Logo - Module 5

 Final Copy Logo

Logo Design – Module 5

1.)    I thought it was quite interesting to create a logo for myself in this project. You don’t typically think about creating a logo unless it is for a business. This made me have to think outside the box and try and “brand” myself, more or less.

2.)    I tried to think of all the things that I feel define who I am as a man. I am very proud of my Dominican culture, so I wanted to somehow incorporate the flag of my country somehow in my logo. I love music and dancing, especially to Latin music, so I thought having a music note in my logo would be appropriate. My last name, as well as my nickname, is Coco, so I thought if my design included that I would certainly feel that it was truly mine. I considered putting a shield in my design, to represent my career as a police officer, but through the sketching process, I realized that I don’t truly feel like my career defines me as a person. My favorite color is green so I knew that I would like to use that color in my design as well.

3.)    The most important thing I discovered is how I define myself. How I view the things that are most important to me and what best represents who I am and what I am all about. It was a different way to self-reflect for me than I have done in the past.

4.)    The most important information I learned from the material was how the process was broken down and how the different uses of words, symbols, positioning of things, etc. can be used in a logo in order for it to be done well. Simple, yet descriptive and meaningful is the way to go. I felt that the videos were helpful and I did like them, although I sometimes felt that certain parts of them were a bit dragged out.

Drafts    

Art Gallery Visit - Module 5

Module 5 – Art Gallery Visit

A.)   The first piece of artwork that made an impression on me was the very first piece that the Albright Knox gallery acquired as a gift from the artist himself, Albert Bierstadt. The piece called The Marina Piccola, Capri 1859 is done with oil on canvas by the American born artist who resided in Germany and lived from 1830-1902. It is a large piece, but not as large as some of the other pieces in the gallery. The reason this left an impression on me was because of both the story behind it, and the various aspects of the painting. It appeals to many viewers because it combines the sky and topography, as well as people. It is all very real and natural while keeping your interest as your eyes move throughout the piece.

Another piece that made an impression on me was The Marvelous Sauce, ca 1890. This piece was done with oil paints on wood panel by the artist Jehan Georges Vibert, a French artist who lived from 1840-1902. This left a very big impression on me, as it criticizes the wealthy for how much they have, yet how little they care to help the less fortunate. Wealthy people, surrounded in excess and lavish furnishes, rather than caring to share and help the poor. Having grown up in the Dominican Republic, I can relate to this painting. Here in the United States, people have so much more than they need, and rather than donating to, or helping others, they throw away and waste so much, without a care or second thought. This painting, which is fairly small in size, really gives you a clear view into that truth.

B.)    One of the artworks I felt a connection with was called Street Music, 1950, painted by Normal Wilfred Lewis, an American artist who lived from 1909-1997. This painting was oil on canvas, and is fairly small in size. It is an abstract, painting, yet he did is in such a poetic way, rather than being splattered or smeared, that’s purpose was used as the artists “strategy to distance himself from what he felt was a racially biased visual language that reinforced negative stereotypes.” This painting shows people playing musical instruments, music notes and movement. I relate to this in many ways. Music is a very big part of my Dominican culture, and growing up my father was always playing music outside of his barber shop in our community. This brought so many people together, dancing, signing, and sharing in joy and happiness. This painting brings me happiness and makes me think of my father, and the legacy of music he left behind in my life.

Another piece of art that I felt a connection with was called Grass, done in 1965 by Artist Len Lye. It is fairly large in size, made from stainless steel and wood and is motorizes and programmed and is paired with Gymnopedie No. 1, 1888 by composer Erik Satie.. This piece is not like any other I have seen. It moved causing it to make noise that is reminiscent of long grass swaying in the wind. It is so unique and mesmerizing that it creates a mediation like atmosphere, along with the calming music that begins to play, you are encapsulated in this serene moment between yourself and the art. I connected to this piece on a personal level because I try to practice meditation and taking in the time to appreciate the world around me every day. This is the kind of art I feel causes you to do that unconsciously.

C.)    One piece of art I would like to know more about would have to be Loud Tactile Painting, created in 1962 by Yaacov Agam out of wood and metal. This piece in interactive and can be touched, with gloves and assistance from museum staff. When you softly touch and move any of the 35 rattle-like drums made of metal and attached by long, slender springs, carious tones are heard and patterns and shadows are created by the multiple pieces moving. This piece leaves you curious and wanting to know more and understand how exactly it was created and how it works the way it does to create sound as well as being visually pleasing.

Another piece of art that left me wanting to know more was Vega-Nor, painted with oil on canvas in 1969 by artist Victor Vasarely. This piece really drew me in for quite a while. It calls your attention from across the room, pulling you in to look closer and closer. Even in the photo I took of this painting, I still cannot believe that it is not 3 dimensional. The use of colors and lines, so strategically and mathematically done, give this bold impression that it is protruding right out at you. I would like to know more about this piece because I am interested in knowing how to create this kind of art on my own, as it pulls your eyes in so very much.

Module 4 Art Making/Material Exploring

11.      I thought it was both fun an interesting to create the Value Scale and Color Wheel.

22.      I enjoyed working with the graphite pencils the most, surprisingly. It’s incredible to see how many values you can create with the same pencil depending on the amount of pressure you apply. As well as using the same media to outline the scale, and it all is noticeably different.

33.      The most important discovery in creating the color wheel was the difference between using red vs. magenta to create black rather than brown through mixing the three primary colors. Also, how in mixing the three primary colors, it is important to use just the right amount of each color.

44.      The most important thing I learned from the videos was how to properly sharpen and use a graphite pencil to create a value chart. I enjoyed the videos because they got straight to the point and demonstrated the creation of both the value chart and color wheel clearly.

Hector Coco AED Reflection Module # 3 slideshow on Photobucket Project # 1

HCoco89's Module 3 slideshow on Photobuckethttp://s346.photobucket.com/user/HCoco89/library/Module%203<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s346.photobucket.com/user/HCoco89/embed/slideshow/Module%203"></iframe>

Module # 3 Q&A Related to the Video & Article

1.    Describe Color and its effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.

Color is composed of multiple properties that allow us to perceive color by its own nature. The properties that create what is perceived as color are: Hue, Intensity, and Value. Hue is the technical term that corresponds to the conventional color names (such as red), that we use to described a specific range of wavelength of light. Intensity is the property of color that describes its purity or strength. Value is the relative lightness or darkness of a color. Color can have different emotions depending on who is watching, as far human beings. Each person has their own vision and perception which is where color can cause emotions.

2.    What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?

According to My Art Studio the definition of colors is seldom seen in isolation. Much of the richness and variety of color is due to the complex ways in which colors react to one another. The apparent value and intensity of a color is especially dependent upon the other colors that happen to surround it. Based on this the thing that intrigues/fascinates me is the fact that the same color can have different type of emotion on me. For example, when you look at the painting from Pablo Picasso Guernica and The Portrait of Gertrude Stein in the original colors they seen to share a similar brown color in some area of the paintings. However, the brown used on Guernica at first glance invocate on me a feeling of confusion and clarity. But the brown used on the Portrait of Gertrude Stein at first glance make me feel depress and isolated. It is for this reason that I find it intriguing that one-color use in different content can invocate different emotions.

3.    In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and its effects on emotions?

In the video color what made the biggest impact on me was when June Redfern said that “color is a psychological thing”. The reason why this caused an impact on me is because each color creates different feelings in different paintings. And what is more intriguing, is that, it is based on psychological perception of them. For example, bold color can cause strong emotions as compared to colors with low intensity, which can cause more of a sad, depressing feeling.

4.    In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and its effects on emotions? 

In the video in the Feelings: Emotions & Art the biggest impact that this documentary had on me was the fact that two different artists used their creativity and art exposure to promote their political views. Both Jacques-Louis David and Francisco Goya used color to create feeling and emotions. On one hand, David used the feeling of freedom from the king, he partakes with his art in the French revolution because he is known as the “furious terrorist”. His painting creates a feeling of separation from religious views. The paintings of David are/were considered to represent a thing of beauty. On the other hand, Francisco Goya supported his king, Carlo IV, in the Spanish-French war. His painting illustrates a thing of ugliness that exist within us. Most of Goya’s paintings express the feelings of the things that are consider dark in the human soul. The biggest thing that I have learned from these artists is how powerful the concept of color and emotion can be. So powerful, in fact, that at some point in human history it changed the course of nations.

Module # 2 Blog Post

1. For each video and article list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

The important concepts and key points from the article and videos are the following; art and aesthetics are related but are not the same thing. The definition of art does not include aesthetic in it because aesthetics is based on a persons feeling towards the work of art. From the CNN article What The Brain Draws From: Art and Neuroscience by Elizabeth Landau, she mentioned three important things. A visual system has both a fast stream, that helps us to navigate, and slow, more detail-oriented stream. The luminance and color are important in creating illusions in art works. Lastly, artists have developed tricks to fool the brain. In the video Aesthetics Philosophy of the Arts it is mentioned that aesthetic philosophy is the study of beauty and art. Dr. Changeux and Dr. Ramachandran in the video Carta: Neurobiology, Neurology, and Art and Aesthetics, speak about Art and Aesthetics from the point of view of works of art, estheticacy and also through the analysis of the eight laws of aesthetics.

2. Which philosopher's theory on aesthetics do you feel is most important? Be sure to mention the philosophers name, era (time in history), and contribution to the aesthetic theory in your response.

The philosopher Plato from the 4th century B.C. believed that art and beauty were two separate things, this I agree with. He said " What is beautiful in itself is not this object, or that one, but that which conveys their own nature". Aristotle in the other hand stated "The chief form of beauty are order and symmetry and definiteness, which the mathematical science demonstrate in a special degree", he analysed the philosophy from the unity of time, place, and action. In the 18th century, in England one of the founders of modern Aesthetics philosophy, Francis Hutchinson, believed " the ideas brought about in our soul by beauty and harmony delight us necessarily and immediately just like the other sensible ideas" in simpler terms it is based on the feeling that the work of art cause in us. John Dewey from the 20th century had similar view he said " feelings aroused by a work of art are not purely a personal experience, they must be of a universal nature". I feel that since the aesthetics philosophy is the study of beauty and art that Francis Hutchinson and Plato's philosophy on the topic are the ideas I agree more with because art can have beauty, but not every piece of art is beautiful to every person. Therefore, art end beauty are separated, but from an aesthetic point of view each art work will cause a feeling.

3. What do you think about Changeux and Ramachandran scientific view of aesthetics and art? What was the most interesting fact you discovered from each speakers lecture? 

 Neurobiologist Dr. Jean-Pierre Changeux explained art and aesthetics in the following way

1- Work of art- artifact, human productions specialized for inter-subjective communication that used symbolic forms genetically & epigenetically encoded 

2- Distinct from language = nonverbal communication of emotional states, knowledge, experience with multiplicity of codes yet, under, implicit constraints of rules

3- with esthetic efficacy staggering effects on emotion and reason mobilizing conscious & non-conscious processes.

4- Art in constant evolution = art history renewal yet without apparent.

Neurologist Dr. Vilayanar Ramachandran explained that in order to understand how the brain functions toward art it should be from an aesthetic point of view. He developed the concept of the eight laws of aesthetics which states :

1- Grouping or "binding"

2- Peak shift principal

3- Contrast 

4- Isolating a single cue to optimally excite cortical visual areas ("attention")

5- Perceptual "problem solving"

6- Symmetry

7- Abhorrence of unique vantage points and suspicious coincidence 

8- Art as metaphor

4. How do the videos and article relate to the readings in the text?

The videos and article are related to the textbook because each of them present a fully detailed development of the concept of what is art and aesthetics. In the textbook, we see more in depth understanding of aesthetics and art from an artistic point of view. In the video and article, they focus in showing the separation between the two and tried to explain why we react and feel the way we do when we see a piece of art work.

5. What is your opinion of the films and article? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics in your reading in the text?

My opinion on both the videos and article is that they help you understand a little further about aesthetics and how our perception of the truth can be deceived by an artists creation. I like the explanation from Dr. Changeux and Dr. Ramachandran regarding the brain processing what we see and interpreting it. I also see that the films and article help me to see different points of view that the text book did not go very much in depth with.

First Blog Posting

1. How was the process of creating the GMail account and setting up the Blog?

The process in creating my gmail was straight forward.

2. What do you expect to learn in this course?

I am expecting to learn about art, the meaning of art, what can or cannot be consider art, the different kinds art terminologies that  exist and how they came to be, and etc...

3. How do you feel about taking an online course?

At the moment I feel comfortable taking an online class 

4. What three things in the Growth Mindset (from Step 3) videos do you believe most apply to you?

Determination is one of the things that can be apply to me because once I set my mind in something I do not quit and I do achieve it. The second thing that I feel I have is growth mindset I have always believe that the world does not evolve around me, that I evolve around it. By this I mean that I am always willing to adapt to anything life throws at me and overcome it. Lastly, I am willing and able to accept criticism in order to be come better and do better.