Art Thoughtz (Grad School)

Hennessy Youngman's satirical outlook on Grad School is basically him saying that Grad School is useless. He uses satire to explain how he's against wasting tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to gain a grad school education. Him selling a dvd that has grad school information on it also emphasizes the satirical response towards gaining a grad school education.

Art 21 Summary

Though I've questioned some of her works before, Marina Abramovic is still an interesting artist, whose work is capable of capturing one's attention. Also known as the "Grandmother of Performance Art", Marina Abramovic is known for performance pieces that can disturb her audience, but also leave them in awe. Her performances can involve extraneous activity that requires, of her, willpower and endurance. Her willpower and endurance comes from her parents and her upbringing during the Communist uprising. Her parents were apart of the Communist party and their strong belief was one of the main motivators for her performance pieces. Along with her parents, her grandparents were influential to her. Her grandmother was her caretaker and she was a religious fanatic. Her grandfather was a saint. She had described theses traits to be an unbeatable combination that is full on contradictions. This combination contributed to her upbringing as an artist.She also goes on to say that in the life of an artist, it's important to find "the right tool". For her, performance art is her tool, a form of expression.

Between World Wars

1) Describe a Dada artwork. What world event influenced this style? How?
-Dada art movement was caused by the protesting against WWI. During this movement, artist were known for being rebellious. They would criticize society through works of art. Artwork was made from cheap materials and the focus was to emit a sense of humor and irreverence. The artwork of this time rejected morale, social, political, and aesthetic values. One of the most radical of the dadaist was Marcel Duchamp. He was known for producing art from mass produced objects (also known as "ready mades"). The piece to the right is titled "Bicycle Wheel". It is representational due to the fact that is objects the traditional value for the intention of a bicycle by placing the wheel on top of a stool.

2) Describe the work of Jacob Lawrence in the video. What were the artist's influences?
- The art of Jacob Lawrence can be described a celebratory notification towards the termination of black labor from Southern America. Jacob Lawrence's inspirations for his pieces originate from the focus of African American history, The Harlem Renaissance, and artwork from Goya, Orozco, and Domiae.
(Excuse the spelling of the last mentioned artist)

Graffiti from 5 Pointz (Queens)

Impressionism and Post Impressionism

Impressionism is an art period of when artist make the initiative to advance from academic doctrines and romantic ideals towards the portrayal of of contemporary life. Artist of this time were interested in capturing moments of life. They would make art pieces of what they could see. These pieces were done quickly.Landscapes is an example of the works that were done during this age. Known artist of this time period are Monet and Mary Cassatt.

Post-Impressionism focuses not on what is seen, but on the interpretation of what  is being seen. To see through what is being seen to another superficial reality. The poet, Rimbaud, describes artists of this time period to be extraordinary, mysterious, and visionary. Artist know for their work during this art period are Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Edward Munich.

European colonization was a worldwide affect that affected all non-Western cultures. These cultures were faced with the challenged of losing their cultural identity. An example of this is the territorial movement of Native American land on U.S. soil. Examples of this issue during this time period give birth to new art from the non-industrial societies of this time period (i.e. Africa). The art work from these non-industrial societies are influential for new art pieces from European artists. An example of artwork that was seen as influential was the buffalo shape costume from the Native American tribe, the Zuni.

Renaissance and Baroque

                  The Renaissance was a time of rebirth. The term of humanism is one that contributes to the meaning of the Renaissance. Humanism is the term used to described the attitudinal shift in Europe. As a result of this shift, factors of the Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages, such as religious fervor, was being challenged by logical and philosophical thought. Movements in art and literature also took place. For many Europeans, this was time a time of exploring the potential of the individual and the rediscovery of cultures that were forgotten by the world. During this time, art work is influenced by different factors. For example, in the Italian Renaissance the artwork is human centered because the following of Mediterranean tradition. Along with the Renaissance, the Baroque period was also another movement. Artist were using the techniques of the Renaissance to make art more dramatic and emotional. During this time period there was an emphasis on the use of intense light and shadow, scale, and composition. The two art works below are examples of the art work that were produced during that time.
                 The first art work is named the "Chess Players" by Liberale da Verona. This art piece was made in 1457. Liberale da Verona is an Italian artist and this piece is made of tempera on wood. There is a bit of a narrative to this piece as well. There are two short stories that are being told, one is that a maid, positioned near the window, has smitten a young man and the erotically charged game of chess (the lady is about to lose). The emphasis on the blond afros that are being sported is because it was the height of fashion during this time period.In this piece, the technique of shading is used which is recognized as the transition from the Medieval style of art in which the art was very flat.
                   The next art piece is composed of oil paint on canvas. This piece was made by Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. Titled "Aristotle with a Bust of Homer" was made in 1653. The amplified use of shading, a technique taken  from the Renaissance era, and foreshortening are seen in this piece. The medallion represents Alexander the Great, who was tutored by Aristotle. This painting was sold to a collector by the name of Antonio Ruffo. Also, the painting refers to Aristotle's comparisons of using sight and touch as a way of gaining knowledge.

Rembrandt

Simon Schama's Rembrandt

Describe the portrait of the fur merchant. Why is he the "business man's" hero?
-The fur merchant is known as Nicholas Ruts, he sold Russian sable. Rembrandt painted this portrait with emphasizing a few features such as the fur that Nicholas wears. The fur is painted dropping down his body as though it just falls down his body. Rut's glance gives the look of a slight impatient intelligence. He is regarded as the "business man's hero" because of the slight pink that is used in his eyelids, which implies that he has given up sleep for the sake of his investors. His painted sacrifice of sleep shows his concern of his investors, regarding him as a hero.

What's the mood of the 83 year old woman?
-This painting is located in the National Gallery in London. Rembrandt shows the mood of the women to be sad and it's shown through her dropping eyelids. Rembrandt's interest in conveying the human condition in his art works brings out the mood of this elderly woman.

What is Rembrandt communicating in the painting of Sampson & Delilah?
-In the painting of this biblical story, Rembrandt is communicating the moment when Delilah betrays Sampson, but in a different perspective. Most other artists of that time portray Sampson as a nude hulk in slumber, but Rembrandt decides to cloth him. Along with clothing, there is a knot that appears to be tying Sampson and Delilah. This representing the love that they both had for each other, along with the inevitable betrayal that awaits him.