Meleha Ahmad - Toki Doki

I guess at first glance, this piece by Simone Legno may look like nothing more than a doodle, a cartoon or at most a poster that some Japanese teenage girl (or guy!) might put on their wall. But as a devoted fan of Legno’s, and someone who has a profound appreciation for Japanese doodles, I would say that this piece along with many of his others has deep meaning attached to it. It represents the culture shift, from ethnic to highly Westernized, that has taken place in Japan (and all over the Asian world) in the past few decades. It highlights the cultural rift that is felt between the new generations and the old ones. The young girl depicted is in no doubt “modern”: after all, she DOES have a giant tattoo sprawled across her back (and she is ONLY wearing knee highs). But her white painted face is reminiscent of the Geisha days in Japan and has a more ethnic connotation. The picture of the nurse, the band aids and the bubble towards the bottom - which contains a picture of what looks like a baby - may be referring to abortion, which again, represents a matter of the cultural shift that has taken place in the new generations of the Asian world.

Oona Curley - Richard Avedon

Below are some Richard Avedon Photos:



I like this one because the focus is on the older man in the middle, and as your eye travels in ad out of the picture, the other figures are less and less in focus. I think it gives the photo depth and 3 dimensionality.



I think the lighting in this photo is very interesting. The girl on the left is highlighted and picked out of the rest of the image. I also like her expression - its so confident and sort of uncaring. You almost forget that she's so young.



I like this picture because it represents one moment and really captures the character of all of the women in this photograph. It is very organized and symmetric, but unstaged at the same time. Its an interesting combination of order and disorder.

Janice Kim: favorite image

This is a photo I took at a beach in Cancun when I went on a mission trip to Mexico. The four figures sitting near the little hut are my friends, and we were all up at 6am to see the sunrise.
I really love this image because it takes me back to the moment I took the picture. I remember being in awe of the beautiful sunrise and the ocean, and feeling so glad that I was able to share the moment with my friends. This beach also is very significant to me, because I was baptised there. Overall, I guess the primary reason I like this image is because of its personal relevance to me. :)

Jee Hyun Choi: Monet and his poppies

If I had to name one artist whose works had the most general appeal, I would choose Monet. I saw his work at several different places; the most recent encounter was at the RISD museum. (I would have posted the image of a particular painting that hung in the museum, but it’s not online, I don’t think) I remember lingering in front of his section of paintings because of the feelings they convey.

His paintings, no matter which one, are truly a joy to behold. They are tranquil yet not boring, brilliant yet not raucous, of everyday scenes yet not ordinary. I really like his landscapes a lot, and to be specific, of his red poppies. The one at RISD that I liked had poppies too; I’m posting several of his work that contain the flowers. His poppies, just splashed across the field like balloons across the air, instantly provide euphoria. The carefree red is a great contrast against the light blue skys. I think Monet’s paintings, by evoking such strong feelings in me, helped me really understand that color and art are capable of conveying emotion.

Asia Del Bonis: Figure Drawing

I think that if one wants to know the fundamentals of drawing one must first learn the basics of figure drawing. The human body possesses basically every element that one would want in a drawing. A person's physique involves shapes, colors, shadows, stillness, and also movement, mood, and emotion. Taking a figure drawing class changed completely the way I approached any type of art project. 

I was told that no matter how much time we had to sketch the human figure, to make sure that there is an idea of a whole person, not lacking any of the elements I mentioned previously. This forced me to quicken the process of sketching in general. It also helped me notice shapes within the body and later on in other animate and inanimate objects. Pictured above is a 10 minute pose oil pastel.

Jee Hyun Choi: T shirts

I really did search for T shirts from anywhere other than Threadless, but alas I'm once again posting stuff from the site. Here I posted three different "styles" of T shirts. The first one is a typical design, which uses a humorous idea. It's executed quie well I think: simple, to the point, and cute. The second one is unique because it utilizes the head of the person who's wearing it--there's an interaction (talking of pandas, there was a person wearing a panda suit just like that walking up and down Thayer street months ago...) The third one is really simple, but again different, because it uses the entire shirt as a canvas. It can make somebody feel as if he/she were walking around with a modern art canvas.

3 -Robert Taj Moore: Jenga America - "United We Stand"

America the beautiful, even without all the pieces we manage to stand. I think this image incorporates proximity into it - though parts are missing I still view this image as one group, much like the American people one could say. And, very importantly, Jenga is a really fun game.

2 - Robert Taj Moore: Griffin

How fun is this picture? I really like Derek Sammak's artwork for a few reasons: 1) He is from New Jersey 2) He is young 3) It is just plain awesome. I am sure everyone in our classroom can relate to this painting;that awkward adolescent stage and singing Christmas songs about "my two front teeth." This is a well-done painting that brings back funny memories.

Oona Curley

I tried uploading this picture (actually multiple pictures) that I took at the world trade center site that I took this summer when I was working there, but the site wouldn't let me. It's similar to the images that Ed showed us that were 360 degree images all strung together. My image is probably about 180 degrees all around and shows the WTC site from the west end of it. This is a sort of literal interpretation of the aleph, just considering how much you can see at once. It also is impossible to see with the naked eye. I'll try to upload the picture again, and will definitely bring a copy to class.

While this is not an impossible object... as it is a real photo... it encapsulates many aspects of the Aleph. Water is an incredible object and in this photo I imagine how the entire world could be caught in that one little droplet. It is so reflective, perhaps behind the mirrors is a copy of the world waiting to be watched and discovered. It seems impossible for me to imagine everything which can come from one little water droplet... one small disturbance ripples the entire world...

Caitlin Clark- Obama Tee

In class we saw some shirts with political messages, but this one stood out to me the most. I found it at UrbanOutfitters.com and I thought it was pretty ridiculous that the advertising for election has become so humorous and commercialized. There are no campaign promises or statistics, just a bold image representative of one of the most important events in our society. It's interesting to look back to outdated campaign buttons and compare them to today's tactics and choice of expression through t-shirts like this one.

There is also a retro feel to the design which is somewhat contradictory to what it is advertising... especially with the extremely modern ideas and candidates in this election. Nevertheless it achieves its purpose of being eye catching, humorous, and leaves an impression on the viewer.

Ju Li Khing: The Realm of Everything

I thought about the whole concept of seeing one thing and everything at once, and while I could imagine such a possibility, it was not as easy trying to express that on a piece of paper, or even looking it up on the Internet*. Even pieces that attempt to recreate the scene of The Aleph cannot contain everything; 'everything' depends on our own interpretations of it. Hence, the key to seeing everything is simply the imagination. On a canvas, 'everything' would simply be chaos, but in our minds it is possible to see it all without losing the structure of matters. In short, all we have to do is will ourselves to 'see everything', close our eyes, and enjoy the ride, so to speak.


*partly because my research skills have been limited so far to words, not pictures.

Lucinda Ng: Beards

They really do! Not only does this shirt have a witty pun on it, but it also conveys the truth. I personally think that beards are pretty awesome because it's a creative way for guys to express themselves, exclusively as guys. They also come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures; both beards and this t-shirt.

Ephraim Dagadu - Dick In A Box

It made me laugh to find a shirt based on my favorite SNL short "Dick In A Box." The shirt details in blueprint form how to properly prepare a box, put your junk in it, and present it to that certain special someone as a holiday present.

John Haenle - Little world

This is a T-shirt design from threadless.com.  Thank you JeeHyun for telling me about this great website.  I love this design because it's like you are looking into a little world where there seems to be many different modes of transportation, including the little fluffy things that you blow off of weeds (sorry I'm not exactly sure what they are called).  Also the creative thinking involved in this design is amazing.  It takes something that you see all of the time during the spring and summer and puts a completely unique spin on it.

Rassi: {Dirty Filthy,All Hail the DJ for he's a god,Devil and Eagle}

I have a good friend who designs t-shirts; naturally, his work is the first thing that comes to mind. He's quite talented and imaginative (if you get to know him you come to realize the designs are really just manifestations/extensions of his daily thoughts). These were drawn by hand and touched up in Photoshop.

Asad Jan - T Shirt

What I really like about this t-shirt is its bare-bones simplicity which nonetheless carries a strong message reflecting the state of affairs in the world today. What it says is that someone who wears this shirt is interested in having his/her opinions made known, and at the same time likes creative ways of expressing them.

03- Lucinda Ng: Essential to All Known Forms of Life

It covers 70% of the earth's surface and makes up about 65% of a human body. Water is fundamentally the most important thing to life. Aside from being a necessity, it also contributes to many factors of life. We use it for power, to swim in, to bathe in, as a tool to cut through things, to put out fires, and it is what inadvertently sank the Titanic. From powerful, spectacular waterfalls to a tiny dewdrops on grass, water is simply amazing. It can be strong and restraining yet it can also be calm and serene. It can force its way through many mediums or just engulf its surroundings. It can distort, warp and purify. Water is truly a work of art with the many personas it takes on.

Meleha Ahmad - Little Miss Sunshine

These infamous “Little Miss” T Shirts, now carried by brands like Delia’s and Zara, are the perfect example of personality expression through your T Shirt. Ranging from the generic “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Little Miss Trouble”, to more specific titles like “Little miss Late” and “Little Miss Scatterbrain”, it is hard pressed to come by someone who doesn’t own (secretly, at least!) one of these T-shirts. One might argue that this T-Shirt is no different from other T Shirts that say something about their buyer (Like the “Angel” or “Princess” Shirts, for example) but the Little Miss series comes in over 30 different styles, making it suitable to fit the personality of just about anyone!

02- Lucinda Ng: Edward Weston

Edward Weston is one of my favorite photographers; he captures simple subjects while emphasizing the beauty of them. For instance, in the first photo, he photographs a woman's nude body. It is very straightforward yet the elegant contortion of her body makes it so much more than what it is. It lets the audience experience the human body in a different, more creative manner. The next photo is of a leaf of cabbage. Weston almost personifies this piece of vegetation as flowing hair or extensive veins. The color contrast of each fold and crease is so bold and distinct. I feel that it's important for an artist to be able to bring out the individuality of what he/she is trying to display, in order for it be a true work of art.

01- Lucinda Ng: Spring

"Spring" is by Loretta Lux, a photographer who is known for her surreal portraits of children. She uses photo-shop to alter her photographs, in order to make the subject seem less realistic and almost plastic-like. She also modifies and shifts the perspective of the foreground and the background, which I find very interesting. The great thing about photography is that it can not only document and display things the way they are but it is also extremely deceptive. With the help of the computer technology we have now, it is easy to dupe the audience. The thing I love about Lux's work is that she doesn't go overboard with photo-shop, leaving the perfect balance between the natural state of the subject in the photograph and intricate technology.

Oona Curley

I was washing my face the other day and happened to stop and look closely at my eyes and noticed that the iris looks very deep and 3 dimensional. It reminded me of the aleph idea because it sort of makes one feel as though there is a lot more there than we care to notice. Also, eyes are so expressive ... its almost as though every piece of us is saved and recorded here, and it reminded me of the idea of seeing every part of something at once. I took this picture, trying to recreate this idea.

Robert Taj Moore - T-shirt

This t-shirt design is on the 'Derek Sammak' website (http://www.dereksammak.net/apparel/images/threadless1.jpg). I chose to post this t-shirt because it, as odd as it seems, reminds me of Oh The Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess. Also, I like this t-shirt because it makes me think of different ideologies, and making sure I evaluate them from different perspectives.

Serena Ho- Optical Illusion

Look closely at their feet, it's an optical illuion. Awesome! (the picture doesnt show up ont he blog but click on it and it goes to the website)

Asia Del Bonis - A Drug Induced Aleph

The closer I read Borge's The Aleph, the more I questioned if the author was under the influence of drugs. As I did some research, looking into this inquiry, I came across information about the drug N-N-DMT. Although DMT is 'medically regarded as an extraordinarily safe substance" its side effects make me think otherwise. One man who went 'DMT' tripping said it took him through hyperspace faster than he ever thought possible. Breaths seemed to be hours after the last. This hyperspacial and entity experience reminded me of Borge's The Aleph and how it could bring every moment in the last year into a single moment. The man who tripped on DMT drew roughly what he saw when he was on the drug. As impossible as it is to convey his trip with images, he came up with this. One of his many drawings to represent his visions.

Ariel Isaacs: fifty24sf: Dennis Kennedy2

I think that this image is hilarious. It is also from the upperplayground site, but from the fifty24 gallery, another San Francisco gallery that showcases local artists. I really like how this image is a play on words, and somewhat of an ironic statement. Also, some of the proceeds from the sale of the tee-shirt go to supporting public schools, which adds to the irony of the shirt.

Ariel Isaacs--Upper Playground tee shirt: Bridges

This image comes from one of my favorite stores in San Francisco: Upper Playground. They sell shirts and other clothes from local designers, many of which interpret images in a new way. Since most of the patters are from local artists, in my mind there is very little dispute that their shirts are, if not pieces of art in themselves, representations of artistic works. I really like this tee shirt. It shows two bridges coming out of san francisco, one is the golden gate bridge, and the other the bay bridge. The person holding up the golden gate bridge is white, while the person holding up the bay bridge is not. I think this shirt cleverly addresses the issue of race in san francisco, since the Marin is made up mostly of whites, and the east bay is more people of color, yet everyone comes together, like the bridges, in San Francisco.

The artist is Sam Flores, a local artist originally from New Mexico. Here is the artist information from Upper Playground:

Sam Flores was born in 1975, immersed in the stark beauty of the New Mexico desert. In 1995, he migrated to San Francisco seeking the bohemian lifestyle of the Bay Area. Like most teens of the late 80's and early 90's, Sam was involved in the street cultures of skateboarding and graffiti writing. From 1995-1998, these roots in urban expression helped him land freelance gigs doing graphics for skateboard and clothing companies. His focus medium is paint on canvas and wood. These paintings touch classic themes of "natural beauty," which is in obivious contrast to his life in the urban landscape. He credits Michael Parkes and Derek Hess as influences. The rich flora of his recent work can be compared to the nouveau stylings of Alphonse Mucha.

His figures tend to be somewhat anonymous, even masked in some instances, yet still full of personality and emotion. He effortlessly combines broad fields of color and finely rendered detail, creating paintings that are engaged on many levels. This palette tends to lean toward earth tones, perhaps an homage to the colors of his youth in New Mexico.

Sam has exhibited his artwork in galleries internationally

Asia Del Bonis - Johnny Cupcakes

A man named Johnny Cupcakes owns a Tshirt company. With a last name like Cupcakes, he can't help but be clever. The Boston store on Newbury Street is not your typical Tshirt shop. When you walk in, it is set up like a bakery. There are display cases and even doilies underneath each pile of tshirts. The staff wear aprons and bakers hats as if they were serving you real cupcakes. Tshirts found in this store are what you call "plays on words" or plays on previous designs. One example of a play on words is "Make Cupcakes Not War" and one example of a twisted design is the ET gone baker shown above. The shirts are fun and fresh and never fail to include a stencil of a delicious cupcake. These one of a kind shirts cost around $40 each.

Lauren Reimnitz - Incubus T-shirt

I saw this t-shirt design at a incubus concert I went to, and it has still stuck in my head for some reason. I really like how not only the lungs are life-size on the outside of the t-shirt, but that the lungs themselves are fractals. To me, fractals mirror practically everything in nature and make up some of the best designs, since it is their mathematical nature that makes them graphically interesting.

Serena Ho- Oregon Trail

This t-shirt is pretty funny. I think the funniest pictures/phrases are the ones that catch small details that every one notices, like this t-shirt did with the game Oregon Trail, but don't usually remember or think about.

Lydia Magyar- T-equalizer

Perfect for night, the T has a built-in graphic equalizer that is quite entertaining if the music isn’t too loud.

Janice Kim: tie dye shirts

Yes, I do realize that these tie-dye shirts were probably not created by photoshop :P But I still like them the most out of all the t-shirt photos I looked at today, probably because they make me happy just by looking at them. I find the vibrant colors, subtle blurs, and unique fold-marks really attractive. I wonder how I can use photoshop to create similar effects to tie-dye shirts. (I am assuming it is possible, as Ed said nothing is impossible with photoshop :D)

#3 Serena Ho: Marcel Duchamp's Bicycle Wheel

I personally hate this piece but I think Duchamp's work pushes conventional notions of what art is. He believed that simply through the act of choosing already made objects and signing his name, he was creating "art." Although the word "art" consists of millions of various forms of creative expression, I wonder if there are/ should be boundaries to what can be considered art. I mean, Duchamp didn't really even construct anything in this piece, so I'm pretty skeptical as to whether he can claim it fully as his own artwork.

#2 Serena Ho: Fantasia

I chose this picture from Fantasia because I think it is a great example of art as technology. Animation and cinema are forms of artistic expression that bridge "traditional" forms of art (painting, drawing, etc.) with modern technologies. As technology improves, the number of ways one can express oneself grow even larger, and make possible new modes of creativity that have never been seen before.

#1: Serena Ho: Stormtroops Advancing Under Gas by Otto Dix

Otto Dix is a post-war German artist. I've always been captivated by his unique aesthetic and the power his pictures convey. Following World War II, Dix attempted to capture the nightmare and brutality of his own experiences as a soldier in the German army through his artwork. And that is what I think art ultimately is: a vehicle to express your beliefs and feelings to the world.

Thi

JeeHyun Choi #3: Plastic Surgery

I thought about what I mentioned earlier, that art delivers sense of beauty both to the maker and the viewer. I wonder then, if plastic surgeries should be considered art too. The aim, afterall, is outward beauty. Does this make plastic surgeons artists who are expressing their creativity and talent with other human faces as a canvas? I'm not sure.

#3 - Ephraim Dagadu: Negative Luminance

This is a picture of some flowers shot in negative light. This appeals to me as art because it shows something that is not realistic. You can't walk down the street and see flowers, or anything else, in this light in everyday life. Art can not only re-frame the world around us, but create new worlds. This appeals to me because this image creates an imaginary world where light is reversed.

Meleha Ahmad #3: Energy in Art

This is a pen and ink piece called “Crowley” by a small time artist named Andrew Mariano. I came across it on the internet under “energy in art.” Mariano believes that psychedelic art such as this piece can be used in psychotherapy. This presents art in a new light perhaps, as not only as soothing and peaceful, but also a piece of energy that can act as a healer. The above piece, with its soft contours and waves feels almost alive; in fact you can almost feel the energy in it. I believe that when an artist paints or draws, in fact, the energy that goes into its creation is communicated to its viewers. This is what makes art so powerful and effective to its viewers.

Sonia Kim.3: Fibonacci Sequence

Readers of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code might find the sequence familiar:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657, 46368, 75025, 121393, ..

However, as much as Brown focused on the artistic merit of works such as the Mona Lisa, I also appreciate the aesthetics of mathematics and science. Art has always utilized methods in math and science; however, I think there still exists a gap between the palpable emotion and public fascination with art and the mental cohesiveness and conceptual elegance of math. The Fibonacci sequence has the sometimes awkward position of manifesting itself in elements we traditionally consider beautiful: flowers, shells etc.

Possibly the most curious aspect of the Fibonacci sequence lies in its universality. Art currently prides itself on its level of subjectivity, freed from the dictates of a national academy or of royal taste. However, does the Fibonacci sequence hold that perhaps we might not be as free to choose what we deem beautiful/artistic as we would think? For this concept hinges upon the importance of scientific laws (or for the religiously minded, God)--an element that supersedes much of human control.

Of course, much art has been created to consciously oppose traditional standards of aesthetics, social taste etc. And through these efforts, ugliness, poverty, and diversity have become part of the worldview of art. However, by their very opposing stance, do they too, in the end, cede to the fact that something about art is universal.....that there is such a thing as good or bad art?

Sonia Kim.2: Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Surrounded Islands

I respond to Christo and Jeanne Claude's work because there are so many different avenues to their appreciation. I first experienced this piece as a picture in an art history book; therefore, I reacted purely visually to a photograph that exuded simplicity and grace.

However, as a project, I realized that there is nothing simple about coordinating the surrounding of several Miami islands with swaths of fabric and nothing graceful about working with bureaucracies and carting away preexisting garbage from the islands.

Due to the magnitude of the project, Christo and Jeanne-Claude enlisted the help of marine biologists, attorneys, ornithologists, mammal experts, building contracters etc. I see this work as a reference to the past when projects such as the building of the Great Pyramids required the cooperation of an entire society or even to the present organizations such as research universities and corporations which are expert at amassing manpower and information. However bureaucratic the construction of public monuments and the development of corporations may seem, I also appreciate the fact that Christo and Jeanne-Claude are using art as a medium to/of social justice (by constructing through only environmentally friendly methods and by creating a truly public piece of art). I think Christo and Jeanne-Claude manifested very modern thoughts (technology, artificial materials, information) in a way that adds to the environment, instead of something that is separate from (ie. the Internet) or something that harms (ie. cars) it.

Unfortunately, just as knowledge is a slippery thing to keep, the "architecture" of the islands was dismantled after a short period....leaving only other art mediums (photos, text) in its place.