Assignment Topic 1

Choose a contemporary painting, sculpture, or piece of art that captures your interest. This should be a piece created between the end of World War II (about 1945) and today. You may choose one of the illustrations or color inserts in the textbook, or try a virtual museum (check the links in this week’s My Humanities Kit).

Before you begin writing your post, view the “Closer Look” art critiques from the unit My Humanities Kit resources. Consider what features are discussed in the piece you select. Aim for an evaluation that notes small details in a work, considers the purpose of various elements, and perhaps investigates the artist’s life.

In the post, begin by introducing the piece of contemporary art created between 1945 and present. What is the title? Who created it and when? What is the style? How would you describe it to someone who had not seen it? Finally, explain why viewing this work is a valuable experience. Connect the Unit 5 reading material in your response; include APA formatting.

Student 1

Hello Class and Professor,

For my piece of Art I have chosen Andy Warhol’s painting “Diamond Dust Shoes 1980”.  I not only love the colors that are presented in the piece but the meaning to me signifies how many shoes women fill in our daily lives such as a mother, a friend, a lover, a daughter and etc.  I fell a since of gratitude when I look at this colorful piece.

Andy Warhol was born in 1928; he left a huge legacy behind when he passed away in 1987 (Janaro & Altshuler, 2012, p. 142).  From drawings, paintings and prints to videography, publishing and performance, he produced more than art — he was essentially his own brand.  From haunting black and white self-portraits to Polaroid snapshots of celebrities, many of the photos in the collection later became the inspiration for Warhol’s most well-known Pop Art pieces (Janaro & Altshuler, 2012, p. 142).

Warhol’s focus on consumer goods and pop-culture icons, as well as his own taste for money and fame, suggest a life in celebration of the very aspects of American culture that his work criticized (A & E Television Networks, 1996-2013). When looking at this piece of work you have a sense of what life is everyday!

Please look at the link provided below to take a look at this peice of Art. (The last reference below)

Margaret

A & E Television Networks, L. (1996-2013). bio.true story. Retrieved from Andy Warhol Biography: http://www.biography.com/people/andy-warhol-9523875?page=2

Student 2

Hello Class and Professor,

For some reason many of the illustrations in our text I cannot view. So I decided to search for contemporary art photos. There were quite a few interesting images but I found a sculpture or performance piece by Rook Floro that really caught my eye. Oddly, there is no title; at least I have not been able to locate one. Parts of this three-dimensional art look like it has some kind of wiry texture. The piece seems to be an imitation of human emotion. Our text describes imitation as the transference of what is experienced by the artists to a medium or art (Janaro & Altshuler, 2012).

I would describe it as a man and his shadow. However, it’s difficult to tell which side the shadow is. On one end there is a man in a chair, at the other he’s standing but his body is not “solid”, thus the wiry texture I was describing above. When I look at it, I see a man who is tired or maybe even sad or depressed. I believe his standing pose is him doing all he can to face the world or something. I could be wrong; art is NOT my strong suit. However, viewing this piece was valuable to me because it seems as though it’s a visual depiction of how I’ve felt on some days. I recently suffered the loss of my mom and I think if I had to provide a visual manifestation of my emotions this would be it.

JJ

I am going to attempt to attach the image…

Reference

Janaro, R. & Altshuler, T. (2012). The Art of Being Human: The Humanities as a

            Technique for Living. (10^th Ed). New York City: Pearson Longman

Assignment Topic 2

Art can often mean different things to different people. Is this a strength or a weakness? Janaro and Altshuler (2012) argue, “The treasure of art, however, is that its reality lives on after its subjects die. The final product is an addition to reality, not simply a way of reproducing it” (108). Assess this argument. What do you think? Include the Unit 5 reading material in your response; include APA formatting.

Student 1

Hello Class and Professor,

I definitely think art means something different to everyone.  Everyone looks at things in a different light and certain things may pop out to one person but may not stand out to another.  I agree with the statement above.  I do think that art lives on after the subject dies.  Art stays around forever and it never depreciates in value.  I think it takes a creative person to truly appreciate art, though.  I am not one who can really appreciate art.  I’m not very creative and I don’t have an eye for art, at all.  I wish it was something I was more passionate about.

Student 2