Class #7: The System (Art History)

1.

This is the Statue of Diadoumenos (Youth tying a fillet around his head) - 69-96 AD
it's a Flavian Roman copy of a Greek bronze statue by Polykleitos - 430 BC
This sculpture is of a young man tying a fillet around his head after winning an athletic contest. The original bronze statue was probably stood in a sanctuary such as that at Olympia or Delphi, where games were regularly held. It is made of marble and is 73 inches tall. This statue was sculpted very carefully and very detailed. The hair curls, eye lids, and even eye lashes were sculpted out. The sculpture focused heavily on body proportions and muscles.

This is statue is the Torso of a monumental bodhisattva, 5th century in Pakistan, ancient region of Gandhara. Made of Schist and is 64 1/2 inches tall. Originally 10 ft tall. Bodhisattva was said to have reached a state of enlightenment and stayed on earth to guide others in the quest of spiritual perfection.


2. For the first picture, the audience were for the people of Rome or Greek. Mostly for the emperor and higher ups.
For the second picture the audience were probably religious people.

3. The statue of Diadoumenos is bear witnessing to the physical attributes of athletes. Every muscled is sculpted out very detailed.
The torso of Bodhisattva is bear witnessing to a religious man who achieved the state of enlightenment.

4. Both statues are sculpted out paying attention to detail. However, the statue of Diadoumenos focuses more on details and proportions. the torso originally was 10 ft tall, i doubt any humans has been that tall.

5. There is a possibly that artist of the torso of Bodhisattva knew the techniques of the other because this sculpture was done a few hundred years later. But the other way around I don't think so since Greece was far from Pakistan and I don't think they reached that far.

6. Yes I believe so because it was done by so much precision and accurate proportions that it is a great work of art.

7. I believe so too as well because although the proportions were a bit off in terms of height, it is still a great sculpted work of art.

HW. Cooking up a Story. Mangu con lo 3 golpes

The dish that I chose that is important to our culture is called Mangu con los 3 golpes. Mangu is a form of making plantains. In this case you boil them and mash them. Los 3 golpes refers to whats complementing the plantains, which is fried salami, cheese, and eggs. Usually you add onions as well but since I was making this for myself I didn't add onions and I cooked the eggs in butter instead of oil. Well this is a very important meal to my culture because back in the Dominican Republic this is basically the main breakfast that everyone eats. It is mainly eaten for breakfast but basically any Dominican will eat this for which ever meal of the day. The DR is mostly a farming country, we raise a lot of cows, chickens, pigs, and plant a lot of plantain trees. That is why there is an abundant supply of plantains, eggs, cheese, and salami in the DR and that is why we tend to eat this food a lot. Of course because it is delicious and filling as well. The only times I've prepared this dish is when I cook for my brother or friends when we are hungry and we do not want to order food. Plus it always makes us happy. I'm happy to be cooking for my brother or friends that I've known for many years and they're always happy to eat one of my home cooked meals which they say is always delicious.

Ingredients

·         Green Plantains (2)

·         Eggs (1)

·         Salami (2 slices)

·         White cheese for frying (3 slices)

·         Cooking oil (2 ounces)

·         Butter (4 tbsp.)

·         Salt (1 tbsp.)

·         Water (approximately 59 oz.)

·         Lemon (1 oz. lemon juice)

·         Ice cubes (3 cubes)

·         Sugar (2 tbsp.)

Steps

1   Peel plantains

2   Cut plantains into quarters (cut half vertical and other half horizontal).

3   Place plantains into pot of boiling water (32 oz.)

4   Add 1 tbsp. of salt

5   5 minutes after water is boiling, add 8oz. of cold water

6   Repeat step 5.

7   Let water boil for 10 minutes

8   Turn off heat

9   Pre heat pan on high heat 5 minutes

1 Add 2 tbsp. of butter. Let butter melt across the pan

1  Crack open an egg onto pan. Add pinch of salt to egg.

1 Scramble egg till cooked

1  Once pan is cleaned. Add 2 oz. of cooking oil and preheat on medium heat.

1  Once oil is heated, add the 3 slices of cheese

1  Flip once underside is golden

1  Remove cheese from pan once other side is golden

1  Then add the slices of salami

1  Flip once underside is darker.

1  Remove from pan once other side is darker.

2  Now back to the plantains. Remove water from pan.

2  Add 2 tbsp. of butter

2  Mash plantains

2  Remove plantains from pot

2  Squeeze 1 oz. of lemon juice into cup

2  Add 11 oz. of water

2  And 2 tbsp. of sugar

2  Stir

2  Add ice cubes

2  EAT!

Class #6 Followup: Translation - Food as a metaphor

1. Klein's blue cocktail relates to the metaphoric nature of food to transmit ideas because one is consuming the blue cocktail. They are consuming the artist's idea and then releasing it. 

2.Warhol's Campbell's soup piece says that after WWII America's relationship with food has become more about instant meals. Instead of taking the time to gather the different ingredients, doing the proper steps, and mixture of ingredients to create a meal, we rather just buy a meal already made. All that is needed is a microwave to quickly heat it up.

3. I think baking your own bread is a political act because if you can't bake your own bread then you have to get it from someone. Which means you have to depend on that person; and if you need to depend on somebody then you aren't truly free.

4. In Da Vinci's Last Supper, the table and food that was prepared for Jesus and his 12 disciples showed no distinction in culture, it was just a traditional dinner. Where as in Chicago's Dinner Party, the table and food was prepared for numerous women in history, fiction or real. In addition, each plate portrayed a range of ceramic, textile, and other woman's craft to honor their contributions.

5. Rirkrit Tiravanija's, Theaster Gates', and Michael Rackowitz's projects take advantage of the social aspect of meal-sharing to generate ideas and discussions because everybody loves food. Everybody loves to eat food. So if you have a meeting with food, different cultures would love to attend to eat and talk about their culture food, ingredients and such.

6. I thought that Bozhkov's "Befriend the Bacteria" project was interesting. He created a food that came from himself. Not necessarily making food out of your own stool because that is discarded from your body. He actually got bacteria from his inside and froze it as if he were to preserve himself. So it is very similar to the self portrait of bear witnessing because it will last.

Class #3 Follow up

1) Mutu's human/insect/machine-like distortions of the body are sort of the opposite of the conventional notions of female beauty. When I look at her art I don't think it's beautiful because of the norms of beauty that I've been influenced by society. Beauty is perfection of the female body. The smoothness of the skin, the slim curves, and long legs. According to society that is and Mutu's art shows none of that.

2) I have a sort of love/hate feeling towards her work. I love the fact that she puts together all of these different types of pieces and make them look so good together. I just don't like the images she uses. It gives me a sort dark and ominous feeling.

Part B

Cringe Factor
a. I'm not embarrassed by any drawing or work of art that I've done in the past because when I draw or paint I do it to please my standards, not those of society. I do, however, have a picture of myself in the past of how I use to dress that I am deeply embarrassed by.

This picture was taken around June of 2003, I was 12 years old. I remember that day perfectly. My brother, a couple of friends, and I were having a water balloon fight right after school. My mom wanted a quick picture so my brother and I quickly posed and ran off right away. My right hand was cutoff but I was holding a water balloon. Anyways, I'll start from the top. I was wearing a du-rag to keep my braids neat. Yes, I once had braids. Never again will I grow my hair out to get braids. My shirt, or rather should I say blanket, was 4 XL size because back then, wearing really big shirts was in style. Then I was wearing some shorts that you can barely see due to the extremely large shirt that nearly went over my shorts. Like I said, back then the style was one would wear really big shirts and really baggy pants. 

2) The transition in style from back then to now is mind blowing. People now a days wear the complete opposite of back then. Slim or skinny jeans and small shirts. The way I dress now is similar to today's norms. I just don't wear my jeans to skinny as some would wear them, my shirts not too small either. But that is only when I go out with friends to the movies or events. Usually either going to the park or going to school I wear sweats, a hoody, and basketball sneakers because that is how I am most comfortable. I don't like my movements to feel even the slightest bit constricted. Pretty much I rather be ready to play basketball at any given moment. 

Class #2 HW - Interior View of the Pantheon

I think this artwork out of my 3 is the one that most directly relates to the ideas of beauty.

a) The artist uses all formal elements of beauty to create a pleasing visual experience. The unity in colors are so well blended in, as well as the balance, rhythm, contrast & emphasis. They do not guide your eyes to a focal point but since its so well blended in, you tend to look at every square cm of the painting because it is so detailed and accurately painted. The scale and proportions are painted so well. the people closer to you are bigger and the further the others in the back the smaller they are.

b) I think this work of art is in the baroque scale and it is an intellectual and balanced artwork. All the colors are well blended in, the scale and proportions are accurate, the whole painting is well balanced. When I see this painted I am in awe. It looks so lifelike that I feel as if this were a picture taken from the inside of the Pantheon. Makes me want to visit the Pantheon and stand from this position and see how accurate the painting is.

c) It will be hard for me to re paint this work of art into a contemporary visual language with a contemporary interpretation of cultural beauty because I don't really have the "art eye." I wouldn't know what to do. I don't really get what today's standards on cultural beauty are. Maybe make the colors pop out more and emphasize more on facial expression. idk.

Class 5 HW

     The skill that I pride myself in knowing can be confused as just pure talent rather than a skill. That skill is body control. Without body control, Michelangelo would not have been able to create the sculpture David. Using too much power in any sculpture and you break off too much of the medium. Athletes especially have great body control. One can not simply perform a crossover move between the legs if that person doesn't have body control. It takes practice to develop body control. The reason I pride myself in this skill is because I nearly have complete body control. Just by looking at an action I can immediately be able to duplicate that action nearly identical. This is the reason why I excel in physical activities. People say its natural talent but I believe it is a skill one can learn. One just needs to know the mechanics to a certain action and just apply it when performing it. Easier said than done. If I'm watching somebody perform a textbook style jump shot, I look at every movement that person takes, how he/she bends their needs, elbows, etc.., the sequence of movements, the release point of the basketball, everything. I look at every single detail then I just grab a basketball and do it myself. That is how I learn physical movements, by observing first then performing it. My skill of body control is what allows me to be able to perform that physical movement nearly perfect.
      I would adapt this skill into creating an artwork that communicates something about me. I would make a sculpture of a man wearing sports gears pertaining to different sports. A soccer ball under a foot to represent soccer, a basketball on one hand to represent basketball, a hockey stick in the other to represent Hockey, etc... I would have so many different sports into this one sculpture as to representing that this person is good at sports. I would display this artwork in front of my building replacing the tree that is there. I would place it there because this is an artwork that I made and represents me, so I would love to see it everyday when I leave and return home. It will definitely bring joy to me every time I look at it.

Class 5 Lecture

A) I found the process of Janine Antoni's rope-making piece to be very artistic. She took many things that had meaning in her life and tied them together creating a rope. A rope, as she pointed out, connects parts together. Since these things were part of her life, everything in one's life is connected. This piece is about her life.
B) Although she used her hands in the rope-making process, it is very different from her action painting process. When one looks at her rope-making work, they will assume the artist used her hands to make this that artwork. However, when one looks at her action painting works they wouldn't know how the artist created this piece of artwork. For example, the artwork that required her to used her hair and mopped the floor with dye, one would not know that she used her hair just by looking at it. I think this method is particularly appropriate to the meaning she wants to get across because art is essentially of piece of yourself. By using your body it takes that meaning literally.
C) Someone who is completely ignorant to Antoni's work of Moor would not understand the meaning of it. They will understand that it was made by tying different materials and objects together to make a rope. However, they wouldn't understand that each material or object has a meaningful significance to Antoni's life.