Artist I would want to work for: Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Christo and Jeanne-Claude were an artistic married couple who designed large outdoor works of art that utilized fabrics and plastics. Being environmentalist artists, their works were temporary and were only set up for a few weeks. With their work, Christo and Jeanne-Claude make viewers consider nature and its beauty. They also translate the idea of fragility and temporariness in their work by using materials such as fabric and cotton. I would want to work for these two because I find their pieces amazing. The fact that they make such large installations that make an impact on those who see them, and that these pieces are temporary so that they do not disturb the environment but instead accentuate the beauty of it make me wish that I could help in assembling such a work.

Surrounded Islands

Overall Impression:

My impression of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work is that it extremely impressive because of the magnitude and size of the work. It sticks with the viewer and leaves them in awe of how such a simple act like covering a building with fabric can make such a large change to the surroundings. The uniqueness of their work is what stands out the most and what settles them as impressive artists.

Valley Curtain

The Pont Neuf

Running Fence

Wrapped Monument

Umbrellas (Japan-yellow and California-blue)

Closing Thoughts:

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's unusually large, outdoor structures attract viewers from all over and leave an impression on them while doing the complete opposite to the area around. Because the pieces are temporary, it makes them that much more important due to the fact that the moments in which they are on display are fleeting and temporary. The gentleness with which this couple handles the materials and the environment is admirable and leaves me with the wish to assist them in completing a piece like the many they are renowned for. 

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude
• www.christojeanneclaude.net
• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1480131/Christo-and-Jeanne-Claude

Observational Assignment: Interior Volumes

Themes:
A lot of the photos I took are forms of containers. This makes them interesting because the unique shapes that they come in make them more aesthetically pleasing and people are more likely to buy them. The negative space of these volumes also makes them interesting to potential buyers.

Possible Artistic Ramifications:

• Using some of these shapes to make larger or more intricate pieces of furniture
• By angling the shots, some of these interior volumes can be used to make eye catching photographs
• Utilizing different techniques to make the inside of the containers seem bigger than the outside
• An artist who created an interesting interior volume is Olafur Eliasson. His reconstruction of the inside of his home was done by laser cutting into the pages of a book to make the illusion of a deep interior.

Your House

Class Project #3

Sketching

Planning (crocheted practice piece)

Finished (front)

Finished (side)

Finished (back)

My basic idea for this piece was to illustrate how our movement is often taken for granted. As an artist, it is important to have full control over not just the medium you are handling, but your limbs as well. By creating a harness that essentially restrained your limbs and joints so that they had a certain limit, I believe I communicated this idea. I wanted the viewer to focus on the stiffness of the motions that I had to do in order to do a simple task and in this way, be more aware of the freedom that they had to move. 

In order to get the viewer to see the feeling of being restricted, I made the rope have a limit to how far it would stretch. For example, in order to straighten one arm out fully, the other had to bend close to the body. This showed the give and take of the piece. By using brown yarn and buttons, the idea of comfort (like in a knitted sweater) was given to the viewer. This was in turn contrasted by the actual purpose of the piece, which was to limit and restrain you. The knotting of the yarn was again meant to give the idea of a knitted sweater, a vision of comfort, which was then forgotten when it was used instead as a sort of binding device. The masking tape that I used was kept all one color so as not to distract from the work. Connecting the different ropes of yarn to the hips made certain that limb movement was limited. The yarn connecting the hands was threaded through the piece in the back to make certain that it would not simply slip off the back and ruin the idea of constraint. 

In the making of this piece, I learned how time consuming crocheting can be. My initial idea of crocheting the yarn pieces was tossed once I discovered that it took two hours to complete five inches of the restrains. I went instead for the knotting process because it could be finished quicker, required less yarn, and didn't stretch as much as the crocheted piece did. If I were to do this project again, I would make certain that I measured out more yarn than I thought I would need for a piece. I had to restart a few parts of the project due to running out of yarn to knot. Despite the difficulties I endured and the soreness in my fingers from braiding the yarn together, I'm happy with the piece and I think it turned out exactly as I wanted.

Artist who is ancient and whose work would still be relevant today: Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso is a Spanish artist who created works during the 20th century. Picasso's artworks developed from a realistic style in his early years to a variety of more abstract works that formed in the many later periods of his life. He is most well-known for his Cubism paintings, which he co-founded and helped develop into an accepted form of modern art. The ideas for Picasso's works were usually derived from what was going on in his life at that time. His materials and the form of the artwork often reflected those times. For example, Picasso's Blue Period reflects the more depressing years of his life and he demonstrated that in his art by using blue tones and making the forms more somber. Another example is the Guernica, in which Picasso very effectively captured the chaos and painful emotion through cubism.

Overall Impression:

My impression of Pablo Picasso is that he was a very successful artist, not only because he managed to create a new art movement, but because of the expression and uniqueness in his art. It is difficult for an artist to find their personal style and Picasso found that his was not invented yet, so he created it. He was then able to transfer the idea of Cubism into sculpture, which is quite an impressive task to be able to capture the many sides and stylistic parts of a work in a 3D manner.

  

Closing Thoughts:

Picasso's work has withstood the test of time and his paintings and sculptures continue to be admired by people today. He has inspired many artists that have come after him and he continues to do so now. His contribution to the art world not only includes his artwork, but the invention of new art styles and movements. Overall, Picasso was a great artist whose work will continue to be relevant in years to come.

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso
• http://www.pablopicasso.org/
• http://www.picasso.com/life.aspx

Observational Assignment: Structures

Skyscraper

Paper dolls

Museum ceiling

Museum windows

Park steps

Paper forms (art project)

Wire forms (art project)

Pinecone

House construction

Gazebo

Covered bridge

Playground

Fence

Savannah bridge

Savannah building

Savannah building

Sunset through windows

Standing pencils

Crocheted fabric

Stacked plastic cups

Themes:

A lot of the photos I took have very rigid forms and are quite sturdy structures. This is likely because of the durability and amount of stress that such a form can withstand. Having such firm and steady structures is important to people because we can rely on them to fulfill whatever task it was designed for. 

Possible Artistic Ramifications:

• Fleshing out the wire figures could create a more realistic and sturdy piece
• Incorporating different parts of buildings can make them more secure and less likely to collapse
• Symmetrical structures can be used to inspire photographs and other artworks
• An artist who uses unique structures to support a building is Antoni Gaudi. His cathedral is comprised of unique supports that contribute to the overall structure of the church.

Sagrada Familia