Leah Feldman

ARTS103 - Art Appreciation (Spring 2011 OL02) - Knowles-Harrigan

Learning Project 1
Assignment 2
Chapter 1
2.Discuss the creative process of Picasso's Les Demoiselles D'avignon. What spec
ific changes occurred
in the composition from the sketches to the final painting? Describe how the sho
w at the Trocadero
impacted his work especially in the faces of the figures.
Picasso seemed to have a very unique creative process for Les Demoiselle
s D'avignon.
He started out with a sketch that contained seven silhouettes, five female and t
wo male. These
silhouettes contained hard outlines and very minimal detail inside them. In his
next sketch,
Picasso was able to make the sketch more open for the viewer to come to their ow
n conclusion
on the meaning of the painting. In addition to abandoning the two male silhouett
es, the curtain
was now open for the viewer to feel as if they were part of the painting. The fi
ve silhouettes
became more personified by the final painting in Picasso's own exclusive way. Fo
r example, he was
able to show a double side of the figures, most containing a profile view and a
view of the
figures looking at the audience.
The last detail Picasso added were African masks. Picasso decided to add
the
African masks to his painting after visiting the Trocadero. There he saw a varie
ty of African
sculptures. Picasso felt that the masks brought about a sense of ambiguity. By a
dding these
masks he was able to display his own idea of the figures instead of displaying t
he exact
expressions they contained. In my opinion, the masks are a great attribute to th
is painting
because they allow the viewer to use a little imagination when thinking about th
e actual faces
of these figures.

Chapter 2
4.Compare and contrast John Taylor's and Howling Wolf's Treaty Signing at Medici
ne Lodge Creek. In your
discussion, use the terms content, representational, abstract,ledger art, conven
tion, and iconography.
They may contain the same content, but John Taylor and Howling Wolf's Tr
eaty Signing at Medicine
Lodge Creek show very different views. I Believe that the difference in views ar
ose due to the different
cultural backgrounds that these two men had. John Taylor was a hired journalist
while Howling Wolf was a
Native American. John Taylor's sketch is very representational while Howling Wol
f's is abstract. Although
he used abstract, it seems as if Howling Wolf had a better understanding of the
situation. He depicted the
event in more detail than John Taylor did.
Howling Wolf's ledger art used iconography and color to show the differe
nt tribes present at the
treaty signing. They are all clearly in their respective dress, including women.
In addition to their dress,
included in the women's braided hair is a red paint streak which is considered a
convention to the Native
Americans. John Taylor gave an inside view of the treaty signing by showing the
closely gathered Native
American tribes and others at the meeting. His view did not include any women no
r any different tribe
recognition. This made it seem as if all of the tribes were equal.
Chapter 3
6. Providing a detailed answer, compare and contrast the subject matter, content
, medium and the aesthetic
value in the following two works:
Maya Ying Lin's Vietnam Memorial Vs. Alexander Calder's La Grande Vitesse.
Maya Ying Lin's Vietnam Memorial and Alexander Calder's La Grande Vitess
e were both beautiful works
of art that caused controversy. Lin's Vietnam Memorial is located in Washington
D.C. and Calder's La Grande
Vitesse is in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lin's work was chosen from over 1,400 entr
ies and when the monument
was set up, the public rejected it. The subject matter of the monument was simpl
y to remember those that
lost their lives in the Vietnam War. The fact that the monument was built underg
round, as opposed to the
tall standing Washington Monument behind it, aggrivated people. Although the mon
ument was designed for public
space, many saw it as an insult. However, some people may see it as abstract art
. The monument is made from a
shiny black granite, where you can see your reflection in the names of the loved
ones that died is beautiful.
The monument being underground brings about a sense of reality of what those tha
t died actually went through.
Much like Lin's Vietname Memorial, Alexander Calder's La Grande Vitesse
was designed for public
space. Due to the National Endowment of the Arts, an Arts in Public Places progr
am was created. This program
made sure that 1% of the cost of all public buildings would be put towards art t
o beautify their unused public
space. The selection committee was looking for "advanced" art and chose Calder's
design. The gynormious
sculpture, made of bright red, curvy pieces of sheet metal, was set in place, an
d the public did not respond well.
Eventually, this work became an ice breaker for Grand Rapids and the surrounding
areas. It led to the establishment
of more works of art in public places.
Although Maya Ying Lin's Vietnam Memorial and Alexander Calder's La Gran
de Vitesse were completely
different from eachother, Lin's being a memorial and Calder's being a sculpture,
they both caused public controversy.
Both were put in place to fill areas of public space. Lin's memorial was to hono
r Vietnam War victims. It was placed
where there were other monuments surrounding it. Calder's sculpture was chosen t
o bring art to place where public
art was scarce. Both of these beautiful works left lasting impressions on the p
eople and towns that house them.