Art Reflection

One pleasant afternoon, my classmates and I decided to visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to begin on our museum assignment in world literature class. According to Houston Museum of Fine Art’s staff, MFAH considers as one of the largest museums in the nation and it contains many variety forms of art with more than several thousand years of unique history. Also, I have never been in a museum in a very long time especially as big as MFAH, and my experience about the museum was unique and pleasant. Although I have observed many great types and forms of art in the museum, there were few that interested me the most.

As soon as I walked into the Norton Simon Museum of Art, I was lost. The last time I had been there was several years ago, and even then, I hadn't really paid enough attention to the art. I took a quick glance through the large double doors leading to the sculpture garden, then went to get my ticket. I sat down with a map for a short while, putting my thoughts together and figuring out which way I would have to go, in order to find the time periods and art styles that I was looking for. I walked in with a mindset that this trip would be quick, but I was proven wrong. I walked back and forth between the rooms exhibiting 17th and 18th century art, but I couldn't seem to choose the correct piece. Finally, I noticed a painting to my right that just flew off the page in my perspective. As soon as I saw the royal blue tints, I knew that I had to study this painting, since blue is my favorite color, and also because this painting was gorgeous.

During our visit to the El Paso Museum of Art, our docent (insert name) took us on a tour of their current exhibitions: Robert Delaunay and Albert Gleizes: The School of Paris from Modern Master Series: Highlights from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Immaculate Conception, Amplified Abstraction, and Modern Stone Totems. In addition to our expedition we observed art of Mexico and New Spain that showcased 17th and 19th century paintings and sculptures. European art with includes paintings and sculptures from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. As well as, early American art from the 19th century to the mid 20th century.

The two works of art that I have chosen to analyze are 1) Jordan Casteel. Miles and JoJo. 2014. Oil on canvas, 54” x 72” and 2) Aaron Fowler. He Was. 2015. Mixed media, 134” x 165” x 108”. The themes that these works of art represent in regards to the exhibit are love, family, and pain. However, they also fall into other thematic categories. The main theme that seems to apply to both “Miles and JoJo” and “He Was” is Human Experience. Additionally, these arts differ in some ways.

Art, I was planning on discussing this with you this week. With you out tending to far more important issues, I am going to include Janene in the discussion right away as this is an issue that will likely need to be discussed at her level or above and we should get the discussion started sooner rather than later.

My initial reaction to this assignment was one filled with dread. After taking a trip to the MOMA in my senior year of high school, I realized that art was just not for me. I continue to fail to understand the complex descriptions of what a simple painting, such as random splatters of color on canvas, is supposed to convey. However, after attending the Metropolitan Museum, I realized that it is not art that I do not like, just the genre of modernism. After going through as many exhibits as I could fit into a day, I regretted the fact that I stayed away from art simply because of that one experience.

What is art? A question asked by many yet never answered. Art is something one can not really reply without personal bias. Every human alive has had experiences in life to form there like dislike and personal tastes. What one finds beautiful another might not. When one views an exhibit what question should one ask themselves? Let’s explore Carl knickerbockers exhibit “Incomplete Guide to Suburban Primitive”.

This semester my art practice has primarily focused on utilising carefully constructed language as opposed to previous stream-of-consciousness techniques, while further investigating participatory projects, and assemblage as a new form of installation. The importance of memory and the handwritten repeatedly warranted further consideration during the course of the semester and became a fundamental element in each work. Conceptually, my practice has evolved into a critique of diaristic language by exhibiting private confessions in public spaces and inviting strangers to participate in the perverse act of reading my most personal thoughts. This notion is challenged by the introduction of secondary texts and blurs the line between what is real and what is fiction within the work. These evolving elements within my practice are best observed through works warm under orange (standstill), the pitiful militia, my mother and raymond carver, and the library respectively.

While visiting the SCAD museum of Art I came across an extraordinary piece of art that caught my eye.You Diserve it mama!! by, Aaron Fowler this art piece caught my eye for many reasons.One being it was a tribute to his mom.Secondly I liked the way the artist used everyday items to create this piece.

In my previous reflection, I elaborated on the concept of daydreams and how the subconscious mind feeds into our conscious ambitions. Art is meant to be an expression of emotions rather than the intellect. Therefore, art should be autonomous from restriction since the subconscious mind is also autonomous from the strain of restrictions. However, certain philosophers believed that specific criteria should be involved in the process of creating and viewing art. While I agree with Plato’s theory that responses to beauty are expressed through emotions rather than intellectuality, I disagree with his stance on the role of the artist within society and the negative influences on those who indulge in the experience of aesthetical pleasure. While Schopenhauer also contributed agreeable statements about art, his primary theories are distasteful and pessimistic. He views art from a gloomy point of view and claims that life itself is a “pointless game”. I believe that the expression and indulgence of art promotes a positive and therapeutic reaction within the soul which provides spiritual nourishment and encouragement. If we approach art without openness, we are bound to agree with the controversial opinions of Plato and Schopenhauer.

Art is all around the world and everywhere we go and has been since the beginning of time. Most of the early artworks was visual arts, such as paintings, sculptures, printmaking and many other things. The purpose of art is the creative way to express our emotions to empower or inspire people, or it could bring out different emotions within ourselves, depending on how you look at it. Many of the art pieces have a story to tell or it can express the state of mind and feeling of the artist when the art was produced. Art is here today and will be tomorrow as well because art is now a part of our society. For my three pieces of artworks to write about, I chose an artist that has many art pieces in many galleries. His style is absolutely creative and different. Nothing like I’ve ever since before.

Art comes in many different styles and shapes; no one can choose art that will be appealing to you. After reading chapters four and five I believe there were a lot of positive outcomes. It seems as if art has been used as a major tool for communication not only during the twentieth century but still till this day. The artists that were talked about in this chapter have definitely impacted art and have become legacies because of it. These artists have influenced other aspects of art and culture and even other artists. By reading these two chapters I have learned that art is anything and is everywhere. I believe contemporary art cannot be defined to one definition because art is more than that. I have also noticed that this artist put a lot of their emotions into their art which I find to be very interesting.

Since the beginning, advocates of educational approaches have continually argued about the importance and/or benefit of a ‘specific’ approach to the type of education our students are receiving and the progression of the education system in general. Recently, activists have promoted a child-centered approach to education, claiming that students learn best when ideas and disciplines are integrated to meet their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive needs. An example of a child-centered approach that has been gaining attention lately, as a way to develop students who are capable of functioning in our ever-changing world, is the incorporation of STEAM. By fusing the arts with STEM, STEAM practices make content and learning relevant to students, through the provision of diverse ways to access content and express their understanding. Incorporating the arts cultivates student investment in learning, promotes ownership of the content, and stimulates deep learning by increasing engagement of the whole child and supporting collaborative learning, creativity, and problem-solving. While there are many places that have begun implementing programs that incorporate STEAM, this paper will focus on just a few examples: the “Start with a Story” project in Chicago, IL, the partnership between Nord Anglia Education and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Smithsonian Learning Lab, and the Skokie Public Library’s “All Things STEAM” program.

I walked into this class having the mindset that this class was going to focus on how to incorporate drawing and painting into the classroom. I was apprehensive about having to take a class on how to integrate art across content areas. Reflecting on the course, art has become to mean much more to than visual arts. Art can mean writing poems like the where I am from poems, incorporating movement for the kinesthetic learners and incorporating singing. This course opened up my eyes on how movement can be used in the classroom to enhance learning, how sounds can add into the learning process to make the learning fun, and how teaching with visuals can make the learning more meaningful.

Dr. Burkhard Henke, a professor of German studies at Davidson College, once said something along the lines of this: “Why do we like art? Why do we read books and go to operas and look at paintings? Because, somehow, we think that it enables us to be a better person.”