My visit to the Lowe Art Museum

Roger Brown 

Mr. Gotta go faster than anyone else

This art piece is so beautiful to me because Brown used oil on this canvas,yet every detail is defined and precise. This image looks almost 3-Dimensional. This piece uses a lot of movement to bring the image to life and also gives you an anxious feeling. The canvas is a flat surface,but the road looks curved, the clouds look surreal and the car looks like its going to drive right off of the canvas. I'm amazed by the skill of color usage, shapes, shading, etc. made with oil. all of these factors brought the image to life as if you were looking at this in person. Also the imagery isn't an ordinary illustration so it catches your attention more because this image isn't something you get to see everyday which makes you appreciate this art work more. 

 

Sandy Skoglund

Breathing glass

  

Irene Rice Pereira 

Seated Female Naked on Velvet 

El Greco 

Christ carrying a cross

El Greco created many paintings of Christ carrying the cross. It is a religious image of  unforgettable immediacy, profound with deep emotion. Christ's willing sacrifice for humanity is expressed through his kind, soft eyes while embracing the cross with such tender hold. The image portrays Jesus to be a strong man by his physique, for example, his broad shoulders, bulging neck, and husky chest. Also the artist portrays Jesus to be a handsome man because of his angelic face,defined bone structure, and his curly healthy hair.The depiction of his face is impacting because through his suffering he has a facial expression of anticipation to go home and reside with his awaiting father, that's why he's looking up at heaven.

 

Wilfredo Lam 

Untitled

From the first glance of Lam's work piece you see an image of a young lady; but once you pay more attention  you realize its not just any ordinary young lady. Lam depicts this young woman to be beautiful,  sexy because she has a curvaceous body and conceited because she's looking at herself in the mirror. Although, the reflection in the mirror isn't as appealing as her superficial appearance. Also the facial expression looks melancholy and the young lady looks away from the mirror almost in a shameful manner. I feel that the young lady is beautiful on the outside and once she looked in the mirror and saw her true reflection in the mirror she was faced with the truth of who she really is and its unavoidable. The message I interpreted from this image is we can be appealing to the eye and unattractive within. Looks can only get you so far in life and eventually everyone will see you for who you really are.

Sally Mann

Sally Mann's work is truly impacting and interesting to me because I love to appreciate photography. Mann's art is more spontaneous and the flaws in her process is what makes her photography beautiful and interesting. She feels that if the image has no ambiguity then its useless. All of her photography is shot with damaged lenses and a camera that requires her to use her hand as a shutter, the images are marked by the scratches, light leaks, and shifts in focus that were part of the photographic process as it developed in the nineteenth century. Her early series of "Immediate Family" was improvised, she took pictures of them because they were there. She would just see beauty in something so natural, but was also looking for the "Mann intensity" that the family shared. Mann grew up in Virginia, she was the third child so she ran wild and naked for the first seven years of her life which is why she raised her children the same way. All the photographs of Sally Mann from her childhood are of her naked so she didn't see anything odd about photographing her children naked. Mann's parents were atheist so she feels uncomfortable expressing her spiritual side so she expresses her spirituality through photographs. In addition, for the "Immediate Family" series she expresses her maternal love through photographing her loved ones. She loves the south and loves to photograph the landscaping because it has a sense of history and nature that is rapidly being lost. She is completely captivated by the process and results of her photography that even the people around her feel an impact.

Margaret Kilgallen

Not only am I amazed with Margaret Kilgallen's talent, but also her attitude as an artist. There's no doubt that Margaret is talented, her work is absolutely beautiful and unique. However, her attitude as an artist is inspiring because she's confident and sincere. She appreciates all art work, especially "things that show the evidence of the human hand."She appreciates imperfections because she feels thats what makes the art work beautiful not straight lines, prefect circles, and measurements. Due to Kilagallen's earlier experiences as a librarian and bookbinder she was equipped with extensive knowledge of signs, drawn from American folk tradition, printmaking, and letterpress. Kilgallen was so confident in her skills that she would paint directly on the wall,without hesitation, while creating room-sized murals that depict a period when personal craft and handmade signs were the popular artistic taste. Everything would come out beautiful looking effortless. She would often ask permission to paint her graffiti art on walls, whereas her husband, Barry McGee wouldn't. She loved graffiti- that was the era in time when all signs were hand painted. Kilgallen and McGee would draw on trains together and appreciate the other artist's work. Kilgallen and McGee shared a strong passion for street art.

Jessica Stockholder

I enjoy Stockholder's work because she uses colorful, inexpensive props to engage means of production that we encounter in our daily lives. You can tell she takes pleasure in her work; although, its sometimes excruciating to develop a project and yet she still makes it look effortless, beautiful, and simple. Stockholder feels its exciting, rich, and difficult to walk into a studio unsure of the outcome. When working with installations she does a little preplanning for space to make more use of her time while in the studio. "Drawings are recipes for action", said Stockholder. In the beginning, her work was more nonverbal because her parents were very verbal so she wanted to work with the physical world to profess her experiences throughout her life that couldn't be argued with. Now that she's older and more wise she parallels her words to her work. Most artists start off with an idea then try to illustrate that thought through their work, while stockholder thinks about what her work will look like visually then afterwards associates an explanation for the artwork. Stockholder's work is interesting to me because she's suggesting possibilities for a different experience, world, etc. other than the ordinary while using ordinary props.

Timelessness

When I correlate timelessness and Art together I think of the infinite beauty of the object I'm observing. This beauty is infinite because it has no restrictions or limitations, no matter the era, current trend, or standards. The beauty of the object never expires or dulls. To truly appreciate the beauty in art you have to have an understanding of it. 

Comparing two great artists, Chris Burden and Mark Pauline

Chris Burden used many different techniques and strategies to express what he felt was "Art". You can tell that Burden had a passion for Art. Burden's passion for Art became mind over matter; for example, one of Burden's famous pieces was 'Shoot'. Burden was shot in the arm  by his assistant, who wasn't more than five meters away from him, to express art in his own unique way. He didn't take into consideration what was the "norm", what society found acceptable, and what others thought about his Art in general. He made many efforts consistently to share his Art with the public in any way,shape,or form to express himself through visual Art and installation, to familiarize the public with his work. Most of his Art put his life in danger but he didn't mind as long as he was doing what he loved.

Mark Pauline used more machinery and robots to express his "Art". His passion was building the machinery and robots; putting on a interesting display of his Art pieces fighting against each other; and also having the honor of creating Art that would impact his audience significantly to the point that it would be one of their last thoughts before dying. This artist shows narcissistic characteristics by his desire for his Art to be the last thought on his audience's mind before they die and he mocks the audience's reactions to being injured during one of his demonstrations. Pauline's Art endangered not only his life, but also his audience's lives. For instance, Pauline is permanently disabled due to an explosion during one of his demonstrations. Pauline, without regard to the law, hosts his demonstrations openly in public areas to be accessible to everyone. He wanted the public to walk by and to satisfy their curiosity by walking over and giving his art a chance, instead of judging his art without seeing it for themselves.

There's no doubt that both of these artists share a strong passion for Art. They both dedicate the majority of their time to working on their Art. Although, being an artist doesn't guarantee financial success, these artists still put maximum time and effort into creating Art to share with the public. Burden uses his profit from his previous art pieces to finance his next project. Pauline spends his days and nights in his shop, working on his machinery and various projects. With knowledge of the majority of the public's views of his art, Pauline continues to display his Art whenever and wherever he wants. Both artists are rebellious to society's standards and embracing their unique ways of expressing their Art. These artists do visual art and installations. I enjoy both unique styles of visual art and installations because they're both beautiful in their own way in my eyes.

Sister Wendy

Sister Wendy was a funny and interesting woman who shares her knowledge of the historical background of these artists and different styles. She explains that the artist's experiences is what determines their art and their unique styles. They communicate with the world and share their story through art. Once you know the artist's background you can understand and appreciate their art more. For example, I never understood the beauty of Picasso's art and the message he was trying to portray until I learned his of experiences with women during his life.Sister Wendy made me understand that knowing the historical background of the artists and the era of the paintings can make you understand and appreciate the art more.