sillygoofygoober45

[sillygoofygoober45]

Final Exam

For my final piece, I decided to draw a portrait of my best friend. I had her send me a selfie and I drew it the best I could. (I'm sorry if these are sized weirdly. I'm not sure how to fix it.)

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Virtual Sketchbook 4

Pollock started out by studying with his teacher Thomas Hart Benson. Benson was an abstract painter. Pollocks early works were very similar to his teacher's. The paintings they made included shapes and other elements to tell a story in a non traditional way. As Pollock worked more on his own style, he started experimenting with dripping paint on canvases. This form of painting got rid of all abstract elements that represented imagery. Instead, these drips told stories in different ways. He used string, nails, lacquer, and various other "out-of-the-ordinary" mediums to create his stories. These mediums were all cautiously thrown and splattered on large canvases. To the untrained eye, these painting seemed "lazy" or looked like a "mob of matted hair." Some critics might say that his paintings were "accidents" splashed together on canvases, which is certainly not the case. While Pollock did not sketch his works beforehand, a lot of thinking was put into it. Each piece represented something different he wanted to portray. Jackson Pollock also intended his paintings to be up to viewer interpretation. I think it very cool that every body can form their own opinion about what each piece means to them. Pollock lived to teach the world about his own art form. It wasn't lazy or simplistic. It was inventive and paved the way for many other abstract artists of his time.

For my own abstract art piece I used the album "Lover" by Taylor Swift as my inspiration. This album means a lot to me and always makes me happy when I play it. I enjoyed getting to paint about something that makes me smile. 

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John Ringling Virtual Sketchbook 3

            Artist Fede Galizia has Judith serving both looks and heads in her depiction of the story of Judith and General Holofernes from the Book of Judith. Titled Judith with the Head of Holofernes, Galizia painted this still life as her first religious work. The final piece was completed in 1596 and was 47.5 inches by 37 inches. The medium used to create such masterpiece was simply oil paint on canvas. Galizia has painted this religious tale many times, each slightly different than the last. As have many other artists, though. I chose to write specifically on the one Fede Galizia created because she was the only female artist I saw. I noticed hers had many more fine details than the male artists, including individual brush strokes on each strand of fabric on the subject’s clothing. I really liked how Galizia captured the story differently than the men.

            Judith with the Head of Holofernes shows Judith holding Holofernes’ head by gripping his hair in a basin. In her hand, she holds the sword used for the decapitation. You can clearly see that Judith is dressed very nicely, which is an important detail to this story. The people of Bethulia were very unhappy with this Assyrian General Holofernes, as he was targeting Jews. The city was attacked by him, including Judith’s home. Determined to liberate the people of Bethulia, Judith planned to get back at the general. She was able to seduce Holofernes and was invited to his home for dinner. With her Maidservant’s help, Judith sneakily sliced Holofernes’ head clean off. The painting itself is very dark. There are many browns and dark reds shown in both the background and foreground. In the foreground, you can see Judith with the head and her maidservant. Judith is positioned in front of the maidservant to show emphasis and to dramatize her actions. The background shows red curtains. It creates the sense of royalty, which makes sense because Holofernes was the general to King Nebuchadnezzar. There is not much contrast to this work. It is dark and dreary throughout.

            The story of Judith has been associated with the renaissance and baroque time periods by artists. Art during these periods were centered around portraits, classical religion, and contemporary life events. I think Fede Galizia was trying to convery her own unique depiction of this biblical scene. In many other works of this same story, the scene is far gorier. Galizia includes some blood to show to realism of this story, but it is not nearly as detailed as the male artists. I believe Fede focuses more on the emotions of Judith rather than the tragedy of the story. In her work, Judith looks very proud. She knows she liberated her people and saved the Jews. In other paintings, Judith looks ashamed, scared, and sorrow. I think it is very interesting to see how to different male and female artists create the same stories so differently.

            The importance of this work by Fede Galizia shines in many ways. My favorite example is how this empowers women. As mentioned before, Galizia painted this scene in a less gruesome way. This was intended to show the pride and confidence of Judith. Blood and gore do not always represent that, unlike what a male artist of the time would think. As another way to show female grandeur, Fede signed her name on the sword used to kill Holofernes, which I believe shows how she relates to Judith. These examples of courage and dignity are just a few of the reasons I picked this painting. I feel like this painting called my name in the museum. I saw it online too, but it did not compare to how I felt when I saw the work in person. I am very glad I got the opportunity to experience one-of-a-kind art in person.

[sillygoofygoober45]

Virtual Sketchbook 2

1. Journaling

- Unity and variety: Unity is how pieces of an artwork all fit together. Variety is different artistic elements an artist uses in their artwork. They are opposites. An example of unity is placing like objects together, such as a group of pencils on my desk. Variety, for example, could be different variations in those pencils, such as changes in color and size.

- Balance: Balance in art shows symmetry. It can also be asymmetrical. Large structures are often examples of balance. For example, my bedframe in my room is very balanced. Each side is the same.

- Emphasis and subordination: Emphasis is the main focus of an artwork; this is usually something the artist will choose to make known. Subordination is the more neutral area in the work. An everyday example of this are the apples in my fruit bowl. All of them are red except one green one. The complementary colors in this example show distinct differences in what is being emphasized and what is the subordination.

- Directional forces: Directional forces are the “paths” our eyes follow when looking at art. Often the artist will use intentional lines to achieve this. For example, I have a painting in my living room of a skyscraper and a bench. The shadow from the skyscraper directly aligns with the bench, following the diagonal axis. This is visually appealing to us.

- Repetition and rhythm: Repetition in art is the repeated creation of shapes, lines, or anything else the artist chooses to replicate. Rhythm is what is created by repetition. This definition instantly made me think of Andy Warhol’s painting of Campbell’s soup. This is an example of pop art. The can of soup is replicated various times in different colors creating rhythm.

- Scale and proportion: Scale is the size of something in relation to something else. Proportion is the relationship of different sized things in comparison to a whole. My everyday life example for this is how small traffic lights look when you see them driving but how scarily large they are when they are on the ground. If you have not seen what I’m talking about I recommend looking it up. It shocked me the first time I saw it.

2. Writing and looking – Going Home by Jacob Lawrence (figure 4.4, page 2/22) mainly displays unity and variety. He did this by creating themes of colors, lines, and shapes seen on the train seats and people. He varied and repeated those themes throughout the painting. You can easily find this repeated element by observing the same window shades and green chairs.

3. Connecting art to your world – I would consider myself to be a very colorful person. I look for color in all that I do. Whether it be having specific-colored notebooks for different classes or making sure to not repeat the same color outfit in a week. I love color. My favorite color changes all the time. Right now, it’s hot pink. It makes me happy. I love how bright and exciting it is. The colors around me affect my mood. I especially love different shades and variations of the same color. For example, I just made a friendship bracelet only using blue. I chose navy, dark blue, sky blue, and white. If I had to pick a color scheme for my life it would be pink, yellow, and green because those are the colors that make me the happiest.

4. Art project

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Photojournalism

The second photo is my favorite. It shows a woman holding her two year old nephew who was injured in a bomb blast. This picture is very emotional. It made me very sad to think about how I would feel if this was me. In the story, the bomb blast happened in a peaceful part of town. It was shocking. I couldn't imagine what I would do. The photograph visually represents the pain and heartache the woman is going through while holding the poor boy. The look of grief on her face is extremely sad.

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Virtual Sketchbook 1

1. Writing and research

1. My name is Faith Henry, and I am from Atlanta, GA. I am a flute player and this year I am the drum major for my marching band. 

2. The artwork I was assigned is Whaam! by Roy Lichtenstein. (Oil on canvas; 5’7” x 13’4”)

Roy can play both the clarinet and piano and was even in a jazz band.

He was the first to invent a "rotating easel" so he could paint better from different angles.

He said "the subjects in my paintings don't hold my interest." He often paints upside down to make it more interesting.

Roy painted Whaam! because he said he likes to transform the meaning of comics.

The painting sold for $44.8 million.

3. The painting stayed the same for me when I looked at it the first time and after I researched it. This is the first time I have been exposed to Lichtenstein's work. I really enjoyed trying to find the meaning of the painting that he changed from something he saw in a comic. I tried to imagine what that comic was and how he was able to transform it. 

2. This is a painting I made during lockdown in 2020. It is not very good, but I am proud of it. I usually don’t paint because I don’t have the patience for it, but I wanted to try something new, and I really enjoyed it. This painting reminds me to get out of my comfort zone and be confident in what I can do.

3. I am 17 years old. I turn 18 in October. I am female and go by she/her pronouns. I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I moved here when I was 9 because my dad’s work relocated. I am white. Most of my family is from Scotland and England. In my free time, I like to play the flute. It has been my passion since the sixth grade. I plan to continue playing in college and hopefully become a music teacher. I am a member of my high school marching band. I do not have a job right now. What makes me “me” is that I am fun and passionate about what I love.

4. Self portrait - I created this using Procreate. I chose to include a few of my favorite people, memories, and things. These are all what make me "me" :)

[sillygoofygoober45]

Whaam! by Roy Lichtenstein

1. My name is Faith Henry and I am from Atlanta, GA. I am a flute player and this year I am the drum major for my marching band. 

2. The artwork I was assigned is Whaam! by Roy Lichtenstein. (Oil on canvas; 5’7” x 13’4”)

Roy can play both the clarinet and piano and was even in a jazz band.

He was the first to invent a "rotating easel" so he could paint better from different angles.

He said "the subjects in my paintings don't hold my interest." He often paints upside down to make it more interesting.

Roy painted Whaam! because he said he likes to transform the meaning of comics.

The painting sold for $44.8 million.

3. The painting stayed the same for me when I looked at it the first time and after I researched it. This is the first time I have been exposed to Lichtenstein's work. I really enjoyed trying to find the meaning of the painting that he changed from something he saw in a comic. I tried to imagine what that comic was and how he was able to transform it.