Works of Art I Know

The Copley Family, 1788

John Singleton Copley, American

The artist's point of view seems to be that the women and children are all very content and happy. Since all of the women and children are wearing all white, they seem to give off an angelic glow. Whereas it seems that he wants to portray men being as more severe and independent. Copley uses contrast a lot in this painting through not only color but also facial expressions. He also uses grouping to show that the women and children are together while the men are sort of distant. From his use of leading lines, I notice that the man sitting down does not embrace the baby who's arms are up and from this looks distant and uncaring. I feel like the emphasis on this painting is on the men. It is on the men because they are wearing the opposite color of the rest of the painting and because they are so different from the other members of the family. They almost seem as if they are about to attack or go to battle. I think that it is interesting that Copley would choose to depict his own family in this sense. He probably knows something about his family history that we don't and I love to find out what that is.

Works of Art I Know

Nighthawks, 1942

Edward Hopper, American

My First Impressions:

This is actually not the first time I've seen this painting. I have seen it in person actually at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It's really beautiful up close. The first thing I notice is the diner and the couple on the far right. I think that this takes place in Philadelphia due to the name of the diner "Phillies". I think that this is supposed to be early morning or late late night because the streets are deserted and the stores are closed. It also seems to be fairly dark outside.

What I've Learned: 

Hopper has said that the inspiration behind Nighthawks is "a restaurant in New York's Greenwich Avenue where two streets meet." Hopper didn't intentionally paint the loneliness and isolation of a large city, but he says that he might have subconsciously. 

Hopper brings a sense of unity to the painting with the use of contrast in color: the dark background as opposed to the light streaming in from the diner. He also uses repetition from the buildings in the background. The placement of the man in the middle of the painting draws us to him primarily. From the man we can follow his gaze to the couple and then to the waiter. Although the people in the painting are totally different, the way Hopper created them makes them totally unified. 

Reflection

If I could do one of the projects again I would probably do the self-portrait picture over again because I should have thought more about time spacing and I could have done a much better job. But I would also love to do the found object sculpture over again just because it was so much fun!

Of all the artists I've researched I think Andy Goldsworthy is the most interesting because of the way he creates his art: using only natural materials. I think it's great how he understands that his art won't be a forever piece but he makes them so that he understands the land. 

Works of Art I Know

Leaf Horn, 1989

Andy Goldsworthy, British

My First Impressions: 

Well it's pretty spectacular how he could do all this with only natural materials. I wonder how he made the leaves look so shiny? I really like the contrast between the leaves and the grass. I think that makes your attention go toward the horn. 

What I've Learned:

Goldsworthy made the leaves shiny by greasing them made from the tree they fell from and he pinned the leaves to the ground using thorns. This was created in "Le Jardin Massey" in Tarbes, France. Goldsworthy created outdoor sculptures all over the world using various natural materials and takes colored photographs of them because they won't last forever. His intention in creating his art is not to "make his mark on the landscape" but to have a better understanding of it. 

sources:

http://www.rwc.uc.edu/artcomm/web/w2005_2006/maria_Goldsworthy/biography.html 

Works of Art I Know

L.H.O.O.Q., 1919

Marcel Duchamp, French/American

My First Impressions:

This is clearly a reproduction of the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. However, Duchamp decided to draw a mustache and goatee on her therefore making fun of the painting and the artist. I think that it is interesting that Duchamp decided to make fun of one of the most publicly known and famous paintings in history. I am sure that Duchamp got a lot of attention for this painting. I wonder what L.H.O.O.Q. stands for. 

What I've Learned:

The title, pronounced in French, says the phrase "Elle a chaud au cul" meaning "She has a hot ass." This painting is one of the most famous "acts of degrading a famous painting." Duchamp is known as the "Greatest Influence in 20th century art" by art historians.

sources: 

http://www.marcelduchamp.net   

Works of Art I Know

An Officer, 1929-1930

Rembrandt, Dutch

My First Impressions:

Rembrandt used a lot of realistic, earth tones. I like how he used shadows because one half of his face is hit by the light while the other is darker because of the shadows. Also, on the officer's collar is gleaming from the light. I wonder what he is looking at.

What I Learned: 

Rembrandt is considered to be "one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history." After attending the University of Leiden he was apprenticed to a Leiden history painter named Jacob van Swanenburgh for three years. 

sources:

http://www.rembrandtpainting.net/ 

Story Collage

The story I'm trying to tell in my collage is of me putting on a show in my living room when I was younger in front of my family. It usually consisted of me doing little dances or skits.

The most challenging aspect of making this collage was not being able to draw anything but only to use paper, scissors, and clue.

The most successful aspect of my collage is the three-dimensional hair on my mom on the couch.

The Spotlight, 2009