Brianna 2D-Design

This painting by Ross Bleckner was the most interesting and eye-catching piece of artwork that I show in the museum. At first glance the painting caught my attention and I was immediately drawn to it. As I got closer I was able to see that the painting had a certain texture that was created by the use of oil and wax. This painting was mesmerizing and in a way had a calming feel for me. Also the painting consisted of yellowish-green circles under the dominance of the black, which I took as the light trying to get out of the darkness. I think the composition used in this painting is the golden mean. The next painting that I gravitated towards was Henri Matisse's Festival of Flowers because of the warm colors and details. From afar the painting almost looked sloppy or just like dabs of color, but as I got closer I was able to see the detail Matisse put into it from the flowers, the trees, the two women, the cars and the building in the background. The detail was delicate in a r...

John Berger makes some very interesting points in his book, Ways of Seeing , about what is associated with seeing and the way in which we see things is a matter of one's knowledge and experiences. He also points out that many images have been changed in order to represent something different than the original meaning.  I've never thought about the relationship between what we say and what we see. Berger explains that, "seeing comes before words" and uses the example that children have the ability to identify and know something by sight, before they are able to express anything verbally. The instant a baby is born they are able to observe the world around them and recognize the voice of their mother, but cannot verbal express any of their emotions. Additionally, Berger explains how a person's knowledge and beliefs affects the way in which they see and describe an image. In modern times and in much simpler terms, I relate this to the numerous meanings a single ...

For me this reading was a bit challenging and I needed to go back a reread a few different sections. One of the main ideas I took away from Calvino is that the world has been transformed into one filled with images and words in a way have become reduced in importance. For a writer to be successful in painting a picture for their reader they must be able to “distinguish between two types of imaginative process: the one that starts with the word and arrives at the visual image, and the one that starts with the visual image and arrives at its verbal expression” (83). This was an interesting concept to read about and can be quite difficult to achieve since everyone has a different way of visualizing words. This can lead to the reader having a completely different image of the setting, characters, and other details than the author intended.  I find this idea of imagination extremely powerful because each and every individual in the world has the ability to create images in their h...

Jerry Saltz’s article “The Whole Ball of Wax” was intriguing and fascinating to read. Ever since I was younger I never fully understood the concept of “art” or how I was supposed to interpret what I was looking at. After reading Saltz’s article I realized my thoughts about art when I was younger were ignorant and naïve. Art is everywhere around us and can “change the world incrementally and by osmosis,” which creates unconscious assimilation of different meanings and knowledge. It is interesting to think that every piece of art ever created produces a number of different emotions, thoughts, feelings, and experiences for each individual that views it. Another point Saltz made in his article that I agree with is that “art is a bridge to a new vision and the vision itself.” In a way art can function as a translator and connects multiple ideas and feelings to a single piece of art. It becomes a “bridge” to expressing ones’ self and also a universal language whose expression is continu...