Event Critique Art

Use the following format for your museum critique; answers must be typed below the questions and all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can use this document as your template. ay careful attention to the required number of words for those questions that have them. !ailure to follow the instructions here and on your syllabus will result in a substantially low grade. "inimal answers poorly written are a # grade or less. Elaboration of points$ e%cellent arguments$ and good writing garner higher grades. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& 'ame((()iley *olman(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( Class time period +not section number, (((((((- a.m. ./ a.m.(((((((((((( ., 0hich museum did you visit1 +chec2 one, (%(( Univ. of Utah ((( 3YU 4, 5n .6/ words$ describe at least one of the broad collections on a theme$ period$ geographic region$ or topic, within the museum. 7he great depression era paintings covering a wide variety of different art forms from lithographs to pencil drawings. "ost of the art was depicting the basic lives while the country was going through some very difficult times as well as some very proud feats were done during this era. #uring this era Americans started building massive building that shot into the s2ies touching the heavens. And in the mid8west three states are suffering from over farming and a drought that leads to great dust storms that blow away precious topsoil causing massive hardships for many people throughout the United 9tates. 0ith all the e%periences this generation e%perienced is still affecting the daily lives of Americans as well as the rest of the world and you see this in the artist:s wor2. 0ith paintings depicting the death of farming due to factories and encroaching suburbani;ation crawling across the states with the interstate highway. 7he other two were wor2s from the faculty with modern and traditional artwor2s in a variety of media including; ceramics$ painting$ sculpture$ photography and digital imaging$ printma2ing$ installation$ and drawings.

<, =ive a brief$ one paragraph +.// words, description of a special e%hibit +as2 the curator what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms,> 7he depression era collection had a very broad spectrum of what was happening in that time period. 9uch wor2s of lithographs of farmers collecting and farming hay$ and their daily chores. 9howing the conditions which women had to deal with when they would wor2 in the sewing factories. 7he collection gives you a broad view of how the American citi;ens were feeling about the changes in the world that were to increase the speed of day to day lives. 7he art e%presses wartime feelings as the end of the great depression is resolved by the United 9tates entering 0orld 0ar 55$ and the mass production of assembly lines pumping out war machines.

?, 0hat 2ind of information is provided about the wor2s1 7ell me three places you might find more detailed information that doesn:t include the web @hint> as2 a curator for help with this questionA 7hey provide the artists name$ the year it was created$ and sometimes the artist:s location of where he lives. You could find more information of the art pieces and artists in biographies.

6, Choose several wor2s that particularly appealed to you. E%plain why you were drawn to these wor2s. Comment on the subBect$ style$ medium$ time period$ etc. 0ho were the artists1, 7his question must be answered in its entirety. +7his should be at least 500 words) 7homas *art 3enton was a very great artist who could portray the farmer life in a single painting$ loo2ing at his paintings you can see the very essence of American farming. *is

painting 5sland hay portrays the farmer as a dominator of hay as if it were land slowly shrin2ing the island of hay with every swipe of his reaper until the land loo2s li2e an ocean bare of any hay reaching from the sea of land. 5 must say though 5 was very impressed and influenced by Cradling 0heat$ not only are the stro2e mar2s and colors blended so beautifully and harmoniously$ but 5 feel it was also symbolic of wor2ing with what the land can yield so long as you tend and ta2e care with passion$ community$ and honor. 5n this painting there are < farmers and a young boy helping them bring in bushels of wheat$ in the painting 5 feel as though the young man feels very eager to help bring in a crop that is essential to sustaining a livable society. Cou 3arlow$ his original name was Louis Breslow and had changed it in the 50s, wood engraving of D7enant !armers: shows the pain and suffering that the farming community had been e%periencing during the mid8.-</. *e depicts the farmers near death from malnutrition$ struggling to get by with what little they had$ while still showing the emotions and sorrow. Cou 3arlow also did a great number of military medical paintings during the 9econd 0orld 0ar.

*erschel Cevits art depicts the wor2ing middle class male such as his D#am 3uilders: lithograph with two wor2ers wor2ing together with a crane and ropes as they build up the wall of the dam. 7he D ieta: is one of his wor2s that really spo2e to me when 5 ga;ed at the depiction of two miners carrying out a fallen wor2er and a woman who is distraught at the sight of death staring her in the face. 9he is stunned with her hand covering her mouth and the loo2 of great concern. 7he dead miner:s hands and feet loo2 as if they have been mutilated by the strenuous wor2 of mining Carl *oec2ner 5 feel wanted to portray what industriali;ation did to society$ the

maBority had become hedonist$ gluttonous and sedentary in a life style of alcohol$ hardcore drugs$ and se%. 5 felt e%tremely compelled when 5 came across the painting called DCold 9teel:$ my initial inta2e of the wor2 was that the men were emaciated what with it being during the great depression$ but then as 5 loo2ed longer and too2 in the rest of the painting 5 noticed that the men had their eyes tightly closed$ they have their hand right arms e%tended pulling levers bac2 to which men in army helmets are coming from. 5 feel this is a statement that says either these men are ignorant to what they are helping create or they do not 2now. E, How did the artwor2s you loo2ed at relate to material we have discussed in class1 @7hey do relate in many ways$ you Bust need to loo2 for those relationshipsA "inimum of .6/ words. 7he art shows the basics of what those people are e%periencing and how they feel about the whole situation. !rom the farmers being told to grow smaller crops so the price could increase$ to the industriali;ation of America and the death of the farming era. 7he depression era e%perience the whole spectrum of what a nation could face from the fall of the stoc2 mar2et and the dust bowl we as americans started to see what this country could become as we dance a fine line of complete chaos. 7hese painting show you a window to a time in America that we all should learn from. 3ecause we almost had a second depression in 4//F$ we really need to loo2 into our past and truly learn from our mista2es and failures as a nation and as a people. G, 0hat was your personal reaction to this e%perience1 0ould you enBoy attending this type of event again1 0hy or why not1 @"inimum .// wordsA 5 greatly enBoyed attending the U of U museum although 5 was only able to see about two8thirds of the gallery. 5 was mostly impacted by the depression era artwor2s they had. 0ith such a rich diversity of views of America and what was happening at the time

shows how much we can accomplish as a nation of strong willed and strong hearted people. 0e need to learn from these people perspectives and opinions because we are still dealing with some of the issues these very artists we depicting. 7he modern art was quite confusing on what the artist was trying to portray with the use of a dead bird$ a wood cart$ and a metal 2ey. 5 still don:t get what this is supposed to mean. "y best thought is that after death you unloc2 the secrets of life. 5 have plans to go to the 3YU museum later this year$ 5 would li2e to see what other types of art would be at that museum due to the religious bac2ground of the school$ to see what 2ind of bias it may have in its art collection.