March 30, 2007
The style of William H. Johnson’s 1942 painting, “Ambulance on the Go”, seems to be abstract. Abstract means that a given work of art was created such that certain parts of the visible world appear simplified or exaggerated. In “Ambulance on the Go” many of the real world objects appear to be drawn in simplified shapes. The objects appear so simplified that you might believe a child drew the painting. For example, trees are drawn without much definition, but as simple green ovals. The ambulances appear as simple rectangles with wheels that are uneven in proportion to each other.
In terms of movement, Johnson is classified as a Harlem Renaissance painter, but “Ambulance on the Go”, is clearly a World War II inspired painting. It is an expression of Johnson’s patriotism during the war effort. The “American Red Cross” ambulances depicted in the painting played a role in the volunteer-related services that helped the United States become victorious in World War II.
Compared to Johnson’s Work, Winslow Homer had a more naturalistic style in his paintings. Naturalistic means that objects or bodies are represented the way they appear to us in the real world. Light, colors, shadows, and bodies are realistically reflected in the artwork. Homer’s painting, “Dinner Horn”, realistically shows a female blowing a horn to call workers in for dinner. The woman is drawn to scale, the light and colors are reflected realistically, the wind seems to have a natural flow, and the shadows are consistent with the direction of the light source.
It’s not clear what movement inspired “Dinner Horn”, a late 19th century American painting, but it appears to resemble that of impressionism. Impressionism is art drawn from the artist’s impression of how light and color is perceived by their eyes. Sometimes light is not evenly distributed and is perceived to be scattered throughout a given scene. This is particularly true in scenes of outdoor landscapes. For example, in “Dinner Horn” we see an outdoor landscape where light is passing through several trees. In some areas we see lighter colors, but in others we see darker shadows. Looking at the female, the light source is perceived to be coming from the right, since her dress appears to be the brightest on that side. Overall the painting appears to be drawn on how Homer’s eyes perceived the scene.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Andy Warhol Marketing Influence on Art.
March 25, 2007
Andy Warhol's approach to art expanded our view of what we look at as being art. For example, label's on retail product's (soup, brillo, etc.), celebrity portraits, and silk screens. His unique way of adding color to images expanded how we think of art. Today art plays a big part of media and marketing. Warhol's pop art approach has helped influence today's modern art from everything to Music CDs, to Movies and television commercials.
In our modern era there are new dimensions of art since the height of Warhol's career. Today computers affect every aspect of life, including art. Today computers can be used for archiving, exhibitions, animation, graphics and many other applications. For a new artist who is looking to market their artwork and gain exposure, the Internet is a great start. These technologies will likely become more advanced and add even more dimensions to how art is created and marketed.
Andy Warhol's approach to art expanded our view of what we look at as being art. For example, label's on retail product's (soup, brillo, etc.), celebrity portraits, and silk screens. His unique way of adding color to images expanded how we think of art. Today art plays a big part of media and marketing. Warhol's pop art approach has helped influence today's modern art from everything to Music CDs, to Movies and television commercials.
In our modern era there are new dimensions of art since the height of Warhol's career. Today computers affect every aspect of life, including art. Today computers can be used for archiving, exhibitions, animation, graphics and many other applications. For a new artist who is looking to market their artwork and gain exposure, the Internet is a great start. These technologies will likely become more advanced and add even more dimensions to how art is created and marketed.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Screen Printing Comments
March 20, 2007
The process of screen printing for the novice artist includes learning to accept that not every image will be perfect. It is OK to have some imperfections in the final image. Sometimes imperfections are art in themselves. In my case, William Johnson’s work “Ambulance on the Go”, the telephone poles did not completely transfer to the fabric, even though I followed the procedures. Perhaps the cliché: “practice makes perfect” is an additional lesson for me as well.
Overall the whole screen printing project was a satisfying experience, because I got to see the results of my personal creation. In addition this is an experience that I can take with me beyond the class.
The process of screen printing for the novice artist includes learning to accept that not every image will be perfect. It is OK to have some imperfections in the final image. Sometimes imperfections are art in themselves. In my case, William Johnson’s work “Ambulance on the Go”, the telephone poles did not completely transfer to the fabric, even though I followed the procedures. Perhaps the cliché: “practice makes perfect” is an additional lesson for me as well.
Overall the whole screen printing project was a satisfying experience, because I got to see the results of my personal creation. In addition this is an experience that I can take with me beyond the class.
Mid-Term Remix Artist Statement
March 20, 2007
The artwork of Andy Warhol is what I chose to remix. Upon first studying Warhol, his physical appearance seemed very plain, which matched his quiet and introverted personality. However his artwork and quotations say otherwise. Much of his artwork seems to be obsessed with what was popular at the time. The subject of this art could be a commercial product, a political leader, a political movement, etc. This artwork also included portraits of many celebrities during the height of his career, which is what my remix focuses on. The remix includes portraits of Grace Jones, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Muhammad Ali, and Prince. These celebrities at some point reached great fame in their careers and Warhol seems to capture this with his signature style of wild & flamboyant colors. His style is clearly meant to grab your attention, as though he wanted to reinforce the subject’s popularity. Much of his artwork also included his own self-portraits.
During Warhol’s career, media played such a big part of being popular (TV, newspapers, magazines, etc), that Warhol is most noted for his quote “In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes”. Given today’s world-wide Internet connectivity, his statement is probably more true than he realized.
The purpose of my remix was to show that in our modernized age of computer blogs, image software, & Internet sites, that not just celebrities, but everyone can be famous for 15 minutes. The remix shows several of my self-portraits, influenced by Warhol’s unique style of coloring and special effects. With the help of a computer I was able to use my own portrait to mimic many of his “famous” artworks. I suspect that if Andy Warhol were alive today, he would have taken computerized artwork to a level none of us could have imagined.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License
The remixed artwork is a derivative of other artworks. The following MLA citations credit the original artists used in the artwork:
Andy Warhol Artwork Citations:
Warhol, Andy. Muhammad Ali. 1978. Pollack Fine Arts, London, UK.
Date Accessed: 03/20/2007
URL: http://www.artnet.com/artwork_images_160352_265805_andy-warhol.jpg
Warhol, Andy. Marilyn. 1976. The Taylor Gallery, Belfast Ireland
Date Accessed: 03/20/2007
URL: http://www.artnet.com/artwork_images_424450562_253954_andy-warhol.jpg
Warhol, Andy. Grace Jones. 1986. Coskun Fine Arts, London, UK.
Date Accessed: 03/20/2007
URL: http://www.artnet.com/artwork_images_160529_246519_andy-warhol.jpg
Warhol, Andy. Prince. 1984. Coskun Fine Arts, London, UK.
Date Accessed: 03/20/2007
URL: http://www.artnet.com/artwork_images_160529_246517_andy-warhol.jpg
Warhol, Andy. Mick Jagger.1975. Belgravia Gallery, London, UK.
Date Accessed: 03/20/2007
URL: http://www.artnet.com/artwork_images_132476_234841_andy-warhol.jpg
Warhol, Andy. John Lennon. 1985. Mugrabi Collection, New York, NY
Date Accessed: 03/20/2007
URL: http://www.artnet.com/magazine/features/polsky/Images/polsky3-20-7.jpg
Unknown Photographer.
URL: http://www.artnet.com/artwork_images/423838496/185942.jpg
Mapplethorpe, Robert. Image of Andy Warhol. 1986. The Robert Mapplethorpe FoundationURL: http://www.mapplethorpe.org/online/exhibitions/Kim/Pictures/BigImages/1867-Andy%20Warhol1986-dup.jpg
Warhol, Andy. “In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.”
URL: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Late Start Art 101 - Comments on Andy Warhol Video
March 6, 2007
In the documentary, " Superstar : The Life and Times of Andy Warhol ", Warhol is shown as having an introverted personality. Even though he was very quiet, he chose to work with people of diverse personalities. For many, Warhol was perceived to be a drug user, but the documentary portrayed the opposite view. He also brought a great deal of awareness about the world's current events through his artwork (Pop Art).
In the documentary, " Superstar : The Life and Times of Andy Warhol ", Warhol is shown as having an introverted personality. Even though he was very quiet, he chose to work with people of diverse personalities. For many, Warhol was perceived to be a drug user, but the documentary portrayed the opposite view. He also brought a great deal of awareness about the world's current events through his artwork (Pop Art).
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Activity 5 - Theme Art Comparisons
March 3, 2006
The primary theme behind William H. Johnson’s painting, “Ambulance on the Go”, is “stories and histories”. A theme is an idea or concept used as a context for which an artwork was created. “Ambulance on the Go” was created under a historical context, specifically World War II. The painting, created in 1942, shows a series of ambulances, depicting the well-known logo of “The American Red Cross”. The “American Red Cross” has a long history of providing disaster relief to Americans during times of great need. At the time Johnson created this painting, it is known that the “American Red Cross” mostly provided numerous forms of relief to our armed forces overseas. Much of this relief came in the form of mobile medical care (ambulances)(1).
It can also be argued that the painting includes a “Here and Now” theme. For some people, World War II represented a tragic and violent time in American History (1939-1945)(1). For “The American Red Cross” it represented a time of great sacrifice, since the organization relied heavily upon a large number of volunteers (7.5 million) who sacrificed their time, energy, and sometimes lives (1). Johnson’s painting depicts a trail of ambulances that most likely were operated by volunteers. These are volunteers, “On the Go”, who chose to leave behind families, careers, and dreams. For them, this was life at that time and place.
In comparison to “Ambulance on the Go”, Winslow Homer’s painting, “The Dinner Horn” would also have a “Here and Now” theme, but for a different era (ca. 1870). The painting shows the lifestyle of operating a farm. In the painting we can see what appears to be distant animals and field workers, being called to dinner by a woman blowing a horn. For many people during this timeframe, farm life was very common. It meant working from sun-up to sundown, eating a good dinner, sleeping, and then preparing to repeat the cycle the next day. Although the “Here and Now” theme can be applied to both Johnson and Homer’s paintings, “Dinner Horn” depicts a simpler and less complicated lifestyle, time and place.
Finally, in contrast to, “Ambulance on the Go”, “Dinner Horn” appears to have a more realistic scene of nature. From the various colored leaves and blowing wind, we could believe this is the natural scene of an autumn day. Such a scene, lends itself to an “Art and Nature” theme.
American Red Cross Citation:
(1) American Red Cross website
URL: http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/ww2a.asp
Date Accessed: March 3, 2007
The primary theme behind William H. Johnson’s painting, “Ambulance on the Go”, is “stories and histories”. A theme is an idea or concept used as a context for which an artwork was created. “Ambulance on the Go” was created under a historical context, specifically World War II. The painting, created in 1942, shows a series of ambulances, depicting the well-known logo of “The American Red Cross”. The “American Red Cross” has a long history of providing disaster relief to Americans during times of great need. At the time Johnson created this painting, it is known that the “American Red Cross” mostly provided numerous forms of relief to our armed forces overseas. Much of this relief came in the form of mobile medical care (ambulances)(1).
It can also be argued that the painting includes a “Here and Now” theme. For some people, World War II represented a tragic and violent time in American History (1939-1945)(1). For “The American Red Cross” it represented a time of great sacrifice, since the organization relied heavily upon a large number of volunteers (7.5 million) who sacrificed their time, energy, and sometimes lives (1). Johnson’s painting depicts a trail of ambulances that most likely were operated by volunteers. These are volunteers, “On the Go”, who chose to leave behind families, careers, and dreams. For them, this was life at that time and place.
In comparison to “Ambulance on the Go”, Winslow Homer’s painting, “The Dinner Horn” would also have a “Here and Now” theme, but for a different era (ca. 1870). The painting shows the lifestyle of operating a farm. In the painting we can see what appears to be distant animals and field workers, being called to dinner by a woman blowing a horn. For many people during this timeframe, farm life was very common. It meant working from sun-up to sundown, eating a good dinner, sleeping, and then preparing to repeat the cycle the next day. Although the “Here and Now” theme can be applied to both Johnson and Homer’s paintings, “Dinner Horn” depicts a simpler and less complicated lifestyle, time and place.
Finally, in contrast to, “Ambulance on the Go”, “Dinner Horn” appears to have a more realistic scene of nature. From the various colored leaves and blowing wind, we could believe this is the natural scene of an autumn day. Such a scene, lends itself to an “Art and Nature” theme.
American Red Cross Citation:
(1) American Red Cross website
URL: http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/ww2a.asp
Date Accessed: March 3, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)