Blog Post 2: My Art Story

Throughout history, art has been categorized as a form of human expression through creative methods that often attract the visual senses. In my life, art has taken the backseat for the past four years. But history includes the past, and art has always played an enormous role in my life. Traditionally speaking, my mother always took interest in art and that interest may as well be hereditary because most of siblings have careers based in the art. I of course am one of the few exceptions, rather than fine arts or architecture, I chose psychology. Though I must acknowledge that up until college I went to an Art school in New Jersey which inculcated an intimate passion for art. To simplify, art to me is my heritage and Spanish culture, art to me is a safe haven when I’m stressed. Art to me is the most intimidate expression of emotion a person can expose and everything in this world if we look closely has artistry. My life is surrounded by art, and therefore, whether it be because of my mother or not, art will always have a place in my life. I honestly hope to learn what is already being offered, especially in terms of the origin of art. Where did it first appear? Also, the social aspects, especially how art revolutionizes epocs and eras.

An Art Story

How does one define art? It’s not safe to assume that everyone has the same concrete definition of something that is so expansive and subjective. According to dictionary.com, every English major’s best friend (alongside thesaurus.com), the definition of art is:

  1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

Looking it up might have been cheating, but while this definition holds intellectual substantiality and is transcendent, anyone can take a step back and criticize it. Dismay it even. My definition of art can differ drastically so from my neighbors definition. Who’s to say that art has to be beautiful, or hold a “more than ordinary significance”?

If I were to pigeonhole the definition of art, I would define it as a physical expression from the self. However, what this physical expression manifest’s itself into is the trickier (but best) part.

Art has always been a book in my lap and the touch of pen to paper, turning words into life. It is the only way I knew how to immerse myself in art at a young age, and the art that taught me that expression can be cathartic and inspirational.     As I grew older, I learned that I could immerse myself in art through what I wore and how I decorated my spaces. Reading, writing and expressing who I am through clothing and surrounding myself with Monet and Klimt and Van Gogh paintings. Through these expressions of art, I find that I not only understand life better through the eye of others but that I learn to understand myself better as well.

What I hope to gain from this class is a new definition of art and to have more of an intellectual grasping of artistic terms that help me understand important underlying meanings of artwork that I might’ve missed otherwise.

My Art Story

Art has no set definition. To some it can mean classical paintings, and to others it can mean a well choreographed dance. Personally, art to me is something crafted with both high amounts of skill and imagination. I notice art around me everywhere throughout my day to day schedule. On my commute to school, I admire the architecture of Manhattan: the skyscrapers. While on the train, I read some of the poems posted and I consider that to be art. When I see someone who’s nails match their handbag or their drink I find that to be artsy. My Pinterest boards are filled with home decor which I also consider to be art. I love the fact that art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Thus, you can create art and maybe some people will resonate with your art while others won’t, and that’s perfectly fine. I took a college level Printmaking class, and some of the students made these masterpieces that really changed my perspective on how art can be used to signify such larger themes.

I would like to learn about how art developed over time and maybe learn about some classical pieces and artists such as the Mona Lisa and Van Gogh. I also would like to know more about the influences behind contemporary art if there are any. I am thrilled to go to art museums (for free!) and expose myself to various types of art in order to see which ones resonate with me.

My History with Art

Aside from doodling random sketches of Spiderman and other superheroes in class since elementary school, art has always been an intrinsic passion of mine ever since I was introduced to comic books in 1st grade. I vividly remember the nights when I used to stay after my bedtime to read a stack of comics. As I read them, I remember that I was captivated by the illustrations and the details. Sometimes, I would re-read them as an excuse to look at the illustrations again; they were perfect. My imagination and creativity has definitely increased after my years of reading comics. The illustrations has opened a world of creativity I thought I would have never had. My drawing hobby slowly manifested throughout my childhood and I still love drawing during my free time.

Art, the word itself, can have a range of sub-categories. It is very hard to define it. First, it can describe the history of a certain piece. It can describe the culture of a piece. It can be in the form of lyrics (music), poetry, and literature. Or it can be totally different such as fashion and beautiful mathematical expressions such as the golden ratio. All of these sub-catergories have overlaps such that art is a form of expression through creativity or imagination.

Personally, I would love to explore surrealism in the 1900s. My favorite piece is by Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory. His works are just so bizarre and pleasing to look at. Anytime I look at his work, my mind gets convoluted with random thoughts and sometimes I get anxious!

Blog 2: My Art Story

Art refers to a display ,whether it be a dance, painting,etc, in which one can apply their creative skills to, in order to express themselves. 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.

Personally, art is something that can evoke an emotional response within me, either positive or negative. My appreciation for art has not always existed. I used to view trips to the museum or galleries as simply an excuse to get out of class. I would look at painting, displays, etc and have a simply opinion. Maybe I thought it was pretty or it didn’t make sense to me, but that was it. However as I got older and gained life experiences and wisdom, art became more relatable to be me. Now I see poems on the train and actually read them and reflect. I see murals and graffiti imagining the lengths those artist took to make said creation. An appreciation for art is unique and personalized, which make it so much more interesting.

Literature is a love of mine and I consider it a form of art. I started to read romance novels during my teenage years. I would read these fascinating dramas, all happy ending, and would always be content afterwords. I consider literature a form of art because it’s simply an artist, using a pen paper as their tool, and conveying their meaning onto pages of paper. I love the power of words and how it’s manipulation can tell many stories at once.

My Art Story

People view or define art in many different ways. In their perspective which consists of reasons why they like or dislike about the techniques. For example, art is the expression of human creative skills and imagination. A painting, design or sculpture can let people express their thoughts and feeling to art.

Throughout history, there have been a few famous artists that most people liked such as Leonardo de Vinci, Pablo Passisco, Vincent Van Gogh. They have created various of painting or sculpture which has caught people attention. You would want to know more about the art because of the picture, colors, and style which makes it outstanding.

One of my favorite art is called the Cafe Terrance at Night by Vincent Van Gosh. The painting has beautiful scenery that caught my eye because it shows a place at night where people are eating and looking at the bright stars. What makes the art even better is the color that stands out, the color yellow and orange because of its brighness.

 

Image result for cafe terrace at night

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Art Story

When I hear the word art I instantly think of museums. I don’t go often but when I do what I love about going is hearing other people’s perspectives on an art piece. It’s crazy sometimes what people can catch. Every art piece has some kind of meaning whether it’s obvious or not at first glance. Art is a form of expressing your thoughts and imagination in a visual image. The only personal art of mine is my doodling in class on the margins of my paper.

I don’t think a skill is needed when it comes to art. Whether you perceive it as an “ugly” drawing, it is still art and it still will have meaning of some sort. The reason for this is because art is used to express yourself and bring out your creative imagination. In my previous Psychology classes, it was always brought up how drawing can be used as a way for therapy. This is true based on my experience because when I doodle in class, it calms me down.

My favorite type of art is graffiti. I love walking around streets of New York and observe the colors and art behind graffiti. My favorite area in New York that has graffiti is Williamsburg. The graffiti there is remarkable because of all the effort and detail put into it and the meaning behind them.

I took these images below the last time I was in Williamsburg and I was astonished by the detailing:

How to make a Blog Post

Are you worried you don’t know how to make a blog post?

Well stop worrying because you came to the right place.

It just takes 5 easy steps and voila!

Step 1: log in to your CUNY Academic Commons account

Step 2: press on the avatar on the top right corner, go to “my sites”, and click on “Fall 2018 Art 1010 at Brooklyn College”

Step 3: on the left side click on “+ New” to  make your first blog post

Step 4: create your own personalized title and under that type your blog post in the big rectangular space, then select the category (9:30 AM class), and finally select the tag

Side note: if you’d like to add an image press “add media”

Step 5: press publish & you’re done 🙂

My Art Story

Art is primarily subjective to each individual. Essentially, it can consist of pretty much anything and everything you want. A piece of paper, a still moment, sounds, intangible experiences and feelings can all be considered art, if you truly wanted it to be.

Personally, art to me can be all of the things I have just listed. Anything that is beautiful to me, stands out and leaves me wanting a little bit more. Words that are curated in ways you couldn’t typically think of, places you’ve been that you just can’t get out of your head, sounds and pictures and everything else. Art is all around me, every single day. Art can architecturally stand out to me in the bed that I wake up in every morning. The interior design of the house I walk around in, the art of getting ready, putting on make-up and leaving the house. Stepping out into another start of the day, hearing the car horns of angry drivers, that is the art of New York City. It is from the minute I wake up to the minute I sleep – it is ultimately endless.

In this class, I want to be able to discover more forms of art that I haven’t already experienced. The history of art can help me dig a little bit deeper and find significance in every day life. I want to be able to appreciate the little details we might miss throughout what we believe to be our most ordinary times. It is beautiful everywhere I go and sometimes I may forget to take it all in.

How to Post

Hello! Today, we are going to learn how to create a blog post for someone who has never been on this site.

Step 1: Sign in or make an account at https://commons.gc.cuny.edu/

Step 2: Among the navigation tabs, find your group under “GROUPS” then “My Groups (1)”

Step 3: Along the vertical navigation bar on your left, you should find “Site” which would lead you to our blog that you’re currently reading this on!

Step 4: You will come across a third navigation bar at the top of the page that looks like this!  where you will click “+ New”

Step 5: Start typing away! Don’t forget to include your tags at your bottom right so that your post can be easily found and PUBLISH!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Post away 🙂