MUSEUM MIDTERM

 

The masterpiece I chose is titled "Judith" and it is by Jan Sanders van Hemessen. It was created in the year 1540 in the Netherlands. Some background information on the painting is that Judith was a biblical heroine. She saved the Jewish people from the armies of Assyrian general Holofernes. She was a widow who cut off the head of the drunken general after willingly entering his camp. She was viewed as a model of civic virtue in the Renaissance. I feel like Jan's interpretation of Judith as a powerful woman is the reason why I chose this as my masterpiece.

Craft: This was created using oil on panel.

Concept: This is Judith, a biblical heroine after she beheaded general Holofernes.

Composition: This image was created using bright lights and heavy shadows, basically a big contrast. The first thing you see is Judith because the light is reflecting off of her nude body. It is the brightest part of the entire image. She is also in the center of the image and takes up almost the entire frame. The second thing you notice is the head of the general laying in the lower left hand corner. Due to the shadows, you can only see his head and face. The final thing you see is a very dark black background. Due to the dark background, the viewer is able to focus on Judith inevitably, followed by the general due his position in the lower left corner.

Extra Post- Differences Between Agony & Ecstasy and Michelangelo

I viewed two movies about Michelangelo. One was Marlow's Michelangelo and the other was called Agony & Ecstasy. The two films were very different and the only similarities between them were that their subjects were Michelangelo and they discussed and portrayed his work. In my opinion, Agony & Ecstasy was way more informative and interesting than Marlow's Michelangelo. In Agony & Ecstasy, there was an actual story line of Michelangelo's life and his struggle to fulfill peoples' expectations that were placed upon him. In Marlow's Michelangelo, the audience had to listen to his accent, his own research and his OPINION on Michelangelo. In Agony & Ecstasy, I noted a major difference. It portrayed Michelangelo as painting the Sistine ceiling on his back, whereas Marlow's movie claimed that was a myth. Besides this important difference, I really enjoyed the bickering between Michelangelo and Pope Julius II. Pope Julius II would always we asking Michelangelo when the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel would be completed and all Michelangelo would say is,  "When I am finished." My favorite part was at the very end when Michelangelo had finished the ceiling and wanted to go back to Florence, and Pope Julius II told him he had to complete a painting in the front of the Sistine Chapel on a wall. You could just see the despair and anguish in Michelangelo's face as he dropped to his knee in the center of the Sistine Chapel. Overall, Marlow's Michelangelo was informative, but lacked interest. Agony & Ecstasy was both informative and interesting and made you actually want to learn more about Michelangelo. I also feel that the movie allowed me to formulate my own opinion on Michelangelo and his endeavors instead of just accepting Marlow's opinion.

Week 12- Make a Mess & Then Make Something From It

Picture 1 is the original mess. The following pictures are three difference images I was able to create from the original. I am going to discuss the final image.

Craft: I used the iPad app Brushes and multiple layers to achieve the final product. I used different brushes, different brush strokes, and different brush sizes. At first, I tried to use almost fluorescent colors for the entire image over the black background, but then I added the red, white, and blue American flag over the entire composition.

Concept: It is a big mess with an angled American flag submerged into it.

Composition: First I changed the background from white to black. I used fluorescent colors in the different brushes and brush strokes to stand out against the solid black background. All of the different colors, strokes, and brushes on top of each other created the "messy effect." Lastly, I used pure white, fire engine red, and an almost navy blue with solid strokes to create the American flag and to add interest I turned it off center.

Week 5 (Film 1: The Renaissance)

1. Who is Timothy Marlow? Why should we believe his story?

 -Timothy Marlow is a British narrator and historian. He studied Michelangelo and his works of art. We should believe his story because he has put years of research into who Michelangelo was and each of his works of art. 

2. Which painting do you like most by Michelangelo's why? How was it made? What do you see first, second, third? Why? What is this painting about?

- My favorite painting is of the Sistine Chapel. I am a sucker for churches because I love weddings, so I enjoy looking at their architecture and features.  The Sistine was my favorite painting because it shows the nine scenes in Genesis from chapter one. I originally thought it was Michelangelo alone who painted it on his back. After watching the video, I realized how unlikely this was. It took multiple people. This favorite part of this painting is its portrayal of God as a muscular Greek hero. It is a fresco painting. The first thing I notice is God and his portrayal as a Greek hero. I see this first because of his white cloak. The second thing I notice is the man he is reaching out to (Adam) because of his position in the painting. The final thing I notice is the finger of God almost touching Adam's finger. This is because it is small and you really need to focus to see it. 

A new question to ask would be what your favorite sculpture & why.

Week 6-Self Portrait

Craft: I used the iPad app Brushes, the iPad camera, and a spotlight to create this image. I used different hues of green and multiple layers to bring out the lights and darks of the picture. I started with the left side of my face and then worked my way into the right side and then into my hair and finally, my shirt. I used different angles of brush strokes, different hues, and a black background to bring out the entire drawing.

Concept: This is an image of myself in which I tried to showcase shadow & light photography on a human instead of an object. 

Composition:  The first thing I want my audience to see is the light part of my face. This is why I used the lightest hue of green there and spent a lot of time on the eye to help focus my audience on it. The second thing I want my audience to see is the darker side of my face. I accomplished this my gradually fading my hue of green from light green to dark green. This helps carry my audiences' eyes across the picture. The final thing I want my audience to see is the black background. I covered the entire image with it and it is what helps to frame the image of myself in the center of the picture.

Week 4- Tracing

Craft: This image was made on an iPad using the app Brushes. I needed to use multiple layers to achieve my final product. I also used different hues of blue in order to get the shadowing just right. I started with the cup and then worked my way into the shadow and then the background. I used different angles of brush strokes, different hues, and a black background to bring out the entire drawing.

Concept: It is a Starbucks coffee mug on a table. I drew this as a way to show how to effectively use the shadow technique we learned in class.

Composition: What I want people to see first is the coffee mug itself. This is why I left the logo out of the front of the cup and let the space remain black. It is one of the darkest parts of my drawing and the eye is drawn to it. Also, the lines are going in all different directions which carry the eye along the grooves of the mug. The second thing I want people to see is the shadow of the coffee mug. It is the second darkest part of my drawing, and I feel that it's irregular shape and the fact that it takes up about half of the picture are exactly why people will see it after the coffee mug. The final thing I want people to see is the background (the table). It is all basically one hue of blue and the lines are all in the same direction.

^above is unfinished but I still posted it

Week 2-Line Drawing

I am going to discuss the first picture from this week's class. I will describe it's craft, concept, and composition.

Craft- My picture was made using an iPod app called Brushes. I used my index finger to create the image. I used different variations of hue and line thickness and overlapped many of my lines. I went from a light pink hue to a medium pink hue and then finished the tree in the background off with a dark pink. I started the street lamp with a light grey, then used a medium grey, and then went to black to finish it off.

Concept- My image is of a tree and a street lamp. I sketched these two objects in order to apply different line concepts and variations to them (in nature).

Composition- I want my audience to see the black street lamp first, and then the pink tree in the background, and lastly all of the random black thin lines behind the tree. In order to make this happen I put the lamp close to the center of the page and used black thick lines to make it stand out. I used a dark pink for the tree and started the trunk on the bottom left side of the page and carried the branches over to the upper right corner to bring the eyes across the page. Lastly, the lines in the background are very thin, black lines that are all different shapes, therefore making it difficult to focus on only one section and basically being the very last thing the audience will see in the image.