Category: 9:30 AM Class

Brooklyn Museum part2

   <p>William T. Williams (American, born 1942). <em>Trane</em>, 1969. Acrylic on canvas, 108 x 84 in. (274.3 x 213.4 cm). The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. © William T. Williams. Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York</p>

Image result for pablo picasso art mirror reflection

This artwork seems to look interesting to me somehow because of its colors, lines, and shapes. However, this artwork was by William T Williams was an American abstract geometric painting. Williams included the colors red, blue, yellow, pink, purple, green, black, brown, and orange. Not only his colors were outstanding but also the shape of the line, such as thick and thin line, big and small shapes. The line of the shape or sharp edges were all connected together. Mostly, the shapes were squares and rectangles.

I can compare the artwork to another famous painter named Pablo Picasso. He was  spanish painter and I used to learned about him in my art class.  This artwork was called”Girl Before A Mirror” Although he uses different techniques to design his artwork. However, he drew a mirror reflection with some black line pattern, circles as the body parts, black and white triangles as the chest and all different colors on the faces, hair and body. It actually shows a figure of a girl with an emotional feeling while the other artwork does not but only with a geometric shape.

P.S — The picasso painting was not in the museum, I just wanted to talk about the connection between them that I found it interesting.

Unit 1 Summary

When deciding to take the course of Art History & it’s Meaning, I wasn’t sure where one would even begin in learning about a subject that seemed so broad and substantial. In looking at the syllabus and taking in what would be discussed in Unit 1, I was still lost. What is Formal Analysis? What is Critical Pedagogy? How do both of these fit into art history and it’s meaning? Despite being unsure, I was open to learning about both. All it could do for me is unlock the door to a subject that always intrigued me and further help me understand what it is I’ll be learning this semester.

It turns out that formal analysis is where one must start before delving further into art history and it’s meaning. Without learning about formal analysis, we wouldn’t be able to analyze or depict the artwork we’d evidently be exposed to further along in the semester. All formal analysis is asking us, as viewers, to do is simply take note of what the artist has done visually in his or her work. In formal analysis it is important to hone in on visuals such as color, line, space, mass/scale, material, contrast, position, composition, and illusionism. Taking note of each of these components works to conceptualize the artwork at hand and form an idea of what it is the artist is trying to express. An artist’s use of a certain range of color, their emphasis of line and linear contours and the space they create within their work are integral to the message the artist is trying to convey. Other vital components to pay attention to when using formal analysis is subject matter and historical context. While subject matter is more blatantly obvious to analyze in artwork, it still aids us in understanding the artwork at hand, what or rather who’s important. Historical context, however, requires some outside research. Once this outside research is conducted, we can understand the artists choices much better and it becomes clearer why certain elements were incorporated.

I enjoyed learning about critical pedagogy because my own beliefs were finally being firmly relayed before my eyes. My opinions in relation to the education system that we subject our children to have never been formed in an honorary degree. I have always believed it to be corrupt and degrading, and Paulo Friere’s Pedagogy and Power reaffirmed this for me. In his famous novel, Friere ridicules the education system by constructing the banking model of education. In doing so, he argues that the relationship between teacher and students is an oppressive one. The teacher is assigned all of the power and knowledge and all of the student’s previous knowledge before entering the school system is completely dismissed. Instead students become “empty vessels” in which the teachers simply deposit knowledge in them. In this kind of relationship, not only is knowledge limited but creativity is stunted. The teacher’s intelligence and authority can never be questioned, even if it should be, and the student can never pass along any information or intelligence of their own, because it’d be deemed unworthy and illogical. The students simply receive and memorize the knowledge bestowed upon them and spit it back out when taking standardized testing.

In learning about formal analysis, art history and it’s meaning is prescribed a meaning. Without taking formal analysis into consideration, without using it, we’d be looking at art but we wouldn’t be seeing it. Formal analysis is integral to art history, without it one can argue that the study of art history and it’s meaning would be rendered useless. In also learning about Paulo Friere’s critical pedagogy, I’m even more aware of the faultiness of our education system. It helps me  appreciate the open and creative environment that I’m privileged with in attending college, where students thoughts and opinions are heard and valued. I believe unit one will prepare me immensely for the units that lie ahead and I’m interested in seeing how they aid me in my further understanding of art history.

Unit 1: Summary

In unit 1, we began with sharing our thoughts on what art is to us and how do we express and are able to connect to it. Art comes in all different ways and forms, from historic painting to graffiti on subways to even music and dance it is all a form of expression. Art can show viewers an artist mood and creativity, although each viewer may read any way of art in a different perspective which makes it more interesting. We were later introduced to formal analysis in art. We learned that it focuses on the elements and principles used by the artist. The elements of art include, shape, line, form, color, texture, mass and scale. While the principles of art include things such as pattern, contrast and balance in a piece of art.With formal analysis we as viewers are able to learn about the visual facts of the artists work and begin to interpret what the artist is trying to portray. Everyone has a different idea when looking at a piece of art even without referring to any outside sources, though we do use historical context of an artwork to helps understand why the artist did such and such in the piece of art. We look at elements such as color used and what mood it may represent, we also look at lines to helps tell if artwork is two or three dimensional. Overall with formal analysis we have a better understand on how to interpret artwork in a whole and what things we can point out that others may miss in order to understand what the artist is trying portray.

We also discussed the “Banking Concept of Education” by Paulo Freire which described a way of education in which the educators/teachers deposit information and “knowledge” into students as if they were actually just a bank. This concept relied on teachers just needed to teach and students are taught, they were taught just to listen and memorize without being able to express any opinion on anything they were being taught, in simpler terms “teachers knew everything.” Student memorized and repeated, which lead them to not be able to be creative thinkers but only have their thinking controlled by an educator. I believe this only holds a student who may be a genius from the future, it did not allow them to actually understand the why’s and what if’s, and it didn’t allow their opinion or expression to be heard which ruled out an creativity they may have had.

Throughout this unit I learned how to look at art differently especially ancient art, I am now able to point out things I missed before. I can tell how color and lines can change an entire perspective of a piece of artwork. I was also able to realize how much art has changed throughout the years and how every detail in a historic piece of art can have so much meaning.

 

KBR7ED Praxiteles Giving Phryne his Statue of Cupid, Angelica Kauffmann 1794

Unit 1 Summary

In this unit, we focused on Pablo Freire, the banking model and how to do formal analysis of piece of art. Formal analysis and critical pedagogy are essential because they help the audience analyze and understand the work more in depth. From this unit I have also learned that art is a form of communication. It’s meaning is whatever the artist intends it to be as well as how it’s audience perceives it. Art is influenced by the materials, techniques, and forms it makes use of, as well as the ideas and feelings it can create in its viewers. 

Works of art are always crafted, never natural or choice free. Formal analysis is an attempt to describe physical entity such as a piece of art. For formal analysis, our vision is our primary source thus making formal analysis subjective. We look at a piece of art’s formal properties, subject matter, and historical context for a formal analysis. Formal properties refers to looking at the line, color, composition, size, scale, modeling, and etc. Subject matter would be what the artist has chosen to paint, draw or sculpt. If something is analyzed “in historical context,” it means the historical circumstances in which it was produced affected the work and it’s meaning or message. Without an understanding of the era, a full understanding of the piece will be impossible. Historical context can play into artists’ influences, intentions and state of mind. 

Freire calls traditional pedagogy the “banking model of education” because it treats the student as an empty vessel to be filled with knowledge. However, he argues the learner should be treated as a co-creator of knowledge. Freire rejects the banking approach, claiming it results in the dehumanization of both the students and the teachers. He also argues that the banking approach stimulates oppressive attitudes and practices in society. Instead, Freire advocates for a more world-mediated, mutual approach to education that encourages the co-creation of knowledge. According to Freire, this “authentic” approach to education must allow people to be aware of their incompleteness and strive to be more fully human. I agree with Freire, I think that the only way to be successful in current academic settings is simply memorization and not actually learning. That’s we we forget everything when classes end. 

Rudolf Adis Unit 1 Summary

So far, in ART 1010, I have garnered a significant amount of knowledge in the history of art, the conceptual side of art, and even theories by other artists/philosophical thinkers of art. Nevertheless, one of the concepts we were introduced to so far is the Banking Model. The Banking Model is a theory/term created by Pablo Friere, a 20th century educator and philosophical thinker. This term, seen depicted in Friere’s work, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, basically envisions students as containers in which knowledge is stored by the teachers in the classroom. Friere uses the Banking Model in order to critique the approach used in the educational system, in that students should be able to express themselves within a classroom just as much as the teacher should, being that they would be able to use the knowledge attained from the teacher and mix it with their own knowledge in order to gather a better understanding of a certain concept. That brings us to Friere’s concept of Critical Pedagogy.

Critical Pedagogy is a concept that builds itself hand-in-hand with the Banking Model. However, the slight difference is that Critical Pedagogy critiques classrooms and pushes for students to have a tenfold increase in their own independence within a classroom. Furthermore, Critical Pedagogy inspires students to question and challenge “domination” within the classroom. The reason for this is because Friere believed that students do not have freedom of thinking, and are even oppressed within the classroom. So much so, that in “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, Paulo Friere stated, “Education is suffering from narration sickness…”.

Formal Analysis is a type of visual description of Art that we learned about in class. Specifically, formal analysis is not only about describing what one sees in and of the artwork, but it is also about getting down to the nitty and gritty parts of the artwork, and describing specific traits within it. To elaborate, there are 7 traits we look for when using Formal Analysis: historical context, line, space, mass, scale, color, and composition. The last mentioned trait, composition, deals with how the artist combines all aforementioned traits within their artwork and then produces a beautiful, finalized version of it. In fact, Formal Analysis is what I used when visualizing the works of art that were spoken about in class.

In specific, when analyzing Manet, Olympia, 1863/5, I noticed that a lot of dark and warm colors were used. Furthermore I have noticed that in terms of historical context, the older, black woman seems to be the maid of the younger, white woman. This is synchronous with the time period (1863) at that time. Finally, based on how eminent and bright the lights in the painting were, as well as the texture of the painting, it is easy for me to come to the conclusion that this must have been an oil painting. Nevertheless, Unit 1 has taught me a plethora of knowledge concerning art and its history, and has truly broadened my perspective/horizons when it comes to the philosophical eminence of art, as well.

Unit summary

 

In this unit, we learned about how Pablo Freire views the banking model and how to do formal analysis of an art piece. This unit has taught me that the way we are taught is seen as correct by Freire so he would be happy that it is this way, but I disagree with this banking model as it excludes certain types of people and formal analysis is something that can be done to find meaning in an art piece even if it isn’t immediately noticeable.

    Freire says that the banking model is where an audience sits front of an individual and learns from the said individual. The single teacher is water pitcher of knowledge pouring water into the students like little cups. This only works in theory because people are not cups to pour water in. The only action for the students is to be passively accepting the knowledge and the teacher actively gives it, giving him the dominant role. It limits the chance to engage with and understand the knowledge. I honestly have forgotten many things that my past classes have taught me because they were only telling me to remember, so I did. The reason why we remember other basic skills like language and manners is that we engage with it in our daily lives

    Formal analysis has you looking at specific traits. These traits are color, line, space, mass, and scale. You can even look at something that looks like trash by using formal analysis, make a case for it being art because all art is subject. An example we can look at is a crumpled up piece of paper on the floor. What is the color of the crumpled paper? Was it colored before it was crumpled up? How complex was the coloring? Was it just a white unaltered paper before the crumple? All of this can possible mean something. Lines might be a bit more difficult to see in the crumpled paper, but it’s possible. How was it crumpled? Was it compressed as hard as possible being more ball like, making lines harder to see? Was it it lightly compresses giving it more define jagged lines that stick out? Was it folded part way but crumpled at the end making it less ball like but more square like? Does the silhouette look like something specific? This can be infused with meaning.

    Space indicate whether the image conveys a sense of 3D space. It is already 3D so I can’t apply it because it is already 3D. Unless it is an actual sketching that looks hyper realistic. Mass is the space created by the art piece. I can apply this nor easily. Mass can be conveyed to the crumpled paper based on its environment. Is it surrounded by a lot of smaller items like paper clips and pins? Is it surrounded by crowds of people, giving the paper a sense of insignificance? Scale is the presentation of size portrayed in the work or in relation to the viewer. Is the crumpled piece of paper comically huge, towering over people? Or is it comically small dwarfing insects? This huge size can reference the power of trash and the destruction it causes and the small size can be the opposite. All of this is mere deep speculation of a crumpled paper. Some may ask, why did you waste all that time? I would say, “it is for the sake of art, because everything is potentially art”.

 

Couple Walking

I was honestly very moved by the ‘Soul of a Nation’ exhibition. As the name suggests, the exhibition did portray the soul of this nation during a time period where African Americans were so contested and resilient. The exhibition really portrayed a realistic view of the conditions of African Americans through the disparate artwork of more than sixty Black artists. Among some of the most beautiful pieces of artwork, the Couple Walking photo captured by Roy DeCarava stood out to me mainly because of its realistic portrayal. The photograph spoke volumes about the sense of comradery, resilience, and companionship among the two subjects. However, in light of the movement and change that was occurring for the African American community at the time, I think this photo further represents a union and love shared among the suffering Black communities all over America. Though it is a black and white photograph, there is a warmth that welcomes the observer to think about the man and the woman faced away from the camera, holding tightly onto each other. They seem to be waking away from the camera and the scene captured almost candidly by the photographer. The man in the photo is wearing a sleeveless shirt with jeans, and the woman wearing a head scarf, and formal attire. Though kind of contrast in their clothing style, their love and adoration for each other become expressed through their arms which surround one another. For me, looking at this photograph this couple seems hopeful as they walk through a historically, politically, and socially relevant time period in America. I feel hope not only for the couple but, also the African American community as they walked together holding arms in a fight for equality and justice.

The Wooden Prince

The statue of Amunhotep III stood out to me at first because of the color scheme. The gold and brown colors made the figure seem warm and welcoming. With closer look, the figure seemed to be made of wood, different from the fine stone figures usually seen in Egyptian art. This evoked curiosity. Without reading the caption, the figure seemed to be representing an authority, with a magnificent crown and a gold colored kilt. The gate of the figure gave a sense of sophistication and confidence. The figure was small, and stood on a wooden base. Strikingly the figure has no arms, and the left leg is in front of the right, suggesting a sense of motion or even dominance. There seems to be difference in the polish of the head and body, which was interesting. The crown was one of the most complicated woodwork in the figure. The crown is something called the “Blue Crown” which was first seen in Egyptian art only a few generation prior, meaning that it was a relatively new invention. The eyebrows and the eyes are outlined in a purple-blue glass, and eyes in white and black glass. The face is also drawn so realistically, and seems to be lifelike. The male figure was made in the late XVII dynasty, circa 1390-1352. The caption read that the figure was a cult statue made after the death of subject. After some research, I found that wood was pretty expensive and rare and they had to be imported. This shows that this figure was someone of great importance or meant something to the people since it was created after his death. Not surprisingly, Amunhotep III’s reign was a time of peace.

I really enjoyed looking at this piece of art, it really spoke volumes of who the the pharaoh was, and his reign. Though I was first attracted to this piece because of the color, the art revealed to me so much history and purpose that I didn’t know. Definitely a great experience.

Unit 1 Summary

Unit 1 was about the pedagogy and power, banking model, and formal analysis. The Banking Model is described as teachers simply passing on an idea to the students. The teachers talk and lecture while the students are quiet and receive the information. I have experienced this type of model many times in high school. Some teachers I had would not care to listen to anything the students had to say. They would think everything that they said was correct. I think this model has more negative aspects rather than positive. You might be able to learn something but it’s not the most effective and long-term method of teaching. I think its very important for teachers to engage and encourage their students to speak up in class. This helps a lot of students learn better. The pedagogical approach to any subject must be important when you want someone to learn. For example, if you’re teaching drawing you shouldn’t just put a fruits basket in front of the students and expect them to know how to draw. You would have to teach them the basics first.

Another thing we learned is formal analysis. Formal analysis is not only describing the art but also showing and understanding what the artist is trying to convey, visually. Everybody has different ways of looking at things so our own interpretation of art will have a play in what we think it means. When focusing on formal analysis, there are some characteristics we use: color, line, space and mass, scale. We also look at the composition of the art. Composition means how the artist combines all these factors in their work of art. We also use the historical context of an artwork. It relates to the things that happen during the time the art was made. It serves to give us a better understanding of the art and show why the artist decided to make this artwork.

It’s very interesting that you can learn so much about an artwork from its historical background. I never knew how to analyze an artwork before but after learning some basics on formal analysis it has become easier. When looking at the Titian Venus of Urbino, I noticed that a lot of warmer colors were used as opposed to cool or neutral colors. Colors like pink and red were used a lot. Another technique that was cool was looking at the way the artist catches your eye from the direction of lines. They guide your eyes intentionally from left to right. I personally thought that was interesting and cool how an artist can make you do that. Also, learning of the historical background of the painting really put it into a perspective of why the art was made.

Summary of Unit 1

Throughout Unit 1 we spoke about Formal Analysis.  We discussed the physical look of a piece of art and searched for the clues of a deeper understanding.  Formal Analysis is actually taking a piece and looking at the physical color, line, shape, material, etc.  We took the knowledge about the formal analysis and was able to decipher a whole new meaning to the piece.

We also discussed that because of formal analysis two painters might draw the same muse but the outcome of the two pieces of art would be completely different.  Each artist places items and lines into their works of art for a specific reason.

In the “Standard of Ur” there is a specific reason for each scratch.  Nothing is just a coincidence, everything is shown because the artist wants it to be.  The king is larger on purpose, and the outfits are different on purpose.  We see this and see the deeper meaning because of formal analysis.

Many works of art cause change and enlightenment in the world.  Some are obvious within the art and some you need to have an understanding about art and the reasons behind it.