Bruce Nauman

         Bruce Nauman is an American artist known for his works of neon lights, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and drawings. He used neon lights to create words and other figures. In "One Hundred Live and Die" this art consist of inspiring and yet hurtful words. It's vibrant, almost like a neon rainbow of words, and expresses different relatable emotions. It depicts and plays with neon colors, human emotions about life and death in the 100 words shown with 4 columns, and in a pattern. The words illustrate different actions from left to right. 

         The materials are neon tubing and clear glass tubing on metal. There are words such as "live, die, suck, yellow, etc." Each column lights up on by one, then a sentence may light up or a word, but you have to wait a while until all the columns light up. In "Light Trap for Henry Moore" Nauman has a black and white (time lapse) photograph. He twirled around a flashlight in a dark room to make the shape of a seated body. The body is trapped in this cage, and that body is Henry Moore. Nauman dedicated this to Moore since he saw him as a "modern master". 

Wasteland

        Vik Muniz was from an impoverished family in São Paulo, Brazil. In the beginning of this documentary "Wasteland" he shares how he decided to come to America. He describes how he stopped a fight, and then later on got shot in the leg for it. In the end it was all a big misunderstanding, so as an apology the shooter offered him money, and he used that money to come to America. Muniz is a Brazilian artist, photographer, and sculptor. In this documentary he uses art to help the impoverished, those forgotten, or not spoken about. He bring their struggles to light through his art. His art is portrayed through the garbage pickers in Rio de Janeiro go through with 70% of Rio's trash.
         Muniz speaks about the risk of the pickers job. While looking over at his computer with a coworker of his, they show depictions of the trash in Rio. His coworker asks if the pickers realize how dangerous this job is. Muniz replies that this kind of work is normal to them, so they don't think about it. But he also acknowledges her concern for the pickers, and he expresses it himself, because he later on says "You can stick a body in there and no one would know." They're low paid collectors working in critical/dangerous conditions with mountains of trash.
         Even though they work through these unpleasant conditions, Muniz describes them as "the other end of consumer culture."  They aren't broken, instead he sees them as survivors, and he depicts through the interviews he captures with them. Zumba and Magna for example are proud to be garbage pickers. Zumbi won't let anyone try to put him down for what he does. Magna says that others claim that she stinks but she doesn't care because she is proud to be a garbage picker. Isis on the other hand disliked her job because it wasn't sanitary and she was always dirty, but she claimed that it paid well.
         Vik Muniz mission is to show the hidden beauties of the life of a garbage picker in Brazil, through the waste and rubbish. Within the film he presents people of diverse background and point of views, such as Isis, Magna, Zumbi, Tiao, etc. While in Rio he got acquainted with men and women that organized trash on the (Jardim, Gramacho) worlds largest land fill. Muniz speaks about the obvious classism problem in Brazil between the rich and the poor. He also shares how he wants to give back to the community through his art. Art can change people and create an effect, whether it be positive or negative, it can change lives. Muniz illustrated expressive portraits and gave the pickers pride in what they do, and later on money to live a better life, to also enhance the community.

Cindy Sherman Outline

 

Intro: Cindy Sherman is a photographer. She is mostly known for her influential photographs of women during her Untitled Film Stills Series, 1977-1980. In her work she identifies stereotypes about women in the media and tries to dismantle them.

 

Style: Contemporary Art, Socially Critical Photography

Themes: Coming of age, womanhood, rise of feminism, the American women's movement. Stereotypes of women in media, damsel in distress.

Influences: Feminism, stereotypes of women in media, images of women in films from 1950-60

Artworks: Untitled Film Still #13 - from the untitled film stills series

Untitled film still #21 - from the untitled film stills series

Untitled #92 - from the Disaster and fairy tale series

Untitled #16 - from the untitled film stills series

Untitled film still #33 - from the untitled film stills series

 

 

Works Cited

 

 

“Cindy Sherman Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.”                                    The Art Story, www.m.theartstory.org/artist-sherman-cindy.htm.

“Cindy Sherman.” The Broad, www.thebroad.org/art/cindy-sherman.

“Cindy Sherman.” Art21, art21.org/artist/cindy-sherman/.

 

Dada

The Beach

Surrealism

Surrealism is a movement in visual arts and literature. It is based on portraying the unconscious mind in images using science or rationality. This movement began during the mid 1920s, to fight against World War I. It was a revolutionary force about the liberation of an individual. The root of the movement was to throw European consciousness out of balance. When artist tried to gain inspiration their process of getting it was very unexpected because to them it was about avoiding control. Sigmund Freud had a theory about ones mind, the conscious or unconscious part of our mind reserves certain events in our lives. The absence of memories deep within ones mind. Surrealism focuses on a slippery reality because it plays with it (reality) whilst giving the viewer a sense of fantasy. It's very bizarre, intentional, and hallucinatory. In the video, one of the examples given was Alice In Wonderland, which had many themes of surrealism in it. 

Surrealism is also connected to The Dada movement, Romantic period, and symbolism. These were the roots of surrealism, emotional expression, realism, and rejecting the social norm, and rationality. It was about not just sticking to one style of  art. Surrealism drew inspiration from non-Western art, it's origination was from a different variation of non-western art, which caused their use for artwork to bring about a more diverse outlook. This is also understandable as to why surrealist view their work as anti-imperialist and anti-colonial because it brought power to their movement. 

Art at the MET

Salvatore Rosa is from Arenella, Province of Naples, Italy. He was an Italian painter from the Baroque period. In the 17th century Rosa was known to be very versatile and a bandit or a rebel. One of his most known influences within his work is the romantic style within his paintings, including his use for themes with magic or wilderness. He painted for his own satisfaction and chose his own subjects on what to paint. The way he paints his face within his self-portrait has a sort of softness and emotion to it. His "Self-Portrait" painting was made in 1647 during the Baroque period, and it is an oil on canvas painting. It is 39 by 31 1/4 inches. His painting is dark, mysterious, almost sinister, and dramatic. Here he is carving into the skull the words "Behold, whither, when" in Greek. Behind him looks to be a dark clouded sky with a quarter moon quietly appearing in the corner. In his facial features he appears to be looking downcast as if he is depressed or mourning after writing the Greek words on the skull. Rosa's "Self Portrait" is a great example of art in the Baroque period because his painting shows qualities of emotion, drama, and dark symbols. 

Agnolo di Cosimo was born in Florence, Italy 1503 and he practiced Renaissance style art. He later on changed his name to Bronzido. Bronzido's painting "Portrait of a Young Man" was created in the 1530s from the Renaissance period. It's an oil on wood painting that is 37 5/8 by 29 1/2 inches. The identity of the boy in the painting is unknown but Bronzido depicts him as innocent and thoughtful. As he stands with his book open and elegant clothing, he portrays a great example of a painting with the Renaissance period. The boys face is hard and stiff with a slight blush presented on his cheeks. 

 

Impressionism & Post Impressionism

Impressionist made art based on portraying every day life activities, and landscapes. This defied the trend of historical art because their paintings illustrated nature or the way things are viewed. In Edgar Degas "Dancers at the Barre" he portrays what he saw around him. During this period painters painted quickly and the colors aren't mixed much. This is shown in Degas‘ painting. 

During the Post Impressionist period artist applied similar paint strokes as the Impressionist but it is still very different. Post Impressionist include more emotion, imagination, or figment to their art. The art is more free like because they interpreted things like shapes or nature, and their work was also inspired by Japanese culture and their prints. Paul Signac's painting Breakfast is a good example, he paints with colorful dots and it's difficult to pinpoint some of the occupants expressions in the painting.
 

Rembrandt

1. This portrait of the fur merchant portrays a Russian businessman. His business consisted of furs. Rembrandt painted this man Nicolaes Ruts and in the portrait he is portrayed as someone with wealth. He has fur mostly all over his body (his coat) and way Rembrandt portrays him is as a clean and pretty sharp man. He is illustrated as a potential businessman with examples of wealth like his fur coat, the exhaustion portrayed around his eyes, his sharp eyes and face for example. 

2. The portrait of the 83 year old woman's mood portrays gloominess, depression, or misery. Rembrandt created this mood by illustrating the elements in this woman's face. He makes her appear to be exhausted, her eyebrows are in a frown, her eyes lids are drooping, she also doesn't appear to be focusing on anything. It's as if she's lost in her own thoughts. 

3. What Rembrandt is communicating within his painting of Samson & Deliah is Deliah's betrayal. This painting represents how betrayal is used within romance. She found Samson's strength, his hair. The servant is holding the sword threateningly. Even the way she holding Samson's hair, as if to comfort him but it isn't really comfort at all. 

Museum Trip David Wojnarowicz

 

In this screen print called ”Untitled (ACT-UP)” Wojnarowicz portrays the AIDS crisis and (people who are suffering from AIDS) how they are being ignored by the government as the number of people suffering continues to increase. I believe that art can change the publics opinion especially when it is dramatic like this screen print. When Wojnarowicz shows the pattern or repetition of the percentage numbers going across the screen print. I believe it dramatizes the issue at hand, it bring attention to North America. For example the target inside North America is very dramatic and portrays the need for immediate attention. Wojnarowicz intention was to benefit the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. He attended their demonstrations, meetings, and rally's to keep the conversation about AIDS in politics. The point was to let Americans know that the AIDS crisis will not be ignored. Wojnarowicz artwork on AIDS or ACT-UP depicts that the AIDS crisis is still very relevant today, especially when medical professionals talk about or try to enforce the use of protection, because terrible illnesses can come about if we're not careful. Even when it comes to drugs or the use of needles we still have to be very cautious to try and prevent these illnesses from spreading. HIV and AIDS still affect minorities today so I believe that his artwork is very relevant.

 

In his painting ”History Keeps Me Awake at Night” made with spray paint, acrylic and collaged paper, Wojnarowicz presents different themes and symbols in this work. There's an green alien, a statue of a man riding on a horse, a red wheel, a man sleeping, another man pointing a gun forward with a cut out of the human body behind him on his right side. There's another man behind him on his left, he has no face, and it looks like he is playing with chemicals or creating dangerous chemicals. The symbols shown in this painting are still relevant in today's society because it depicts the themes of drugs, illnesses, gun violence, poverty, and politics. I think it illustrates that to the public they're many things that are going on at once, and we shouldn't focus on just one issue. His intention was to portray an American dystopia by showing crime, poverty, and the fear of AIDS.

Elements

 

1. Artist create unity in their work by organizing elements of arts. These elements can be texture, color, pattern, line, shape, or form, and by using these elements they create different types of effects in their art. The artist combine these elements together in their art to create something whole or balanced. In the painting "The Musicians" by Fernando Botero, he creates unity in the shapes, lines, space, color, and form. The figures portrayed in his artwork are an oversized musical band with an eager singer, and five men each playing a different instrument. The singer seems smaller than her band mates. They're many visual themes in the painting, the musical notes and the different places in the painting that they appear to be, the lines and shapes of the band.

2. Asymmetrical balance is created when an artist has distinct images on either side of the design shown, but it's still balanced and also unequal. The images do not attract the same attention because each side is different but still balanced. This is shown in Frida Kahlo's painting "Frida and Diego Rivera". In this painting she portrays herself and her husband, she is placed on his left side. Both sides are dissimilar, still balanced but unequal because Kahlo is seen as smaller in the painting, she's also dressed differently, and there's a bird above her. Rivera's form seems larger than hers, his outfit carries dark colors while hers carry light colors.

3. Scale is the size of an object in an artwork and is apart of the organization of design when it comes to the elements. It's the arts object that also relates to another object. In Magritte's painting "Les Valeurs Personelles" the comb, wine glass, match, shaving brush, and the soap bar are bigger than the other items occupying the room. It gives the illusion of positive and negative space. He paints a sky as wallpaper so it seems like the outside is inside, he places the items in different spaces in the room.

About Me

My name is Kamilla Graham and my major is Spanish-English Translation. My goals are to become a successful poet one day, or become a successful photographer. Photography is something I would like to indulge in the future. Photography is like apart of the art world to me, and I love seeing it and learning from it. I've been recently interested in looking at Dora Maar's work, she's a French photographer. Poets that I've always admired is Nikki Giovanni, Sylvia Plath, and Emily Dickinson. Sylvia Plath has inspired me with her work for years.