Philosophy of Art

It was interesting and fun to take a philosophy of art class during this quarter. In such a city like London, great pieces of art are abundant. I liked many of the pieces of art that we have seen in London. My aesthetic of art has been mostly leaning toward classic works but during my trip here and visiting the modern museums I have had a greater appreciation of modern art. In my previous art classes we were taught how to evaluate and analysis art, but in this class I was given a chance to express how I feel and if I like or dislike a certain piece.

Geocache!!!!

Over this past quarter I have learned what and how to Geocache. This class has been a great learning experience while also being exciting and fun. I enjoyed that when geocaching we were able to visit some interesting and different areas of London. For example would be the John Snow pub, I would have never gone to this pub knowing how it held a historical significance. By doing the Disaster, Plague, and Cholera series I have learned a great deal more about London history with the plague and fire. Some geocaches were a bit more difficult to find, especially the physical cache that are hidden at the end of the series. In Barnes most of the caches were physically hidden and one for certain gave me much trouble finding. The cache first off was hidden under a fallen tree but it was also buried. Over all I enjoyed this Geocache class and I am certain I will be doing more caches in the future.

Which is the Master?

In class we were given both these sketches to see which one was the master. The sketch on the left has a much more expression in the face. It is due to the combination of the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth showing greater detail of expression. Shading done in the left sketch makes the picture have much more depth and dimension; it makes the girl appear more real. The highlights used for lighting on the girls face on the left are much better used then the sketching on the right. One is better able to define where the light source is appearing from. The sketching on the left the girl’s face is better defined and completed giving the girl a better shape as a whole. On the right the girl's left side of her face is, to me, left unfinished and is in need of more shading and detail. Overall I chose the picture on the left to be the more superior and master of the two.

Yo-Yo Ma compared with Rostropovich Version

In class we listen to two different versions of Beethoven's pieces, first version is Yo-Yo Ma and the second version is Rostropovich. In the beginning part of the Yo-Yo Ma piece the cello and piano over lap a bit. It’s a slow and sweet part but it builds ever so slightly. The first time I had heard the piece the long pause before the abrupt and aggressive part of the piece had startled me. In this piece to me it seems that the piano had a much bigger and important part and over powers the cello.

Second piece, Rostropovich, the beginning the cello and piano have more of a conversation going back and forth that doesn’t overlap as much like the other version. The pause in this one was not as abrupt and harsh as in the Yo-Yo Ma, it was a shorter pause. The second half of this piece also does not feel as harsh and aggressive. To me it feels like the cello is being played in front of the piano and in the center of the piece. The piano was not protruded as dark as in the previous piece. Over all I enjoyed this piece better it had a more settle and sweeter tone throughout the whole piece where I felt the Yo-Yo Ma piece was more aggressive and flexed with its tone.

Romeo and Juliet

On Tuesday night we attend the Globe’s Romeo and Juliet play. The play was more happy then what I expected out of a Romeo and Juliet play. This was my first time watching a Romeo and Juliet all the way through, so have nothing solid to compare with. At the end of the play I was not expecting in a Romeo and Juliet play for everyone to come back alive and dance. The acting in the play was a more up-beat mood then expected. Romeo and Juliet acted out for us at the Globe was a romance, tragedy and comedy when I assumed it would be more of a dark and tragic play. I believe that if I had sat down I may have been able to enjoy the play more, but as it was I stood for three hours and had ache feet and legs from crouching so that people could see behind me.

British Museum

The Great Court room is the beginning to my journey in the British Museum. It’s not a bad way to start the museum it gave me a sense of welcome. The court room has a large and beautiful window ceiling that allows large amounts of light into the spacious room. I enjoy the design of diamonds the window makes. With the room being made of white stone makes the room even lighter. The stair case gives the feeling that the room is made for royalty, gives an elegant touch to room. The entry ways into different sections of the library have columns and similar features as buildings in Roman times.

“Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs” I had seen these pieces earlier on a previous trip to the British Museum. At that time I did not understand the story behind them. Now knowing the story I understand the statues and why they are fighting. In each setting it goes back and forth on who is winning, the centaurs or the Lapiths. Although the sculptures are damaged and missing some non-attached pieces the sequence is a great piece of work. The detail in each setting is exquisite; it’s as if you can see the movement in the figures. No two plates are the same, each have a unique moment of the battle.

Bloomsbury Group

Here is the site of my pictures taken at the site of Maynard Keynes and also at Lytton Strachey
http://www.panoramio.com/map/?user=3204142#lt=51.524101&ln=-0.1300095&z=0

This is a list of the unique group of Bloomsbury artist, poets and thinkers:

Helen Anrep

Clive Bell
Grew up at Cleeve House in Wiltshire
moves to 50 Gordon Square with wife Venessa

Julian Bell

Quentin Bell

Frederick and Jesse Etchells

E.M. Foster
9 Arlington Park Mansions, Turnham Green Terrace, W4

Roger Fry
born in 1866 in Highgate, London

Angelica Garnett

David 'Bunny' Garnett
1916 farmhouse Charleston Farmhouse. Firle, East Sussex.
Garrick's Villa, Hampton Court Road, Richmond-upon-Thames


Duncan Grant
1909 moved to 21 Fitzroy Square
1916 farmhouse Charleston Farmhouse. Firle, East Sussex.

Mary Hutchinson

Maynard Keynes
46 Gordon Square, WC1

Wyndham Lewis

Vanessa Stephen (Later Bell)
Born 1879 lived in Hyde Park Gate
1904 moved to 46 Gordon Square, Bloomsbury.
1916 farmhouse Charleston Farmhouse. Firle, East Sussex.

Lytton Strachey
51 Gordon Square, WC1

Leonard Woolf
29 Fitzroy Square, W1

Virginia Woolf
25 January 1882 to May 1904 at 22 Hyde Park Gate, W8
January 1905 to March 1907 at 46 Gordon Square, WC1
April 1907 to November 1911 at 29 Fitzroy Square, W1
20 November 1911 to 29 October 1912 at 38 Brunswick Square, WC1
30 October 1912 to September 1913 at 13 Clifford’s Inn, between Chancery Lane, WC2, and Fetter Lane, EC4
16 October 1914 to 25 March 1915 at 17 The Green, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey
15 March 1924 to August 1939 at 52 Tavistock Square, WC1
13 October 1939 to 27 August 1940 at 37 Mecklenburgh Square, WC1

Photographers’ Gallery

Wolfgang Tillmans photo the “Paper Drop” is one of my favorite photos on the second floor of The Photographers’ Gallery exhibits. It is a simple photo but I love the colors in the photos. It’s amazing when looking at the photo I would have never guessed that it was a piece of paper. The photo reminded of on oyster shell. The purple of the paper was a lovely color. I also enjoy how the purple color has multi shades and they blend so well.

Alina Szapocznicknow photos called “Fotorzezby-photosculptures.” These photos consist of the photographer chewing gum and posing it in certain ways and took pictures. When I first walked to the gallery it was the first photo that I came across. Like many other students I was puzzled by the photos and the objects that were there. When I did know what it was I was a bit disgusted which may have been what the photographer had in mind.

Maurizio Anzeri photos “2nd Hand Portraits” were more interesting to me. I was puzzled what would have been the meaning of the photos. Anzeri took old black and white portrait photos and stitched circler designs. One photo appears, to me, as if the photographer was attempting to make the person appear like a monkey. The photo has big circles around her eyes and large one around her mouth. Over all I think the stitches are made very well but I don’t think these photos or really any in the gallery are my aesthetic taste.

Victorian Underclass

In the late 1888, Jack the Ripper an unidentified but famous serial killer who killed mostly in the Whitechapel area. At this time England had experience an increase of Irish immigrants also combining with the Jewish refugees added to the already poor conditions of London’s poverty or under class. At this time in London social classes would be “distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, authority, wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, life-span, education, religion, and culture.” (Victorian Web) Women of this time, class, and location in Whitechapel would most likely resort to prostitution as an income and were Jack the Ripper’s targeted victims. According to Wikipedia, “In October 1888, the London Metropolitan Police estimated that there were 1,200 prostitutes "of very low class" resident in Whitechapel and about 62 brothels.”

My aesthetic and Turner vs. Rothko

Characterize my aesthetic:
I would say my aesthetic would be characterized as classical and expressionist. I do enjoy pieces of art the usually have some more depth meaning to the painting then what is just placed upon the canvas. My favorite medium to be used is oil painting for the colors are much more crisped and brighter, but this is also up to change from time to time depending on the different pieces of works.

Turners first paintings are expressionistic they are vague and suggestive. His later work showed more of a defined outlines but he still held on to his talent of play with lights and colors. Comparing both Turners and Rothko’s works was difficult at first but when you get right down to it the elements are similar. Both Turner and Rothko used an expressionistic style and they also both play with the aspect of light. When looking at Rothko’s works I will admit that a more imagination is needed to see any sort of characteristics. It’s hard to imaging but at times it felt that Rothko was trying to paint a sunset or in one case I felt that I was looking at a doorway, but he uses nothing more difficult then two different colors and uses tones and tints. Turners’ earlier works were smaller and more of suggestive styles but his later works were larger and more defined there is not as much guessing involved.

Plague, Fire, and Greenwich

DISASTER:
Impact of the plague on London was devastating. In 1665, a hundred thousand people have died from the plague. What terrified the people was the rate and speed that the plague hit. The victim would die within days after conducting the disease. Despite the theories the people believe how they conducted the disease; it was accually transferred by rats that had fleas contaminated by bacillus. At that time rats were plentiful, and in the heat plague bacillus thrived.
Dr. John Snow created Ghost Maps that marked deaths in London in 1832. Snow then linked the deaths to the water source for the quantity of deaths around the pump. At the John Snow pub is where the contaminated pump is located and is marked by a red granite stone.
The Great Fire of London in 1666 left an impact on the people. The Monument was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in memory of the great disaster. The monument is two hundred and two feet high and made of stone. The height of the monument, 202 feet is the distance to the location that the fire started at the King’s Baker’s shop, Thomas Farynor.
Geocaching is a very good and interesting instrument to use to find these places. It’s a fun way to learn something new and visit places I don’t think I would have seen before.
GREENWICH
This week we did a geocached in Greenwich. Our destination took us to the royal observatory where the British Prime Meridian of the World is located at. This is where the north longitude is 0 00’ 00”. But our GPS didn’t state the same thing. Instead when we walked a bit away our GPS then said that we were at the Prime Meridian. The two data bases have two different definitions of where the Prime Meridian is located. What I thought was interesting is that there is no identification or marking stating that this was a different Prime Meridian.

TAS- Aesthetics Dinner

On Tuesday night we all joined again to dine at TAS down in Bloomsbury Square, TAS is a Turkish cuisine restaurant. To begin with I would like to state that I still wasn’t hundred percent better from getting sick a few nights before so I wasn’t completely thrilled with the idea of eating food. When you walk into the restaurant the setting is appropriate for a Turkish restaurant. Walls and pillars are tiled and there is a mosaic on one wall. One side of the restaurant has mirrors hanging to make it appear as if the room is larger than it is. Our class sat next to the window, outside the window there were potted plants that set a nice frame for the busy road the restaurant was located by. The bar and grills are displayed openly on the right side of the room, when we walk out we could thank the cooks that prepared such a wonderful meal.

To start off the meal we were given a set menu of five different starters. They were all taste but I particularly liked the humus but I’m also already a fan of humus. Another started that I enjoyed was the feta cheese and spinach triangle pastures called Borek. Some of the other starters were: Zeytin Yagli Patlican, Tabule, Manca, Zeytin Yagli Bakla, and Sebzeli Kofte (Falafel).

For our main dish I chose to try the mixed grilled called Karisik Izgara. The dish consists of chicken, beef, and minced lamb. The meats were seasoned and cooked deliciously with Orzo on the side, everything went well together. Along with our meal we were served house wines. Their house white wine was a crisp and dry wine and the red house wine was a syrah wine that I suggest is left to breath for a while before drinking, for me it was a bit to sharp for me to begin with. The red wine has a berry and spice flavor that went well with my meat dish. Overall the meal and atmosphere of the restaurant was appealing and enjoyed.

Review is also posted on Yelp.co.uk: http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/tas-restaurant-london-2

Regent's Canal

On Tuesday for class we geocached along the Canal route. It was a beautiful walk, I could not believe that we walk by it every day on our way to the underground station and home. I hadn’t expected to have boats and people living on the canal. What was also not expected but extremely welcomed was a restaurant on the canal itself. Further along, the canal goes by the Regents Park which was pleasant to stop by and help Manley and other students find our last geocache prize in the bushes. Next we went to Camden Town to start a new series called The London Rainbow. There we saw where people would keep their horses that were used to pull boats up the canal.

After walking along the canal I assumed that the infrastructure system was used to move from one place to another. After doing some research I did find that they were indeed used to transport belongings and supplies from one location to another. The main purpose for the canal was to deliver coal to people cheaper. The plans were set by the Duke of Bridgewater who had an enthusiasm for coal. When the canal was made it decreased the price of coal by half.
All information was sited from http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/history/ukcanals.htm

Whitechapel and The National Gallery

Whitechapel:
At the Whitechapel I was able to see the Guernica by Picasso. When you stand there long enough you can start to understand what is going on in the painting. The painting begins to make more since and flows together. It’s a caption of the Spanish Civil war, it brought many people’s attention to the matter. As for the rest of the Galleries I was not overly impressed it was nothing like the Tate Modern or Saatchi.

The National Gallery
Jan Van Eyck painting Arnolfini Portrait is my favorite in the National Gallery. What I love about this painting is how Van Eyck puts his own special touch into the painting. Not only does he sign the painting “Jan Van Eyck was here 1434” which is unheard of artist putting any sort of mark on their paintings. Jan Van Eyck also is so bold as to put a self portrait of himself as a reflection in the mirror. Jan Van Eyck has particular attention to the lighting in the painting. The golden chandelier above the couple is a good example of this. Outside the window it is apparent that it is light outside. Where the light is coming through the window the chandeliers has a shine and lightness to it on the other side. To the right in the shadows it is darker and daunt. Another play with light is that Giovanni Arnolfini’s wife has a shadow behind her. Even the mirror you can tell that there is a shadow to the right of it. Textures are so incredible in depth in detail, the folds and lace on her head scarf on the wife. Arnolfini coat and the dog at his feet are detailed work of fur textures. The incredible detail put into the rug is amassing, colors and small in detail. From approaching the painting from afar it is interpreted that the wife is pregnant by how she is holding up her dress but it is stated that it is a contemporary fashion of the times. What I find interesting is why did Jan Van Eyck choose to paint the pair without shoes on but to only put the shoes besides them? Is this to show that the two are at their house and are comfortable with their surroundings. This is also a contrast to the formal outfits that they are wearing. Over all this piece of art is fascinating to me, in that it shows great texture and lighting. Also the symbolic meaning along with artist rebelling that is intertwined in the painting.

Visit http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=ng186 to be able to zoom in onto this piece of work.

Saatchi and the Tate

April 7th Visit the Saatchi and the Tate. Here is a few exhibit that I enjoyed.

Will Ryaman’s piece called “The Bed” was a fun piece. I had seen it before in different art classes but interesting to stand next to it in person. My impression of the piece as I had before was the Ryaman was trying to get across what a corrupted life young people live. Time has no presents in life for the watch is left unworn on the floor without and hands to tell what time it is. Beer cans, Doritos, and cigarettes are laying scatter and used on the floor. I was surprised to find out, after reading the quick note on his work, that his meaning he was attempting to get across was to portrait a idle slacker whom humorous with his over sized body.

When we first walk into the museum we enter the thorough color hanging plastic stemmers it’s as if we walk into the artist fantasy world. Bunk beds are lined along the floor on each bed is a science fiction book. This I think was to show that bed is where your dreams come alive and the books show that. The giant cat fossils I believe was to give example that what was true before isn’t anymore. When the fossil should be a dinosaur it’s a domestic cat. The red metal structure in the middle is not made out of metal but of wood. The purpose of this I believe is to show that what we see is not always what we get. All combine show the artist view of the science fiction or his view of the world.

Claude Monet painting the “Water-Lilies” I have seen before in books and classes but to stand there was a new experience. Claude Monet was not appreciated for his new style of art until he had passed away. The new style was called Abstract Expressionism. When I first walked into the gallery the painting you can tell is water with lilies on top of it. Closer you can tell the colors are blended. It’s an immersion into nature, the surface of the water becomes a world it’s self. It’s calm and cool with no one strong color. It all flows together, even the golden frame flows with the rest of painting. Sorry no photo.

Chris Ofili painting “No Woman, No Cry” was a moving painting. To me the painting illustrated to me sorrow and grief. An African-American woman’s profile with tears falling freely from her eyes demonstrated deep feelings. The painting is made of filled in paint but on top of the paint is also blob paint dots, gives the painting texture and depth. Woman is wearing a necklace; at the base is a 3D rock that has a dotted heart. In the tears there is a picture of a young boy that I believe she is crying for. After reading the information for painting I find out that the boy is Stephen Lawrence, who was wrongly accused and beaten by London police. Under the paint you can make out “RIP Stephen Lawrence.”

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