Rhinoceros: Readings - T.H. Clarke

The Rhinoceros 

from Dürer to Stubbs . 1515-1799

   This article talks about the first rhinoceros to reach people in Europe. The Portuguese referred to it as "Ganda". The rhinoceros was a novelty to most people because they had never seen it before. People started talking about these animals and making drawings and paintings of them and those things started spreading, so tons of different people were hearing about this new animal and it just kind of ended up getting lost in translation. 

   People started making visual representations of this animal just from the written descriptions and so all these different variations of the rhinoceros came about. Basically what I got from this reading is that communication is very important for an artist and the way you communicate something in an artwork can have endless interpretations from different people because we all view things differently. 

Pattern and Ornament: In-Depth - Cardboard Sculpture

Sculpture made out of 100% recycled cardboard

This honestly took FOREVER but I think the outcome was worth it

LIT!

(not the most convenient passenger to travel with)

Pattern and Ornament: Small Works - Motifs

Three Motifs // Circle, Square, Triangle 

Pattern and Ornament: Outside visits - PAMM

Ornament and Empire 

This exhibit was so interesting and so useful for the current topic we are working on. All the pieces were about how humans have used ornamentation since forever to show their level of importance. The giant boat made out of cardboard had to be one of the most interesting pieces for me, its crazy to me that all of that was done with just cardboard and it also relates to the cardboard sculptures we are working on now, so it has really been a great inspiration. 

There were many other pieces that showed how ornamentation has been used in different cultures and I find all this stuff very interesting because I love looking at things that are highly detailed and intricate. This shows that we as humans all use patterns and ornament because it is something that we all understand and relate to no matter where you are from.

P.S. (I did the PAMM visit to make up for the Wolfsonian visit)

Pattern and Ornament: In-Depth step 2 - Wallpaper

(individual tile with collaged photos) 

(the lighting ain't too good in this pic, I ain't having it)

(here's a better digital version of the collage)

Pattern and Ornament: Small Works - Quilt remake

Quilt design remake with our own symbols 

(sharpie on paper)

Symbols: 

Meta-Assignment: Prompt #1

Pattern and Ornament: Readings - CAM Raleigh

Reading - CAM Raleigh: Ornament and Pattern

   This article starts off by stating that we as humans thrive off of patterns, its essential to our life and they just make sense to us. The author also goes as far as to say that we have patterns imbedded in our brains. I really enjoyed the way Yelavich talked about how we perceive patterns and how we interpret them; she also says that ornament just becomes a part of our words. Pattern and ornament are basically just another form of language.

   I also liked how this article included plenty of pictures and examples so that I could visually see what she was talking about. Yelavich also talked about how certain symbols can be seen in all different cultures and have many different meanings.  She also talks about how even though times are changing we still see the importance of pattern and ornament in the modern day. I see pattern and ornament as being something that humans will always have and use and appreciate because it is something that we just find so visually appealing.

Pattern and Ornament: Readings - Ivins, William M. ""Ornament" and the Sources of Design in the Decorative Arts."

Readings: Ivins, William M. ""Ornament" and the Sources of Design in the Decorative Arts." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 13, no. 2 (1918): 35-41

   This article talks about how there is a difference between the design and the craftsmanship of something, and he goes on to compare it to music and how the executant and the composer are completely different although very similar. Ivins also talks about how a designer can design something but any craftsman can then recreate it countless times, which kind of makes it lose its charm. He also talks about how designers were primarily ornamentists and the craft part of actually making the designs come to life came secondarily.

   I think what Ivins is trying to say in this article is that in todays institutions we are only taught about designs that already exist and have been recreated an endless amount of times and then we are focused more on the idea of learning the actual craft of making these things rather than creating new designs. But also everything has already been done before, we only recreate those same designs in a different light. Ornament has been used since the beginning of time to just make everything look more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. So we just keep recycling those ornaments and adapting them to the current day.

Creative impulse: In-Depth project - Mandala

Mandalas are a geometric figure/design seen through-out buddhist and hindu symbolism. Mandalas represent the universe and are used as an aid to meditation. This piece was also partially inspired by native american dream catchers which you can see in the "webbed" part of this piece. I chose to make this piece out of fabric and thread to tie it back to the craft aspect of folk art.  

(fabric and thread)

(Detail)

UPDATE: 9/10/16

I added more to this piece...

Creative Impulse: Small works - Remakes

(collage with magazines)

(clay on wood)

Creative Impulse: Outside Visits - ICA

Susuan Te Kahurangi King has been considered an outsider artist but still rises to the same level as contemporary art. She is known for her use of iconography, compositional complexity, and use of bold color. The artist was also diagnosed with autism at the age of five when she stopped speaking, which I found really interesting. In her work you can find familiar characters that we’ve all seen such as Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse etc. which is something that almost everyone can relate to. I really liked her use of fine lines and bold colors, which gave it a very graphic feel. She also successfully used everyday childlike materials like crayons, markers etc. but made it look like “high art”, I felt like it was very well executed. The way she distorted some of the characters and the way she composed her composition was very visually appealing as well.

   Ida Applebroog’s work deals with her experience of gender, the body, and images. I love the fact that the artist works across so many different mediums and styles and she executes each of them perfectly. I really enjoyed the bold graphic nature of Applebroog’s artist books; the simple bold text is very eye-catching. The story behind the mercy hospital sketchbooks is also very interesting and really lets you see into her mind and what she saw and thought at the time. The way she uses color and line is also very visually appealing to me.