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The Brooklyn Museum

PART 1

From the Ancient World exhibit in the Brooklyn Museum, I chose the “Bird Woman” figurine from the 37th Century B.C.E. Just by looking at this statue, there were a couple of details that stood out to me. For example, the face has a similar structure to a birds beak, and the arms are unusually long. They are gracefully up in the air and have the possibility of representing wings. At the tip of the arms, the hands seem to display fingerlike structures. The “Bird Woman” is a very unique piece because it incorporates both a womanlike anatomy and a birdlike. The color is of copper tone and seems to be made up of clay. Its figure is very curvy as if the expectations of a woman at that point in time was to look like that. The artist also included the breasts of a woman. The height of the figurine is no taller than the height of a coffee cup.

After exploring the exhibit, I wanted to learn more about the figurine. After some research, I found out that the bottom half of the figure is actually a representation of a long white skirt covering the legs of the woman. That is why it looks as if the woman has no lower half. It is still unknown to this day if the sculpture represents a goddess or a woman.  I guess that part is up for interpretation.

Image result for bird woman statue

PART 2

After the Ancient World exhibit, I got a chance to look at Brooklyn Museum’s Soul of a Nation exhibit. A lot of the pieces that I saw have some sort of political agenda, much of which relates to today’s current events. Even though these pieces were created around the 70’s, it’s quite sad how they can relate to problems in the world today. There is still a huge issue with oppression, discrimination, and inequality in our nation which should ultimately be fixed. I chose the piece known as “All Power to the People” by Faith Ringgold. This was an interesting choice for me because I noticed that at the bottom of the piece it says, “Free all political prisoners.” I pictured this as an art piece created in today’s society and the kind of response it would receive. Due to the fact that most of New York’s society is democratic, the response that this piece would get is a positive one.

When I saw the words “free all political prisoners,” I pictured a society oppressed by the government and their power plays. A society that has had enough with being used in politician’s games for power. A lot of people feel the same way today about the way the government acts. Another thing that was quite compelling is the color scheme of the piece. The background is red, the words are black, the figures are black, but the eyes and the clothing are green. Also, the guns are grey. The red background could symbolize the blood of the people and the black could symbolize the seriousness of the situation presented. The man, woman, and child all have a weapon of some sort colored grey. This symbolizes a revolution. However, the green clothing is quite a mystery. Only certain things are marked green but seems to me that it is random. Also, the lines that compose the figures of the man, woman, and child are not straight, but are curvy.

I found this exhibit to be refreshing in a way where even though it was in the past, it affects the future immensly. Art is the perfect way to express one’s self even if it is representing the vision of a whole society.

 

Brooklyn Museum Assignment, Part 2 of 2 (Soul of a Nation)

While I found my ventures in the Ancient World exhibit of the Brooklyn museum to be knowledgeable and enjoyable, I found myself eager to reach the second part of this assignment. I already knew that in exploring the Soul of a Nation exhibit of the Brooklyn museum, I was going to gain a better understanding of the mental and emotional labor Black American artists poured into their art two decades after 1963 (an integral time period in American history for the black community). Considering the times we live in today, it is so important to support Black American artists and have an open and accepting environment where  their art is allowed to flourish and where their stories are their own, told through their voice and their voice only.

The piece that struck me the most was Sam Gilliam’s painting, April 4th. In using formal analysis to assess this powerful work, we’re all inclined to first take note of the size of it. I don’t buy picture frames and I’m not good at math, so my words will have to do the size of the painting some justice. It is colossal, taking up a good chunk of the museum’s wall. It was the first painting I had come across while walking through the exhibit and I had to stop. The size itself tells us something about this piece, that the emotions that have inspired the painting are far too big to hide, the loss it’s suggesting is not only a prominent one but a poignant one. Gilliam used acrylic paint in this particular work of his and the most prominent colors seen are purple, red, black and white. All of these colors work together to further invoke feelings of sadness, loss and, even before reading what exactly this painting commemorates, violence. When honing in on the red blotches, which look like blots of blood, the violence is expressed in shapes that look like bullet wounds to me. It is a beautifully composed mess. It almost looks as though the colors are melting into one another (almost like painted rain against a windowpane), but not enough so that you can’t address each of them a purpose of their own. When reading about this piece further and educating myself on where Gilliam’s piece is derivative of, I discovered this work is in homage to Martin Luther King Jr. on the first anniversary of his assassination. The colors of the painting reaffirmed my initial response of it being a melancholy piece that encapsulates loss and violence. The purple can be seen as a magisterial and the red marks (as I had suspected) might suggest bloodstains. The coupling of the two colors pay a respectful homage to Martin Luther King Jr. and appropriately address the loss (of not only who he was but who he represented for the black community) as tragic and detrimental. While the red blood splotches don’t monopolize the painting, they are there and representative of M.L.K.’s own fatal wound shots, the blood that will never wash away because they are stained on the hands of the U.S. government.

Brooklyn Museum Assignment, Part 1 of 2 (Ancient World)

In walking to the third floor (after getting in for free with your Brooklyn college ID) of the Brooklyn museum, you are overwhelmed with the plethora of artwork you can explore in their Ancient World exhibit. I found myself reflecting back on our classes, trying to draw from what we’ve addressed and depicted. From the powerpoint slides of the small statues, the large statues and the wall paintings that we’ve examined and analyzed thus far, the Ancient World exhibit was a showcase for what felt like millions of these art forms. While I was in awe of larger works and works that seemed to be of imminent importance, I found myself drawn to the smaller statues that were showcased throughout all of the exhibit. I remember learning in class that while these statues are on the smaller size, they still retain an importance. In being so small they were most likely portable objects that people deemed not only vital but beneficial to carry around with them. The statue that I really adored was from ancient Mesopotamia titled Female Figure.

Before I read the description below the figure, I could already draw from previous knowledge that she was made of clay and most likely meant to inspire fertility, or accentuate and embody womanhood in general.  In using formal analysis, my eyes are drawn first and foremost to her breasts. She is cupping them with her hands and they are uneven and voluptuous. While the largeness of them could simply just be a depiction of womanhood in general (which heavily places an emphasis on a large chest), large breasts are also a signifier of pregnancy, holding the milk they’ll feed to the life they bring into this world. Her hips and thighs are also large, further emphasis of this being a grown woman who has come into herself, possessing a matured body that will support childbirth. It’s hard to tell whether or not she has no head at all, or her head is just very small and not detailed. In pinpointing the details that are lacking, she also has no lower legs or feet. Perhaps they were once present and haven’t been sustained, or perhaps it only speaks further to what body parts of the female anatomy are most important and will work to inspire fertility. Of course, in reading the description below we learn that while the statue can range from real to ideal to divine women, the main purpose of the statue in general was to indeed inspire fertility.

Brooklyn Museum Formal Analysis

Painting Name: Black Children Keep Your Spirits Free (1972)

Artist name : Carolyn Lawrence

On initial sight of the painting Black Children Keep Your Spirits Free,1972 by the artist Carolyn Lawrence, it jumps at you with a bold range of colors. The acrylic paints provide vibrant edges and help separate the painting into sections without breaking off of the bigger image. It looks to be a compilation of six human figures doing different actions. Attention can be drawn to the most frontal positioned girl using a drum-like instrument. The various bright colors along the clothing bring the eyes toward the face. One can describe the colors to move from left to right. Many of the brighter colors can be seen more towards the right side of the painting compared to the left side. This could be on purpose judging by the palette of colors from one side to the other. The text spread  out through the background say “Keep Your Spirits Free” move around the figures like a stream of water filling up the empty space. Along the top-side of the painting, there are stripes filling in the “sky” and what can be described as North America and Africa. This plays into the composition that could imply the influence from both countries. Each figure is performing a different action and seem to reflect off of “black” culture. The varying colors of the text is like a riot of something. If it were in a more plain text, the words would’ve probably lost it’s eye candy from repetitiveness. The artist most likely only painted the words  “Black Children” once in the center because it draws the least amount of attention yet the most when observing the different elements piece together when stepping back for a bigger picture. The painting spans 48 1/2″ x 50 1/2″ x 5 1/4″ and is displayed with the Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. The scale of the painting helps bring out the colors as well as the text for a greater comprehension. The smaller details are easier to spot and the artist did a good job filling in the what would have been empty space with color and subtle meaning like the colored silhouettes of two countries.

Overall, this painting brings various elements together with color mainly. As observed, the palette of colors move slowly over the painting as the figures stand out yet blend into the words of “Keep Your Spirits Free” In the description of the exhibit, the artists step out to tackle on unjust social conditions by making art. This painting particularly show some insight that black people have culture and are just as human as everyone else in the world.

Brooklyn Museum Assignment

Art History 1010

Ilya Panov

PART 1

Brooklyn museum exhibit “Soul of a Nation” was a collection of black artists works from the 1960s to 1980s. Allowing the viewer to see the violence, riots, and hate crimes that black Americans experienced during those times. To me, the “The Soul of a Nation” had two artists that were very contradictory.

On one hand, artist Faith Ringgold had a belief that “artists have the job of documenting their times”.  Living her quote, she had created several political posters for groups that advocated “black power”, during the 1960s. One of her most widely spread political posters was the, “United states of Attica”, which has shortly published after a riot had broken out at a prison in upstate. Attica prison cost 40 people their lives. “United states of Attica”, political posters is a map of the United States divided diagonally, into four sections using green and red colors. This style and color relates to the Marcus Garvey’s “Black Nationalist Black Flag”. Alongside, Ringgold added dates of violence, murders, and racial injustice through all of america. Ringgold was able to paint all of the suffer and the racial injustice in the past 200 years.

Contradictory, the work or Roy DeCarava is lot less of “get in your face”and rather a smooth and approachable black and white tones what display casual everyday life. DeCarava, wanted to take away from the main subject and take photo of people at  their back or side and display abstract images. In “couples walking”, DeCarava choose to take the photo of the couple from the back took away from the views to choice in subject but rather forced to see the couples romance. “When you see me comin’ raise your window high”is a zoom out view of a typical Brooklyn apartment building, this generalized illustration shows casual everyday community and resilience.

PART 2

Brooklyn museum also offered and amazing experience that brought you back to the Egyptian civilization. Ancient Egyptian art contained a lot of symbolize such as, the lotus flower symbolizing rebirth from the sandstone “Fragment of Inscribed Door Lintel”. This inscription depicts the wife and husband reeving drink and lotus offering from a priest. Other works depicting a gift of land in “Donation Stela”. The main subject is placed in the center of the limestone block and is surrounded by other figures that are facing him. These figures are handing and item up towards the main figure, depicting a gift a land. Ancient Egyptian art had a symbolization and storytelling.

Brooklyn Museum Visit

The entire Egyptian exhibition was really beautiful, it consisted of a lot of sculptures and models of Egyptian life and objects. The artwork that captured my eye immediately in the midst of all the others was, the Statue of Queen Ankhnes-meryre II and Her Son, Pepy II (author Unknown). The Sculpture is of a Queen (Ankhnes) holding her son, Pepy II. Immediately the size of both is noticeable as Queen Ankhnes is at least three times the size of Pepy II. Pepy II is on Ankhnes’ lap and facing East, as Ankhnes is facing North. The size could be a symbol of how powerful the mother-role was as she would serve as not only the domestic role but also as a protector of the future generations of Kings/Queens. Her role as a protector can be observed as Pepy II “clasps” her hand, clasping being a sign of reassurance and presence of one and their protection. Pepy II’s feet also are on a block almost half the size of his mother, this could further represent his King stature and how he will always be on some sort of pedestal in relation to the other Egyptians. The direction in which they’re facing can symbolize how they own have their own focuses or visions- the Queen ensuring that she’s fulfilling her role as a mother to nurse her child and still “act as regent” and Pepy II, facing his own direction can symbolize his priorities or focus of being “king as a small child”. The fact that he was king so young can also be another reason as for why he is so small in comparison to his mother, since he is not yet very powerful. It is made out of Egyptian alabaster which has a  yellowish-brown town. Alabaster is very easy for drawing and carving. The neutrality in color could show that maybe there was no large gap in importance nor dominance between the two at that specific time- in Egypt Red usually symbolized Males and their dominance, and Yellow was normally used for Women. Or the lack of color can simply show us that there may have been a lack of color resources for art when this was made.

 

In Soul of a Nation there were very colorful paintings, some very colorful some abstract, some very simplistic, but all with a very powerful message. The artwork that seized my attention was the mahogany sculpture, “Black Unity” by Elizabeth Catlett. The sculpture is very large and is simply a sculpted closed fist, which has been established for unity- especially Black unity. The size of the sculpture is very big, which could represent a unity in activism for Black rights as many have come together to stand up for and reclaim their rights, especially in the last 50 or so, years. The use of making the fist Mahogany, a very deep brown, can be a literal representation of a Black hand. The sculpture is placed on top of a white square base, which could be used for contrast- to make the fist stand out greatly amongst everything else, almost as negative space-  or simply for positioning, to re-imagine a world where Blacks are no longer subjected nor inferior to whites. The significance of this fist can extend largely, as it can be intended for an audience of whites as well, and make them feel powerless or serve as a reminder to make them remotely aware of racial injustices that have occured. When I was at the exhibit, I witnessed a lot of people, but a majority were white or tourists. Making this sculpture so big and noticeable, even the placement of it being in the middle of the floor with all the other artwork surrounding it can be a stamp or symbol for Black power and make everyone, especially the white people aware, as it is something you can’t miss nor ignore.  

Brooklyn Museum Assignment

 

The Ancient Egyptian Art exhibit had a variety of art work.  The art work that stood out to me was Royal Statues in Procession.  This art work stood out to me because when I saw it, it reminded me a lot of the what we have talked in class.  When using formal analysis to understand this piece of art the first thing I thought of was the symmetry of it.  This art work does not have symmetry,  the shape of it is more of a rhombus than a square.  The color of this art piece is solid, a sand color only.  What this art work most reminded me about our class was the pop out of the engraved people.  When you look to the left of it, the focus of the art work is there.  What looks like the king of Egypt, Thutmose III,  is placed at the bottom left of this piece.  Thutmose III was king of the 18th dynasty.  As you look to the right of this art work everything deigned is smaller than the king himself.  To the right of the king is another figure who is can be interpret as female king Hatshepsut.  In class we talked about the sizes of the figures illustrated in an art work and why there was different sizes.  We discussed that a king being bigger than the rest of the things displayed is a way of showing hierarchy, and power.  The most important person or item of an artwork is for the most part the focus of that piece. This art work reminded me a lot of our class discussions because of the similarity it had with the art work we discussed in class.

As I saw these art works all I said to myself was, wow.  Faith Ringgold’s 1967 painting “American People Series #18: The Flag Is Bleeding” was the art work that caught my attention immediately.  The colors of this art work make it stand out, the bloody red and how the woman in the middle seems to be split in half.  The left side of the women seems to be alive with her blonde hair.  The right side of this women just all seems to be red including her hair.  This women is holding the arm of both men illustrated in the painting.  The left side is an African American, while to the right side of this woman the man is white.  The black man seems to be holding his heart with his hand, with a knife through his hand.  The blood around the flag is his.  This is representing the violence that was happening during the 1960s.  This painting relates to the rest of this exhibit because all together they represent what African American people had to live in the 20th century.  Even though this was supposed to represent a different time period, it also represents in a way what is going on today.  People of color are still considered minority in the country.  The BLM movement had to start when the African American population become such a target to policemen.  There have been many cases where black people are shot and no justice is serve.  So much of this art work can be connected to what is going on today.  The “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” was such an eye opening exhibit in my opinion.

Soul of A Nation – Brooklyn Museum Pt. 2

The Soul of A Nation exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum was extremely powerful and moving. Much of the work focused on discrimination and oppression that African Americans have had to face, as well as how many overcame it. There were many photographs, paintings, and creations, but the thing that caught my attention the most was actually one of the smaller creations. Titled “Traditional Hang Up”, it is a piece by artist and activist John Outterbridge and was part of his Containment Series of 1969. Outerbridge’s Containment Series was a collection of art that depicted how African Americans and the lifestyle they carried was very contained. They were restricted from any upward mobility due to legal segregation laws, and were forced to live in subpar conditions.

The sculpture itself, is a metal T-shape with the American flag going across the top, and circular metal fragments going down the bottom. This piece was very intriguing to me because it was up to each individual to interpret the meaning. On the card next to the work, the only information available is the artist, and the collection that the art is part of. The way I interpreted this piece was that our country had progressed so far at the expense of African Americans and immigrants in general. The circular fragments of metal running down the T-shape resemble skulls, and they are what’s holding up the American flag. To me, this symbolized all the deaths and selfless sacrifices that had to occur, in order for our great nation to be in the place that it is.

Ancient World – Brooklyn Museum Pt. 1

The Ancient Egyptian Art exhibit was very fascinating. Upon entering, I saw a large coffin where wealthy ancient Egyptians would be mummified, and buried in with their personal belongings. There was also a large room that resembled a tomb because of how dark it was, as well as all the coffins, wall paintings, and artifacts that were inside. It was mesmerizing but in a way, frightening at the same time.

The artifact that intrigued me the most was the Cartonnage of Nespanetjerenpare. This is a large coffin made of cartonnage, pigment, glass, and lapis lazuli. It was made for priest Nespanetjerenpare in Thebes, Egypt, during the Third Intermediate Period circa 945-718 BCE. This interested me the most because it was the largest thing in the room, almost six feet to be exact. Applying formal analysis, the coffin had symmetry, and vivid colors throughout. Painted throughout the coffin were two people, and hybrids of people and animals on both sides. The back also had two large people that seemed to he holding up something in the middle. The coffin itself also symbolized the power and wealth that the priest had. In Ancient Egypt, only the wealthy could afford to be mummified and buried in a coffin with their personal belongings that they’d want to use in the afterlife. It’s very fascinating to know the culture and beliefs Ancient Egyptians had thousands of years ago. It also begins to make sense why people have tried to steal these coffins and the belongings inside throughout the centuries.

 

Soul of the Nation

I loved walking through the Soul of the Nation exhibit. The colors or lack thereof used by the artists really told a story which evokes hardship and pride. The artwork by Benny Andrews, Did the Bear Sit Under a Tree? really caught my eye. The use of the material in his artwork really brings the painting to life. The zipper the artist used for his mouth makes it feel like you can hear his words of protest. Yet, the character is not all talk, his hands are so action oriented ready to take a stand for he knows is true. The artists purposely used flag which is rolled up fabric as the victim for the character’s fists to show that the one thing that’s meant to protect us is failing to do so. The art seemed so powerful and full of emotion.