Art Gallery Visit 1

A.) Which artworks make an impact or impression on me? Why?

#1)Thomas Cole

The Voyage of Life- Four Sketches

Childhood, Youth, Manhood, Old Age, 1842

These four small oil sketches were preliminary studies for Cole’s allegorical series The Voyage of life.  The series was commissioned by Samuel Ward of New York in 1842.  Cole combined landscape with poetic and religious sentiment in these paintings depicting the passage of a human life through four stages.  At this point in Cole’s career, he was profoundly influenced by Christian moral teachings, and expressed the idea that the purpose of art (Including landscapes) was to instruct and guide the viewer.

-This artwork made an impression on me because I enjoy studying about the different religions, as well as philosophy, and what better way to simplify life than to represent it in four stages.  I also really enjoyed the painting which was what first attracted me to it.  I then read about his intentions towards the viewer and then I revered it even more.  Overall this is one of my favorite paintings I saw.

#2)Jasper F. Cropsey

Dawn of Morning, Lake George

Oil on Canvas, 1868

Jasper Cropsey was at the height of his career in the 1860’s when Dawn of Morning, Lake George was painted.  This region was a popular destination for landscape artists as they explored north of the Hudson-Catskill area and sought wilderness subjects in the Adirondacks.  By the 1860’s Lake George was a well-traveled tourist spot quite different from the unspoiled landscape depicted here.

-This artwork impacted me because I like about 45 minutes away from Lake George and am in love with the beauty of the area.  I can only imagine what it must have looked like before its landscape was changed by humans.  I also saw a double rainbow on my way back from buffalo last spring so I thought it was cool to see a painting of one.

#3)Thomas Cole

Ruined Tower

Oil on Composition board, 1832-1836

Thomas Cole’s First European tour from 1829-1832 inspired new approaches to his composition technique and philosophy of art.  This painting of a ruined tower most likely done in Cole’s Catskill studio following his return from Italy, using sketches of Mediterranean coast towers made during his travels.  Cole may have also taken inspiration from English artist John Constables similarly composed painting, Hadleigh Castle.

-This artwork really impressed me.  I enjoyed how most of the painting had somewhat of a somber mood but then almost in the middle of it there was the sun trying to break through the clouds as if a sign of hope.  One thing I have always wanted to see has been a castle, or even a beach Tower that has survived all these years so that was another big reason I enjoyed this painting.

B.) Which artworks do I feel a connection with? Why?

#1)John Vanderlyn(1775-1852)

1802-1803

Oil on canvas, original gilt frame

Albany Institute Purchase

Vanderlyn, the grandson of the Hudson Valley limner, Pieter Vanderlyn, was born in Esopus(Kingston), New York.  After some training with Gilbert Stuart and five years of study in Paris, at the suggestion of his patron, Aaron Burr, Vanderlyn took a sketching trip to Niagara Falls in the autumn of 1801.  From his studies came this painting.  Although views of Niagara appeared as early as 1697, Vanderlyn was the first professionally trained artist to depict them in finished paintings.

-I feel a connection to this painting because of the fact that I attend school out in buffalo(like the rest of you) and I had not visited Niagara Falls until I had gone out there and when I did I was in awe of how big it was in person.  I also feel a connection to this painting because my mother grew up in the Kingston area and that is where this artist was born.

 #2)Asher B. Durand

Catskill Creek(Summer Afternoon)

Oil on Canvas, 1855

Durand’s landscape paintings are precise and carefully delineated compositions.  His trees, in particular, clearly reflect his training as an engraver. 

-I feel a connection with this painting because every time I go to my grandparent’s house, located in Ellenville NY, we drive next too and over this creek for a good amount of the trip.  So, I guess it is nice to see that what I get to see on my trip to my grandparent’s is/was beautiful enough for a famed artist to paint.

#3)Edward Lamson Henry

The First Railroad Train on the Mohawk and Hudson Road

Oil on Canvas, 1892-1893

E. L. Henry, a genre painter, specialized in recording important events in American history.  Employing meticulous research and life drawings, Henrys pictures documented the nostalgia for the past that was pervasive in late 19-th century America.  He studied art in New York, Philadelphia, and, in Paris, was a pupil of Gustave Courbet.  The First Railroad Train is Henry’s largest and most famous painting.  The picture records the official opening of the rail line between Albany and Schenectady on September 24, 1831, an event that inaugurated railroad construction in America.

-I feel a connection with this painting because this very significant event occurred about 10 mins from my house and it’s nice to feel that the area you grew up in and around is significant in some part of history.  If it were not for the railroads, the northeast and more importantly the nation, would not have prospered as it had.

C.) Which artworks would I like to know more about? Why?

#1) Le Chevalier Bayard

Baron Carlo Marochetti

Bronze Casting by Susse Freres

Signed on base “Marochetti”/ “Susse fres font-de bronze a Paris”

I really like the detail of this casting and these are the types of “sculptures” that I am interested in(as opposed to the ones displayed throughout the Buffalo State campus).  I would be interested in to how this type of work was made and if it is solid bronze or if it is hollow in the middle.  Plus I would like to know a little bit about the artists inspiration for making this statue/sculpture.

#2) Coffin Bottom

Late Dynastic to Early Ptolemaic period, 525-200 B.C

Albany Institute of History & Art.

This shallow base of a coffin depicts the goddess of the West, the protector of cemeteries.  In Ancient Egypt, burial grounds were usually located on the west bank of the Nile at the edge of the Sahara desert.

-Although some information was given about this piece, I am more interested on who this coffin was made for and what type of life he lived to have received such a beautiful coffin.  I suppose this type of work could have been common back in Ancient Egypt but I know a decent amount about Egyptian history and I don’t believe that a commoner would have received such an elaborate coffin.

#3)Osiris

Bronze

Late or Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C

Albany Institute of History & Art

The conservation of Osiris has been made possible by Mr. Raymond Newkirk and Ms. Christy D’ Ambrosio

Osiris, the mythical first king of Egypt, was murdered by his brother Seth.  Osiris’s wife and sister, Isis, and her sister Nepthys reassembled his body, which Anubis then mummified.  Osiris was reborn spiritually in the next world, where he became the ruler of the underworld.

-What was given here was a description of the mythology behind Osiris, but I am curious to know where this statue came from.  I also am very impressed with the quality that the small statue is in and the attention to detail that was given by whoever had sculpted it.  I just really enjoyed this piece because its surreal to see something that was made by human hands from that long ago, and in that kind of condition.

Art Gallery Photos 

Week Four: Logo Design

1.      Discuss what you thought about creating your logo.

I enjoyed this project very much.  I hope one day after I make enough money having a real job ill eventually get to open up my own recording industry or guitar shop.  Either would be acceptable and that’s really the path I took when trying to create a logo that I could either use as the name of my future establishment or something I could put onto a business card

2.      Describe the process: creative thinking skills and ideas you used in the logo creation.

I was a little confused at first what I was going to create for my logo.  I first made my JD designs logo since I figured it would correlate to this art class.  I then realized I thought that you wanted us to create a logo for a future business or something that incorporates your personal interests so I started to come up with logos that I could possibly use for a future business that I would like to pursue after my career in mathematics was coming to an end.  I love music so I tried to incorporate different elements of music in a creative way so that my final product could be used in some way for my future business.

3.      What was the most important discovery you made in the creation of your logo?

Honestly, the most important discovery I had was that all of my ideas came fairly quickly to me once I had the subject that I was going to be dealing with through representation of my logo.

4.    

          What is the most important information you learned from watching the videos, powerpoint, and reading material for this project? What is your opinion of the videos?

The creative process was interesting for the going public logo.  They had a lot of different representations of the word “going public” which were all quite good, but I enjoyed the hand sketches that showed him from going from the various forms of GP into the final logo.

http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h355/donnjame/Week 4 Assignment/

AED 200 Week 3

1. Discuss what you thought about creating the Value Scale and Color Wheel.

To be honest I have created these in High school wand when I took Art and found this particular assignment to be almost childish.  I understand that the idea behind the both assignments helps us to understand the different directions we can go while painting/drawing but I believe that looking at a picture would have sufficed because a majority of the class has probably already done something like this.

2. Which media did you enjoy working with the best and why?

I personally enjoy working with a graphite pencil.   As seen in Raphael’s “The Judgment of Paris” sometimes the simpler colors can produce a magnificent piece of art.  It is not the tools that create the beauty; it is the artist that is responsible for the beauty in the final result in the work of art and in Raphael’s case he does so magnificently.

3. What was the most important discovery in the creation of these studies?

To be honest I feel like I haven’t learned anything new about the Color Wheel or the Value Scale.  I enjoyed making the color wheel however I found the Value Scale to be tedious and boring.

4. What is the most important information you learned from watching the videos for this project? What is your opinion of the videos? sdf


http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h355/donnjame/color 20wheel/

Reflection Journal

This project was much more difficult than I originally percieved it to be.  Its not as easy as you would think to come up with ideas for many of the Elements and Principles of Art.  I did however find that nature was one of the places that fufilled a variety of principles of Art, but I didn't want to limit my photo selection to just nature.  I also found alot of objects around the house to be useful.  To be honest i have never owned a digital camera, or have really taken photos of anykind.  Thankfully my brother was home from college and allowed me to borrow his camera.  The camera I used was a Nikon Coolpix and that could be one of the reasons the quality of the photos isn't as good as the Sample slideshow provided to us by the Professor.  My favorite photos was the way the sunlight hit  the rug, the texture of the starfish, as well as the variety picture I used(which was how my brother transfers his electronics from his apartment in buffalo to back home in saratoga area).  Overall id have to say that still, photography isn't my thing.  This could just be from my inexperience with it, but I do like nature so I can only assume that if i had to pick something to take a picture of, those would be the type i most enjoyed.  Rather, I moreso enjoy the drawing/painting aspect of art much more and im looking foward to the self portrait project.  I hope this reflection is up to par as I wasn't even sure what to write about.  Hope you enjoy it!!


http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h355/donnjame/AED%20Project%201/?albumview=slideshow

AED Week 2

1. Describe Color and it's effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.

Emotion

The complex emotional responses evoked by colors are not easily reduced to a set of rules or a series of formulas. Specific colors can have cultural or individual associations. They can be used symbolically or to set a mood. Colors often have contradictory cultural associations. Red can symbolize danger and anger, but it is also used to indicate joy or love. Yellow is the color of cowardice and ill health, but it is also the color of a warm summer day. Only context can provide clues to a color's meaning or emotional impact.

 2. What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?
-While the color blue supposedly elicits the response of being blue or sad as in Picasso’s The Old Guitarist, often just the opposite occurs.  Color and color associations dictate different personal responses to color.  When you look at light blue that is cool in value you think of the sky which is far from depressing.  Or for example ocean blue which brings to mind that of majesty or a vastness teeming with life beneath the surface.  Color, then and the emotional response is dictated by its properties of value or intensity as well as your personal experiences with them.

3. In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions? 
-The thing I found most interesting in this video was that an artist by the name of Mark Rothko wanted to provoke an emotional response with color alone.  He was originially going place his paintings in the 4 seasons restaurant in NY but he hated it so he made paintings that would “ruin the appetite of every son of a bitch who ever eats in this(place)” hoped his intense red and maroons would make the diners feel trapped in the room. With all the doors and windows bricked up so they could nothing but bang there heads against the wall.  I found this to be the most important because I was unaware colors could make people feel of this nature, especially when fine dining

4. In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?
-I particularly liked Francisco Goyas “Black Painting” and his use of darker colors to portray a simple yet sinister feeling.  Like in his painting of the dog in the mud.  "Is it sinking in quicksand, or struggling to get out.  Is it civilization giving into despair or struggling to get out."  Also the one drawing just using black and white and shades of gray where he is sleeping in his studio with nightmares coming out of his head.