A Thought..

I came across this piece of art the other day and it got me thinking..

I liked it at first glance, because it was kind of funny, and strange..and clever..
but then I started thinking more about it - is it really art? and then the ever-present question..
who am I to decide what is and isn't art..and how do I decide that??

In fact, I struggle with categorizing it at all.

Katharine Reiner - Week 14 - Pentecost

I took this class entirely for fun. Having fulfilled all my GE requirements to graduate over a year ago, I had four extra units that I thought would be fun to actually use, so I signed up for this class. As a theatre major, I didn't think that it would actually be relevant, but would be fascinating and help me grow as a human being.  I was looking through my plays, and I remembered a particular one, entitled Pentecost. It's a play written by David Edgar, a British author, all about the discovery of the 1500's work of art hidden under a layer of stone in a church since the 1500's. The lead characters, one art historian, one archaeolgist, debate on what should happen to the work; if it should be restored to what may have been it's former glory, or left as is, as a mark of history and honored as a relic. I have always enjoyed this play, but never before understood how vital it really was. Especially after seeing the Last Supper with a door between Jesus' legs, it is hard to imagine not leaving masterworks as they are. However, this play really discusses both sides of the argument (until Act II, when Armenian terrorists take the church hostage and the fun really begins!) I really enjoy when arts co-exist in the same world for a few hours; this is a particularly wonderful example. Now, I know that even if I have nothing else of use from this class (which would be entirely untrue, I've learned a great deal!) I can certainly direct this play with more understanding than I could have before.

LACMA visit

for the 2nd paper, i chose to write about Neri Di Bicci’s ‘Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels'. I had this chance to not only write about the art but also was able to "see" what real art was; and how it felt looking at the actual piece. but to be honest, something that really impacted my view of the art was 'placement' of the art. the picture on the right shows the placement. before I found where Di Bicci's Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels was, i thought it would be placed in the center, but becuase it wasnt, it made made my way of feeling alittle different. (maybe alittle less important- but of course, its just my opinion and it's not true!) Im just writing this blog to show that visiting museum and seeing the actual art could really turn out art differently.

Week 14 - Akhila, Kate Moss Sculpture

So this is a little late..but I couldn't post before. Now that it finally works, I thought I'd share it!

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/28/kate.moss.gold/index.html

we covered Egyptian art history a long time ago, but it's interesting how people keep drawing connections between old art and new art. The other version of this sculpture, the Sphinx was compared to Laocoon because of how twisted, powerful, and contained the energy was in her yoga pose.

Week 13 - Akhila, The Garden Of Earthly Delights

The three paneled triptych painting is a clear portrayal of one of the most widely talked about events in religious 'history'. The leftmost panel depicts an innocent scene, where God is introducing Eve to Adam as a companion. The center panel is where the absurdity begins. Nude figures engaging in bizarre, sometimes obviously sexual, activities, suggest that the characters have a new awareness of their bodies. Taking the original story into account, it's obvious that this scene is shortly after Adam and Eve commit the sin of eating the apple from the Tree. The strange exploratory nature of this panel seems liberating and unrestrained, and though considered a 'negative' event, is wildly exciting and happy. The sharp turn to the dark black panel on the right is abrupt, and devastating. Some critics have treated the center panel as a warning, suggesting that indulgence in desires and happiness, which feels fulfilling at the time, leads directly to one's demise. There are a few dark figures that seem to have vines wrapped around their bodies in the middle panel who could be portrayals of devils, which furthers the idea of indulgence being sinful. The rightmost panel is so vastly different from the other two that the story of Adam and Eve is literally cut into three parts - innocence, knowledge/sin, hell. Because everything about this painting is extreme and scandalous, it feels out of place for its time period, almost too revealing but also too aged (romanesque). Regardless, it speaks about the society it belonged to, and how much religion impacts a culture and mindset.

Week 13 - Museum Trip

LACMA.  I, being a snotty New Yorker who was raised on Museum mile, have only been there once for their spectacular Dalì exhibit.  I grew up going to the Met, which in my opinion was the undeniably most spectacular museum in the world. LACMA sounded so small in comparison to the cavernous halls and elegant chambers of the Met. However, after visiting the LACMA, I truly fell in love with the space. It is so elegant and intelligently designed. The rooms are smaller, and more intimate, so you feel on the same level as the art work. Also, being able to get so very close to the art-work, such as with Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels, was really inspiring; it was possible to reach out and touch it, if I had been willing to breach every silent trust I had with the museum.  It was also so well laid out, and gave context for each work by putting them in the same space as many of the same period and design elements. I look forward to going back and exploring more, but it made me very excited to live so close to such an elegant and well thought out museum. 

Week 13: Kunal: Paper 2 Assignment: Museum Trip

Hey guys,

I was just wondering which museum you guys visited and whether you liked it? I'm heading for the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena today