I would first like to point out my enjoyment of this book and the way it is set up. The fact that there is a section dedicated to explaining how one should attempt to look at and understand the type of art on display is extremely helpful especially to someone who is unfamiliar in the art technique of sculpture. From there I move on to the interesting and non-overwhelming text that fills the chapters. While reading about sculpture I never felt overwhelmed by unfamiliar vocabulary or uninteresting concepts. The book works to explain each type of art while steering clear of lengthy and uninteresting context. My favorite quote from the entire chapter was the author’s mention of the history of human sculpture, “The history of sculpture is proof of humanity’s ultimate vanity.” I found this comical and on top of that rather accurate. Many historical sculptures portray human bodies in general whether they are of the female or male sex. The chapter also reveals the connection between sculptures and the human desire to have real life representation of themselves or historic figures. Sculptures such as Napoleon’s and even the statue of liberty portray a god and goddess like ancient greek and roman styles (as mentioned in the text). These now famous sculptures have been modeled after an older and foreign type of sculpting that took place far before our time. I was also surprised to find that up until the 1900’s mainly human sculptures were being created. However after this time a rediscovery of abstraction gave sculpting a new twist. This was easy for me to comprehend as I considered the sculptures I have seen during time spent at museums. I realized I had noticed the more abstract and intricate looking sculptures rather than the ones created to replicate the human body. I believe over the generations interest in creating new and “wild” sculptures has increased tremendously. I have recently visited Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial and in turn made a connection to the “A real Encounter” passage. Staring at such a large and simple sculpture gave an almost appropriate feeling when reading over the names of so many fallen soldiers. As I made my way down the wall of names I never really recognized that the Memorial could be considered a sculpture. When looking back I can see why its simple design and reflective material would be considered a sculpture (and an amazing one too)
My original plan after high school was to go to art school, ever since I was little, art was all I wanted to do. I obviously didn’t end up going to art school. Instead I chose to study social science at Roger Williams because I didn’t think I could make a solid living off of an art degree. I love museums and looking at other peoples work. Being from Boston, I went to the Museum of fine arts a lot and still love to go to this day. I have always been a big fan of Edgar Degas and his work, he was one of the founders of impressionism. I have studied Degas specifically because of the way he depicts movement in his work. Most of this work depicts dancers. I have always been amazed at his sculptures of dancers and how they seem to come to life. I enjoyed the second chapter on sculpture a lot because it is a category of art that I have studied and focused a lot on over the years. I thought it was interesting that most sculptors focused on the human body because they wanted to portray something real and lifelike instead of something unrealistic. I also found it interesting how the book mentioned that one of the challenges now a days is for sculptors to create pieces that appeals to the larger public. I think that doing so can be difficult. In my opinion, abstract sculpture can be more difficult to understand than say an abstract painting. As the previous chapter mentioned, paintings and drawings can be split up into divisions. Foreground, middle ground, and background and I think that its easier to see those divisions when its on a flatter surface. Abstract sculpture on the other hand can be overwhelming and in your face and that can be hard for a viewer to comprehend. I believe that through what I already know about art and the new information I will gain from this class, I will be able to appreciate the world of art even more. Especially in areas that I do not have a lot of experience in.
Whenever I think of art I always think of paintings in museums, drawings or photographs. Growing up, I was never a “fan” of art - meaning, I was never interested in “reading between the lines” of an artist’s creation. Of course I had lots of pictures and posters in my room and my mom hung up lots of different paintings around the house, but they really never meant anything to me besides just being a painting on the wall. When I was in middle school, our class took a trip to the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Of course living right outside the city we take lots of trips to museums in the city, including the MET and the MOMA. Although those museums have great significance, they didn’t have the effect on me that the Museum of Natural History had. What I found most fascinating about that museum was the amount of sculptures they have- from the blue whale, to the dinosaurs, and the sculptures from the different native tribes. Even though I never learned the significance of each sculpture, they left me with images in my mind that I will never forget.
The topic of chapter 2 in “A Beginner’s Guide to the Humanities” is sculpture. There are many things in this chapter that I found very interesting. The first part that I found interesting was in the first paragraph where “The Hebrew Creation Story” is discussed. This story states that God molded the first human head and hands - leading to the creation of Adam who is explained as the divine art and the origin of all humanity. The next two paragraphs discuss Greek myths of the essence of sculptures and how they come to life. In the Greek myth, Pygmalion falls in love with his own carving and prays to Venus to turn the ivory statue into living flesh. The essence of this story is imagination and dreaming. I found both of these very interesting because they each take on different ideas of what a sculpture was to two different kinds of beliefs and traditions. On page 17 in the section “Giving Shape to the World”, I thought it was interesting when the author states, “Sculpture is the art of giving meaningful shape to any material.” and then talks about how sculptures are mainly focused on the shapes of male and female bodies. I thought this was interesting because in the following paragraphs, it is discussed how different cultures have their own style of creating human-like sculptures. In Egypt, citizens make life size sculptures of themselves and put them in a tomb to prepare them for the after life. In Africa, sculptures of deceased royal people are dressed, decorated and carried throughout the city to symbolize a fallen leader. These two examples caught my eye because it shows how the idea of creating human sculptures can lead to different cultural expressions.
Since learning about this form of art (sculptures), I am able to have a different view about sculptures and what the meaning behind them are. Since I have never really understood why or how sculptures are created, after reading this chapter I am able to appreciate them more and what each sculpture stands for and hopefully learn to appreciate the different cultures surrounding different sculptures from around the world.
I have never had the experience or privilege to work with my hands to make a sculpture or even anything similar to that. I have seen sculptures in museums, on the streets or even on the Roger Williams campus. Although many times, I look at a sculpture and know what it is, the new and modern sculptures I can look and enjoy but not understand them. I find myself struggling with the abstract pieces because they are so unique and broad.
I agree with the book when it describes how sculptures have changed over time, becoming more abstract. Art is not a reproduction of something anymore and can express more than just a scene by adding emotion. I believe that the new and modern sculptures add more to art than just replication; they add emotion and new styles. I see the sculptures that are more of statues or symbols as easier to read which is why I find myself more connected to them. There is a lot of meaning behind the sculptures that although are abstract stand for something specific such as Maya Lin’s Vietnam War Memorial, these stand for such a strong cause that even if looking at it you do not understand the work you know the art has meaning to many people. After reading this chapter though I feel I can understand the modern and abstract sculptures as more than just the piece of art you bump into when walking through a museum, or anywhere.
Sculptures allow artists to use more creativity because they can use different mediums and different material in order to portray the message they want viewers to see. The artist Mark Quinn took this thought to an entirely new level when he created a sculpture using his own blood as the material. It allowed him to completely be involved and part of his work in a way that many artists cannot be. The sculptures over time of humans have changed depending on the time period, Some were based on curvier, more realistic body figures and some did not show any flaws and allowed the artist to create ideal body figures by leaving out anything they did not want seen. This being the case sculptures did not always portray the truth only the artist’s take on a certain figure. And from there many viewers can take a sculpture a different way than the artist means, making understanding sculptures vary among people.
One of the things that I found most interesting about sculpting and sculptures is how prominent they are and how often I fail to notice them. For example, the Vietnam memorial in D.C.. I have been to that very location and viewed that wall, but I never considered it to be a sculpture. I feel as though creations as such don’t strike me as sculptures because them are not what my preconceived idea of a sculpture is. I, before reading this chapter, only viewed statues of people and animals and living beings as sculptures. I know that sculptures are more than that, but I never really allowed myself to see that.
I also found it interesting to read about the different types of sculptures. There are freestanding sculptures, where just the hands or feet are attached to the ground so people can walk around it. There are relief sculptures, which are projected from a backing wall or panel. Lastly, there are installations, which typically are temporarily put up in an exhibit or some sort. As I mentioned before, I only know so much about sculptures and art. I never took the time to realize that there are different variations and types.
I now understand that when viewing sculptures, I have to be conscious and aware. In the future, I will be able to act accordingly as I now know how much depth sculptures have. They portray what paintings and many other types of art can not. When I see a sculpture in the future, I will be sure to do as this chapter advises me and think about the measure of the piece, visualize the details, think about the information presented with the sculpture, then finally, I will reflect on my own thoughts about the sculpture. This will help me to appreciate this type of art more in the future.
Nicole Marmo Art has had a great influence throughout history whether it be paintings or sculptures. This chapter goes into specifics about the influence of sculptures throughout the years and their purpose. The most well known sculptures are that of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. Most sculptures were used to depict famous leaders and people in history. Then as history went on artists started to get more creative and abstract and started using other materials to sculpt other than the classic marble and clay methods. Sculptures surround our lives even though most don’t notice; for example, the sculpture in between the business building and the engineering building. In regards to sculpture, it’s hard to really explain who I am. I haven’t really done much art involving sculpture or pottery in school; however, I’ve always been interested in it. In elementary school I’ve used clay for one or two projects we made out of clay and I enjoyed it. I’ve also been interested in taking a pottery class, but I’m on the cheap side so I’ve never gotten around to it. Another difficult question is: what can I know about sculpture? This is a tough question to answer because everyone interprets art in a different way. If I wasn’t physically there while the artist was making the sculpture and had him explain why he was making that sculpture how am I to know what his real reasons were for doing so? On the other hand, that’s also a benefit. Because art can be interpreted in any way you can interpret it however you want and no one can say you’re wrong. When it comes to sculptures, I’m always impressed. The fact that someone is capable of carving an anatomically correct body in a piece of marble with hammers in chisels just blows my mind. It doesn’t matter what material you use I’m always impressed by the sculptures artists are able to create because personally, I can’t. Sculpting also takes a lot of patience; one wrong move and the piece can be ruined. Or having to wait for something to dry so you can add other minor details must be frustrating. I wouldn’t be able to wait a year or longer to create a perfect sculpture and that’s why I commend those who can. Sculptures influence everyone even though many people do not notice how many there are around them.
In my opinion this chapter was more difficult to read being an outsider to art. There were some terms in the first chapter that I didn’t recognize but I could still like figure out the meaning of them. That was a lot harder to do with chapter. I never knew there was so much vocabulary that could be used to talk about a sculpture or how many different types of sculptures there are.
When I think of a sculpture I think of it being of a person in Washington DC or like over in Europe when they have those extravagant fountains. It had never crossed my mind nor had I ever thought of a monument as being a piece of sculpture. When the author describes how he looks and describes the Vietnam Memorial as a sculpture, I thought to myself how I’ve been looking at this wrong. Sculptures aren’t just people or objects that are made out cement. Maybe its just my lack of knowledge about art but I had never thought to look at a memorial like it was a sculpture but once the author said it made complete sense. Now like when I go somewhere like that I’m going to look at it different than I would have before.
Sculptures take a lot of patience and precision and need a lot of attention to detail and I praise the artist that has the patience to do that. I could never do it; I would get frustrated if one thinks did look the way I wanted it to and then just give up on the entire thing. I don’t have the ability to concentrate as hard and put effort into making a sculpture capture ever. It takes a large amount of talent to be able to take a picture or have a person standing there and then mold them and carve them out of cement and other materials. In my opinion the ability to something so detail oriented is something you’re born with and then you can be taught like how to use that talent but the talent itself cannot be taught.
Anna Strang The second chapter talks about the different types of sculptures. In high school I took and art class which included a semester of creating our own sculptures, so once I starting reading chapter two I thought I knew everything there was to sculpting. After finishing this chapter I realized that I actually knew very little about sculptures. I thought a sculpture was when an artist created a body, feeling, or idea out of stone or clay. Post reading chapter two, I now know that sculptures can be anything and can be created with anything.
In the chapter it talks about a memorial called, Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This memorial is black granite wall, which is in a v-shape, is engraved with all the United States soldier that were killed in Vietnam. A couple years ago I visited Washington D.C. and saw this memorial and I did not consider the memorial to be art. Before reading this chapter I never would have considered this memorial to be a sculpture, I just thought of the Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a piece of history. Now actually reading and learning about sculptures I know that this type of memorial is a sculpture, even though it would only be considered minimalist.
Another thing which I was shocked to learn about sculptures is that they can be created using any type of material. The chapter mentions an artist that used his own blood to create a self portrait bust. he would extract his blood and mold the blood to the perfect shape. This is very interesting to me because I never would have thought an artist could use their own blood to make their masterpiece. This chapter taught me a lot on how sculptures are created and showed me that there are more sculptures around us than we think.
I have always had an interest in sculpture. In high school I took a sculpture class as one of my electives, and realized that even though I liked it, it does not necessarily mean that I am good at it. That bummed me out a little bit. I had all these ideas running through my head of good sculptures that I couldn’t execute. I wanted to create all these cool things but I was not very good. I kept at it for the semester and I think I got a little better, but I think it is one of those difficult art mediums that you really have to be born knowing how to do, or that you devote a lot of time to.
I really liked that sculpture brought art into the third dimension. I don’t think art has to be contained to two dimensions. I think sculpture is an amazing art form and contains huge expressions of emotion. When I play around with art, I like to create texture and bring my art into the third dimension while still containing it on a piece of paper, or canvas. I like to use mixed media to create fun texture or depth in an art piece.
In the chapter they talked about the evolving of sculpture and how it moved from mainly focusing on the human body to a more abstract type of sculpture. The sculptures of the human form were highly revered but more accessible to the public. When sculptures became more abstract and “special” they moved to a museum but people thought that they were in the way of their paintings.
Washington D.C. is one of my favorite cities. I love all of the history encapsulated in it and all of the monuments honoring that history. I never thought of these different monuments as art pieces but this chapter opened my eyes to how amazing these monument art pieces are. When I read it I remembered the Lincoln Monument and how well crafted it was. These monuments are the most special art pieces. People come to them everyday to honor their passed ancestors and remember the past. They are a great way to honor and preserve the history of the country. I think now, when I go to a historical museum or monument I will think of the craftsmanship that went into creating these majestic art pieces that display so much history.
Lily Englund CORE 105 Chapter 2: Sculpture From personal hands-on experience and from viewing other artist’s pieces, I believe that sculpting is the most difficult form of art. My mother enjoyed sculpting more than anything in high school. Instead of using the electronic chipping tools they now have available for artists today, my mother stuck with the old fashioned method. She used a standard chisel and hammer to create beautiful busts. She believes, as do I, that art should not be rushed. The advance of technology should not take away from the experience of creating something so personal and beautiful. I am jealous of my mother’s talent, patience, and individuality when it comes to sculpting. Personally, I took after my grandmother and enjoy painting the most. If I had the time, skills, and resources though, I would love to experiment with a chisel and hammer and see what I can create. Before reading this chapter, the only thing that popped into my mind when I heard the word “sculpture” were old white marble sculptures sitting in museums or in gardens. While reading the chapter, I was intrigued by the assemblages. I did some side research and found many more examples online of these creations. In all of my years of creating and studying art, I have never been interested in such techniques. When I visited the RISD museum last year, I now realize that some of the sculptures I saw there were assemblages. This form of art seems to connect strongly with the artist. I find it interesting that every day items, like clothes, keys, bottle caps, or pencils can be used to create something to personal and intriguing. After reading this chapter, I have opened my eyes to the world of sculpting. I realize that everywhere I look, there are sculptures. I feel like I have to be less judgmental of some sculptures and really pay attention to detail and try and find meaning. Now that I think about it, I only payed attention to the sculptures that I thought were beautiful, such as the ancient roman and greek sculptures that were mentioned in the chapter. To me, they represent skill, beauty, and history. I need to expand my circle of interest and explore different forms of sculpture that before I didn’t think were worth looking at. This chapter has made me realize that I’m very picky about what art I classify as “beautiful”.
When I was working towards going to college for animation, I was required to make an art portfolio, and one of the requirements was to create a model portrait sculpture of someone’s head and shoulders. It took me a few weeks to complete and in the end it still didn’t look anything like what I wanted it to. Also I didn’t find it that enjoyable and struggled the entire time. But because of this struggle, whenever I see a large sculpture such as the ones from ancient Greece or Rome, I can better understand the amount of patience and work that was put into it.
The chapter opens up with some history of sculptures in our world. What I always find interesting are the Greek mythological stories, and the one that the chapter opens up with, the tale of Pygmalion, was one I never heard of but was what really grabbed my attention for the rest of the chapter. And the sculptures that come from ancient Greece and Rome are so astonishing that whenever I hear the word sculpture, those are the ones that I, as well as many people will think of immediately. So that’s why when the chapter started talking about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C., I was a little confused because to me, that didn’t seem like a sculpture but just a wall with the names of the fallen on it. But what I forget is that art always has a deeper meaning in the work, and even the wall with names from the past of course has meaning behind it and so is considered a sculpture.
The end of the chapter talks about the different processes, types, materials, forms, and subjects that make up a sculpture. Most of these I knew already except for how there are considered different types of sculptures such as freestanding, relief, and installation. Also what I like most about the end of these chapters are their steps and tips to examining a piece of art. They are very helpful when analyzing a work of art and is something that we as the reader can take away from it and do on our own even if we aren’t that artistic.
Starting the second chapter I found it very enjoyable that it started by telling the story about the Pygmalion which is a story about a sculptor that falls in love with his work and then prays to the goddess Venus to bring his work to life literally. I can relate to the sculptor to the point where I take pride in the work that I create and when that work is precious or important to me I have similar thoughts about that work having physical and tangible form. From the reading it was eye opening to find out that sculptures were usually only interested in two shapes and that was the male and the female. Since I don’t know too much about sculpting I enjoyed learning something new. Like the previous chapter each sculpture is unique to one's own personality and soul. So when I hear about these amazing sculptures like the giant marble statue of Athena in the Parthenon its interesting to hear the purpose or reason for sculpting that sculpture or the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was shaped as a V for all the soldiers who served and died in Vietnam in World War 2 and to express the pain that the United States went through. We all feel different towards different pieces of art and sometimes don’t feel the same as the artist who created the work. For example seeing that gigantic memorial makes me feel angry towards the people responsible and very depressed for the amounts of families that were broken apart as a result from this war. At the same time I feel safe because the service that our U.S. soldiers provided us protected our country, and also proud to call myself an American because I was brought up like the soldiers that defend and love this country.
Kristin Portsmouth Aesthetics Response 2 September 7, 2015
When I think about sculptures I tend to go straight to the famous body realistic statues of the Greek and Roman eras. This is mainly because even statues today resemble these styles. For example, this chapter discussed how Western societies are obsessed with imitation of the ancient Greek and Roman style. They continue that many sculptures resemble important people from those times. They said statues of George Washington resemble Roman hero Cincinnatus and Napoleon of the notorious Julius Caesar.
This chapter brings up an important point that, “Sculpture possess what a painting can only pretend to have: real, solid, three-dimensional existence.” This is important because like the author suggests gives physical substance to human imagining. I really liked that line because anyone can imagine a picture in their head and even draw it out on paper, but bringing that idea to a three-dimensional figure is true art.
I haven’t had much experience with sculpting. Only the occasional clay modeling is my school art classes and playing with Play-Doh as a child. This thought actually makes me a bit sad. I really enjoy 3D art and truly wish I were given more opportunities to pursue it as a hobby. I remember going to a pottery class for my friend’s birthday party once and loving it. Hopefully in the near future I can return to one of these classes and discover a new way to express myself.
Like myself, sculptors around the world discovered a new way to create art; their way was with abstraction. Abstraction art brings more to the table now then just recreations of the human body. Sculptors can now add emotion to their pieces. For example Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a powerful minimalist piece to honor those who fought and died in the Vietnam War. The challenge for sculptors is to get people to notice their work, which is why typically these pieces are oversized and placed in random public areas. This art takes a lot of work and its important to recognize this. You shouldn’t just walk by it without noticing; you should admire it and try to understand the meaning behind it. The meaning behind sculptors may not allows be loud and clear, it can be subtle, either way it’s important to take the time to look.
In my personally opinion Sculptures are one of the coolest form of art. In High School I studied Ancient Greek, a lot of the myths were recreated in sculptures and some myths like the tale of Pygmalion revolved around sculptures coming to life.
I enjoyed the sections “The Tool Kit”. It was easy to read and structured nicely, providing “the physically qualities of sculpture” which includes process of sculpture, different types and lastly different material. I learned that sculptures can be made out of materials such ceramic, plaster, metal, stone, wood, and glass. Within in each of these different materials you can create many different forms of sculptures. For example, a metal sculpture is going to look very different then a wood or plasters one.
I also learned a different view on sculptures. The Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1984, found in Washington DC is a V-shaped granite wall spans over 492 feet. This is classified as a “minimalist, a style of geometric or modern shapes.” Something so simple can have such a large meaning, such as a wall with every fallen solider. This is why I think sculptures are the coolest forms of art.
Sculptures can come in different forms and care different meanings. Some can tell stories about past mythological events, some could be a wood carved bear seen at almost every ski mountain, or it can even be a simple wall listing thousand of names or people who fell for our country. Because sculptures can convey so many different messages I find them to be the coolest forms of art.
As a kid I thought that the only type of sculpture is ceramic. Because growing up I remember watching a movie with my mother of a bunch of women in an art class with clay and a spiny disk. Creating their own designs and using their own imagination.
I read more into the chapter I learned that pottery is like sculpture when it is a made of clay. There are many factors of sculpture that make a sculpture what it is. The artist takes in consideration of different styles, types, materials such as clay and metal, form space and proportion. They also take in the factor of subjects and style guides from ancient France, Italy and Greece.
Other students also mentioned the Vietnam Veteran Memorial but I think a lot of us really didn't know that this was considered a sculpture. But now that I know what makes up a sculpture which I explained in the pervious paragraph, I now know that is a sculpture.
The Bust In Blood part of the reading did freak me out a little. The man took his blood and then molded it into the shape of his head and shoulders. It seems a little tortured to me but I guess art is a little tortured in its own way.
Now that I am aware of such beautiful art in its multiple forms I will be able to identify different sculptures that I see not only at museums or in public, but also types of furniture can be considered sculpture as well.
The second chapter was very interesting to me. The way the author of the book sets up the readings in a very understandable way. The authors set up makes the material easier for me to understand by dividing it into sections. By doing so also the author catches my attention and keeps my attention throughout the chapter. On the other hand, the chapters’ material itself was very interesting due to the fact that I have always that sculptures were amazing and reading about that type of art was very informative since I really did not know anything about them. The book describes how sculptures have changed along with the world. Sculptures have become more abstract. I see as artist have found various ways to express themselves though sculptures than what used to be the norm. Like I said before I never really observed art when looking at it I more peeked at it. But now that the author explains how to look at art and explains in detail in every chapter how to look at that particular piece of art, I will mostly likely not just peek but really take in what the artist is saying.
After reading this chapter I went for a drive around Newport and I have never noticed how many sculptures there actually were. I realized that I ignored so much art around me not only sculptures. I lived in Ireland for some time and while I was there a fund was set up that some tax money went towards "road art", so while I was in Ireland I noticed the sculptures because I knew my money was going towards their development. However in the States I never noticed any art or sculptures on the side of the road on any of my routes. Reading Chapter 2 showed me really how many sculptures I was actually missing. I liked Chapter 2 more than I did Chapter 1 because I think that sculptures are more relatable to me. I think sculptures are an obtainable and understandable art. I like that they can be realistic and abstract. Paintings, drawings, etc. are harder for me to understand. I also really like that sculpture art is three dimensional. Looking at the art from multiple angles makes it more relatable. I like dark art so the section about the man and his blood art was interesting to me. I think everyone has dark sides and has deep emotional pain in everyone and I love that art can display abnormal emotions and feelings. I learned that sculptures can be made of anything not just metal or granite. I think the choice of material says something about the art more than just the shape it takes.
I grew up in a Catholic family, who knew a lot about the Adam and Eve story. This chapter, which began by talking about how God created Adam and Eve, intrigued me right from the beginning. I never thought of the story, the way this author describes it, before. I always saw it as God creating Adam and Eve, but now I can also see how what He did could be described as molding and sculpting. I was also interested in the line that said that, “Sculpture gives physical, tangible, form to idea” (Pg. 16) because I always saw paintings as a way to express one’s ideas, but never thought about how they lack the tangible, 3D, element to them. Sculptures, however, provide that palpable aspect that paintings lack. I really enjoyed the “Giving Shape To The World” section because of the differences it provided. I have never thought of sculptures being different worldwide or through generations, I have just always seen sculptures, as sculptures. This section helped me to realize how different they actually are. I have only seen, first hand, western society sculptures, so that is what I base my views on. However, there are so many different types of sculptures worldwide, and reasons behind them. For example, in Egypt, sculptures were built by high class citizens, to be put in their tombs, in preparation for their death, while Africa made sculptures after the person had died, and carried them around their cities. There are so many different ways that sculptures can be designed and presented, that I never knew about before. I also found it interesting how the basis of sculpture designs, change over the centuries. Before the 1900’s, artists felt limited to only being able to create sculptures of the human body, but after the 1900’s, they felt more free to sculpt abstraction. I, in my life, have been exposed to both types of sculptures; human body and abstract, and I like human body better. I think that’s because most of the time, the person who the sculpture is based on has a historical story behind them, which I love to hear about. However, I do like how abstract sculptures are made out of a multitude of different things, instead of just rock. This chapter discussed things that I was familiar with, but from a different point of view, which I really liked because it exposed me to a new way of seeing sculptures.
Being raised in public schooling my entire life I was able to experience a wide variety of artistic history and exposure. After reading this chapter though, I had an “uh huh” moment. The author gave light to “humanity's ultimate vanity”. This is something that never really clicked in my past. I was aware that much art was focused on people, but not that it was in fact an infatuation of people to recreate “people” in art, be it paintings or statues, etc. Thousands of years of sculptures of human form and then all of the sudden, abstraction happened. One thing I don’t understand is why people try to replicate the “Roman” style of art. It seems like realistic statues of human form is just art, why does it have to be filed as Roman art? There is probably some deeper concepts that I am missing but I don’t understand the blanket statement of Greco-Roman culture. Is it because they were one of the first advanced cultures? What about the Egyptians then? They had art, math and sciences long before anyone else. Or was it the realism and detail that was given to their art which made them seem more life-like and easier to connect to.
I like the author's interpretation of the Vietnam memorial. The style they decided to go with for the monument was definitely the way to go. Being such a controversial event and topic, everyone has a different opinion and being minimalistic by nature I feel it quiets out the background or the world. There are no statues or images of the human form or soldiers. Standing there looking at it, I can imagine you see this monolith of a wall with thousands of names on it. It has a black background and is reflective so all you see is a list of these names, and a reflection of yourself. A truly humbling experience I can see in my mind’s eye. I did some research to try and get a better picture, and a few aerial shots really gave light to just how enormous this wall is. I also stumbled across another vietnam memorial, the “Above and Beyond” memorial at the National Veterans Art Museum - http://www.nvam.org/above_beyond/. Another powerful example of veteran art and memorial. This one however, does not show every name, just a collection of dog tags hanging from the ceiling.
Chpt 2 sculpture
ReplyDeleteI would first like to point out my enjoyment of this book and the way it is set up. The fact that there is a section dedicated to explaining how one should attempt to look at and understand the type of art on display is extremely helpful especially to someone who is unfamiliar in the art technique of sculpture. From there I move on to the interesting and non-overwhelming text that fills the chapters. While reading about sculpture I never felt overwhelmed by unfamiliar vocabulary or uninteresting concepts. The book works to explain each type of art while steering clear of lengthy and uninteresting context.
My favorite quote from the entire chapter was the author’s mention of the history of human sculpture, “The history of sculpture is proof of humanity’s ultimate vanity.” I found this comical and on top of that rather accurate. Many historical sculptures portray human bodies in general whether they are of the female or male sex. The chapter also reveals the connection between sculptures and the human desire to have real life representation of themselves or historic figures. Sculptures such as Napoleon’s and even the statue of liberty portray a god and goddess like ancient greek and roman styles (as mentioned in the text). These now famous sculptures have been modeled after an older and foreign type of sculpting that took place far before our time.
I was also surprised to find that up until the 1900’s mainly human sculptures were being created. However after this time a rediscovery of abstraction gave sculpting a new twist. This was easy for me to comprehend as I considered the sculptures I have seen during time spent at museums. I realized I had noticed the more abstract and intricate looking sculptures rather than the ones created to replicate the human body. I believe over the generations interest in creating new and “wild” sculptures has increased tremendously.
I have recently visited Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial and in turn made a connection to the “A real Encounter” passage. Staring at such a large and simple sculpture gave an almost appropriate feeling when reading over the names of so many fallen soldiers. As I made my way down the wall of names I never really recognized that the Memorial could be considered a sculpture. When looking back I can see why its simple design and reflective material would be considered a sculpture (and an amazing one too)
My original plan after high school was to go to art school, ever since I was little, art was all I wanted to do. I obviously didn’t end up going to art school. Instead I chose to study social science at Roger Williams because I didn’t think I could make a solid living off of an art degree. I love museums and looking at other peoples work. Being from Boston, I went to the Museum of fine arts a lot and still love to go to this day. I have always been a big fan of Edgar Degas and his work, he was one of the founders of impressionism. I have studied Degas specifically because of the way he depicts movement in his work. Most of this work depicts dancers. I have always been amazed at his sculptures of dancers and how they seem to come to life.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the second chapter on sculpture a lot because it is a category of art that I have studied and focused a lot on over the years. I thought it was interesting that most sculptors focused on the human body because they wanted to portray something real and lifelike instead of something unrealistic. I also found it interesting how the book mentioned that one of the challenges now a days is for sculptors to create pieces that appeals to the larger public. I think that doing so can be difficult. In my opinion, abstract sculpture can be more difficult to understand than say an abstract painting. As the previous chapter mentioned, paintings and drawings can be split up into divisions. Foreground, middle ground, and background and I think that its easier to see those divisions when its on a flatter surface. Abstract sculpture on the other hand can be overwhelming and in your face and that can be hard for a viewer to comprehend. I believe that through what I already know about art and the new information I will gain from this class, I will be able to appreciate the world of art even more. Especially in areas that I do not have a lot of experience in.
Whenever I think of art I always think of paintings in museums, drawings or photographs. Growing up, I was never a “fan” of art - meaning, I was never interested in “reading between the lines” of an artist’s creation. Of course I had lots of pictures and posters in my room and my mom hung up lots of different paintings around the house, but they really never meant anything to me besides just being a painting on the wall. When I was in middle school, our class took a trip to the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Of course living right outside the city we take lots of trips to museums in the city, including the MET and the MOMA. Although those museums have great significance, they didn’t have the effect on me that the Museum of Natural History had. What I found most fascinating about that museum was the amount of sculptures they have- from the blue whale, to the dinosaurs, and the sculptures from the different native tribes. Even though I never learned the significance of each sculpture, they left me with images in my mind that I will never forget.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of chapter 2 in “A Beginner’s Guide to the Humanities” is sculpture. There are many things in this chapter that I found very interesting. The first part that I found interesting was in the first paragraph where “The Hebrew Creation Story” is discussed. This story states that God molded the first human head and hands - leading to the creation of Adam who is explained as the divine art and the origin of all humanity. The next two paragraphs discuss Greek myths of the essence of sculptures and how they come to life. In the Greek myth, Pygmalion falls in love with his own carving and prays to Venus to turn the ivory statue into living flesh. The essence of this story is imagination and dreaming. I found both of these very interesting because they each take on different ideas of what a sculpture was to two different kinds of beliefs and traditions. On page 17 in the section “Giving Shape to the World”, I thought it was interesting when the author states, “Sculpture is the art of giving meaningful shape to any material.” and then talks about how sculptures are mainly focused on the shapes of male and female bodies. I thought this was interesting because in the following paragraphs, it is discussed how different cultures have their own style of creating human-like sculptures. In Egypt, citizens make life size sculptures of themselves and put them in a tomb to prepare them for the after life. In Africa, sculptures of deceased royal people are dressed, decorated and carried throughout the city to symbolize a fallen leader. These two examples caught my eye because it shows how the idea of creating human sculptures can lead to different cultural expressions.
Since learning about this form of art (sculptures), I am able to have a different view about sculptures and what the meaning behind them are. Since I have never really understood why or how sculptures are created, after reading this chapter I am able to appreciate them more and what each sculpture stands for and hopefully learn to appreciate the different cultures surrounding different sculptures from around the world.
I have never had the experience or privilege to work with my hands to make a sculpture or even anything similar to that. I have seen sculptures in museums, on the streets or even on the Roger Williams campus. Although many times, I look at a sculpture and know what it is, the new and modern sculptures I can look and enjoy but not understand them. I find myself struggling with the abstract pieces because they are so unique and broad.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the book when it describes how sculptures have changed over time, becoming more abstract. Art is not a reproduction of something anymore and can express more than just a scene by adding emotion. I believe that the new and modern sculptures add more to art than just replication; they add emotion and new styles. I see the sculptures that are more of statues or symbols as easier to read which is why I find myself more connected to them. There is a lot of meaning behind the sculptures that although are abstract stand for something specific such as Maya Lin’s Vietnam War Memorial, these stand for such a strong cause that even if looking at it you do not understand the work you know the art has meaning to many people. After reading this chapter though I feel I can understand the modern and abstract sculptures as more than just the piece of art you bump into when walking through a museum, or anywhere.
Sculptures allow artists to use more creativity because they can use different mediums and different material in order to portray the message they want viewers to see. The artist Mark Quinn took this thought to an entirely new level when he created a sculpture using his own blood as the material. It allowed him to completely be involved and part of his work in a way that many artists cannot be. The sculptures over time of humans have changed depending on the time period, Some were based on curvier, more realistic body figures and some did not show any flaws and allowed the artist to create ideal body figures by leaving out anything they did not want seen. This being the case sculptures did not always portray the truth only the artist’s take on a certain figure. And from there many viewers can take a sculpture a different way than the artist means, making understanding sculptures vary among people.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I found most interesting about sculpting and sculptures is how prominent they are and how often I fail to notice them. For example, the Vietnam memorial in D.C.. I have been to that very location and viewed that wall, but I never considered it to be a sculpture. I feel as though creations as such don’t strike me as sculptures because them are not what my preconceived idea of a sculpture is. I, before reading this chapter, only viewed statues of people and animals and living beings as sculptures. I know that sculptures are more than that, but I never really allowed myself to see that.
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting to read about the different types of sculptures. There are freestanding sculptures, where just the hands or feet are attached to the ground so people can walk around it. There are relief sculptures, which are projected from a backing wall or panel. Lastly, there are installations, which typically are temporarily put up in an exhibit or some sort. As I mentioned before, I only know so much about sculptures and art. I never took the time to realize that there are different variations and types.
I now understand that when viewing sculptures, I have to be conscious and aware. In the future, I will be able to act accordingly as I now know how much depth sculptures have. They portray what paintings and many other types of art can not. When I see a sculpture in the future, I will be sure to do as this chapter advises me and think about the measure of the piece, visualize the details, think about the information presented with the sculpture, then finally, I will reflect on my own thoughts about the sculpture. This will help me to appreciate this type of art more in the future.
Nicole Marmo
ReplyDeleteArt has had a great influence throughout history whether it be paintings or sculptures. This chapter goes into specifics about the influence of sculptures throughout the years and their purpose. The most well known sculptures are that of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. Most sculptures were used to depict famous leaders and people in history. Then as history went on artists started to get more creative and abstract and started using other materials to sculpt other than the classic marble and clay methods. Sculptures surround our lives even though most don’t notice; for example, the sculpture in between the business building and the engineering building.
In regards to sculpture, it’s hard to really explain who I am. I haven’t really done much art involving sculpture or pottery in school; however, I’ve always been interested in it. In elementary school I’ve used clay for one or two projects we made out of clay and I enjoyed it. I’ve also been interested in taking a pottery class, but I’m on the cheap side so I’ve never gotten around to it.
Another difficult question is: what can I know about sculpture? This is a tough question to answer because everyone interprets art in a different way. If I wasn’t physically there while the artist was making the sculpture and had him explain why he was making that sculpture how am I to know what his real reasons were for doing so? On the other hand, that’s also a benefit. Because art can be interpreted in any way you can interpret it however you want and no one can say you’re wrong.
When it comes to sculptures, I’m always impressed. The fact that someone is capable of carving an anatomically correct body in a piece of marble with hammers in chisels just blows my mind. It doesn’t matter what material you use I’m always impressed by the sculptures artists are able to create because personally, I can’t. Sculpting also takes a lot of patience; one wrong move and the piece can be ruined. Or having to wait for something to dry so you can add other minor details must be frustrating. I wouldn’t be able to wait a year or longer to create a perfect sculpture and that’s why I commend those who can. Sculptures influence everyone even though many people do not notice how many there are around them.
In my opinion this chapter was more difficult to read being an outsider to art. There were some terms in the first chapter that I didn’t recognize but I could still like figure out the meaning of them. That was a lot harder to do with chapter. I never knew there was so much vocabulary that could be used to talk about a sculpture or how many different types of sculptures there are.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of a sculpture I think of it being of a person in Washington DC or like over in Europe when they have those extravagant fountains. It had never crossed my mind nor had I ever thought of a monument as being a piece of sculpture. When the author describes how he looks and describes the Vietnam Memorial as a sculpture, I thought to myself how I’ve been looking at this wrong. Sculptures aren’t just people or objects that are made out cement. Maybe its just my lack of knowledge about art but I had never thought to look at a memorial like it was a sculpture but once the author said it made complete sense. Now like when I go somewhere like that I’m going to look at it different than I would have before.
Sculptures take a lot of patience and precision and need a lot of attention to detail and I praise the artist that has the patience to do that. I could never do it; I would get frustrated if one thinks did look the way I wanted it to and then just give up on the entire thing. I don’t have the ability to concentrate as hard and put effort into making a sculpture capture ever. It takes a large amount of talent to be able to take a picture or have a person standing there and then mold them and carve them out of cement and other materials. In my opinion the ability to something so detail oriented is something you’re born with and then you can be taught like how to use that talent but the talent itself cannot be taught.
Anna Strang
ReplyDeleteThe second chapter talks about the different types of sculptures. In high school I took and art class which included a semester of creating our own sculptures, so once I starting reading chapter two I thought I knew everything there was to sculpting. After finishing this chapter I realized that I actually knew very little about sculptures. I thought a sculpture was when an artist created a body, feeling, or idea out of stone or clay. Post reading chapter two, I now know that sculptures can be anything and can be created with anything.
In the chapter it talks about a memorial called, Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This memorial is black granite wall, which is in a v-shape, is engraved with all the United States soldier that were killed in Vietnam. A couple years ago I visited Washington D.C. and saw this memorial and I did not consider the memorial to be art. Before reading this chapter I never would have considered this memorial to be a sculpture, I just thought of the Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a piece of history. Now actually reading and learning about sculptures I know that this type of memorial is a sculpture, even though it would only be considered minimalist.
Another thing which I was shocked to learn about sculptures is that they can be created using any type of material. The chapter mentions an artist that used his own blood to create a self portrait bust. he would extract his blood and mold the blood to the perfect shape. This is very interesting to me because I never would have thought an artist could use their own blood to make their masterpiece. This chapter taught me a lot on how sculptures are created and showed me that there are more sculptures around us than we think.
I have always had an interest in sculpture. In high school I took a sculpture class as one of my electives, and realized that even though I liked it, it does not necessarily mean that I am good at it. That bummed me out a little bit. I had all these ideas running through my head of good sculptures that I couldn’t execute. I wanted to create all these cool things but I was not very good. I kept at it for the semester and I think I got a little better, but I think it is one of those difficult art mediums that you really have to be born knowing how to do, or that you devote a lot of time to.
ReplyDeleteI really liked that sculpture brought art into the third dimension. I don’t think art has to be contained to two dimensions. I think sculpture is an amazing art form and contains huge expressions of emotion. When I play around with art, I like to create texture and bring my art into the third dimension while still containing it on a piece of paper, or canvas. I like to use mixed media to create fun texture or depth in an art piece.
In the chapter they talked about the evolving of sculpture and how it moved from mainly focusing on the human body to a more abstract type of sculpture. The sculptures of the human form were highly revered but more accessible to the public. When sculptures became more abstract and “special” they moved to a museum but people thought that they were in the way of their paintings.
Washington D.C. is one of my favorite cities. I love all of the history encapsulated in it and all of the monuments honoring that history. I never thought of these different monuments as art pieces but this chapter opened my eyes to how amazing these monument art pieces are. When I read it I remembered the Lincoln Monument and how well crafted it was. These monuments are the most special art pieces. People come to them everyday to honor their passed ancestors and remember the past. They are a great way to honor and preserve the history of the country. I think now, when I go to a historical museum or monument I will think of the craftsmanship that went into creating these majestic art pieces that display so much history.
Lily Englund
ReplyDeleteCORE 105
Chapter 2: Sculpture
From personal hands-on experience and from viewing other artist’s pieces, I believe that sculpting is the most difficult form of art. My mother enjoyed sculpting more than anything in high school. Instead of using the electronic chipping tools they now have available for artists today, my mother stuck with the old fashioned method. She used a standard chisel and hammer to create beautiful busts. She believes, as do I, that art should not be rushed. The advance of technology should not take away from the experience of creating something so personal and beautiful. I am jealous of my mother’s talent, patience, and individuality when it comes to sculpting. Personally, I took after my grandmother and enjoy painting the most. If I had the time, skills, and resources though, I would love to experiment with a chisel and hammer and see what I can create.
Before reading this chapter, the only thing that popped into my mind when I heard the word “sculpture” were old white marble sculptures sitting in museums or in gardens. While reading the chapter, I was intrigued by the assemblages. I did some side research and found many more examples online of these creations. In all of my years of creating and studying art, I have never been interested in such techniques. When I visited the RISD museum last year, I now realize that some of the sculptures I saw there were assemblages. This form of art seems to connect strongly with the artist. I find it interesting that every day items, like clothes, keys, bottle caps, or pencils can be used to create something to personal and intriguing.
After reading this chapter, I have opened my eyes to the world of sculpting. I realize that everywhere I look, there are sculptures. I feel like I have to be less judgmental of some sculptures and really pay attention to detail and try and find meaning. Now that I think about it, I only payed attention to the sculptures that I thought were beautiful, such as the ancient roman and greek sculptures that were mentioned in the chapter. To me, they represent skill, beauty, and history. I need to expand my circle of interest and explore different forms of sculpture that before I didn’t think were worth looking at. This chapter has made me realize that I’m very picky about what art I classify as “beautiful”.
Chapter 2: Sculpture Reflection
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working towards going to college for animation, I was required to make an art portfolio, and one of the requirements was to create a model portrait sculpture of someone’s head and shoulders. It took me a few weeks to complete and in the end it still didn’t look anything like what I wanted it to. Also I didn’t find it that enjoyable and struggled the entire time. But because of this struggle, whenever I see a large sculpture such as the ones from ancient Greece or Rome, I can better understand the amount of patience and work that was put into it.
The chapter opens up with some history of sculptures in our world. What I always find interesting are the Greek mythological stories, and the one that the chapter opens up with, the tale of Pygmalion, was one I never heard of but was what really grabbed my attention for the rest of the chapter. And the sculptures that come from ancient Greece and Rome are so astonishing that whenever I hear the word sculpture, those are the ones that I, as well as many people will think of immediately. So that’s why when the chapter started talking about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C., I was a little confused because to me, that didn’t seem like a sculpture but just a wall with the names of the fallen on it. But what I forget is that art always has a deeper meaning in the work, and even the wall with names from the past of course has meaning behind it and so is considered a sculpture.
The end of the chapter talks about the different processes, types, materials, forms, and subjects that make up a sculpture. Most of these I knew already except for how there are considered different types of sculptures such as freestanding, relief, and installation. Also what I like most about the end of these chapters are their steps and tips to examining a piece of art. They are very helpful when analyzing a work of art and is something that we as the reader can take away from it and do on our own even if we aren’t that artistic.
Starting the second chapter I found it very enjoyable that it started by telling the story about the Pygmalion which is a story about a sculptor that falls in love with his work and then prays to the goddess Venus to bring his work to life literally. I can relate to the sculptor to the point where I take pride in the work that I create and when that work is precious or important to me I have similar thoughts about that work having physical and tangible form.
ReplyDeleteFrom the reading it was eye opening to find out that sculptures were usually only interested in two shapes and that was the male and the female. Since I don’t know too much about sculpting I enjoyed learning something new. Like the previous chapter each sculpture is unique to one's own personality and soul. So when I hear about these amazing sculptures like the giant marble statue of Athena in the Parthenon its interesting to hear the purpose or reason for sculpting that sculpture or the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was shaped as a V for all the soldiers who served and died in Vietnam in World War 2 and to express the pain that the United States went through.
We all feel different towards different pieces of art and sometimes don’t feel the same as the artist who created the work. For example seeing that gigantic memorial makes me feel angry towards the people responsible and very depressed for the amounts of families that were broken apart as a result from this war. At the same time I feel safe because the service that our U.S. soldiers provided us protected our country, and also proud to call myself an American because I was brought up like the soldiers that defend and love this country.
Kristin Portsmouth
ReplyDeleteAesthetics Response 2
September 7, 2015
When I think about sculptures I tend to go straight to the famous body realistic statues of the Greek and Roman eras. This is mainly because even statues today resemble these styles. For example, this chapter discussed how Western societies are obsessed with imitation of the ancient Greek and Roman style. They continue that many sculptures resemble important people from those times. They said statues of George Washington resemble Roman hero Cincinnatus and Napoleon of the notorious Julius Caesar.
This chapter brings up an important point that, “Sculpture possess what a painting can only pretend to have: real, solid, three-dimensional existence.” This is important because like the author suggests gives physical substance to human imagining. I really liked that line because anyone can imagine a picture in their head and even draw it out on paper, but bringing that idea to a three-dimensional figure is true art.
I haven’t had much experience with sculpting. Only the occasional clay modeling is my school art classes and playing with Play-Doh as a child. This thought actually makes me a bit sad. I really enjoy 3D art and truly wish I were given more opportunities to pursue it as a hobby. I remember going to a pottery class for my friend’s birthday party once and loving it. Hopefully in the near future I can return to one of these classes and discover a new way to express myself.
Like myself, sculptors around the world discovered a new way to create art; their way was with abstraction. Abstraction art brings more to the table now then just recreations of the human body. Sculptors can now add emotion to their pieces. For example Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a powerful minimalist piece to honor those who fought and died in the Vietnam War. The challenge for sculptors is to get people to notice their work, which is why typically these pieces are oversized and placed in random public areas. This art takes a lot of work and its important to recognize this. You shouldn’t just walk by it without noticing; you should admire it and try to understand the meaning behind it. The meaning behind sculptors may not allows be loud and clear, it can be subtle, either way it’s important to take the time to look.
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ReplyDeleteMax Kraimer
ReplyDeleteCore 105
September 7th
In my personally opinion Sculptures are one of the coolest form of art. In High School I studied Ancient Greek, a lot of the myths were recreated in sculptures and some myths like the tale of Pygmalion revolved around sculptures coming to life.
I enjoyed the sections “The Tool Kit”. It was easy to read and structured nicely, providing “the physically qualities of sculpture” which includes process of sculpture, different types and lastly different material. I learned that sculptures can be made out of materials such ceramic, plaster, metal, stone, wood, and glass. Within in each of these different materials you can create many different forms of sculptures. For example, a metal sculpture is going to look very different then a wood or plasters one.
I also learned a different view on sculptures. The Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1984, found in Washington DC is a V-shaped granite wall spans over 492 feet. This is classified as a “minimalist, a style of geometric or modern shapes.” Something so simple can have such a large meaning, such as a wall with every fallen solider. This is why I think sculptures are the coolest forms of art.
Sculptures can come in different forms and care different meanings. Some can tell stories about past mythological events, some could be a wood carved bear seen at almost every ski mountain, or it can even be a simple wall listing thousand of names or people who fell for our country. Because sculptures can convey so many different messages I find them to be the coolest forms of art.
As a kid I thought that the only type of sculpture is ceramic. Because growing up I remember watching a movie with my mother of a bunch of women in an art class with clay and a spiny disk. Creating their own designs and using their own imagination.
ReplyDeleteI read more into the chapter I learned that pottery is like sculpture when it is a made of clay. There are many factors of sculpture that make a sculpture what it is. The artist takes in consideration of different styles, types, materials such as clay and metal, form space and proportion. They also take in the factor of subjects and style guides from ancient France, Italy and Greece.
Other students also mentioned the Vietnam Veteran Memorial but I think a lot of us really didn't know that this was considered a sculpture. But now that I know what makes up a sculpture which I explained in the pervious paragraph, I now know that is a sculpture.
The Bust In Blood part of the reading did freak me out a little. The man took his blood and then molded it into the shape of his head and shoulders. It seems a little tortured to me but I guess art is a little tortured in its own way.
Now that I am aware of such beautiful art in its multiple forms I will be able to identify different sculptures that I see not only at museums or in public, but also types of furniture can be considered sculpture as well.
The second chapter was very interesting to me. The way the author of the book sets up the readings in a very understandable way. The authors set up makes the material easier for me to understand by dividing it into sections. By doing so also the author catches my attention and keeps my attention throughout the chapter.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the chapters’ material itself was very interesting due to the fact that I have always that sculptures were amazing and reading about that type of art was very informative since I really did not know anything about them. The book describes how sculptures have changed along with the world. Sculptures have become more abstract. I see as artist have found various ways to express themselves though sculptures than what used to be the norm.
Like I said before I never really observed art when looking at it I more peeked at it. But now that the author explains how to look at art and explains in detail in every chapter how to look at that particular piece of art, I will mostly likely not just peek but really take in what the artist is saying.
After reading this chapter I went for a drive around Newport and I have never noticed how many sculptures there actually were. I realized that I ignored so much art around me not only sculptures. I lived in Ireland for some time and while I was there a fund was set up that some tax money went towards
ReplyDelete"road art", so while I was in Ireland I noticed the sculptures because I knew my money was going towards their development. However in the States I never noticed any art or sculptures on the side of the road on any of my routes. Reading Chapter 2 showed me really how many sculptures I was actually missing.
I liked Chapter 2 more than I did Chapter 1 because I think that sculptures are more relatable to me. I think sculptures are an obtainable and understandable art. I like that they can be realistic and abstract. Paintings, drawings, etc. are harder for me to understand.
I also really like that sculpture art is three dimensional. Looking at the art from multiple angles makes it more relatable. I like dark art so the section about the man and his blood art was interesting to me. I think everyone has dark sides and has deep emotional pain in everyone and I love that art can display abnormal emotions and feelings.
I learned that sculptures can be made of anything not just metal or granite. I think the choice of material says something about the art more than just the shape it takes.
I grew up in a Catholic family, who knew a lot about the Adam and Eve story. This chapter, which began by talking about how God created Adam and Eve, intrigued me right from the beginning. I never thought of the story, the way this author describes it, before. I always saw it as God creating Adam and Eve, but now I can also see how what He did could be described as molding and sculpting. I was also interested in the line that said that, “Sculpture gives physical, tangible, form to idea” (Pg. 16) because I always saw paintings as a way to express one’s ideas, but never thought about how they lack the tangible, 3D, element to them. Sculptures, however, provide that palpable aspect that paintings lack.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the “Giving Shape To The World” section because of the differences it provided. I have never thought of sculptures being different worldwide or through generations, I have just always seen sculptures, as sculptures. This section helped me to realize how different they actually are. I have only seen, first hand, western society sculptures, so that is what I base my views on. However, there are so many different types of sculptures worldwide, and reasons behind them. For example, in Egypt, sculptures were built by high class citizens, to be put in their tombs, in preparation for their death, while Africa made sculptures after the person had died, and carried them around their cities. There are so many different ways that sculptures can be designed and presented, that I never knew about before.
I also found it interesting how the basis of sculpture designs, change over the centuries. Before the 1900’s, artists felt limited to only being able to create sculptures of the human body, but after the 1900’s, they felt more free to sculpt abstraction. I, in my life, have been exposed to both types of sculptures; human body and abstract, and I like human body better. I think that’s because most of the time, the person who the sculpture is based on has a historical story behind them, which I love to hear about. However, I do like how abstract sculptures are made out of a multitude of different things, instead of just rock. This chapter discussed things that I was familiar with, but from a different point of view, which I really liked because it exposed me to a new way of seeing sculptures.
Being raised in public schooling my entire life I was able to experience a wide variety of artistic history and exposure. After reading this chapter though, I had an “uh huh” moment. The author gave light to “humanity's ultimate vanity”. This is something that never really clicked in my past. I was aware that much art was focused on people, but not that it was in fact an infatuation of people to recreate “people” in art, be it paintings or statues, etc. Thousands of years of sculptures of human form and then all of the sudden, abstraction happened. One thing I don’t understand is why people try to replicate the “Roman” style of art. It seems like realistic statues of human form is just art, why does it have to be filed as Roman art? There is probably some deeper concepts that I am missing but I don’t understand the blanket statement of Greco-Roman culture. Is it because they were one of the first advanced cultures? What about the Egyptians then? They had art, math and sciences long before anyone else. Or was it the realism and detail that was given to their art which made them seem more life-like and easier to connect to.
ReplyDeleteI like the author's interpretation of the Vietnam memorial. The style they decided to go with for the monument was definitely the way to go. Being such a controversial event and topic, everyone has a different opinion and being minimalistic by nature I feel it quiets out the background or the world. There are no statues or images of the human form or soldiers. Standing there looking at it, I can imagine you see this monolith of a wall with thousands of names on it. It has a black background and is reflective so all you see is a list of these names, and a reflection of yourself. A truly humbling experience I can see in my mind’s eye. I did some research to try and get a better picture, and a few aerial shots really gave light to just how enormous this wall is. I also stumbled across another vietnam memorial, the “Above and Beyond” memorial at the National Veterans Art Museum - http://www.nvam.org/above_beyond/. Another powerful example of veteran art and memorial. This one however, does not show every name, just a collection of dog tags hanging from the ceiling.
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ReplyDelete