Week Sixteen Blog Reflection Reese

1. What were you expectations for this course and where they met?  I was hoping to get a better understanding of the history of art at what constitutes art.  I thought that this class did a great job introducing the history of art, but far more important it provided real life experiences through the many informative videos.  I think the videos and blog reviews are essential to the material throughout this class.
2. Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared to your intial posting?  To me art can be any creative expression.  Whether it’s a painting, sculpture, or picture.  Art is a creative expression that inspires the artists during the creation and individuals who observe it. 
3. Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you think so?  My favorite artist remains Monet.  There has always been something about Monet’s paintings that has interested me.  It is hard to pinpoint, but his masterpieces are that of legends and I have yet to see anyone who does it better.  At least in my eyes, which is the beauty of art?   
4. Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different?  I have taken over 20 online courses throughout my education and I thoroughly enjoy them.  I like the fact that you do not have a set schedule for class, yet you must be disciplined enough to complete all of your assignments.  Great class!!

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Self-Portrait Art Gallery Visit #3 Reese

Self Portrait #1

Colonel William Light

Oil on Canvas

W42 x H58cm

1839

Art Gallery of South Australia

Self Portrait #2

Goya y Lucientes, Francisco de

Print

W200 x H300 mm

1734

Museo Lazaro Galdiano

Self Portrait #3

Ruokokoski, Jalmari

Oil Painting

1914

Espoo Museum of Modern Art

http://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg570/areese1983/Self-Portrait%20Reese/

 

Step #6

1.      Why did you select the inspiration pieces?  I made a point to select different styles of self-portraits for my inspiration.  I wanted to see how different artist interpreted themselves through their art. 

2.      Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?  I select charcoal on paper because that is the media that I’m most comfortable with.  I give a lot of credit to artists that are able to do self-portait oil paintings.  Oil on canvas is not very forgiving, so mistakes must be at a minimum. 

3.      The main challenge that I faced while creating my self-portrait was overcoming my inability to draw.  I think it is evident by the results of my work, but I tried. 

4.      I think the piece represents me because it is a general likeness of my picture.  By no means does it look exactly like me, but next to the picture, I can detect a likeness. 

5.      The elements of art that I used were charcoal on paper and I would have to categorize this as nature.  Some may wonder how I can categorize this under nature.  I understand the questions, because there are no trees or mountains in the background.  It is just a picture of me, but that is what I would consider nature.  It is my belief that all human paintings have some sense of nature within the subject. 

6.      I enjoyed the project, but was disappointed with the results.  I knew going into this class that I am not a good artists, but I learned that I could appreciate many different types of art.  Therefore, as bad as my picture is I can see artistic qualities in it that were brought out by this and the many projects we completed during this class. 

7.      Not impressed, but I am lacking in artistic talent.  With that said, I really enjoyed the process. 

Week Fifteen Video Review Reese

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.  In the video Greenberg on Art Criticism:  An Interview by T. J. Clark the key concepts that I learned was critic must stay receptive to styles of art.  Art can come from many different forms and it is important to keep an open mind.   In the film An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance, I learned that art is continually changing and there must be artists for new artists to learn. 
2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Criticism project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.  I feel the videos do relate to the Art Criticism project.  I particularly liked the Greenberg on Art Criticism video where he discussed the need to keep an open mind to all forms of art.  I did not think that the video An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance had a lot to do with Art Criticism, more how art has evolved over years. 
3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of art criticism?  As always, I feel the films have definitely added depth to each of the sections throughout the semester and that is true with this group of films.  I think the benefit of the videos is they give us an opportunity to hear the subject from the moth of many different experts, where the book is one voice. 

Art Criticism Article Reese

1.      Which project did you review?  The project that I reviewed was, The Art of War in the Western World, by Jason Hugar.

2.      Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?  The true reason why I chose this piece had to do with the title of the exhibit.  I was very intrigued by what The Art of War looked like. 

3.      What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?  The challenges that I faced when analyzing the exhibit was trying to keep an open mind of art from war time events.  I was able to overcome this quite early in the exhibit when I saw the portrait of Augustus towering over six feet in the air.  It was at this point that I realized the exhibit wasn’t going to be about only blood and gore. 

4.      How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?  I think it is always difficult to critique your peers because you don’t want to come across as being harsh or insensitive.  All of us understand how much time we put into our projects, so to have some said something bad about it can hurt.  In any case, I feel I was fare with my criticisms and truly enjoyed the exhibit.   

5.      Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?  After thinking about this, I decided that I would not want to know what my peers wrote about my project.  I think an exhibit is like a work of art.  You need to design it the way that you believe it should look and not worry about pleasing everyone. 

6.      On a scale of 1-10 I would give this exhibit a 9.

7.      I found this project to be very challenging, but a great learning experience in the end.