Morris Louis

http://library.artstor.org/library/welcome.html#3|search|1|morris20louis20saf20gimel|Multiple20Collection20Search|||type3D3126kw3Dmorris20louis20saf20gimel26id3Dall26name3D

I chose Morris Louis' "Saf Gimmel", I really like this painting mostly because it reminds me of the Northern Lights. I love the color and the atmospheric quality. The way the colors blend and merge make the image appear to morph, as if the entire painting is slipping down the canvas. I found this browsing through the Guggenheim collection, and it just caught my eye, not because of any conceptual or deep intellectual interest, but purely because it was purely fun to look at. Sometimes I really like looking at art I know nothing about because you get to form your own narrative, or even no narrative at all, other than your immediate reaction to its the visual quality. It does not spark any particular emotion or revelation about the world, but captures my attention for a purely visual, aesthetic reason.

Who owns what on television?

Link to blog and rest of images:
http://www.neatorama.com/2008/07/07/who-owns-what-on-television/

What comes to mind when you read the text? What comes to mind when you view these images? What are the implications of having two different sources of information?
It's interesting that one can essentially glean the same information in the images as in the text. The colorful collage of small logos are situated next to the a similarly-sized logo of the company that owns them. The composite of artistic choices made in these images make us question what we would not question if we only read the text. Does this mean images have the power to elicit more than just 2-dimensional thinking?

We can use the images as metaphors for U.S. society. The 6 large companies represent the dominant and governing institutions (government, business, media, corporation, education, etc) and the channels represent the diverse inhabitants (diversity in this case includes identities relating to race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, and sexuality among others) Oftentimes the common narrative of diversity in this country, that of multiculturalism, serves to tokenize the diverse elements without meaningfully respecting difference in favor of assimilation. By evading the dimension of difference, this discourse also evades the core issues ailing society.

In the images we see that there are a variety of channels that cater to many interests. However what are the implications for the channels' autonomy and creativity having only 6 large channels? Or am I overthinking this?

Woman

While I was skimming through the pictures that are on the SFMOMA website, this one stood out to me. Although I am not clear about the “right” meaning of this picture, it appealed to me because of the way it has represented woman and desire in such a raw manner. This representation of woman deviates from the ones that are more known, in which the breast of the women are exaggerated and they are being depicted as demons with huge eyes and teeth. The aggression that is characteristic of De Kooning’s pictures of women is absent in this picture. Although this is still a distorted representation of woman, the woman in this picture seems tormented, with her arms around her knees, hiding away from the world. Yet, at the same time, she stares out at us with a look on her face that suggests that she knows something we do not. It is smug and coy at the same time. I think this epitomizes the perception of woman as desired by man. To me, the development of the representation of woman shows how De Kooning grows to understand this better. It shows how the conflicting images of helplessness and aggression create a desirable image of a woman. Being enigmatic makes it desirable. At the same time, the strokes in this painting reinforce that. This image does not have a defined structure, making it seem unclear. It is almost as if it is “coming through in waves”. We are almost able to grasp it, but it eludes us with its unclear structure. I like how this image makes viewer feel like it is almost understandable but it is not. The shape seems to be almost defined but it is not. This relationship that the viewer establishes with the images parallels the sexual desire that men have for women that I believe De Kooning was trying to represent.

Banksy

This work by street artist Banksy depicts the Mona Lisa holding a rocket launcher, as a reaction to the recent terrorist activities in the global arena. The fact that his some of his work centers around modern events results in it being more relevant and more interesting. Also, the image is just amusing to look at. When one thinks of the Mona Lisa, one thinks of the Holy Grail of traditional art or the ideal symbol of a virtuous woman. Holding a rocket launcher and wearing a headset results in a comical image while at the same time being pertinent to current events.

"La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans" ("Little Dancer of Fourteen Years")

I chose an artwork that I have always liked: Edgar Degas’s sculpture "La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans" ("Little Dancer of Fourteen Years"), c. 1881 because I think that it is beautiful work. I saw a photo of this artwork when I was young and I have remembered it since. I had never thought about why I like Degas’s sculpture but having taken this course I tried to look at why I like this work.

I personally like sculptures because the show the mark of the artist, you can imagine that this artist actually put their hands on this piece years ago. This of course reflects that artists and artistic talent are still very valued and admired. Degas sculpture of the dancer is also very unique in that it is a bronze sculpture but also has a cotton skirt and a hair ribbon. This seems like an old combination since bronze this thought to be very strong and unbreakable, but the use of the fabric softens the sculpture. This combination brings the strength and elegance that a dancer must contain when they perform. I also like that the pose of the dancer incorporates the strength and posture that a dancer holds, yet doesn’t show any movement that we are used to seeing in a dancer on stage. The dancer does not have the most beautiful face, according to some critics. But by not having the ideal face, I like it more since Degas was an impressionist painter he painted what he saw. It makes the art much more realistic, this of course touches on the subject that we are searching for the eternal truth and honesty in art.

Melanie Delon

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img11.nnm.ru/imagez/gallery/6/e/5/6/f/6e56fe7f8990394c550d6ca308aa03c9_full.jpg&imgrefurl=http://int.nnm.ru/hudozhnica_melanie_delon_1&h=900&w=561&sz=149&tbnid=_jYdOWXPnNwJ::&tbnh=146&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3DM%25C3%25A9lanie%2BDelon&usg=__z1vUaZaSiNXv_smqa5xaIM5ZeXw=&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=5&ct=image&cd=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwcO2Ez0exo - Melanie Delon speed painting.

I really liked a lot of the works created by Melanie Delon. She's actually a digital painter, meaning that she creates her images through the use of computer programs. However, just because she uses technology, doesn't mean that her works don't show any skill or talent--its actually quite the contrary. Her paintings caught my eye because the look so realistic even though many of the subject matter derives from a fantasy world. That link to the video of her painting gives us an insight on the process it takes to create such an image--I thought it was really fascinating! It seems like she favors drawing females, one in particular (maybe herself?) in a somewhat eerie light; there seems to be a weird glow to each one of her paintings. All in all, Delon has an awesome imagination and great use of technique.

rotating building in dubai is "awaiting approval"

http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKN2435465820080624


watch the little video, its cool