Author: Cassandra J. Moseley

Unit 1 Summary

We began divulging into this unit with our second blog post where we were each able to see and discuss how art has different meanings to each individual. At this point we learned that, essentially, there is no singular definition for the word art and what we consider art. I enjoyed that experiencing this in the beginning of the unit because I never knew if what I thought of as art could actually be considered a form of art. I grew up with an artist for a brother, so I always assumed that in reality the only works of art that existed were paintings, sculptures, etc.; and now I am aware that it can be the opposite in most cases. After learning formal analysis and how to use it, I have found myself appreciating things that I consider art even more. For example, when looking at the plating of many foods that you online and in-person, you can use the formal analysis technique in many ways. When looking at dishes I find myself paying more attention to the colors used, especially for garnishing and whether they are meant to enhance or diminish the food. Or I have found myself observing the size of food and plates, and how the two work with each other. Some use a larger plate for small portions to showcase the real-life size, while others use plates to fit the food for scale and to display actual or an enhanced size.

Furthermore, I have also began to find a new appreciate to actual paintings and sculptures when I see them. There are different paintings around my house and I have found myself observing them with more detail. For example, I’m always intrigued by the shapes and kind of lines that are used. The painting in my house of a field of flowers, I can now see that it is done with light lines and strokes with minimal shading to show that they are blowing in the wind.

In this unit we also learned about the banking model by Paulo Friere. The banking model suggests that teachers and educators are there to fill “empty vessels” i.e. students with knowledge, in which the students then just regurgitate the knowledge and there is no critical thinking component. He also mentions that this is the traditional education system which I can agree with. Even to this day I have a professor here and there that just wants us to regurgitate the information/knowledge that they shared and does not wish to go further with the material and make the students use the information. While reading many of the blog posts during this unit, I found that many of my classmates experienced the same thing, even with higher education.

Lastly, we began exploring the ancient world. This was one of my favorite topics thus far because I have always had an interest in ancient worlds. It was interesting to learn more about their art works in depth and the reason that some of them were made. For example, we learned that in Ancient Mesopotamia there are many small figurines and sculptures that are all made to look very similar; long hair, wide eyes, and hands always cupped together. These figurines were made small so that they could be kept with a person at all times and to “replace” times where they are unable to pray to the gods. The figurines were meant to show the gods that the person did care and that they were still worshipping them even when they were working or sleeping. The people were scared to be in a situation where they are not seen praying to the gods or giving thanks to the gods because they saw them as the power to make things really good or very bad.

Blog Post 4: Formal Analysis

One way to comprehend and critique artwork is to use formal analysis. Formal analysis can be described as a way to understand, on a deeper level, the artwork by viewing the artwork as being composed of different elements instead of being viewed as a whole. From this one goes on to analyze the different elements that make up the artwork: color, line, space and mass, and scale. When we look at the color we should focus on different aspects, such as the different hues that might be present and if there appears to be a pattern in the choice of color. This would also mean determining if the level of saturation. As mentioned in the reading, the idea of analyzing the lines goes beyond pictures and paintings; it can be applied 3D objects as well. Analyzing lines could mean determining if the lines are light or harsh in terms of 2D pieces, or understanding the different line contours for 3D objects. When comprehending the space element, it is important to recognize if it is portraying 3D space, even conceptually. Mass is then used to imagine the artwork as having physical measurements such as weight and volume. Lastly, scale refers to the actual size of the artwork and the size in the artwork. To further analyze and determine scale, one must determine its consistency and what the actual size of the artwork could mean.

Pedagogy and Power

According to Paulo Freire, the banking model of education can be thought of as students being empty vessels or containers in which teachers/educators must put new knowledge into those “containers” or students. Essentially, the teachers are expected to unload information into student’s brains, and it is then assumed that those said students will intake that information, memorize it, and then be able to regurgitate it. This is how Paulo Freire metaphorizes the education system. This model can be seen to empower the educators or teachers because in this sense, they have the ability to give forth any information that will fill the student’s mind or their empty container. Thus this model can be seen to disempower the student’s since they are not in control of the information that they are being filled with and expected to memorize.

I believe that throughout my academic career, I have experienced this model multiple times in which it had its positives and negatives. For me, one experience of the banking model that I encountered was when I first began to learn Spanish in middle school. In the beginning, for every class the teacher would give us new words to learn the meaning behind and then the different endings. For example, I would be taught that “descansar” meant to rest, and then be given a list of the different conjugations. During this time I was expected to have this information “deposited”, memorize it, and the recite it. I believe that for this kind of course, this model was an advantage because it is important to be able to memorize a word’s meaning as well as its conjugations, and repeat this information…just as one would with a word in English. Although, I think a negative of this learning was that I was never encouraged to memorize proper use or using it in a sentence. There was no critical thinking to the basics of this course, and therefore I personally had a difficult time learning the material. From this personal difficulty, my Mom would have to speak to me in Spanish and use the word in order for me to fully understand the word, and then I would have to create my own sentences; I was not always able to just memorize it and regurgitate it. 

My Art Story

The word “art” is such a simple word, but without its textbook definition, I believe that its definition becomes more complex. Everyone has their own definition of art and stumbling upon two people who can give an identical definition would not be easy, in my opinion. I believe this because I believe one important aspect of art reflects what each individual person sees in the world and their perspective on their own life. At the end of the day, I believe art can be anything, depending on how each individual views it. To me, when I think of art I instantly imagine paintings and drawings, but at a macro view for myself, I think art is anywhere I can show my creative side and imagination to make something that is meaningful to myself and hopefully others. For example, when I cook and bake different cuisines and add my own personality to the dish, I think of that as my artwork because when it comes to drawing and paintings I was never good at that nor did I take an interest. To go back to my original idea of what art is, my view of artwork is different than that of my brother who is an artist. For him, he personally thinks of art as drawings, paintings, and even video games because these are all woven into his life and how he expresses himself (picture shown).

To continue with the idea of art, I believe it fits into my ever day life and soon my career. As mentioned before my art and appreciation of art is in cooking and baking, these are two art forms that truly resonate with me and for that reason they have been my hobby since I was about 5 years old. I love that in these two art forms, there really never is a wrong way to make something, every recipe has the personality of the person who made it. I say that this will fit into my career because I am studying to be a Dietitian and in my opinion there is a certain art form to this career. When you’re putting together a diet therapy, each one has a “default”, but then each therapy needs to get customized to each individual and you have to be creative and imaginative with dish and food options. This also intertwines with my interest of food and baking, where to make things “healthy” you have to really think outside of the box and present food in a way that makes people want to eat it and take an interest in it.

In this class I hope to learn more about art in general. I have definitely learned to appreciate all types of art since I was younger and wish expand my knowledge on the history behind them. Everything has a story and I believe I am at the age where I want to learn the story to not only gain knowledge, but also develop an opinion on it and comprehend the real meaning.