Module #9 Video Review

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

The two videos I chose from the selection list are Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master and Velazquez. I chose Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master, not because I kew who we was, which I have never really heard of him before this class, but I chose this video because the title “Image of a Master” interested me a lot and I wanted to know what it was about. I would have never guessed it was related to self portraits, I was thinking it was going to be more about photography, which is another reason why I would have chosen this video. For the second video, Velazquez, I really have no specific reasoning as to why I chose this video, being that I have never heard of the name “Velazquez” before and just thought I would click on this video to learn more about it, which I am glad I did because the narrator is very easy to follow. 

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

For the First video, Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master, I learned a lot about Albrecht Dürer and his life, while also getting to see some of his artwork and amazing looking self portraits. One of the major key concepts I learned from this video was, when they talked about how Dürer was always a dedicated craftsman and there was always something to learn, talking about how he learned to employ the finest brush strokes without color to achieve the effect of solid form simply with light and shadow. I thought the artwork they showed with this statement was very amazing looking and greatly detailed, which is amazing to have achieved without color. 

For the second video, Velazquez, the video seemed to talk most about Velazquez’s life and what he did and who he painted for. The major key concept that I learned from this video was, when they called Velazquez a realist, but saying he is more the idealist from a vantage point above reality. I thought this was very interesting because, in his paintings are real looking people or other objects, while the backgrounds are not so much real, tending to be exaggerated in colors or abstract in ways, saying earlier in the video that Velasquez tends to be an abstract painter, but also tends to paint what he wants to paint. 

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These two videos related to the reading in the texts by again giving more of a visual understanding, with a lot more graphic examples, while going a lot more in-depth with talking about them. While I don't know what the other video selections talked about, but the two that I have chosen have added to and definitely enhanced my learning about the topics in chapter 16 and 17. Just looking at the titles of the other videos, with what I read in the text, it seems that some of the other videos may have covered more information that is related to the book and the renaissance, but I am glad I chose the videos that I did because they were able to relate to the reading in the text with similar artwork and knowledge of the same time period, but also able to provide more and different information.  

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

My opinion of both of the films were very good, I thought both videos were reasonable lengths, while they were able to keep my attention all the way thought them, which is also a good thing, rather than having a long boring video. The videos definitely went into great depth with information about the artists and their life and work, while it may not relate exactly to the reading in the text, it provides good additional information, while giving a break from reading and allowing you to listen and watch instead of read. Overall I do think the two videos were able to add good depth to understanding the reading and art concepts because it is new material that I have learned, that I would have probably never known unless watching these two videos. 

Module #8 Video Review

1. Explain why you selected the video you choose from the selection listed above.

The video I selected was, The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure, and the reason I chose to watch this video for this assignment was because I have always been fascinated by Greek statues and Greece is always a place I have wanted to visit. I thought since I probably won’t get to Greece any time soon, I might as well learn as much as I can now about the history behind some of their work. As for their statues, I am a big fan of statues to begin with, while I also visit many different museums when I travel and I have always liked the Greek statues just a little bit more than others. 

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

For the first video, More Human Than Human, I liked how they talked about humans in artwork and how they are depicted, the style that stood out to me the most was the Egyptians way of representing the human body. The video discusses how the Egyptians showed the body from its clearest angles being, chest up front, face in profile view, while having the eyes seen from straight on, and having the feet and hands shown sideways. I thought this was very interesting, while the key concept I learned from this video was, just how particular the Egyptians where about the human body and how it should be represented. They also stated in the video that this style of depicting the human body has lasted over the last 3000 years and they do not want to change their style because of their great deal of consistency and order. 

For the second video that I chose, The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure, I liked how they talked about the various greek artwork and statues. The key concept I learned from this video was how the greeks depicted human beings in their sculptures, but also where able to depict things such as movement as well. They describe one statue as having the human anatomy of appearing to be walking, having its one leg out, giving it the appearance that it is putting one foot in front of the other, or walking forward. They also describe in the video how just the most basic of characteristics can make you depict whether or not the statue represents a man or a woman, for example, just looking at the beard or long hair of the statue, tells you if it is a man or a woman. I thought this was very interesting, while definitely something I would have never thought of before unless watching this video.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These videos relate to the readings in the text mostly due to the fact that they cover the same subject matter covered in the book, while they are also able to add to the understanding of ancient statues and depictions of human life back in history. While the videos did seem to touch base of some of the same topics covered in the book, such as the Egyptian statues like the sphinx and some other ancient drawings of humans from that time period. While I think that it is good that there was an overlap in some subjects, it added more depth to the understanding of certain subject matters, while also giving a different learning method of listening and watching, rather than reading. Overall I do think these videos where able to relate to the reading in the text and definitely provided a good understanding of the topics presented in this lesson.  

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

For my opinions on the films, I thought the first film, More Human Than Human, while very long, it was very informative in talking about why certain cultures depicted the human body differently in how they represented them in their artwork and sculptures. While the second video, The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure, was much shorter, but still equally informative, I thought it was very interesting due to the fact that the subject material covered was stuff that I am interested in, while I also liked that we got to choose from a selection of videos. All together, I think the videos were very informative and definitely adds depth to the understanding of the readings and art concepts, mostly due to the fact that it is more visual learning, which I am more into, rather than reading, so I understand better and more by listening rather than reading in the book.

Week 7: Video Review

The two videos I chose for this assignment are:

Prairie Style (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Architecture: The Science of Design

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

For the Prairie Style (Frank Lloyd Wright) video, some of the key concepts that I learned were of the following, I learned what a prairie style home is, being that I have never heard of one before. When thinking about a prairie, I think of a large area of level grassland and when relating to the prairie style house with long horizontal bands it makes sense why they would call them prairie style homes. Another key concepts I learned was how Frank Lloyd Wright was so influential in his designing of houses, basically changing the way that we look at homes and how we should venture out of the “box-like” living. For Frank Lloyd Wright being influential, they talked about in the video how he influenced other architects in creating over the top unique open floor plan homes and it has really changed the ways in which we design homes nowadays. Another key concept I learned from the video was that this style of homes allowed rooms to flow into each other rather than being segregated off, and when you think about it started the open concept idea. With the open floor plans, the video described how all of the rooms in this style flow together, not being boxed off allowing for the house to be more open and connected.

For the Architecture: The Science of Design video, some of the key concepts that I learned were of the following, I learned that skyscrapers move especially in windy conditions. While I know wind can be powerful at times, I would never have guessed that wind could push something that is made up of strong steel beams and concrete. They describe in the video that if a building is poorly designed, the wind can cause motion sickness, stop the elevators and even damage the structure, I am shocked to learn that this is actually a thing that architects have to take into account when designing a skyscraper. Another key concept that I learned from this video was that they create a smaller scale model of the building they are going to build and its surroundings and they use artificial wind to test how it would hold up in similar conditions. While another key concept I learned about in this video was smart homes, I’ve heard of learning thermostats and motion censored lights, but learning how a house can completely control everything and basically run itself is a little bit interesting and scary in a way. I think with the way that technology is moving in todays world, we will see much more of smart home technology coming out in the future.


2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These videos relate to the readings in the text because while they talk about similar topics addressed in the book about architecture, the book covers more of a definition based approach to architecture describing building methods such steel frame, reinforced concrete, suspension and cable, while also talking about many famous architectural structures such as bridges like the golden gate bridge or famous buildings like the Sydney Opera House and the Taj Mahal. The videos were able to show more interesting things like a visual walkthrough of a Frank Lloyd Wright home or the construction and design methods behind building a skyscraper. While the reading in the book is very informative on architecture, the visual learning of actually watching a skyscraper being built or the steps in designing one, like testing if the building can hold up in strong winds, can better the learning experience about architecture. Overall I think the videos and the reading in the text covered the same topic of architecture but just in a different way and showing different things.


3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?

My opinion of the films were very positive because the videos were able to explain in depth with visuals and interesting facts about architecture and even the history of architecture. The first video that I watched about prairie style homes talked more about the history of architecture and what Frank Lloyd Wright had done to change the way we construct homes. As for the second video about the science of design. I personally really liked this video because it shared some very interesting facts about design and architecture that I would not have known unless watching this video or researching about it. These videos definitely added depth to the understanding of architecture because they provided new and interesting information behind architecture and with visual information you are not just hearing or reading about architecture, you are getting a hands on learning experience which allows you to really get an in-depth insight on what architecture really is.


4. Why did you choose the films that you watched?

For the first video, Prairie Style (Frank Lloyd Wright), I chose this video because I am very familiar with the name Frank Lloyd Wright and have seen some of the houses that he has designed in person. I was interested in finding out what a prairie style was, being that I had never heard of it before and was actually quite shocked to learn that it represents what it means, a long horizontal band, much like a prairie field. For the second video, Architecture: The Science of Design, I chose this video because I am fascinated by buildings and the steps that have to be taken to create amazing pieces of architecture such as skyscrapers. I learned a few new facts from this video that were very interesting and probably would have never known unless watching this video.

Week 6: Video Review

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

For the first video, Through the Eyes of a sculptor, the key concept I learned was how they actually get the finished product to look like what the sculpture envisioned it to be. I learned from the video that the sculpture draws lines on the stone to show where things go and what do take out, but as they chisel away at the stone they have to continuously redraw the lines on where things go. The describe in the video that the stone decides 50 percent what it is going to be and the artist decides the other 50 percent, being that it is such a difficult material to work with. I thought this whole process what very interesting because I never knew sculptures drew on their stones to guide them to the finished product, I always assumed that they just went where the stone took them.

For the second video, Glass and Ceramics, the key concept I learned was that ceramics can be used for medical purposes. I was quite shocked when I saw in this video that they use ceramics for medical procedures describing the ceramic pieces as stable and well tolerated by the organism. When I think of ceramics, the first thing that comes to my mind is delicate and fragile, which made it very surprising that they can be used in the human body as joint substitutes. While I thought this key concept was very new and interesting, most things in the video I had already known from working with stain glass and ceramics in the past, but it was able to make the video very informative.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos where able to relate to the reading in the text because they were able to give a visual understanding that the book is not able to give. While the reading in the textbook goes into great detail about three-dimensional artwork, describing the various types of 3D art and the different types of materials that can be sculpted with, while all together giving more of a definition based approach to things. The videos were able to take that information and show it in a visual form, actually showing the process take place, which definitely gives a better understanding of what the book is talking about. So all together, the book giving descriptive details while the videos giving visual details shows a very good relation between the text and videos.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation, and Craft?

I thought the films were very interesting and definitely added depth to understanding the topics described in the book. While the first video about sculptures was very long and a bit boring, it was able to provide very informative information about the processes and history of sculpting. As for the second video, I thought it was much more interesting and was just fascinated by watching all of the processes of making glass and ceramic artwork, while I did know most of the information that was told in the second video from past experiences, I did find it to still be very interesting. Overall I think these two videos did add a greater understanding to what was discussed in the book because in the videos, you were able to actually watch the processes being done, rather than just reading about them.

Reviewing Peer Responses to Artwork

1. Hyperlink the Blogs you reviewed into your Blog

The two blogs that I reviewed were Holly’s and Carly’s 

http://hollyspoor.blogspot.com

http://carlygetsartsy.blogspot.com

2. When looking at Project #1: (Elements and Principles), did you agree with the element or principle the artist listed with the images? Did you see other elements and principles in the images?

For Holly’s Project #1: (Elements and Principles),

I agreed with all of her element and principle photos, I particularly think she did an excellent job with the following photographs, the empty road for balance, the brick wall for texture, and the pine trees for space. I liked how she used the empty road with lights on both side for balance because it almost creates a mirrored image. I liked the brick wall for texture because it is a very interesting pattern of brick and it is definitely something you would just want to grab and touch. And I liked the space between the pine trees because pine trees require space between them to grow properly, which I thought was very unique to use this object for space. For elements and principles in other images, there were a few that could have been used for others such as the stair railing could have been used for lines, but I think she made the correct decisions in her choices.

For Carly’s Project #1: (Elements and Principles), 

I agreed with all of her element and principle photos as well, and I think she did a particularly good job with the following photos, the fire hose for emphasis, the staircase for movement, and the cherry in the glass for color. I liked how she used the fire hose for emphasis because a firehose is something that requires a lot of emphasis to let people know where it is in case of a fire. I liked how she used the staircase for movement because even though a staircase isn't something that moves, she has implied that a lot of movement takes place there. And I liked the cherry in the glass for color because the bright red cherry really draws your eye in to that particular object. For elements and principles in other images, there really weren't any photos that could be used for another because Carly did such a great job thinking out appropriate images for each category.

3. When looking at Project #2: Where there any images in the Peer Blogs the same as your own? If yes, what were they? Where the reasons the image was selected the same or different as your own?

For Holly’s Project #2: (Art Gallery Visit),

She seemed to have chose completely different paintings and artworks of the ones that I chose for this assignment. 

For Carly’s Project #2: (Art Gallery Visit), 

We did have one artwork that we both seemed to be draw to but for similar and different reasons which was, After Leslie Left by Janet Fisher. For the similar reasons we both chose this artwork was that It was so stunning and eye catching with not only the bright colors but the content in the image of glass object and cleaning supplies. For the different reasons we chose this artwork was, mine was to describe the connection between being clean and messy at the same time, while Carly said that the painting described chaos turned beautiful.

4. Where there any images that your Peers selected that pique your interest now? If yes, what are they and what is your connection with them? What would you want to know about them?

For Holly’s Project #2: (Art Gallery Visit),

There were a few images that pique my interest now after looking at them and they are, 100 Cans by Andy Warhol, Kill Yourself by Nancy Dwyer, and La Jeune beonne (The Servant Girl) by Amedeo Modigliani. For 100 Cans, I felt a connection to this painting because it is such an original and outgoing piece that it can describe me in a way because I like to think of my self as an original and an outgoing person. For Kill Yourself, I would like to know why the painter would say such harsh words in a painting, and why would they use such calming colors and bubbles in the background. For La Jeune beonne (The Servant Girl), I would like to know why the girl in the painting was intentionally painted without traditional eyes, and was this an intentional move to say something.

For Carly’s Project #2: (Art Gallery Visit),

There were a few images that pique my interest now after looking at them and they are, Free to Play and Still Life #20. For Free to Play, I felt a connection with this piece because it’s a bright video screen with a casino like game on it which interests me, but the thing that I would like to know is, what the actual meaning behind this piece really is and what it actually is suppose to represent. For Still Life #20, I felt no connection to this piece at all because I overall just don't understand it, while I thought the content of the artwork was intriguing, I would just like to know what the author means by these objects all put together in this work. 

5. What do you think about the process of reading your peers reflection? Do you find this to be a valuable in your learning?

I personally like the whole process of reading my peers reflections because it shows how other students do these assignments and it overall makes an online class feel less like an online class because it allows us to finally interact like a traditional class would. I find it to be very valuable in my learning because I can learn from looking at other students artworks to compare to mine and to see if the assignments are being done correctly. Overall I think peer reflection is a useful and important tool in an online art class because it allows us to not only interact with each other but critique each others work as well

6. Check your Blog and read comments posted by your peers. Do you find their comments helpful?

After reading though the comments that were posted by my peers on my blog, I realized that they not only like the work I have produced in this class but it they me know I am doing the assignments correctly. I personally like to get feedback from people to see how I do on things, and the responses I got were very positive and informative, and with these responses I can see what my best work was and what I could improve on for future assignments.