Art Project #2

This project polled three people about their observations on two different works of art, an abstract oil painting and a sculpture. The following are the answers provided to the poll questions provided and their personal opinions concerning the two compositions: ART WORK #1 My Assessment: Gender Female, Somewhere in the middle. 1. I believe the answer is B, smaller than life size. They just seem to be small exacting replicas of actual humans. Something like the jewelry box ballerinas but larger, approximately four inches by 7 inches. 2. If the size of the composition is small in nature, it could suggest that in the grand scheme of life these two people and their relationship are insignificant, of no consequence. It could also allude to how delicate life and relationships are. If the sculpture was actually twelve feet long it might lead the viewer to surmise that this couple and their relationship is of great importance to the very concept of humanity. 3. I perceive that they care deeply about each other because of their close proximity, but I also feel that their postures exude tension. This tension is made noticeable by the fact that they do not have their arms around each other, seem to be purposefully not touching each other with their hands and their faces look strained as if they are deep in thought after having some form of disagreement. 4. Amazing lifelike sculptures have been accomplished with plastic latex mediums and I believe this to be made with this form of material. It is possible that this could be a living sculpture where actual human models are used such as in the "Marina Abramovi: The Artist is Present" exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. Something in the quality of the hair which almost has a waxy look makes me believe it was accomplished using some form of a casting technique, using a soft latex or rubber, and then painted. 5. I think that the artist was able to get the realistic results in this sculpture by carving molds of the sculpture and then filling them with liquid latex to produce the initial form. He would then use paint (I believe acrylic paint can be applied to latex). He could possibly have included actual human hair to add to the realism. I believe that the clothes add to the realism of the sculpture also. To make the mold for such a detailed work the artist would need time to perfect the mold. I believe he would have used live models to pose, taken pictures of the models as they posed, and then used the photos to complete the forms. 6. I believe the date of this sculpture to be recent. The clothing worn by the couple would come from modern times, as would the "laminate" surface the couple is laying on. 7. I believe this is a work by a male artist but I struggled with that assessment. The only reason I came to this conclusion is because as odd as it sounds the smirk on the man's face is, from my 25 years of married life, is perfectly executed. I recognize the male smirk right away, but do not think it is something that I as a female could ever do justice to, neither physically or artistically. Something's are just inherently male. 8. The Argument 1

9. a. How was this artwork made and what techniques and mediums where used? b. Is there significance to the fact that the couple seems to be refraining from touching each other physically with their hands? c. Did you have training in this specific form of composition and if so who did you train with?

INTERVEWEE #2 for ARTWORK #1 Gender Female, Age 70 1. A. Life-size 2. If these figures where small it could indicate that this couple's relationship is not growing, evolving, or meaningful to the male or the female. If the figures where larger it could be a sign that their problems are bigger than life or insurmountable. 3. I believe that this couples body language and facial expressions both indicate anger and distress. 4. I believe its fiberglass, which would make it hard, smooth and lightweight. 5. The artist probably used models to help maintain a realistic look adding in creative details as he worked to make them his personal vision. 6. I think it is from recent times because the man has longer hair and the clothes look like polyester a relatively modern material. 7. I believe the artist is male because a woman would have used more clothes on the sculpture. A woman would have considered clothes as a way to make the sculpture more colorful and interesting. 8. Is This the End? 9. a. Why are they almost nude? What does it mean? b. Why are they on such a cold and hard surface, does it have significant meaning? c. How long did it take you to make this sculpture after you developed your original idea?

INTERVEWEE #3 for ARTWORK #1 Gender Male, Age 14 1. C. Larger than life. 2. If the figures are twelve inches long they would be fairies and it means they are tired from fighting all of the problems people are causing to their earthly home. If they are 12 feet long, then they are the last giants on earth and they are tired of hiding from the people who are scared of them and trying to drive them into extinction. It is a fantasy work about the destruction of our world and nature. 2

3. The body language of the man looks like he is scared, like someone might hurt him. The body language of the woman seems to say she is worried or maybe even praying for help. 4. I think it was made out of plaster of paris, sanded smooth and then painted. I think that it looks soft but when you touch it feels cold and hard. 5. By using plaster of paris he was able to form the larger shapes of the bodies and then he carved very precise lines into the plaster of paris to form realistic human parts like the lines across the woman's stomach area and the indentions around the man's mouth. He then used paint to realistically color the sculpture. I think the fact that he used "real" clothes made it look even more real too. 6. I think this sculpture was made in recent times because it looks like modern art and the clothing is from the recent times also. 7. I really do not know maybe male because they are laying on a cold hard surface and a woman artist would have given them pillows and blankets because girls like everything to be cozy. I also think a girl would have used more color. 8. Cover Up! 9. a. Why did you use those facial expressions? b. Why did you choose to do a sculpture and why sculpt people? c. How do you interpret this work? What where you trying to convey with this art?

ART WORK #2 My Assessment: Gender Female, Somewhere in the middle. 1. When I first saw this painting I immediately thought of kites. When you go to a park on a windy Oklahoma day or the Kites Over Enid fundraising record attempt, and look up at the sky, you see kites of various sizes, shapes and colors which are floating in the sky much like the picture's shapes appear to float on air. I believe that the picture was an invention of her emotional state and her feelings rather than a representation of something from real life. I believe that she wanted her viewing audience to use their imaginations to interpret the composition for themselves. 2. I would describe the colors as complementary colors. I loved the contrast between the warm orange a cool purple colors. My initial answer would have been yes, the color makes the painting more interesting, but after studying the grayscale version I found it just as energetic and interesting as the color version. It was actually a revelation to me because I am so drawn to bright colors; I had never considered that grays could exhibit such motion and energy.

3. I would describe the mood of the original colored painting as energetic and fun. For me the mood changed in the grayscale version from energetic to a calmer, quieter yet still active feel. It was as if the painting had slowed down when it changed to the grayscale version. 4. The focal points of the grayscale version and the original color version are the same but the order changes to my eye depending on which version you are assessing. The first focal point on both versions of the painting would be the square filled with various circles. My focus was immediately drawn to this square by the use of the overlap technique which helps bring them to the forefront of the image. The 2nd focal point changes between the two pictures, in the color version, the large circle becomes the 2nd focal point because of the bright orange color chosen for the shape but in the grayscale version, the 2nd focal point is the large white rectangle because the bright color draws your eye in that direction. The third focal point varies between the two versions also. In the color version focus is drawn to the large yellow-orange rectangle because of it is a light color, while the large dark gray circle in the grayscale version, draws your attention due to its darkness. 5. I judged the estimated size by looking at the paintings I have in my home. I decided that if the composition was to large it would lose some of its effectiveness although if it was to small it would diminish its visual affect. I decided it would probably be around 6 feet tall by 4 foot wide. 6. I viewed this as an example of nonrepresentational art, but that did not narrow down the date for me much, as this form of art has been around for hundreds of years. I decided because of the colors chosen it would fit into the 1960's maybe early 1970s. This area was known for the use of bright, striking colors and a lot of abstract geometric shapes. 7. I believe the artist is female because of the fluid lines and the soft, fun, gentle feel that I would associate more with a woman. For some odd reason I also associate circles with women. 8. I would name it Ginger Glide or maybe Kite Flight. 9. a. What prompted you to use oil paints as a medium? b. Is their symbolic imagery in your work? c. Did you consider using another technique such as impasto or collage?

INTERVEWEE #2 for ARTWORK #2 Gender Female Age 70 1. This picture reminds me of bath bubbles, how they have that rainbow effect. No, I do not believe it represents anything from real life; it is just a fun picture to look at. 2. In my opinion the colors contrast with each other making the shapes stand out. Yes, color is important to the painting for interest reasons, black and white is muted and boring while color gets your attention. I would spend more time admiring the color painting.

3. I would say the mood of the colored painting is silly and playful. The colorless version is much more somber and dark. 4. The focal point is the bright orange ball because it is big and bright and grabs your attention first. I believe the focal point of the gray one is the square filled with small balls, all of the shapes stand out more in the black and white colors. 5. These types of abstract paintings are usually done in huge proportions for a better affect on the viewer so I would think it would be at least 10 feet be 8 feet and might be even larger than that! 6. I think this painting was done in 1980's because designers were using big prints and bright contrasting colors during this period so the artist probably were too. 7. I think the artist is female because of the whimsical features used seem more feminine to me. 8. Orange Geometry 9. a. What was your inspiration for this painting? b. Is there significance to the shapes you chose. c. Do you make money from your artwork or is it just a hobby?

INTERVEWEE #3 for ARTWORK #2 Gender Male, Age 14 1. The picture reminds me of a black hole in space. Yes, it does represent something from real life, a black hole because it looks like it is sucking in the stars and everything else in space close to it. 2. The colors in the original painting are contrasting, bright and dark and the little bit of blue complements them. 3. It is a black hole so the mood of the colored painting for me would be fear, sadness and curiosity. In the gray version the mood seems lethargic or slow moving like time has stopped. 4. The focal points of the colored work are first the black circles in the square middle box and then the second one would be the large orange circle. The focal point of the gray painting is all of the balls in the large center square because it is the first place you look at. 5. The art is large at least five foot by two foot. It has to be really big because it is a black hole and they are infinite in size. 6. I believe it was painted recently it does not look old to me. It was probably painted in the 1990's or even more recently. 7. This artist is male. You can tell the artist is male by the square in the middle; it is very precise with very strong straight lines. 5

8. I would call it Spaghettification. Spaghettification is the theory of what would happen to your body if you fell into a black hole. 9. a. What inspired this painting? b. Why did you paint so few squares and so many circles? c. Why did you use orange and purple? It really makes it look like it is outer space.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE ART POLL 1. Although the participants were interested in how and why the artist produced artwork #1, they all seemed to enjoy and spent more time with artwork #2. I believe their preference to the second composition was because the participants felt it had more aesthetic value. They all seemed to find the work much more pleasing, fun to view and more interesting to try to find meaning in. 2. The answers that both surprised and intrigued me the most where the answers given concerning artwork #2 by the fourteen year old boy. I thought his black hole concept was intelligent and creative. It was a completely different view of this composition than the adult females had. The adults saw fun and bright, the fourteen year old saw fear, curiosity, and sadness. 3. I believe that age, experience, gender and education had huge influences over how my partners searched for meaning in the art. I thought that it was interesting that gender seemed to play such a substantial role in the observations. In artwork #2 the females saw kites and bubbles and felt it was a happy work, while the male saw a scary black hole. Concerning artwork #1 the females seemed to allude to emotions and the relations between a man and a woman, where the male saw fantasy figures fighting against the tribulations of their world and environment. 4. I think the thing that I have learned in this class that affects my replies the most is that I was really only looking at art from one point of view, mine. I did not consider a composition in depth the way I do now. I never really considered what the artist was trying to imply with his work or why. I was only looking for surface beauty and if I did not see it I quickly moved on. Although I have never been a fan of Picasso, I now have a deeper interest in his work and the meanings conveyed to me by his compositions. I realize that I was being very narrow minded in my observations and have now tried to look at each piece not only with the question of, is it beautiful but also with the questions what and why. (I believe it is a gift when someone opens your mind to new things so thank-you very much.) I have realized that I enjoy the art much more and it is much more interesting and fun no matter what the style is or the form and medium used.