The Land of Gold

Back in the day gold was very popular because it was used for making ornaments and it was also used as a trading medium because of its great value.Gold in ancient times was made into shrines and idols, plates, cups, vases and vessels of all kinds, and also, jewelry for personal adornment.Gold became a part of every human culture. Its natural beauty attracted many cultures and therefore was used in many places. Nowadays gold is used mainly for jewelry, sculptures, and statues. Gold jewelry has always been used for a wide variety of styles in different culture.. It amazes me how gold can be crafted into a piece of jewelry, gold coins or onto works of arts like mummies or sculptures.I found it pretty cool to see gold in different forms like on mummies and other things that people used back then. During my visit to the MET I visited Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the America's gallery as well as the Egyptian and Greek gallery. I found a lot of gold sculptures and a lot of jewelry in the galleries that I went to and was really amazed in how gold was used back then. A lot of the gold statues and jewelry that i found look similar because they all are made out og gold but some of them include other metals. Right now gold is very expensive due to the u.s economy doing bad and many people invest in them. But people definitely don't use gold exactly the same way as they did before so here are ten images that show how gold was crafted on to something or into something.



1."Gold bracelet in the form of a snake"


  Period: Early Hellenistic
  Date: 300-250 B.C
  Section:Greek
  Medium: Gold

 2."Mummy of Artemidora"

      Period: Roman 
      Date: A.D.90-100
      Section: Egyptian
      Medium: Plaster, paint, gold leaf, linen, human remains

  

 


3." Beaker Figure with Shell"
     Date: 9th-11th century
     Section: Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (Peru)
     Medium: Hammered Gold



















4."Gold Statuette of Zeus Serapis"

    Period: Mid-Imperial
    Date: 2nd Century A.D
    Section: Greek
    Medium: Gold

5."Headband with Heads of Gazelles with a story between stars or flowers"

 
    Period: Second Intermediate Period
    Date: 1540-1648 B.C
    Section: Egyptian
    Medium: Gold












6."Gold Dhiale" (libation bowl)

   Period: Hellenistic
     Date: 3rd-4th Century
     Section: Greek
     Medium: Gold


















7."Three Gold Octadrachms"

      Period: Hellenistic
      Date: 204-221 B.C
      Section: Greek
      Medium: Gold

















8."Ceremonial Knife" (Tumi)

       Date: 9th-11th century
       Section: Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (Peru)
       Medium: Gold, Silver, turquoise

9."Pair of Earflare Frontals"

    Date: 12th-15th century
    Section: Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (Peru)
    Medium:Hammered Gold Alloy




     














10."Necklace"

     Date:10th-16th century
     Section: Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the America(Colombia)
     Medium:Cast gold 

Lower East Side Galleries

During My visit to The lower east side galleries, I definitely saw a difference between this gallery and the Chelsea galleries. I enjoyed the lower east side gallery as much as I enjoyed the Chelsea galleries because they both were different but still captivating. 

The lower east side was a very different neighborhood versus the neighborhood of the Chelsea galleries and they definitely gave me an idea of how i thought the galleries were going to be different from each other because both neighborhoods gave me different vibes.The Chelsea galleries environment felt like it was more upperclass and the galleries had much more fine art like sculptures and paintings and they were more historical . I also thought that the art was going to be expensive because of the type of environment.The lower east side seemed more casual and some of the art galleries seemed more grungier and rock n roll and I kind of knew what to expect.


 One gallery that I visited was Tatyana Murray "In The Woods". This gallery was different from the Chelsea galleries because they had images with a black and white ghostly look to it and I thought,that was very cool. You won't see this kind of art in the Chelsea galleries. The artwork in the Chelsea gallery were very simple compared to a lot in the LES. Another gallery that I went to was the "Strange Loop Gallery". This particular gallery was interesting because they had photographs of people doing drugs and the gallery was also a bookstore. It had a punk vibe to it and it was much more powerful than any Chelsea galleries because the photographs were real opposed to a painting or sculpture.So I thought that was quite different than what you might see at the Chelsea Galleries.  Lastly I visited "Stephan Stoyanov Gallery" and there was some canvases with abstract painting that i thought the Chelsea gallery might have in common with the LES. But what gave me a different outlook on the gallery was the basement that was playing videos of art from a projector.This is a very creative way of portraying art that I did not see at any of the Chelsea galleries. I also think that the LES and Chelsea galleries would not cater to the same collectors because a lot of the art in the LES galleries seems like people with a much more edgier taste will buy them and the collectors from the Chelsea galleries would not be interested.

Public Art Reaction

Their is many public art anywhere you may walk. A piece of art can be found in a park, in the street or even graffiti on the wall. But most importantly public art is for everyone to see. Some may catch peoples attention and some may walk right by it.

Walking down union square last year I came across a 26- foot tall bronze elephant sculpture named "Gran Elefandret" and it caught my eye. Immediately I just stared at it and was amazed by how realistic it looked and I was also amazed at how the elephant was positioned. It was standing upside down, on its trunk. This elephant sculpture was designed by Spanish artist Miquel Barcelo which was part of his Marlborough Gallery. According to the artist, the elephant is supposed "to show his gravity-defying position". By its '"saggy skin, it's off-killer positioning, and the overturned floppy ears". In my opinion the elephant is supposed to be comical, because in reality a elephant can't stand on its trunk and therefore it is funny to see a sculpture of a elephant standing perfectly balanced, on its trunk.

The artwork interacts with its surroundings because Barcelo, also explained that the bronze elephant is supposed to "resemble a metallic tree". According to Barcelo a tree "looks like a upside elephant, and when you touch a tree it feels like a elephant". The elephant is standing in front of trees, which is supposed to give its surroundings a nature feeling because that is the way that Barcelo explained the elephant is supposed to be representing a tree by its way of positioning. Its also supposed to be an urban work, so it is supposed to have like a city feeling as well, and it definitely gives that vibe due to the sculptures color and its exotic look and meaning. You are most likely to find sculptures like that in the city. This sculpture definitely benefits its surroundings because it shows how a tree and this sculpture can look so different but yet have similar qualities and its so fascinating how both of the trees and elephant are outside in the open so people can see them. If this elephant sculpture was placed in a different place with no trees then people wouldn't be able to see how they are both similar in a way. Also if this sculpture was placed in a private space then not a lot of people would have the chance to see this beautiful, meaning piece of art.

This sculpture has left me completely amazed by the way it looks and its meaning behind. Even though this sculpture was only up for a few months it was by far the best public art i have ever seen here in New York City and it left a great memory on a lot of people who saw it.

Miquel Barcelo
"Gran Elefandret"
Bronze
2008

Chelsea Galleries Reaction

During my visit to the Chelsea galleries I really saw a lot of interesting different pieces of work by a few artists. Some I would definitely consider collecting and some..not so much. I really enjoyed Charles Freger "Wilder Mann" collection at the Yossi Milo Gallery. What I really enjoyed about this particular collection is that I can actually picture having some of these art works hanging in my living room and friends asking questions and being interesting in knowing about the it, just like I was when i first saw the art work. When i first saw the art work at the gallery, I wondered why the people are wearing animal costumes and are posing with them on landscapes. But then I realized maybe Freger was trying to define different types of cultures based on how some of the animals and creature look alike's were dressed and they probably also have some type o history. These pieces of art remind me of avant garde fashion which is different from what we are used to seeing. These pieces of art show humanity with nature, bodies of both animals and human beings are used in these arts pieces which shows personification. I love how the artist combined animal and human characteristics together. In particular, one of Freger's art work, the bear with the fangs, looks like it portrays a football player by the way it is standing and the look on its face when a football player is about to tackle another player. It's body also represents the way a football player body looks, very muscular and tall. The weird creature with the horn was very avant garde to me because of it's face and horns. I would most definitely want to display this artwork and I think it would be a good investment because this artwork has a lot to offer because people can see it in many different perspectives and many people would be interested in buying them because of how odd they look. I really enjoy these types of artwork I would definitely invest on them.

During my visit to the Zhang Xiaphong's "Pace" gallery, I found the art work to be creative and unique. But overall personally I didn't really like them due to my own personal taste, I like art that is really easy to conclude something of by just looking at it one time. I wouldn't collect this artwork and I would definitely keep them away in storage. I believe that the artist's work wouldn't be a good investment because I don't see the meaning behind them and what the artist is trying to tell his audience. I can't conclude what these art works may mean .I didn't really like the art work because I found the statues of the babies and women very abnormal and strange and  they didn't catch my attention like Freger's work did.  Therefore I wouldn't invest on these art works because I can't picture them having them hanged up anywhere in my house and they didn't catch my sight when i first saw them.

Charles Fregero
"Peluche, Evolene, Switzerland"
2010-2011

Charles Fregero
"Krampus, Bad Mitterndor, Austria"
2010-2011


Zhang Xiapong
"Young Women"
2013

Zhang Xiapong
"Baby"
2013

LIB 110 "Imitation of Artwork"

I really enjoy Pablo Picasso's paintings. I imitated Picasso's cubism style in art, which was developed between 1908 and 1912.  The imitation that I created from Picasso's paintings is a twist of my own perspective on how I see his cubism style. I focused mainly on bright colors, and the many shapes and lines that his cubist style includes. Picasso's cubism style is very abstract and that's basically what I based my imitation on. I got a lot of ideas from all of his cubism paintings and came up with my own imitation, Picasso used the geometry of George Braque faceted paintings to create a style that was abstract in essence. That is exactly what I imitated and incorporated in my artwork, which is the face of a man wearing a hat and his face is made up by many different sized shapes with bright colors. I drew the man's face features kind of unproportional from each other because that's the way Picasso's cubism paintings look to me. I really emphasized the color on my artwork because in some of Picasso's cubism art he did the same and I really found that interesting and beautiful because the bright colors made the painting look vivid.

"Illustrate a Story"

In my Illustration  above, it describes a story about  a young man named Raul Bravo. While Raul was in high school he was close to dropping out,but his technology teacher Ms.Terry  motivated him to graduate high school. After graduating high school he started working as a auto mechanic at a car dealership in Chicago. This story i found very interesting because it can relate to a lot of young people in high school. This story can motivate them to do well and graduate high school just like Raul did with the motivation of his teacher. My illustration shows Raul and his teacher Ms.Terry in the school hallway, she is very proud of him and he says he feels like a "walking star" because he felt confident that people recognized him as being in a great teachers class. He also didn't follow in his friends footsteps in "making fast money" and that's what the no drug symbol represents. Also the car obviously stands for the type of industry that he works in now, which is in a car dealership. http://storycorps.org/listen/clairene-terry-and-raul-bravo/

"Design in Our Lives"

When visiting The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for the second time we focused on the field

of design. Looking around i definitely seen a lot of things that people can use in 

the real world and things are not really useful for the real world. The study of functionality in design is called ergonomics and it means how effective something works in the real world, it is based on making products that are easier and more comfortable for people to use.

One high functionality that I found in MoMA is "Basic House" by Martin Ruiz De Azua. The basic house is a collapsible,self inflating,pocket sized, sustainable,glittering gold house. It inflates with either body heat, or the sun, and is reversible to deflect solar gain. It was designed to be a temporary housing solution. Once inside your body heat reflects the material and keeps you warm. Also if you reverse it, it keeps you cool. This is definitely very useful for people especially for those who are homeless. It is also very convenient because it fits in your pocket so it is not a hassle. This basic house can also probably be used for camping trips and it can help a lot of people in situations like if you lose your home.

Another high functionality that I found at MoMA is “Endless Flow Rocking Chair” by Dirk Vander Kooji. This chair uses plastic and is made up by old refrigerators. The process of making these chairs are very economic friendly because they are being made by recycled waste and a lot of people will appreciate that.. This chair can be used as a piece of furniture for someones home. Obviously it will be very useful because people are going to use it to sit down and it rocks back and forth, making them relaxed. This will be very pleasant for people and a lot of people will want to have this chair at their house. It is also creative and innovative and has a brilliant concept behind.

One low functionality that I seen at the MoMA is The Honey Comb Vase "Made by Bees" by Studio Libertinty This Vase was made by 40,00 bees based on beeswax. I don't find this useful in peoples lives, the only thing I find is that the vase is very interesting because it was not man made. But other than that it is not very high functionality and it probably can just be used for a museum or gallery as an art display. I don't find a way how this can become ergonomic.

Another low functionality that I found at the MoMA is “ IN- EL Mendori Lamp"by Issey Miyake. This lamp is made from a fabric from recycled materials and gives off a 3D look. It diffuses light in extremely interesting ways. It combines the Japanese tradition of light and Miyake had the unique ability to transform tradition into modernity. Aside from this, I don't find how this lamp can be ergonomic to everyday life. Perhaps this lamp can just be used as an ornament for a home or museum.

Going to the MoMA, I've seen a lot of designs that I believe will help us in our everyday life and other things that are just there to look pretty or to be displayed. Some things were less functional than other objects that I found in the museum. But overall this is just what I believe personally and it just depends on what objects you think are low and high functional in your own life.

Martin Ruiz de Azua

Basic House

Polyester

1999

Dirk Vander Kooji

Endless Flow Rocking Chair

Recycled E-Waste

2011

Studio Libertiny

The Honey Comb "Made by Bees"

Beeswax

2006

 Issey Miyake

"IN-EL Mendori Lamp"

Recycled PET

2012

  

Art & Identity- The Museum of Modern Art

During my visit to the Museum of Modern Art and the PS1 exhibit, I seen a lot of great pieces of art work from different painters. I didn't really understand the meaning behind some of the paintings but I found some fascinating ones that I really enjoyed! I seen some paintings that were very meaningful and famous in history from Vincent van Gogh, to Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol .Overall  I chose three paintings that particularly had to with personal identity,cultural identity, and historical identity.

For personal identity, I chose a painting by Vincent van Gogh called "Sorrow". This painting was actually about the young women named Sien that Vincent wanted to marry and save from the streets from being a prostitute to support her mother, brother, and children. Vincent was very expressive with this painting to actually show the sorrow that Vincent and Sien both felt while sharing their last goodbye. Sien eventually drowned herself in a water way, maybe because of things she was going through. This painting is definitely personal identity because you can feel the sorrow of Vincent having to say goodbye to Sien for her leaving. The painting shows hopelessness, and sadness. This painting is very touching because it shows true emotions and you can really tell that Sien is hurting.

For cultural identity, I chose a painting by Andy Warhol called "Gold Marilyn Monroe". Andy created this painting the same year Marilyn Monroe died from a suicide. This painting is cultural to me because Marilyn Monroe was an American cultural icon because she showed women confidence, she set up a new standard for women. She was the blonde bombshell of the fifties and sixties. Even today a lot of actresses and women look up to her, she was also a singer and actor. She was considered a beautiful women and a icon of her era because she showed women that you didn't have to look a certain way to feel beautiful.

For historical identity, I chose Jacob Lawrence "The Migration Series". There are over 60 paintings of this series. Jacob Lawrence is one of the most famous and admirable American artists of the twentieth century. Overall the different panels of the 60 Migration Series represent different themes that six million African Americans from the poor communities of the rural South to the industrial cities of the North had to go through. They represent themes of migrations, including movement, family, labor, segregation, struggle, and hope. All this has to do with slavery and ethnic discrimination  during the 17th-20th century. These paintings represent African Americans in search of greater economic and social justice.

 For personal, cultural, and historical identity there were different types of paintings that represented each category. I see art in a different perspective now that I categorized them in a certain identity. Art has a strong meaning behind it whether it's personal, cultural, or historical.

Vincent van Gogh       

"Sorrow"

Lithograph

1882

Andy Warhol

"Gold Marilyn Monroe"

Silkscreen ink on synthetic polymer on canvas

1962

Jacob Lawrence

"The Migration Series"

Tempera on gesso on composition board

1940-41

60 works

Narrative Digital Collage

This reminds me of last summer when i went to San Francisco for vacation.  My nephew was monkeying around a bit, so I put the monkey to symbolize his behavior.  I loved the great events that happened that day, which is represented by the heart. I saw many planes above and seagulls too.  I also saw the Alcatraz jail from a distance and a speedboat as well. Their were also many cars passing across the Golden Gate Bridge. I had an amazing time and can't wait to go again.

Good Art Vs. Bad Art

What is good art to me?
Good art to me is when you notice a painting and immediately have a good reaction to it. It's also when you could relate to a painting, but most importantly the painting has to have a meaning behind it . To me good art can be a simple piece of painting or a complicated one. But as long as it has a meaning that you understand and can appreciate, that is all that matters.

This painting above is by Salvador Dali it is a meditative rose, this painting to me symbolizes love because of the red rose. Red roses usually are given to show love between two people. This painting definitely caught my attention because i love nature and was fascinated by the way that Dali painted this picture in a odd way. This painting means love and happiness all around because of the clouds and sunlight as well.

What is bad art to me?
Bad art to me is when a painting has no meaning and has been painted because it looks "creative", if a piece of painting doesn't have any type of meaning to you or if you don't feel any type of emotion then it's bad art in my opinion. Ultimately, paintings have different meanings to everyone and people might relate to them and call it good art and some of them may not and call it bad art.

This painting above is called "Ma Jolie" by Pablo Picasso. I wouldn't necessarily consider this bad art but to me this painting had no meaning. When i first saw it i was confused and had no emotion towards it. This piece of art probably has more to it then what i see but it didn't catch my attention instantly and it didn't symbolize anything to me.