taylorrdrawz

[taylorrdrawz]

Final Exam

Title: Persevere

The message conveyed by this painting is about trying to press on through difficult times or people who are standing in your way. This could be interpreted as someone trying to start again after a house fire, or it could mean anything where they feel like there's no hope and they have to carry on nonetheless. You struggle back up from a bad situation, even though you feel like something or someone is blocking you from doing so.

[taylorrdrawz]

Virtual Sketchbook 4

1.)  Jackson Pollock's paintings are like fingerprints; they capture his thoughts and feelings exactly as they were experienced at that precise moment. I believe that when he made his paintings, he connected not only harmony and balance of the visual elements but also infused his feelings of the present into the strokes and splashes. When he said, “Think of his paintings like music," it resonated with me. This is because your brain can selectively focus on certain sounds while blocking out others when you're hearing multiple things at once. Your brain can block out background noise when working on an assignment, such as the sound of faint crickets outside or the fan spinning in circles in your room. I believe that when you look at his piece and some parts are hidden, it represents how the brain hides things that are there but are invisible because you are too wrapped up in the larger brushstrokes or sounds. It’s like a visual representation of your brain being overwhelmed, but still being able to function. His transition from solid to more chaotic-looking artwork, in my opinion, was an attempt to communicate a deeper level of understanding, or into his mind, through his artwork. After all, it is nothing more than his instincts and his gut feelings when he splashes paint onto the canvas. 

[taylorrdrawz]

Virtual Sketchbook 3

This piece, standing at 192 x 162 in., oil on canvas, demonstrates its’ subjects, Israelites along with Moses in a bright red cloak, in a desert. There are contrasts between the reds, gold, whites, and hints of blue. It is balanced, with equal heights on both sides and a mirrored unity with "Solomonic" columns. There is an emphasis on the center of the painting, with a basket of food given off to a desperate man, and variety within the differing features of people. The rhythm of the composition generates a heart shape, with the woman's arms on the left forming a curved line, the man's arms on the right also creating a curved line, and the man at the bottom, together with the baby, forming a V shape. The highest point of this heart-shaped figure is the transfer of a basket from one man to another, as it sits below the woman and the man in red. This creates rhythm within the subjects by allowing your eyes to follow the lines and view the entire piece. The proportions of this painting make the subjects look like they’re in a theatre or a small room, with cloth draping around them and pillars keeping them close in the center. This work evokes feelings of appreciativeness and generosity because the piece demonstrates the giving of resources to others who need them in desperate times. Upon further research, this artwork was designed based on the biblical story written in the Old Testament (Exodus 16: 14-35) where the Israelites, while journeying through the desert, are provided with food from the heavens. It was given to and commissioned by Archduchess Isabella, who was the daughter of Philip II of Spain. Peter Paul Rubens, the artist, used a lot of deeper religious meaning in the painting and was a respected diplomat in Spain at the time, so I assume he was an educated religious man. Although it was commissioned, I can assume the artist was religious based on the high level of detail, devotion, and deeper meanings, like the pillars featured in the painting. The importance of this piece to society at this time was to uphold communion in church, as well as spreading religious propaganda on behalf of Spanish royalty, meant to be gifted to a royal monastery in Spain. This painting was my choice because of its amazing design, massive size, and ballroom setting, where it is situated next to a beautiful, enormous series of paintings. Of all of them, the painting's desperation mixed with hopefulness attracted my attention. I wanted to know what all of this meant because they were surrounded by gorgeous pillars and were being showered with resources and manna. 

[taylorrdrawz]

Art Project- Comic

[taylorrdrawz]

Connecting Art to Your World

The colors red and green are the ones that have had the biggest effects on me. Red and green are Christmas colors, so they evoke a sense of happiness. My dislike for black and white movies is another way that color influences me. This hints that I'm not a fan of desaturated colors and that I'm always bored with colors with darker values. I used to paint in art classes with intense colors, or highly saturated colors. Because I adore the outdoors and have used sage green and baby pink in my rooms since I was a child, if I could have any color scheme for my life, it would be these two shades.

[taylorrdrawz]

Writing and Looking

Vincent van Gogh, SELF PORTRAIT WITH FELT HAT 

Fig. 6.8, page 5 of chapter 6 

The subject, Van Gogh, is close-up, at an angle slightly above his height. He is looking up, but the view is very close to the subject. The colors of the face are orange, but featuring blues and greens. The background is made of mostly blue, however, there are orange/brownish brush strokes circling implied lines around him, connecting the complementary color scheme altogether. The colors connect the background to his face, to his hat, and to his coat. The pose is simple, and no perspective of his surroundings can be seen. His expression is serious and so is his posture. The emphasis on his face ties in attention to the subject.

[taylorrdrawz]

Journaling

Unity and variety: Unity in art refers to elements that repeat themselves in a piece and have the same color or shape. Variety is the difference between parts of the same concept that have different colors or shapes. Repetition in the sky's stars' designs shows unity, and the differing colors and shapes of the stars show variety.  

Balance: A state of equilibrium or making use of ratio or evenness, are examples of what balance can be in artwork. Symmetry and asymmetry are ways to achieve this as well. The elements in this painting are also balanced. There is a big tree on the left, a big moon on the right, and a mountain range that rises up on the right, giving the painting a balanced look.  

Emphasis and subordination: In order to call our attention to a certain place, artists use emphasis, either with size, color, texture, or anything that pops out. To prevent our attention from wandering, artists design spaces that are neutral and of lesser appeal, making up subordination. This drawing emphasizes the butterfly by using vibrant colors and deep blacks in one particular shape, while the rest maintains subordination by including some more shapes and the butterfly's unified look.  

Directional forces: Paths for the eye to follow, displayed or not, are known as directional forces. This painting uses the swirling colors in the sky and the mountain's slope to portray how the directional force moves to the right.   

Repetition and rhythm: Repeated things and sequences are instances of rhythm and repetition. The repetition and rhythm of the spirals, along with their increasing size as they continue to spiral, demonstrate the rhythmic quality of the repeating swirls.  

Scale and proportion: The size relationship between two objects is known as scale. The size relationship between one component and the whole is known as proportion. This piece of art has good scaling because, despite appearing larger than the house from a flat perspective, this is because she is farther from the house and closer to the eye-view, so her proportions are correct.  

[taylorrdrawz]

Photojournalism

The photo of the mother huddled with her kids is my favorite out of the two. This picture serves as a symbol of the Great Depression in the United States and portrays the difficult life of a mother during that time in history. It depicts the mother's desperation and despair as she tries to care for her children during the Great Depression. This picture perfectly captures the story: tense, wrinkled skin and a cautious, nervous hand as she weighs how she will look after her children during this trying time. Drained, the kids hang on to their mother, the only thing that will get them through those difficult times. Given how well it captured the emotions common in the United States at the time, this image, which depicts the hopelessness of the Great Depression, became widely used. 

[taylorrdrawz]

4.) Art Self-Portrait

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3.) Writing a Self-Portrait

I'm a 20-year-old white Jewish woman who was born in Rhode Island but now lives in Florida. I enjoy spending time with my family, drawing, and gaming, in addition to working at a restaurant. I would also consider my empathy and high emotional intelligence to be unique. My "baggage," in my opinion, stems from the way I was brought up— from having a single mom who works as a 911 operator and not coming from a wealthy background. I was raised to always sympathize with others, stand up for others, and stand up for myself.

[taylorrdrawz]

2.) Art and Writing

My friend gifted me this painting a few years ago, and I've had it in my room ever since. It seems the medium was painted on a canvas using acrylic for the background and possibly oil paint for the turtle. It serves as a decoration for my room and a reminder of my friend. This picture is beautiful to me because of the way the light reflects off the painted dollops, creating highlights, and the fact that the artist's brushstrokes and numerous grooves and curves are visible as a means of line art. 

[taylorrdrawz]

1.) Introduction

I'll start by sharing a little-known fact about myself: I'm terrified of kayaking and cruise ships. 

At first glance, my impressions of this piece of art are that it is magical and surreal. My guess is that the artist was taking in views of a city as they went along, and that the painting was spontaneous and quick but still took time and attention to detail.  

Five facts I was able to find out about this artwork and artist are: 

Van Gogh might have been somewhat influenced by The Great Wave off Kanagawa, an artwork by Hokusai. 

He spent a brief amount of time living in an asylum, which is where he created this artwork. 

During his lifetime, Vincent Van Gogh only ever sold one piece of artwork.  

He took his own life, and never actually sold "The Starry Night" since he saw it as a failure. 

It is the second Starry Night painting that we all see today, not the first. He painted it a count of 21 times. 

Initially, I assumed the painting, in which the artist looks out over a city, was quick and spontaneous. However, I now see he painted it 21 times and was very meticulous. Also, I am now aware that he wasn't looking out at a city; he could only see the sky, and even then, he used his imagination to change the moon, the sizes of the stars, the placement of the tree, and so on. I can now appreciate the messy cityscape and the surreal perspective of the artwork, knowing that they were mostly just products of his imagination.