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week 15

    In the beginning of the semester, I sort of had a vague idea of what art is and what art can do. There were many misconceptions about art that I thought were true. Throughout the semester I’ve realized that art has evolved throughout history and can reflect what is going on in society during that time. I learned that there are many different eras of art where artists can develop unique styles. I always assumed that art was something that is beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, drawn, or painted. However, after doing so much research I have learned that art doesn’t have to be beautiful as long as the artist gives it a purpose. Artwork can be portrayed in many different ways, using many different mediums, and ways of displaying them. Now, I think art is like story telling. When you read a novel, there are words which everyone reading it can see, but anyone can make inferences and

    Some artists create work that is used to portray their reaction or response to something. I think this is a way that artists can show disobedience to something. Artwork can often be controversial and artists want it to be. In order to create something great, artists have to make something different and maybe even create controversy to make a bold statement. Many viewers don’t pay attention to many details because they don’t spend enough time paying attention to the work of art. When there is a meaning to the piece, purpose, or unpopular opinion people are more likely to notice it. Like in institutional criticism, many artists used their platform to respond to the art industry. Disobedience has created many ideas for artwork and even evolved into movements where artists want to defy society’s norms. Ai Weiwei is an artist who uses his platform to address his corrupt government.

Art can be used as a platform for artists to share their ideas, send messages, and spread awareness on current issues. Art can be a way for artists to express their stories and emotion. For example, the artists I did research on was named Jenny Kendler. Her main idea of work was to spread awareness for nature and wildlife. She had many different types of work like photography, drawings, paintings, sculptures, and performances.

Jenny Kendler helped our society become more educated about the environment as well as created more opportunities for life to grow using her platform as an artist. One of her projects was called the Milkweed Dispersal Balloons. This project put people into action where they were provided with seeds that would plant new life, and help the butterflies as well.

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Institutional Criticism

Institutional criticism refers to the institutions, exhibits, or galleries that the actual work is in, rather than the artwork itself. Artists may use this concept to respond to these institutions. Institutional criticism has more to do with the socio-political aspect of art in perspective of where these works are located. This concept meant to critique places like art galleries and museums. Artists created work that portrayed the art industry in a different perspective. While researching, changing, creating and critiquing the industries, these artists addressed deeper issues. Their criticisms may involve how these institutions are organized. Institutional criticism was often meant to disturb these institutions, and created controversy for its viewers. This concept is site-specific and can involve investigation of philosophies and studies.

During the 1970’s, Hans Haacke, Marcel Broodthaers, and Michael Asher introduced this idea of institutional criticism. Many artists collaborated in confronting the art industry using this concept. 

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Muromachi and Momoyama era Sources:

“Muromachi Period.” Muromachi Period - New World Encyclopedia, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Muromachi_period

“Momoyama Period (1573-1615) - Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, https://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/momo/hd_momo.htm

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Muromachi and Momoyama eras

Muromachi Era:

The Muromachi era (1336-1573) was ruled by the Muromachi shogunate (vassal of warlords, aka daimyo), and they were also known as the Ashikaga shogunate. The first shogun of his clan, Ashikaga Takauji, establishes the Muromachi period. Daimyos are feudal lords, who had a lot of land as well as influence on the commoners of Japan. With a lot of power they influenced society and cultural movement in japan. It was actually during the Kamakura period (right before the Muromachi Era) where contact with China through trade, made it easier for aesthetics in art easily shared. The military class very much appreciated Japanese Zen Buddhism, as a religion and philosophy for the way of life. Zen monasteries started emerging in Kyoto and Kamara. This serves as a cultural influence for artists and creators all over Japan. Different social classes however, had a difference in culture as well as art preference.

The Japanese people during the Muromachi era found influence mainly around Zen ideals (chanoyu). This Zen Buddhism impacted calligraphy, paintings, architecture, interior design, gardens, food, and other ways of arrangements like dancing, dramas, and performances. A popular piece by Josetsu, a chinese immigrant, became the first ink wash style painter. He is known as the “father of japanese ink painting”. One of his famous pieces is called “Catching a Catfish with a Gourd”. Some people think that this was created to depict a famous zen humor riddle said by the shogunate, “How can you catch a catfish with a gourd?”. He’s also famous for zen paintings as well. A popular type of architecture call Shoin-Zukuri architecture was created in this era for the aristocratic military elite, but is now considered common housing in Japan. These houses had good lighting, were good for heat and wind, as well as rooms used to enlightenment and meditation. Many paintings and techniques like using colors were taken from China. Before contact with China, most of Japan’s paintings were made from ink or water and were made on scrolls. Landscape paintings also started in this era in Japan. Zen gardens were also important in Japan during this era. These gardens had patterns and often had symmetrical lines put into them and were used for meditation. During this era, the commoners appreciated simplistic designs. These gardens used rocks or sand to sculpt patterns into them. Most gardens were created in temples.

By the end of the Muromachi period, it was also known as Sengoku period/warring states period which started because of the Onin war. The rivalry between Daimyos caused the fall of the Ashikaga shogunate. The last member of the Ashikaga clan, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was then forced out by shogun, Oda Nobunaga while trying to unify Japan again.

Momoyama Era:

    The Momoyama era started as the Sengoku period ended. As Oda Nobunaga kicks out the last member of the Ashikaga clan, the Tokugawa shogunate take over the dynasty. Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi unify and bring order back to Japan after the war. The Momoyama era shifts Japanese culture from the medieval period to the pre-modern era. Many castles and lavishly built structures came from this era because the military class wanted to show off their power and wealth. With Hideyoshi, Japan was able to trade with Korea and China which impacted some visual art in Japan.

A famous artist during this time was Kano Masanobu, who was the lead painter for the Ashikaga clan. He’s most known for Kano’s school of painting and his zen paintings of buddhist gods. Many paintings depicted elements of buddhism and a lot of the important artists of this period happen to be priests, monks, or teachers. Hasegawa Tohaku was the first artist in this era to create large-scale screen paintings. This era was the start of simplistic, yet ornamented and lavish architecture. Hideyoshi might be the reason why so many castles were created, but he also destroyed a ton of them. He succeeded in expanding trade internationally for Japan so influence was coming from all over the place. Corruption from the daimyos were also controlled since he moved the Tokugawa clan away from the capital. Influence for visual art was now coming from all over the world and not just the aristocratic class. People also had to start becoming more innovative. Even though religion such as buddhism was still a huge influencer of art during this era, many people took on to the new technology. Castles were used for protection but were also decorated beautifully. During this era, the people liked to use gold and silver leaf. The rooms started to get larger with screen doors that could display paintings. These were used in temples and monasteries.  By this era, technology has increased as well as communication and trade with western countries. Kano Eitoku is another artist that is known for sliding doors and landscapes.

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Art & Craft

Craft is a skill. A craft is perfected, or is a talent that has been mastered. A craft can be made by hand. A craft can be an artistic talent, or a creation. Examples of crafts are pottery, glass crafting, crocheting, sewing, knitting, etc. Crafting requires more hands-on activity. A craft can be taught. Certains crafts have principles that must be done a certain way. Crafts could also include woodwork, scrapbooking, embroidery, or even baking. Craft and art can both be something beautiful. A craft could be a profession that requires talent and skill. Art may not require a learned skill. Both craft and fine art have design.

Art is a creative skill. It requires thought, an idea, and meaning. An example of art could be a painting, dancing, music, etc. There are elements of art like line, shape, color, texture, space, and form. Art is expressive and doesn’t have to be a physical piece of work.

The differences between art and craft have changed over time. More techniques are discovered, materials are more available, and there is more technology that assists with craftwork. Fine arts are created for aesthetics while crafts could be functional objects like vases for example. Crafts are taught all over in schools and especially on the internet like on Youtube. You could just google how to create/ craft something and easily learn how to do it. Sculpting is art and a craft at the same.

The differences between art and craft are controversial when considering if a piece is a craft or art. For example, a plush smore made by Jamie Jo. She creates the piece out of fabric, paint, and clay. She created it by hand and incorporates sewing, painting, and sculpting. The purpose of the piece is probably just for decoration. It has no function besides but has aesthetic value. Jamie Jo uses different types of art to create this piece. Some would argue that it is art because the purpose or intent was for decoration. Some would say it is a craft since it involves physical materials and skills like sewing. People mainly use sewing for materials or clothing but Jamie Jo uses sewing for decorative purposes. I think there is no definite line that draws the difference between art and craft but they both require creativity and skill. By using mixed media, artists can incorporate art into craft. Crafts have changed overtime by including styles and influences of art. An example of this is graphic design. Adding a decorative element to the craft integrates craft and art. An artist named Izziyana Suhaimi creates embroidered drawings. In the background there is a woman drawn in black. Another colorful layer is sewn on to make it look like clothes or accessories. This piece also didn’t have a function besides decorative purposes. However, embroidery is a skill that is learned and has certain rules/procedures for doing it. I think art and craft have fewer differences and are more incorporated together modern day than in the past. Resources allow people to create pieces that don’t need to serve a function, and are creating decorative pieces instead; or can have aesthetic value and a function at the same time. One viewpoint is that art must have an intention, meaning, and artist. While craft has to be something physical. Another viewpoint is craft has a function while art doesn’t have to have a function. A third viewpoint is that craft is art as long as it is decorative. Some argue that a craft can be artistic, and can be a piece of art while art is not a craft. The view point I agree the most with is that a craft can also be a piece of art but I also think that art can he a craft as well. It takes an artist, creativity, emotion, and skill to create a craft I think. I feel like nowadays more artists don’t tend to follow traditions since culture (in the U.S) is so diverse. I think artists create pieces that have multiple purposes and have different styles.

Technology helps influence artists. Websites like pinterest, twitter, and tumblr help circulate ideas. Now there is such this as food art, like sculpting cake or adding food dye to make food look more beautiful. Cooking can be a craft that incorporates art. Technology also allows crafts to not be material/physical objects animation or design. I think maybe artists try to make regular day things that have a function for example, a vase, and try to make it more decorative. I watched a video of a lady trying to make decorative pasta. That is incorporating craft and art. Maybe modern day people are more fascinated by things that are eye catching and out of the ordinary. That requires more creativity and beauty.

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The Art Institute of Chicago

My experience at the museum was pretty good. Besides having to wait in the line that wrapped outside the door in a blizzard, it was just pretty nice. I liked how they had different rooms labeled. I enjoyed the Japanese sculptures more than anything else in the museum. I didn’t know where to go first so I just started upstairs and went in a circle. I took pictures of everything so I could have a variety to choose from. I didn’t like how crowded it was though. One of my favorite pieces was “Louis XIV”, created by Honore Daumier. I liked his other sculptures too but this one was my favorite because it was just funny. I felt like all the sculptures kind of mocked the people they were portraying because all there faces are so chubby and scrunched up like they smelled something bad. The two other ones, “Charles-Guillaume Etienne” and “Hippolyte-Abraham Dubois“ are also satirical pieces. I thought the modeling had a lot of details like the curls in the hair and the wrinkles in the faces. The best part of the pieces are the expressions. They don’t necessarily look realisitic but they kind of look more cartoonish. Another one of my favorite pieces in the museum was the piece called “Horse”. It was in the Japanese room. It said the horse was likely from a burial ground that had other animal figurines. In my history of China class, we learned that horses are a sign of wealth and power in Asian culture. I just really liked how simple the sculpture was. I almost looked like it was a toy horse or something. It didn‘t look realisitic at all but it was really cute and I liked how it symbolizes something the many cultures have in common. My third favorite piece was “Cup and Saucer”. It is a plate and cup made out of ruby, gold, and molten glass. I liked this one a lot because of how beautiful it was. It has little engravings of children on it in molten glass. The ruby looked really cool because it was reflective and even though it was made out of the same material, at different angles it was different shades of ruby red. I liked how precious and special it looked. I really didn’t enjoy a sculpture called “wrestler”. It kind of creeped me out. The face has this sad expression on it. It looked like a little toy but had one arm up and one on its hip like its yelling at you or something but apparently it said it was like that to show strength. I didn’t really get that from this piece, I got kind of a creeped out by a weird kid’s toy kind of vibe. I just didn’t like its face. It scared me and has a really big belly button. Another piece I didn’t really enjoy was “Boy on a Ram”. The kid’s face wasn’t that detailed for an oil painting. I feel like the colors were just dull and there wasn’t really anything that interesting about it. “The Rape of Orithyia by Boreas” was one that got the strongest emotional reaction from me. You can see in the faces that the woman is being overtaken by the man. The man has a creepy malicious face and the woman has a face of despair. There wasn't much description of the piece but I felt that it was a very powerful sculpture. You can see the helplessness of the woman and it made me feel kind of sad and a little mad too. I stood infront of the “Honey Bee Swarm with Flowers and Fruit” for 15 minutes. At first my reaction to it was wow this is awesome. I wondered how the artist made all this out of glass and it was a glass ball with stuff in it, or if it was part of the ball itself. Then I started wondering if the stuff inside it was real. The honey come had depth to it. How did the artist make that out of glass? It had holes in it and the bees looked like they had actual fur on them. I looked closer and some bees were closer to the middle and some were around the edge of the glass ball like they were standing on it. I really admired the beauty of it in the beginning but then I was starting to get frustrated. How could this be made out of glass. I started feeling really appreciative of the piece around 11 minutes because I am really glad I got to see this. It actually inspires me to create a painting of something like this showing depth and how things interact with each other like the glass and the bees touching. By 15 minutes I felt kind of over it. I’ve been staring at this glass ball for 15 minutes and I still have no answers as to how this was done. Art Criticism Analysis- “Horse”. This piece was made out of Earthenware. It is a clay, orange-brownish color that kind of looks like clay pottery. It has a saddle on top of it with bells all around the horse. The feet of the horse are like four chubby little stubs for legs. It doesn't actually have realistic horse hooves. The mane of the horse is one solid piece that looks like a ramp on its neck. The horse has two holes for non-realistic eyes, two nose holes, and just a line for a mouth. It just looks like a toy horse. I think the artist was trying to make it simple and innocent looking, maybe for kids or just nice decoration. The simplicity of the horse lightens the mood and makes the vibe more cheerful. I think the reason for the horse is to show wealth, power, to make a joyful decoration, and to showcase Japan’s view of a horse. 

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Aesthetic???

Aesthetic has to do with beauty. It’s the emotion or appreciation behind the beauty of something. It can describe the mood that a piece of art shows or the vibes it has. It can be something beautiful, or the characteristics that give something a certain feeling to it. What makes art beautiful? Probably the best answer is the emotion that is behind it. I personally think the colors and how the art is different than anything else I’ve ever seen makes it beautiful. 

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“Eres lo que lees”- Guillermo Vargas (In this society, no one would let this happen to the dog. In my opinion, he should be in jail but some people find this piece beautiful I guess.)

...- Igor Morski (Single mothers don’t need a man !!!) 

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Art vs. Beauty

What is the relationship between art in beauty? Well, I think it goes hand in hand- however I do think that you don’t need beauty for something to be considered art. While considering art vs. beauty, the differences are pretty simple. Art has a creator, an artist. Some things to consider while trying to figure out what is art is, is the purpose, intent, or maybe about the artist and the reason behind the piece. Beauty is something that is up to the viewer. Maybe it’s the feeling one gets from viewing a piece. Art can be beautiful, art can showcase beautiful things, but beauty is totally up to the perspective of the viewer. Some pieces can be ugly or beautiful depending on who's judging. I think that one way art has changed since the past is it is a lot more open, and pose aren’t as afraid to talk about or show things that wouldn’t have been shown in art years ago. Society changed in a way that allows people to have more freedom to express themselves so art can be more “wild” or controversial than it used to be. A piece called “Eres Lo Que Lees” by Guillermo Vargas (pic 1) shows a clearly mal-nourished dog being held back from a bowl of food in a gallery. Many people reacted but their responses went in two directions. Some people thought the piece was beautiful and eye opening (the purpose was to show that people ignore starving dogs on the street). Others thought it was disturbing and almost animal abuse. So can one really judge if art has to be beautiful? A piece by Igor Morski (pic 2) shows a woman rowing a canoe with her child in the back, but in the water it reflects a man rowing the canoe. I think it shows that in modern society, the role of the woman in the family is much more than just "in the kitchen, being the housewife, and mother”. Single mothers have to be the mother and the father. A change in societal views shows that women are more independent in the modern day. The relationship between art and beauty is simple. Art doesn’t need beauty and beauty doesn’t need art, but art can show beauty depending on who’s judging. Beauty on the other hand can be anything. Art doesn’t have to be beautiful to be meaningful. The purpose of the art, the artist, or the story behind can be ugly but it could show a bigger meaning. I think the importance of art is that it has a story or functioning, but then again art doesn't need a meaning either it can just be beautiful.