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Alternative Assessment
MoMA Reflection
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art there were hundreds of painting that one could find inspirational and gain ideas for their own work on, but three in particular stood out to me. Those three were Jack Whitten's piece known as Delta Group II, Chuck Close's work called Lucas I, and Gino Severini's piece called Dancer = Propeller = Sea. The first piece, Delta Group II is an acrylic on canvas painting done in such a linear manner that makes it appear almost to be pen. It’s 51 1/8 inches tall by 88 1/8 inches wide. Painted in 1975 this painting seems to be a representation of depth through its various overlapping lines which make the viewer wonder which lines are in the foreground and which are in the background. The use of contrast within the painting makes one think about which color is it that is being painted one, is it a black canvas with white lines, or is it a white canvas with black lines. It also makes one think in a more so three dimensional manner and as if they themselves were in the image and each line is a bar that is at a specific angle. This work gave me the idea of making one think about depth within a work and in the end helped me come up with the idea to have various manners of depth within my own piece. Next the is the work Lucas I which is an oil and graphite painting on canvas, of a face, done by Chuck Close and started in 1986 but finished in 1987. The painting is 100 inches tall by 84 inches wide. The technique used in this image is a background layer of the central colors then a layer of stippling drawing out the specific colors of the persons face. One concept that can be seen within this painting is the idea of unity through collaboration. In the piece, all of the detailed dots come together and end up creating a super detailed image, that of which would be incomplete with just one missing dot. There is a large use of contrast between colors and the use of cool and warm coloring within the painting itself as the face is made up of warm colors giving it a comforting feeling yet it every once in a while has a cool color within it which shows that the person has seen some struggle within their life and has experienced plenty. The dark background and clothes then bring attention to the bright face of the person and draws one into the eyes making one wonder, "what has this person seen and been through? What is this person's story?" The piece inspired my work by giving me the idea of unity ad how a piece can work through many smaller details and aspects to form a larger and more detailed image. The third painting that I found to be inspirational, Dancer = Propeller = Sea, is an oil on canvas that is 29 5/8 inches tall and 30 3/4 inches wide, made in 1915. The painting is full of vibrant colors which create contrast through the cool and warm colors. It has an immense amount of movement in it yet at the same time it has a structure to it which can be seen through the more linear and geometric shapes. Its various assertion of shapes from the sharp edges of the geometric shapes to the soft curves of the fluid lines makes it so that a viewer could almost get lost within the painting. The painting is meant to depict the softness yet ruggedness of the aspects said within the title, dancing, propellers, and the sea. It shows how when one is dancing there is both a fluid side yet it is in some way structured. In a different manner it depicts the sharp edges of a propeller cutting through the soft curves of water. The sea can be seen in it in a similar manner as it shows the softness of the water but it also shows the deadliness of the sea through the sharp edges. I found insertion within this piece through the idea of polar opposites. Through the ide of softness contrasting with sharpness I gained the idea of victory versus defeat and then went off and worked off of that point
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art there were hundreds of painting that one could find inspirational and gain ideas for their own work on, but three in particular stood out to me. Those three were Jack Whitten's piece known as Delta Group II, Chuck Close's work called Lucas I, and Gino Severini's piece called Dancer = Propeller = Sea. The first piece, Delta Group II is an acrylic on canvas painting done in such a linear manner that makes it appear almost to be pen. It’s 51 1/8 inches tall by 88 1/8 inches wide. Painted in 1975 this painting seems to be a representation of depth through its various overlapping lines which make the viewer wonder which lines are in the foreground and which are in the background. The use of contrast within the painting makes one think about which color is it that is being painted one, is it a black canvas with white lines, or is it a white canvas with black lines. It also makes one think in a more so three dimensional manner and as if they themselves were in the image and each line is a bar that is at a specific angle. This work gave me the idea of making one think about depth within a work and in the end helped me come up with the idea to have various manners of depth within my own piece. Next the is the work Lucas I which is an oil and graphite painting on canvas, of a face, done by Chuck Close and started in 1986 but finished in 1987. The painting is 100 inches tall by 84 inches wide. The technique used in this image is a background layer of the central colors then a layer of stippling drawing out the specific colors of the persons face. One concept that can be seen within this painting is the idea of unity through collaboration. In the piece, all of the detailed dots come together and end up creating a super detailed image, that of which would be incomplete with just one missing dot. There is a large use of contrast between colors and the use of cool and warm coloring within the painting itself as the face is made up of warm colors giving it a comforting feeling yet it every once in a while has a cool color within it which shows that the person has seen some struggle within their life and has experienced plenty. The dark background and clothes then bring attention to the bright face of the person and draws one into the eyes making one wonder, "what has this person seen and been through? What is this person's story?" The piece inspired my work by giving me the idea of unity ad how a piece can work through many smaller details and aspects to form a larger and more detailed image. The third painting that I found to be inspirational, Dancer = Propeller = Sea, is an oil on canvas that is 29 5/8 inches tall and 30 3/4 inches wide, made in 1915. The painting is full of vibrant colors which create contrast through the cool and warm colors. It has an immense amount of movement in it yet at the same time it has a structure to it which can be seen through the more linear and geometric shapes. Its various assertion of shapes from the sharp edges of the geometric shapes to the soft curves of the fluid lines makes it so that a viewer could almost get lost within the painting. The painting is meant to depict the softness yet ruggedness of the aspects said within the title, dancing, propellers, and the sea. It shows how when one is dancing there is both a fluid side yet it is in some way structured. In a different manner it depicts the sharp edges of a propeller cutting through the soft curves of water. The sea can be seen in it in a similar manner as it shows the softness of the water but it also shows the deadliness of the sea through the sharp edges. I found insertion within this piece through the idea of polar opposites. Through the ide of softness contrasting with sharpness I gained the idea of victory versus defeat and then went off and worked off of that point
Works Cited
“Chuck Close | Lucas I | The Met.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/484760?sortBy=Relevance&deptids=21&ao=on&od=on&ft=*&offset=100&rpp=100&pos=163.
“Gino Severini | Dancer = Propeller = Sea | The Met.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/488472.
“Jack Whitten | Delta Group II | The Met.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/481429?sortBy=Relevance&deptids=21&ao=on&od=on&ft=*&offset=100&rpp=100&pos=152.
Final Piece
Artist Statement
The piece which I have created is meant to both depict the feeling of defeat and victory at the same time. It shows how there is never one of these feelings without the other, whether is felt through yourself or another in some way and, or form, both are present at the same time. The kneeling knight is to represent the feeling of defeat, although he is structured in such a way that may depict strength the gaps between the hexagons represent the many points in which one can see though his armor rather than it being sturdy and impenetrable. On the other side of things the standing knight is to represent victory. His armor may at first seem to be messy and crude, but, unlike the kneeling knight, he has no gaps to armor that leave him venerable. Along with this idea of victory coinciding with defeat there is the idea of how one may try to hide their true self from society for something that they may see as to be more fit. The kneeling knight, being in the foreground, is representing the person that someone may see to be fit for society. As for the same reason the kneeling knight is defeated so is it that he may find himself only appearing to it into society. The armor at first glance seems to be sturdy, yet has many gaps in it that separate the hexagons. These gaps then stand there and show not only the lies that you tell to others around you who you are, but they also show the lies you are telling to yourself about who you are. In addition to this, the kneeling knight is a mainly consisting of white, leading one on to think they are the more pure one, yet this again is a lie because he is surrounded by darken wherever he looks. This leads to the feeling of insecurity and sooner or later the feeling of defeat. The standing knight I have in the background, however, shows the exact opposite. He is to represent a person when they are being as true as possible to both the ones around them and to themselves. Thus, the knights armor is put to show a feeling of fluidity yet strength. He is also primarily dark which shows we all have faults within ourselves but those who embrace it will find that they are surrounded by success. Opposite to the defeated knight, this truth will eventually lead you to happiness and you will find strength within yourself.
I came up with this concept when viewing the Met's collection of artwork. I found that some of the artworks were made from two different mediums which game me the idea to have some kind of concept that itself has two different meanings within it. In this case, they are both defeat and victory. I addition to this I found that there were many cubist images there and images which consisted themselves of two different styles both combining to form an overall stunning image. I thought to myself and wondered if I could create such a thing that didn’t combine the two different styles but kept them separate but both equal in their importance of the work itself. The cubist images gave me the idea that I could have an image that is both full of geometric aspects, yet fluid aspects. This eventually grew into the idea of having a knight depicted within hexagons and one who is himself free.
When it comes down to it, I wish I could have better defined the details in the kneeling knight without masking it feel overbearing and overwhelming. Unfortunately I feel as though the standing knight is a bit too overbearing in work and I should have darkened the kneeling knight a bit more so as to lessen the difference between the contrast that can be seen in the standing knight compared to the contrast seen within the kneeling knight.
The piece which I have created is meant to both depict the feeling of defeat and victory at the same time. It shows how there is never one of these feelings without the other, whether is felt through yourself or another in some way and, or form, both are present at the same time. The kneeling knight is to represent the feeling of defeat, although he is structured in such a way that may depict strength the gaps between the hexagons represent the many points in which one can see though his armor rather than it being sturdy and impenetrable. On the other side of things the standing knight is to represent victory. His armor may at first seem to be messy and crude, but, unlike the kneeling knight, he has no gaps to armor that leave him venerable. Along with this idea of victory coinciding with defeat there is the idea of how one may try to hide their true self from society for something that they may see as to be more fit. The kneeling knight, being in the foreground, is representing the person that someone may see to be fit for society. As for the same reason the kneeling knight is defeated so is it that he may find himself only appearing to it into society. The armor at first glance seems to be sturdy, yet has many gaps in it that separate the hexagons. These gaps then stand there and show not only the lies that you tell to others around you who you are, but they also show the lies you are telling to yourself about who you are. In addition to this, the kneeling knight is a mainly consisting of white, leading one on to think they are the more pure one, yet this again is a lie because he is surrounded by darken wherever he looks. This leads to the feeling of insecurity and sooner or later the feeling of defeat. The standing knight I have in the background, however, shows the exact opposite. He is to represent a person when they are being as true as possible to both the ones around them and to themselves. Thus, the knights armor is put to show a feeling of fluidity yet strength. He is also primarily dark which shows we all have faults within ourselves but those who embrace it will find that they are surrounded by success. Opposite to the defeated knight, this truth will eventually lead you to happiness and you will find strength within yourself.
I came up with this concept when viewing the Met's collection of artwork. I found that some of the artworks were made from two different mediums which game me the idea to have some kind of concept that itself has two different meanings within it. In this case, they are both defeat and victory. I addition to this I found that there were many cubist images there and images which consisted themselves of two different styles both combining to form an overall stunning image. I thought to myself and wondered if I could create such a thing that didn’t combine the two different styles but kept them separate but both equal in their importance of the work itself. The cubist images gave me the idea that I could have an image that is both full of geometric aspects, yet fluid aspects. This eventually grew into the idea of having a knight depicted within hexagons and one who is himself free.
When it comes down to it, I wish I could have better defined the details in the kneeling knight without masking it feel overbearing and overwhelming. Unfortunately I feel as though the standing knight is a bit too overbearing in work and I should have darkened the kneeling knight a bit more so as to lessen the difference between the contrast that can be seen in the standing knight compared to the contrast seen within the kneeling knight.
![Picture](/uploads/8/8/2/8/88289512/published/win-20180604-21-38-29-pro.jpg?250)
Within this short Graphic Novel, The Various Artists of the OP Art movement are depicted as well as on from the POP Art movement. The Artists, Victor Vasarely, Bridget Riley, and Josef Albers are the three OP artists shown. Although Albers does not consider himself to be an OP artist the one who is the POP artist is Andy Warhol. As the OP art movement led into the POP art movement, so does the OP artist within this work inspire the POP artist. At the end, after stealing all of the OP artists work, Andy Warhol is left contemplating the work before him and how he can take that work and build off of it in his own way so as to help inspire him to greatness.
The overall topic of the OP Art movement though is intriguing in many ways. As OP Art is optical illusions, it all depends on ones perspective and view on the work. For instance, someone may see lines drawn so as to seem as though they are coming out towards the viewer. Yet, if someone were to put their focus a bit to the left or right of the lines coming to the viewer they may instead see the lines coming towards the viewer and see the original lines as protruding inwards on the work. So, depending on where one looks within the OP art piece they will discover a new work all together. This essentially creating a piece of art that someone could look at for hours on end and continuously be seeing different pieces within the work itself. Now, the downside to the Graphic novel on the left is that although a storyline id depicted, it may be difficult to follow without prior knowledge of some of the movement and what it led to. In addition to this, the shading is inconsistent across the boards as some sections are whiter than others. On the other hand of things, this work makes the most out of as little words as possible. Along with that, it shows how POP artists such as Andy Warhol took inspiration from OP artists and helped them create the POP art movement itself.
The overall topic of the OP Art movement though is intriguing in many ways. As OP Art is optical illusions, it all depends on ones perspective and view on the work. For instance, someone may see lines drawn so as to seem as though they are coming out towards the viewer. Yet, if someone were to put their focus a bit to the left or right of the lines coming to the viewer they may instead see the lines coming towards the viewer and see the original lines as protruding inwards on the work. So, depending on where one looks within the OP art piece they will discover a new work all together. This essentially creating a piece of art that someone could look at for hours on end and continuously be seeing different pieces within the work itself. Now, the downside to the Graphic novel on the left is that although a storyline id depicted, it may be difficult to follow without prior knowledge of some of the movement and what it led to. In addition to this, the shading is inconsistent across the boards as some sections are whiter than others. On the other hand of things, this work makes the most out of as little words as possible. Along with that, it shows how POP artists such as Andy Warhol took inspiration from OP artists and helped them create the POP art movement itself.