Jennifer Allora And Guillermo Calzadilla-Charcoal Dance Floor

Jennifer Allora was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1974. Guillermo Calzadilla was born in 1971 in Havana, Cuba. Collaborating since 1995, Allora & Calzadilla approach visual art as a set of experiments that test whether ideas such as authorship, nationality, borders, and democracy adequately describe today’s increasingly global and consumerist society. Their hybridized works, often a unique mix of sculpture, photography, performance, sound and video, explore the physical and conceptual act of mark making and its survival through traces. By drawing historical, cultural, and political metaphors out of basic materials, Allora & Calzadilla’s works explore the complex associations between an object and its meaning.
The charcoal dance floor was created in February of 2003. It depicts a bunch of young club goers dancing. It was made on the floor of an art gallery and allowed for people to walk all over it and scuff it up. After a while, the artwork was all messed up and the drawing had disappeared.
I really like this piece of art. I think it tells a really cool story about a piece of art that the artist basically allowed to be ruined inside of an art gallery. I think these artists are 2 very unique ones, but have a knack for creating art that is appealing to its viewers


-O.D.

I really like the piece charcoal dance floor created in Feburary of 2003. It shows the artist didn't care about ruining a piece of their on artwork. Dancers alone scuff up and ruin the floor on which they are dancing so when people were allowed to walk on the piece they themselves were ruining the floor and the art. I think it is pretty courageous of the artist to let this happen to their work. I don't know if it was meant to be on purpose but I do find it very interesting that what they did was create such a unique floor with dancers and playfulness alike.

- Owen

Staten Island Museum and Philadelphia Museum of Art

Over Thanksgiving break I was able to attend an art exhibit near my home in Staten Island, New York. Even though I've lived in Staten Island for almost 20 years, I've never went to the museum once before a few weeks ago. After visiting the museum, it has opened my eyes to a lot of great art. Visiting the museum has also made me wish that I appreciated the museum more while I was home and went to see it more often. Such great art was available to see for basically my whole life right under my nose ! Nevertheless, I decided to attempt to make up for lost time as I explored the Staten Island Museum just a few weeks ago.
The origin of the art collections of the Staten Island Museum date from 1905 and cover a broad range of artistic styles and periods. Most of the objects, collected to promote the public's interest in historical and contemporary art, fall into two categories: those that reflect the history, people and culture of Staten Island and those that reflect broad world civilizations. 

-O.D.

Over Thanksgiving break I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia. It is a pretty well known Museum in PA, but I must say the Museum was a lot bigger then I expected. The Museum holds great works of art from Hemmingway, Abbot, Joyce, and even companies that create furniture, glass and various forms of installation art. My favorite piece at the Museum had to be the Horse and Man Armor. Its armor made from the 1500's for Duke Eulrich of Wurttemberg. It was my favorite piece because it was done so well and the armor completely covers both the man and horse. Its also interesting that the armor dates back to the 1500's. It is a great piece to the Museum.  The Museum had other great works and pieces also but bar far I was most impressed by the armor on my visit. 

- Owen 

Mark Lombardi- Global Networks

Mark Lombardi lived from 1951 to 2000. He was an American Neo-Conceptualist and abstract artist who specialized in drawings of uneven geography. He's an artist that does a lot of map-making in his works.
Lombardi called a lot of his works and diagrams "Narrative Structures". In his historical diagrams, each node or connection was drawn from news stories from reputable media organizations. His elaborate drawings chart the complex relationships behind some of the world's biggest and most complex scandals. Unfortunately, Lombardi committed suicide in 2000.

-O.D.


Lombardi is an interesting artist because his style was very different. Also the fact that he committed suicide shows that Lombardi may not have been all mentally there. Although he is known for his artwork. His "Narrative Structures" was truly historical for they were complex diagrams that outlined scandals. It is very different, and I don't know if I would really consider it a specific type of art. I'm not a critic but I still respect Lombardi for what he has achieved as artist for this time.

- Owen

Dave Hickey- "Custodians of Culture-- Schoolyard Art: Playing Fair Without the Referee"

Dave Hickey was born in 1939. He is an American art and cultural critic. He has written for many American publications including Rolling Stone, Art News, Art in America, Artforum, Harper's Magazine, and Vanity Fair. He is currently Professor of English at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and Distinguished Professor of Criticism for the MFA Program in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of New Mexico.

During his podcast, he compared selling art to a famous basketball player named Julius Erving. He said that Julius always played by the rules, even in the schoolyard, because of his great will and desire to be a professional basketball player one day. He urged artists and art sellers to do the same thing when it came to art, in order to preserve the integrity of all artworks. He said that even though their isn't a "referee", people should still play by the rules and do things the right way.

-O.D.

Whats interesting about Hickey is that he didn't care for the fame or fortune of art, but he cared about the quality and how it came across. His example of Erving being a professional who played by the rules is truly inspirational to all of us. Hickey's true love for art is so important to Hickey he wanted people to play by the rules meaning he wanted their to be morality in the art world especially with trading and buying art. Hickey is a great inspiration for all of us and if art is going to be preserved for its integrity we need to all listen and believe Hickey.  

- Owen

Andrea Zittel- Installation Artist

Andrea Zittel was born in California in 1965. She is an American sculptor and installation artist. She received a BFA in painting and sculpture in 1988 from San Diego State University, and an MFA in sculpture in 1990 from the Rhode Island School of Design. In her PBS video, Zittel talks about her mission as being an installation artist. Zittel’s sculptures and installations transform everything necessary for life—such as eating, sleeping, bathing, and socializing—into artful experiments in living. Influenced by modernist design and architecture from the early part of the twentieth century, the artist’s one-woman mock organization, “A–Z Administrative Services,” develops furniture, homes, and vehicles for contemporary consumers with a similar simplicity and attention to order. Seeking to attain a sense of freedom through structure, Zittel is more interested in revealing the human need for order than in prescribing a single unifying design principle or style.Her “A-Z Pocket Property,” a 44-ton floating fantasy island off the coast of Denmark commissioned by the Danish government, contrasts the extremes of a creative escape with the isolation that occurs when a person is removed from society. One of her specialties is her uncanny ability to alter and examine aspects of life that are for the most part taken for granted.


-O.D.

Zittel is an interesting artist because she created pieces that weren't only art but were ways of living. Her one piece the giant installation where a person could eat, sleep, bath, and doing everyday things was amazing. She revolutionized the way a person could live by having it all contained in one small compartment. She is very inspiring and very creative. The 44 ton floating island was truly amazing. It was mind blowing because it weighed 44 tons! That to me is simply amazing and the fact that it actually floated on the water was just a massive piece of art. Her contrast of the extremes is inspiring and very motivating for anyone trying to become an artist or someone who wants to deal with installation art. 

-Owen

Nicolas Bourriaud- How Art Reprograms the World

Nicolas Bouriaud is a French writer, art critic and curator who was born in 1965. He co-founded, and from 1999 to 2006 was co-director of, the "Palais de Tokyo, Paris" together with Jerôme Sans. He was also founder and director of the contemporary art magazine "Documents sur l'art", and correspondent in Paris for "Flash Art" from 1987 to 1995.

"How Art Reprograms the World" is a recent essay written by French writer and curator Nicolas Bourriaud. The author discusses how, since the early nineties, an ever increasing number of artworks have been created on the basis of preexisting works; more and more artists interpret, reproduce, re-exhibit, or use works made by others or available cultural products. This is one of most famous works, and obviously helped him gain the great amount of recognition by people all across the world.

-O.D.

"How Art Reprograms the World" is interesting because Bourriaud explains how art is being reproduced or created already by preexisting pieces. It's interesting because it implies just a full cycle of reproduction. Since the early nineties its been done and is working is actually revolutionizing the art industry. It's amazing because you wold think works of art being redone and refurbished would get old and out dated but they actually have caught on and Bourriaud has stumbled upon something actually quite extraordinary.

- Owen

Banksy-graffiti

Banksy is the name of a British graffiti artist, who identity is unknown. He combines irrelevant dark humor with graffiti done in stenciling. His artwork has been featured on streets, walls and bridges of cities throughout the world. His work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. According to Tristan Marco, Banksy was born in 1974 in Bristol, England. Banksy is known as one of the most famous graffiti artists of his time.

I really like Banksy's work a lot. I think its very creative and interesting. It makes you put things in a different light. I also like that many of his works are exhibited all around the world. It gives everyone a chance to take a look at his work. His work is done in great detail, which makes it that much more realistic.

-O.D.


When I first saw Banky's work, I liked it right away. I am a big fan of graffiti and I think Banksy is one of the best in our time. Not only is he a great artist, he's work has such great meaning and importance. Many of his works are done on regular buildings but are about war, peace, starvation, and even the oil problems the world is having. Not only is Banksy a graffiti artist he is a speaker to the world showing through his art that people and countries need to change. They all have deeper meaning then what they are actually shown. His work is really inspiring and the fact that his pieces are all around the world shows his work is doing more then just being graffiti on the wall.

- Owen

Gillian Wearing-I'm Desperate

Gillian Wearing was born in 1963 in Birmingham. She is an English conceptual artist. She moved to London to study art at the Chelsea School of Art and later went on to Goldsmiths College.
Gillian Wearing is known as a very private and shy person, but most of her works are about revealing to the public very intimate thoughts and feelings. She is also considered very enthusiastic. One of her most famous works is this picture which is known as "I'm desperate". A very well-mannered, well-dressed man is holding a sign that apparently indicates that he's desperate. This is strange because in my opinion, the man doesn't look too desperate. I like her work because she is very unique and different. It makes people have a different outlook on things, which is why she is considered a very good conceptual artist.

-O.D.


Wearing is such a good artist because her works contain greater meaning. Take "I'm desperate" as an example, Nothing from the photo seems desperate except of course the actual sign. Other then that nothing seems desperate. The man is clean, has a nice suit, isn't a bad neighborhood, and almost seems rich. But, we are are thrown off because he is holding a sign that implies he isn't rich, he's desperate. Her art is very moving and has an underlying theme that brings out a different reaction then what is being shown. "I'm desperate" does a very good job at this and that is why I think Wearing is such an outstanding artist.

- Owen

Damien Hirst- For the love of God

Damien Hirst was born on June 7 1965. He is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is internationally known, and is known as Britain's richest living artist. He focuses more on conceptual art, installation art, and painting. He become famous for his many excellent works with death often being his central theme.
In 2008 leading art critic Robert Hughes said Hirst was responsible for the decline in contemporary art. Hughes said Hirst's work was tacky and absurd in a 2008 TV documentary called The Mona Lisa Curse, made by Hughes in Britain.
I have to agree with Hughes on this one. I don't see how a work named "for the love of God" like this one is can be so ugly and scary. I think the words "tacky" and "absurd" fit this piece of art very well. I don't see how Hirst has gotten people to fall in love with artworks such as these, but then again I'm no art critic. In my opinion, I think anyone is capable of making an artwork such as this one.


-O.D.

Damien Hirst was given a lot of bad press for making his For Love of God skull. Most critics say he ruined art and that he was involved in the decline of contemporary art. The Mona Lisa Curse video we watched in class really showed how crazy the art world has really gone. But, I want to talk about this skull. To me as an art piece I find it very artistic and different. I'm not talking about its price or fashion. I'm talking about how he took a different medium (diamonds) and covered a canvas (skull ) with them. To me this was very different and a new style or art form. But on the money side of it I find it disgusting and unappealing. If this skull was made for money then its a shame. If it was made out of creativity and imagination then I can see how it is a form of art. Hirst was a creativity and an art killer at the same time.

- Owen

Judith Greer-art collector

Judith Greer is an American art collector who is originally from Seattle, Washington. Her, her husband Richard, and her three children constantly move around the world, searching for a comfortable place to settle down. They lived in Seattle, Tokyo, and now London, among other places. She loved Tokyo, but has grown to love London just as much.
What made her move to London an easier transition was her love for art. She became focused on making her home a "post modern mecca for art". She now has a very extensive collection of many different kinds of artworks. She also recently published her own art collectors guide book.
I think that Judith Greer is a very remarkable person. She was having trouble adjusting to London, but found piece within herself through the use of art. Judith Greer has changed her life through her new found love in art.

-O.D.

Judith Greer is a well renowned art collector. She loves art so much she has moved around from home to home in many different cities and countries all for her passion of art. Her art collectors guide book is really a well detailed book on the basics of art collecting. She is a big collector and realized that she wanted to help other collectors too by making a guide book. I feel this is very generous of Greer. Greer could have been selfish with her collection but instead she decided to help other collectors like herself doing the thing she loves most. The thing she loves most is collecting art. I believe many people could learn a lot from Greer whether it art or as being a person.

- Owen

Fred Wilson-Dark Dawn

Conceptual artist Fred Wilson was born in 1954 in The Bronx. He describes himself as of "African, Native American, European and Amerindian" descent.Wilson received a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in 1999 and the Larry Aldrich Foundation Award in 2003. He is known to have an uncommon touch with common things, which makes his art very different and unique.
This picture is a photo of Fred Wilson's "Dark Dawn" that he created in 2005. I think it is very different and strange. I don't see the beauty in it, and I wouldn't exactly call it the greatest piece of art I have ever seen. Nevertheless, Fred Wilson is famous for making artworks like these and has made himself into a well known artist because of his unusual style.


-O.D.

Fred Wilson's approach to art is very to different to that of other famous artists. He was a conceptual artist, but his wasn't always normal. A good example is his 'Dark Dawn". When looking at this piece it reminds me of ink. I believe that was what Wilson was going for too, but it is very different. It seems as though the ink is spilling everywhere and it actually gives a pretty interesting effect. The blobs or bubbles on the floor give the ink effect too. The droplets falling down the wall give it a flow also that gives it a sense of movement. Fred Wilson's work is very interesting but at the same time it can be very odd but he is considered a great artist for having this ability. 

- Owen 

Bourgeois-Spider

Louise Bourgeois was a renowned French artist and sculptor, best known for her contributions to both modern and contemporary art. One of her most famous works is a spider structure, titled Maman, which resulted in her being nicknamed the Spiderwoman. She is recognized today as the founder of confessional art.
In the late 1990s, Bourgeois began using the spider as a central image in her art. Maman, which is a very large spider, is made from steel and marble. It made its first appearance as a part of Bourgeois' commission in 2000. It is the largest Spider sculpture ever made by Bourgeois.
I think this sculpture is very creative. I like the idea of a giant spider, because I think spiders are very cool. I really like the detail of the spider and the real-life look that it has. By looking at this piece of art, it is no mystery to me as to why Bourgeois is recognized as one of the most famous confessional artists of her time.

-O.D.

Louise Bourgeois's Maman is not only an amazing art piece, it is an amazing sculpture. People don't realize how hard it is sculpting something out of nothing. Sculpting is a very unique artist trait and it is not easy. Sculpting is Bourgeois's way of expressing her art. It is no wonder why she is credited for being such an amazing artist. Another interesting fact about the Maman is that its made of steel and marble. Not only is it a gigantic sculpture it's medium is metal and stone. I find that simply amazing. She constructed this spider not using wood or paper, but metal and stone. In my opinion I think it is truly amazing how an artists sculpts and for Bourgeois to make something out of steel and marble is truly an amazing feat.

- Owen

Marina Abromovic- 7 easy pieces

Marina Abromovic was born on November 30, 1946 in Serbia. She is now a New York-based performance artist who began her famous career in the early 1970s. Active for over three decades, she has recently begun to describe herself as the "grandmother of performance art". Abramovic's work explores the relationship between performer and audience, the limits of the body, and the possibilities of the mind.
One of Abromovic's most well known works is 7 easy pieces. In 2005 she presented it at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. On seven consecutive nights for 7 hours she recreated the works of five artists first performed in the 60s and 70s, in addition to re-performing her own works.
I really like this performance the Abromovic put on. I think it must've been very tiring and physically exhaustive for her. The performances definitely involved a great amount of mental concentration as well. I think that this performance solidified herself as one of the most famous performance artists of her time.

-O.D.

Considering yourself the "grandmother of performance art" is a pretty tall order and Marina Abromovic belived that. Her work mostly explored the audience, the body, and the mind. 7 easy pieces is quite the masterpiece because it is about the performing body and how the people and audience confront it. It is a moving piece that took seven days to complete. Also because she took work from the 60's and 70's it was very old school modern art. Also that each work was seven hours showed much detail and time went into each piece. I find it very interesting and notable that she did this. She obviously put so much time into this work and it has given her the fame and glory of being one of the best performing artists of our time.

- Owen

The Biscuit City-Song Dong

Song Dong is a Chinese artist. One of his most famous works, The Biscuit City, is pictured here. Over three days, Song Dong constructed a city from biscuits and sweets in Selfridges department store in London. On the last day visitors were invited to eat the city.
I really like Song Dong's work. I think that it is very creative and unique. I like the fact that he spent so much time on it, and went into such detail. I think this is definitely one of the more amusing works I have seen in a long time.


-O.D.

What is so interesting about Song Dong's Biscuit City is that over 72,000 treats and biscuits were used to make this master piece. Over the couple days it took to make the city workers explained that they even used modern buildings as ideas. One worker stated they used the Empire State buidling as an example for on the biscuit buildings. I find this very interesting and it is a very different way to look at art. People who make decorative foods and cakes is an example of art also and I enjoy looking at the finished products and eating them also. Song Dong's Biscuit City is quite impressive and is amazing at the same time by using thousands of biscuits to make a piece of art.

Owen

Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney was born on March 25, 1967 in San Francisco, California. He is an artist that works with sculpture, photography, drawing and film. He became famous for creating the Cremaster Cycle, which is a series of 5 films between 1994 and 2002.


Barney's epic Cremaster cycle is a project consisting of 5 feature-length films that explore processes of creation. His concentration in sculpture is strengthened by his use of video. Barney uses video to sharpen his sculpture by evaluating positioning, lighting, size and shape, using video as a means to his end product of sculpture. He has became very famous among the art world because of this particular work.


-O.D.

Matthew Barney is a very interesting artist. His work is very fluent and creative. Although he is a great artist, I do find many of his pieces disturbing. I don't know if its his style or just the pieces he makes. They just are very odd and strange.  He loves changing his own image, especially his face. He always puts makeup on to make scars, gashes, or just odd affects that wouldn't normally be on a human being. Also for his large and full body pieces, they come off as just scary to me. His work is very unique and different and has given him fame and glory among the art world. But, I can't particularly say I am a fan of his work. 


- Owen

Ann Hamilton

Ann Hamilton was born June 22, 1956 in Lima, Ohio. She is a contemporary American artist best known for her installations, textile art, and sculptures, but is also active in the fields of photography, printmaking, video, and video installation. Ann Hamilton was named a 2007 Agnes Gund Foundation Fellow and awarded a $50,000 grant by United States Artists, a public charity that supports and promotes the work of American artists. In 2008, she won the 14th Annual Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities. She has created many famous works and is highly regarded in the art community.


One of her most famous works, the tropos, she covered a 5,000 factory space entirely in horsehair. I find this very strange but it was looked at as a tremendous work by the artist. Ann Hamilton created a very strange work that made her famous, and I find that very unique.


-O.D.

Ann Hamilton's work is very inspiring and she is regarded in the Art world as a very creative artist. Her work and work ethic are like none other. She has worked on pieces for long periods of time, even years to complete them. In the video we watched in class she explained how one piece took seven years and that another piece took twelve years. In my opinion, I find that amazing. I think working on one piece for a couple weeks is a long time. I can't imagine the effort and concentration that needs to go into a piece that has to be worked on for months and years. I commend her for this because she truly loves her work and what she does. She is a very hard worker and I actually admire her love for her work. If more artists took after her, I feel there would masterpieces by many known artists today. 


-Owen

Barack Obama-Fairey

Frank Shepard Fairey was born on February 15, 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina. He is a contemporary artist and graphic designer. He became famous for his "Andre the Giant has a Posse" work but is widely known for his "Hope" poster of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign election. He is now regarded as one of the known and influential street artists.

The "Hope" poster is widely described as iconic and became synonymous with the 2008 campaign. The image depicts some of Obama's main messages, including "change", "hope", and "progress". I really like this poster very much. I think it shows Obama in a light that is very realistic to his message and his goals. I believe that this picture helped Obama spread his ideas and thoughts during the election and eventually helped him win the election.

-O.D.

The "Hope" poster is not only an iconic image of Obama, it is also a tribute to our country. The colors used in the poster are only red, white, and blue, the colors of our country's flag. Also Fairey adjusted Obama's head/angle sightly to give the picture a more stern pose. In the photo it was taken from Obama's head is slightly tilted to left. I feel this poster is a reflection of the United States of America and the word below "HOPE" shows our country has faith in our nation's leader. We believe in a strong leader and government who will help us prosper in the future. The poster is a moving image and is meaningful for our future.


- Owen

Contemporary Art

“One of the principal ways we can change our relationship to difficult art is by repetition. An unpleasant piece of music may, the sixth or seventh time we listen, reveal new beauty. If we study one of Josef Albers's seemingly simple paintings of different colored squares, the colors start to shift. Of course, difficulty doesn't always give way to revelation - sometimes what follows is, alas, frustration. But when it does, we get that additional sense of satisfaction: The arduous ascent has been rewarded with a panoramic view.”


I think that the preceding quote tells its readers that practice and constant focus on difficult art leads to us opening our minds and finding a deeper meaning in the artwork. By concentrating and viewing the art continuously, we will be more likely to find a new beauty in the artwork and also be able to discover the underlying message in the artwork that the artist may have been trying to convey.

This painting is called "Shoes" by Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh was a Dutch painter who lived from 1853-1890. A lot of his work had a great influence on the 20th century because of his use of vivid colors and emotional impact.Although he wasn't very famous during the time that he lived, he is now widely regarded as one of the worlds best painters and an important contributor to modern art.


"Shoes" was created in 1888 with oil on a canvas. I find this painting very unusual because I don't really see the beauty in it. The shoes look old, dull and worn out and the colors seem boring and inanimate. I think this painting symbolizes more of a sign of struggle and hardship more than it does beauty. Nevertheless, this is one of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous paintings. 

- O.D.

This picture is by Stan Lee. Stan Lee is a comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, and former president and CEO of Marvel Comics. Stan Lee is the creator of Spiderman, Iron man, the Hulk, and many other comics and comic book characters. He is known for his comics throughout the world and is one of the comic book giants and still is even to this day. 

I find this piece as contemporary art because in this picture spiderman, iron man, and daredevil are all portrayed as insects. I find this very odd and the picture is a little creepy. When one thinks of these superheroes, you think of their comic book image not this one. Also as you can notice in the bottom right corner Stan Lee is in the corner himself. The picture is just very odd and I would say it is a contemporary art piece in my opinion. I like the values and colors and the detail is done very well. Just a very odd picture in my opinion. 


- Owen

Vija Celmins

Vija Celmins is an artist that was born on October 25, 1938 in Riga, Latvia. Vija Celmins immigrated to the United States with her family from Latvia when she was ten years old. She and her family settled in Indiana. Celmins received international attention early in her career for her renditions of natural scenes, often painted from photographs lacking a point of reference, horizon, or discernible depth of field.


Celmins' early work includes paintings of such commonplace objects as TVs, lamps, and black and white photographs. Celmins is now internationally known for her later works which are often realistic paintings and drawings. Celmins has also worked with print media since the early 1960s, again working closely with the natural environment. Celmins's work demonstrates a remarkably close engagement with the natural world mediated by photography.


-O.D.

 Vija Celmins' Comet is a very interesting painting. What I was blown away by was that she actually spent a year on this piece. What was interesting from class was that that she would literally spend hours darkening an area, add a star, look at it, and realize she didn't like it and would re-darken it. I thought her patience for this work was amazing. She really takes her art seriously and takes her time reviewing and retouching every little aspect. 


I actually like her work because it is very realistic. The comet and spider-web are great pieces of work and the detail she puts into them is just amazing. Her is very natural and is able to been seen in nature or a realistic setting. I really like her work and commend her for her patience and love for her work. 


- Owen

Komar and Melamid

Komar and Melamid is an artistic team made up of Russian-born American graphic artists Vitaly Komar, born 1943, and Alexander Melamid, who was born in 1945. Both artists were born in Moscow, Russia, but emigrated to Israel in 1977 and eventually to New York in 1978.


Throughout the 1970s, Komar & Melamid worked in a style they called “Post-Art,” pioneering the use of images and pictures of multiple looks and styles. They also collaborated on various conceptual projects, ranging from painting and performance to installation, public sculpture, photography, music, and poetry. With all this being said, perhaps they are best known as the founders of SotsArt, a form of Soviet Nonconformist Art that combines elements of Socialist Realism and Western Pop Art in a conceptual framework that also references Dadaism.


In 1994-1997, Komar and Melamid created the "Peoples Choice" series, which consisted of the "most wanted" and "most unwanted" paintings of 11 countries. They then used polls and allowed people to vote and express what they thought art was and what they would like to see in art. Even though they did this poll, Komar and Melamid has said that they weren't so concerned if people actually liked and enjoyed their art, they were more concerned with expressing themselves through the use of freedom of speech, in a sense. The tandem were a great team during their run together, but sadly it came to an end in 2003 when they decided to go their separate ways.


-O.D.

Komar and Melamid's "Peoples Choice" was a very interesting idea. It was a popularity contest between 11 countries of which art was acceptable and which wasn't acceptable. I found this very interesting but it had to be controversial because all the countries had to have different opinions. Also Komar and Melamid's ability to not care whether their art was accepted or not is also noble. They were more impressed with their ability of freedom of speech and didn't care about critics or opinions. I really am inspired by them because they expressed themselves and didn't care what others thought about them. They both were very artistic and this poll they took was a very interesting style of art and a reason to express their freedom of speech 

- Owen

Clown Torture-Nauman

Clown Torture by Bruce Nauman is right on the money with the title. This form of art is very scarry and distrubing. It consists of videos in which clowns are in very weird positions and the video is replayed or looped over and over again. It gives the viewer a sense of going crazy or insane. It also wasn't just on one screen, this video was being played on many monitors. Some were sideways or upside down and were all different acts from clowns. I actually found this form of art very disturbing and frieghtening. I hate clowns and while we were watching the video in class I was getting very freaked out . I'm glad I didn't have to sit through the entire thing, but on an artistic scale it is very creative of Nauman for what he made.

- Owen

This interesting piece was done by Jeff Koons. He is an American artist and was known most for his giant ballon animals that were made of mostly steel. His work is very unique because he doesn't try to single out one particular group. His audience is very broad and he trys to relate his work to all types of people. I found the video in class very interesting because the objects he makes actually reminded me of childhood. He uses bright vibrant colors and even cartoon characters I could have related to when I was much younger. I really enjoyed his work and am for sure a fan.     - Owen

Enter The Dragon-Hickey

Dave Hickey's "Invisible Dragon, Essays on Beauty" was originally published in 1997, but  was revised and updated in 2009. In his book, Hickey criticizes art and writes about the consequences of beauty - or the lack of it - in the 
contemporary art world.


I think that Hickey's main message that he tries to get across to his readers in his book is that beauty, as a means and not an end, is what makes the content of art powerful to the beholder. Because it can be used to deliver almost any payload, beauty is and can be dangerous and subversive. Even though some people may call him confusing, he is very entertaining for an art critic and comes from the voice of a personal angle.Hickey tries to tell us that art is a great part of the lives of many, but if not used the right way, it can hurt others unintentionally.


-O.D.

Hicky's Invisible Dragon is interesting because he really dives into the essence of beauty in art and what it trully means. What I found interesting was when he asked what is beauty? People have many different opinions of what beauty is and Hicky believed it was improtant for all generations because when the viewer feels something is beautiful they will take in the whole piece of art. Hicky also argues that art has always had idoltray and advertisement. He states there also has been political emphases on works of art that could possibly take the beauty out of the art. In my opinion I agree a little bit because art can lead people in different directions but I also feel the beauty of the art is held in the one who is actually viewing the art.

- Owen 

Saturn Devouring His Son-Goya

Saturn Devouring his Son was created by Spanish artist Francisco Goya in between the years 1819 and 1823. It depicts the Greek myth of Saturn, in fear of his sons overthrowing him, eating each one at birth. The painting was originally created in the dining room of Goya's home, but has since been transferred to canvas after Goya's death and now resides in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Saturn Devouring his Son is a very disturbing portrait of a god Saturn consuming one of his six children. According to Roman myth, it has been foretold that one of his sons will overthrow him, just as he had overthrown his father. The myth continues that his wife eventually hid the sixth son on an island and offered a stone to her husband in its place. The sixth son eventually grew up to overthrow his father, just as the prophecy had predicted.

I think this portrait is a very interesting one. The pattern in which the father is eating his son is also very fascinating. It seems as though Saturn has already eaten the head and right arm of the newborn, and is taking a bite out of the left arm. Not only do I find the painting interesting, but the story behind it as well. The father was overthrown in the end, despite all of the extreme and insane measures that he took to prevent that from happening in the first place.
-O.D.

Goya's description of the god Saturn devouring one of his children is somewhat disturbing but very artistic at the same time. It was an oil mural that was later transferred to canvas. The dimensions are around four and a half feet by two and a half feet. That's quite impressive for the size of the painting alone. Critics believe Goya could have possibly been inspired by Peter Paul Rueben. Rueben also did Saturn devouring his children but it was created in 1636. Both are quite disturbing and critics debate which is worse. Was Saturn turned mad and forced to eat his own children in fear of being overthrown or was he just remorseful and a crazy murderer and cannabal even toward his own children for power alone?

In my opinion this painting is quite disturbing. The story itself is interesting but it is graphic. I have actually seen this in an art book before. It is a masterpiece because it was done in oil. Goya was an amazing artist.
                                                  - Owen

Pieta-Michelangelo

Pieta is a masterpiece created by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1499. It is a Renaissance sculpture that is now located in Saint Peter's Basicila in Vatican City. This is just one of the many artworks that has launched Michelangelo into a class among some of the greatest artists to ever live.

The famous artwork depicts the body of Jesus Christ laying on the lap of his mother, Virgin Mary, soon after his crucifixion.The theme of the masterpiece is of Northern origin, which was popular in France at the time but hadn't yet reached Italy.The structure is in somewhat of a pyramid shape, and the top of it coincides with the Virgin Mary's head. It is also made out of fine marble, which gives it a sharp and unique look. By studying the artwork, it is easy to conclude that the figures are somewhat out of proportion, because Mary looks quite larger than Jesus Christ. Another strange characteristic about this masterpiece is that Mary looks very young and beautiful, as opposed to a look that an average 50 year old mother would have. Many critics feel that Michelangelo purposely designed this artwork like this to depict that Mary has stayed young and beautiful into her older ages because of her purity that she practiced throughout her whole life by being a virgin. Critics also feel that Michelangelo made Jesus Christ so much smaller than Mary because he wanted to show his feebleness during his state of death, while laying in his mother's arms.

I really liked this masterpeice created by Michelangelo. I feel like it gives its viewers a great sense of how art was made in the late 1400's, and how art has evolved over hundreds of years. I think that the small imperfections, if you will, that this masterpiece contains makes it more beautiful and unique. Micheangelo used clever and wily tactics to make certain ideas that he wanted to show evident to his viewers. By studying this artwork, it is now clear to me why Micheangelo is one of the worlds most famous artists til this day.
-O.D.

 I chose this work from John Baldessari because I find it very interesting and artistic. What I like most about his photos is how he uses the distribution of colors. Even by just looking at The arms of the male and female you can tell one is the natural skin color and the other is of black and white. Baldessari also loved covering people's faces with sometimes plain colorful circles but in this case he left the nose and ear come out. I find it very mysterious as to why he does this. He almost doesn't want the viewer to realize what or who they are looking at. Also the clothing, the hair, and bow also are very vibrant and stick out again. Again Baldessari loved expressing colors and drawing the eye to colorful parts of the photo. I find his work very interesting and entertaining.
-Owen

Brillo Box-Warhol

The Brillo Boxes were created by Andy Warhol in 1964. Andy Warhol was a popular commercial artist at the time of the creation of this work, and only helped his stock rise by doing so.The Brillo Boxes have, in a sense, been taken out of the retail world and put into the art world in this piece. They earn the title as Warhol's most famous piece of artwork, and really helped him rise to prominence.

Some critics call Warhol and his works very simplistic and uncreative, and I agree. I don't see the underlying meaning or concept he was trying to bring forth through this work. I feel that he simply took Brillo pad boxes and made it his own, which is fine, but it still doesn't necessarily make it art, let alone a very famous and renowned piece of art. Although I must applaud Warhol for essentially making "nothing" (Brillo boxes) into a very significant "something" (for some) which is now a famous piece of artwork, I can't seem to find or grasp the message that he was aiming to convey to his viewers.
    -O.D.

The Brillo Boxes by Andy Warhol was a very popular art piece for its time. It was created in 1964 and what is interesting about the piece is that it is basically just a bunch of boxes. You wouldn't really consider this  a masterpiece of art, but on the other hand some people don't see just retail boxes; they see a fantastic piece of art. It really is in the eye of the beholder. Some could call this piece crap while others find it amazing. In my own opinion I can see how it is considered art with the forms, colors, and shapes. But, to call this piece a masterpiece when all he did was stack boxes is puzzling to me. I am not an art critic but what Warhol has done is established himself as a renowned artist in today's society between critics and fans.
-Owen

Fountain-Duchamp

Fountain is a 1917 work done by Marcel Duchamp. He found art through an already made object, which in this case was a urinal. He found an underlying meaning in this object, and felt that it had a significant meaning. Critics of art feel that this piece, if closely analyzed, can be compared to a seated Buddha or the Virgin Mary with a veil over her head. It has been said to be one of the most influential works of the 20th century.

I really like the "Fountain" by Marcel Duchamp. I think the ideas and concepts that he brought out of an ordinary urinal are incredible and truly lead a person into deeper thought. The correlations that have been made between the urinal, the Buddha, and the Virgin Mary are also tremendous. The fact that the object is so simple and ordinary also draws my attention. Duchamp made a urinal into something very elegant and beautiful, which is a skill in and of itself. I think that Duchamp has led the way for other artists through is creation of what is now known as conceptual art.
   -O.D.


Duchamp created Fountain in 1917, but the true creator is probably a factory or company who creates urinals. I find this a very odd piece of art. I understand his motives but saying this is the blessed Virgin Mary is a little out of the question to me. If anything the real work done on this piece was by putting R. Mutt and the date on it. Everything else is more what the viewer sees. If your seeing the Virign Mary or any other type of religious figure then that act is more upon symbolism. There are many symbols in today's world that go unnoticed, for example the letter "V" can be considered the "womb" or the Virgin Mary in any type of context. Again I am not a professional art critic, but my opinion towards this piece of art as a "masterpiece" is baffling and I just don't see it at all.
-Owen