classes for kids and adults. Check out their blog to find out more and sign up for classes and have some summer fun!

One of Lizzy's felted samples

Snow Days & Artist of the Week

2011-02-04T13:36:00.012-06:00

My own See.Saw picture - Christine Miller - date, the great blizzard of 2011

Unprecedented! We have missed 4 days of school this week because of this massive winter storm that has stretched across the country! Talk about a long winter's nap!! I haven't been napping. It has been a wonderful time for me to work on several projects: weaving samples for my guild's overshot study group, taking the scans from my Sketchbook Project's book and making a digital version, goofing around on the computer, and playing with this art idea I stumbled upon (if you haven't been on this site, you have to go! Be prepared to burn some major time stumbling!!).

It's not a new idea, but I like what the artist has done, and he inspired me to try it for myself. I think this would be a great project to take into my art classes! Lots of grade school teachers do it to make butterflies and such - you put paint on one side of your paper, fold it closed, open it and you end up with these identical paint splotches on both sides. (I was so excited, I forgot to take a picture of my splotches before I drew my picture!) I used cadmium red pale hue, cadmium yellow, and cerulean blue watercolors. I also splashed some beautiful gold watercolor out of a Japanese pot. It didn't take me long to see the monkey, bird and camel in my drawing. The golden ribbony smoke came next, then I thought to add the Aladdin's lamp and the carpet at the end. It was fun! Check out the link in the post headline to see the original site I stumbled upon. It's the work of L Filipe dos Santos from Madrid, Spain - he calls it his See.Saw series. You can see more of his work here.

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #18 - Nighthawks

2011-01-25T08:34:00.000-06:00

Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, 1942, Oil on canvas, 84.1 x 152.4 cm (33 1/8 x 60 in.), The Art Institute of Chicago

Edward Hopper studied at the New York Institute of Art and Design and became a commercial illustrator. He went to Europe in 1906, but just like Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton, he did not embrace the theories and techniques of modernism. He preferred painting in a realistic style. Though he lived in the city, he was preoccupied with isolation and loneliness. His paintings reflect this duality - single figures in communal spaces, cities deserted except for one person. He did not initially enjoy success from his personal artwork and had to continue to work as a freelance commercial artist. By the time he was 40, he had only sold one painting.

He married Josephine Nivison who helped him promote his art. She was an extrovert, he an introvert, and she had a good instinct for business. She helped him get six of his paintings into an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in 1923 and that proved to be the turning point for him. He gained attention, sales and commissions and was able to quit his job and begin to paint full time. The critics loved his work. He sold paintings to major museums and became financially comfortable. His peak productivity time was during the 1930s, but he painted until he died in his studio in 1967. His wife bequeathed his artwork to the Whitney Museum in New York.

Nighthawks shows a corner diner brightly lit against the night. The glass walls provide an easy view into the diner and the contrast between the spotlighted inhabitants and the darkened street make it seem like actors on a theater stage. We see them, but they do not notice the viewer. The scene is unremarkable, people dining, talking, a couple together, one man sitting at the counter alone. The server is waiting on them, but at this moment in time is also a bit disconnected and off to one side. Detail is spare both in the diner and on the street. You don't see anything in the shop windows, no litter on the streets, no sign of humanity except the people we see. It's almost as if the city is empty except for these four people and the scene has a quality of eerie solitude about it. (Anybody ever see the "Twilight Zone"?) We see a story, but don't know what to make of it. Barbara Haskell, an art historian, calls this "suspended narrative" or a "narrative of inaction". It's compelling for the viewer - you can make up your own story. Hopper gives the viewer a lot of creative license in the interpretation of the scene. What do you think is going on?

Self-portrait, Edward Hopper, 1925-30

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #17 - And the Migrants Kept Coming

2011-01-23T20:48:00.006-06:00

And the Migrants Kept Coming, Jacob Lawrence, 1940-41. Tempera on gesso on composition board, 12 x 18" (30.5 x 45.7 cm), The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY

Jacob Lawrence did not have a stable life - his parents divorced and he moved from one foster care home to another until he was about 13, then he and his brothers and sisters went back to live with their mother. He took art classes early and went on to study at the Harlem Art Workshop, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American Artists' School. Outside of the art classes he took, the also got a lot of energy and inspiration from the artists that had flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. (See the post done about Aaron Douglas on this blog in October 2010)

He was a mover and a shaker. He had a studio while he was a student and got a solo exhibition of this work at the Harlem YMCA in 1938. At that time, he made small paintings reflecting daily life in Harlem. He was a product of his neighborhood and drew a lot of inspiration and identity from Harlem. He also was interested in history and did a series about Frederick Douglass, a former slave and orator. These were well-received, so he did another series about the Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman, Haitian liberator Troussaint L'Ouverture, and abolitionist John Brown. These series prepared him for a huge project he would undertake: a 60-painting series on the Great Migration. This is the work that would jettison him into the larger art world - he became the first African American artist to have one of his works included in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This work, And the Migrants Kept Coming, was the last painting in the Great Migration Series. A crowded railroad platform is shown and the wavy lines beneath this platform suggest water beneath a dock. The composition is crowded with people, young and old with their luggage. The way the image is laid out, you can imaging people stretching beyond the canvas edges in both directions. The people lack faces or individualized features - this helps the viewer think of them as "anyman" and connects to the larger idea of vast numbers of people looking for a better life; people who are willing to leave their own lives behind in the hopes of finding a better one. He uses only a few colors, but even though his figures are reduced to shapes, the viewer recognizes the image as many men, women and children on the move. There is not texture or nuance in this painting, and the paint he uses is a matte finish - a finish that is dull and unreflective. All of the paintings in this series use the same elements of simplified shapes out of seven colors which unifies the group and makes the series visually cohesive.

Many African American people were poor sharecroppers in the South - they owned nothing and eked out a subsistence living. The industrial boom centered in the northern part of the United States in the early part of the 20th century and promised jobs and a better life. Huge numbers of African Americans migrated to the north and poured into cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and New York. Because discrimination was still a stronghold across the nation at that time, these immigrants would form their own neighborhoods such as Harlem in New York. Their move to these new cities was a mixed bag - they may have found work and a new life, but they did not escape the prejudice and discrimination that they had experienced in the South. Racial tensions resulted from this new influx of people.

Lawrence's documentation of this phenomenon is based in history. He researched the Great Migration and strove to document and educate the viewer about the event. Each panel has a short title that is descriptive of the scene. The early paintings depict scenes of life from the South and show the reasons the people decided to leave. There are images of withered cotton plants and is entitled, "They left because the boll weevil had ravaged the cotton crop." The middle paintings go back and forth between the South and the North. Then the later paintings show the trials and the triumphs of the migrants in their new lives. These paintings resemble a storyboard for a cinematic undertaking. The critics responded so well to this monumental work the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and the Museum of Modern Art fought over who would own the complete series. In the end they split the paintings with the Phillips getting the odd-numbered panels and MoMA receiving the even numbered panels. Cool! How about that? He may have also been the first African American artist to have two major museums fight over his work!

Jacob Lawrence self-portrait, 1977, gouache on paper

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #16 - Departure of the Joads, from the Grapes of Wrath

2011-01-15T17:56:00.007-06:00

Departure of the Joads, from The Grapes of Wrath, Thomas Hart Benton, 1939, Lithograph on ivory wove paper, 327 x 470 mm (image), The Art Institute of Chicago

Thomas Hart Benton was a rebel. The men in his family were professional politicians and military men - his great-great grandfather was governor of North Carolina, his great-great-uncle colonel in the Confederate army, his father was a colonel, and Congressman. But Thomas did not follow in the steps of his family, he left military school in Missouri in 1907 to go study at the Art Institute of Chicago. Eventually he studied in Paris during a period when Modernism was flourishing. When he returned to New York, he became an art teacher to Jackson Pollock and Rita Piacenza. Pollock is the famous abstract expressionist (who went on to be called "Jack the Dripper") and Rita became Benton's wife. He was in the midst of a variety of styles of art were exploding, but none of them really resonated with him.

When Benton's father fell ill, he returned home to Missouri to sit as he was dying. It became a pivotal moment in his life and he wrote about it in his memoir:

I cannot honestly say what happened to me while I watched my father die and listened to the voices of his friends, but I know that when, after his death, I went back East, I was moved by a great desire to know more of the America which I had glimpsed in the suggestive words of his old cronies...I was moved by a desire to pick up again the threads of my childhood.

So he began painting rural scenes and people from the Midwest and made these images symbols of the struggles and triumphs that happened in these humble places. Benton was at the forefront of a new "ism", this one American - Regionalism - one that is synonamous with the 1930s. He painted a series of murals for the 1932 World Exposition in Chicago depicting the history and culture of Indiana. He did not censor the bad with the good and included images of the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross, unemployment lines and labor riots. Though critics railed at these images being so public, Time Magazine put him on the cover and declared him to be one of the definining artists of the time.

Trying to take this subject matter and interest the art scene in New York was another matter. New York was on the cusp of becoming the art center of the world and tastes favored the modernism coming out of Europe, not the rural, earthy images of people and places in America's heartland - it just wasn't sophisticated enough for that scene. He turned his back on New York took a teaching position at the Kansas City Art Institute and taught and worked until his death in 1975. He is one of the most important artists of his day and his work is still respected as central to the Regionalism movement.

The series he did about The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, include a lithograph entitled Departure of the Joads. There are many ways to make prints (see this excellent explanation called "What is a Print" by MOMA); a lithograph print has the image drawn on stone or metal instead of being etched into metal.

This lithograph illustrates a scene from the Grapes of Wrath, the moment that the Joad family is preparing to leave the poverty they faced in Dust Bowl of Oklahoma in order to find a better life in the rich fields of California. The image is printed in black and is rich in tones of grey between areas of black and white. The crescent moon is about in the center of the print and lights up part of the sky while the other half remains dark.

One detail of Benton's style is the curving lines you see everywhere: the ground, the clouds and even the figures undulate which creates a sense of movement. The house, clouds and logs all lead your eye to the family - even the light, moonlight sky highlights them in their departure activities. Not all of the family members are glad about this move - the women and Grampa (who sits forlornly by the door of the shack) look dejected and powerless about the decision. Ma Joad embraces Granma to support her in her decision to leave with the family, leaving Grampa behind - he refuses to leave. The scene is packed with a lot of emotion, but the artist puts almost no facial features in the characters, and relies on the body language and poses to tell the viewer what is happening.

Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck's novel was published in 1939 and one of the movie studios, 20th Century Fox, jumped on the book to use for a movie version. Benton was commissioned by the studio to produce the images to promote the film. Five of the artworks were portraits of the characters, but The Departure of the Joads was the sixth work he made and turned out to be the most powerful and long lived. It was enlarged to billboard size and he also reproduced it in color as a painting. It was also included in its original form in the 1940 edition of the novel.

American people across the nation identified with this powerful image - it reflected the hard times they had been through with the Great Depression and the feelings so many people felt - anxiousness, sorrow over broken dreams but a tentative optimism that is so characteristic of American people. The road represents the future and a journey to a better life. His image represents both spectrums - Grampa's inability to forge ahead and embrace change alongside Granma's hesitancy and anguish about the choice she is making. But the men of the Joad family have the courage to carry the family ahead. All of these emotions permeated the country in the 1930s and this image captured the essence of an important historical period.

On a personal note, I was speaking to my own students Friday about the hardships that this country is experiencing now. We talked about other periods of hardship our young country has gone through. This image is a powerful one today showing the characteristics of the people in this country that have made it great: vision, determination, hard work, sacrifice and grit. One of my students how long this current period of hardship would last, 5 yrs? I don't know the answer, but I have faith that if we pull together, love and support each other, we can come out of this stronger than ever.

Thomas Hart Benton self portrait, 1972

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #15 - Cow's Skull with Calico Roses

2011-01-04T08:30:00.002-06:00

Cow's Skull with Calico Roses, Georgia O'Keefe, 1931, Oil on canvas, 91.4 x 61 cm (36 x 24 in.), The Art Institute of Chicago

Georgia O'Keefe is one of the most recognized artists of the twentieth century. It's rare to find such an accomplished woman in the art world - it has historically been a career for men. Even today, women are not on an equal footing with men in the business of art - check out the Guerilla Girls for more information about that and to see about their activisim! O'Keefe was a strong woman who followed her passion and became an icon in the art world, especially for aspiring women artists.

O'Keefe studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Art Students League in New York and was exposed to a new art trend: imitative realism - a movement that was meant to artistically reproduce nature as the artist saw it. When O'Keefe took a summer class for art teachers, she was introduced to Arthur Wesley Dow who had a passion for non-western art, especially Japanese art. He believed that color, line, light and dark tones should be balanced. O'Keefe connected with these ideas and began to experiment with them. Her initial work was brought to the attention of photographer and art dealer Alfred Stieglitz. Without her knowledge, he put her work in an exhibition at his gallery in New York, 291. Her work was a hit and Stieglitz became a huge supporter of hers and began regularly exhibited her work. He was able to get her to move to New York and paint full time. They married, lived and worked together until 1946 when Stieglitz died.

O'Keefe began with paintings of New York, flowers and plants. Her flower paintings were so close up, you lost the overall image of the flower and just focused on the details. It's said that O'Keefe responded about these paintings once by saying she wanted the viewer to stop and really look at the flower. Her love for nature took her out west to New Mexico and one visit was all it took to hook her for life. Take a look at this 10 minute video and listen to her tell her story about her love of New Mexico. She began painting desert scenes, including bones and skeletons of dead animals. The pure line, light and shade she used in her other paintings transferred perfectly to these new subjects. She kept going back to the Southwest all through the 1930s until Stieglitz died then she settled in Arizona and lived out her life into her 90s. Her work became so important, she was given a solo retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the first woman to receive such an honor.

This work, Cow's Skull with Calico Roses, uses many shades of white to create the skull and roses over an unidentified white background. The value creates an image that looks three dimensional (remember, it's painted on a two dimensional canvas). It is symmetrically balanced with the focal point centered in the picture plane. The painting is a still life, but the composition is strong and bold. O'Keefe loved painting nature, and this skull was beautiful to her, not morbid. The juxtaposition of the soft flowers with the brittle bone make for an interesting combination. They could be speaking of both life and death, but ultimately speak of the beauty of nature. Her approach to her paintings is pure and direct - she had an eye for capturing nature and detail without making it fussy and busy. Her paintings are elegant, spare and compelling. Her work is beautiful and haunting and helped establish a modern aesthetic in the world of art.

This post seems woefully incomplete. Stieglitz and O'Keefe had a powerful love story and an incredible artistic connection. He was one of the twentieth centuries most reknowned photographers and Georgia was often his photographic muse. I have always enjoyed reading biographies of artists throughout my life, and reading their biographies were some of my favorites. Explore their lives for yourself - you won't regret the time invested.

The Sketchbook Project

2011-01-02T14:40:00.005-06:00

I signed up to create a sketchbook for this traveling exhibit of sketchbooks. Over 28,000 people from 94 countries have signed up to do this! The deadline to postmark our sketchbooks is January 15, 2011. I have been working like mad over the holiday to finish my book. I'm not quite done, but I see the end in sight. When I signed up for the project in October, I chose the theme "Mystery Maps". It sounded juicy to me.

The day I received my sketchbook, I had a realization: after my father's death, I asked for one thing that belonged to him - his satchel of maps. He began traveling around the US after he retired from teaching and collected maps from all the places he visited. That bag of maps sat in my closet for seven years. I knew immediately that I would use the book to explore my dad's travels. This is the cover of my book. You can see my artist profile for the project here. I'll post more info about this project later, right now I have to get back to work on it!!

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #14 - American Gothic

2010-12-28T17:49:00.001-06:00

American Gothic, Grant Wood, 1930, Oil on Beaver Board, 78 x 65.3 cm (30 3/4 x 25 3/4 in.), Signed on man's overalls: GRANT / WOOD / 1930, The Art Institute of Chicago

This is one of the most interesting paintings - not because I think it's such a fantastic work of art, but because it has spawned so many variations and has been used in advertising ad nauseum! Right up next to the Mona Lisa, I think this painting has a notoriety that is astounding. It has a ton of parodies - check out this site that shows some of them. You know what they say, "Imitation is one of the sincerest forms of flattery." Grant Wood should fee really flattered! Let's see how this painting got to be so famous.

Wood was one of the artists that started a new movement of art in the United States, Regionalism. For most of Western art history, European art and artists drove the boat. Let's face it - with the Greek, Roman, and Renaissance artists (to hit the high points) all centered in Europe, it's no wonder it was so important. Paris was the art capital of the world until the mid-twentieth century when it shifted to New York. American artists in the twentieth century wanted to begin their own traditions and began breaking away from the European tradition. Artwork that was based not only in realism, but also reflected American towns and people became the subjects of the paintings of Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton and John Steuart Curry. Grant Wood's American Gothic was a hit when it was first exhibited and it has remained an icon for Midwestern America.

His early art education included metalworking, silversmithing, woodworking and jewelry-making. The Craftsman, or Arts and Crafts movement, was a big influence in his artistic style. It helped that he had so many skills because he was able to support himself as a silversmith while he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1934 he became the director of the PWAP for Iowa and was able to draw from the artistic community he had launched by involving many of the Regionalist artists to work on public art projects. From 1934 until his death in 1942, he was a respected painter and professor of painting at the University of Iowa.

Let's take a closer look at the painting - a man and woman stand formally in front of a farmhouse - they look serious and stern. Though the house is in the background, the painting is set up like a portrait. You can see a Gothic-style window in the house, a corner of a red barn and some treetops in the background. The couple are dressed in their finest clothing - the woman has a white collar with a cameo fastened at her neck, the man is wearing a formal dark blue jacket over his overalls and work shirt. Holding a pitchfork in his hand, his face tells of a life of physical labor and exposure to the elements.

The farmhouse looks a bit like a bungalow with Gothic church detailing. The window is arch shaped and has a tripartite (three-part) division, just like the windows in Gothic churches in Europe. There are other Gothic references: the lightning rod that is cut off could represent a cross and the stiff postures of the couple resemble the carved saints that might surround an entrance to a Gothic cathedral. There are lots of decorative details, patterns in the fabrics, details in their clothing, the grain of wood the house is made of, which makes the painting super realistic. So realistic, you think he has documented a moment in a farm couple's life. But Wood carefully set the scene himself - the woman is his sister and the man is his dentist. Everything, man, woman and house, were sketched separately and combined into his composition.

There is some ambiguity in their countenances - the woman is staring off with an expression that could be worried, dreamy or distracted, but the man confronts the viewer's gaze directly. His grip on the pitchfork communicates his ownership of all you see in the picture - he is protective and proud. The seriousness of the painting tips just slightly into satire. Is he honoring this couple or mocking them? Even when the painting was first exhibited, no one was quite sure what his intentions were. He never tipped his hand; he just explained it as part of the Regionalism movement. Smart guy. Artists do not always have to tell everyone what their work is about - it can be up to the viewer to make their own meaning. Is this one of the reasons this painting has been parodied so much, because it already has this edgy quality to it? What do you think?

Grant Wood Self Portrait, 1932

My Art I students' thoughts about making art

2010-12-19T09:21:00.004-06:00

Click here to see a higher resolution of the word cloud on wordle.net's site

OK - so I did the same thing with my Art I students and was curious to see how different their thinking might be. Their ideas weren't radically different, but there were some responses that were different. Check out their word cloud by clicking up above and visiting it on the wordle site.

My sculpture students' thoughts about making art

2010-12-18T17:37:00.014-06:00

Click here to see the word cloud on Wordle's site in better resolution.

I gave my sculpture students a fall semester survey to get their feedback on the class so far. One of my questions was for them to make a list of words and phrases that communicate their feelings about their art making. I used wordle.net to make a word cloud of my student's word lists. After typing in all of their words, Presto! A word cloud was formed! BUT, I found out you can't search for your word cloud on their site, but could paste the html into your blog, which I have done. The resolution isn't great for this post, but I've created a link above to the original word cloud. Much nicer. The biggest words were the ones that were the most frequently listed, with the smallest words being the least frequently used. Fun stuff.

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #13 - Winona

2010-12-06T21:06:00.003-06:00

The Winona, 1935 Sears Honor-Bilt Homes

This Honor-Bilt model home was the top of the line (and the most expensive) for Sears' home kits. They had lesser grade structures - the Standard Built and the Simplex Sectional. In the 1930s, this house would have cost between $721 and $1998, which would be from $10,000-25,000 in today's dolllars. The style is a bungalow-style house from the Craftsman movement. The Craftsman movement was one that wanted to go back to a handmade look. After the advent of the Industrial Revolution, there was a return to things that looked handmade and not machine made. A bungalow is a small, intimate dwelling and has been a popular house throughout the 20th century. You will hear of bungalows in California, where they were widely built, but they are super expensive in that real estate market now!

They typically have covered porches and low-pitched roofs. There are deep overhangs and exposed beams. The look is simple, square and there is limited space. In order to make the small space seem bigger, the main spaces (kitchen, living room and dining room) are open to each other with built-in furnishings. You can see the floor plan in the image post. The main living areas are on the left and have arched openings to the center of the structure. The right side of the building has the bedrooms, bathrooms and closets. There was some customization available - the customer could choose between two and three-bedroom designs. Or, they could flip the design so the bedrooms were on the left. The house came with a basement and an attic and the owner could add a garage or a carport.

These kits made owning a home very affordable. Because Sears could mass produce these, and the houses were limited to the customization, they could keep the price down, more people could afford to build them and it really upgraded their life in spite of their limited incomes. Compare these prices to the $155,000 it took to build Fallingwater (the next post down), and you can see why they were popular! In the 1930s, the average salary was $1,600, so even though these houses were inexpensive, they were still a commitment to the buyer. In order to make it more attractive for potential home owners, Sears, Roebuck and Company set up financing so people could purchase their homes with a loan that had 6-7% interest. Coupled with the steady growth of the automobile industry, the middle class was beginning to boom in the early part of the 20th century, and the average consumer was in debt for a house and a car. Debt spending had begun on a larger scale in the U.S.! But, in the end, the Great Depression hit even this industry and during the 1930s Sears stopped offering the financing because people could not keep up their payments. Sales fell and in the 1940s Sears stopped offering mail-order homes all together. During the 24 years they sold the house kits, between 70,000 and 75,000 people bought them and there are still many Sears houses standing today.

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #12 - Fallingwater

2010-11-30T20:45:00.006-06:00

Fallingwater, Bear Run, Pennsylvania, Frank Lloyd Wright, Designed 1935, Built 1936-39

Good grief! Where do you start? Entire books have been published about this magnificent work of architectural genius. Wright was a born architect and never strayed from his course, even when he had hard times (which he did - boy, oh boy, did he ever). He was a singleminded man, designing, building, and teaching. Any city around the country that has a building of his design touts it. But Fallingwater is one of his iconic works (alongside the Guggenheim in New York City in this blogger's humble opinion).

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867 - 1959 - he lived to the ripe old age of 91!) was born and raised in Wisconsin. From an early age, he had an interest in architecture. His architectural apprenticeship was in the firm of the famous Chicago architect, Louis Sullivan, who is considered to be one of the fathers of modern architecture. Their working relationship came to an end when Sullivan found out Wright was working on commissions outside the contractual agreement they had for his employment. Wright went out on his own and designed houses in the Chicago area. He developed a new style of architecture known as the Prairie Style. Prairie Style homes have these features: low-pitched roof, overhanging eaves, horizontal lines, central chimney, open floor plan and clerestory windows.

He might have been a great architect, but he would have been on the front cover of the gossip magazines because he created a scandal when he left his wife for the wife of one of his clients and then proceeded to travel around Europe with her. This kind of behavior almost destroyed his career, but his talent compensated for his lack of a moral compass, and he kept getting work. He built a home and studio for himself and his lover Mamah Cheney, Taliesin, but karma caught up with him. In 1914 an unhappy butler set fire to the house when Wright was working in Chicago and seven people were killed, including Mamah and two of her children.

Wright married twice more, but by 1928 he was deeply in debt. His last wife, Olgivanna proved to be an important partner in helping him get his life back together. She helped him create a school at Taliesin (which is still in existence today), and for $650 per year, architecture students could come live, study and assist Wright. It was one his student's parents that commissioned Fallingwater. This project restored his architectural reputation and led him back into the fame and fortune arena. It became his most famous residential project and to this day is a marvel in design and beauty. Not only did he establish a unique American school of architecture, he also left more than 400 buildings behind that he designed.

Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., the son of a successful department store owner in Pittsburgh, became a fellow at Taliesin, met Wright, and found they shared an interest in designing model communities. Their relationship led to the commission of this home on a plot of land that had been a summer camp for the employee's of Kaufmann's department store, Bear Run. Vacation time became a big luxury for the employees, and Kaufmann and his wife decided to build their own vacation home on the site. They told Wright they wanted their home to have a view of waterfall, but did not expect him to build the house into the falls! This was an extremely radical idea and the engineers he worked with thought he was nuts. But like many artists tied to their vision, Wright prevailed and the work proceeded. In the end, there were some structural problems with the design, but Fallingwater is a major tourist attraction for Pennsylvania and I for one want to see it!!

Interior of Fallingwater

One of the important factors of Prairie Style, and the reason for the open, horizontal design, is to incorporate the building into the landscape that surrounds it. Fallingwater is the ultimate example of this aesthetic goal. The house is built over a 30 foot waterfall, magically rising above the stone and water and it looks as though it is floating. This floating appearance is a result of the cantilevered blocks of concrete (supported only on one end). These cantilevered blocks also create a strong horizontal line in the design of the house. Vertical elements, chimneys and mullions (window dividers), are also worked into the design, and are built of local stone. The vertical line contrasts with the strong horizontal nature of the cantilevers, but using stone as the material keeps it visually connected to the surrounding stone of the landscape. Open spaces and glass keep it light and integrate the inside and outside spaces in a natural way. It is truly a beautiful and magical place.

Frank Lloyd Wright

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #11 - Hoover Dam

2010-11-30T19:55:00.005-06:00

Hoover Dam, Gordon Kaufmann, Nevada-Arizona Border, Concrete, Commissioned by Bureau of Reclamation, 1931-36

Herbert Hoover commissioned this public work as the Secretary of Commerce under President Harding in 1922 and it was named after him. He had a background in civil engineering and with the help of the committee designed a dam that was unprecedented between Arizona and Nevada. It's job - to harness the power of the Colorado River and manage water resources for Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming! Woah!! This thing is massive!! The concept was massive as well - it is an anti-gravity concrete dam. DemiDec says, "It combines the structure of an arch dam, the open end of which faces downstream, with the massive heft of a gravity dam." When it was completed in 1936, it was for a bit the tallest dam in the world. And, check out the new Hoover Dam Bridge that was just completed - it's a new wonder of the world as well!!

Godon Kauffman (1888-1949) was an English architect who was asked to consult on the aesthetic look of the dam. The engineers had been really focused on the function of the structure, which wasn't looking too great. Kauffman redesigned the dam to incorporate the streamlined aspects of Art Deco design. No small feat because the dam rises 726.4 feet from the base from the highway to its crest. An additional 40 feet rise from the towers and the ornamentation. There were four main areas of the dam: the intake towers, dam crest, power plant and the spillways. The dam has a strong vertical line in the intake towers at the top (which are essential to powering the plant). The entire structure is massive, powerful but elegant and stately. It's purpose was to provide flood control and provide water for seven states as well as generate electricity. President Roosevelt held the dam up as a symbol of progress. It buoyed the public and people thought that if this massive project could be created, there was hope for the country to pull out of the economic crisis.

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #10 - Empire State Building

2010-11-28T17:25:00.008-06:00

The Empire State Building, New York City, NY, 1931

The Empire State Building was created by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. They founded their firm in 1929 in New York. In spite of the Depression, commissions for skyscrapers were still flowing in and they were in demand; they had made a name for themselves developing Manhattan office buildings and designing the 10-story Reynolds Building in North Carolina. The Empire State Building's creation came to symbolize not only the city but the era.

Tallest buildings in the world

1,239 feet from the street (the pinnacle adds 203 feet), the Empire State Building dominates the Manhattan skyline. At one time it was named the Eighth Wonder of the World because it was so tall. It is the tallest building in New York City, and at the time it was built was the tallest building in the world. But man's desire to keep building higher and higher (ever read any history about Gothic Cathedrals?) was stronger and it lost that status. Currently, at 2717 ft tall, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the tallest building in the world.

As other skyscrapers of the time, it is supported by a steel frame with the exterior facade comprised of equal parts of stone and glass. The stone is a light gray Indiana limestone and granite with vertically oriented windows running the length of the building creating a vertical effect. The surface is broken with setbacks , kind of like smaller blocks are stacked one on top of another. This provides a slimming effect of the building as it rises higher and higher and cuts down on the visual weight of the structure. More light can move around it, keeping the building looking lighter as well as more light getting to the other buildings.

Unbelievably, the building was built in one year, forty-five days with the labor of lots and lots of men (up to 3,000 working at a given time, many of whom were immigrants). As was customary during this time, there was a photographer, Lewis Hine, that was present to document the process. He played two roles: document the work in progress and help shape public perception. Though immigrants had a back seat role in society at the time, Hines highlighted their participation in the building of this great structure.

For its inauguration, President Herbert Hoover pressed a button from the White House and hundreds of miles away, and the Empire State Building lit up. It was a strong symbol of the future and despite the financial crisis, proved that great things were still possible. It was a big building to fill, and for some time people called it "The Empty State Building", but by the late 1940s it became profitable. People now, as when it first opened, would ride to the observation deck and look out over New York, the city that never sleeps.

Portrait of Lewis Hine

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #9 - Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico

2010-11-28T09:06:00.010-06:00

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, Ansel Easton Adams, 1941, Gelatin silver print, 36.9 x 48 cm (14 1/2 x 19 in.), The Art Institute of Chicago

Who doesn't love the work of Ansel Adams!?! So vivid, beautiful, even though you know he is shooting a real scene, his work looks hyper-realistic because of the crisp clarity of his picture. It was his destiny - he fell in love with Virginia Best whose family owned a photography studio in Yosemite National Park. He had a unique opportunity to have access to equipment, a darkroom and an incredible area of the country that defined his aesthetic eye. He was a pioneer in the field of photography and preferred working with a camera that had large format film (8" x 10" negatives). One thing that makes his pictures so exceptional is the contrast (or difference between the light and dark areas of the image). He is able to get the whitest whites right alongside the darkest darks, which adds to the drama of his scenes. In order to control the contrast precisely, he developed a technique called the "zone system" which allows the photographer to adjust the level of exposure in different areas of the photograph. His love of precise photography led him to a group of seven California photographers that were dedicated to "straight photography" - they were called Group f/64, named after the smallest possible opening of the aperture of a cameral lens (the part that lets the light in). When the aperture is adjusted to this setting, it produces a picture that has very sharp focus, with the foreground and background equally crisp and sharp. Their mission was to shoot without manipulating the image using cropping or special effects.

This aesthetic had a contemporary ideology behind it. Just like the art and architecture of the time, "straight photography" was interested in simplicity, objectivity and realism. Adams was interested in photographing the glory of nature and hoped that his pictures of the national parks would spur politicians to protect them and keep them pristine. He also became a part of the nature preservationist organization, the Sierra Club, and later became the director. What a great pairing - he could use his pictures to promote the mission of the club. He worked with the Department of Interior in 1941, then was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to continue with his work of photographing the parks. It was through this continued work and exposure that Adams lifted photography from a journalism tool to the status of fine art. He has been one of the most famous photographers of all time.

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico is a serene landscape with a huge sky. In painting, perspective is shown by blurring the background detail in order for it to recede into the back, but the mountains in this photo are crystal clear even though we know them to be far away. Adams perspective is flat and emphasizes the contrast between the light and dark that create abstract shapes in the landscape. In the foreground we see different buildings nestled around the few trees in the landscape. This moment captures the setting sun - you can see the crosses of the churchyard gleaming in a brilliant white as the moon rises over a bank of clouds.

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941 print

Once the negative is developed, additional prints can be made. Because printing a photograph involves chemicals and light, many variations can be made to manipulate the image. Ironically, though Adams didn't want to manipulate the image in the original shooting of it, he was not opposed to manipulating subsequent prints of the negative. Adams developed several prints of Moonrise, and each print has a difference in contrast. Compare the photo at the top of the post with the one just above this text. This is one of the places the artistry of photography comes in. Playing with the contrast, Adams could change not only the appearance of the photo, but could also alter its mood. Color is a big element in visual media - removing the color to black, white and shades of gray allows the viewer to focus more on the composition and the subject of the photograph. It helps distill the image down to its very nature. Black and white photography has been very popular in fine art photography because of its simple and direct nature.

The circumstances surrounding Adams shooting this particular scene are described by the artist:

We were sailing southward along the highway not far from Espanola when I glanced to the left and saw an extraordinary situation - an inevitable photograph! I almost ditched the car and rushed to set up my 8x10 camera. I was yelling to my companions to bring me things from the car as I struggled to change components on my Cooke Triple-Convertible lens. I had a clear visualization of the image I wanted, but when the Wratten No. 15 (G) filter and the film holder were in place, I could not find my Weston exposure meter! The situation was desperate: the low sun was trailing the edge of the clouds in the west, and shadow would soon dim the white crosses. I was at a loss with the subject luminance values, and I confess I was thinking about bracketing several exposures, when I suddenly realized that I knew the luminance of the moon: 250 c/ft2.

The perfect photo required not only the correct equipment, but ultimately the eye of the artist seeing the image in the flash of a second. Nature's cycles do not wait, and photography is ultimately about capturing light on film. Adams, though he had been out working for the government that day, did not bill the government for the photograph. Somewhere in his mind his intuition was acute. This image would become one of his most famous and popular images and he was ultimately able to profit from it. He also had full rights of the image and could control how he developed and used each print.

I lived in New Mexico as a young girl in the early 1960s. This print captures the nostalgia of that special part of the country and supports the slogan still sported on the New Mexico automobile license plate - "Land of Enchantment".

Ansel Adams Self-portrait, 1936

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #8 -Contrasting No. 331 East 39th Street with Chrysler Building and Daily News Building

2010-11-21T17:50:00.011-06:00

Contrasting No. 331 East 39th Street with Chrysler Building and Daily News Building, Manhattan, Berenice Abbott, November 8, 1938 Art Institute of Chicago

New building materials, steel, glass and chrome, in the 20th century led to the rise of many new skyscrapers. Steel was an incredible new material, and allowed for lighter walls which then allowed for glass to be utilized in new ways. Elevators became a more reliable technology and allowed for buildings to be built higher and higher. Architectural styles used in buildings that were built from World War I until the 1930s are known as "traditional", after that time they were considered to be "modern". These new materials created the modern aesthetic - one that was not only new but would also showcase these innovative materials. The Bauhaus was in full swing in Germany and one architect, Le Corbusier, was the champion of the International Style.

The cityscapes were changing rapidly; Bernice Abbott took note and set out to document the changes. She studied in Paris and was a darkroom assistant to Man Ray, a very famous portrait photographer and Dada and Surrealist artist. He trained her in his methods, and soon she was shooting for herself and mounting her own shows. Rather than take pictures of people, she decided to take portraits of the buildings that were appearing in the city. New York was one of the most dynamic places for new skyscrapers at the time, so that's where she settled down. She realized that her goals were in tandem with the WPA/FAP, and submitted a proposal to document the historical changes being made to the New York City skyline. He proposal was accepted.

Look at the building that is named only by its address - its windows are boarded up, posters cover the doors and windows on the street level. It appears to have been a residential building. It was unremarkable, except to Abbott it spoke of the problems during the Depression - evictions, people fleeing in search of a lucrative opportunity, an example of urban decay. The new buildings, the Chrysler Building at the far left and the Daily News Building to the very left of No. 331 East 39th, are beautiful, new, named and renowned within the city. This contrast between the old and new is not necessarily a political statement. Much like Walker Evans, she is merely capturing the image of the change and bringing it to the viewer's attention.
Bernice Abbott

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #7 - Migrant Mother

2010-11-20T10:25:00.005-06:00

Migrant Mother, Nipoma, California, 1936, Dorothea Lange, printed later, Photogravure, 30.4 x 23 cm, The Art Institute of Chicago

OK - a little more background detail. FDR's New Deal programs are in place and at work. Among the tasks of the Resettlement Administration's mission was to provide loans to farmers, set up camps for migrant workers, work on soil conservation and reforestation programs, and document all of this work under the RA's Historical Section. Photography was a fairly new technology and was really efficient at documenting the problems of the Great Depression. Roy Stryker was appointed the head of the Historical Section of the FSA and was in charge of directing the imagery that would capture the story. His photographers, such as Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans, travelled around the country capturing the details of people as they moved through this extraordinary life situation. He was the consummate promoter in that he knew how to use the images in magazines and newspapers to show people what was going on across the country. This work of his produced an enormous body of documentary photographs of the Great Depression.

Dorothea Lange suffered polio at the age of seven, but survived the disease and went on to study photography in New York City. When she moved to San Francisco, she set up a successful portrait studio but eventually began to document life on the streets of San Francisco. It wasn't too much of a leap then to begin taking pictures for Roy Stryker who recruited her to the Historical Section in 1935. This began her work documenting migrant workers in California. Her work is some of the most compelling photography of the Great Depression, and this photograph, Migrant Mother, is iconic of the time.

Like Shahn's Riveter, Lange crops into the image tightly. The mother and her three children fill the frame. The composition is powerful - the mother's face is full of anxiety; she is deep in thought, her brow furrowed. She clings to her children as the cling to her. Their faces are turned away or only partially revealed. The are worn and dirty, gaunt and miserable. This image of a mother caring for her children in a world of misery is a universal one and produces a visceral response in the viewer. Here is her quote about taking this photograph:

"I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was 32. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to bury food. There she sat in that lean-to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it."

That migrant mother was Florence Owens Thompson. Listen to an audio file of her talk about that time.

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #6 - Negro Barber Shop Interior, Atlanta

2010-11-20T08:54:00.007-06:00

Negro Barber Shop Interior, Atlanta, Walker Evans, 1936, Gelatin silver print, 22.1 x 18.3 cm, The Art Institute of Chicago

Walker Evans worked through the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and toured the Southern United States for a year with Roy Stryker. We've seen artists so far that used their art to illustrate social injustice (Rivera, Shahn, Biddle), but Evans wanted his work to be "pure record, not propaganda...no POLITICS whatsoever." Stryker had an agenda for Walker to follow, but Evans was deliberate and careful about his shots. He was looking for images that would engage the viewer and make them think, without giving them a political agenda or viewpoint.

Evans broke from the FSA in 1936 to work with James Agee on a commissioned article about white sharecropper families in Alabama. They were on location for several weeks compiling the story and the images that were to accompany it. It was published as the book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Walker's imagery was contemplative and objective and his style established a new way of supporting Agee's passionate text through illumination, not illustration. He was fired from the FSA in 1937 but "Evans had already established his fame as a documentary photographer. He had the honor of being the first solo photographer to have an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1940 that funded his projects." (Thanks DemiDec for your great art resource!!) He eventually became a staff photographer at Fortune magazine and worked there until 1965. He went on to become a professor of photography at Yale University until his death in 1975. He was one of the most important photographers of this time because he had a keen, unimpassioned eye and inspired other photojournalists to shoot without opinion or emotion.

This black and white photograph is full and empty at the same time. The scene is carefully constructed - chairs wait for customers, linen ready to be used, hairdressing tools at the ready. And yet, there are no people in the shot. People are not even reflected in the mirrors. One mirror reflects black emptiness, the other filled with an image of a full shop. The shop is in an old space - chipped paint on the back wall, worn leather chairs - there's a sense that it's been patched together to fit the space. The documentary style of Evans captures all of these details in a high degree because he used a large-format camera.

The barbershop is a communal and intimate space. Men are groomed here on a regular basis. Relationships are formed. Social discourse takes place - the are free to talk about life, work, sports, politics. During the 1930s segregation was in place and black men were required to frequent their own barbershop, not one that white men went to. Evans shows us that environment, without people and without judgment. He presents richly detailed images that are direct and interesting inviting the viewer to interpret what is happening. Check out more of his work from this major retrospective exhibit of his work that was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #5 - Muse of Music, Dance, Drama

2010-11-19T16:42:00.014-06:00

Muse of Music, Dance, DramaGeorge Stanley, 1940, granite, 22'H x 220'W, Hollywood Bowl Association

George Stanley was a sculpture and sculpture teacher at the Otis Arts Institute in Los Angeles. His public sculptures are local landmarks of the city. With all that public exposure, he is known for his role as co-designer of the gold statuette known as the Oscar. Stanley's fountain and sculpture Muse of Music, Dance, Drama is a fitting monument in the city that has become an icon in the culture of entertainment.

Muse of Music

It achieves its height by following the curve of a hill which acts as a retaining wall outside the amphitheater. The overall design is very geometric. Flat panes contrast with a curved central pier and water cascades down concentric tiers. It is against this structure that the three muses stand - clean, elegant and solemn, they embody not only the history of Music, Dance and Drama, but also the Art Deco style. The figure at the top of the fountain is the Muse of Music, playing a harp that echoes the shape of the central pillar. As in early Greek sculpture, her figure has little detail and her face little individuality.

Greek Kore

Muse of Dance

The muses of Dance and Drama are in niches on either side of this main sculpture. Dance has a bent knee referencing the important contribution the Greeks made to sculpture, the contrapposto pose.

Kritios Boy

And Drama holds a tragedy mask in front of her face and a comedy mask across her chest alluding to the unpredictability of theater (and life!) - one minute you're down, the next minute you're up, especially in Hollywood! The style of Art Deco is known as an anonymous aesthetic because you do not see the individual style of the artist. The Hollywood Bowl is still a major venue for music, dance and drama performances. The city of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Bowl Association commissioned the work and collaborated with the WPA to fund it. The city is caring for this treasure and in 2006 made a restoration of the monument by repairing the fountain, the lighting system and replacing tiles. With such a location and tradition, the muses must look fabulous, dahling!

Muse of Drama

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #4 - The Riveter

2010-11-09T20:57:00.010-06:00

The Riveter (mural study, Bronx, New York central postal station), 1938, Ben Shahn, tempera on paperboard, image: 33 x 14 3/4 in. (83.8 x 37.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum

Here's another connection with Diego Rivera! It was a small art world during the Great Depression! Ben Shahn (1898-1969) was a can do kind of artist - he cleaned paint brushes for Rivera when he painted the Rockefeller Center mural, took pictures for the FSA in California and painted his own murals in a government-sponsored model community in New Jersey. He came from a Jewish Eastern European immigrant family and through perseverance made his way to Brooklyn. His main style of art is social realism, a style that featured the hard life of the working poor and criticized the social structure that causes such problems. His first major work, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti was spawned by Shan's sympathetic leanings for the defendants as a liberal immigrant himself.

His career included not only working with Rivera, but also with Walker Evans, a well known photographer that taught Shahn about working with cameras. When he was not awarded some mural proposals, Evans recommended Shahn to another government agency, the Resettlement Administration. Traveling through the South and Midwest with his love and companion, Bernarda Bryson, he documented the life he saw, but photography was not to be the medium of choice for Shahn. Photography was a study for his paintings. He continued getting commissions, including a mural at the Bronx Central Postal Station.

The Riveter was a study using tempera on paperboard for the "Resources for America" mural cycle at the Bronx Central Postal Station. The compelling composition uses the vertical space to box the workman into a compressed space. You can think of it as though you had put a photo into Photoshop and cropped tightly down on the subject. This compressed scene focuses on one worker. The environment he is in, which you see little of because of this close up study, seems to be a factory. There is a lot of ambiguity to the painting - what city is he in, what kind of factory is this, what is he working on? By keeping the details vague, this one workman symbolizes factories and workers all across America doing the same type of work. The face of the worker is not complete enough for clear identification. Even the color palette of coveralls and skin color blend together so you're not sure what ethnicity he is from. The white gloves provide a focal point with a red power cord leading from the machine. It looks like an artery not only in color but in the placement of the composition and serves as a symbol for industry being the heart of the American economy.

Shahn won this commission out of 189 submissions. Perhaps because his composition combines the universal with the realistic and his ability to represent such an important aspect of American life - industry. It represented every man and was easy for any viewer to understand. During this time of the Great Depression, his painting did not focus on the unemploymed, but the employed by putting the worker on a pedestal and making him the heart of American industry.

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #3 - Tenement, Mural Study

2010-11-09T18:47:00.009-06:00

Tenement (mural study, Depart of Justice Building, Washington, D. C.), 1935, George Biddle, tempera on fiberboard, 40 1/2 x 31 1/2 in. (102.9 x 80.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum

George Biddle (1885-1973) was born into a wealthy family who expected him to become highly educated and establish a law career. He got a law degree, but traveled to Paris (the art capital of the world at that time) and enrolled in a famous art school, the Academie Julian. After serving in WWI, Biddle began his art career. On a trip to Mexico in 1928, he met Diego Rivera. They proved to be valuable networking friends, each recommending the other for work in each other's countries. Franklind D. Roosevelt was a former classmate of Biddle. George wrote him a letter, and was able to get his ear about painting murals in the Department of Justice. He got the commission and dedicated the rest of his life to public art. In the first mural of a five-panel series Biddle did for the federal government, he contrasted just and unjust societies. The final panel, Tenement, depicted the private lives of poor Americans. This art thrust the struggles of America's poor right in the face of the government.

Tenement is a single wall that's divided into three areas. His cut-away view of the inside of the apartment building shows immigrants and poor families going about their daily lives. The left section is a vertical section showing the outside of the building with bars on the windows and laundry hanging to dry. Utility poles lean left and right suggesting disorder in this urban environment. An old woman is in the foreground of this section and holds an axe and some firewood. This figure and it's placement tie into the figures on the right side of the composition that are inside the building. He compositionally connects both inside and outside with these figures. The people inside are working, playing or taking care of their family, but all have dull, unemotional expressions. It's as though they are just going through the motions of daily life.

The crowding, barred windows, and forlorn expressions suggest their homes are just lonely prisons for them. They are tired but enslaved to the poverty they endure day to day. By placing this mural in the Department of Justice, Biddle hopes to show the people that are making decisions some of the people they affect. "He underscores this point by including two quotes in the mural. At the bottom of the right-hand field, Biddle paints a plaque reading: “brandeis: if we would guide by the light of reason we must let our minds be bold”. The quote is from Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis (1856–1941). It joins another quote that appears at the beginning of the five-panel series, “The life of the law has not been logic; it has been experience,” attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes (1841–1935), who had just retired from the Supreme Court in 1932." (Quote from the DemiDec Art Resource Guide - thanks DemiDec for what you do for Academic Decathlon!!)

The first quote is imploring the viewer not to turn away from the hard images of poverty. And the second quote grounds in the subject matter that Biddle has chosen. He is challenging the notion of just law and visually states that it is not enough to have the law of Justice. Justice must also mean helping all by improving the lives of people in their society. Pretty in your face, huh? And all under the wing of a public art vehicle. He radically changed the course of Depression-era art.

George Biddle at work on his mural Society Freed through Justice in the U.S. Department of Justice Building., Washington, D.C., 1936

Artist of the Week - Ray Villafane

2010-10-28T21:08:00.008-05:00

My art teacher friend forwarded images of Ray Villafane's carved pumpkins and I was hooked on several levels. Definitely blog worthy, but also art class lesson worthy!

1. I gave 6 weeks exams to all of my 170 students yesterday and it was grueling work! You think test day would be an easy, quiet day, but au contraire! We needed some fun today. I'll just leave it at that.
2. Halloween is Sunday, so there is a definite timely, holiday theme to the art.
3. We had a pep rally at school this morning which meant the kids were all hyped up and we would have shortened classes from 50 minutes - what to do to engage the kids?
4. It falls into my blog category of "food art" which I love, think is fun and is a popular category on my blog (especially with my students).
5. We are getting ready to do a clay relief sculpture in my sculpture classes, so it's an excellent lead in before designing and executing their projects. Lots of juicy ideas.
6. We are also getting ready to start contour drawing in Art I - his work uses lots of line and would be really fun to draw using any number of contour drawing techniques. Another great lead in.
7. It looked like a fun thing to do today for them and for me! We all needed some fun!

So that was the lesson - a review of the body of his work, the television interview (linked in the post title) and the great tutorial on his website about his sculpture process. They enjoyed it. So.......I'm challenging my students and the reader to go carve a pumpkin! You probably won't be able to compete with his 15 or more years of pumpkin carving expertise, but you might get a new idea or two to try. Go for it! Halloween cometh!

The Business of Art: Forgery

2010-10-09T07:14:00.003-05:00

The drawing known as La Bella Principessa - by Leonardo da Vinci?

What's the big deal about forgery? Only tons of money! And think of the reputations great art collectors and museums have at stake when being duped into buying a fake. Check out the link in this post headline to read about 11 of the most controversial art forgery stories.

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #2 - Aspects of Negro Life: Song of the Towers

2010-10-07T18:23:00.009-05:00

Aaron Douglas. Aspects of Negro Life: Song of the Towers. Mural series comprised of four panels: Song of the Towers, From Slavery Through Reconstruction, An Idyll of the Deep South, and The Negro in an African Setting. Oil on canvas, 1934.
The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Art and Artifacts Division.

I have a special connection to this work. When I went back to college (at the age of 47!) to finish my bachelor's and become certified to teach art, I had the privilege of taking some Art History classes (which I went on to teach and love with a passion). The last class I took was an African American Art class, taught by Dr. Jennifer Way at the University of North Texas. The reading list was long. The course had a sizable focus on the Harlem Renaissance which I knew NOTHING about! How was that possible? Such a fantastic flowering of artistic expression born in the United States, and I had never even heard about it. Dr. Way gave us a challenge - go to our comprehensive art history textbooks and search for African American art in them. Nada. Nothing - or next to nothing. The tome of Art History (unnamed but easily guessed at), out of over 1,000 pages of art history, had two paragraphs about the Harlem Renaissance and a pitiful representation of modern and contemporary African American artists. I was appalled and it left a lasting impression for me. This period of artistic expression should be taught and celebrated! Aaron Douglas' work excites me so because of not only the formal qualities of his paintings, but the modern expression, the passion and the soul of the African American that he depicts. I just love his work.

The Harlem Renaissance was an incredible explosion of intellectual and artistic talent between 1910-1940 in Harlem, New York. The neighborhood was largely black, impacted by the Great Migration in which over one million and a half African Americans left rural areas across the U.S. to find work and new opportunity in urban centers like New York City. The new demographics spawned a search for new expressions of black cultural identity from their African heritage and ancestry. The artists of this time were looking for ways to come to terms with the duality of their African roots and their American birth rite. Sadly, the Depression hit the movement hard in the 1930s and it withered, but it spawned incredible talent: writers W.E.B. DuBois and Alan Locke, poets Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen, visual artists Aaron Douglas and Jacob Lawrence, and jazz musicians Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Charlie Parker.

Douglas was born in Topeka, Kansas, studied art at the University of Nebraska and taught art in Kansas City. He went to Harlem in 1925 and started working as an illustrator for books for Cullen and Hughes as well as African American magazines Crisis and Opportunity. His work was critically acclaimed and eventually he was commissioned to paint a four-panel series for a branch of the New York Public Library - Aspects of Negro Life.

Song of the Towers is the last panel and the only one that has an urban context. The central figure is playing a saxophone (symbolic of the jazz movement) in the midst of the New York City skyline. The emotion displayed is not clear, is could be celebratory or defiant. Far in the distance is the Statue of Liberty, an icon of freedom, in the center of concentric circles that radiate out in the composition. The figures are in silhouette against the jutting, rectilinear buildings thrusting skyward. This style of portraying the men in this abstracted way became known as "Egyptian form" style because they are shown in profile. The lower part of the painting show men with industrial imagery - cogs and smokestacks. The figures are tense and struggling juxtaposed with the central figure which speaks of equality for African Americans in this new time and place. The colors are warm and throbbing. This is not a calm image. There is visual tension with the use of the complimentary colors of red and green. The green is not the color associated with growth, but has an ominous feel.

Aspects of Negro Life depicts the development of African American culture from the village in Africa, through the crisis of slavery and racial oppression, ending in the glimpse of the Harlem Renaissance in the Song of the Towers. The series has visual unity compositionally, repeating the elements of the silhouette, concentric circles and bold color. The power of the silhouette is its ability to represent a group without individuality, making it more powerful visually. This celebration of the African culture was an important step to illuminate the accomplishments of African Americans, though it would be decades before they would begin to gain rights and freedoms and not be treated as second-class citizens. This modern imagery was important as a sign of progress for men and women who had much to give to America.

Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting

Aspects of Negro Life: Idyll of the Deep South

Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction

10/11 Academic Decathlon The Great Depression Art Selection #1 - Detroit Industry, South Wall

2010-10-02T20:31:00.012-05:00

Detroit Industry, South Wall, Fresco, Diego Rivera, 1932-1933, Detroit Institute of Art (Thanks to Daniel at DemiDec for providing me with their Art Resource for my blog work - DemiDec rocks!!)

The link in the post headline takes you to the Detroit Institute of Art's website. The image has a rolling magnification feature to it which gives you a more close up view of the work. I highly recommend it!

Diego Rivera is on of the most important artists from Mexico. Diego Rivera's training as an artist was grounded in the traditions of European art traditions - he received a scholarship to study in Europe at 21. This training heavily influenced his own aesthetics. He lived during a politically tumultuous time - the rise of both the Communist Party (of which he was a member) and the continued rise of capitalism in the United States (important patrons for him in his career). He struggled to walk a line between them both, but was not entirely successful in negotiating between these two disparate ideologies Some of the commissioned works by US capitalists such as JP Morgan, angered the Communist Party members and Rivera was expelled from the Party. The communists believed in the abolition of private property and social hierarchy in favor of a classless society with government ownership and regulation of resources. Accepting art commissions (and the money paid!) from US capitalists angered the Communist Party. But that wasn't his only problem! His artwork and the imagery in some of his frescoes was grounded in not only portraying the political ideals of Communism, but also included their political leaders. This did not make his US capitalist patrons happy either. He spent a good part of his illustrious career caught between a rock and a hard place!

The Detroit Industry frescoes were true, or buon frescoes. Rivera was known as the leader of the Mexican Renaissance because fresco painting was very popular during the European High Renaissance (remember Michelangelo & the Sistine Chapel?) and because by 1930 Rivera had painted over 17,000 square feet of buon fresco -he became a master. Just like Michelangelo, Rivera had to paint his mural around the architecture of the building, the Garden Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The work we are looking at was on the South wall and is integrated around the doors and colonnades.

The fresco illustrates the process of assembling a Ford car in the assembly plant. You see pipes, pumps, wheels, and an assembly line of workers showing the process of building a car from beginning to end. The wall is divided in sections - notice the bottom panels that are painted in shades of grey paint - this technique also comes from a Northern Renaissance tradition and is called "grisaille". You see Henry Ford teaching a class in these grisaille panels. Just like in Northern Renaissance altarpieces that represent the patrons of the work; this work shows Edsel Ford (the president of Ford) and William Valentine (the head of the Art Institute) in these grisaille panels. The allegorical top panel represent the universal concept of man in people of different races. The entire wall is symmetrical in balance and changes scale, from the large panels on top to the smaller, more intimate imagery in the panels on the bottom.

Rivera's preparation for this project was intense - he photographed and studied the Ford Motor Plant for months in order to capture the true spirit of the manufacturing process. He made sure to include the people and businesses of Detroit into his imagery, but it included a stylized imagery that would appeal and relate to anyone who viewed it. This allowed the artist to portray an Ideal vision of Detroit which produced abundance and harmony. Because the Great Depression had crippled the city and slowed it's production, this public work of art was meant to help heal the spirit of the people and the city. His work was intended to satisfy the patron who commissioned it, but it was also meant to touch the spirit and souls of the people of Detroit.

Red Bull Art of the Can

2010-08-22T21:57:00.009-05:00

Liberty Rising, Irene Juliet Deely, Boise, Idaho, Metal

OMG! I realized that today was the last day for the Red Bull Art of the Can exhibition at the Galleria in Dallas! It's the night before the first day of school, and I'm in a panic that I HAVE to go to the mall (which I hate to do) and go see the exhibit and take some pictures. Mr. Miller graciously accompanied me and we zoomed to the middle of the mall to see the exhibit.

I'm teaching sculpture this year, and I thought I have to show my students this work. I have this great book that shows you how to work with tin cans to make art (I even have my own tiny rocking chair made from a tin can) - this might be a great project for my students to do. There could even be one of them who might come up with a fantastic sculpture utilizing this technique!

We zoomed and I frantically documented the exhibit. I loved seeing the work - so imaginative, so well crafted, so artistic! From the huge plane that hung overhead, to the fashion items, paintings, and sculpture, this competition draws from all ages and art backgrounds. In 2010 there were only two venues: July 31 - Aug 22, 2010, the Galleria, Dallas, TX and the spring show in Miami, Fl, South Beach, March 4 - 14, 2010. I don't know when the deadline is for a 2011 show, but keep your eyes peeled. I'm really glad we made it to the last day of the exhibit.

Here's what the website says for Liberty Rising: 'For full-time studio artist and gallery owner Irene Juliet Deely, inspiration didn’t come from a statement but from a question: “When pursuing big dreams one often comes face to face with obstacles that demand extraordinary effort to overcome. What might help to fuel such achievements?” she asks. The model for her sculpture is an eight-foot cast bronze that is currently on exhibit in San Antonio. “Liberty Rising” displays the indomitable spirit of Liberty cloaked in voluminous folds of Red Bull’s red, silver and blue.

“Liberty Rising” incorporates 42 Red Bull cans into an intricate welded-metal form of a familiar American icon. The judo-kick stance makes one think of Lady Liberty as an action figure with a sense of humor to boot. The sculpture is indicative of the title of Irene’s own gallery, “Woman of Steel.”'

I've included this exhibit with an Environmental Art tag because at the exhibit, there was a sign that said "Recycle". Simple sign - simple action. Do it.

Artist of the Week - Chris Jordan

2010-06-28T08:37:00.004-05:00

Light Bulbs, Chris Jordan, 2008, 72x96"
Depicts 320,000 light bulbs, equal to the number of kilowatt hours of electricity wasted in the United States every minute from inefficient residential electricity usage (inefficient wiring, computers in sleep mode, etc.).

Educating ourselves in regard to our consumption and waste is a step toward modifying behavior. Starting to make changes on a personal level will begin the shift into societal change. Chris Jordan's work represents visually the staggering statistics of how we use resources and dispose of our waste without thinking about the ramifications.

The post headline leads you to a TED talk in which he explains his work and his hope that we can each raise our consciousness to the various issues his manipulated photography highlight: how much electricity we use, how many trees we cut down, how many plastic cups are used on air flights every day, etc. Once we are informed about the issue, we can begin to make changes in our every day life.

I particularly love this piece which is evidence of part of the collective moving in the direction his work wants to take us. Our collective web is strengthening.

E. Pluribus Unum, 2010, 21x21 feet, laser etched onto aluminum panels
Depicts the names of one million organizations around the world that are devoted to peace, environmental stewardship, social justice, and the preservation of diverse and indigenous culture. The actual number of such organizations is unknown, but estimates range between one and two million, and growing.

Concept and design: chris jordan
Computing and design: Craig S. Kaplan, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Organizations database research: Paul Hawken

Art Competition to Rebrand BP Logo

2010-06-27T07:56:00.005-05:00

I'm upset. I've watched this oil volcano catastrophe unfold and felt helpless and frustrated. Really, even those words can't express the sorrow and horror I have felt. What to do? I made a decision that this summer my blog will focus on art that responds to social and political issues. There is nothing new in this form of artistic expression but it has a power that can help turn thinking into action. I don't think we can call it post-postmodern anymore - where are we in the art timeline now? I'll be researching this over the summer to see what I can find out. For those of you checking my blog, I welcome your input.

To start, I ran across this competition of Greenpeace UK to rebrand BP's logo. Check out the responses. As I post this there is still a day left in the competition if you want to enter your design. Entry info here.

Artist of the Week - Jud Turner

2010-04-17T08:27:00.009-05:00

"GreedEater", April 2010, 48" x 18" x 7" (wall hanging), found object assemblage

Thanks, Dan, for bringing my attention to the work of Jud Turner! Definitely blog worthy!! His artist statement really resonated with me - I love reading about quantum physics (books for the layperson) and ponder about the dichotomies of life. Turner's work brings contemporary issues into the artwork and the viewer must grapple with them. Just last night, I was listening to a discussion on public radio's "Marketplace", about the ongoing saga of our nation's big bank greed and possible illegal machinations. How cosmic that I see "GreedEater" this morning made out of machine parts! Ha! It made me laugh!! Artists often reflect society in their artwork - it's powerful stuff. Check out Turner's website in the Post title to see more of his work - love it!

"Paradise Lost", December 2008, 12" x 10" x 8", found object assembley

Art Club - DMA Art Installation

2010-04-14T22:10:00.006-05:00

"Below the Surface - Above the Surface", Art Club Installation

OK - I know! If you check out my blog, you are probably wondering - wow!!! Why all the pictures? Simple - I am really proud of the thirty 9th & 10th grade students who are in our school's art classes and art club and worked their hearts out - mostly after school and on a couple of Saturdays, to complete this wonderful art installation that is currently on display at the Dallas Museum of Art. The exhibit is part of the Young Artists Exhibition in conjunction with the museum's annual Ball, and we were lucky enough to be asked to participate in the project.

The theme this year is "Coastlines: Images of Land and Sea" which inspired a full fledge exhibit by the museum as well as the student artwork. Our students installation is entitled "Below the Surface - Above the Surface" and shows the dark and light sides of the sea. Davy Jones is rising out of his watery grave and is reaching to the light side where the mermaid rests on a floating chunk of a sunken vessel. An ominous sea monster is surfacing around the figures and the ship. The sky is transitioning from a storm to a breaking sunrise with the choppy waters becoming calm and serene. The sand castle features a lovely poem that tells the tale, nestled in the sand and shells of the beach.

The students really outdid themselves! From concept to completion, they used brains and brawn to create their art. They cast their own bodies in plaster strips (for the life sized versions of Davy Jones and the Mermaid) - I know because I had to cut them out of most of their casts! The canvas backdrops (each side 10' X 10') were stitched, primed and painted spinning off Thomas Cole's painting of the Ox Bow, but other storm and sea visual references were utilized for them to create this beautiful sea and sky (which is painted out of house paint).

The Connecticut River Near Northampton, Thomas Cole, 1846 Oil on canvas Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, New York, USA

They used paper mache to create the VERY realistic looking sea monster tentacles (complete with suckers!) and created a sand castle that never gets washed away by the ocean. The ship and raft were built out of cardboard. It was installed yesterday afternoon, and we take a DART train field trip to the reception tomorrow afternoon. 13 other schools have student artwork in the exhibition and I encourage the reader to visit the museum during the dates of the exhibition 4/15 - 4/25/2010. This Friday, 4/16, is the DMA Late Night - if you are attending the festivities, be sure to check out this fantastic display of student artwork from around the metroplex!

Davy Jones, Wrecked Ship, Sea Monster and the Mermaid

Davy Jones

Sea Monster Tentacles

The Sand Castle and it's Poetic Tale

Artist of the Week - Clark Little

2010-04-05T21:56:00.005-05:00

Red Dirt

There are times when I love the way stuff becomes viral on the Internet. My sister forwarded me an email with images of Clark Little's amazing ocean photography. Thank you! This California native not only loves the ocean, but has an incredible sense of timing and a true artist's eye to see the beauty and drama of the ocean. My husband loves the ocean, but I have had little time at the beach since my family bonded with the Colorado Rockies and that is where I feel at home. Mr. Little's photography is beautiful, dramatic and compelling - though I think I could spend a lot of time on the beach and never "see" what he is able to capture with his camera. Check out his website which is linked to the post title.

Sun Curl

Food Art: Peepshi

2010-04-04T16:42:00.006-05:00

Easter Sunday and there has not been as much sun in Dallas as I had hoped. Had the croquet set up, the hammock swinging invitingly in the breeze, but the darn misty rain has made the out of doors not so desirable.

So! What to do!? How about posting to my blog (which I have not done in a looonnnnggg time)? What to think about? FOOD! We did have a large, yummy Easter feast at our house with all the usual suspects: deviled eggs, ham, coconut macaroons, fruit salad and candy. Candy and Easter just go hand in hand. But what to do with all that leftover candy? Peepshi! Just found it today, but it falls right into a category that is near and dear to my heart (and to many reader's hearts as well) - Food Art.

I just love the creativity people have and the fun, humorous way they find art materials everywhere - especially with foodstuffs. Check out the slide show from the Washington Post's Peeps Diorama Contest for some incredible art made with Peeps.

At any rate, Peeps and sushi have gone bump in the night to create sushi. Click on the post headline to learn how to make your own. Enjoy!

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #18 - Princesse de Broglie

2010-01-16T17:07:00.005-06:00

Princesse de Broglie, 1851–1853, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Oil on canvas; 47 3/4 x 35 3/4 in. (121.3 x 90.8 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jean-August-Dominque Ingres is one of my favorite artists! In one of my early drawing classes in college, my professor had us select a work of Ingres' to copy. For some reason I chose one with LOTS of draped fabric, and so I began to imitate his mastery. I was humbled from this exercise but bonded with him in a big way. His approach is so beautiful, flawless and radiant it almost leaves me speechless.

His Neoclassical style comes naturally as he studied under the great Jacques-Louis David, France's premier painter during the Revolutionary period. Raphael became another great influence in his art - Ingres blended the idealism and naturalism of this great Renaissance artist. He explored many themes of history and mythology, but he thought of himself as a history painter. He also painted some of the most important female nudes, some of which are influenced by the exoticism of the Orient that the Romantic artists loved.

Ingres was also an important portrait artist. These are the works that he is most famous for. He was unbelievably prolific! His portraits have dates ranging form 1800 - 1867, the year he died. And though he thought of himself as a history painter, he displayed his portraits alongside his other paintings throughout his career. Remember, the Academy held history painting as the most important subject matter, so it's no wonder he wanted to be known for that genre. He painted many wealthy patrons throughout Europe as well as Napoleon Bonaparte. Before each portrait, he created detailed drawings that included tiny details, though some of his drawings were finished artworks.

This beautiful painting of Princesse de Broglie is stunning. His approach is so detailed and perfect, it is photo-realistic. The Princess was a reserved woman who came from a wealthy Catholic family. She was well educated and wrote a book about Christian virtues that her husband published after her early death at 35. She is shown in this painting in three-quarter length pose. Her gown is made of blue satin with lace trim at the sleeves and neckline. The gold pendant she wears was chosen carefully to communicate her wealth and refinement, but she also wears pearl earrings, a ruby and diamond bracelet and an additional pearl cuff necklace as a bracelet.

She is calm and serene and leans casually against a gold damask armchair in the family's sitting room. The room is kept deliberately simple to allow the focus to be on the Princess. A fan, gloves and shawl are draped across the back of the chair as if she is about to leave for the evening. This portrait was highly lauded and the family quite pleased with the end result. Five years after it was completed, her husband put it behind curtains after her death from tuberculosis. It must have been very sad to curtain this beautiful image, she is so much alive in her portrait.

Self-portrait of Jean-August-Dominique Ingres.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #17 - Bust of Voltaire

2010-01-12T20:05:00.006-06:00

Bust of Voltaire, (1778), Jean-Antoine Houdon, Marble, H. 18 7/8 in. (47.9 cm)

Jean-Antoine Houdon's most famous works are busts of the men and women of the Enlightenment, both in the United States and France. He was highly sought out for commissions of famous men and women. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson helped him receive a commission for a sculpture of George Washington. He was especially skilled in creating beautiful, realistic sculptures of people because of his high skill in representing the human form. He studied under a surgeon who trained his students by having them study from cadavers - a huge benefit for understanding the human body.

This piece, Bust of Voltaire, was made just before his death in 1778. Voltaire was an important figure during the Enlightenment. Both a philosopher and writer, he produced poetry, plays, novels, essays, books, and pamphlets on a wide variety of topics. He was one of the leading figures in intellectual thought and had a large influence on the American independence movement as well as the French Revolution. Because of his criticism of the French government and of organized religion, he was exiled from Paris and lived abroad for many years. He returned to France about 20 years before his death, and returned to Paris in 1778 to sit for this portrait.

This sculpture is referred to as "tête nue," or bare headed (without wearing a customary wig). His torso is nude, and is lacking the clothing and hairpiece of a contemporary man. Houdon uses great verism (realism) in portraying this man at 83 - his face is wrinkled, his face drawn, his closed taught smile hints at toothless gums and his eyes have a penetrating gaze. There is certainly a reach back to classicism in this sculpture - look at Greek and Roman busts - and has a balance between naturalism and idealism. But he is careful to record the individual characteristics of the man in a way that would represent his spirit beyond his lifetime, goals in keeping with those of the Enlightenment.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #16 - Self-Portrait with Two Pupils, Mademoiselle Marie Gabrielle Capet (1761–1818)...

2010-01-09T11:13:00.006-06:00

Self-Portrait with Two Pupils, Mademoiselle Marie Gabrielle Capet (1761–1818) and Mademoiselle Carreaux de Rosemond (died 1788), 1785, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Oil on canvas, 83 x 59 1/2 in. (210.8 x 151.1 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the business of art, it is refreshing to find a woman who has made her mark in a male dominated world. Adélaïde Labille-Guiard was able to break into the profession during pre-revolutionary France. Her work focused on portraiture and she was quite successful. Portraiture and still-life painting were deemed appropriate for female artists. Grand history paintings included the male figure and it was culturally unacceptable for women to study the male nude. She married in 1769 but was divorced by 1776 (no doubt also frowned on by society!). Despite these societal obstacles, Labille-Guiard was able to support herself as a teacher and portrait painter.

She set up her studio in the early 1780s and by 1783 had eight female students. She painted members of the aristocracy and the royal court as well as male members of the Royal Academy. She was honored by being admitted to the Royal Academy as a member, but she was not allowed to study or teach at the institution. Just because she was accepted doesn't mean all of the male members were happy about it. She must have had good self-esteem and perseverance, because she was constantly gossiped about and even accused of not painting her work herself!

You can see her self-confidence in this self-portrait; she is in the center of the painting, seated in her studio at work on a large canvas. Her students look on with appreciation and excitement. By dressing in an elaborate and expensive gown, Labille-Guiard represents herself as a painter and a woman of society. Her posture emphasizes her shapely figure and her gown is arranged to be shown at its best advantage. Her studio is also portrayed to be large and luxurious - it is appointed with fine furniture as well as sculptures letting the viewer know that she was financially well off.

We see the back of the canvas, but not what she is painting. Art historians have three ideas about what that painting could be of: (1) it could be the self-portrait that we are looking at, (2) it could be a portrait of one or both of her students, or (3) or there could be another subject outside the scene we see who is having their portrait made. By including other people in her self-portrait, she demonstrates her ability to portray groups of people in one painting. This opened her commissions to patrons who might want to have family groupings immortalized. She was a clever entrepeneur: she used the painting as an advertising tool so the viewer of this painting could imagine themselves as her subject. Her direct gaze at the viewer is enticing and inviting: why not let me paint YOUR portrait!

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #15 - Portrait of a Young Man

2010-01-06T20:27:00.004-06:00

Portrait of a Young Man, ca. 1760–65, Pompeo Girolamo Batoni, Oil on canvas, 97 1/8 x 69 1/4 in. (246.7 x 175.9 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pompeo Girolamo Batoni was an accomplished artist who painted altarpieces, historical and allegorical paintings and portraits. He painted portraits of many important dignitaries in Europe - patrons from Austrian and Russian courts, royal courts of Europe and portraits of Pope Clement XIII and Pope Pius VI. Since he was located in Rome, it was not unusual for these aristocratic patrons to pop into his studio when they visited Rome. You might say he was a favorite stop on the Grand Tour. He painted portraits of them posed in standing positions, leaning against an antiquity, decked out in their royal finery. His skill is seen in these portraits - even though he painted many, each one was unique.

This young man is not identified, but it is thought that he is French. He is shown in a luxurious space. The objects shown in the painting were deliberately selected to show that the subject was not only educated about the discoveries of the time, but also had the tools in his possession. Books, paper and pens are strewn casually demonstrating this devotion to studies and writing. The people of this time period were enthralled with the work of the Romans. We see guidebooks to Rome in the painting. Rome was an essential stop on the Grand Tour - the city and its history were pivotal to a well-rounded education. Word got around. His reputation became inexorably linked with the Tour, and the wealthy patrons were led to his studio where hundreds of people sat for their portraits and contributed to his illustrious career.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #14 - Young Jewish Woman of Algeria

2010-01-05T20:17:00.006-06:00

Young Jewish Woman of Algeria, Seated, 1846, Théodore Chassériau (French, 1819–1856), Watercolor over graphite, sheet: 11 3/4 x 9 1/8 in. (29.8 x 23.3 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Théodore Chassériau (called the Unknown Romantic in an exhibit at the Metropolitan) has quite an artistic lineage. He entered the studio of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres at the age of eleven. (Remember that Ingres was a former student of David and was a classicist) which resulted in Chassériau having a strong classical approach to his work. But that was not the only influence he had - he also was interested in the rich colors and romantic themes of the work of Delacroix. He ended up, like Delacroix, traveling to exotic places like northern Africa and the Middle East.

He died young at the age of 37 after an illness, but he produced a large number of paintings, murals and drawings, many of which were portraits or studies of historical, religious or literary subjects. Before his death, the new movement of Realism was on the rise and his work began to be viewed as establishment. His reputation declined and perhaps this contributed to this nomenclature of "the unknown romanticist".

This work, Young Jewish Woman of Algeria, Seated is a small work of graphite on watercolor paper. There are some notes on the right side of the drawing leading one to think they may have been for a later work. I love this piece. The young woman is looking directly at the viewer, and is in an informal posture. Her face is drawn with more detail than the rest of her body. Her clothing and the environment she is in is handled in a sketchy way. The fact that she is sitting on the floor is unconventional for French thinking - it would have been unseemly for a woman to be sitting on the floor; in French society she would have been sitting on furniture. This scene, which is somewhat voyeuristic, would have been appealing to those interested in romantic subjects. To my eye, it is beautiful and she is lovely. I am enchanted with so much beauty described in so few lines.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #13 - Royal Tiger

2010-01-03T19:25:00.008-06:00

Royal Tiger (Tigre Royal), 1829, Eugène Delacroix, Lithograph, second state of four; image: 12 15/16 x 18 7/16 in. (32.8 x 46.9 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Eugène Delacroix could be considered the most important of the French Romantic painters. He also was born in a wealthy and educated family. This was an advantage he had throughout his illustrious career. He was trained in the classical tradition by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin who followed in the footsteps of David. Delacroix was more connected to contemporary writers such as the poet Lord Byron. He was attracted to literary subjects and used them as subjects for his paintings. His first work presented at the Salon of 1822 was Dante and Virgil and was inspired by the epic poem The Divine Comedy.

One of my personal favorites of Delacroix is the emotional and dramatic painting, The Death of Sardanapualus, which resides at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Last king of Nineveh has learned of the fall of his kingdom into enemy hands, and he orders all of his property (including his concubines) be destroyed. He watches with a certain distance, and yet there is a melancholy air to the King. This painting epitomizes the Romantic movement, full of color, richness, passion and the message that man is not in control, not even kings.

Far off exotic places were favorites of the Romanticists, and Delacroix took a trip to North Africa in 1832 which had a tremendous impact on his art. The exotic costumes, people, geography and wild life caught his attention and he produced thousands of oil paintings, pastels, watercolors, lithographs, drawings and sketches.

Royal Tigeris a lithograph. Lithograph comes from the Greek for stone (litho) and mark (graph). The artist draws on a stone with a greasy crayon. When the stone is inked, it bonds to the crayon and is repelled by the damp, clean stone that surround the image. Romanticists liked lithography because it was a direct method of working, drawing directly onto the stone, and allowed a spontaneous working method.

Delacroix was very interested in not only horses, but also lions and tigers. However, this drawing was based on his observations of a dead tiger treated through taxidermy, not a living tiger in the wild. He did, however, attempt to illustrate the tiger as if he was seeing it in its natural habitat. There is no narrative to this scene; you see the tiger in great detail and see the light variations on its coat. Lions and tigers appealed to the romanticists as they were exotic - they were, after all, powerful animals that man had no control over except if hunted. Delacroix was interested in going beyond man's ideas and liked to imagine the world through the eyes of the wild animal believing that it would enable him to have greater understanding of not just the animal's primitive nature, but man's as well.

Self-Portrait, Oil Paint, Eugene Delacroix, 1837, 21.26 inch wide x 25.59 inch high

A Post to the Artist Formerly Known as a Weaver

2010-01-01T16:14:00.005-06:00

Copper Temple, Christine Miller, 2005, Mixed Media

Wow! A new Year and a new Decade (capitalization for emphasis). A lot of life is behind me (I'm 55), and a lot is ahead (God willin' and the creek don't rise!). This year, more than ever is a time to take stock. I have been a textile artist - knitter, sewer, crocheter, embroiderer, needlepointer, stitcher, basketmaker and weaver - 43 out of the last 55 years of my life. The last five years (which have coincided with my becoming a classroom art teacher) have been devoid of my former self. It has caused me puzzlement and consternation. How could this be? How could this have happened when I continued to create, sell and exhibit my work no matter what came my way during the bulk of my life? How has this job of "teacher" usurped my lifelong passion of being a textile artist? What in the world am I going to do now? Where do I start? These are questions I never worried about - one project after another would present themselves to me and I would follow the path. But now they haunt me - taunting me, demanding answers I don't have.

So - this post is personal and I hope transformational. I am rededicating myself to my former self. I have rejoined my local fiber organizations - the Dallas Handweavers & Spinners Guild and the Dallas Area Fiber Artists. I have attended one meeting of the DH&SG in October. I haven't woven a lick in 4 1/2 years, but it is time to get back on my horse and ride. My studio is a mess, my idea jar empty and the fire in my heart a simmering flame, but hope springs eternal. I am adding a new category for these posts - Artistic Journey - and I will use it to relight my fire. Thanks for listening...

Check out Arts Unite Blog

2009-11-23T20:02:00.003-06:00

Check out Jennifer Hartman's blog which is providing a forum for contributors in different arts disciplines: theater, music, dance and visual art. A grad student at the University of North Texas (my alma mater!) is working on a blogging project for a multimedia class. Visit her blog and make a comment!

I am really excited about other teachers using the blog as a virtual classroom! Free, convenient, and easily accessible, it is an excellent tool to use with students in the classroom. You can check out her blog in the blog title or in the blog list on the right. Good luck Jennifer!

Blogging In The Art Classroom

2009-11-09T22:07:00.001-06:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Blogging In The Art Classroom

View more presentations from tagartteacher.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #12 - Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck

2009-10-27T19:58:00.009-05:00

Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck, Horace Vernet , Oil on canvas, 23 1/4 x 28 3/8 in. (59 x 72 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This painting is chilling...also painted by Émile-Jean-Horace Vernet, it is a scene of people rescuing victims from a shipwreck that are washed up on the rocky shore. The waves are dominating the image, and the people are tiny in comparison. The Romanticists were enthralled with this idea of the raw power and destruction of nature, and this painting is evident of that interest. A woman is limply being fished out of the sea, either unconscious or dead; the viewer is not sure which it is which adds to the drama. Another man is swimming to shore and grabs at the rocks as he tries to get back on land. If you have ever spent time on a coast and witnessed the power of a storm, you may have a glimpse into this artwork. This vulnerability of man in nature is a common theme in Romantic painting.

The right side of the painting is made up of the rocky shore. I have had my own dramatic event on a rocky shoreline; while snorkeling off the coast of Cozumel, I got caught in a strong surf which pushed and pulled me to and from the rocks (the coast is not a sandy beach, but made of lava rocks as sharp as razor blades). As I was pushed towards the sharp rocks, I tried to grab for them, but then the swell would pull me away back to sea. This happened about 3 or 4 cycles when my husband recognized my precarious situation and called for me to swim back to him, which I did. We both swam back down the shoreline until we found a better place to access a friendlier part of the beach. I will tell you, when I got back on land my legs felt like Jello!! I knew that I had been in a situation that was beyond my swimming skills and without his help I might have had a different outcome. I truly felt as though he had saved my life.

What is interesting about Vernet's painting, is that he shows a tiny slice of the aftermath of the shipwreck. We don't see the ship or any other survivors, so we are left wondering about the rest of the story. What kind of ship was it? Where was it headed? Were there other people on the boat? Are they still drifting about in the sea? When we view art, we may have an obvious connection as my own story above relates. There can be parallels in our lives with the great art we see. By keeping a painting's narrative open and ambigous we are invited to construct our own story or even recall a life event of our own that parallels the picture. I love rocks and though they are beautiful, they can be deadly to our fragile existence. Perhaps you can conjour your own story about this painting; I know I have tasted salt water and felt fear in a vulnerable moment at sea, and it is a feeling and moment I will never forget.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #11 - The Start of the Race of the Riderless Horses

2009-10-20T21:07:00.008-05:00

The Start of the Race of the Riderless Horses, 1820, Horace Vernet, Oil on canvas, 18 1/8 x 21 1/4 in. (46 x 54 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I just love this painting! It is full of drama and excitement (elements of Romanticism) - the horses are portrayed with power and glory. The artist, Horace Vernet, grew up in an aristocratic French family, the son of another famous painter, Carle Vernet. His career was jump started as a result of his heritage and financial means, and he sprang onto the art scene exhibiting his first artwork at the Salon when he was 23. From the beginning of his career he was known for his paintings of horses, images of soldiers and large scale battle scenes, which were widely popular. He was skilled at capturing battles as a journalist would, including details that might be left out by other artists. He was a very successful artist whose patrons included the kings and emperors of France as well as wealthy members of the upper-middle class.

This scene, the race of the riderless horses, was an event that took place in Rome alongside the annual Carnival celebration in Rome. Much like the running of the bulls in Paloma, Spain, the festival and the race attracted tourists from all over Europe. Barberi horses, a breed of small, fast horses from the coast of northern Africa, were the horses who ran the race. They would race over a mile without jockeys, spurred on by irritating bits of metal attached to their bodies as well as the setting off of firecrackers and loud, boisterous crowds. And, like the running of the bulls, once the horses let loose, people on the streets could be crushed by the raw power of the horses, so many spectators watched from the safety of balconies above the street level.

Vernet is showing the moment before the race has begun, when the grooms are trying to control the huge animals which are decorated with ribbons for identification purposes. The drama of being in such close quarters with such powerful animals is displayed in the center - a black horse has fallen on a groom and there is terror in his face as he realizes he could be trampled to death in a moment. Another groom, muscles rippling with effort, is trying to contain the wild beast. There is yet another groom in the background adding his strength to control the situation. We see spectators in the balconies that are hung with red drapery for the celebration. Some are not even interested in the scene below, but are looking off to some other happening in the distance.

The Romanticists loved to focus on the power and uncontrollable aspect of nature and the interest in horses was a favorite subject in their paintings. This particular scene was especially exciting: it showed a time when the power and fury of these magnificent beasts was set free and could also be seen as a symbol of freeing human spirits from the bondage of modern civilization.

Self-Portrait, Emile Jean Horace Vernet, 1835, Oil on canvas, 47 × 39 cm (18.50 × 15.35 in)

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #10 - Evening: Landscape with an Aqueduct

2009-10-10T19:03:00.008-05:00

Evening: Landscape with an Aqueduct, 1818, Théodore Gericault, Oil on canvas, 98 1/2 x 86 1/2 in. (250.2 x 219.7 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Géricault is considered to be one of the most important painters in the movement of Romanticism. He studied under Carle Vernet, but broke away from formal study, copying Renaissance and Baroque painters. He was an independent artist interested in exploring is own artistic vision. He worked across many genres and was not only a painter but a talented printmaker. He painted scenes of contemporary events as well as portraits, horses, genre scenes and landscapes. He died young, at age 32, after sustaining an injury and disease that rapidly shortened his life. One of his landmark paintings is the Raft of the Medusa.

Evening: Landscape with an Aqueduct is one of his largest paintings. The scene is romantic, with its dramatically lit sky and grand view of river and the countryside. The Roman aqueduct is the focal point in the center of the composition - the sky is a dramatic backdrop highlighting this antiquity with its rounded arches. There are bathers in the foreground, but there seems to be no narrative that they are involved in save washing the dust off from their day. This painting seems to be nothing more than a glorious landscape, perhaps paying homage to the Roman aqueduct which could allude to the passage of time.

Check out the essay found on the Met's website about Romanticism.

Self portrait, 27 x 37 cm (10,6 x 14,5 inches), Oil on canvas

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #8 - The Triumph of Aemilius Paulus

2009-10-04T11:37:00.004-05:00

The Triumph of Aemilius Paulus, 1789, Carle Vernet (Antoine Charles Horace) (French, 1758–1836), Oil on canvas, 51 1/8 x 172 1/2 in. (129.9 x 438.2 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This panoramic painting by Carle Vernet is a monumental history painting over 14' wide. The size alone would have gotten a lot of attention from the Salon, but he also displays a confident technical ability. He painting this piece as the Revolution was garnering strength and hoped that it would gain him full membership in the Academy.

The subject comes again from Roman history as described by the Roman historian Livy. The composition shows a throng of people witnessing the triumphant arrival of Amelius Paulus in Rome. Paulus, seated on the right side in a golden chariot, the men and women lauding him upon his return to Rome. The light is dramatically focused on Aemilius Paulus with the background full of examples of classical architecture. Because there are many monuments in this painting, the work is reminiscent of the vedute that people loved buying during their Grand Tour.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #9 - Minerva Protecting the Young King of Rome

2009-10-04T11:05:00.007-05:00

Minerva Protecting the Young King of Rome, 1811
Joseph-Antoine Romagnési, Plaster, painted to resemble yellowish stone; green marbleized wood (frame only)
45 1/2 x 29 in. (115.6 x 73.7 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ah, Roman mythology! The Neoclassical artists loved nothing more than to revisit these stories and see how well they could create the ideal aesthetic. In this relief sculpture, Minerva, the Roman Goddess of war and wisdom, is sheltering the child of Napoleon who he named as his heir and the King of Rome. Her pose is a classical stance from Greek and Roman sculpture, the contrapposto pose. The boy has his arm draped around a she-wolf which reminds the viewer about the legend of Romulus & Remus, the two brothers who were the founders of Rome, suckled and raised by a protective she-wolf.

This sculpture was created commemorating the birth of François-Chrles-Joseph, known as Napoleon II. Finally Napoleon had an heir to his empire. This piece is highly propagandistic - Napoleon wanted to have art and symbols tying his son to the glory of Rome and the empire that leaders continued to try to emulate.

Not a lot is known about Ramagnéi's early career. He became a professional artist after the Revolution. The sculpture, though created in plaster, was painted to look like the more lasting material stone. Marble was more costly, so it also made it look more expensive and precious. It was common for sculptors of this time to complete their designs in plaster and then take it to a professional stone carver to complete it in stone. This work was never realized in marble.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #7 - The Death of Socrates

2009-09-14T20:10:00.014-05:00

The Death of Socrates, Jacques-Louis David, 1787, Oil on canvas, 51 x 77 1/4 in. (129.5 x 196.2 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

David is one of my personal favorite artists! His work is so powerful, so spare, so beautiful! He was privy to a superior education and the style of his training contributed to his rise as one of the great history painters. One of his early teachers was François Boucher, and though he was anxious to win the Academy's greatest honor, the Prix de Rome, it was not a fait accompli for him; his first submission was not accepted. Though he did not receive the Prix de Rome when he first attempted it, he had other commissions and prizes during his years as a student. He finally got to study at the French Academy in Rome and that is where he really connected with the classical influence that would inform his own work. As the AcDec guide states: "David became one of the most influential and successful artists of the 1780s, and some of his most important works were completed in the years leading up to the Revolution." He became very active in the politics surrounding the Revolution. "David also played a prominent role in the development of propaganda for the new Republic, staging funerals for martyrs of the Revolution, designing festivals for new secular heroes, and helping to construct a new body of symbolic imagery for the new political regime."

Because of his political bent and his artistic genius, Napolean commissioned him to create portraits of him as a statesman and as a powerful military leader. This is one of my favorite paintings of Napoleon:

Napoleon Crossing the Alps (also known as Napoleon at the Saint-Bernard Pass or Bonaparte Crossing the Alps) is the title given to the five versions of an oil on canvas equestrian portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte painted by the French artist Jacques-Louis David between 1801 and 1805. Initially commissioned by the Spanish Ambassador to France, the composition shows a strongly idealized view of the real crossing that Napoleon and his army made across the Alps in 1800.

This piece of David, The Death of Socrates, was a painting he did during the early years of his career. The scene is powerful and emotional, Socrates has been accused by his society of corrupting the youth and has been sentenced to death. He chooses to be in control of his fate by drinking hemlock, a poison that kills someone slowly. He is in a prison cell - there are shackles and chains on the floor adding to the drama of the situation. Socrates is depicted as a trim, muscular and youthful man even though he is also shown as being advanced in age. His devotees are surrounding him as he points to the heavens and assures them that his soul will remain immortal. His other hand reaches out to the poison in a distracted kind of way. He is calm and assured, though his disciples are emotional and beginning to grieve his imminent death.

Back to my comment about David's spare paintings - his neoclassical scenes have an emphasis on the drama of the human predicament rather than a busy background. He uses light to increase the dramatic tension and focus the attention on the central figures. This stark, stage-like setting is very different from the frivolous, soft paintings of Rococo. Line is emphasized over color which was thought to be associated with intellectual thought rather than the emotional and sensual flavor of Rococo. This subject of classical history was meant to appeal to educated, literary people who were interested in the expanded thinking of the Enlightenment.

Self-portrait, Jacques-Louis David, 1794, Oil on canvas, 31.69 x 25.24 inches / 80.5 x 64.1 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #6 - Modern Rome

2009-09-13T13:33:00.009-05:00

Modern Rome, 1757, Giovanni Paolo Panini, Oil on canvas, 67 3/4 x 91 3/4 in. (172.1 x 233 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

We move away from the frivolity of the Rococo movement into an artistic return to the classical ideal. The classic aesthetic that the Greeks and Romans created continue to inspire artists through the ages. Neoclassical art can vary widely, but it looks back to classical art in one way or another. One reason for the rise of interest in classicism was the unearthing of the ruins in Pompeii and Herculaneum near Naples, Italy. These discoveries excited the people in the 18th century - they could see how people worked and lived ages before them.

The Grand Tour became a standard part of the education of privileged young men. Italy was at the heart of the Grand Tour - travelers would visit the important cities and sites studying, sketching and collecting artwork as a memento of their trip. Artists catered to this enthusiastic audience for all things classical. Panini was one of the great masters of vedute, or "view paintings" which were popular with the visitors to Italy on the Grand Tour.

This work by Panini, Modern Rome shows a very large gallery with paintings hung floor to ceiling; each painting is of a monument or building of "modern Rome" depicted from the eras of the Renaissance and Baroque. Gentlemen are portrayed in the gallery looking at the paintings. Panini even put in a self-portrait - he's dressed in gray, seated in an armchair and looking out of the painting. The paintings showcase the works of art and architecture a travelers would see on his Grand Tour.

Portrait of Giovanni Paolo Panini, 1705, Oil on canvas, 29.92 inches wide 37.99 inches high

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #5 - Shepherd's Idyll

2009-09-10T19:18:00.008-05:00

Shepherd's Idyll, François Boucher, 1768, Oil on canvas, 94 1/2 x 93 1/2 in. (240 x 237.5 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

François Boucher's artwork is indicative of the mature phase of the Rococo movement and is sometimes thought of as "high rococo." He was born into a working class family, but he gained entrance into the Royal Academy and then had the opportunity to study at the French Academy in Rome. He eventually was categorized as a history painter within the Royal Academy, the highest level you could achieve. Perhaps his biggest claim to fame was being a favorite painter for Madame de Pompadour. He even used her likeness in some of the goddesses in mythological scenes he created.

He was particularly fond of a subcategory of history painting called "gallant mythologies" - scenes that depicted the loves of the gods of antiquity. He drew heavily from Watteau's idea of fête galante, but Boucher's style was full of fantasy. He composed his paintings with a theatrical bent.

Let's look at Shepherd's Idyll. This painting was made two years before his death, so it is part of his mature work. It is very large - on the scale of a history painting. But this is not a scene of action and drama, but a bucolic scene depicting a moment of leisure in the life of this shepherd. The people in the painting are all dressed simply, but they are not dressed in work clothes. The 3 women and the children form an adoring circle around the relaxed figure of the shepherd.

This painting is known as an idyll, which means a charming, bucolic scene of rural life. The people are idealized, young, beautiful, living together in harmony. Though the shepherd is a working class man, it appears his life is carefree and not so involved with working! The wealthy class wanted to fantasize that the working class did not suffer excess toil, so had them portrayed as their own lives were - free of worry and hard work.

Boucher's palette was comprised of pastel tones and bright whites. He had a very painterly style - loose and free. He painted to satisfy the tastes of his clientele. He catered to the decorative style that the aristocracy craved. The salons of Paris were held by aristocratic women. They were sophisticated and loved a beautiful environment. This image closes out the Rococo period and is the epitome of the style - luxury, frivolity, soft colors, relaxation AND........love!

Artist of the Week - Edward Burtynsky

2009-09-06T16:49:00.002-05:00

Check out the documentary film of his work.

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #4 - Broken Eggs

2009-09-06T10:28:00.008-05:00

Broken Eggs, 1756, Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725–1805), Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 37 in. (73 x 94 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I love Greuze! What a genre painter he was! His paintings were didactic and moralizing - with plenty of drama. Greuze was accepted into the Academy and painted this piece, Broken Eggs, while studying in the French Royal Academy in Rome. He wanted to achieve the status of history painter, but it was not to be - during his career he never broke free of genre painter. This really upset him! Because he could not achieve the higher level with the Academy, he refused to exhibit his work at the Salons for over thirty years! Take that!

Let's get to the drama.....the scene is set inside a lower class home, there is little furniture and the walls and floor are unpainted and cracked. A young girl is in the foreground, and she looks forlorn. The basket next to her is filled with eggs, but a few have spilled out of the basket and one is broken on the floor. She has just returned from trying to sell her eggs. The young man behind her also appears to have just entered the house from the street and he is removing his hat.

The old woman is not happy. She is grasping the young man's hand and pointing to the broken egg as though he is to blame, but he has a bewildered look on his face. The young boy tries to reassemble the egg in a fruitless gesture. The scene is about much more than the actual broken egg - the broken egg was also symbolic for a young girl's lost virtue. The older woman demands that the young man be accountable, but it's unclear how the scene will resolve itself. Greuze has captured a moment of drama and the viewer is given the opportunity to be the judge of the situation (and perhaps use the scene as a moralizing tale for young people in their own households!).

Self-Portrait, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1780s, Oil on canvas, 56 x 46 cm, The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #3 - Wine Cooler

2009-09-06T09:39:00.008-05:00

Wine cooler, 1753, French; Vincennes, Soft-paste porcelain, H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm), W. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm), Diam. 8 in. (20.3 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Vicennes porcelain factory started in 1740 in the town of Vincennes just east of Paris. Louis XV was a major shareholder in the operation initially but acquired full ownership in 1759 and it became a national factory at that time. Before the factory in France, porcelain was imported from China.

Porcelain is a beautiful white ceramic material that when fired has a glassy surface. There are two types of porcelain made from a white clay called kaolin - hard-paste and soft-paste. Soft-paste porcelain is more challenging to produce because it has a lower clay content and is more difficult to shape. The Vincennes Manufactory produced high quality products. They enjoyed royal patronage and had superior skill working with the more challenging material.

The function of the wine cooler was to keep a bottle chilled. There is a central decorative panel with gold accents on the handles and panel. The background color, a beautiful turquoise called blue céleste, was first developed the year this was made and was a color unique to the factory. The naturalistic design is typical of Rococo - flora and foliage painted in a soft pastel palette of pinks, blues and greens. The manufacturers of fine ceramics are identified by a mark (or logo) on the bottom of the piece. The wine cooler has a "double-Louis" mark that has two intertwined letter "L's" with a letter "A" and a dot at the top and bottom. These marks changed from time to time which helps historians date works to the time frame they would have been manufactured in.

Needless to say, these items were enjoyed by the aristocracy. A table service could have as many as five hundred pieces: plates, platters, serving dishes and coolers for bottles and glasses! French porcelain of the 18th century was elegant, elaborate, glitzy and highly decorative. Imagine sitting down for dinner and being surrounded by so many beautiful pieces - ooh la la!

Portrait of Louis XV of France

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #2 - Soap Bubbles

2009-09-05T15:53:00.010-05:00

Soap Bubbles, ca. 1734, Jean Siméon Chardin (French, 1699–1779), Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was not born into a monied, aristocratic family and did not have access to a formal education in art. He was largely self-taught and considered himself a successful still life and genre painter. He did exhibit his work regularly at the Salons and had a supportive group of patrons. Because he painted simple scenes of typical households, people and animals, his work was embraced by people from different social strata. He sold print reproductions of his paintings which also allowed people of different socio-economic levels to have access to his art.

Soap Bubbles is a simple genre scene that is simple in its composition and color palette. You can see the influence he had from the Dutch Baroque painters. There is something voyeuristic about this painting - a young man is absorbed in the bubble that he is blowing. As it grows bigger and bigger, a small boy peeps over the windowsill, watching with excitement and wonder the act of bubble blowing. When was the last time YOU blew a bubble? Remember the opalescent colors that swirl on the surface? Isn't it interesting (and comforting!) that centuries later, we still find this activity fun and entertaining? Blowing a REAL bubble is not something your iPhone can do! Virtual bubbles are just not the same!

What may not be so obvious on the surface of this painting is the direct portrayal of social class. It was the wealthier patron that could afford to purchase an original oil painting. The elite patron had an interest in having a simple life scene which showed a moment that any social class would have enjoyed displayed in their home. But this young man is not from an affluent class. Though he is groomed and clean, his clothes do not fit him and show signs of wear. His jacket sleeves are too short and it is torn at one shoulder. This image illustrated a moment in the lives of those beneath them in class and rank, and it was something they enjoyed viewing. Interesting - so much in common (the joys of blowing bubbles) and yet also worlds apart (money and privilege).

Soap bubbles are so fragile, we know how delicate and fleeting they are! This image can represent the fleeting nature of life, so the viewer could consider the image on more than one level. Michael Levey has written about Chardin's genre paintings from his book Rococo to Revolution: Major Trends in Eighteenth-Century Painting, "Chardin refers us back to ordinary experience, concentrating it with almost microscopic intensity, tingeing it with the hint of the moral and educative, yet still not telling any specific story."

Self Portrait, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, 1771, Pastel on paper, 46 x 37.5 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #1 - Mezzetin

2009-09-05T13:54:00.018-05:00

Mezzetin, probably 1718–20 Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684–1721), Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In an art history class a few years ago, the professor had a free response question on an exam: "Choose your favorite art movement and tell me why you chose it." I surprised myself when I chose Rococo and proceeded to list the things that made my heart sing: pure entertainment, lots of pink putti, FABULOUS clothing, lovely soft colors oozing on the canvas, lots of outdoors romping, parties and last but not least, Love. Who would have thunk it!

The images this year begin with this lovely movement, Rococo. It's birth was in France, and Jean Antoine Watteau is credited for being at the forefront of the movement. An innovative artist, he painted in a looser, more painterly style than his contemporaries. His most notable contribution to art is the creation of a new genre the Académie des Beaux-Arts called the "fête galante" or gallant party. These paintings showed groups of elegantly dressed aristocrats enjoying outdoor gatherings. His submission to the Académie did not fit into their accepted genres. The hierarchy of the genres ranked the works according to their subjects: #1 history paintings, #2 portraits, #3 genre scenes and #4 still life and landscapes. The fête galante genre loosened up this rigid hierarchy and the Académie, which was historically very conservative, began to open up to new subjects and styles. It was important to individual artists to be accepted by the Académie for a successful livelihood as a professional artist.

Mezzetin shows us Watteau's interest in the theater as subject matter for his paintings. In this painting, Mezzetin (which means "half-measure") is one of the stock character actors in an Italian commedia dell'arte. There are a couple of not so subtle messages in this composition. The female figure in the background (a statue painted in the grisaillle technique) has her back turned to the wistful troubadour. He appears to be singing a love song, perhaps about unrequited love; he is fully engaged, lost in his own world.

The Louvre has a marvelous collection of Rococo art, both decorative arts and paintings. Can't get to Paris to see the Louvre's Rococo collection? Check out the virtual tour of the Watteau Room in the Louvre!

Portrait of Jean-Antoine Watteau by Rosalba Carriera.

Guess the Famous Painting and feed the poor!

2009-08-30T12:04:00.008-05:00

Daumier, Honore, The Painter at His Easel, c. 1870-75, Oil on panel, 33.5 x 27 cm, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Wiliamstown

Thanks to Susan Benford creator of the fine art Masterpiece Cards set (see a link to her website in My Blog List), I followed the link to this great art game on the "Free Education and Free Rice" site. Click on the post title above to play the game. Here is what they say about their site:

FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. Our partner is the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

FreeRice has two goals:

* Provide education to everyone for free.
* Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who advertise on this site.

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your education can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself. Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you.

For those of you who love art history, this is a fabulous place to review your knowledge about fine art - it is so fun (and addictive) PLUS you are helping someone in the world and every little bit we can do to make the world a better place matters! See how you do!

My Summer Vacation

2009-08-15T18:07:00.007-05:00

Puppy, Jeff Koons, 1992, Guggenheim Bilbao

I've been on vacation this summer and so has the blog! One of my favorite parts of my summer vacation was visiting museums in Spain as well as at home! Here's a list of the museums I visited this summer and what I saw there:

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain - a private guided tour of the permanent collection in all its glory!

Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain - Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe and the fabulous Richard Serra's "The Matter of Time" and the permanent collection.

Museo Picasso de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, "Kees Van Dongen" and the early works of the great Pablo Picasso.

My visits to the next 5 museums were part of the Museum Forum for Teachers sponsored by the Nasher Sculpture Center - a thrilling experience being able to spend an entire day in each museum with the education staff!

The Rachofsky House, Dallas, Texas, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" a site-specific installation by Ricci Albenda.

Dallas Museum of Art,, Dallas, Texas, "Private Universes" an exciting contemporary art exhibit.

Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas, explorations of the permanent collection.

Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, "Butchers, Dragons, Gods & Skeletons"an innovative installation marrying the permanent collection with beautiful films by Philip Haas.

Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, William Kentridge - Five Themes a survey of this South Africa contemporary artist.

It was a stimulating, exciting, enlightening summer and I'm ready to take it into the classroom!

Kimbell Art Museum's New Michelangelo Painting

2009-05-17T19:57:00.008-05:00

Michelangelo, The Torment of Saint Anthony, c. 1487–88. Oil and tempera on panel, 18 1/2 x 13 1/4 in. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

What an exciting addition to the Kimbell's already stellar permanent collection! This painting by Michelangelo was produced after being permitted to see Domenico Ghirlandaio's print and painting collection. Michelangelo was placed by his father into apprenticeship with Ghirlandaio for three years in 1488 "under the following conditions: That the said Michelangelo shall remain with the above-named during all the said time, to the end that they may teach him to paint and to exercise their vocation, and that the above-named shall have full command over him, paying him in the course of these three years threnty-four florins, as wages..." (exerpt from Lives of the Most Eminent Painters) He was particularly interested in Martin Schongauer's engraving The Temptation of Saint Anthony. A young artist, he created his own version of the biblical story.

Here is quoted text from Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Most Eminent Painters regarding this very painting: "Now it chanced that when Domenico was painting the great chapel of Santa Maria Novella, he one day went out, and Michelangelo then set himself to draw the scaffolding, with some trestles, the various utensils of the art, and some of those young men who were then working there. Domenico having returned and seen the drawing of Michelangelo exclaimed, 'This boy knows more than I do,' standing in amaze at the originality and novelty of manner which the judgment imparted to him by Heaven had enabled a mere child to exhibit. For the work was, in truth, rather such as might have fully satisfied the artist, had it been performed by the hand of an experienced master. But if it was possible to Michelangelo to effect so much, that happened because all the gifts of nature were in him enhanced, and strengthened by study and exercise, wherefore he daily produced works of increased excellence, as began clearly to be made manifest in the copy which he made of a plate engraved by the German Martino, and which procured him a very great name. This engraving was one which had just then been brought to Florence, and represented St. Anthony tormented by devils. It is a copperplate, and Michelangelo copied it with a pen in such a manner as had never before been seen. He painted it in colours also; and, the better to imitate the strange forms of some among those devils, he bought fish which had scales somewhat resembling those on the demons; in this painted copy he displayed so much ability that his credit and reputation were greatly increased thereby."

Vasari is credited to have begun the history of art with this excellent accounting, though some say his narrative is biased. Be that as it may, I procured my volume from an estate sale and have not had the time to read it in full. I feel it rising to the top of book pile to be read this summer. Oh, happy day - a summer to read and a new masterpiece to see this fall when it arrives at the Kimbell. Check out the link in the post title to the Kimbell's page about the acquisition of the painting.

Artist of the Week - 6EMEIA

2009-05-16T07:46:00.007-05:00

It's an unusually wet spring here in Dallas with lots of rain. I was awakened at 4:00 this morning by another storm blowing through. We take storm drains for granted, but the lowly storm drain keeps our streets from becoming rivers (at least most of the time). Check out the work of these South American artists! They are hard at work painting the cityscape they live in. It's great to have some color and humor on the street!

Artist of the Week - Ju Duoqi

2009-05-03T10:46:00.008-05:00

The Vegetable Museum - 04, Ju Duoqi, 2008
The Third of May 2008
C-Print Size A: 120x150cm Edition: 6 Size B: 80x100cm Edition: 12

(Blogger's note: It was a subconscious act that I chose "The Third of May" for my Third of May post! Only AFTER I viewed the post did I see the cosmic nature of it. Those of you who know me well know how much I LOVE cosmic events!)

What is it about food art that we love so? I think it is because we love food AND art - when they come together it is fun and interesting. Ju Duoqi is a Chinese artist who reinterprets classic paintings using vegetables as her medium. She photographs the scene she has created and prints editions for sale. Click on the post title to go to a site that features The Vegetable Museum. She displays sensitivity and humor in her work. Before going, I'd like to leave you with one quote from the site that captures her feeling about her work: "Everything has a spirit, each vegetable, each person, and each second, under careful observation, has extraordinary meaning." Here is a link to a video interviewing the artist at work.

The Vegetable Museum - 07, Ju Duoqi, 2008
Napoleon on Potatos
C-Print Size A: 150x120cm Edition: 6 Size B: 100x80cm Edition: 12

Meadows Museum - Etruscan Temple and the Tomb

2009-03-29T09:20:00.012-05:00

Diadem, Late 4th c. B.C., Gold.
From Populonia. Florence, National Archaeological Museum

Over spring break I visited the Meadows Museum on the SMU campus to see this incredible exhibit reflecting the Etruscan culture (it will be displayed through May 17, 2009). The exhibit has quite a depth and breadth with over 300 objects exhibited - it is the largest exhibit of Etruscan art shown in the United States, and it is right here in Dallas! The Meadows Museum is honoring the 15th anniversary of SMU professor P. Gregory Warden’s groundbreaking archaeological excavation in Poggio Colla, Italy with this exhibition dedicated to the great ancestors of Rome. The Etruscan culture served as a kind of bridge between the Greeks and the Romans, eventually becoming absorbed into the Roman culture.

This diadem, which is a type of crown or ornamental headband, is just one of the spectacular pieces in the exhibit. Made of gold, the leaves are delicate and soft. The gold is handled expertly and it is remarkable to me that it is in such good shape because it appears to be so fragile.

I attended a lecture that evening: Weaving as Worship: The Role of Women in Etruscan Religious Ritual given by Dr. Gretchen Meyers. I have been a weaver for more than 30 years. The archeological excavation mentioned above has produced scores of weaving implements and tools. It was interesting to see images of the site and hear the ideas Dr. Meyers had about the role of elite women in the production of sacred textiles. Women had great freedom and an unusually active role in the Etruscan culture. It's hard to describe the excitement I felt realizing that I have continued an activity that happened so many centuries ago. I feel a connection to those women and know what it might have been like for them to produce these fabrics.

Lekythos. Attic. Attributed to the Amasis Painter. Terracotta (Black Figure). Height: 6 ¾ inches (17.15 cm). Ca. 550-530 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art (31.11.10

Artist of the Week - Julian Beever

2009-03-25T23:32:00.011-05:00

Anamorphic illusions are images that are drawn in a certain way so that when they are viewed from a special angle they appear three dimensional. This technique was used as far back as Renaissance times, but Julian Beever is well known for his sidewalk chalk drawings that utilize this method. You may have received an email that featured images of his work - I know he's cycled through my inbox more than once!

Let's look at one of his images in the "regular" view.....
Making Poverty History, Julian Beever

Here's how he has to draw it to get it look three dimensional....
Making Poverty History, Julian Beever

For my art history students, this oblique anamorphic technique is closely related to tromp l'oeil (which in French means "trick the eye") - actually, I think it is also tricking our brain!! You can only see the image as might expect to find it from one particular viewpoint. Remember Hans Holbein the Younger's work? It has an anamorphic skull in the lower section of the composition positioned between the Ambassadors. You see the distorted view as you look at the painting straight on:
The French Ambassadors, Hans Holbein the Younger, Oil on oak, 1533

Fascinating....

Art Technique - Watercolor

2009-03-18T15:31:00.006-05:00

Fishing Boats on the Beach, Vincent van Gogh, Watercolor, 1888

One of my Freshmen Art I classes is playing with watercolor as we create our "head shots of the Gods" for the DMA student art exhibition in April. I have been encouraging them to play with the medium and discover what techniques they can incorporate into their skill set. Some think that watercolor is challenging because it is a lively material. It can be. The beauty of watercolor is the clarity of the paint and the "life" it has when it hits the paper. It definitely takes some practice to explore its qualities and it is easy to overwork the paint and end up with a muddy blob.

I am encouraging my young painters to check out this website and look at some of the painting demonstrations. It might give you some ideas that you will want to incorporate into your portraits! I've put two images in this post, one I did at a workshop and a watercolor by Vincent van Gogh. He handled the paint much like I have been demonstrating for our portraits - big patches of local color (a solid hue) with outlining to define shapes. I'm excited to see what you discover when we get back from spring break!

Snagged, Christine Miller, Watercolor, 2007

Artist of the Week - Louis Comfort Tiffany

2009-03-15T16:58:00.005-05:00

Magnolias and Irises, 1908, Leaded Favrile-glass window, 60 1/4 x 42 in.

Louis Comfort Tiffany was a remarkable and versatile artist. He started as a painter but quickly expanded into a variety of media. Rising to prominence during the Gilded Age of the industrial rise in America, he was a contributor to the Aesthetic Movement which believed in the importance of the decorative arts. Interiors became integrated environments in which every object, surface and treatment related to the whole. Tiffany's workshop grew as private patrons, civic institutions and churches commissioned his work.

Tiffany was truly innovative. The type of glass available to him was very limited. Coming out of a painting tradition, it is no surprise that he saw glass as a medium that he could "paint" with. Because he did not have a wide variety of glass to work with, he was instrumental in having new types of treatment made to the glass such as opalescence, variegated shades, molded textures, tonal gradations and layered colors to obtain different effects.

His windows were narratives of biblical stories, portraits of his patrons, or were landscape scenes. Like Monet, he loved the garden and created verdant scenes of trees, flowers and water. All of his windows were carefully designed and assembled one piece of glass at a time. Check out this site about stained glass to see how these windows are made!