Week Fifteen - Video Review Blog

1.     For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Greenberg on Art Criticism: An Interview by T. J. Clark- This film documents the conversation, spotlighting Clement Greenberg’s reflections on his career and its place in the wider arenas of art theory, art journalism, and the philosophy of aesthetics. While he frequently deflates the seriousness of many of his earlier pronouncements, Greenberg shares a number of insights on the relationship between art and history, the nature of value judgments in criticism, and what he calls America’s post-WWII “culture boom.”

An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance -Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Artists has been the basis of art criticism since the 16th century. This film cleverly illustrates how each great master developed techniques by building upon the work of his predecessors. The lively discussion between Master Vasari and his apprentice reveals the innovations of Giotto, Ghiberti, Donatello, Uccello, Masaccio, della Francesca, Botticelli, Leonardo, Raffaello, and Michelangelo. Images of selected masterpieces illustrate the Roman influence on Renaissance art and reinforce the concepts of perspective, balance, chiaroscuro, composition, and realism. This film helps people get an understanding on how artists and their artwork are different.

2.     Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Criticism project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.

             I do not believe that these two videos reflect the creation of my Art Criticism project because they are dealing with topics that are irrelevant to my project. My project had to do with Chinese and North American landscapes and Clemet Greenberg live and interpretations did not touch on my topic. Also, although the Italian Renaissance video was interesting to see it did not really have anything to do with landscape artwork in general.

3.     What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of art criticism?

The films taught me interesting information about the Italian Renaissance, like it was the earliest manifestation of the general European Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement that began in Italy during the 14th century and lasted until the 16th century, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Although I gained knowledge about the Renaissance in general it did not help add depth to my understanding about criticism. The other video with Clemet Greenberg talks about how he was the greatest art critic of the second half of the 20th century, Clement Greenberg was arguably the greatest art critic of all time. The video definitely helped add depth to my criticism because he talks about the right approach for critique, and where to start looking when critiquing artwork or an exhibition for this project.

Project #5 Art Criticism Reflection

1.Which projects did you review?

For this project I reviewed, Looking for Love by: Jenna Lettieri, The Harlem Renaissance: The Birth of African Culture in America by: Siggers, and 1920’S FASHION FROM THE MOVIE The Great Gatsby by: Todaro.

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?

            I chose to critique Looking for Love by: Jenna Lettieri for a couple of reasons. First, her exhibition caught my attention right away just from the coloring of her slides and the title. Second, Jenna did a great job providing her audience with enough information about each piece of artwork to understand what the art is about. Lastly, the idea of romance really grasped my attention mainly because I am a female and love is constantly on my mind. 

3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?


            I did not find any challenges when writing my critique article for Jenna’s exhibition. She did a great job putting her exhibition together giving me plenty of information about each piece of art, which made the assignment very easy for me to give her a good critique.

4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?

            I liked the idea of critiquing my peers work because it gave me an opportunity to see what other classmates chose for this assignment. I was really interested in Jenna’s exhibition and I wish I would of thought about that topic to base my exhibition on. It is interesting to see students’ personalities through their finished slideshows, and I could see interests that my students have as well.

5. Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?


            I would like to read the critiques that my peers wrote about my project because I think I used a lot of personal explanations about pieces in my exhibition and I wonder if my classmates made those same connections. If they didn’t make the same connections, I would love to see what they thought about different pieces in my exhibition and how our two interpretations differ.

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?

            I would give my finished article an 8. I think I did a great job complementing Jenna on a lot of different aspects to her exhibition, but it was difficult for me to give her any constructive criticism. I believe that her exhibition was great and everything that she chose for it worked well together.


7. Did you enjoy working on this project?

            I did enjoy working on this project because it allowed me to use my own creativity while still working with other artist masterpieces. It also allowed me to connect a little bit with my classmates by looking at their finished exhibitions and seeing different personalities in each slideshow. I am glad we did this assignment. 

Project #4 Reflection Journal

Reflection- Process of Art Exhibition
The name of my exhibition is... Any Landscape is a Condition of the Spirit

When I first read over the directions for this project I automatically knew that I wanted my exhibition to have something to do with landscapes. My reasoning behind this is because I believe that a majority of landscape portraits can have many interpretations and it mainly up to the audience to decide what is going on in the painting/ drawing. Art does not come very easy to me, but imagination is one thing that I am capable of doing. I figured if I chose to do an exhibition on all landscape portraits, then it would be easy for me to have interpretations of what the artists point was.

When I first started my research I just began looking at the websites that were given to us on Angel. The first group of paintings that captured my attention was Chinese landscapes. I was really interested in these paintings because they were very simple but I could still think of a lot to say about each painting. I loved the back ink and pale colors that were used in these paintings as well. Secondly, as my research continued I stumbled upon the North American landscapes and I was very impressed. My favorite season is fall and a majority of these North American portraits are county side views that make me think of fall. I absolutely love how the artists really touched on details with the nature all around the landscape. These landscapes gave me a sense of calmness and allowed my imagination to unwind.

Lastly I needed to put all of this together into a PowerPoint presentation. When I watched the videos about exhibition I got an understanding that everything is critical for the viewers eye to get the effect you are going for when creating an exhibition. Now we were dealing with PowerPoint so lighting was not something we could change. However, I chose to use a lighter green background to represent the nature aspect of my exhibition, but also left white space on each slide so the audience still focused on the landscape itself. I did not want the background to overtake the image that was the main purpose of the slide. I also chose to use brown lettering for my descriptions just to stick with that nature setting.

Module thirteen and fourteen-video review

1.     For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach- this video discusses How did modernist ideas reshape the presentation of art in museums and galleries? And how did that approach evolve in the postmodern era? This video examines intellectual and aesthetic issues associated with the display of art, using rooms in the Tate Modern as case studies. Overviewing the exhibition style Alfred Barr established during his transformation of MoMA in the 1930s, the video shows how Tate curators developed a new method utilizing theme-based museum sections. Students are guided through numerous Tate holdings—notably the juxtaposition of Monet’s Water Lilies with Richard Long’s work—as well as pieces by Lucio Fontana, Yves Klein, Denis Oppenheim, and others.

Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology- This video deals with the remains of more than 10,000 Native Americans unearthed at archaeological sites across the U.S. are in the possession of museums such as the Smithsonian. Is the analysis of the bones valid scientific research, or is it a desecration of Native American culture? This video focuses on the tensions between scientists, historians, and museum curators and Native American groups, as the bones take on a central role in a war of alternate perspectives. In examining this debate, the program provides an excellent survey of Native American archaeology in the U.S.

2.     Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.

Displaying Modern Art related to my exhibition project because it helped me decide which background I was going to use for my PowerPoint presentation. Having my exhibition dealing with landscapes from China and North America, chose the green background to help get a feel for my theme, but also had white represented in each slide so the viewer did not lose focus on the work of art being presented. The other video, Bones of Contention: Native American Archeology helped me to see how Native American people interpreted art throughout history while they dealt with all of their struggles of death, and starvation. Not many remains are left of the Native American lives so it is interesting to see paintings that are make now to represent North America because hopefully they can be persevered how historians in later years.

3.     What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

I thought that both of the films I watched were rather interesting but it was a little difficult for me to find connections with my exhibition individually. I did find it helpful to learn about the Native American culture and how not much remains to show their lives from history. However, the first video definitely helped me to pick the right background for my slideshow. It taught me that every little aspect is important when an audience is viewing work and knowing that I cannot change the lighting on a PowerPoint, I really had to focus on that background coloring and font.

Module 12- video response

Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.
I decided to watch the video, Andy Warhol: Images of an Image because throughout middle school and parts of high school whenever I took an art class I distinctly remember learning about Andy Warhol. I don't know if this is because I heard about him so much growing up or if it because I am actually interested in his work. Secondly, I chose to watch Abstract Expressionism and Pop because I knew this had something to do with Warhol's art so it was perfect to link the two videos together and get a good insight from both videos.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
Andy Warhol: Images of an Image- is about  the works of Andy Warhol sardonically comment on the ubiquity of mass media in modern America. The video looks at the Pop Art movement and the life of Warhol through a penetrating investigation of his deadpan Ten Lizes. The painting exemplifies his fascination with—and his indifference to—celebrities as objects no less commodified than a simple can of soup. Warhol's art encompassed many forms of media, including hand drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, silk screening, sculpture, film, and music. He was also a pioneer in computer-generated art using Amiga computers that were introduced in 1984, two years before his death. He founded Interview Magazine and was the author of numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties. He is also notable as a gay man who lived openly as such before the gay liberation movement. His studio, The Factory, was a famous gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons.

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the ’50s and ’60s - this film is about abstract Expressionism was born from a joining of attitudes in American art and European avant-garde art, but was later rejected for its nonfigurative and seemingly egocentric character in favor of the ultra-objective phenomenon known as Pop Art.Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid-1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States.Pop art presented a challenge to traditions of fine art by including imagery from popular culture such as advertising, news, etc. In pop art, material is sometimes visually removed from its known context, isolated, and/or combined with unrelated material. Technically, an important predecessor is surrealism, with its emphasis on spontaneous, automatic or subconscious creation. Jackson Pollock's dripping paint onto a canvas laid on the floor is a technique that has its roots in the work of André Masson, Max Ernst and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Another important early manifestation of what came to be abstract expressionism is the work of American Northwest artist Mark Tobey, especially his "white writing" canvases, which, though generally not large in scale, anticipate the "all-over" look of Pollock's drip paintings.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos relate to the text in forms of art and technology. Warhol had decided to make a name for himself in pop art. Pop art was a new style of art that began in England in the mid-1950s and consisted of realistic renditions of popular, everyday items. Warhol turned away from the blotted-line technique and chose to use paint and canvas but at first he had some trouble deciding what to paint.Warhol began with Coke bottles and comic strips but his work wasn't getting the attention he wanted. In December 1961, Warhol gave $50 to a friend of his who had told him she had a good idea. Her idea was for him to paint what he liked most in the world, perhaps something like money and a can of soup. Warhol found that he couldn't make his paintings fast enough on canvas. Luckily in July 1962, he discovered the process of silk screening. This technique uses a specially prepared section of silk as a stencil, allowing one silk-screen to create similar patterns multiple times. He immediately began making paintings of celebrities, most notably a large collection of paintings of Marilyn Monroe. Warhol would use this style for the rest of his life.Warhol continued to paint and he also made films. From 1963 to 1968, he made nearly 60 movies.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
The films added depth to my understanding of Abstract Expressionism and understand how technology became a part of art. These two concepts were developed visually through Warhol's work which helped me fully develop the concept.

Module 11- video review

1.     Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I decided to watch the two videos Matisse and Picasso, and Dada and Surrealism because I wanted to learn something new that I did not get from the text. I thought it would be interesting to connect what we learned in the text from this chapter to actual artists and their pieces. The first video helped me get perspective of certain aspects of art throughout history. The second video helped me understand key terms from the text that I did not focus on in my chapter response.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Matisse and Picasso- this film is about compiling a half-century of unparalleled artistic dialogue, the film documents the complicated relationship between two indomitable personae: Matisse, the serene, self indulgent father figure, and Picasso, the eternal adolescent and fiery primitive. The video employs archival photos of film clips, stunning images of painting and sculpture, and firsthand recollections of the Picasso and Matisse circles, illuminating the interesting creative journeys of both artists. Francoise Gilots and Picasso's son Claude shed light on the Spaniards formal reactions to and admiration a of Matisse, while Jacqueline Matisse Monnier and Matisse biographer Hilary Spurling reciprocate.

Dada and Surrealism- this film is about the Dada movement, born as a reaction to World War 1, and it's successor, Surrealism, opened new avenues for artistic creation by striving to bypass the reasoning process and tap directly into unconscious mind. The film takes time too look at work from Kurt Schwitter, Hannah Hoch, George Grosz, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, and Man Ray.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos relate to the readings because they focus on the era during the French and American Revolution. The 19th century gave birth to our industrialized middle class culture of mass consumption, advertising and consumption of leisure activities. These activities included shopping, visiting art museums and going to entertainments. The first national museum is called the Louvre in Paris. It opened during the French Revolution. The text also touches on Neoclassicism, Romanticism, constructivism, and Expressionism which are different styles of art that were developed during this time which are also mentioned in the videos.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I believe that the films helped me get a good grasp on artists drive for artwork during the revolutionary time because of different styles of art. The historical events that were taking place during that time in history helped artist make real masterpieces in their collections. The videos also helped me get a great perspective of specific artists such as Picasso and Matisse and how they developed artwork during this revolutionary time to help with advertisements using different styles of work.