machinarumadsolem

[machinarumadsolem]

"Follow me..." by Ken.M & B.Kai

For this work, I assembled several years of artwork and schoolwork that my son has made; hence, I credited him as an artist on the piece. Some of his art was made for me, and some he simply made out of his joy for "crafting." The symbolism is meant to be that through his artwork and his excitement to share it with me, he has reminded me to step out of the corporate grind and remember the novelty of fun and creativity. The montage includes mementos, some of my son's favorite items, and some we have a shared passion for. In the final image, one of his works, representing my son, directly leads me into an entire universe of creativity, love, and discovery. Every work of art displayed here was created by my son, and every object represents a key memory for us. My favorite part of this is the medium; one could argue that it is paper-based or photography, but the proper medium for this art is the inspiration my son continues to be to me every day.

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[machinarumadsolem]

The Pollock Mystery

After moving to New York and studying under Thomas Hart Benton for several years, Jackson Pollock underwent a significant series of life events that certainly altered his works. Jackson began to fall into alcoholism, which alone could have some reality-altering effects, but he also suffered from a nervous breakdown, which would eventually lead to his hospitalization. From this point forward, Pollock's work began to turn progressively more abstract over time. Some have hypothesized that Jackson was now creating a representation of his mental landscape, or perhaps they were tangible metaphors. Further still, it has been theorized that the art was a more literal representation of how Pollock was losing his sanity. When there is a vast discrepancy between two opposing possibilities, the truth typically lies somewhere in between, coupled with influence from other great artists of the era, such as Pablo Picasso. This is why I think Pollock began to remove all representational imagery from his works of art. In short, I believe, he found he could express his views and thoughts about the real world more viscerally and genuinely through abstract art.

[machinarumadsolem]

Fra Bonaventura Bisi

In the Searing Wing of the impressive Ringling Museum, there is a rather intriguing oil on canvas painting titled Fra Bonaventura Bisi by a baroque artist from Bologna, Italy, known commonly as Guercino. The painting depicts a forward-facing portraiture of the man the painting is titled after and encapsulates a candid moment in the everyday life of the artistic elite of its era. In true baroque fashion, the work focuses heavily on using contrast and chiaroscuro to illustrate depth and emotion. The viewer's eyes are immediately drawn to the center, where you are met with Fra Bisi's intense, almost soulful gaze. Furthermore, the way the light falls upon the subject brings the viewer's attention subsequently to the artwork in Fra Bisi’s hand, and shortly after, the implied lines created by the posture of the subject transport the viewer's attention to the small stack of alternate artworks on a table in front of Fra Bisi. The painting is a relatively modest 94 by 76.5 centimeters, but the size does not limit its impression. Gazing at the work has an immersive quality that makes one feel as though they are experiencing the art deal themselves through some interdimensional window. The window into the backrooms of a seventeenth-century Italian villa where nobles, elites, and other influential people conducted business is fascinating. One can only assume the deal must have been between the well-known friar and Guercino himself, but whether Fra Bisi intended to sell or purchase works seems up for interpretation. For example, perhaps Fra Bisi gestures to additional artworks inquisitively as if to solicit an invitation to browse the other works. Alternatively, perhaps it is nothing short of an exhibition of enticing prints Fra Bisi intends to sell to Guercino, whose birth name is Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. There is a profound juxtaposition between the seemingly plain scene and the endless possibilities of context that could have surrounded the interaction. This mystique was the gravitational pull that prevented me from looking past this beautifully executed painting. Perhaps, too, Fra Bisi's ethereal stare inspired Guercino to capture the moment eternally so that all of humanity could get lost in the ambiance alongside him. In any case, the piece demonstrates priceless historical significance as it details how the ruling elite conducted business and provides insight into how many of the world's most famous artworks may have been disseminated to the world.

[machinarumadsolem]

[machinarumadsolem]

A Recipe for the Last Supper

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How color, or the lack thereof, has impacted me...

My entire life, I have chased one ultimate dream: to become a US Navy pilot, with the hopes of one day having the opportunity to become a NASA astronaut. While it may seem silly, albeit cliché, almost every action in my academic career was geared towards this end. Of course, every little boy and many little girls have similar aspirations, and I also conceived these ideas as a small child. I chose every STEM track available in my IB high school and made sure to play multiple sports and try to check every box for a competitive applicant for Naval Commissioned Officer. Unfortunately, one glaring problem would cut short all my lifelong dreams; colorblindness. Despite having tested for decades and never failing, I would fall short of the mark during the testing phase for the US Navy. As it turns out, I have the rarest form of colorblindness, and although it is not clinically described this way, anecdotally it seems degenerative. This makes distinguishing varying hues of color difficult, particularly the longer I view an image or object. In fact, it looks almost psychological. As doubt creeps in, the physical appearance of the color seems to shift before my eyes. As you can imagine, this crushed me and has dramatically affected my relationship with color as I view it through the perspective of art and life.

[machinarumadsolem]

[machinarumadsolem]

INTERACTIVE DESIGN

What is it?

            Interactive design is a digital art form focused on the audience's immersion in the piece. Due to its necessity for collaboration from the audience, interactive design is primarily used with web-interface and mobile applications.

FIND YOUR TOP FIVE BEST INTERACTIVE DESIGNS

These are my top 5 IN ORDER

https://www.yatzer.com/White-Gallery-Installation-by-Studio-400

 

https://scottmadethis.net/interactive/still_life/

https://www.atelier-brueckner.com/en/projects/gs-caltex-pavilion

https://www.duisburg.de/microsites/visit_duisburg/discover_the_city/industrial_heritage/tiger-turtle.php

https://archello.com/project/audiochmura

            To me, a great interactive design thrives on not just the interaction from the audience but that the audience has fun interacting with. I believe it could be relatively easy to develop an idea that is tangible and interactive for an audience but does not engage or interest them. The site I visited for my favorite installation is the site for the gallery; the intent is to showcase and ultimately persuade you to see and interact with the highly unique exhibit. I believe the purpose this artwork sets to fulfill is that the piece is beautiful to look at as a traditional work, as well as incredibly enriching and fun to be an active part of. Every piece I chose on my list embodies these traits. However, WHITE by Studio 400 takes the cake mainly because it awakens the inner child in me and intrigues me mentally.

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Dilema Moderna Sobre a Beleza Antiga

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Obligated yet Unwilling

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Unknown Title, Unknown Artist : Peace be Upon You

This is a painting that my parents have up at their house, as I personally do not have any artwork at my house. I have never been the person in my peer group who was artistically inclined, even as a viewer. I feel this void is filled by the artistic nature of those around me; my best friend is a professional artist and my son is obsessed with art. What I do possesses is a surface level appreciation of imagery, and a respect for highly creative or unique messages. I have often felt that much of the contemporary art world is pretentious and tries to find meaning in otherwise meaningless "art". However that cynicism melts away when I view this piece. The painting was done by a family friend of a friend and to the best of my knowledge its medium is acrylic on canvas, but perhaps that is the least relevant tidbit about it. This painting depicts a forgiveness ritual of the Babemba tribe of South Africa. While the bright colors and shapes are what initially draw the eyes and my interest, the symbolism here is what steals the spotlight. The metaphorical beauty in it speaks volumes to me as someone who is very interested in ancient and tribal life. There is infinite wisdom in cultures the west left behind; sometimes the simplest of solutions provide the most wholesome results. Below I have posted a link to a short excerpt about the reference photo from which the painter based this work on, and short description of the ritual. I hope this is as enriching for you all, as it continues to be for me.

[machinarumadsolem]

Venus of Urbino

Titian, 1538, Venus of Urbino, Oil on canvas

Five Facts about Titian or Venus of Urbino

The artist was referred to as 'Titian' in English, but his original name was Tiziano Vecelli.

Like many renaissance paintings, Venus is an allusion to the Greek Goddess of love, and is often depicted with fair skin, red hair, and scantily clad.

Tiziano Vecelli was at one point commissioned with the famous and influential de'Medici family of renaissance Italy. They commissioned countless famous artists throughout the renaissance era, including my personal favorite, Sandro Botticelli.

This artwork came about as a result of Ippolito de'Medici's commission of Titian's art. Titian initially did a portrait for the then cardinal. It is thought that the cardinal at some point expressed interest in a woman that was Titian's or that Titian hoped to impress the cardinal with a painting of the woman, and thus Venus of Urbino was created.

The cardinal, Ippolito de'Medici unfortunately passed away before ever seeing the artwork, and it was eventually purchased by a wealthy Duke from Urbino, which is partially how the painting gets its name "Venus of Urbino".

Did the way you think about the art change from the first time you looked at it? Do you see anything different in the art now?

When I first saw the artwork that had been assigned to me, I immediately recognized it, although I admittedly did not know much about the artist. My first impressions were that the depiction of lady Venus had a lot of similarities to most other renaissance Venus depictions. The iconic redish-auburn hair and pale skin is typical of most paintings that reference or allude to Venus. Although I did not see or interpret the artwork much differently after learning more about the artist and the artwork itself, I did find it very intriguing to learn that the subject was most likely based on a real life friend of Titian. This perspective provides insight into the life and culture of artists and other socialites of the renaissance era.