Baltimore Museum of Art- 1/26/17

On Thursday, January 26th we took a field trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art! I saw a plethora of art dating from as early as the 1800s to as recent as 2013. I was pleasantly surprised by how well art from different centuries could work together all in the same space.

One of the first pieces to catch my eye was Washerwoman by Pierre- Auguste Renoir.



This painting intrigued me because of the multitude of colors which did not overshadow one another. There were very obvious strokes which seemed to blend together the further from the painting you got. The strokes are very obvious and mostly head in a vertical direction, but the more detailed, the more curves there are in the strokes. I can see the movement in this picture through the effortless brushstrokes.

The next painting that I noticed was Peonies by Odilon Redon. It's a very simple piece with a lot of detail. The piece feature three flowers delicately placed in a vase. The contrast between the flowers, vase, and background is noticeable, but the colors still blend together nicely. The background is not one flat color but you can tell that there is a shadow at the bottom by the darker brown. I not only enjoy the simplicity of this painting but the multitude of colors that went into creating depth in this image. The background is not one flat color but a multitude of browns, greens, blues, and yellows which creates a type of depth which cannot be created using just one color. Overall, this was one of my favorite pieces of art at the museum.

My favorite piece was A Pair of Boots by Vincent Van Gogh.

 

This painting was done in the late 1800s. When I saw it I was immediately intrigued by the immense talent Van Gogh had. Although this piece is not as great or well known as the Mona Lisa, it is still executed very well. What draws me to this painting is the use of dark and light. The sole of the shoe is a light brown while the rest of the shoe is a dark brown, similarly, the background is a dark navy. This painting almost brings you to another world because you begin to question who's shoes they are, or where were they going in those shoes. To me this painting is much more than a pair of boots because it's like a snap shot of an untold story.

I really enjoyed the different types of pieces that the Baltimore Museum of Art had to offer. Although they were a multitude of different mediums of techniques, they all flowed together in one museum because they are all deemed as art. Even though each piece has a different feeling and meaning, I feel like all of the pieces went together well.

Julio Fine Arts Gallery- 1/20/17

On Friday, January 20th I visited Loyola's art gallery. I was astounded by all of the talent right here at Loyola! 

One of the first pieces that caught my eye was a piece that looked like a solar system that was not only on the wall,  but spewed onto the floor as well. Each planet was delicately picked from different patterns and pictures. All together, it looked like a colorful solar system, but taking a closer look, you can tell how vastly different each picture is. There are two different ideas/feelings one can get from this piece depending on how close one examines each piece.



The next piece of art that I found fascinating was a series of different photos with colorful string coming from each piece. This piece is called "Thread for Thought" by Elena Damon, and I think that name fits perfectly with what was executed. My favorite part of the piece is that the photos are in black and white but the string is all different colors. Just like regular students we see everyday, they could look at ease, while having so many things going through their minds, like the colorful string beaming from their eyes. I would have never though to look at a photo like that and I am glad I could gain a new perspective from this piece.

Overall, I am very impressed with the art I saw at the gallery on Friday. Seeing the way other students around me perceive the world, or even just Loyola, gives me a whole new perspective on how to interpret others.

A Review on Viability- Italo Calvino

Viability by Italo Calvino takes a look into what imagination is. Calvino starts out by discussing Dante's reasoning for imagination. He then goes on to explain the two different ways people can use their imagination: starting with an image and creating words for it and recognizing a word and what image goes with it.

As Calvino goes on, he begins to question whether these images are from things we've seen before, or are completely imagined. I think that the images that come to mind are mostly things we have seen or experienced before. I do believe that some people can just create a new image in their mind on the spot, but I don't think many people are able to do so.

I think that imagination is a powerful tool because it is the way people envision life. For example, when someone says the word 'cat' to two different people, they could have two different images in their head. These images are shaped by people's everyday experiences.

Imagination has a lot to do with how we see art. The way someone sees art is a lot like his or her own imagination, everyone sees something different.

A Review on The Whole Ball of Wax- Jerry Saltz

Comparing the world to a ball of wax is thought provoking for me as it shows that the world can be modeled into anything. Saltz says, "Art is not optional: it is necessary. It is part of the whole ball of wax." People can see art in anything, art is apart of basic human life, it is all around us. I think Saltz hit the nail on the head by saying that we don't just look at art, we look into it, what it means to us, and how it makes us feel.

As Saltz mentioned, Oscar Wilde famously stated, "The moment you think you understand a work of art it's dead for you." While this statement does seem a little dramatic I can totally agree with it. People have very different experiences from one another, where there are points in their life that certain types of work are more relatable to them, in that moment, than in the past or future. Art is very subjective because it has a different meaning to everyone who looks at it. Although, as Saltz stated, art cannot literally change the world, but the way the observer sees the world, thus changing the people of the world.

I have never had that same type of relationship with art that Saltz has. I can definitely appreciate a beautiful painting or sculpture, but, I usually don't think more into depth than that. I am hoping that this class will help me be able to see art from a different view, and be more in touch with how it makes me feel rather than if I like how it looks.