Artist Reflections

Leonardo Da Vinci Vitruvian Man Reflection:

I think that the Vitruvian Man should be loaned to the Louvre. Maybe there is some cultural conflict Italia Nostra has with transporting the painting, but I believe that paintings are drawn for the eye to see, not for privacy of one's culture or country. In addition, court ruling says there is not enough evidence to demonstrate that transporting the painting will harm the condition of the Vitruvian Man. Therefore, I agree that Vitruvian Man should be transported to the Louvre for a blockbuster so that people can see the painting.

Hyman Bloom Reflection Questions:

• Yes, people can make a "horrifyingly beautiful painting". It just takes dedication and effort into the idea and expression.
• Even I can make a horrifyingly beautiful painting, as any human can.
• I would describe a horrifyingly beautiful painting as either a horrific idea expressed in a beautiful manner, such as the different techniques that go into the painting, or a beautiful idea that is expressed horribly, although I feel that would just be a mess. Either way, main concept is to have opposing characteristics in a painting.
• A medium that I would personally like to get better at is old fashion painting, no water colors, etc. I think that the entire technique of utilizing the randomness of brushes to combine colors and create different designs is cool. As for tools, I would use a variety of paint brushes and some sort of thin object to draw thin concrete lines into the paint to make interesting designs. For themes I would probably go with a supernatural theme, such as aspects in the painting that are entirely made up and non-existent in real life (Some inspiration from art in music videos like SuicideSheeep or Port Robinson's "Shelter" music video. They both bring an aspect of supernaturality to the table, and it interests me).

Waltham Mills Artist Reflection:

From the artists I saw on the Waltham Mills Open Studio website, I really appreciated two of the artists the most and disliked two artists.

The two artists I liked were Ann Miller and Lucia DeLeiris. Ann Miller's art revolves around using ink, but the way the ink portrays the art looks very clean, where some places of her pieces are one solid and consistent dark color and others are just completely clear, which I think personally appeals me. The ink also manages to look uncontrolled but yet still clean, where the image is unpredictable as to what it is trying to portray, but yet Miller has built off of that unpredictableness and worked upon it to create an image, which I think is cool. Lucia DeLeiris' art is reflective of me. DeLeiris tries to portray what is being observed, how accurate it is to what people might also see, and for me I think I am more of an "accuracy" kind of person as opposed to a "creative" person who can just come up with random ideas and objects. I do sometimes think about bringing together different objects to portray an image or an idea, but creative people would just go beyond that and just make an image that isn't supposed to resemble anything in particular, and sometimes I don't get the message trying to be portrayed. However, for DeLeiris I know what she is drawing and she manages to portray the art in an accurate and colorful manner.

For the artists I don't like, I mainly dislike them because the art just doesn't seem complex or detailed, as if the work and effort needed to make such art seems very low. For example, Andrew Spencer is an artists who focuses on woodcrafting. However, the art that is displayed on the website are just wooden tables and benches, all of which I don't find to be quite as artistic as the other artists. I feel that the tables and benches by Spencer don't offer as much detail or art as the others. Although it might have taken Spencer a very long time to make the tables and benches, I just don't appreciate the outcome from hours of work, where it looks like I could have done Spencer's art within an hour if I just had wood and an instructions manual. I also didn't seem to like Cathleen Daley's work. From the display, they were just mainly gray blobs of different shades all over the place. The blobs aren't fully colored in, and they just don't seem to be creating an interesting image. It seems lazy, as if someone took their dirty paint tray and tried to replicate it on a canvas; I just don't see anything with her paintings, nor the messages trying to be conveyed.

Highlights of Andrew Myers Reflection:

• Artists, such as Andrew Myers, created artwork out of nails so that instead of looking and admiring the painting, blind people could use their other senses, for instance one being touch, and admire work from that sense. Enriching a person's quality of life depends on the person, like Andrew Myers giving the blind person a new perspective on art and a way for him to appreciate it, but there can be many other ways to enrich a person's life, such as maybe using smell instead of touch. In another sense, Music is art for the same reason; music can be heard and enjoyed by everybody, and can set the tone/mood for them during their day.
• Empathy art, to me, is art that is made especially for someone else, whether they would have a disability or not. What matters is sharing that connection the artist has toward his/her piece, and being able to express that same emotion to others is what I consider to be empathy.
• As stated before in the first question, creating a piece that incorporates smell would be an interesting piece to create. Although it would not really provide much for those with various challenges, it is at least a new perspective on art. Music is the same case, the composition of a song or a piece that provides a story to the audience through dramatic moments and chords. In addition, there is also improvising Myers's idea, substituting nails for another object for the purpose of empathy towards those who can't enjoy art as simply as others.

Native American Street Artists Reflection:

• For those Native American Artists, like Fragua for instance, Native American culture means a lot to them personally, as with anybody and their respective culture. In history, the US and the Indians have a complicated past, and as such their relationship can be considered to be parasitic, how the settlers leeched off of their land and encroached on their territory when they weren't even the ones who settled the continent first. In the instance with Fragua, he made a stand for his culture to be respected among the US population, which has since then continued to leech Native land and put the Native Americans in the slums. By transforming the landscape and the environment of these slums, Fragua has put the Native American population out in the open, and has supported them by making his stand through transforming the Indian Alley into a better place, to better represent the Native American population. In addition, with Honoring the Treaties Fragua had once again made a stand for the Native population by giving insight into the Apache tribes culture from his artwork, "Save Oak Flat", which was a message of protest to those who would destroy the Apache land for their own purposes.
• As for what I could do in the community, that concept can vary. I do have some thoughts and intentions of doing artwork that I have already envisioned, but I plan to do maybe when I am in art 3/4 and AP art. For example, I vision myself creating an art piece that would portray the situation with vaping, since that is still a prevalent problem today, and I know some people who still do it and have done worse. I want to do a piece where it can portray the evils of that concept, and persuade people to realize the bigger picture. That being said, I know that many people will ignore that idea, and some may hate my piece, but at least I would have left my mark.