"The importance of Intensity in the eyes of a Portrait"

Recently I took on the role of curator; I curated an online exhibition whose theme was "The importance of Intensity in the eyes of a Portrait." The reason why I decided to explore this theme was because I am an artist and one of the things I have difficulty with is Portraits. To me, I believe that the eye of a portrait capture the viewer’s attention and allows the viewer to share that special moment with the work of art. After watching almost all of the museum’s collections from the website, I chose 15 artworks which were from three different departments, painting, drawing and print to represent my theme. At my exhibition, three artworks stood out for me the most. Their forms were different and they represented different kinds of beauty of the human face.

Blind Star: Mirror Blind Vivien by, Douglas Gordon is a portrait of glamorous woman. This piece happens to be a piece that was drawn. I found that to be absolutely amazing and impressive. There are so many details that contribute to the beautiful outcome of this portrait. The shading in to highlight the dark and light features of the face and how even the architecture is of the face with the eyes, mouth, eyebrows, lips and nose. This piece is outstanding. It gives me the chills. Although this woman is blind, her eyes are piercing and give the portrait an intense feel. Also this work of art was created in the 1960's; around this time mean were more proactive while women didn't have much of a voice. This woman eyes in this drawing spoke for her.

The “Untitled” painting by, Dan McCarthy is another piece that I really enjoyed. In this painting McCarthy positions a young woman on the left side of a canvas and painted these big blue eyes glazing over at something that happens to have this young woman lost in a daze, or in other words, “googlely-eyed.” The white background also forces the viewer to use their imagination. To me when I see this portrait, I picture with young woman at her favorite bands concert, and she is just captivated by the performance. In this portrait this young woman shares a special moment with someone or something and I find it amazing how clear this is delivered with the eye of this young woman.

Elena, schoolgirl (with lotus blossom) By, Julian Opie is a printed portrait of a school girl. In this portrait this little school girls eyes gives off the feeling that this little girl maybe lost, or confused. I find it extraordinary that the viewer can capture that message and feel the coldness through her eyes that are pretty simple.    

In conclusion, I enjoyed exploring the MoMA and studying the theme of was "The importance of Intensity in the eyes of a Portrait." By studying this it helped me develop more as an artist. I am now more aware of how important it is to master the eyes in a portrait. To me, it takes a an portrait to the next level.

Blind Star: Mirror Blind Vivien

Douglas Gordon 1996

Drawings

Adi

Elizabeth Peyton 1965

Watercolor, paint

Untitled

Paul P. 1977

Drawing

The Clairvoyant

John Currin 1962

Drawing

MC

Greg Goldberg 1973

Drawing

Untitled

Dr. Lakra Loqez Ramirez 1970

Drawing

Chloe (Gold)

Elizabeth Peyton 1965

Colored Pencil drawing

Untitled 

Dan McCarthy 1962

Painting

Slept (Heidemarie Wenzal)

Matt Saunders 1975

Drawing

Alissa

Benji Whalen 1968

Drawing

Untitled

Paul P. 1977

Drawing

Untitled 

Michael Cline 1973

Paint

\\\

D-L Alvarez 1965

Drawing

Copper Notes, State 8

William Kentridge 1955

Print

Untitled

Wilhelm Sasnal 1972

Print

The Secretary of State

Luc Tuymans 1958

Oil painting

Elena, Schoolgirl (with lotus blossom)

Julian Opie 1958

Print

I experimented with what I learned and applied this theme in my personal painting

 

 

Sculpture Center Reaction

For our fourth trip, we visited the Sculpture Center in long Island City. The place overall was very interesting. In all of the works of art exposed, the environment and placement of the particular artwork had everything to do with the presentation and connection of the piece to the artist, the artwork as a whole and its viewers. This technique is called installation where artist uses to create a huge impact on a piece of artwork and the surroundings. The exhibition, "Bill Bollinger: The Retrospective was installed both on the main floor and downstairs. Bill Bollinger considered the dimensions of the space and many unique architectural elements.  The exhibition was interesting because site-specific also played a role in the artworks shown; a particular space and interacted with the surrounding. As my professor advised, I selected three works of art that were shown at the exhibition to discuss, “Wheelbarrow,” “Cyclone  Fence,” and “Rope Piece.”

“Wheelbarrow,” was the first work of art that instantly captured my attention. I caught myself intrigued by the function and the settle atmosphere of this piece. It was positions in a large space in front of a large door. At first I recalled the importance of this machine. A wheelbarrow is a machine that helps is move heavy objects from one place to another, so by placing this piece of art in a huge space allows one to appreciate the function of this design. The empty space gives the work of art more value.

"Cyclone Fence" was a wonderful artwork at the exhibition that I also considered eye candy. Placed in the middle of the museum, the "Cyclone Fence" was twisted 180 degrees and laid flat. This piece in particular had a unique architecture. The geometric, industrial material filled up the space in a way that one can appreciate. Placing this large piece in the middle of the exhibit provides great value to the space and the art work. The viewer can feel the intensity and connection between the space and the artwork. The connection between the space and the work of art just complemented each other and overall made the site a wonderful one to see.

“Rope Piece” was also an enjoyable artwork. These works of art consist of a rope that stretched from the floor to the ceiling and another that stretched from the bolts in the floor placed within a dark basement. I thought that was pretty clever how the artist thoughtfully considered the ropes and its interaction with the dimension of the space and surroundings. From a certain perspective you witness a triangle formed from the shadows of the rope and the “light play” of this piece; Interesting and fun piece.

In conclusion, the clever Bill Bollinger used industrial materials to create an interesting work of art that also involves the space. He considered the placement of each work of art and its dimension to form an overall outstanding piece. Bollinger has influenced me as an artist to use this technique. It forms a stronger impact on its viewers and leaves one to want more!

Untitled, 1970 (2002)

Bill Bollinger

“Wheelbarrows”

1970

Bill Bollinger

"Cyclone Fence"

1968 (2012)

Bill Bollinger

"Rope Piece"

1969(2011)

Design in Our Lives Field Trip #3

On our third trip, we revisited The MoMA; this time our objective was to explore the design galleries exhibit and choose four different works of art. Because, there is no such thing as the “perfect design,” out of the four design’s that we choose to closely examine, two of them will be of high functionality, and the other two with low functionality.

The work of art by, Carlo Bimbi, Gianni Ferrara, and Nilo Giocchini “Tuttuno” is an example of a design of high level functionality. Creatively the artist’s includes a dining area, bed, and living room all in one space. This work shows one how to create a comfortable, livable and also stylish floor plan with the least space possible. Each compartment of the piece can be totally hidden and compacted in a large box. This would make living more functional for someone staying in a small place, rather than having bulky furniture piling up and making your home miserable to live in. I appreciate this form of design.

Another design that served high function in my eyes was  “Puma Bike,” by, Jens Martin Skibsted,  Adam Thorpe,  Joe Hunter. This particular bike was very interesting because it was extremely light in weight. This made it more convenient for bikers to function when traveling, especially on the subways. The bike also could be easy to store away because of the way it is so compacted.  Overall I believe that this design is a brilliant idea and would benefit al lot of people in various ways.

 The design by Roelf Mulder and Richard Perez, “Condom Applicator” is actually a device used to apply a condom onto the male’s genital area in the accurate manner. Although there are many unfortunate dilemmas where unplanned pregnancies occur and STD’s are transmitted, I just don’t see good sales for this product at all. We have been giving out FREE condoms since I can remember, but people still don’t get the picture. Because we are spoiled by the free clinics, abortion opportunities and “trend” of unprotected sex, I believe that Mulder and Perez wasted their time designing a device that would rarely be put to use.

 “Fork,” by Bruno Munari also served as a low functional work or art. Not only do I see lack of creativity in the design, the design serves no purpose and can’t be used, so it has no purpose. The design is simply awkward. There is no way that I can use it to consume food.  

 In conclusion, design is a very important part of our lives. It is everywhere around us. Design is a part of our life. Some designs have a great amount of functionality, while others seem to be useless. Different designs benefit different people depending on who you are and what you do.

Bruno Munari

“Fork”

Metal

1958-1964

Jens Martin Skibsted; Adam Thorpe; Joe Hunter

"Puma Bike"

2004

Carlo Bimbi, Gianni Ferrara, Nilo Giocchini

"Tuttuno"

Plywood covered with plastic laminate

1971

Roelf Mulder, Richard Perez

"Condom Applicator"

Polyethylene and aluminum foil

2004

Projest #3 Illustrate a Story

The Story that I listened to was "When I was in High School I was afraid of you.." In this story Geraldine Nash, also known as the "quilter," and Gustina Atlas discuss a friendship that developed out of fear. The two had two different, yet interesting personalities that attracted one to another and also caused them to be intimidated. The quilts discussed in the story symbolizes the friendship between the two. 

In my illustration I painted six different quilts. Each quilt, just like the two women clearly has a different personality. When placed together It forms something beautiful; just as beautiful as the friendship these women eventually share.      

“MoMA PS1: The Good, the Bad, and the Misunderstood” Field trip #2

When viewing a work of art, one receives an instant reaction towards it; either you like it or you don’t. After analyzing it, your opinion might change, or not. I know from experience, once I take the time to fully understand a work of art, I may begin to appreciate it. In other situations, I just can’t seem to fathom the artwork. This past week, we had another wonderful opportunity to experience the MoMA PS1. When visiting, I came across three works of art; one that I didn’t like, one that I did and one that I didn’t understand.

Personally, the work of art by, Frances Stark “My Best Thing,” was the work of art that I had the least interest in. In video form, Stark expressed how people do sexual favors over the internet in chat rooms. To me the video was just pointless because it was uncreative. There was no deeper meaning brought forth. Each second that I witnessed this “work of art” I became more and more uninterested in watching the rest, which is why I couldn’t stick around to view it anymore. The mini film didn’t capture my full attention which is ironic because of the topic it discussed. I was also a bit bothered that the characters in the mini film reminded me of Adam and Eve from the first book of the bible. It was almost as if Stark made a mockery of them. Overall, it was simply untasteful.

The exhibit that I liked and really enjoyed was Janet Cardiff “The Forty Motet.” This was a room that consists of forty speakers that played a fourteen minute forty track sound recording of “Spem in Alium Nunquam Habui” by Thomas Tallis. I thought that it was beautiful and so captivating how although each speaker had its one individual sound, but when you stand in the midst of the speakers it forms a beautiful harmony as if it was one sound. I personally believe that this symbolizes unity, and that is the deeper meaning that the artist is expressing. I enjoy the stimulating thoughts that Cardiff allows that listeners to experience. This is what art is all about.

The work of art that I didn’t understand was “It’s Like a Jungle,”by, Henry Taylor. In Taylor’s work of art, he created a sculpture that consist various forms of items that you could find in your house. Although each of the pieces used to create Taylors creation was interesting, his idea wasn’t clear enough for me because each piece had an different character. It would go from an picture of Kanye West, to an broom stick. If the pieces had a format, a pattern or if he played with the scale a bit more, it probably would have made more sense to me. I did enjoy the contrast between white and black, but overall I didn’t understand the message of the piece. To me it wasn’t clear.    

In conclusion, everyone has a different an opinion of art. You won’t always agree with an artist suggestion of what art is and sometimes you will; and there are other times when you may need a little guidance to really understand a work of art that doesn’t make sense to you. As the saying goes, “Art is in the eye of the beholder.”

Frances Stark
"My Best Thing"
Video (Sound, Color)
2011

Janet Cardiff
"The Forty Part Motet"
40-track sound recording (14:00 minutes), 40 speakers
1957

Henry Taylor

"It's Like a Jungle"

2011

Art and Identity: The Museum of Modern Art (field trip #1)

       Visiting the infamous, Museum of Modern Art, also known as the MoMA, was an inspirational and pleasurable experience. I’ve had the opportunity to witness various famous artists who created Art in all types of ways, you can’t imagine. Each works of art that I’ve witnessed had a personal meaning to the artist that the artist communicated through his or her work. On our trip to the MoMA, we were asked to find works of Art that embodied Individual, cultural and historical identity. Identity is what defines us, and makes someone or something unique. Identity separates one.

            The first work of art that I’d like to talk about, is the painting by Takashi Murakami called “727.”  In this work of art Murakami embodied individual identity. He uses synthetic polymer paint on his three canvas boards to create an image that appeals to his childhood. In his work we witness bright colors and animated creatures. The work of art is imaginary and the viewer gets a sense of what it was like to be a child again. It short of reminds one of the stickers they used to place on the back of their notebooks in elementary. This piece brings out the child in us which is why it symbolizes individual identity.

The second work of art that I’ll discuss is “R.S.V.P.” by, Senga Nengudi.  In this work of art Nengudi embodies cultural identity. In the 1960’s, feminist theory and practice profoundly informed the work of wide variety of women artist, such as Nengudi. In order to voice their opinions, artists confronted the cultural stereotypes, racial and gender inequities through different mediums. Nengudi used pantyhose and sand voice her opinions artistically meaning, “The body can only stand so much push and pull until it gives way, never to resume is orginal shape.”

In Emiliano Zapata’s “Agrarian Leader Zapata,” he embodied the historical identity. Emiliano Zapata, a champion of agrarian reform and key protagonist in the Mexican Revolution, here leads a band of peasant rebels armed with weapons.  Zapata was considered a hero and was glorified the victory of the Revolution in image of violent but just vengeance.   

In conclusion, the experience at the MoMA was phenomenal. I’ve witnessed so many types of works the embodied identity in different form. I was able to really analyze and appreciate art and its interior meaning.  

Narrative Digital Collage

This scene that I created is my perspective on how I interpret the concept of living in New York City.

Basically, New York City is a "Jungle." Because New York is the place of so many possible opportunities and success (such as acting, singing, directing, modeling, banking, artist & ect. jobs)  It is full of competition, ambition, and determination.  This then forces people to go about achieving their personal goals in either a good, or bad way . Just like the wild animals in a jungle, "New-Yorkers" have to protect themselves from being another "New-Yorkers" "prey." Its survival of the fittest. Protect your own.