jorgexdiaz

[jorgexdiaz]

What is Art?

Joan Mitchell, “City Landscape”, 1955

Kathe Kollwitz, “Woman with Dead Child”, 1903

My opinion of art throughout has be greatly refined. The basic idea of what art is to me has not changed but the understanding of it has. I feel like I can greatly understand art much more in the sense of I believe I can read in between the lines much better than before. Also my taste of art has also different throughout my time in this class. I have found myself to enjoy abstract art much more now than I did before and it is something I am proud to say. I believe that I can interpret my feeling towards a piece much better with the vocabulary I have learned in this class. I also find myself looking more towards a reason or message in a piece instead of looking for the one that looks the prettiest. I am very glad I took this class and I was not expecting this end result. I had a great time and it was a lot of fun to learn so much about art.

[jorgexdiaz]

Jacob Lawrence Extra Credit

Jacob Lawrence, “The Shoemaker”, 1945

Jacob Lawrence has become such an integral part of showing colored people’s suffrages in the world of art. He is known for his bold shape and colors that emphasis the message in a piece. He loves top paint pieces with topics such as slavery, suffrage, poverty, and more. He depicts these things to give those ideas and messages a different light that others may not see. He makes beautiful pieces out of these messages. He also likes to focus on political, economic, social, and cultural relativism in the African American Society. I truly admire his work when it comes to not only his art style but his message as well.

The artwork shoes an African America shoemaker. He has very large arms with even bigger hands. The shoemaker also has a very large build. I believe that he shows this to represent how hard the man works. The big body, arms, and hands emphasis how good the man is with his hands and how much work he puts into them. I love the colors he uses in the painting with making the man stand out but blend in with the messy scenery in the back. Such a beautiful piece to admire. 

[jorgexdiaz]

Trading Cards

To be completely honest, this assignment was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. At first glance this assignment looks like just some boring busy work to get your hands dirty and learn about different artist. As in this assignment you are supposed to find 16 different artist and create your own “trading cards” based on the specific artist’s art style. From the beginning I started to have a blast just coming up with these different designs. The assignment never got old and it felt like something fresh every time you started on a new trading card. This assignment also made me realize just the sheer creativity artist have in the world. Coming up with these designs from reference was already a mission in itself, but to come up with these designs from scratch is something that is out of this world. I genuinely found myself interested in the artist's styles because of how unique all of my cards felt. Time flew by doing this final assignment and I loved every minute of it.

[jorgexdiaz]

De La Cruz Collection

I recently visited the De La Cruz Personal Art collection. I already visited the Wynwood Walls and PAMM before, but this was a very different experience. While comparable to PAMM, the De La Cruz collection had a very different feel. The pieces of art felt more diverse in that fact that you could clearly tell they were handpicked by someone’s taste. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the museum has a certain theme, in fact I felt that the museum was much more diverse than I thought. No every work felt groundbreaking or just flat out genre defining. The artist’s work felt more unique and grounded which made it such a refreshing experience. I could pick out almost half the collection not being in a museum because it just doesn’t fit there. Exploring the De La Cruz private art collection felt like exploring a room full of hidden gems. Gems that are overlooked but when examined closely are such amazing pieces of art.

The art in the De La Cruz can not be categorized into only one class of art. Almost every art piece feels like it has its own unique style and feel compared to the next. There is an assortment of paintings, sculptures, and more. Some are so elaborate that you just have to step back and admire them. Others are so original that you can’t believe that something like this could exist. It’s amazing what the things art can create and I truly saw this first hand in the De La Cruz Private collection. The whole museum was filled with hidden gems I don’t believe I will see many of in my life. You can tell that the collection was made to express and spread the beauty of art that can not be underestimated.

Gabriel Orozco, “Four Bicycles (There is Always One Direction)”, 1994, 78 x 88 x 88 in.

This piece in particular stood out to me a lot. I loved the sculptures in the De La Cruz collection and this one is no exception. I just love how simple yet complex this sculpture is. It is just four bikes hanging onto each other but the way the artist did it is so incredible. This is the sort of thing where you just think about how could somebody come up with this. To string up, forge, and connect these four bikes into one beautiful pattern. There is a section of the title that states “There is Always One Direction”. I believe what the artist is trying to say with that is that even thought the bikes look like they are all going in different directions, at the end of the day they are always apart of each other as a bigger and grander whole.

Sterling Ruby, “Monument Stalagmite”, 2010, 18 ft. x 60 x 36 in

This piece just stands out by itself. I believe that if you put this artwork in any museum or other private collection, 90% of the time this piece will stand out amongst the rest. It is just so rigid and raw that it feels so beautiful to see. It almost feels like a sculpture made from natural means with how raw it is to me. It takes a certain type of artist to make a sculpture feel this way and look this one to the naked eye and I greatly look up to that. The color and material used in this piece is also so amazing intricate. Makes this piece stand out even more with the huge thin spike shooting up at the sky. Keep in mind this is a 18 ft. high piece so it is fairy tall when compared to normal sized person.

Dan Colen, “The Big Dipper”. 2013, 93 x 41 in.

This piece is one of the most unique pieces of the De La Cruz collection in my opinion. This piece is a perfect example of something that I don’t believe fits in a museum but is perfect in a private collection. This is such a hidden gem because of how amazing and grounded it feels to me when I see it. The name of this artwork really makes you think about he inspiration of this piece. I believe that we are seeing the “Big Dipper” from the view of the artist and it’s “tunnel vision” as maybe the circle glass sculpture is to represent that. I love the tinted and rigid glass in the piece. This artwork is truly a hidden gem from the rest and I can really appreciate it for what it is in the De La Cruz private art collection.

[jorgexdiaz]

Reflection Posts Videos (Carrie Mae Weems, Sheila Hicks, Amanda Williams)

Carrie Mae Weems, From “Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried” series, 1995-1996

Carrie Mae Weems is an American artist best known for her work in video and photography. In the piece above she uses photography to express different emotions through her art. While each of her photos can stand on their own, when the photos are put together they tell a more elaborate story. She does this to express how there is an overlaying story in art and of course in people. She mainly focuses on monochrome photos with giving it this shade of red to go over it. She then filters it through a circular canvas to give better emphasize to what is in each photo. You can also clearly see how there is text in every photograph. This is done to give new meaning to an otherwise empty picture. Her style of repetition allows for a sense of unique story telling. I admire her style and the way she gives off messages as though they are loosely cryptic messages along her art. 

Sheila Hicks, “Pillar of Inquiry/Supply Column”, 2013-2014

Sheila Hicks is an American artist who is widely known for her art about color, texture, and form. Sheila explains how her work is inspired from a variety of thins in her past and daily life. Though she is heavily inspired from her childhood and growing up near nature. Sheila likes to experiment with different materials as she believes that you shouldn’t use just one material for one piece. It’s something that differentiates her from other artist’s work. This also gives her more creative freedom as she is always experimenting with new and exciting things. In her work above called “Pillar of Inquiry/Supply Column”, Sheila used many different types of yarn to create a column that exceeds the roof of the room. She used different color and textured yarn to get the art piece that we have today. I can really admire the fact that she focuses on texture for her pieces. Doing so allows her work to stand out above the rest as something much more different than other artist.

Amanda Williams, “Flamin’ Red Hots”, 2014-2015

Amanda Williams is a visual artist from Chicago. She was trained as an architect and that is why so many of her art work is the size of a small house. Amanda started to paint these abandoned house without any permission. She wanted to do so to send a message of how so many are struggling to receive homes yet there are so much empty houses around. Amanda uses bold colors in her art. This allows her work to pop while staying subtle to the naked eye. Every color Amanda used to paint a house reflected upon a memory she had. It was like she was leaving a part of herself in every house she painted to send this message. I genuinely enjoy her work. Just the sheer idea and message behind her work is amazing. It is truly something I can admire on both a human and artistic level. Her art makes something go from looking empty to vibrant and alive. it is something to truly admire about her work to make it more relatable to others.

[jorgexdiaz]

Pérez Art Museum Miami Visit

I recently visited Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) in person. It was a surreal experience as I do not go to a lot of art museums. I was extremely surprised to what I was about to witness during my visit to PAMM. As I arrived in to the museum, the outside looked beautiful. It was this simple yet very eccentric white building with many different shapes and sizes that make it up. Almost to hint at the art being held inside. The museum was near a very large bay area with a very large park bordering it where people could enjoy themselves. Upon entering we stubbled on a restaurant near the entrance where it seemed many went before or after visiting the museum. There was even large pieces of art and sculptures where many were taking pictures just like there were in the Wynwood walls. We walked around the area a little bit as our tickets weren’t for the museum until 2:30, so we had time to kill.

It was not very clear where the entrance was and at one point I thought we were in the wrong place. We asked an employee of the restaurant and she pointed us in the right direction. The entrance wasn’t grand but upon opening the door there was already so much to take in. To my right, there was a small busy gift shop that was clearly for after visiting the museum. To my left there was already a hall of art work and also a nice wall of text commemorating Jorge Perez, who the museum was named after. After receiving our wristbands, we were allowed to walk freely among the museum but there was a clear distinct path.

The first floor was filled with amazing sculptures and very simplistic art. It almost felt very soothing to see this art before you got hit with a wave of color as you enter deeper into the museum. The second room was one of my favorites. It highlighted some of the most beautiful vibrant colors to bring out the characters in the canvas. Some even put 3 dimensional shapes on their work to make their art stand out. It was something subtle yet impossible to ignore to make the art stand out even more than the rest. The beginning of the museum did have many people, but as I got deeper into the museum there was less and less people.

The second floor had many more experimental and unique designs. Multiple rows of the same image to show movement, to sculptures being integrated into the walls of art. This one probably my favorite part of the museum. What I loved about it is that every room felt like it could stand on its own. With many rooms having elaborate and detailed paintings, while others had very abstract and unique pieces. The room designs were amazing with some rooms being so wide with such a short roof and others being extremely narrow with a roof that could touch the sky. One of the most interesting rooms was one in which it showed women's suffrage. It showed the struggles of woman dealing with double standards, harassments, or even worse. There was something to it that made me see all those topics in a different light. It showed the horrors that others were too afraid to expose.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed my visit to PAMM. It was something to get me to realize the beauty that museums and art in general can hold. I was genuinely surprised with how civil the museum was though. Compared to the Wynwood Walls, I barely saw people taking pictures of themselves and the art. There weren’t any inflated egos trying to start an argument. Instead everyone seemed like they were there to genuinely enjoy the art with their own two eyes. They weren’t just there to get a good picture to post on social media, they were there to enjoy and admire the art for what it is.

James Rosenquist, “Women’s Intuition, After Aspen”, 1998, oil on canvas (5 x 12ft)

This artwork by James Rosenquist is easily my favorite piece from PAMM. In the artwork you can see two lipsticks towards the middle left of the painting. It seems that the color of the lipsticks is exploding out all over the work. It all seems so messy yet specifically placed there. What I especially like about this painting is how it seems the paint splashes on the right send of the canvas and it has nowhere else to go so all the force has to come back. It’s such an interesting and just in your face painting that just caught my eye the moment I entered the room. This painting is a beautiful representation of abstract work as all the colors are going everywhere in a detailed and coordinated way to show the beauty of something. 

I believe the artist is trying to show how a women feels after being medicated. Based on the title and what Aspen is used for, I believe that the artist is trying to express a woman’s emotions and thoughts after being medicated. this can be said from the lipstick bottles seeming to hold in so much color and emotion that after a woman gets medicated, all that emotion and color comes out. The painting has vibrant and rough brush strokes with even more color to show to the beauty of a woman’s intuition and what it is made up of. It is a beautiful piece that took me a while to take my eyes off to stop admiring such an amazing artwork.

[jorgexdiaz]

Wynwood Walls Art Walk

I recently visited the Wynwood Walls in Miami. To my surprise, it was such an amazing place. I’ve never been to the Wynwood Walls before as it is pretty far from where I live and I don’t really go around that area too often. I’ve heard people talk about it and take pictures as it is a very popular attraction in the Miami area. When I got the chance to go, I was extremely excited for the visit. When I first entered in the bright sunny Sunday afternoon, there was just a pop in my eyes with all of the colors coming at you at once. Everywhere I looked there was just a different piece that was astounding and had it’s own unique art style. I was feeling this way and I was just in the first part of this amazing art walk. There were plenty of people in area as the Wynwood Walls is around plenty of other attractions and restaurants around the area. It was somewhat difficult to get a picture at times as there were basically crowds of people lining up to take a picture with a specific artwork or two. As I kept exploring the artworks, the place started to get more and more packed as more and more people wanted to take pictures with these amazing artworks. At one point there was even an argument erupting amongst some of the guest because they were in each other’s way of taking a photo of the same artwork.

Overall, ignoring some of the people trouble and the Wynwood Walls was an amazing place to visit. Every mural there feels like it can stand on it’s own in any art exhibit as it has it’s own unique and amazing style. Almost all of the murals left me speechless with how elaborate and beautiful it was. My favorite piece did have to be from David Choe. Just the pop of colors was spectacular and it felt as though I was looking into another dimension with how the colors and art work stood out from the rest. It was definitely an experience that I must recommend to anyone visiting Miami. The murals are not only great for taking amazing pictures, but they are even better for just experiencing first hand the artwork with your own eyes. I will definitely be visiting the Wynwood Walls sooner rather than later because it was such an amazing experience.

[jorgexdiaz]

Yahoi Kusama Inspired Art

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist who describes herself as a “obsessional artist”. As a child, Kusama started to experience “hallucinations” consisting of polka dots. The theme of polka dots would continue all throughout her artistic career to something that she is widely known for. She did not receive much artistic training in Japan. With overwhelming family conflicts, she moved to the United States. She specially moved to New York City. In her early works right after moving to the United States, her work consisted of many repetitive thousands of marks all over the canvas. As she grew so did her art. She started to work with minimalistic art and her most popular art being pop art. This is when her polka dot style started to receive much attention to the point where she became an integral part of the New York art scene. Kusama started to open her views on art with sculptures while experimenting with themes of sexuality and anxiety. Kusama started to experiment with mirrors more and more in her work as it allowed her to express something infinite which she was very known for. Her art shows a sense of never ending emotion and it is something anyone can relate to.

With my art pieces I tried to take inspiration from Yayoi Kusama’s work while still keeping it fresh. With my first piece I tried to show a ripple of emotion going on. I took the polka dot and wavy feel from Yayoi Kusama’s work. I tried to represent the sense of emotions washing on you as though it feels like waves coming for you like your in the beach shore. With every wave of emotion feeling similar but not exactly the same. I chose yellow as a warm color but black standing out so much with the yellow for it to be such a different color but still mixing well. With my second piece I tried to keep a more consistent feel but something that still makes you feel choppy. I chose the diamond pattern throughout the art work to try to show repetition. I took inspiration from Yayoi Kusama’s work with the every flowing pattern. I chose to make the base of the painting a orange color to give off a warm feel with making the blue and purple stand out. The blue is supposed to represent how we can think of such comforting things with such obscure ideas built from those thoughts. That’s why the purple inside every diamond is all scatter with small lines as though it is obscure and scratched. I tried to give my spin on work inspired by Yayoi Kusama. I am fairly happy with the outcome of both my works as it really allowed to be explore me new ways to think and I had fun doing it.

[jorgexdiaz]

Archeological River Rock Project

With this river rock, I know it’s not a lot but I tried to express something sort of hazy with everyone in it. When it comes to more elaborate designs I would have to have a clear and distinct message to it while maybe representing myself and/ or a small group of people. I decided to pick a design that just came to me in the moment that has a message but can be interpreted in many different ways depending on how you look at it. I aimed to paint a message on this river rock of how love can be right in the middle between good and evil. Love has a different meaning for everyone in the sense that it can be something so marvelous to one’s mind while also being one horrific or scary thing to another. That’s why I chose a sort of DNA type pattern as I did so to represent how good and bad always mix with one another but I kept the pink line to represent love and how it is consistently in the middle of good and bad. I kind of took inspiration from a ying and yang and how there is always good in evil and how there is always evil in good. It’s just when it comes to the topic of love, that is when it changes for everyone depending on your view on the topic. 

If an archeologist found my river rock 300 years from now, I would want them to feel a similar way. I would want them to feel a similar way because I don’t believe that nobody can truly feel the exact same way about this rock, just how nobody can feel the exact same way about love. Yes, love can be a very familiar feeling to all with some relating to someone more than others. But I truly believe that the word love is different for everyone and whether it be good or bad depends on one’s self. 

[jorgexdiaz]

Life through a Frame

Symmetrical Balance

Asymmetrical Balance

Repetition

Variety

Rhythm

Harmony

Scale

Proportion

Emphasis

Compositional Unity

Reflection:

This assignment really made me open my artistic eyes into my daily life. Acting and thinking like an artist made me feel like I was exploring the obvious that everyone overlooks. I believe that we are so used to being artistically pleased with things such as colors or patterns that many of us overlook at what we are looking at because is so common to us. It was very fun in fact trying to just look around my household to correctly illustrate the principles. It almost felt like an artistic scavenger hunt. That being being said, I do feel like some of my illustrations for my principles could have had more boldness and imagery. But while being confined in my dull home, I had to work with what I got. Overall, I had a lot of fun creating this makeshift frame and taking these pictures as it almost felt sort of therapeutic. It was something I have never done before and I am very glad of the experience and outcome.

[jorgexdiaz]

Homage to Romare Bearden- Making a Collage

This piece reflects what I was experiencing during the pandemic. I had to work with only women’s health magazines because those were the only magazines I had laying around in my household. I did my best to represent the struggles and thoughts I had throughout this pandemic and what I did about them. I named this collage “Golden Time” because of all the opportunities I had during the pandemic yet I was too distracted to see some of them.

I really tried my best to open my creative side into this and I was very pleased with the outcome of my collage. I set out to find key expressions and body language to try to imitate R. Bearden’s work of mixing multiple body parts together or even objects to create a completely new one with a new story to tell. I wanted to keep this overlapping story among the whole college while still having many thoughts and emotions throughout it to correctly represent my time during this pandemic.

[jorgexdiaz]

Art Appreciation Plan

I plan to attend the Perez Art Museum Miami on May 26th. There I will be analyzing their very abundance of art of sculptures that are present in the virtual museum. I will also be planning on attending a virtual tour of the de la Cruz Collection on May 31st. Finally I plan to virtually visit the Wynwood Walls on June 5th. I am incredibly excited to see the street art and murals that they have present there. 

[jorgexdiaz]

Chapter 2 Artwork Reflection

Kathe Kollwitz, “Woman with Dead Child”, 1903

In this artwork I see a slim woman holding what seems to be a small child. The woman holding the child seems to be in griefs as they coddle the child’s body as though it means everything to them. Based on the small child’s expression, they may be asleep. But from the grief that the slim woman is expressing, it is safer to assume that the child is dead and the person is mourning their loss. The monotone aesthetic gives this piece a very depressing feeling. It almost feels like you can feel the pain and suffrage that the woman is feeling by holding the dead child’s lifeless body. The sloppy yet well placed lines and spacing give the work a murky feel of distress and horror. It allows for the woman’s raw emotion to come out in a more precise and depressing way. I would say that this piece is representational. 

Jan van Eyck , “Arnolfini Portrait”, 1434

In this piece I see a man, a woman, and a small dog in between them. They both seem to be dressed in very lavish clothing as the man is wearing blue- black clothes from his hat to his shoes with his very pale skin. While the women  is wearing a green and blue dress with a white head piece. The woman also seems to be pregnant, and it may or may not be the man’s child. They are both holding hands with the man’s right arm in the air as though he is waving goodbye. By the way they are dressed and their hand gestures. This may indicate how the man is off to do business while the woman is to stay at home and perform her domestic duties in her house. This can also be backed with the way they are dressed and the color coordination that they each have. It’s shows how they both have very different jobs to perform. Their lavish array of fur and other expensive jewelry shows how wealthy they are as a couple. I would say that this piece is a portrait. 

[jorgexdiaz]

Homework 1

There seems to be two people praying right before either lunch or dinner. They both are dark skinned with serious to almost gloom faces. It almost looks like they are concentrating. Based on the little food that is present on the table and the fact the little boy seems to be sitting on a box of sorts, I can assume they are not the richest of people. They both seem to be praying before they indulge in their food but while the old man to the left is heavily focused on praying with both his arms on the table and his face leaning on his thumbs, the boy seems to be quite different. The boy to the right only has one arm up while the other arm resting on the table to show how he is not giving his full energy towards praying. It is quite clear to assume that the old man to the left seems to be much more grateful for what he has while the young boy to the right seems as though he would want more. The color palate of the painting is very monochrome with other dark tones to give the painting a gloomy feel. The older man’s skin tone clashes with his shadow to hide his face. The artist may have done this to show some shame the man to the left has for not being able to offer more food to the little boy. The texture of the walls and inanimate objects makes everything blend better together while making the old man and the little boy stand out in a natural way. It is a great piece that I can not say enough about.

[jorgexdiaz]

Artists Videos Reflection

First Painting: With My Back to the World - Agnes Martin - 1997 - Second Role

Second Creation: Teeter-totter Wall - Rael San Fratello - 2019 - First Role

Third Painting: Woman I - Willem de Kooning - 1950–1952 - Fourth Role

When it comes to Agnes Martin, I believe she paints whatever she feels in that moment. Nothing to sway her emotions or thoughts about painting. Just her and her emotions creating something from nothingness. For Rael San Fratello, I believe they create for a message. I believe they create different artworks to send or spread a message to a larger audience. Finally for Willem de Kooning, I believe he painted from his life experiences. I believe that Willem de Kooning takes every moment and experience from his life so far to paint something on a canvas. As he grows so does his art.

Agnes Martin’s work is a little underwhelming for me. When I view her work I feel very underwhelmed as she is trying to describe these emotions of “happiness” or “innocence” in her paintings that personally doesn’t relate to me. On the other hand, I absolutely love Rael San Fratello’s creations. They are original and intriguing. They make a message out of their work while still leaving you fascinated by their newest creation. I would say that my favorite artist out of the three would be Rael San Fratello. Not only for the sheer fact of how original I find them, but also their work is just so meaningful in such a beautiful way. Finally, Willem de Kooning really makes me think hard for his work. His work personally for me is sometimes a hit or miss. Fortunately, when his work is a hit his art can leave me staring at it contemplating at what am I seeing and figuring out exactly how I feel about it. It is a different feelings I don’t receive with a lot of art pieces and I very much enjoy that.

[jorgexdiaz]

Chapter 1 Artwork Reflection

Banksy - Mural in Leake Street, London - 2008

The first thing that pops out to me in this mural is the man “washing” something off the wall. When you take a closer look at what he is washing off, it is cave paintings. I believe that the Bansky was trying to state how modern day society is trying to erase the beauty and artwork from the past. He shows this by painting a man using a modern water pressure cleaner to erase cave painting that are millions of years old. The cleaning man might be trying to erase the cave drawing to try to make room for more new and modernized works of art that the cave painting is occupying. I especially like the detail that he added of the painting dripping down after the water has hit it. The two distinct designs of the cave drawing and the cleaning man, show how much art has evolved over time. I believe that Bansky is trying to send a message about how modern day art is trying to erase our past because they do not believe there is room for it in the future. It is something to shed light on in an important matter because this surprisingly happens more than you may think. What is ironic about this mural is how it got painted over just a little while after it was finished. Almost to hide an ugly truth. I believe this was a great mural with an even greater message.

[jorgexdiaz]

Chapter 1 Artwork Reflection

Saturn Devouring His Son -  Francisco Goya - 1819–1823 - Romanticism Period

I see a giant sized man eating another considerably normal sized human. The giant is gripping and and holding him as if he is a doll to play with. There are mostly mute colors with the blood of the person popping out of the painting. You can clearly see the blood all of the dead body and all over the giant’s hands. This piece was creating during the Romanticism period. Taking that piece of information into account, I believe that the artist was trying to create a piece of horror and disgust in a time mostly full of love and beauty. Basing off the title of this painting, I assume the giant is Saturn and the human being devoured is one of his sons. This painting makes it seem as though Saturn usually eats his children and based on his facial expression it seems he has no problem in doing so. I especially like this piece because it shows something so horrific and gruesome that it is almost so beautiful to not admire.