Response to an contemporary artist ; Sophie Calle

Sophie Calle is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Her work mainly depicts human vulnerability and examines personal identity and intimacy. She's known for following strangers like a detective to investigate their private lives for her artwork.

One of Calle's first public projects that sparked a tremendous amount of controversy was titled the "Address Book." Calle found an address book in the street, which she photographed and returned to the owner. Calle decided to call some of the numbers in the book and ask questions about the book's owner. Calle added photos of the owner's favorite hobbies and pastimes to these transcripts, creating a portrait of a man who she had never met. The transcripts were published in a French newspaper and the owner of the address book threatened to sue Calle for invasion of privacy.

Another project by Calle was titled "The Sleepers," where Calle invited 24 friends, friends of friends, and strangers to occupy her bed for 24 hours. Calle served them food and photographed them every hour.

research of personal intrest

Artist Francois Robert created artwork out of real human bones to remind people about the consequences of violence.

Robert is quoted as saying "The human skeleton is a strong visual symbol that represents what is left after life has ended, after the flesh and mind cease to function."

The assembled symbols of war above made me realize that art doesn't have to always be stuck together, it doesn't have to be a solid figure or piece. Robert used the same pieces to create multiple works and just took pictures of them to document the artwork.

Robert's shock factor with the real human bones, hopefully achieves his goal of getting people to realize how terrible violence and war is for the world.

Response to an artist ; Han van Meegeren

Meegeren was a dutch painter and art forger that lived from 1889 - 1947. Mainly a painter and a portraitist, Meegeren is known as one of the most ingenious art forgers of the 20th century.

During WWII a wealthy dutchmen who wanted to prevent a sell out of dutch art to the Nazi party, rapidly bought Meegeren's forgeries. The forged "Vermeer" wound up getting Meegeren arrested, and Meegeren confessed to the forgery. He was sentenced to one year in prison but died of a heart attack before he could serve his time. It's estimated that Meegeren duped buyers, including the government of the Netherlands, out of more than thirty million dollars in today's money.

To create the "Perfect Forgery" Meegeren bought authentic 17th century canvas, mixed his own paints using old formulas, used badger-hair brushes, and used phenol formaldehyde to cause the paints to harden after application which made the paintings appear that they were 300 years old. After completing a painting, Meegeren would bake the painting to harden it, then roll the painting over a cylinder to increase the cracks. Later he would wash the painting with black india ink to fill the cracks.

In the picture on the right, Meegeren demonstrated his forgery techniques in front of an expert panel, painting his last forgery "Jesus Among the Doctors."

Meegeren's career as a legitimate painter consisted of sketching pictures and painting posters for the commercial art trade.

College Report

I feel like the requirements for this blog was based more on an art college, but I don't plan on going to college for art... instead I'm interested in going for a degree in Psychology.

The University of Kentucky

http://psychology.as.uky.edu/

above is the link to the Psychology department for the University of Kentucky.

Requirements for the class are of course an extensive amount of psychology classes, which you can find here. >>> http://psychology.as.uky.edu/psychology-major-requirements

A list of psychology courses offered that may not all be required are here. >>> http://psychology.as.uky.edu/psychology_courses

UK of course wants your test scores, either ACT or SAT. They require your high school transcript and an academic letter of recommendation from a teacher or guidance counselor.

Brief on an article related to your personal research;

http://roberta-goli.suite101.com/body-works-in-art-and-science-a119852

following the link above will take you to an article about a man name Gunther Von Hagan who is an anatomist that makes artwork from human corpses and an artist named Andrew Krasnow who uses donated human skin to create anything from lampshades to boots.

As much as I'm fascinated by the human body and anatomy... this really freaked me out. I respect Von Hagan for having the guts to make such artwork for what he says is scientific and education purposes. The fact that he can take such harsh criticism and hate from numerous people makes me really admire him.

I came across this looking for works of art relating to my personal interest, but this took it a little to far for my personal presence of art. I like this article more for the fact that it introduced me to this artist that isn't afraid to be daring and anger the general public to make artwork that he likes and for education... even though most people can't look past the "using dead bodies" to learn anything from the works.

Krasnow who made American flags from human skin to make a point... well works. It's very shocking and impacting on a person. Though it's not something I would ever choose to do with my artwork I do have it within myself to appreciate his artwork rather than criticize it for being "nasty."

Article Breif

http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/why-i-hate-modern-art-614187.html

Above is a website address to an article I came across while searching for "people who hate art", I suppose because I wanted to get myself ticked off.

The guy who wrote the article above is a portrait artist who is very into the realism and "only for looks" piece of art.

I feel like the author is stuck in a different era and isn't very open minded. To disagree with him, I believe that everything is art.... the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the computers we type on, and the cars that we drive. Everything was created and everything was once a thought in someone's mind that they turned into a wonderful creation.

He doesn't like art being used for political purposes... How else would you express your views? Commercials? ART. Music? ART. Advertising posters? OH WAIT, THATS ART TOO. People should use their voice in anyway they please and express themselves.

GET IN THE NOW, MAN. ART IS EVERYWHERE

Response to an artist; Hokusai

I've done a blog before on The Great Wave by Hokusai, which is my favorite wood block print ever.

I really just love Hokusai in general, his style is so clean and crisp yet is able to capture action and beauty. His collection of Views of Mount Fuji really show his concentration and dedication to seascapes and landscapes. The fact that he was so engrossed with Fuji really fascinates me.

Both images are from the Views of Mount Fuji, a seascape and a landscape. I love how he was able to incorporate a warm color scheme with the cool colors of the seascape and include them in the same collection.

Research of personal intrest

I found myself looking at articles related to psychology while also attempting to find a blog to post... when this article fit into research of my personal interest.

The following article describes the effects of child abuse on the brain, in teenage years up to adulthood. The article takes in the very physical aspects of the brain and how certain brain organs differ from an abused child and a non abused child, personality effects are also discussed.

This article hits at home for me, being a child that was abused. It akes me wonder if the way I act and the things I do have all been altered because of the actions that took place when I was a child. Knowing the things I'm more prone to as an adult is a bit frightening to me... but what can you do?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8081369/the_effect_of_child_abuse_on_the_brain.html?cat=25

Response to a contemporary artwork

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Smith Catholic Art

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/2-immaculate-heart-of-mary-smith-catholic-art.html

I can't post the photo directly to this post, but follow the link above to see the painting. You can click on the image to high resolution zoom.

This painting shows depth and dimension of Mary, though she is placed on a flat background. Her extending arm and face are very realistic and soft against the organic, bright background. The typical halo that is usually found around Mary is almost secretly placed within the background, shown by a lighter yellow than the rest of the image.

The "Immaculate Heart" is very modern looking, almost tattoo-ish. The draping of the fabric, shown with jagged lines and sharp block shapes of color is much more digital looking than the face and arms which look hyper realistic.

"Smith Catholic Art is a family art studio and apostolate begun in 2001. It is in part a response to Pope John Paul II's 1999 Letter to Artists and is our endeavor to make visual some of the beauty and richness of our Catholic faith. "

response to a historical artwork

Di Vinci's Vitruvian Man

I've always loved this sketch from Di Vinci, it appeals to me mainly because it's concept it very bizzare... further reading into the sketch describes how Di Vinci uses parts of the human body as units of measurement and that we're perfectly proportional (which is a very rare thing to come across).

The sketch shows how symmetrical the human body is all while explaining this crazy idea of Vitruvius, an architect, used his body parts as the measuring tools in his work.

I simply love Di Vinci, his sketches of anatomy and inventions are by far the most interesting pieces of artwork I've ever come across.

Response to a historical artwork

Hokusai's Great Wave off Kanagawa

This wood block print has been my favorite piece of artwork for many years now, I just love everything about it.

I love how the lines are so crisp and help show the texture of the waves. Though this is a block print, the waves still appear flowing and water-like. Hokusai was able to create value by printing different prints in different colors to show the light to dark blue hues.

The colors in the piece are very cool, since it is a seascape after all.

Career in art that I'm not interested in....

Cartoonist!

Spending my entire day sketching and thinking of ideas for cartoons, then finalizing and redoing every single little thing just doesn't appeal to me. Cartoons just don't appeal to me, nor does drawing.

A college education isn't required but the field is very challenging with a lot of stiff competition. Most cartoonists work freelance but lucky ones work for newspapers or magazines. You'll need a studio space, professional papers, pens, pencils, and etc. A well put together portfolio and experience in the field.

I like realism, not cartoons. Though the ability to draw and entertain is a fantastic skill, it's one I don't possess nor aspire for.

Personal Research Article

My concentration for the year was anatomy, basically.... but the darker side.

I don't focus on healthy living bodies, I focus more so on bones and teeth, broken bones more so and teeth that have long fallen out. I feel that beings tell a story long after they're gone, that our remains are a blank canvas which we built our lives on.

I've become fascinated with the brain and psychology, you can thank Mr. Simmons for that. So, I have began to dabble into the brain, thought processes, and mental disorders. Nothing "right minded" of course, that wouldn't be me. I like the weird and the disturbed, I feel that most people don't appreciate the uniqueness in things that aren't the "norm".

I think focusing my entire concentration upon these subjects has gained me a lot of knowledge about the body of course, but also about myself. I find myself pondering what happens after death, but we won't get into all that. I feel more comfortable with myself and that you don't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

My art has always been pretty nitty gritty and not understood by most. I've decided to push the shock power more, and to not hold back. The bones, teeth, and furs will be showing up again this year, along with found objects that are long past their prime.

Idea for Design

I think I'm going to take this image and put in my own words describing the make up of my own mind.

I'm to focused on what to put in the blanks than what to put in this blog.

bye.

response to an artist ; Tiffany Parbs

GO TO THIS WEBPAGE

http://www.klimt02.net/jewellers/index.php?item_id=13287

sadly, I'm not able to post the photos directly to this blog without permission from the artist, but it's worth the time following the link.

I came across this crazy lady today... she focuses her work on the features and surface of the body. She says the main idea of her work is to "invite examination of articles allowed into intimate space, to encourage the view to reassess and reconsider the jewelry object in direct relation to the body and to promote expanded definitions of jewelry." Basically she want's to open new doors relating to what the concept of jewelry is.

Her artwork is very strange and groundbreaking, which I find very appealing. I'm fascinated by how she chooses to use imperfections of the skin and body to rebel against the concept of body enhancements like plastic surgery and cosmetics.

Metalsmiting?

Education ; 4 years at a university with extra classes like jewelry classes and design classes

Average Income ; 44,000

Start up expenses ; it all depends... you'll need your own studio, tools, supplies, website, business cards, portfolio. You're going to have to put a lot of money down before you start to produce an income... and earning money is never guaranteed.

I think metalsmithing would be a good career path for myself because I simply enjoy the craft. I would much rather work with a medium that I physically can move and shape in my hands than something 2D, which I feel I never have control over.

I enjoy the design aspect to metalsmithing, the fact that you can make functional and wearable pieces of art and also be able to make sculptures and instillation pieces... metalsmithing is very versatile.

I like to create things I'm able to wear and use, it's also a very easy way to show your work off and get people's attention.