Inspiration 2/22

I have always been a fan of the Art neveau movement, and one of my all-time favorite artists is Alphons Mucha. I love the way he depicts women, fabric, and backgrounds. I hope with enough practice I can be as talented as him.

Final chair pictures

Some photos of my final chair.

Duality

In truth I do not feel that I can accurately state that I ever met my grandfather. He met me of course, but at two weeks old I can hardly say I was in a state to carry on a civil conversation, or to put it more realistically, to even remember him. This however does not stop the fact that I feel that I know him. Eighteen years of stories, some continuously retold, others gained during late night discussions over coffee or even the last few bites of turkey after a holiday dinner. You get to know a person, or at least, get to know what a person was. My grandfather was a father, a husband, a golfer, a waiter, a football player, a soldier. But for me, he is a mixture of stories. A key player in the events of some of my father’s childhood memories, often involving a golf course, or Marrettis, the Italian restaurant he was a waiter for, which still leaks out a story or two of him whenever we go back to my dad’s home town to visit my grandma. Or more often than not, the hero of the war stories my dad begged from his as a child. War stories that always turned out ok in the end because Grandpa didn’t want to talk about the war. But then again, who could argue with a man who turned an entire German army into coleslaw, or went AWOL to have doughnuts with his brother.

My grandfather has become something of a living legend over the years, made interesting by the fact I never knew him, and yet feel as if I know something of what made the man. I suppose it is a case of ‘you always want what you can’t have’ but then again it may be more than that. It may be that every person deserves to be remembered for what made them them, and not be allowed to sink into the miasma of those who went before them.

Kendal Buster

I find Buster’s interesting and industrious due to the fact she has created a city scape from what seems to be plastic and mesh and I cannot help but be impressed by the level of detail that went into creating each building. This work may be communicating the need to incorporate the old and the new in regards to building structures, or a nod as to how building practices grew over the years.  Overall I like the work  but do not have any strong feelings regarding it besides  the fact that I appreciate the skill and craft that was obviously put into creating such a piece. Buster is using these forms and materials to create a likeness between the architecture of old and that which has form from our later attempts. This can be seen as the coliseum is compared to the more industrial forms of the other ring shaped buildings.

MOMA-Puryear

Overall I found Puryear’s work to be interesting but not exactly intriguing or extremely inspiring; I do however find his use and mixing of materials to be interesting. Personally, organically formed sculptures such as the ones in Puryear’s gallery have never left a large impression in my mind. I have trouble and truthfully skepticism regarding works ability to communicate something when it has no emotion to do so. For example, these sculptures have no expressions as could be found in the Hellenistic sculptures of the Mediterranean or paintings and pictures for that matter. These sculptures are just forms, which possibly can describe some sort of whimsy, or solidity but in my opinion little beyond that. I will admit to being amused by Puryear’s decision to build this expansive form atop a small wheel barrow, the differing planes from the straight edges of the barrow to the busy, interconnecting bars of the sculpture give the piece and interesting texture, which sort of reminds me of a hedgehog. I feel as if the sculpture would be quite large, and I feel as it would continue on with the hedgehog metaphor, and create a rounded egg shape in back. The artist may be alluding to the fact that he’d need a wheelbarrow to be able to carry all of the ideas that come into his mind over the course of the day. This can be surmised by the fact the large white object in the middle of the wooden planks is shaped like a light bulb and some of the planks radiate outward from it like a halo, or light screams bursting from the form.

Errol Morris's veiws on photography

Errol Morris states that photographs are connected to the physical world, which I believe we can all agree with. You cannot make a photograph of something you imagine in your own head. The images you see were at one time real, before they were taken into Photoshop and the like and adjusted. Even so they still are real. There is, and will always be a physical element to the photo. Even so, photographs still dictate what the viewer is shown. You see only what the taker wanted you to see.  For example, a picture of a pair of wolves running in the snow but leaving out the fence that caged them. This posing makes photographs untruthful because you cannot see the entire picture, only whatever rectangle the maker decided to share with you.

Masters of Illusion

This video explained the importance and discovery of perspective in art. The use of such technique allows for a realistic, and visually correct work of art, be that in drawing or in use with photography. This video was important to this project because it would not do to have a traveling focal point when trying to capture the lines of a building, or in contrast, helped direct the photographer when changing views.

Roland Barthes' 'Camera Lucida'

Barthes states the amazing thing about photographs is that they do not lie. They capture a snapshot of a moment in time, and whatever was occurring at that moment is what is transcribed to an image. Photographs are special because they create a sense of wonder within the viewer, be it the questions of ‘I’ve been to this place, was I in the shot?’ or ‘is this person still alive?’, photographs allow for an endless number of questions, and often very few answers. However, the brilliance of photographs is also their downfall. They can be taken so spontaneously with little care that one may never remember the circumstances regarding the image. Overall, I find this reading to be tiring, a well worded mess, too focused on its own ostentatious poetic verse to get the point and give any fact besides the artistically written mind spew of the author.

Susan Sontag's 'On Photography'

According to Sontag the magic of photography and the photographs that it produces lies in its accessibility. Anyone can take photos; anyone can enjoy and appreciate them. Photographs allow the viewer to experience a sight they would never have a chance to see otherwise. Like a native in a South American rainforest who lays eyes on Buckingham palace without ever traveling there themselves. This accessibility and the fact that unlike paintings photographs are not cheapened by their printing in books, allows for humanity to learn and experience, as well as create still pictures of their own to document their own experiences.

Inspiration Feb1

One of my favorite things to do is scour Tumblr for celebrity photo shoots. They always put out crisp images with fun poses, and classy outfits. As I've always had problems with creating poses when I draw I like to reference them. Here are some examples.