Week 15 / Self Portrait / Art Gallery Visit

The inspiration pieces comes from the online gallery by Claire Casseb. 

http://www.clairecassebart.com/

Casseb's online art gallery consists of contemporary pop art and photorealism. 

I selected pencil / color pencil as my media because they will help define the different hues and colors throughout the portrait I have selected to recreate. The self portrait I chose is a picture of my mom and I.    Challenges I faced while creating my portrait include: making the piece seem realistic and visually appealing, and my own artistic skills challenging me in general. The piece resembles somewhat of a similarity to myself, although I'm sure anyone would fine my piece to be interesting. Elements and principles of art used in my piece include: Line, Color, Tone & Value. 

I did enjoy working on this project and really enjoyed researching online art galleries! I definitely think my piece could use a little bit more work, but hey, I'm just a beginner! 

Project #5 Art Criticism Article

I decided to critique fellow classmate, Kaitlin LaBarge's art exhibition. 

I selected this exhibit to critique because of the beautiful still life pieces that were selected. The realistic and vibrant flowers were amazing. The challenge I faced while writing the critique would probably just involve critiquing in a manor from a professional artistic point of view. We all were new at practicing being an art curator and acquiring pieces for our exhibit, so knowing we were all in the same boat put me at ease. I am always impressed when I look at my classmates work for any of our projects. It seems everyone is creative in their own way. I definitely would like to read the critiques my classmates composed in regards to my own art exhibit. Peer evaluation is constructive criticism and is good for social and communication skills. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate my article at an 8, because I definitely analyzed a majority of the pieces selected for the art exhibit I critiqued, as well as putting great points in on how this course has inspired me. I did enjoy working on this project!

Module 15 Film Review

The film, Greenberg on Art Criticism: An Interview by T.J Clark discusses the various types of art criticism by analyzing artwork and discussing other artist’s art criticisms. Although I definitely had some trouble following what he was saying exactly, I decided to read through the transcript on the right side of the video. I learned from Greenberg that you need to be receptive and stay receptive, open. Good art can come from anywhere, the results confute, they refute everything, every preconception you may have. Greenberg mentions how the best visual art of the past 50 years has been predominantly abstract. Greenberg said were stuck with that the best art, the best culture, under urban circumstances for a so-called elite. That elite gets bigger and bigger. When art’s good, it’s everything it should be.

The film, Jackson Pollock: Michael Fried and T. J Clark in conversation discussed how Jackson Pollock is an important modernist master who raises many questions with his work. They also point out how Pollock has been used a negative point of reference for modern art. The debate comes from the historical side of modern art while Fried is focused on the independence of its aesthetic. The concentration Pollock’s work requires challenges the distraction endemic in the wider culture. This film was interesting, in that Fried and Clark critiqued Pollock’s work through different approaches. This relates to the  Greenberg on Art Criticism film through the advice on being receptive to an artist’s artwork.