Blog Assignment 6

Photo courtesy of: http://www.lib-art.com/artgallery/14665-christ-before-pilate-hans-multscher.html 1) This striking and clever piece of artwork is titled Eva Prima Pandora. It was painted in Paris by Jean Cousin the Elder around 1550. It was made with oil paints on wood. Jean Cousin the Elder was a French artist who lived around 1500-1593. He was a painter, sculptor, etcher, and engraver. Although he has created many excellent pieces of artwork, this one is by far my favorite. 2) I am a particular fan of Eva Prima Pandora for many different reasons. I think it should be well-known by others because it is an exceptionally well-thought-out and meaningful piece. Visually, it is very elegant as well as unsettling. The dark tones of the paint give the picture an almost disturbing undertone, and the woman-- the centerpiece of the painting--is bathed half in shadows and half in light. This hints at the unearthly, the otherworldly, and the unknown. However, the best part of this artwork is definitely the idea. You see, the woman in Eva Prima Pandora is actually a cross between two famous mythical women. One of them is Eve: the woman in the Bible who to ate the Fruit of Knowledge, although she knew it was wrong. In eating the fruit, Eve knowingly disobeyed God's orders; committing the first sin. The second woman is Pandora, who, in Greek mythology, disobeyed her husband and the gods by opening a box. Pandora's box contained all of the evils in the world. By opening it, she set the evils free, and contaminated what was once a pure and beautiful world. These two women are similar characters in both tales; for both supposedly commited Original Sin as a result of ignorance, greed, and weakness for temptation. By looking closely at this picture, we can see that the woman in the center of the painting is holding in one of her hands a long branch that represents the Fruit of Knowledge, which was eaten by Eve in the Garden of Eden. Her other hand covers the lid of Pandora's box. Clearly, this woman is intended to be a cross between Eve and Pandora; the twin mothers of all evil. Furthermore, entwined around the hand covering Pandora's box is a long serpent. The serpent is a universal symbol of cunning; usually depicted as a companion of the Dark Goddess Lilith. Lilith is referred to in many cultures: she is a Mesopotamian storm demon, an Arabian Jinn, the Greek Lamia, the Hebrew Layla, the original vampiress, the original succubus, and the first wife of Adam in the Christian faith. It is said that it was Lilith who, in the form of a serpent, was recorded in the Bible to have tempted Eve; convincing her to eat the Fruit of Knowledge. Her companions are the owl and the serpent. In all religions, Lilith is the uncontested goddess of death, storms, chaos, temptation, lasciviousness, feminine equality, and the night. In the painting Eva Prima Pandora, the woman is naked, and her body is elongated; resembling the snake's. This is a clear indication of the sensuality and power for which Lilith was known. The Fruit of Knowledge, Pandora's box, the woman's sexuality, and the combinations of light and shadows all give this woman a distinct resemblance to not only Eve and Pandora, but to Lilith as well. If you need any more convincing, pay attention to the hand holding the Fruit of Knowledge. It is resting on a human skull: symbolic of despair, disaster, and death. Also, the two holes in the background of the painting cause the cave that the woman resides in to bear a distinct resemblance to a gigantic skull. ******************************************************************************* Photo courtesy of: http://wordinfo.info/unit/3772/ip:1/il:H 1) Another piece of artwork I love is this fascinating 'hand painting' by Guido Daniele. Although it may seem impossible, Daniele--who was born in Italy and graduated from Brera School of Arts-- created this masterpiece using only paints and a human hand. Unfortunately, no matter where online I searched, I was unable to find a specific creation date or title for this piece. Daniele's work is extremely unique, because he generally paints on people's bodies, instead of on canvases. He has an obvious love for bold, vivid colors. 2) This artwork should be well-known by others because it is an ingenious idea; using the human body, and the various shapes that a hand can form, in order to make art. It has bright, vibrant colors that make it seem even more alive. As a huge animal lover, this painting strikes a certain chord with me because in a way, by showing how similar the human hand can be to the face of an animal, Daniele is establishing a connection between human beings and the animals with which we share this planet. Once again, I consider the idea of this painting the best part of it. It is a statement, as well as unique and original. However, it should be noted that the craftmanship and design are exceptional as well. ******************************************************************************* Photo courtesy of: http://mydailyartdisplay.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/the-beggar-boy-by-bartolome-esteban-murillo/ 1) Beggar Boy, an oil painting by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, is another one of my favorite paintings. It was painted circa 1650. 2) Aside from being an extraordinarily beautiful painting, Beggar Boy also makes incredible use of light, shadows, and emotional appeal. I am a personal fan of this piece of artwork because it is highly sentimental, and the mastery of craftmanship required to make it is unmistakable. I believe it should be well-known by others because it is an accurate and striking depiction of the hard and painful lives of children who live in poverty and squalor. The boy's sad expression and bare, dirty feet are both heart-wrenching. I think the most important part of this piece is definately the craftmanship and design. Aside from the deep emotional impact Beggar Boy has on the public, the image of warm sunlight pouring into his shadowed hideout is equally striking. It gives the boy a sort of soft, quiet illumination that matches the serenity of the squalid place he is sitting in.

Quarter 2 Artwork

(Afghan Girl) A photograph taken by Steve McCurry appeared on the front cover of National Geographic Magazine in June of 1985, and soon began to receive worldwide attention. It featured a beautiful Afghan girl from a refugee camp in Pakistan, with a torn red scarf draped loosely around herhead. This anonymous young woman became the inspiration for my artwork. When I first saw the photograph, I was immediately captivated, like so many others, by her haunting green eyes. Seeking to challenge myself, I recreated this photograph without using any color at all. My goal was to capture the intensity of the Afghan Girl's gaze, even without emphasizing the color of her beautiful eyes.







(Oranges) This drawing, a personal favorite of mine, is also one of my only drawings using pastels. I made this entirely in color in order to capture the brightness of the oranges against the vibrant blue background. I enjoyed playing with the shadows and lighting, working to give my oranges a spherical look, and the vivid contrast between the two complimentary colors that I used.

This sketch was my first attempt at using the Subtraction Method: in other words, using dark, heavy strokes of the charcoal and then using an eraser on the spots that are touched by the light. I was using a style that was exactly the opposite of what I was used to, which made this ordinary charcoal drawing both beneficial and fun.

Quarter 2 Goal

Description+Method: My goal for Quarter 2 is to complete at least one piece of art that connects to me on a truly deep and emotional level. Although artwork always has personal undertones to it, not every piece of art contains legitimate sensitivity and feeling. I feel like when the roots of a piece or art extend deep beneath the surface, the outcome is more inspiring and intriguing than any other piece--even if some were drawn, painted, or sculpted by more talented artists. So this year, my Quarter 2 goal is to search my soul, lose myself in my own emotional depth, and create a piece of art that I can truly be proud of.

Assessment: Only I will truly be able to know when I have made artwork that I can connect with--it is something private and immeasurable. This goal is not for my grade, but for my personal artistic improvement.

Quarter 1 Artwork

Sky Andrews is a character purely from my imagination. There isn't much to say about her, except that I wish that I had done this drawing differently. If I were to draw her a second time, I would draw the whole picture in color, because Sky is supposed to have a bold sort of contrast to her features: white skin, black hair, and vivid green eyes. Although I enjoyed playing with different elements-- for example, casting one half of her face in light and the other in darkness-- I would rather have done it all in color, with a dark background.









Although I am not a Justin Bieber fan, my friends convinced me to draw the picture on the front of his famous album: One Time. Much to my surprise, I actually had a great time drawing this piece. Justin's skin is very fair, with rose-colored undertones, which proved highly entertaining as well as challenging to duplicate. After working on the piece for several hours, I decided that it would be complete with a neutral grey background, so as not to distract from the picture itself.

Oh, and a fun fact for Justin's thousands of fans..... the world-famous "Bieber hair" is near impossible to draw.









This is a scene from one of my favorite musicals: Sweeney Todd. I used an ebony pencil, and tried to capture the picture's essence by using mostly shadows, and incorporating just a few flashes of white. I liked this because the white produces an excellent contrast, while the monochromatic shades of gray and black give the drawing a dark, Gothic feel.














As a huge Green Day fan, I thought it appropriate to include at least one project featuring my favorite band. I made a colallage of album covers and photos of the band. This was the first time I've tried creating a collage on Corel, and it was an interesting experience. Green Day is a revolutionary band. The lead singer writes songs that often target the problems with war, hypocrisy, America, and our government. Therefore, I made the background for the collage a torn American flag.




This picture of Eminem was one of my first digital art pieces. Although relatively simple (the picture was merely converted into a negative image and then font was added using WordArt) this was more or less just my first few steps into the world of technological art. What I learned from the experience is that even the most simple digital pieces can look very impressive. I really like the way this piece came out-- especially with the quote from one of his songs--even if it wasn't one of the more challenging.

What an amazing piece of art by Julian Beever!!!!

I love this picture because it really appears to be three-dimensional. However, it's drawn on a COMPLETELY flat sidewalk surface!!

This extraordinary image only appears so rounded when looked at from a certain angle. I also enjoy the affect of the "sunlight" on the top of the "glass".

All in all, this drawing is clever, realistic, and very unique. I love it!!

Blog Post 1

Open-ended Art: In my opinion, this is one of the most interesting and difficult styles of art. This is because you never quite know what the outcome is going to be. I enjoy making art that is beautiful, yet abstract. However, I also find open-ended art to be very challenging; for no matter how hard I try, I always tend to end up with a planned idea in my head.

Fulfillment of Planned Idea: This is perhaps my favorite way to draw, paint, or sculpt. I enjoy making things as accurate and detailed as I possibly can. The only times that Fulfillment of Planned Idea ever tends to frustrate me is when I have a very specific idea in my head, and can't quite get it down on paper the way I want to.

Appreciation/Use of Process: I always have a lot of fun trying to create an image based on sound, smell, or emotion. However, these creations never seem to end up as beautiful as I had originally hoped. Oftentimes they are simply a mess of color and texture. But when I manage to correctly channel my feelings through my art, it always tends to give a deeper and more personal meaning. Succeeding in this field of artwork is a very rewarding experience.

Appreciation of the Finished Project: It is important that the finished project should be of good quality. After all, regardless of how much time, effort, and deep personal meaning is injected into the artwork, in the end, it should be a respectable piece of artwork.

Demonstration of Skill: I enjoy demonstrating my skill through my artwork by focusing on areas of art that I know will enable my success. For example, I am much more confident in my sketches than in, say, watercolor paintings. So when given the choice, I always tend to work with ebony pencil instead of paints. This way I can ensure that my art is the best it can possibly be.

Demonstration of Growth: One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is reflect upon what I have learned. Although, as I mentioned before, I prefer to stay within my comfort zone, by occasionally straying outside of it I unearth talent or potential that I would never have noticed before. And I believe that this, as well as working hard to improve upon what I am already confident in doing, is what makes an excellent demonstration of growth of one year.

Concept Development: As an artist, I enjoy nothing more than adding an underlying message to whatever I draw. I enjoy the interest and captivation of people who see my sketches once and pass them by-- only to look again and understand a deeper meaning that they had originally assumed. Art is a form of self-expression, and there is no better way to express oneself than by adding a subtle undertone to what first appears as an ordinary sculpture, painting, or sketch.

I look forward to an exceptional year full of art and fun!!!!!