Karen Barclay Reflection

D. Thesis: In my experience, art students are a group of diverse people and opinions, but there are many traditions and objects, such as their sketchbooks, that link them together to create an interesting culture.

Featured and organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Romare Bearden’s collection is one that appreciates and depicts life for what it really is. Bearden did not like abstract expressionism. Instead, he made many collages depicting life with different perspectives, allowing the viewer to see reality, but also try to figure out the true meaning that Bearden meant to portray in the collage that was not directly seen by just looking at the picture. These collages were made by “Cut and pasted printed, colored and metallic papers, photostats, pencil, ink marker, gouache, watercolor, and pen and ink on Masonite” (MET Museum). Bearden liked telling narratives within these collages involving Harlem life. Whether it was on the streets, inside

Fran admired and collected other artist’s work for her home, but also as part of her trove of infinite objects that often made their way into her art. From the mad jumble of countless boxes and bags in her studio came often playful “bricolage” works of beauty, humor and imagination. She taught for many years at the New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts, the Newark Museum and was actively teaching until just weeks before her death last year. An award-winning artist, she exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian, Victoria and Albert Museum, and in galleries throughout New Jersey. She began her eight-decade career as a fashion designer before moving into painting, printmaking, found art sculpture, book and paper making, and other multi-media arts. Fran studied art at the American School of Fine Arts, Newark School of Fine Arts, and Fairleigh Dickinson University. The works in this exhibition were generously donated by Fran’s family to The 1978 Maplewood Arts Center. Proceeds from all sales will benefit the center as well as public art in the

My analysis of how successful and how did this artwork affect the society and culture as its target

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.

I was fortuned to have had parents who had a respect for all kinds of art and approached life with an open mind. Thus being furthered blessed to grow up near a metropolis which possesses a major art museum and galleries showcasing new talent, filling young eyes with wonderment. An art appreciation study early own in life would have been beneficial but alas, I burn with shame as one who falls in the class of “I know what I like” when asked about art. I am all agog for semester’s end to be better equipped to articulate on why I am moved by a particular piece. After listening to the first week lecture and reading the first two chapters of the course text, it was difficult to narrow the subject of my essay to one subject. But, Chapter Ones quotes

For centuries, people’s aesthetic value has been influenced by Rome's perfectionism, so do I. I used to think that artworks that make people feel appreciated are just equivalent to visual appreciation and satisfaction. However, after observing the painting and researching sources of this pieces of art I realized that an excellent artwork needs to cover all aspect requirements. For instance, an excellent artwork needs to contain a high operation of art skills as well as art knowledge in order to persuade audience. In addition, to qualify as a great artwork it has to create a substantial amount of activity in the audience’s mind or heart. When I look at an artwork I always try to figure out what is the artwork's message or what the artist is trying to communicate, to convey. Overall, I think a good artwork needs include some of the elements and principles of the language of art as well as the structure they give to be able to successfully communicate an idea.

As I explored the James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, I came across two paintings that really stood out to me because of their relevance to what we have been learning in class. In muted tones of blue and yellow, Harry Oosahwee’s (Cherokee) One Fall Morning depicts a Cherokee family in a barren rural landscape; animals and plants dot the landscape, and a small wooden house sits on the far right of the painting accompanied by a father, mother, and child to the left.

However, our trip did not last countless hours as I looked over 30 paintings in about twenty five minutes. This was not due to my lack of interest, but more to my novice mindset towards art. Art is similar to most skill activities in that people that are active in said activity can better understand and articulate the small actions that lead to a great piece of art, a great football play, or a great movie. I am embarrassed to say that I did not pay close enough attention to the intricacies of my dad's art, but I accepted to write these articles in hopes I could learn more about my dad's favorite past time.

The primary focus of this exhibition is Archibald J. Motley Jr.’s Mending Socks, an oil painting created in 1924 currently located at the Ackland Art Museum. Depicting Motley’s grandmother across a 43.875 x 40 inches (111.4 x 101.6 cm) frame, Mending Socks exhibits a familiar setting complimented by bold colors. Such colors immediately draw the eye to the grandmother, then to the socks on her lap. One then looks to the table, to the fruit overflowing from the bowl, eventually falling on the background. Trailing along, Motley’s grandmother is the off-center grounding of the piece, proving a strong, soothing, and familiar image of relaxed family settings. Behind her, however, are subtle reminders of white power.

This class experience has enhanced my understanding of the art world and how visuals play a major role in expressing certain ideals. The way certain artists portray their art is caused by many different techniques. It’s amazing to see my progression through out from week to week through my discussion boards. I even learned something the very first week of class, in the Abbott reflection I stated, “A big theme in this photograph is the use of lines. As we have studied in class lines add a lot of meaning and can be used interchangeably. Also, I like how the

Chattanooga’s “In Town Gallery” was founded in 1974, and it is home to the workings of local artists. Upon visiting this gallery, I was able to have the unique advantage of conversing with one of the artists themselves, Janice Kindred. I was able to grasp an understanding of the different medias and techniques used in the paintings and other artworks. In addition, I was able to develop an appreciation of the artists’ works.

classes, especially how to describe an artwork contextually, the observations and point of view of

My experience to the Dallas Museum of Art was a bit different from the last time I had attended the museum. I was curious to see what pieces of art there would be and if it would be the same as the previous visit which was long ago, but to me all the pieces of art were so different and very interesting. It may have been because I saw all the pieces in a new perspective since learning about the different types of paintings there can be and knowing how and where sculptures come from. Even though I do not know much of art I really gave it a try into seeing what the artist may have wanted us to get out of his work. By reading a view of the chapters made me aware of art, I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but it was actually nice knowing that a

The first paper that was written was the humanities essay. The humanities essay helped to provide an understanding of the artistic analysis of the artwork that we chose to write about. When the assignment was first assigned I thought it was going to be difficult, seeing that the humanities field is all about expressing your opinion and deconstructing the text for what it says and not how it does so. As I begun to work on the project I found it to be less challenging. Being able to look at a piece of art and deconstruct it in an attempt to identify the artist’s idea, was exciting. I was able to see and realize things about the painting that I never would have noticed if it had not been for this paper. In my painting called “Beulah’s Baby” I never would have noticed how the colors used in the painting told their own story of sadness and depression just by the color contrast, and shading that the painter used.