Quarter 4 Museum/Gallery Visit

This summer I visited a gallery of one of Russian art colleges. Some of the things I took away from it were...

1) I walked in there thinking that it wouldn’t be that great. I mean, this was just an art college and these artists were just students. After my experience with Tate Modern where even a mirror was considered art, I didn’t expect much from people who just graduated from high school. To my surprise, I was wrong. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” proved to be right once again. I realized that even though such a famous place like Tate Modern was disappointing, it didn’t mean that a less famous place would be even worse. 

2) I walked out of there so incredibly proud of Russian artists, even though they were just students. What I saw at the gallery shocked me to the point of not believing that the displayed art was actually created by 19 and 20 year old students. This was one of the strongest moments of patriotism I think I’ve ever experienced. After visiting a number of galleries in different countries of the world, I realized that this was the most exciting experience. I was surrounded by such talented people and I was lucky enough to be the same nationality as them. 

3) I’ve never thought much of reproductions of famous paintings. After all, they were just copies that didn’t require any creative process. However, I saw how much these students were able to learn from copying famous paintings. The amount of skill needed to copy impressionist, romantic, and baroque works is incredible. And frankly, if I saw these copies at any other museum, I would think that these were originals, that’s how good they were. Copying great art does teach young students a lot; plus, after trying so many styles, it is easy for these students to discover themselves as artists. After working with different art, all these talented kids will be able to find a style that suits them and work in that style for years to come. 

4) Another thing that turned out to be different about making modern art was its predictability. One of the students said that sometimes, he thinks that what he is making will never become a good painting when suddenly, he realizes that the piece is done and it’s beautiful. For me, it’s never like that. If I think that my piece is bad quality, it will most likely be bad quality when I finish it. This says a lot about how unpredictable modern art is. You have no plan, no photograph to work from, no idea what’s going to happen next. I love this concept of spontaneity. 

AP 2D Design PowerPoint Anna Sorokina

Arturo Correa-inspired piece

Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to Arturo Correa about my piece since I was in Manila for Forensics and Debate competition. However, I did ask Jessica Allen what she thought Arturo would tell me about my work. Jessica said that my piece looks like pop art and she also said that it looked similar to one of Arturo's pieces.


I'm very happy with how this piece turned out because collage is not my strength. I've only done it once before and hated the result. However, this time, I finally decided to tackle my fear of failure and try collage again. Through trial and error, I discovered a technique that I've never tried before. I used clear plastic sheets to make sure that the collage paper was properly layered. This technique allowed my piece to look less messy than my first collage, which I'm extremely happy about because messiness was my main concern in the beginning of this journey.

On top of this, I simply enjoyed creating this piece which was quite a surprise for me as someone who is more of a drawing rather than 2D person. This artwork makes me want to create more collages and just experiment with other styles of art in general.

Cultural Convention

Museum/gallery visit Quarter 2 and 3

1) Whether you choose painting, film, or digital design as your medium, it is important to trust yourself with this decision. Jedd Novatt, for example, uses steel for his sculptures because he likes the immediacy of this material. Being able to create something rather quickly fits his personality. When Novatt was a young artist, people used to tell him to use mixed media because it was popular back then. So he was thinking, “Why can’t I just do what I want to do?” Every artist has a natural connection to a medium that he or she uses for self-expression. What’s important is that you trust your instinct: use material to free yourself.

2) Looking at art helps one to become a better artist. If you go to a museum and see a painting that you don’t like, don’t ignore it. Go back and ask yourself what it is that you don’t like about it. See if you misinterpreted it or missed any details. Not only will you learn something about the painting, but also rediscover yourself. Part of our job as artists is to get out of our own way of thinking by having no prejudice against the things we don’t like. 

3) It is not impossible to sustain yourself financially as an artist. When Jedd Novatt first started his career, the art world was very different from what it is today. It wasn’t common to start selling art right after graduating from college. Instead, people believed that it was important to give themselves time to develop artistically. This idea was central to his experience; he let himself make a lot of mistakes before creating something that he was proud of. Novatt didn’t make a hundred mediocre things; instead, he made one good piece. This is why when he had to wake up to this boring “I have to make money” reality, I had that one thing that would sustain me.

4) It shouldn’t be that difficult for people to tell if they should pursue art because being an artist is a career. If you choose to make art but be a doctor or a lawyer, that’s great, but those who live and breathe art are too consumed with their next work to be able to focus on anything else. Being an artist means that you have to keep creating art no matter what. When no one is interested in your work and life gets difficult, excuses start coming up: “I stopped because I had to make a living.” Jedd Novatt believes that people quit because they weren’t meant to continue making art. If art is really what you want to do, you’ll find a way to do it. If it’s “sort of” what you want to do, you’ll find an excuse to not do it. 

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. 

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.

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