State Farm Commercial video #2

I was slightly suprised by this behind the scenes video. It definitely proved my theory that it might have been staged wrong. The kids who they showed seemed very genuine. I was even more confirmed when I saw that Spike Lee was one of the directors of the commercials. Spike Lee does many true life documentaries and usually direct things that have an overall positive or informative message much like this video. I thought it was very heartfelt when they showed the firefighters behind the scenes also because they are the true heroes and to know they get a thanks like this is a great feeling.

State Farm Commercial video #1

This commercial made me feel very joyful that a group of New York student would come together to put a smile on the face of some of the most amazing heroes America has ever seen. It seemed a bit iffy however if this commercial was actually real because afterall it is still an Ad for one of the leading companies in insurance. Companies will do anything to gain new customers and I think that might even include using a group of 10 year olds to stage a "sentimental" moment.

Miller Gallery Visit

This piece was done by Diane Miller and I think it was one of the best at drawing emotion from the viewer. On the recent anniversary of 9/11 I woke up at 9am and turned the T.V on see nothing but tributes to the terrible event. Im not normally an emotional person however when it comes to 9/11 something is struck that makes me overcome with sadness. This picture depicts exactly what makes me grieve for the people who died that day. The red hands are a good use of emphasis to show the helplessness of the people stuck in the towers. Not only does it symbolize the helplesness but is also a literall interpretation of the people who were physically reaching and climbing out for any sign of help because even though they may fall, staying in was iminent death. There principle of shape was used in the depiction of the twin towers. I find it amazing how the simplicity of this piece can inflict such strong emotions.

[Mass Culture]... it thus destroys all values, since value judgements imply discrimination. Mass Culture is very, very democratic: it absolutely refuses to discriminate against, or between, anything or anybody.

I find this qoute to be very true however i do not agree with the negative connotation that is put behind it. With high culture people who are not as educated can not enjoy or understand the same cultural art as the more educated. I think this in fact is more discriminatory than mass culture could ever be because with mass culture people can all enjoy a bit of their culture without having to feel dumb for not being "cultured". In the assigned reading the authors expressed how the attention span for our culture is becoming smaller and smaller. We make movies but never keep to one scene for more than 45 seconds. This is true however with smaller scenes there is more content we have to digest which i think makes us have to think just as hard.

Homogenized Culture

In my opinion we truly are working towards one homgenized culture. As a whole we are slowly placing less cultural value on high class art. If a young person today had to choose between owning world famous painting (that they can not resell for money) or a brand new Iphone 5, the choice would be almost hands down the Iphone 5. However in some peoples opinion the Iphone itself is a piece of art. The Iphone is always unique in comparison to other phones and is the epitomy of pop culture and style. This can be related to the discussion of mass culture vs. high culture. In the past artwork was valued by its individuality. If a person bought a painting that noone else in the world had it was valued highly. In todays culture to have your possesions valued highly they must conform or fit within the few popular categories of that item. People no longer go to the art museum to see what is modern or in style. We now resort to the mall for confirmation of the latest trend. At the mall we dont have to search for what we want. It is practically kicking us in the face when we walk in. Ads and sale people bombard us with the latest scent, style, and electronic. If we dont give in to this then we are viewed by our peers as weird or out of date. I can not claim to be one who refuses these things because as a youngperson who is in the middle of the rise of mass media, I also give into the ease of mass media. Everything is right at our finger tips, why should we have to study or digest the world around us when our phones are so much better at it?

3 Elements of art

COLOR

This painting by Gin De Gorma displays the element of color. By using three vibrant colors he was able to convey the beauty of a sunset on the horizon. What makes this sunset so particularly beautiful to me is the peircing red used against the calm blue with the indistinct formation of orange in the middle. All three colors run together in certain places in the painting giving the view of an a beuatiful sunset from a distance.
SHAPE

"Cinquenta Tigre Real" by Salvador Dali uses shapes as building blocks to create the image of a tiger within the painting. Dali uses squares and triangles in such a way that the center of the painting almost looks 3 dimensional. I really like this effect because i think it took alot of skill to create this.
VALUE

I like this painting because when you look at it you almost feel as if you are actually looking down upon a can of pop not looking at a painting. Jose Luis Quinones did a great job giving his painting "Real Pop Art" value. The view of this pop can is very real and seems 3 dimensional due to the subtle reflection and shadowing upon the metal.

3 Principles of art

MOTION

This painting done by Nhon Nguyen is in my opinion a very good example of movement in artwork. The way the boy in the picture is positioned gives him the illusion that he is flying through the air. Even though there is no sign of a skateboard, the fluid motin expressed in his posture gives the assumption that he is in the middle of doing a trick.


UNITY

I have always like MC Esher because his paintings always have a way of making the viewer somewhat perplexed as to where the picture begins and where it ends. I think this creative painting shows the endless circle of human life. Life begins and ends with a woman and a man. Hes showing the union of man and woman as an eternal bond. The small spheres around them always seem to me to be the small burdens that people will encounter in their lives but as long as they rely on each other for support it will all be ok (which seems most evident by the content smiles on their faces.)

BALANCE

Leonid Afremov displays balance very well in this painting of a clearing through a forest. The even pattern of trees and bright sun like colors gives the forest a very inviting and pleasant feel. Not only is there balance in the pattern but the color palette is very complimentary to the painting as a whole providing a balanced view from the human perspective.

What dictates its value?

All art value is determined not by the artist themselves but by the admirers of the art itself. It is the public eye that gauges how truly amazing a work of art is. It is also the public that determines its overall worth. If an art collecter comes to chihuly ands wants to purchase one of his pieces it is basically up to them how much they are willing to bid. If the art collector is willing to pay 200,000 dollars for just one piece then from then on it is known that chihuly art cost hundreds of thousands to purchase. For a up and coming artist, if noone is willing to purchase their art then it is known that their art is worth almost nothing.

Why is it valuable?

This work of art is valuable because the skill, time, and effort it takes for him to create these massive works of blown glass. They are extremely intricate and catch the eye of everyone around. Not many people can do what Chihuly does with glass because it is such a fragile and tempermental medium. I also like to create 3-dimensional art but it pales extremely in comparison to the beauty of Chihuly's work.

My idea of a valuable piece of art.

Ever since I was a kid I have been in love with the beautiful art of Chihuly. This is my idea of a priceless work of art. This type of art can be found at the Franklin Park Conservatory near downtown Ohio. I remember traveling to the conservatory with my class and being excited to once again see the vibrant Chihuly display.

Do shocking images lead to positive or negative social outcomes?

I think that shocking images can have both a positive and negative influence on society. Shocking images can be positive when trying to promote a good cause such as aid to the areas in disaster and the ASPCA. Organizations such as these use guilt to influence people to give money to their cause. They show images of people and animals that are weak, hungry, living in squalor, and often crying to bring people who are well fed sitting in their warm homes to come out of their comfort zone and give money they may not have otherwise given. On the other hand I think videogames, television, and, magazines can have negative images portrayed onto people. Games such as Grand Theft Auto show violent, gory, and sexual images that would even be racy for a rated R movie. Children often get ahold of these games and see things that are not age appropriate for them. There has even been talk that violent images in these games causes kids to be even more violent to one another. Just recently a young ten year old girl was featured in vogue magazine posing in very sexual and adult ways. These images have surprised many people and outraged many parents claiming that vogue has taken it too far. I also agree that these images (however eye catching) are very inappropriate. This can only give young girls the wrong idea of beauty. From seeing these photos other ten year olds will believe that this is how a normal girl is supposed to look and that their image isn't "perfect" enough.