Line and Space

Fascinating unit this week! I found it interesting learning that there is so much to the dimensional and linear aspects of artwork. I didn't really become observant of linear perspective in our everyday lives until it was suggested as this week's blog topic. Now I notice this all day long. Many buildings are built this way; the first and most obvious structures that stick out in my memory is the architecture in Paris, France.

Take a look at the view of the city from the Champs Elysées in the center; perfect example of the vantage point here. Fantatic lineage in this photograph of the French capital. I'm sure that Gustave Caillebotte was thinking along the same lines with his piece Place de l'Europe on a Rainy Day.

I have a new way to observe some of the most beautiful pieces of artwork now: the art from the Reniassance. Now I can appreciate the artists manipulation of space and dimension to accentuate their work. Much of the art from this period I have learned has implied lines leading to the focus, usually a person. I have missed some of the most obvious messages until this point because I hadn't knowledge of the artists focus. My most recent realization: DaVinci's Last Supper. The one point perspective is flowing from Christ! Seems so obvious, but I just simply never knew...

This week, I have discovered my new favorite art: the beautiful human body. After I read the section in our book on "Outline and Contour Line," I have become increasingly observent of people's muscle outline. For example, look to my picture at the right of this woman's back. We know it is a woman because we can see the outline of her hips below the waist, and her muscles are smaller in size. Her deltoid, rhomboid and latisimus dorsi muscles are beautifully shaped, each is carved with a contour line. I especially love the defined line in the lower back: I think it adds a very feminine touch, and if you look closely, there are two indentations in the lower back as well. Just beautiful...

When we learn to appreciate depth, space, lineage and dimension, we see not only artwork in a new light, but the rest of our world too. We see cities, landscape, people and animals and everything with fresh eyes. Definately my favorite unit in our class so far...

Controversial Art

Well, here's how I feel about Chapter Four: I found this week to be very challenging. Challenging with my own personal beliefs, and challenging with my conflicting opinion with classmates. I suppose we all were pu to the test with this unit. But you know what? The most beneficial thing we can take from arguing over a piece of controversial art is that we learn a lot about ourselves.

I think the image that we studied this week that threw me off the most was Chris Olifi's Holy Virgin Mary. Needless to say, I was very taken aback the first time looking at this piece. I read into it a little bit more, studied Olifi and what his intentions were, studied other professor's analysis on it. I understand it more now that I have learned the cultural significance behind it, the explanation of the elephant dung, and so on. But to be very honest, I still don't know how much I agree with Olifi's rendition of the Virgin Mary.

Yes, my beliefs were challenged and that was good for me to hear other people's thoughts on it. But I simply just don't really like seeing a sacred being depicted as Olifi has done so. I love how he has given the Blessed Virgin dark skin, because she is indeed mother to all around the world, not just white Christian Europeans. But the bare behinds cut out from porn and elephant dung...I'm just not sure about that and I completely understand why people were so offended by the piece. Please note that this is just my personal opinion...

It did surprise me a little bit to hear the reactions of others about this piece--how many people actually liked it. Kind of made me question myself if I was overreacting?? But I have simply learned that other's have their opinions, I have mine and that is what makes art so exciting.

There's just no way we could all share the same opinion about artwork. Every single being will see a piece differently from the next guy because we all have different backgrounds, different upbringings, different thoughts. And really? There would be no beauty in art if it meant the same to every single person. We are all special.

Time has changed us too. What we as humans saw hundreds of is not that which we see today. Examples: Michealangelo's David and Edouard Manet's Lucheon on the Grass (both seen here) caused a huge uproar in their time, hundreds of years apart. But today, they are no longer as controversial and now beautiful classic pieces of art, a painting and a sculpture.

Contraversial art is a wonderful thing. How much we can learn about each other and our world with it!