Art Overview

In the beginning of time, life was chaotic in the Art history I!! I thought that the class was going to be an easy A, but I was proven wrong. It was a class taught by Professor Walden. When the class first began, I thought it was difficult especially with the work load. So I complained, because I spent more time on it than my biology major courses. Eventually over the semester, it became a very enjoyable class. I liked learning about different culture of art. In their art work they express there time frame, who they were as a society, and other attributes, which really intrigued me.   Even though I was studying for other test in Art, I still paid attention. I found it to be a very enjoyable class. I am so glad that I did not drop the class. I like learning about the Egyptians, Romans, And the Gothic period. I would tell future students to give the class a chance, do not go with what you first think.

            I learned a lot more than I expected over the semester, I have a new profound respect for art. I at first looked at a picture and said if it was pretty or ugly. I did not know the true meaning behind the picture, but know I could say that I could break down the image into its parts.

            This last final project was good I like it. I am happy that it is over. Thank you. It has been a great semester.   

Peace…

Chritian and Roman Art

 
                                                       Pantheon

The Pantheon is a temple dedicated to the Olympian Gods. After the Battle of Actium, Marcus Agrippa commissioned the building to the Roman gods.  It was built by Hadrian between 118-128 CE. It was built of concrete with Corinthian columns with a dome on top of the rotunda behind it. The front of the building has a rectangular overhang which contains the roman columns. The columns are an art style also seen in the Greek architecture.  The porch opens into the rotunda, the concrete dome. The rotunda is a large circular room. There was an enclosed courtyard around the pantheon. The courtyard hide the rotunda from the public which exaggerated it size and made it surprise walk in thing that was noticed. At the dome’s apex is the oculus which is one of the two light sources in the building. The other light source is the door area. The oculus is 29 feet. It brings about natural light from the sky giving the area a divine heavenly feeling. The ceiling of the dome has five rows of 28 sunken coffers. This work of art has influenced many later to come like Christian churches.

                             Church of Santa Costanza

Church of Santa Costanza

It is a model for Christian tombs, martyrs’ churches and baptisteries. It is a central-plan roman building with vertical axes. This church was build by Constantine for his daughter Constantina. It was build before 350 CE outside the walls of Rome (Stockstad 227).  In 1256, the building became a church dedicated to Santa Costanza. The building has a barrel-vaulted passageway called the ambulatory that enclose the rotunda. The round building is 29 meters in diameter and is separated by twelve column pairs. There are entablature blocks, paired columns, and complex capitals that support the dome. The original building was covered with marble. There are still mosaics and other works of art that survive inside the church like the “harvesting of grapes mosaic.” There are clerestory windows on the second level that shed natural light into the building creating a divine feeling or heavenly one. There are many Christian beliefs found in the church like the green and red colored marble is color coded to point to the cross.

The roman art was used to represent rulers and other deities. The Christian art is based on the Romans like the Roman was based on the Greeks. Many of the Greeks techniques were abandoned by the roman. Each society urges to make its own cultural depiction or style. The Christians were under the power and influence of the Romans, so the picked up the Roman style of art. Christians were being persecuted until the the Christian Emperor Constantine. many roman rulers and other people claimed deitical (godly) characteristics; this can be seen in the roman art. the christian art is based on Jesus, the cruxification, and the 12 disciples.  A great connection between the Santa Costanza church and the Pantheon is the rotundas.  The rotundas are the main feature of both the Roman and Christian church. The Christian churches and the Roman building were built for particular reason like a dedication to the roman polytheistic gods or other religious purposes like story of the Messiah Christ. The roman style was used by the early Christian churches. This shows society connection to the Roman Empire as a leading political power. The Christians added on to the Roman style and used it to represent their ways. The oculus and the clerestory windows are used to create an emotion with the light.  the mosaic of the grape harvest in the church has roman ideas and art like the grape vines. these are things that are of ease to maybe the society back then. I would say that the Christian are is based symbolism trying to send or depict a message rather than the Roman art focus on realism, the physical appearance idea. There were many illiterate people in society back then; the Christian art was a way of presenting the teaching of God that Jesus taught and Jesus life off course. The time shift between the roman art and the developing Christian world went from a polytheistic world to a monotheistic world. Also, it is a shift from mankind to more of a divine or godly focus. This theme is seen throughout Christian churches that were established and are to come later on.

Group Blog: Parthenon Project

The Persians had a lot of influence on the Athenian classical art. They helped shape the Athenian art. The first Persian invasion of Athens was 480 BCE. According to Pollitt, the Persians kept on harassing the Athenian villages (65). They destroyed the sculptures in the Parthenon. They tended to attack the sculptures as if they were real humans. Many of them are beheaded like the one that are at the modern day Parthenon. Persia and Athens never got along very well. The Persians kept on attacking the Athenians so that they can gain more power, but Athena was there to save the Athenians. The old Parthenon was left in ruins as a “reminder of the impiety of the barbarian” (pg 66). Pericle’s later rebuilds the Parthenon as a sign of the status of Athens and as icon of Greek victory over the Persians. Athens achieves high statue with the Persians out of the picture. They make allies incase war was to break out again. Many people were killed and they were given a Pericle’s funeral.  Athens had sufficient funds available after the Athens defeated the Persians and they were no longer at war. So they dedicated the money toward art in building monuments. Evan after the Persian war, the Athenians were still at war with Anti-Athenians. Pericle’s funeral speech points out that man can “shape the word to his own vision of it (67).”  Man is the measure of all things meaning that knowledge is subjective. Example of this is in the Parthenon, the way that the sculptures are sculpted to give an impression. They Greek or Athenian artist tried to create order out of chaos. Their lives were a mess with all the conflict, but they can depict they life that they envision in their work. Many of the sculptures were done during and after chaos, but the artists were able to give it their own impression (72). “Man was the measurer, and things had to be measured in the light of his experience (74). Basically the experience that the Athenians experienced from the Persians helped shape their art. Like creating order out of chaos. The Metopes are great example of creating order out of chaos that the Athenians made. This influenced the classical art enormously especially in the temple and sculptures.

In conclusion, the Parthenon encompasses many fundamentals of the classical period. The Parthenon also has many Athenian aspects incorporated in them as well. Athens olive trees is apart of the Athenian society due it being the major export. It was provided by the Athena, the goddess of wisdom, art, craft and many other things. She helped the Athenians defeat the Persian after they were sacked.  The experience that the Athenians went through by being attacked by the Persians influenced the classical art period. The Athenians made order out of chaos. This could be seen in the Parthenon. The friezes that portray events that happened involved chaos, like the involvement of the gods fighting. Also, dead soldiers are shown. The Friezes portray the history and thanks to the goddess that helped them. Basically, the experiences of their daily lives shaped the classical art elements seen through out the Parthenon.

Parthenon vs. Nike of Samothrace

The Nike of Samothrace is similar to the Parthenon Athena Parthenos. The ancient Greeks symbol for victory was Nike. It was created before the Parthenon around 250 BCE or even earlier. The purpose of the statue was to remind the Greeks visitor of the important roles that the gods play. Athena Parthenos was build as thanks to her for helping the Athenians defeat the Persians. The sculpture portrays the traditional classical style. The Nike is detailed like Athena. There are obvious similarities in the sculpturing of the both Athena and the Nike.  

The Nike’s massive body is stabilized by the powerful backward thrust of her gigantic wings. According to several scholars, the Nike is associated with the victory of the Rhodians against the fleet Antiochus III the Great. It stands on top of a stone ship. It was originally thanks to the deities as apart of a fountain (Lahanas).  Athena served as a protector and deity to the Athenian. She is there to guide and help them. The movement of the large figure, and the strong contrast of light and dark on the on the sculptured figure exemplify classical art. Also the contrasting texture of the feather, fabric and skin symbolize Hellenistic art (Stockstad 156). The statue is missing a head, which can be inferred that the city was also sacked like Athens.

By Abader Almosawi

Individual Blog: Greek Vase Pottery

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/31.11.11

The Column-Krater is a Greek vase pottery that was created around 550 B.C. Lydos is the creator of the Attic vase painter. Lydos is known to have done a hundred vases and others follow his technique. On the Column-Krater are women, kids, and wine. They are apart of a symposium, which many people interpret as a drinking party. The Athenian and other Greek societies are known to have conducted the symposium. The women, kids, and the wine were ingredients in the symposium. In the symposium, the general public or citizens would gather together to conduct business and engage into a very serious dialogue. The wine was buffered with water before it was served.  The black-decorated vases tended to be mythological before the last quarter of the last sixth century. This Column-Krater is able to hold 19 gallons of wine it is one of the first revealed that depict women, kids, and wine. 

            The subject of the vase is Hephaistos, son of Zeus and Hera, returning to Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus s the home of the gods which Hephaistos was exiled from by his mother. Okeanos daughter took Hephaistos and tendered him. During that period he became a craftsman. He sent his mother a fabulous throne that trapped her because the springs relaxed not allowing her to get up. He was the only one that could get her off the throne. Hephaistos was subdued with wine by Dionysos was convinced to release his mother. There are twenty-seven satyrs and maenads inscribed around the vase.

Dionysos leads the procession on one side wearing long garments and Ivey garland on his head. Dionysos hold a drinking horn called a keras and a vine. He is surrounded by the satyrs which are shaggy creatures that have horse tails and ears. The maenads also follow which are female worshipers of the wine god that are wearing animal skins over their dresses. They all go in the same direction dancing in an energetic manner. Hephaistos rides a donkey in the occasion. He is wearing a small dress and takes a drinking horn. The satyrs are busy doing choirs like playing the aulos, another holding the drinking horn and others face the spectators. The form of each figure contrasts clearly with the background. The composition is a decorative design.  “Incised lines and added white and red glaze make livelier the black silhouettes.”

Source: Attributed to Lydos: Column-krater (31.11.11) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Group Blog; Egpyt Project

I do not know how to embed the Ancient Egyptian Art project on this blog but I have put a site that it can be reached at. 

http://prezi.com/pcei9bkrlofx/ancient-egyptian-project/

Individual Blog 8 Part 2----Floating in the Air

http://www.artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=3084

                                                             The Spanish Manner

                                                             Floating in Air

During Goya lifetime, he only made seven albums. These include painting and drawings. The drawings are kept in a box to protect them from UV radiation. His drawing generate a great amount of imagination. The drawing are finished and they look like paintings. Goya uses inscription in his drawing but they are more complicated than cartoon. The reason is that the drawing can be interpreted in different ways. The drawing allow Goya to comment on his life with their great imagination without really being understood by the wrong people. I am trying to say that he can hide a message in the drawing like political without being detected. 

            “The Spanish Manner,” Rogozijo is one of the drawings that Goya drew. It was drawn I was drawn in the 1816-20. Two heavy dressed humans are in the drawing floating in the air with no ground below them. There are clouds in the sky. They are free floating in the air like in a vacuum. The inscription says that they are in the air because they are experiencing pure joy. There are castanets in the hand of the upper person. At the time Goya did the drawing, the castanets stood for happiness. That is understandable that they are swept of their feet by joy.  Further examining it brings about different questions: Whys are they old people? Old people can experience joy, but there is an unattractive physical appearance displayed by the figures. Another question is, “Are they real people?” This is an open ended question. It depends on what the observer thinks. There is no exact answer provided for the question. Goya is very ambiguous in his drawing.  The drawing of the garments is done fine. He used shadow and light in the drawing like on the skirt.

             I agree with the author that Goya drawing do induce great amount of imagination. He is making the observer think in many ways to interpret the artist true intention. The thesis is that Goya drawings are open-ended in interpretation. The author explains his point through the article like the absence of the ground make one think that the figures are in the air, or maybe they are dead etc…. This reminds me of the Parthenon article about why they the architect made to curvatures. One can not know an exact intention of the artist or architect.

Individual Blog 8 Part 1---Funerary Krater

Funerary Krater

              Large Funerary vessels were made between 900 and 700 BCE as grave markers. Many grave markers have been found at the ancient cemetery in Athens. On the funerary, there is a pictorial record of the burial ritual that was performed. There is great detail depicted on the vessel. According to the Stockstad, the body is placed at the top of the vessel lying on the side ready to be cremated. There are people standing on each side with their arms over their head to imply the gesture of anguish and mourning. In this vessel, there are horse-drawn chariot and foot-soldiers who with their defined physical appearance, move in a glum procession. The shields can be a representation of a military person, or represent a very important person.  There are geometric figures used to represent humans in the picture. There are triangles used for torsos and head, round dots for the eyes, long and thin rectangles for the arms. The figures have tiny waists. Three dimensional form illusions taking over real space have been avoided. There is a rhythm of repeated features on the vessel to create a deep sense of human loss to many.  Opposed to the Egyptian death perspective, the Grecian dead enter an area of mystery and obscurity that a living human can not define.  

            The Funerary Krater caught my attention when it was discussed in class.  It is remarkable that the Grecian could create such an art work. I would not be able to create 1% of it. The depictions of the ceremony with the entire geometric figure in there are very well defined. The different views between the egyptians and the Grecian concerning death make me think about their different culture. They are very close to each other, so why not have similar death theories. This vessel reminds me of Narmer palette. The way that the lines are defines and how a story is told. This vessel makes me want one to be put on my grave when I am gone.

Blog 7--Group

This is the same blog as the downtown Presbyterian church blog  

individual blog 6---Zodiac statue replicas---part 2

 

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Ai+Weiwei+recreates+stolen+bronzes+in+Brazil/21552 

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist that recreates bronzes that were stolen from an art museum in the 1860 from Summer Palace in Beijing. He created these replicas in Brazil. He made replicas of 12 zodiac statues. This guy is good to be able to create replicas. These replicas were put on display. This display will be featured in many places, but they will be on display in London in 2012. Ai hopes that the creation of the statues will help in the ongoing investigation of the missing statues. Only seven of the original zodiac statues have been recovered. There are six more still out there. There is no exact documentation on how these statues look like. So the artist made the replicas look like what he imagined the remainder of the zodiac statues would look like. Each of the replicas is valued at $500,000. Ai is a smart person to make these replicas of the statues. It was an idea that would bring him money, and also bring him more fame. That is a great amount of money. The Summer Palace owners should continue their hope that the remainder of the zodiac statues will be found and returned to them. It has been over 150 years since these statues have been stolen. The main idea of the article is that Ai created these original zodiac figures-like statues to help the Beijing government get their statues and also make money. This article reminds me of what we discussed in class about the pharaoh pyramid and other places in Egypt being raided and robbed by different people. Some of the historical artifacts may never be found. The sculptures help us see the form of art the convention that the artist did them according to. The replicas will help, but the originals are better. I wish them good luck finding the remainder of the six statues. The second picture is thought to be an image of the original. The first image is of the replicas. 

Individual Blog 6: Step Pyramid--part 1

Step Pyramid

This is my favorite pyramid that was build to honor and bury King Djoser. He ruled in the third kingdom dynasty from 2630-2575 BCE. This monument is the first recorded history. The step pyramid is made of limestone, so that it can last longer and withstand the element. It is made up of six mastabas, which is flat-topped one story building with skewed walls raised above an underground burial chamber.  Imhotep is the person creator of the step pyramid. He achieved a level of being called the king of architect.  The step pyramid rises like a stairway up to the sky. The reason behind that is to have the blessing of the sun god Ra, and to honor Ra so that the pharaoh could have a great after life. Designed in a necropolis which is the desert edge on the West Bank of the Nile, the mastabas were made to protect the king’s remains when buried from robbers.   The step pyramid is 103m X107m. It is 62 meters high. King Djoser was buried in a 28meter beneath ground burial chamber. The chamber is a rectangle. Close to the king chamber blue marbles tiles were found which can represent other king’s family or royalty burial chamber.  Adjacent temples were made so that the priest could continue to worship the king even after his death. There are two peek holes in the wall of the chamber. These holes are supposed to be where the king would see the devotion made for him. Evidence of that are the presence of several offering rooms found by the chamber. There is a small sealed room on the north side of the pyramid called the serdab that houses the ka statue of the dead. This is where the two peek holes the king or pharaoh is suppose to see the devotion made to him. There are also building that are filled with fragments on the east side. This is the location where the king or pharaoh could keep on observing the custom preformed for him. Pure line execution scripture exist on the wall of the tomb of the chamber. It also contains several columns

Thoughts on Downtown Presbyterian Church

                    The Downtown Presbyterian church was not as I expected it to be. I thought it would stand out more from a distance. I did not recognize the location of the church because it was clustered with other building around it. I was lost getting there because the building surrounding had the same color. When attending the Presbyterian church, I saw that there was a great amount of ancient Egyptian culture incorporated in the church. The church did great to portray Ancient Egyptian architect, like the use of the column. Almost every aspect of the church was taken over with Egyptian culture and art. The stainless glass windows are supposed to have religious figures, but this church windows had Egypt sandy ground, sun god Ra. There was papyrus on the windows which signify the Egyptian culture. The decorations on the wall were like a the real architecture to me. I saw and examined the space, it was made to meet the convention of that society at that time period.  I felt nothing inside that church, meaning that I did acknowledge the area but did not feel any influence of religion. That church  really does display the Egyptian art , because it is good to see in person how the Egyptian convention was implemented in modern society. There were columns built in the wall. The blue color represents the Nile water. I did realize that there were a great amount of trapezoids and triangle in the church especially on the stainless glass window. The ceiling is divided and painted like the sky.  The space is well designed. It was great that they can make a small space look so large. Looking at the church from top gave me the impression of its sacredness. The wide variety color grabs the attention of the audience and directs them all around the church. example is the color on the columns and the wall. The use of color in the church like on the window made it seem like it has been conserved so that other can be educated by it. The colors on the stainless class were light not dark. the Light gives the space a temperate glow. I like the way the columns are set up, where one columns appears to be behind the other while it was actually painted on the wall. The appearance of the balcony and the column give the front side of the church a 3D shape when looking straight at it.  The ceiling painting of the sky creates an delusion of depth in the space.My group and I felt nothing in the church, but we were impressed by the Egyptian architecture that was there.

Narmer Palette........indiv blog 2

                                                                        Narmer Palette

The Narmer Palette is the coolest piece of art history that we have discussed in class so far. It is true that a picture can speak a thousand words. The Narmer palette is a representation of an important time in Egyptian history. This important event is the unification of Egypt by King Narmer. With the incorporation of the hieratic scale, King Narmer is illustrated as the largest figure. He is larger than his adversaries. Phonetic symbols are used to represent Narmer name. The interesting part of the palette is the Unification of Egypt being represented by many images.  The twisting of the lion head represents the unification of Egypt. The use of lotus flower and papyrus represents the unification of Egypt. Narmer wears the crown of Upper Egypt. The falcon seems to have taken a man’s head perhaps representing Lower Egypt. The size of the humans decreases further down the image from the men being killed by Narmer to the dead people on the ground. This can be a representation of Narmer greatness. Narmer is also portrayed taking over his enemies with a large size bull. This represents his victory. Iconography is used in the image by the artist. A simultaneous narrative is also used to tell the story of Narmer the great unifier. Grinding eye paint is used in the palette because back then in Egypt both men and women wore it to protect their eyes from the sun by the reflected light.

Magical Realism.......blog part 2

http://www.artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=3043&current=True

This article caught my attention as I was browsing for an article. The images of the demons in the article are great. It is good than an artist uses abstract ideas to make art. It is good that the artist has influenced many other artist to use what they call magic. The main thesis is the use of magic. Artists use magic as a metaphor of the art world.  The world is depicted as “freakish, inscrutable, and demanding of inhuman endurance.” This article deals with an artist that makes work of art that has inspired others to do art work also. The artist uses illusionism in contemporary art. This plays with the perception of the viewer. A piece of work can turn into a million dollar thing if embraced by the art community. “Contemporary artists have been inspired by Houdini's showmanship, radical self-invention, transformation of everyday things, and extreme use of his own body," Houdini is the artist that created magic. The artist is expressing himself with himself. This is good because it is seen as original by many of the art community.

Collage Project

Collage Log

My collage represents the experiences that made me be who I am today, the world, and my art view. I chose several things to incorporate in the collage like Iraq and the United States map. I was born in Iraq but moved to the United States around the 96’s because Saddam ordered for my family to be executed. My family was not very cooperative with his governmental policies. The second picture represents my family and me as refugees fleeing. Under the map of the United States is a picture that stands for cancer. My mother had cancer, and I watched her survive it when I around six years old. Each picture on the collage reflects me one way or another. Under the cancer image is a picture of Nashville downtown taken from a distance. It is the state where I have spent most of my life. My family and I enjoy living in Tennessee. In the second column is a picture of a family, which is a very important part of me.  Even though there is hardship in family, they are my pride and joy.   I put a picture of sports ball and ESPN on the poster say that I love watching sports and playing them. In high school, I used to play soccer and wrestle. There are many more images included like global warming, a TV, game, law, economy, and school that stand out as things that are present today. After looking up the meaning of light blue color, I chose it as the background because it stands for stability, and calmness. I am a person that loves peace. I love when the place I am in is calm or quiet. The images touching the black border on the left stand for the times I had angry emotions. There is a big image in the middle of the collage that represents a medical school. Getting into medical school is my main big goal right now. Art to me is beauty, style, imagination, originality, and history. I see nature like flowers, grassy landscapes, mountains, and other landforms as art. Even though prehistoric Art like cave painting is not relevant to modern society, it is good to have knowledge of how civilization was back then and how it has changed so much. Art is history in the essence that it provides society a blurred sense of originality.

Decision: On the left side I chose images that were dark shaded to represents events of the past, while the ones on the right side are the current events that are happening.

Color: there is a lot of blue area in my collage to represent that I love stability and calmness. I tried to use dark colors to present the pas and also bring about a boring mood; On the other hand, the light colors are suppose to bring dynamism to the collage.

Light: the bright light sources in my collage are used to bring about energy. The dark ones are used to bring about the precedent. The light color above the medical school is used to create hope that I will make it.

Texture: The texture was created by the images like the refugee image with the line shaded background.

Volume: the images used create volume like the image of Nashville downtown at night with the lights on, the medical building with other builds around it in the back, also the Belmont bell tower with the café area in the background. Other images have volume like the soldiers, super bowl, global warming image, and other.

Line: the position of the images in the collage have implied lines that direct the eyes of the audience around the collage to the main image being the Medical school. The arrangement of the image like diagonally, or slanted create eye movement around the image. I organized all my images in a rectangle. The collage moves around the center. Many of the lines are horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and curvy components guide the observer to specific part of the collage while also creating a balance.

Space: the background is the blue color I chose for the board, while the foreground is the images glues on it. Foreground and background can be seen in many images like the soldiers, super bowl, the United States on black background, god of war man in front of the building, and others. Depth is seen in many of the images like the refugee one, the colorful image under the medical school, and other.

Scale: the images of Medical school, Belmont, war, family are larger than other images to signify there importance. The other images are about equal importance but they are scaled in different sizes like the religion one is bigger that the law.

Symbolism: In the collage, there is an image of a globe with different symbols around it. My religion is included (Muslim) in it. I chose this image because I am mindful, tolerant, and respectful of other people religion no matter what it is. I like learning about other people religion just for the wisdom. There are stars glued all around my collage. These stand for the unexpected things like emotional things (red star), normal everyday things (yellow star), liberated life (white star), and the calm things to come in life (blue star). The bobcat paws on the bottom right hand of the collage stand for the high school that I went to, John Overton Comprehensive High School. I had a good time there and almost graduated as salutatorian from there. There is a balance law image on top right. I have profound respect for the law. I like policies and rules to certain extent. I want the law to be balanced and not over stringent.  There are more symbols in the collage like the war image with blood in the glass to represent the lives lost and people that declare it every time they can (republicans).   

Subject Matter:

Me: I am deeply defined by my experiences. I learned a great deal from them. I am a stronger person by going through all the experiences like fleeing, seeing mother have cancer, and moving to America. I am depicted all over the collage because I like to see society in a broad simple view and not complicate things. I feel that life is a journey with many experiences bad and good ones. Life is a test between good and evil. As I was told as a child, “it is easy to be bad but hard to be good.” I want to go to Medical school and become a doctor because many people in my family are sick. I want to find a way that I can help them and others. My family is who I am. The internal struggles are there but not displayed because it would take more than a collage to display them.

Friends and Family: I value my family more than anything. Without them on my side, I would not be the person that I am today. I treat friends like family, but in life it is very hard to find a true friend. Friends are not eternal but come and go. They are represented by high school bobcat symbol. Family is represented by the picture.

Town, community, and School: I included a picture of downtown Nashville, Tennessee. It is a beautiful quiet place. The community I live in is quiet, and peaceful. I went to JOHS. It was a descent school, where trouble was always around the corner waiting. There was a great amount of gang violence, but it was ok. Tennessee is a great place but it is ranked as the second overmedicated state in America. I have a lot of great memories at JOHS.

Country: I am a person divided equally between two countries. I love Iraq and America equally. I provided a map of both in the collage. The United States and Iraq are going through hard time. The war has brought about great endeavors to America and has liberated a nation from a merciless dictator. The US economy is displayed in the collage with the big inflation sign. Hopefully there will be peace in the future.

World: the world today is comprised of chaos. Global warming is taking effect. I went to Iraq over the summer and it was over 130o F. it was also really hot in Tennessee. Maybe Al Gore had a point when he warned about global warming. The world is what is see and experience.

Art: Art to me is beauty, style, imagination, originality, and history. It is comprised of all these features. Getting up every morning and taking a glimpse of nature. Nature is art, seeing the green grass, the traffic, pavement, is all art that is captured through the eyes. I love nature. The way the images are made with the perspective of the artist is incredible. Art is history meaning that prehistoric and other people recorded their lifestyle with art before the alphabet system came out. Art is everywhere today.

History: it is defined as past experiences of society of civilization. What I have experienced during my span of life years can be defined as history. The experiences that I have undergone are history to me. The environment that I was raised in are all shaped by history even the community and family. Art has always been apart of whom we are. It has served a purpose being entertainment, religious, or other things that are or will become apart of life.

The Betrothal of the Arnolfini

I picked van Eyck painting to analyze, The Betrothal of the Arnolfini. The author of the article suggests that van Eyck originated a new form of art, where the artist becomes the ideal eye-witness. The author describes the painting as a form of portrait due to it having much realistic things. After I analyzed the painting, I agree with the author that it looks like a portrait. The author describes the painting as “A simple corner of the real world had suddenly been fixed on to a panel as if by magic.” The artist did well to produce a painting that looks realistic. It was done on Oil on wood surface. The artist decision to use carpet, slippers, wall rosary, little brush beside the bed, and etc… help the audience get a feeling of van Eyck home. It creates a realistic outlook. The pictures used in the painting represent life events. It seems like there is a serious union between the female and male in the painting because they are joining hands. In the mirror the man and women are reflected. The artist and another man (witness) are also reflected as being resent in the room. The use of lines in the painting is balance between the man and women. The woman is emphasized more with the use of light color dress. Everything is organized in the room. As I analyze the painting, my eyes are directed toward the man and women hand unity. The presence of a dog, slippers, window blinds, furniture, and etc.. are examples of objects the author to display realism. The color, technique, and structure of the painting reveal a lot about society and the painter’s intention in painting such art. These techniques are similar to the ones we described in class.

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/V/van_eyck/arnlfini.jpg.html

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/V/van_eyck/arnlfini_text.jpg.html