Shama Lakhani's Museum Visit

I visited the Dallas Museum of Art and analyzed the painting Eastport, and Passamaquoddy Bay by Thomas Chambers. This painting is an illustration of the town of Eastport, Maine, and Passamaquoddy Bay, which divides the United States and Canada. In order to better understand the painting we must first know a little more about the artist. “Like many early American artists, Chambers drew inspiration from etchings, engravings and lithographs of American scenery,” and combined it with his passion of realism to produce his masterful works. Chambers makes use of linear perspective in Eastport, and Passamaquoddy Bay as we can see the implied banks of the river converge towards the bottom left of the piece, even though the view is somewhat hindered by the bushes near the front. There is also a vanishing point towards the middle right side as the mountains fade to blue in the background and the invisible parallel lines formed by the tops of the mountains also converge. Chambers uses thin lines but gives defined outlines to the objects in the foreground of the painting to convey the realism he aims to achieve. The convergence of the implied lines forming the river banks with the fading blue mountains on the right produce a left to right movement when viewing the painting. The invisible lines created by the mountain range and the river emphasize direction by moving the viewer from a narrow and cramped foreground to a vastly open background that seems to go on for miles. His use of lines to produce this movement down the river has an effect of taking the viewer on a short ride into the distance towards the open mountains under a clear blue sky with white fluffy clouds. In contrast the buildings in the distance are enveloped in white with much softer lines and less defined outlines. This progression from clearly outlined and defined to less defined and wispy shapes communicates the thought of starting a journey in firm reality and moving down a dreamy river towards the unknown. Carefree clouds, beautiful mountains, and blue water just take the viewer to a more serene place, away from the reality of the beginning. The shapes are two dimensional but the use of the sky as a light source allows Chambers to create shadows giving the foreground plenty of depth and realism. Again as we move from the foreground through the middle ground to the background we see the shadows being less emphasized and the colors tend to thereby be brighter with less depth in the shapes. The natural light creates true to life shadows and crisp reflections in the clear waters of the Passamaquoddy Bay. The light from the sky also plays on the hills as we see some sides shrouded in shadow while the others are bright green. The blue of the sky and the middle ground water acts as the dominant and unifying factor for the painting. The calming blue truly creates the serene sense in the scene that Chambers desires. The sky, the mountains, and the water all swirling into a single color but the different shades keep them completely separate from one another. Chambers was truly able to capture the “oneness” of nature by repeating the use of the color blue, but at the same time defines them as completely different entities by using its different shades. Eastport, and Passamaquoddy Bay is oil on canvas, which is the most appropriate medium to achieve the effect that Chambers intended to achieve. Oil paints produce bright and luminous colors, which are perfect for the scene of Passamaquoddy Bay. The bright colors also help balance the interplay of light and shadow in the piece and can capture the vibrant array of colors in nature as they are easily mixed on the canvas. There is quite a bit of white that gets mixed in the background and to produce the soft progression the oil paints’ quality to mix helped Chambers capture the exact effect. Also, since oil pants don’t dry too quickly they would allow the painter to work on a piece over several weeks without fear of drying, but that is a double edged sword as slow drying can also hinder progress onto the next phase of the piece. All in all, the soothing scene of Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay is a work of art to truly experience. It takes the viewer on a journey from a humble shoreline to a misty and unknown beyond with other sailboats to dispel the loneliness and endless rolling hills under a blue sky with fluffy white clouds.

Shabaz Khimani's Museum Visit

I visited the Arlington Museum of Arts, and encountered great pieces of art that were created by artist in local Arlington. There were many captivating pieces there, but one caught my eye, “Changing World” by, Oregie Navero. The vibrant colors was the first thing that blew me away, the way the Artist used a great mixture of warm and cold colors to create a illusion of a changing world. One the part of this painting that I fell in love with is the use of lines to create a pleasant flow in the painting. The artist does a great job of using the characters eyes to show a vertical upward movement, as if the character is staring out to the tops of large skyscrapers. I believe this brings upon a meaning of the painting. I used the word skyscrapers instead of buildings because the artist once again uses lines to emphasize the heights of the skyscrapers surrounding the character. The winds like lines also help bring on a perception of tall standing buildings. I also liked the way the artist used the checkered box illusion to make the skyscraper seem even taller. The checkered boxes also create a subtle rhythm throughout the painting, which seems to really bring the painting together. The face on the character seems to reflect the idea to tall skyscrapers, as she has a worried / concerned facial expression glowing out of the dark background placed behind her. It seemed like the artist was trying to show the character coming out of a dark place into a new colorful, but overwhelming world. I believe the dark space behind the character represents a form of hiding or a cloud of the knowing. This is where the title comes in. I believe that the artist was trying to show the character’s first view of the “new world” as a little kid would when first leaving the home and entering the large city. This is shown with the straight clear eyes and the relaxed facial muscles of the character, and her tense shoulders. In the painting, the artist sticks a pair of lips on one of the skyscrapers. These lips, to me, seemed to have been place there at random, and after trying to understand the placement of these lips, I was unable to understand the meaning and the purpose of this shape. The artist seems to try to use all the space he can in this painting. The only place where there is a break in the action of intensive colors is where there is break between the skyscrapers. Here the gray sky seems to still show as a strong white sky coming from behind the skyscrapers. I believe is gives the viewer’s eyes a quick break as the colors seem to get brighter as closer to the top your eyes go. This painting is asymmetrically balanced, as there is more action happening near the bottom left corner, and the changing of the colors, from the dark and black color to the lighter and livelier colors towards the top. The last thing that I liked was the way the artist used two different styles of painting. On the character, the artist used a choppier, almost blot like style. I believe that helped show the expression on her face. Then the rest of the painting was done in a smoother and wind like style which I believe helped emphasis the heights of the skyscrapers. Overall, I believe the artist did a great job on including many different meanings and styles to express on single thought of a,”Changing World”.

Carolyn Lathan's Museum Visit

I visited the Arlington Museum of Art and after walking through the gallery and viewing all the paintings; I focused on and selected a painting by Carol A. Simmons called “Hope”. Hope, mosaic # 6, is from her Abstract Collection and was one of my favorite paintings in the gallery. Carol A. Simmons is a local artist who lives in the area. She uses several mediums for painting, but for her Abstract selection, she used acrylics. Acrylic is fast -drying and when diluted with water it becomes water-resistant as it dries. I would guess that this painting looks as it did when she originally painted it. It appeared to be vivid in color and not dull at all. I’m not sure how long it has been displayed in the museum, but it really looked well preserved. The artist used curved lines to outline the females face, head, and shoulders. Horizontal and vertical lines were used as well to put emphasis on the background of the painting. As far as shape, the lines and dimensions in her face shows to be strong and proud. The light used in the painting, in my opinion is implied through an artificial source. The shadows and lighting created in this painting are done with the use of color.
The colors Ms. Simmons used in the foreground were primarily black and turquoise with yellow, brown, and orange to accent specific features of the face. In the background, the artist used warm colors such as, rust, green, and light and dark shades of orange. The actual texture in this painting is smooth, but the implied texture is rough like a brick wall. I imagine the female is in this painting is focusing on something beautiful or comforting. She has this smile that is mesmerizing and whatever she is focusing on is definitely bringing her peace and joy. The background is of a brick wall but the colors Ms. Simmons used in the foreground of the painting make you focus on the lady and not the dreary old brick wall in the background. The colors she used really accent each other and I don’t think you would find them on the same color wheel. The repetitious element used in the painting is the use of a mosaic pattern throughout the painting. Mosaic is an art form, which involves fitting small pieces of rock, shell, tile, or glass together to create a pattern, which may be abstract or representational. I also think the mosaic pattern is the focal point of the painting. It brings a certain quality to the painting that is mesmerizing and draws the viewer’s eyes to the outline and detailed features of the females face. Because Ms. Simmons used acrylic, she had to be very careful with her strokes because acrylic is fast-drying and not forgiving at all. It is very durable, so the painting should last forever. Once it dries, it becomes water resistance and this leaves little room for error. The mosaic patterns make the painting appear shiny and not flat. I think this is a beautiful painting that was painting with meticulous hands.

Heather Kilgore's Museum Visit

While attending the Kimbell Art Museum, located in Ft. Worth, TX in the Cultural District, I was overwhelmed by the culture and beauty around me. I walked through the several galleries taking in all the paintings and sculptures, while trying to apply all of my newly acquired art knowledge I’ve attained this semester. After walking through all the galleries and viewing great masterpieces, including Michelangelo’s first painting, The Torment of Saint Anthony, I chose to focus of French painter Nicolas Poussin’s painting Venus and Adonis, which was painted in 1628.
The painting is based off the mythological story of Venus and Adonis, from which have inspired numerous paintings, sculptures, and poems over the centuries. This is just Nicolas Poussin’s interpretation.
What first attracted my eye to the painting were the bright colors that contrasted with strong shadows. Both the upper right-hand and left-hand corners of the painting are in shadow, which form a triangular shape within the center of the painting that is emphasized even more by the triangular shape of Venus’ raised leg. Venus was the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality, so it is fitting that the curves of her nude body are the major focus of the painting. A sense of asymmetrical balance is also established as each of the figures is grouped into pairs; Adonis and Venus, the cherubs, and even the doves and swans, which forms harmony to the viewer’s eye. Within these groupings, more triangular shapes can be seen within the two cherubs and the dog, creating an inverted triangle, the two cherubs on top of the gold chariot form a long sideways triangle with the figures in the dark clouds, and Venus and the two cherubs below her body to create the final triangle. In this way, Poussin is using implied lines to create geometric shapes which also add to the overall balance of the painting.
The lines used form a soft sensuality as the eye travels diagonally up Venus’ body towards Adonis. Perhaps Poussin chose to leave the whole of Adonis and Venus’ embrace and gaze of Adonis in shadow to allude to the tragedy of their love, as Adonis is soon killed by the very wild animals Venus warned him against hunting, according to the myth. The edges of the lines are soft and well blended into their surroundings which also help create an overall romantic feeling within the painting.
The colors primarily used in this painting are rich and intense shades of red and gold, which compose the central triangular shape of the painting that is most in the light. Therefore, the artist uses analogous colors, as shades of red, orange and yellow are next to one another on the color wheel, and this creates a warm and regal feeling to the viewer. The artist makes these colors stand out even more by once again, contrasting them with varying shades of gray and dark gold used to create the shadow effect. I feel the painting is rich in objects, whether it is nature or figure, to completely fill the canvas and space within the painting.
Overall, I feel Poussin’s work is a beautiful interpretation and depiction of the story of Venus and Adonis and utilizes the formal elements of art very well.

Justin Lander's Museum Visit

On Saturday the 23rd of October, I visited the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. I originally went to this museum for the Leonardo Di Vinci: Hand of the Genius exhibit but decided to take a look at the other exhibits as well. When viewing the other exhibits, one painting in particular caught my eye. The painting was called Alma Sewing by Francis Criss (1901-1973). After doing a little research I discovered that the artist was part of a cubist realism movement also known as “precisionism” that reached its height in popularity during the era between World War I and World War II. Many of these artists portray themes of industrialism as well as labor throughout their works.
Alma Sewing is an oil painting on canvas of an African American woman sewing on a sewing machine. I would describe this painting’s style as realism, however, the light bulb above the model features a self-portrait of the artist in a completely different setting. This seemed to be a very interesting combination of the two themes: both realism, captured in the portrayal of the model and her setting, and abstraction, shown by the artist’s self-portrait. The realism grabbed my attention while the abstraction kept me standing in front of the painting, asking myself what the artist was attempting to communicate by painting himself into the scene.
The artist’s layout of space directs the viewers gaze directly to a triangle created by the face of the woman down through her gaze toward the sewing machine, then back to her hands which guide the cloth through the machine. Through this triangle, the artist expresses to the viewer that the mind is directing the action and the hands are being used to manipulate a tool. It is also very important to call attention to the way in which Alma is presented in this painting.
First, the sweatshop scene is what might come to mind when thinking about a woman sewing, but Criss chooses instead to present Alma as a tailor of much higher standing than that of a textile worker. Alma, an African American tailor, is depicted in her room dressed cleanly and surrounded by her many tools of the trade. I was also surprised to learn that this painting was made around 1935. Alma is an African American woman and Criss chooses to paint her in a way that might have contradicted many people’s ideas of African Americans at that time. This was decades before the civil rights movement started, and in some parts of this country African Americans were still being lynched.
The color that stands out most to the viewer is the deep red that makes up Alma’s shirt. The same color red appears again on the far left side of the painting and adds some balance to an asymmetrical layout of the scene. Behind Alma is a blue curtain that sets the background as a contrast to her dark skin and brilliantly brings out her features.
Alma Sewing by Francis Criss was a brilliant combination of realism and abstraction. It called out for me to think about what the artist was trying to say by painting a skilled tailor with the artist’s self-portrait included. After a little research on the rest of Criss’ work, I came to the conclusion that Alma Sewing was by far the best painting of his career. I believe there was a strong possibility that the artist knew this as well and improvised himself into this painting in an attempt to immortalize himself.

Paragone Discussion: Painting vs. Sculpting

On Thursday, October 15, 2009, our group participated in a Renaissance style Paragone, in which we discussed the merits of painting vs. sculpting via the 21st Century as we all met in the virtual world instead of a grand coliseum as the great Leonardo da Vinci had done.
In doing so, our group came to some interesting conclusions about Leonardo’s Paragone. Leonardo began his discussion by claiming that painting and sculpting have no difference between them except how the artist executes the work; that the sculptor is more physical and the painter is more intellectual. Leonardo soon made it very clear that in his opinion, painting and the painter was far superior to sculpting and the sculptor.
Our group came to immediate agreement that Leonardo is very arrogant in delivering his argument. However, he delivered his message well and used language to “paint” strong imagery regarding his idea of a painter being very refined and almost regal, while a sculptor was a brute merely living in dirt. And so our group discussed if one art was really superior to the other, as Leonardo so strongly seemed to think. Based on our recent “Standing in the Shoes” assignment, all of us had recently tried either sculpting or painting and we came to the conclusion that the two arts really aren’t comparable merely because the artist must approach them completely differently. For example, and as Leonardo pointed out in his Paragone, if a sculptor “takes too much off” of his material, they aren’t able to simply add to it with paint and color as a painter can in an attempt to correct the mistake. Instead, they will have to completely start over, or deal with an art piece with imperfections. For those of us in the group who did the Michelangelo project: myself (Heather), Carolyn and Shabaz, we all faced this issue when trying to “sculpt” our bars of soap and had to start over a few times. In that sense, we all thought that sculpting was more difficult than painting and just required more planning in general. However, as our painters Shama and Justin pointed out, with painting there is more room for mistakes to occur, so more creative flow can be experienced. So in the end, our group agreed that the thought processes between the two arts that the artist must take is completely different. And as our group member, Justin, pointed out, he thinks architecture is really the most influential art because all cultures need a form of shelter, and therefore, the style and function of their buildings says a lot about a certain society. How fitting for the Frank Lloyd Wright group!
When concluding our discussion, each group member quickly stated their opinion on whether or not a Paragone was useful. We were not able to reach a consensus on this issue, as some of us thought yes, and some of us thought no. I personally said that paragones were useful just because they got an individual thinking and discussing topics they would not normally think and talk about. In the end, we feel that our group’s own personal Renaissance Paragone was quite a success.

Standing in the shoes of Michelangelo by: Shabaz Khimani

I attempted to step into the shoes of Michelangelo, with the key word being “attempted”. My experience in trying to carve a simple bar of soap into a whale was eye opening. From my utter and complete failure to create a carving of a simple whale, I gained a new found appreciation for the great carving of Michelangelo. I used the subtractive method try to create the impression of a whale. This technique requires you to continuously peck at the entire mass of the soap (marble) until the body comes to shape. I could not decide on how to start to cut my soap up. I started by getting a sharp pencil and traced a cut out of a whale. I use the pencil to carve a half of a centimeter deep cut into the soap. With the tracing in place, I use a spreading knife to cut and try to round the entire body mass. This type of project took much time to create, as patience is a main tool to create great sculptures. Michelangelo must have had the temperance of a 1000 armies to be able to sculpt life-size sculptures. In conclusion, I was able to create a unique whale, and experienced the feelings of being in the shoes of Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Standing in the shoes by: Justin Lander

Atmospheric/areal perspective is shown by the buildings near thevanishing point that are hardly visible. The trash can that is locatedin the right side of the street in the foreground and in the distance iswhat shows scale. The vanish point is at the continuation of the linesthat represent the street.

Standing in the Shoes of Michelangelo by: Heather Kilgore

Before: Bar of Soap representing a block of marble.

After: A canoe and oars carved using the Subtractive Method.

I chose to experience a glimpse into the great Michelangelo Buonarroti’s world by “sculpting” a bar of soap into a canoe and oars using the subtractive method. This technique whittles away an original mass (in this case, a bar of soap) to create a shape, rather than molding the shape, or adding onto the shape. When I first sat down to “carve” my “marble,” I was very perplexed as to how to begin and what to make. I set about using a large kitchen knife, and then realized that a smaller knife offered a lot more control and allowed for greater details to be created. Luckily, I prepared for this and bought several bars of soap. I started over with a smaller knife and immediately had better results. I used the knife to “shave away” thin strips on the soap in order to achieve the desired shape, much like whittlers do with a piece of wood. This was definitely an interesting experience, and showcases the extreme talent/patience Michelangelo possessed in creating masterpieces out of a solid block of stone. I have much respect for his ability and what he was able to do. In the meantime, I think I’ll stick to using soap to clean things rather than attempting to create art.

Standing in the shoes of Michelangelo by: Carolyn D. Lathan

I attempted to stand in the shoes of Michelangelo and what big shoes to fill. I have so much respect for this talented sculptor. I attempted to sculpt a cross out of soap. I used a bar of Ivory soap, a small flat head screwdriver, and hammer. First, I carved an outline of a cross in the soap and then I used the flat head screwdriver to chisel away at the soap until I could see the shape of a cross. The soap was very fragile, so I was very careful not to crush the soap during the chisel process. Once the soap took shape of a cross, I took my time to make sure the edges were even, by shaving the edges until they were rounded at every angle. I must say this was not easy for me, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It was very soothing and relaxing. I was so caught up in the process that I forgot about the stress in my life.

Candle in the Night by Shama Lakhani

This drawing is named Candle in the Night, and it depicts someone looking out of a window trying to illuminate the night by a candle inside. The foreground and the background are separated by the window in the center of the drawing, which produces the distinction between the inside and outside environment. The size of the mountains in the background in relation to the candle also serves to punctuate the distinction between the foreground and the background. The crescent moon in the far left serves as the vanishing point with its blue hue and hazy purple creating the effect of it being very distant. The crescent moon is directly left of the candle which produces the movement needed for the viewer to look from one end to the other into the vanishing distance. To further enhance the perspective through scale, the grass is shown as tall and more defined up against the window; whereas, the grass in the distant is more of a blur rippling in the wind.