Studio Foundations Spring 2008

John Haenle - Final

2008-06-03T13:10:00.002-04:00

Oona - Final Project

2008-05-17T00:03:00.012-04:00

Ephraim Dagadu

2008-05-15T23:13:00.006-04:00

Giant iPod

Adventures in cloth (w/ Andy and Rassi)

Ju Li Khing: Final Project

2008-05-15T16:02:00.003-04:00

The Fatigued

The Forgotten

Rassi

2008-05-14T23:14:00.004-04:00

Here is some work of mine!

Duct tape trash can for "Material Alchemy":

"Dreams of Cycling" for "Light and Color":

Asad Nasim Jan - Portfolio

2008-05-14T21:55:00.005-04:00

Evolution

Prince John: "One more hiss out of you, Sir Hiss, and you'll be walking to Nottingham!"
Sir Hiss: "Snakes don't walk, they slither. So there."

My Adaptation of Picasso's "La Soupe" (1903)

Self Portrait in Calligraphy

Material Alchemy

Light and Colour

Final Project

Serena- This Semester's Work

2008-05-14T20:25:00.003-04:00

Light and Color

Self-Portrait

Material Alchemy

Ariel Isaacs--one more for posterity

2008-05-14T16:31:00.002-04:00

Color Assignment

Ariel Isaacs--some images

2008-05-14T16:15:00.005-04:00

Sketch From the RISD musuem

Rodin The Kiss

Material Alchemy Project

Ju Li Khing (#3): Batik

2008-05-13T16:28:00.002-04:00

John Haenle - Three (Translation, Imitation, Emulation)

2008-05-13T16:27:00.000-04:00

John Haenle - One (Stop Motion)

2008-05-13T16:26:00.002-04:00

So I figured since it is already posted up here on the blog, I won't use up valuable space and post it again.

Ju Li Khing (#1): Boy

2008-05-13T16:22:00.000-04:00

Rachel Rieder: BEST PROJECTS (3)

2008-05-13T16:21:00.001-04:00

DRESS OF LIGHTS

Rachel Rieder: BEST PROJECTS (2)

2008-05-13T16:17:00.002-04:00

T-SHIRT

Rachel Rieder: BEST PROJECTS (1)

2008-05-13T16:12:00.002-04:00

M&M MOSAIC:

John Haenle - Two (Material alchemy)

2008-05-13T13:40:00.002-04:00

Lucinda Ng best 3: replica of work

2008-05-13T12:22:00.004-04:00

I wasn't sure if we were allowed to use our final project as one our best three pieces of work...if not, here's another one...
replica of Weston's Pepper #30

Lucinda Ng best 3: final photographs

2008-05-13T12:13:00.003-04:00

Lucinda Ng best 2: self-portrait

2008-05-13T12:12:00.002-04:00

Lucinda Ng best 1: t-shirt

2008-05-13T12:10:00.004-04:00

Caitlin Clark- Final 3 (material alchemy)

2008-05-12T22:06:00.004-04:00

Caitlin Clark- Final 2 (T Shirt)

2008-05-12T22:03:00.002-04:00

Caitlin Clark- Final 1 (Sketches)

2008-05-12T21:45:00.005-04:00

Lauren Reimnitz - (3) - dress

2008-05-12T19:33:00.003-04:00

Lauren Reimnitz - (2) self portrait

2008-05-12T19:31:00.003-04:00

Lauren Reimnitz - (1) Figure Drawings

2008-05-12T18:52:00.004-04:00

Andy Furnas - Final Project

2008-05-12T14:15:00.003-04:00

Meleha Ahmad : Best Three Pieces

2008-05-12T01:54:00.003-04:00

Jeehyun Choi - Best3 ( Figure Drawings )

2008-05-11T16:32:00.003-04:00

Jeehyun Choi - Best 2 (Self Portraits)

2008-05-11T16:26:00.005-04:00

Sorry about the rather blurry quality - the computer that stored these pictures is now destroyed and I hadn't made any backups. :(

Jeehyun Choi - Best 1 (Pencil Drawings)

2008-05-11T16:19:00.005-04:00

Asia Del Bonis 3

2008-05-10T20:45:00.003-04:00

Asia Del Bonis 2

2008-05-10T20:39:00.003-04:00

Asia Del Bonis 1

2008-05-10T20:38:00.000-04:00

Andy Furnas - Best 3

2008-05-10T15:56:00.003-04:00

Life's Perspectives... How Light Darkness Can Be

Andy Furnas - Best 2

2008-05-10T15:31:00.002-04:00

Andy Furnas - Best 1

2008-05-10T15:30:00.003-04:00

The Aleph

Lydia Magyar - Best Work

2008-05-10T15:18:00.009-04:00

Janice Kim - Best 3

2008-05-07T22:06:00.001-04:00

Janice Kim - Best 2

2008-05-07T22:04:00.001-04:00

Janice Kim - Best 1

2008-05-07T22:01:00.003-04:00

Oona Curley - best 3

2008-05-07T15:51:00.002-04:00

Oona Curley - best 2

2008-05-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

Oona Curley - best 1

2008-05-07T15:29:00.002-04:00

Awkward Clay

2008-04-26T21:53:00.002-04:00

la vie de l'orange

2008-04-25T13:36:00.001-04:00

La Vie d lorange- By Serena, Rachel, and Ariel

2008-04-23T13:16:00.006-04:00

I can't figure out how to post this because the video is not on my computer but here is the youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oagvji84WhY

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

2008-04-09T14:53:00.001-04:00

Oona Curley, Lydia Magyar, Asad Jan

Mel, Lucy, Asia

2008-04-07T20:13:00.001-04:00

Ephraim/Rassi/Andy: Adventures in Cloth

2008-04-03T20:57:00.000-04:00

At the Pictures (Lauren Reimnitz, Caitlin Clark, and John Haenle)

2008-03-22T16:21:00.003-04:00

FINAL STUDENT GALLERY ENDS HERE

2008-03-11T23:01:00.005-04:00

The pieces above represent some of the work students have done in VA10. Below you will find some of the inspiration that lead to these works.

2008-03-11T23:01:00.001-04:00

this is a video by the french artist camille. i really like what she does in the first part of the video, and i think it is using stop motion animation, but i'm not sure

Andy Furnas: Tutim

2008-03-10T20:54:00.003-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5C2LJE2SYfE

This is a video for the song "Tutim" by Ethnix. It is a song in Hebrew about how instead of making war we should go and buy and eat strawberries! It is incredible how it is edited together so that we see images of war in the middle east, images of really really, cute babies eating strawberries, and the images of the person playing the piano. I especially like the section from 25seconds to 45 seconds where it goes through a set of images related to war interspersed by the piano. Here is a copy of the lyrics for all of us who don't understand Hebrew! The song title, "Tutim" means Strawberries. The line "Your Grenade is not fruit" doesn't really make sense in English, but in Hebrew the word for Grenade is also the word for a type of fruit.

Strawberries:

The coldness in your garden against the warmth of my garden
the bunker to your left against the artillery shell in my hand
your grenade is not fruit and it's ready in your hand here,
they are each ready in my rifle magazine.

Chorus:
The light goes up from the east,
a new day has arrived.
The two of us will overcome the terror
Strawberries, strawberries, come we'll buy only strawberries
Instead of other war-machines.

You blocked the bed with many sandbags,
and on your head is the helmet from the bunker on the left
You wished that my soul'd be bound forever,
here, they are each ready in my rifle magazine.

Repeat Chorus

human flipbook - Oona

2008-03-10T17:25:00.002-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HClNcAvD1AY

I thought this was pretty cool, relates back to the idea of tshirt design as well. I like the use of the human and clothing as a flipbook.

Rassi - Raymond

2008-03-10T11:10:00.003-04:00

I found this clip browsing through a list of videos entered into the Computer Animation Festival at SIGGRAPH 2007. I chose Raymond as my clip as it features a host of animation techniques I got the impression we may be studying, including stop-motion with human subjects. It stands on its own as well as an art piece with a silly plot and reflects well on the sense of humor of its creators. Enjoy.

Caitlin Clark- Tony V. Paul

2008-03-10T10:30:00.003-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AJzU3NjDikY&feature=related

I remember watching this video with some of my friends a little while ago and being so amazed. Its five mins. long and some of the moves make you wonder how they did it. You can also see the changes in the seasons while they were filming because it took so long to shoot. About 2 mins into the video is my favorite, he floats across the pool and then they do a series of jumps where they appear floating... its crazy!

Jee Hyun Choi: Pancakes

2008-03-09T23:06:00.002-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PnCVZozHTG8

This is an awesome video that uses many many individual pictures (or at least it seems like it). It's pretty famous on Youtube and has been on public TV too. And I think the video definitely deserves its fame; when it came out on Youtube, it was really a one of a kind video. Incorporating music into the animation added a huge effect to the short film. The beats match up with the motions in the film, engaging the viewer both through hearing and seeing.
I think the advantage of stringing individual images together in this manner is that one can make special effects pretty easily which can make the video infinitely more interesting. For example, the video features a guy who can jump out of bed backwards, jam jars that slide around the kitchen counter without any hands touching, pancakes that disappear bite by bite without touching any mouths, etc. These effects give the viewer a fun time.

Janice Kim: Origami Animation

2008-03-09T22:42:00.001-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3iVP0tzwhVc&feature=related

As a person who really likes origami, I enjoyed watching this photo animation. It seems like a pretty effective way of teaching people how to do origami (as opposed to giving out written instructions) :D

Lauren Reimnitz: Architecture in Helsinki - Do the Whirlwing

2008-03-09T22:39:00.002-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXIzyquw-kc

This is Architecture in Helsinki's video for "Do the Whirlwind". I saw the lizard jamming with the bass guitar and instantly enjoyed it. I really like each of the individual characters( the fire boy, the girl in the bubble); I think this makes the video really unique and interesting - its a big out of this world, which connects with the animation. Also, the characters bob to the music and I really like the ending with them getting eaten and turning into ghosts. Basically I just rally enjoyed this animation.

If you want to check out another video and have time, check out "like a call" on youtube by the same band - really soothing song, but the video is a bit sad. However, really touched the heart : ) enjoy.

Rachel Rieder- Beck's Not a Loser

2008-03-09T20:49:00.002-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJN3PGqDRNg

In 1993, Beck came out with his first real single "Loser". Not only were the lyrics slightly off putting, but the video that accompanied it was thought of as bizarre and frightening. The video uses several different methods to achieve the mood of the song. The movement of the coffin is done with time-lapse, while at certain points they use different color filters and blurring techniques to make the video more interesting. The film was also filmed from several different perspectives. Beck's music has since become less controversial,yet the theme and atmosphere set by the music video is even now undeniably creepy.

Ephraim Dagadu - South Park

2008-03-09T20:47:00.002-04:00

Since the 12th season starts this Wednesday and it's one of my favorite shows of all time, I thought I'd do this on South Park. The animation style of South Park is very recognizable and while it is now animated on computer, it is supposed to recreate the look of the cardboard cutout animation of the pilot episode and Trey and Matt's earlier works. The clip here is from the movie. The computer animation allows them to recreate the cutout animation style's movement and feel while also improving on the style like having better frame rate and smoother lip syncing.

Ju Li Khing - Animation vs Animator

2008-03-09T20:36:00.003-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo1d6ttbAq8

This is a sort of animation within an animation of the revenge of stickmen against the artist, who is portrayed here as the cursor. I find videos like this hilarious because the characters are aware of their creator and seek to destroy it so they can stop the abuse inflicted onto them. There really aren't any restrictions in this video; the stickman vaults way out of its space and onto the toolbars, pulls more stickmen out as reinforcement, and is actually successful in its retaliation against the cursor. It makes one wonder what goes on in the mind of the animator who made the video.

Lucinda Ng- Walkie Talkie Man

2008-03-09T14:28:00.002-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7Z564GUIK7s

Everything in this music video by Steriogram is 'made' of yarn and a series of stop animation. It's really cool how the instruments are also 'made' of yarn because normally, banging sticks on yarn doesn't make any noise, but in the video, they contrast this with heavy rock music. I also love the scene where they use yarn to portray light coming from the projector. They did a good job with mixing reality, (frames of the people and certain things) and fiction (yarn).

Meleha Ahmad - Sunflower and Beans growing

2008-03-09T12:33:00.002-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=khiCoog_98E

This video might be really nerdy (seen it in Bio class?!) but I think it is a great example of how time lapse photography can show us things that we might not be able to see ourselves. As human beings, we are incapable of observing slow processes like plants growth by ourselves. It is interesting that viewing consecutive but time lapsed glimpes of the same plant uncovers a concept that was otherwise pretty much unnoticable- growth! For me this video gives sunflower and bean stalks new life - maybe they're not as boring as they seem!

Serena Ho- Animation

2008-03-07T16:53:00.002-05:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=X7nVyVgz8GY

This is a hand drawn animation which I found to be pretty cool. Although the figures and the motion of the animation is rather rough, I like the creativity. While the character in the animation is drawn, the background is a real life office space, and I like how the creator of this animated short juxtaposes these two elements. He also takes advantage of the possiblities of animation to create a fantasy world in an everyday space.

John Haenle - The Scientist

2008-03-06T22:26:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3Kd7IGPyeg

This is the scientist by coldplay. It's pretty trippy watching it because at times it seems like it's actually moving forward, but then you realize, nope, it's still going backwards. It's also crazy because I heard that Chris Martin had to take special classes to be able to speak backwards, and it was filmed regularly, just with him speaking backwards, and then they reversed the whole thing to get the effect. Just what I heard, but if it's true, that's pretty intense.

Ariel Isaacs-Waking Life

2008-03-06T12:54:00.002-05:00

This is a video from waking life, an animated film directed by richard linklater that came out in 2001. He took live action film, and then had different animators draw over the film to express whatever philosophic content is going on at that particular moment. The film is meant to express what it feels like to walk in a dream. I really like how the background changes and the talking figure changes as well, especially how his hair changes shape to fit whatever he is saying. I also like the figures that pop out to give depth to what he is talking about. though I think what he says is somewhat overdone and overwrought, i really like the animation techniques of this film.

Asia Del Bonis - Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

2008-03-05T16:28:00.002-05:00

This video uses some type of fast motion on a selection of the frame. It definitely creates an unsettling mood and a perfectly goes with the theme of the song... how the world is moving so fast around people who are waiting and so dependent on others.

Lydia Magyar – Three years passed

2008-03-05T16:17:00.003-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55YYaJIrmzo

Caitlin Clark- "becoming one"

2008-03-04T17:04:00.003-05:00

I really like this interpretation of the human form because it takes the idea of interplay between parts of the body in a more literal way and portrays their connectedness... There is also more of an emphasis on the movement and emotion rather than muscular details which I see very powerful.

Lydia Magyar - Manet

2008-03-04T14:51:00.003-05:00

Manet made this painting, Dejeuner sur L’Herbe, in 1862. The nude is central and heavily lit; the background is loose and unfinished.

2008-03-03T11:18:00.000-05:00

The White Stripes - The Hardest Button To Button

2008-03-03T10:52:00.001-05:00

Asad Jan - Picasso's Bathers

2008-03-03T00:41:00.003-05:00

I found this image in a book I borrowed from the RISD Library for the grid assignment. It's by Picasso, titled "The Bathers". Very unlike historical convention, I think it's striking that while most usually the human form is depicted quite realistically to convey a sense of the beauty and perfection of the human form, especially vis-a-vis all the sculptures from ancient Greece and Rome, and the paintings of the personification of beauty, Aphrodite herself, this, however, for me has the opposite effect. The figures in this painting are quite distorted and misshapen, and they are not reclining on couches surrounded by cherubs or admirers. I find it an interesting portrayal of the human condition: in their natural state - nudity - human beings are not always perfect. Instead, as I read from the painting, human interaction must surpass the boundaries of physical perfection.

Oona Curley - Nude

2008-03-02T23:42:00.002-05:00

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This is a painting by Haolong Ma. I think its interesting that the nude form is used here, and i think it supports the simplicity of the painting. The image is very calm - its not overdone or complicated, its just a woman. I think the fact that she's nude fits into this mood very well, because its just the woman, nothing else. Its not perfectly accurate or realistic, but it conveys the woman's form with clear lines and slight shading. the form is then lost into color and sort of amorphousness, but it starts in a clear, unpretentious, simple way. I think the most clear, unpretentious (when done correctly), and simple way to portray a human is in the nude.

Andy Furnas: Nudity in Ancient Greece

2008-03-02T23:14:00.004-05:00

In ancient Greece male nudity seemed to be common. Many athletes performed in the nude and the nude male body was seen a measure of prowess. Male nudity was seen as a sign of "triumph, glory and even moral excellence." (http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/nuan/hd_nuan.htm) That is the link to a fascinating article about "The Nude in Western Art and its Beginning in Antiquity" from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had no idea that the male body could be held to such incredibly high standards and seen in such a way. What I found absolutely fascinating also, is that the article claims that the life-size sculptures for the male athletes were not necessarily replicates of real people, but rather idealized bodies with pre-calculated mathematically perfect ratios.
In contrast to the male body, the female body was often clothed in ancient Greek sculpting. That is, until Paxiteles in the 4th century BC decided to sculpt a nude of the goddess Aphrodite. And, Paxiteles also paid careful attention to the beautiful mathematical proportions and used them in his work of the female body as well.
I find it fascinating that the sculptures in ancient Greece were supposedly built with such precision not to reflect reality, but rather to reflect an idealized position... maybe as a way of providing something aesthetically pleasing, but knowledge that it is only symbolic? I wonder if instead of having plastic-models all over our modern day magazines and tv sets we should bring back this idea of the idealized and mathematically well-proportioned nude. It may be a nice way to keep young men and women from falling into depression with eating disorders and low self-esteem. Hmm...

Jee Hyun Choi: Nude Painting

2008-03-02T23:00:00.003-05:00

Before I move on to the painting I selected, I think Lauren's painting below is absolutely amazing. It's almost fun to follow the curves with my eyes. It's dynamic, full, and succulent (maybe that's not the best word choice..but the lines remind me of fruit...) Wow.

The painting I found is not exactly the nude that I'm used to. It's not a body, but yet it is a body. Despite the complete distortion of the nude body in the painting, I immediately perceived it as a nude painting. I guess it's a very unique way of expression- it delivers a common subject matter in the painter's own "words."
I personally like this painting. In the process of simplification it captures the strength, movement, and power of the woman body. The spine is expressed with a straight, powerful stroke, while the legs are curvy and soft. The variation of "tones" in the strokes bring out the diversity in the subject's body. I don't feel like this painting is empty or lacking at all. In fact, I feel that it conveys just as much or even more than what a faithful portrayal of the body would.

Ephraim Dagadu - Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening

2008-03-02T22:47:00.003-05:00

This is one of Dali's surrealist pieces. He depicts his wife, Gala, sleeping naked among a scene of a long-legged elephant walking on water and a pomegranate throwing up a fish throwing up tigers throwing up a gun. I like how Gala's figure brings peace and calm to the chaotic scene that makes up the rest of the painting. She looks so natural lying there which is why I think it has the calming effect that it does. It's also interesting how Gala's nudity serves to emphasize the imminent destruction of something beautiful.

Lauren Reimnitz - The Beautiful Rafaela, by Tamara de Lempicka

2008-03-02T17:04:00.004-05:00

I really like this painting because I think it really helps to explore the concept of beauty and the concept of nudity and how they are intertwined. I think in contemporary graphics, it is usually the skinny and tall people who are characterized as beautiful (by media, popular culture, etc.). In this image however, the woman is a little overweight, has very feminine curves to herself, and looks very comfortable in the nude. I think the artist was very aware of the woman's figure, and I like how the artist emphasized the features that she wanted and played with the contrast between light and dark. I also like how the only color addition to the photo is red - the woman's lips and the blanket. I find this piece of art very sensual, romantic in a sense, and yes, beautiful. I think the nudity helps really emphasize these ideas.

Lucinda Ng- Dali Nude in Contemplation

2008-03-02T14:55:00.003-05:00

This picture is a self-portrait by Salvador Dali. It was interesting to see that most people posted nudes of women rather than men. Asides from the fact that a woman's body is more curvaceous making it more linearly interesting, it is also more socially accepted for a man or a woman to paint a woman naked than anyone to paint a man naked. However, it's not usual for artists to do nude self-portraits of themselves, but knowing the eccentric and narcissistic behavior of Dali, it's not too abnormal. We see the side view of him and his genitals are covered because it may be too vulgar.

Asia Del Bonis - Woman Nude

2008-03-01T19:41:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure of the artist who captured this woman through watercolor.. but the artist had both control (to be able to handle water color paint- it has a mind of its own) and expression (they weren't afraid to use bold strokes.) I do not see many nude water color paintings.. why? My guess is that the human body is so unique that a painter wants to use oils/acyrlics in order to replicate such precise details on the figure that is modeling. I personally like this artist's use of subtle color and soft lines and shadows. I like the pose that is captured. The figure is mysterious- not too much is made obvious. I think a lot of time, less is more in figure drawing and painting.

Meleha Ahmad: Evolution of Woman Nude

2008-03-01T18:40:00.004-05:00

I think that these two pieces are good examples of the difference in the way that nudes are depicted in today’s world when compared with times passed. The lower painting, called “Olympia” by Edouard Manet originated from the mid 1800’s. I think this painting is interesting because it depicts a lady who seems almost perfectly ready to attend a dinner or a ball, equipped with shoes, jewelry and even a flower in her hair; missing nothing but one thing – her clothes! Like many other nude paintings from this time period, the subject is perfectly posed and docile, perhaps like the women of this time. This is in sharp contrast with the painting above, a modern piece by a small-time artist, Mark Lahm. Titled, “Nude behind glass,”; the subject of this painting seems anything but tame. The energy of the woman depicted in this painting is reflected by its dark lines and intense brush strokes and is in sharp contrast to the paleness of the woman of the first painting. The claustrophobia, frustration and anger that is latent in this painting’s subject is almost animalistic, compounded by her nakedness and as such may represent the anguish that many women feel in society today.

Serena Ho- Botticelli's The Birth of Venus

2008-03-01T12:07:00.003-05:00

This nude of Venus by Sandro Botticelli immediately came to mind when I was thinking about what to post on the blog. I always liked this painting. It is not the most accurate portrayal of the female form; the proportions seem elongated and there is an animated, stylistic component to this piece. However, Boticelli captures a mood and a spirit with the use of color and composition. Venus' nudity seems like a expression of nature, because she is being born out of the sea shell, which is a creation of nature. Furthermore, I like her expression, one of demureness as she tries to cover up her body. The bright, spring like colors add to the painting's exposition of beauty and birth. This piece helps me remember that art is not all about accuracy but also about expression and emotion.

John Haenle - Raphael's Fornarina

2008-02-29T22:19:00.002-05:00

The woman in this painting is Raphael's mistress. That in itself is interesting, because during that time period, it seems like that would be something that painters would stray away from. Also, his use of seeing and not seeing is intriguing. He has her stomach draped with what seems like a clear kind of cloth, but he lets her breasts be exposed clearly. The volume in this painting is incredible too. By glancing at it quickly, it almost seems like a photograph, not a painting, and being able to achieve that is something that would be amazing.

Janice Kim: Velazquez "The Toilet of Venus"

2008-02-29T19:11:00.002-05:00

According to Wikipedia, this is the only surviving female nude by Velazquez and one of only two nude paintings in 17th century Spanish art because of censorship by the Spanish Inquisition. However, as the king's painter Velazquez seems to have been able to draw a nude and get away with it :)

I like this painting because I find it unusual that I only get to see the back of Venus, unlike in many other works of art concerning Venus. I also find it intriguing that the mirror's angle is not supposed to reflect Venus' face but that it does anyway, and that her face is so blurry that it's hard to really see what she looks like. Maybe Velazquez found it a demanding task to paint the face of goddess of beauty...

Jee Hyun Choi: Andrew Wyeth

2008-02-26T17:38:00.004-05:00

This is the painting I had in mind for a while for this particular post. I first saw this painting, Christina's World, by Andrew Wyeth in a Smithsonian magazine issue about two years ago. I forget many paintings, but this one has stuck in my mind. I think the reason might be in Wyeth's placement of form. The basic forms in the painting are rather simple; a tangled-up woman, a house, and a line that represents the horizon diving them up. What makes these forms have such a big impact, though, is that there are spaces in between them. A vast space of the canvas is waves of colors--the sky and the field. Wyeth, by placing these forms in such manner (which seems quite unique and complex to me), creates a sense of loneliness, forlornness, and estrangement.
(Whew!I apologize for the late posting-it's been an internetless weekend and week)

Caitlin Clark

2008-02-26T12:46:00.003-05:00

So this painting uses basic shapes in the construction of the items on the table... but the use of the shapes here proves that this technique alone does not make it a successful piece. To me the composition lacks purpose and I did not feel any sort of emotional reaction because of it. Even the slight abstraction in the forms takes away from influence of shape and makes it even more unappealing.

Oona Curley - Magritte

2008-02-26T12:11:00.002-05:00

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Follow the link and you'll find Magritte's famous bowler hat man painting. This image is composed of many smaller, simpler shapes - the man's body can be seen as a cylinder, or even a rectangle, the head as a sphere/circle, the apple as a sphere, and the bowler hat as a hemisphere or rounded cylinder. It is interesting how even these simple shapes can resemble each other - the bowler hat could be seen as a cylinder with a rounded top or a very squarish hemisphere.

Lydia Magyar - Chuck Close

2008-02-26T00:36:00.002-05:00

Ariel Isaacs: Les demoiselles d'avignon

2008-02-25T23:36:00.003-05:00

I think that this image shows how picasso is able to translate the forms of women into a few simple, and repeating shapes. He manages to express the women while at the same time, abstracting their forms to their essence. Hips are reduced to triangles, breasts to squares, etc. I really like how he takes an overwhelmingly complex composition and then translates in a completely novel way. Even the faces use very simple shapes, and even though they are clearly not realistic, they manage to somehow be true to life.

Ju Li Khing: Vortex lines

2008-02-25T21:49:00.003-05:00

What intrigues me the most about this piece is that it was created in the early 20th century, but looks as if it was a product of today's obsession with minimalist furniture. Admittedly it's not the most exciting vase ever, but the lines drew me in and made me take a second look. It's a very bold piece; probably for individuals with stern personalities.

Asad Jan

2008-02-25T18:16:00.005-05:00

I think it's interesting that we struggle now to find the shapes that make up an image;that, however, was basically how we began the process of learning how to draw. As adults we tend to miss the forest for the trees. The simple rectangle-and-circle tree is something I wouldn't think of breaking a tree down into, though it gets the idea across perfectly fine in this image.

At the same time, there are objects we see these days that are in fact made up of a composition of other shapes. A soccer ball for example is a repetition of hexagons and pentagons that makes the pattern on a perfect sphere.

Then there are far more complex images that one needs to concentrate on a lot harder to comprehend. This is a painting titled “The Card Players,” by the De Stijl artist Theo van Doesburg. Even though in real life an image of card players would have very few rectangles other than the cards themselves, I think he has cleverly emphasised the subject matter of the painting by portraying the entire thing using geometric shapes that are essentially composed of black and white rectangles. I feel that this is a good way of reiterating the fact that all objects can in fact be broken down into simpler constituent shapes even though they may not at first seem to fit at all.

Rachel Rieder- The Escher Form

2008-02-25T17:33:00.006-05:00

The blog isn't letting me upload the image for some reason, but I chose a piece by Escher, which is a black and white of birds "becoming" fish. As the viewer's eye travels down the page the previously negative space turns takes on a form from the abstract shape it once was into a new object. The transition is done gradually, with an expert degree of subtlety and detail. Escher's work never ceases to amaze me.

John Haenle - Le Viaduc à L’Estaque (The Viaduct at L'Estaque)

2008-02-25T10:07:00.002-05:00

This painting is by Georges Braque. The use of simple cubes and pyramids is prevalent in the painting, but it still manages to show depth in the houses and the viaduct. Also, the perspective of each house is different which adds to the overall feel of the painting. It's as if he chose different vanishing points for each house, which works well because it makes the houses kind of zig-zagged and it leads your eyes from the bottom up to the top smoothly.

Lucinda Ng- Photomosaics

2008-02-25T03:14:00.002-05:00

A photomosaic is basically a picture compiled of many smaller pictures. It's usually done by dividing a large picture or photograph into lots of small sects and then replacing every sect with another picture or photography of the appropriate average color. It always seems to amaze me what the artist can put together and how the eye absorbs the picture/photograph as a whole, rather than every individual one. It really shows how important color can be in a piece of art; we often perceive like colors as similar things, like in the case of photomosaics but we also perceive like colors as very different things, for example a picture had both sea and sky in it. The simple repetition of color can have a huge effect to a picture.

Serena Ho- Tessellations by Escher

2008-02-24T23:27:00.002-05:00

I chose this image because I think it's brilliant. It's evident how Escher utilizes a simple shape and creates a unique pattern out of them by fitting the shapes together in a tessellation. Yet what is really unique about this image is the way that Escher morphs the shapes on the bottom- the fish- seamlessly into the birds on the top of the drawing. Although the image is two dimensional and there is no shading or color, Escher still creates a complex and intriguing piece from the simple silhouettes of fish and birds.

Asia Del Bonis - Safety Pin Spiral

2008-02-24T22:48:00.002-05:00

This artist used repetition of his medium to create a downward spiral. A safety pin has a distinct shape that is nothing like a spiral. The safety pins are similar to a line on a page. When one line is put on a page, it doesn't look like anything special or unique. When many lines are put together to form a shape, something with dimension and volume, that is when art is created. Here the pins transform themselves- almost to the point where the viewer doesn't notice the familiar shape of the pin.

Ephraim Dagadu - Cubism

2008-02-24T19:28:00.003-05:00

This is Picasso's "Woman Playing the Mandolin." Like most of his cubic pieces, Picasso uses simple geometric shapes to construct images, like the woman in this piece, as well as create depth. At the same time, it's nice to see how all shapes blend into each other.