Camden Echard

Art Appreciation
Ms. Audrey Schmitz
03/05/2017

Assignment #2

Survey Answers:

Mine, Art #1:

1. It looks as if it is old or dying and is a rather grotesque figure.

2. It may be a creature in nature, it looks similar to a manatee. I feel as if it is a dying mermaid.
3. I feel as if the boy is showing the creature affection and love because of how they are postured.
4. It is hard to tell the gender. By its extended stomach and the presence of breasts I would say it
is a female creature. A female form would suggest affection and love, while a male form would
make me think they are friends or companions.
5. The age of the human is probably 10-12 years old, a young child. The creature is probably
rather old, maybe 80-90 years old and close to death.
6. I believe the artist wanted to convey the non-human as an animal or creature due to its absence
of clothing.
7. I believe they would be seeing that no matter how grotesque or ugly a creature is, the boy
formed a loving bond with it.
8. I feel that the artist is female. The art represents a soft tone with the figures in an embrace, traits
which I would normally associate with females.
9. A Creature and Their Friend or Mermaid Close to Death
10. What is the non-human supposed to be? What was the sculpture made of and how? What
was your motivation in making this piece?

Art #2:

1. a) It reminds me of a picture of planets and space. b) I think it is more of an abstract art piece,
but as I said before I can see it being planets, them being the large circles and the black being
space.
2. The artist used warm colors surrounded by black with a warm colored square dissecting it. The
colors then slowly fade into cooler colors with a white center. I believe the colors are very
important, without them it would seem to be rather random geometry.
3. a) The mood seems calm to me as if one was drifting around. b) I feel the mood would change
to a darker, more scary tone. Drifting around in space would be cool, but in complete darkness
would be rather frightening.
4. a) The focal points are the interior square and within it the black circles. b) I feel as if it is
rather similar, the white circle in the very middle becomes more apparent.
5. Relatively large, possibly 12 feet by 12 feet.
6. The late 19th century, when abstract artworks were becoming popular. Due to its rather simple
composition and look of fading or being worn out in the black.
7. A male artist, because it is very organized and geometrical.
8. Floating Through Space or Journey: To A Black Hole
Camden Echard
Art Appreciation
Ms. Audrey Schmitz
03/05/2017

9. What is the warped yellow/orange square in the background represent? What mediums did
you use to accomplish the worn-out faded black effect?

Art #1, Interviewee #1, Age 44, Associates Degree, Black Female:

1. Intrigued, wants to know what it really is.

2. A seal or ocean creature. It reminds me of those animals because of its torso and fin.
3. The body language portrays comfort and friendship to me.
4. The creature looks androgynous to me, there are no gender identifying features.
5. The creature looks older than the human who seems like a child. It portrays a feeling of
protectiveness to me.
6. To show the difference between the natural world and ideals society has enforced.
7. Beauty is represented by the severity in the expressions of both subjects.
8. Male, the choice of the young boy represents the artist.
9. Our Last Nap
10. What inspired this piece?

Art #2

1. A kaleidoscope, and I dont think its a representation of real life. I imagine looking through
stained glass at bubbles.
2. Maybe. As a kaleidoscope has color so does a stained glass window. Shape on gray-scale shows
the bubble image, as well as diamond shape, so I can still interpret as the same.
3. Happy/light and curious for the color version. The gray-scale seems to make me feel confused
or chaotic.
4. Color versions focus is the orange circles. In the gray-scale version my focus goes to the black
circles.
5. Size would be about 16 by 12
6. 1970s based on the kaleidoscope and bubbles popularity then.
7. Male, designed like an engineer or architect.
8. Math in Motion
9. Why did you create symmetry and then paint it off center?

Art #1, Interviewee #2, Age 26, Bachelors Degree, White Female:

1. Like an alien, but not a threatening one.

2. Yes it looks like a walrus or mermaid.
3. Comfort, acceptance and love is what I feel when I look at this.
4. Male. When two males are friends they can easily be caring and loving towards each other.
They look at ease with the very little they have left together.
Camden Echard
Art Appreciation
Ms. Audrey Schmitz
03/05/2017

5. Male on bench is old, wrinkles but well-fed and supported in life. The boy is young with
smooth skin and no wrinkles so he is probably a child.
6. Artist made this decision to give depth to the meaning of unconditional love as this art displays.
7. Unconditional love and solace with one another is seen in how the boy embraces the non-
human.
8. Male. A woman wouldnt use a non-human figure to represent this type of love. Would most
likely use male/female human figures.
9. Love Has No Eyes
10. Why does the boy have his foot propped up? How did you sculpt the wrinkles in the non-
human?

Art #2:

1. a) It feels child-like and fun to me. b) It seems similar to a fun house at a circus, with lights and
strange shapes everywhere.
2. a) Busy, with bright and contrasting colors. b) Color vs. the gray-scale one portray different
emotions to me.
3. a) The mood feels busy, anxious, or excited. b) This changes when presented in gray-scale
however, feels more aggressive and panic-y.
4. a) The center square and large circle, and I feel it stays the same in the gray-scale.
5. I would think medium sized at 5x4
6. a) In the 1940s b) because this was when abstract started to become popular
7. a) Male b) Because of the color choices and geometry in it.
8. Lost in Translation
9. What was your life like when you made this piece? What emotions inspired you to create
this? What chose you to represent those emotions in an abstract?

Personal Observations:

1. They both spent more time with the first piece of art. I think it was because at first, it is rather
alarming with an ugly figure being embraced by a young boy. It takes time to see the embrace is
loving. While the 2nd piece is an abstract, and it is hard for people to stray from their initial
reactions. They both had asked me several times what each art meant and I had to tell them
there was not a concrete meaning and I wanted their opinions.
2. The 2nd interviewees answer that the artist seemed male interested me the most. Saying the a
female would not choose a non-human figure was not something I expected. My 1st interviewee
felt saddened by the sculpture, maybe as they were older and understood they would need to be
care-taken.
3. I enjoyed my1st interviewees association to a kaleidoscope. It showed me how age can alter
ones perspective as they were growing up when kaleidoscopes were a fad. The 2nd also had the
same feeling as myself, when the art went from colored to gray-scale. A happy or carefree
painting immediately became scary, anxious, and aggressive.
Camden Echard
Art Appreciation
Ms. Audrey Schmitz
03/05/2017

4. The biggest factor I found between the two interviews I did was age and financial status. My
older interviewee found concern in her own care-taking and age when presented the sculpture.
The way the boy had to take care of the creature probably reminded of her own self and how
she will need to be in hospice care eventually. The younger interviewee, who is similar in age to
me, found the 2nd artwork to change emotion due to color. I found it colorful and happy in color,
as did they. When turned to gray-scale however, we both felt feelings of fear and anxiety.
Education level will always matter, but I believe as long as one takes art seriously they can find
meaning in it.
5. Our studies have helped me make decisions on whether the artist was male or female, or at least
if the art has a female/male feeling to it. Geometrical shapes and straight lines are considered
male, so that is why I found the 2nd art to be done by a male artist. The text has also helped me
look for focal points, due to following line of sight and knowing how to look for perspective.
While we have gone into a bit of abstract art, I still find it difficult to discern what it is trying to
represent, but it did help me make more educated guesses in regards to the 2nd artwork.