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