Museum/gallery visit Quarter 1

This summer I visited Tate Modern in London. Some of the things I took away from it were...

1. Nowadays, anything can be art. It is known that painting is often likened to a window upon the world, with central perspective giving the viewer a sense of surveying what is contained within the picture frame. A piece of art at Tate Modern turned this century-old convention upside-down by replacing the painting’s surface with a mirror. Today, this “art” is not only accepted, but also encouraged by many. The world of modern art often claims that anyone can be an artist and anything, even a mirror, is art. 
2. It is interesting how many completely different reactions such art can provoke. I purposefully stood nearby the mirror to see how visitors of Tate Modern reacted to such an unusual piece of artwork. Some of them were obviously fans of modern art who praised the “paint
   
   ing”; some were as confused as I was since this “art” can be found in any bathroom. Some were highly critical of this piece and of modern art in general. It was particularly interesting to see what kind of people were critical and what weren’t. A lot of the “yes” people were young, some with tattoos, piercing, and funky hair. The “no” visitors, however, were mostly either middle-aged or the elderly; they wore modest clothing and didn’t check their phones every minute. A generation gap was so obvious at a place like this, and it was interesting to observe this clash of generations. 
3. I also learned about the logic behind visitors’ revere of the mirror. I overheard a conversation between two young people that while we stand and stare, we unwillingly become part of any artwork. People walk past and see one’s reflection from afar. For that moment one’s role as a spectator changes into the subject. That’s why this work is genius- art and reality are one. A part of me reacted negatively to such explanation because something similar could be said about displaying a plain white plate in a museum and calling it art. The concept itself, however, was quite intriguing because if a mirror was true art then anything in its reflection would be considered art as well. This then leads to the idea that the whole world is art. It doesn’t have to be traditional, take a long time to create, or be expensive. Modern art opens a gap wide enough for anything to become part of it, therefore moving away from the traditional. 
4. In the museum, there was a video about an artist in which he explained how he creates modern art. When a journalist asked him why he takes so long to paint his pieces, the artist said, “Something is still open and you have to close it.” That’s how he described the feeling he gets when something happens. He needs to take time to reflect on life before creating a piece. I found this surprising because when something happens to me, I can’t wait to express it. If I do wait, my emotions dissolve and I lose interest in creating a piece. 

90-minute drawing

Reflection on ekphrasis poems

It was easy for me to write ekphasis poems in class because I could relate to a lot of them. For example,  "Twilight In The Wilderness" reminded me of the time I saw a similar sunset so I just whote about what I felt when I saw it. My poem:

Go back to the day
Of scarlett skies
Singing eulogies
To the fading Sun
Go back to the day
Of scarlett rivers
Reflecting the accolade
Of the Greatest Star
Go back to the day
Of gentle breeze
That kissed your shoulders
When you went to sleep
Listening to the whole great nothing
Of transcendentalism.

I felt like I could also relate to "Crows In The Wheat Field" in a similar way. Generally, I think it's easier to relate to images/paintings of nature because we've all seen beautiful fields and sunsets. No matter when it was or who we spent those moments with, each and every one of us probably has some kind of memory related to nature.

Ekphrasis poem analysis

American Gothic poem analysis

My ekphrasis poem

https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=the+joyous+leaping+of+uncanned+salmon&biw=1223&bih=573&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=M38qVKvXEMfguQSNo4G4Aw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=BkMS4JqCDuSBxM%253A%3BB9hSiVRrwp_CpM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftvhgallery.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252FH14894.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftvhgallery.com%252Fshop%252Fjoyous-leaping-of-uncanned-salmon%252F%3B1500%3B1207

I wonder if some sunny afternoon

You spilt a can of yellow paint 

On white as snow 

Twelve by eighteen

New canvas paper

I wonder if you said “Oh no!”

And left if it there to sit 

Promising to clean up later.

You probably came back and saw

A whimsical design 

Of drying paint 

In rush 

You splattered red and purple 

On the floor 

It was a game

Three hours later 

It was dark outside 

The clumsy spilt

Turned into rainbow full of colors

And those drop-looking things

Of purple, red, and blue

You called them salmon 

And yourself-an artist.

Exaggerated Perspective

Peer comments:
- good shapes
- quality shading
- vibrant color scheme (gives it mood)
- fine line quality
- background not overdone (can still focus on the center of the painting)

I like my exaggerated perspective piece because I stepped away from my usual style and took a new approach to working with acrylic. It wasn't easy for me because I'm so used to making my pieces realistic. However, I'm really glad that I decided to experiment because now I know that I'm able to branch out within a medium as opposed to just sticking to my usual style. I also used a completely different color scheme this time, stepping away from the greys, dark blues, and blacks. In fact, I used almost no dark/cool colors in my painting. One thing I would change is skin color of the hand. The colors I used to paint it are a bit different from those I used on the face. To be honest, I ran out of the needed colors paint when I was working on the hand so I had to improvize a little. Even though the hand colors and the face colors don't match, I'm still glad I experimented so much with the painting.

Line Breaks (Sept 19 HW)

“Introduction to Poetry”

This poem feels conversational due to the logical line breaks that follow commas and periods. Each stanza contains a unique idea that is separated from the other stanzas/ideas with a punctuation mark. The only exception to this pattern is the break after ‘slide’ that leads directly on to the single line that makes up the second stanza. This line, however, is a stand alone thought, even though it is not separated from the first stanza by a punctuation mark. After listing five examples of what to do with a poem, the author presents the reader with two examples of what not do. The mood changes for the last two stanzas, each one completed with a full stop, therefore slightly breaking the flow of the poem similarly to how students want to “break” and “beat” one. The overall pattern of “one stanza-one idea” is, however, preserved in the last two stanzas. 

A Girl by Ezra Pound

The tree has entered my hands, 

The sap has ascended my arms, 

The tree has grown in my breast- 

Downward, 

The branches grow out of me, like arms. 

Tree you are, 

Moss you are, 

You are violets with wind above them. 

A child - so high - you are, 

And all this is folly to the world.

The free verse form makes this poem effective; the lack of rigid structure allows the reader to picture the poem as a conversation between the two narrators- a girl and an adult. 

The first stanza is told by a girl who is consumed by fantasies. Each line is a step in this process of imagination- it goes from the tree entering her hands to the child’s oneness with the tree. Here, imagination is like a process of coming up with an idea and then following it until one is completely consumed by the idea. 

“Downward”, a one-word line, is meant to catch the reader’s attention to clarify that the tree is growing downwards. By making it a separate line, Ezra Pound made the reader pause and visualize the arm-like branches. This is an important line break because just a few seconds ago those branches were human arms. 

The second stanza portrays an adult’s point of view. He/she has clear, defined thoughts which is shown by the conciseness of the lines. Each line breaks where new idea begins, therefore emphasizing each and every one of those ideas and making them easy for a girl to understand. In each line, Pound says what the girl can be, except for the very last line. The last line is a conclusion; it is the moral of the story. It also makes sense to use a line break here because the author wants to emphasize this universal idea of a child’s imagination. After listing what the girl can be, he says that it’s okay to be all those things despite the world’s standards. 

Beautiful Sentences

It was a fine cry—loud and long—but it had no bottom and it had no top, just circles and circles of sorrow.
—Toni Morrison, “Sula”

I love this sentence mostly because I can relate to it. I can relate to pain so deep and so universal that it seems to have no top and no bottom. "Circles and circles" points at the endlessness of sorrow which is what a lot of us feel when something terrible happens. When I am hurt, it often seems like the pain will never go away but instead swallow me whole. 

My sentence: "Millions of microscopic grains of sand were running through my fingers like through an elegant hourglass that quickly absorbed rays of the scarlett sun."

Senior Banner

I am drawn to this piece because I can relate to it. I used to do ballet; it was my life. This piece illustrates both the pain dancers have to go through in order to succeed as well as the satisfaction from their success. I love the use of colors and shade; they make the dancer look mysterious. Every curve on her body both hides and reveals the reality of dance. On one hand, she looks feminine and fragile. On the other hand, I know how strong one needs to be both physically and mentally to be a professional dancer. 

AP Art 2D 14-15

- Why you are taking this course? 

I'm taking this course because first of all, I want to grow as an artist. Secondly, I've been making art my whole life and it is one of the few things that never fails to make me happy. Thirdly, SAS art community is amazing. I made lots of friends here last year and I'm hoping to make even more this year. 

-Three to five goals for the course 

1) Do more acrylic pieces (it worked out for me really welll last year)

2) Get comfortable with charcoal 

3) Experiment with collages 

- One to two personal goals for the year

1) Be proud of my art 

- YOUR definition of Art - this can not come from a website or a book etc... It MUST be what you define art to be.... it can be simple or complicated.

Art is a powerful force that helps people get away. 

- Two former or current peers who you admire as artists and why

1) Treat (because of his easy-to-recognize unique style)

2) Uriah (because of how much time he spends making art+ because of how dedicated he is)

- If you were to pursue a career in art, what would your dream job be?

Architect 

- What do you hope to contribute to the suite this year?

I hope to be as friendly/positive as I can no matter how bad my day is going/how bad I think my art piece is. 

- A list of concentration ideas... you must have at least five but highly recommend more.... 

1) Windows

2) Breakfast food

3) Morning 

4) Abandoned 

5) Hands and feet

6) Circles (round objects) 

7) Transcendental

AP Drawing Anna Sorokina Keynote

Last museum/gallery visit

          I was amazed at the variety of work being presented at both Faculty/Staff and Studio Art exhibitions. From photography to scrapbooking to beautiful watercolor pieces to skillful pottery, the variety of art was impressive. 
          It was also new to me that scrapbooking can be art too. I've always thought that it was something people did for fun when they were bored. However, I saw some beautiful sketchbooks filled with doodles, patterns, and simple writing that made impressive pieces of artwork when put together. 
          It was especially shocking to see the quality of teacher's work who aren't even affiliated with the art department. I realized that teachers aren't necessarily just good at what they teach; they can also be good at things we don't expect them to know how to do, like art. 
Same goes for Studio Art kids-I had no idea some of them were artists. Seeing them in math/science classes and seeing their artworks was eye-opening. I honestly did not expect school’s smartest math and science geeks to be THAT good at art. 
          I also came to realize that art unites people. I’ve been to numerous exhibitions, where I saw artwork of professional artists. Many of those exhibitions were world famous; it was obvious that lots of time and money has been put into them. Don’t get me wrong-I’m a huge fan of world famous art museums and I truly respect the amount of work featured artists put into their art. However, I don’t visit small-scale exhibitions that often and honestly, I’ve never thought I needed to. I’ve always considered such places as Louvre and MOMA the best collections of art there are in the world. So, of course, I’ve never been to an exhibition of my teachers’ art. 
           Artwork presented at the Faculty/Staff exhibition turned out to be better than a lot of the stuff I’ve seen at MOMA, that’s for sure. However, even though the quality and the variety of techniques matter, they were not the main thing that amazed me. What I saw was a great range of talents that we have here at SAS. It turned out that faculty and staff who I pass in the hallways every day are all incredibly talented people. They aren’t just math or history teachers, they are also artists, musicians, actors. 
And students aren’t just students. They are so much more than that. I know that some of them struggled with art during first semester. A couple of them even used to ask me how I survived in AP Drawing. Now, I can tell that they are much more confident with their art, their skills, their talent. And art isn’t just math or history- memorizing dates and formulas doesn’t do the trick. Kids who used to struggle in art developed skills and habits that took more time and effort than any test-prep session. I was so proud of them because last year, I was a Studio Art student, too, and I know exactly what it feels like to be unconfident about your own art. 
           I realized that art really does unite people. Not all of us are good at science or languages, but art is something everyone is capable of creating. Whether it is a sketchbook piece or a ceramic pot, every art piece is unique and beautiful, and so are people at SAS, with their hidden talents and secret aspirations.