Thursday, March 30, 2017

Adulsian Dog

This work of art by Salvador Dali brings on the feel of a disturbing nightmare. The pacing,random objects disappearing and scenes like bugs coming out of the man's hand really demonstrate this. The film is very influential in both having the first ever gore scene as well as inspiration great art films such as Lynch's Eraser head and Polanski's Repulsion.

Un Chien Andalou

Personally, I didn’t understand the underlying plot to this film, Un Chien Andalou. I thought that the story line (if there was even any story line) was very jumpy and was structured very poorly. It was hard to understand the concept but I think that was also the artist’s purpose of the film - to leave the judgment to the viewer and have them understand it in their own unique interpretation. Ultimately, although this film doesn't make sense, I think that the confusion it leaves with the viewer is what makes it so unique and different from other films created during this time.

Un Chien Andalou Reflection

        I believe this is about the social constructs of the time. The use of the women armpit hair representing the norms of society. Even going as far as religion when the men were attached to the pianos. The eye ball part I actually have not idea about though. The older man scolding the younger man looks as if it representing parenthood. The box and many other things became a reacquiring theme that  the creater wanted to make stand out.

Un Chien Andalou

I felt the film Un Chien Andalou was very confusing. It was strange and dark and did not really have a plotline. I thought it mostly just jumped from scene to scene with no real explanation. However, I understand that it might have been created for the purpose of being indescribable and therefore explained in different ways by different people, and the bizarreness of the film might have been a point to capture people’s attention. I like the fact that the film is named Un Chien Andalou because the oddness matches with the fact that the title is so random and has absolutely nothing to do with the movie.

Un Chein Andalou

I don't think this film had a main plot, it was definitely dark and weird. Silent films have always given me the creeps and I think it has something to do with the music being played, with the acting and the slight fast forward it has in it. I have watched silent films before that have had plots to it and it was somewhat easy to keep up with. However, this one didn't seem to even know what direction it was going in. There were objects that would come up from scene to scene, and I thought maybe that would tie the short film together, but it didn't. I didn't know what was happening.

This film was very confusing to me. There was no real format or rules to this film. It was very all over the place. There was no real plot to this film.  This film stands out from others because of this though. I believe you can kind of interpret it and pick the meaning out yourself. That could be the purpose of why it was created this way so that viewers could kind of take their own meanings out of it.

Un Chien Andalou


After watching Un Chien Andalou, I was left confused.  I thought this film was overall bizarre and unclear.  I did not understand it nor do I think it relates to art whatsoever.  It appears the title has little to no meaning to the film.  I do not see a connection between the film and dogs or Andalusia.  I thought there was no focus on one particular concept.  There was much switching from scene to scene which made it hard to discover the overall purpose.  However, I am curious as to why it was made and what impact it had.

Un Chien Andalou

I thought this video was very strange and disjointed. The scene where the ants are crawling out of the mans hand was very weird. It had just jumped to the next scene without any explanation. Another scene that didn’t make sense to me was the one with the girl standing in the middle to the street. She didn’t bother to move when she saw that car coming at her, it was just very strange to me. There was also a lot of people involved there were never a consistent person in each scene besides the girl. The scenes were short and had no real connection to each other. 

Analysis of Un Chien Andalou

After watching this short film three times, I have some interests when analyzing it. First of all there is really no plot or reasoning as this piece goes along. The scenes jump from place to place with little to no sense or structure. It almost has a scattered "dream-like" feel and I find it intriguing to analyze why it was set up this way. After research I learned that the ever popular dream logic was used and was prevalent at that time. Salvador Dali was the artist involved in this piece, and his use of imagery can be seen in this film.


The Burning Giraffe (1937)

Un Chien Andalou


From my view Un Chien Andalou was a strange film the honed in on the problems with human nature. I think the main point of this film was to underline the power struggle of desire and the limits some are willing to go to achieve this. There is a point in the film where a man is trying to win over a woman. The woman at times seems to not be sure of what she wants. As the man further persuades her, she decides that she doesn't want him and he attempts to force him self on her. The man is eventually has two pianos and two other men to his back and still attempts to peruse her. This shows how far some are willing to go to force themselves on someone else. And the overall power struggle within human nature to get what you want.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Un Chien Andalou

This short film was dramatic and surrealistic with its jumping from one scene to the next without any real story plot. It was almost dream-like with the sequence of events. It was also made to seem more dramatic by just music being played in the background instead of any dialogue. After researching the film I found that the artists had actually used scenes they had experienced in their dreams, and I find it intriguing that you can see the how technology of art began to grow as film began to also be a form of art.

Un Chien Andalou: Art Film



This was a very surrealist film, one in which had no given plot or followed a specific sequence of events in which a traditional movie does. I believe this film was made this way so it could be open to interpretation, which trying to connect the dots could either lead to some deep connection/meaning or absolute nothing or no meaning at all. One thing for sure is that this film definitely has presented a new idea in the industry of film.

Un Chien Andalou

After watching this film, I found it overall to be very bizarre, strange, and unusual.  I did not understand what it was about and am unsure how this relates to art in any way because I did not see any type of art being shown, used, or mentioned at all.  Also, the title in English means, "An Andalusian Dog", which I also found confusing because there were no dogs and no connection to Andalusia which is in Spain, not in France where it seems this video takes place.  This film really seems to be about the love story between a man and a woman, that was what I got from it because it constantly showed the two of them and their interactions with another, like any other love story.  In my opinion, some of the parts such as, the ants on the guys hand, the woman being hit by the car, the man dragging the other men and the piano, the gun scene, the scene in the woods, the man and woman on the beach together, and many more.  Overall, this video was weird and pointless because it made no sense at all from the title, having no connection or relation to anything, and jumping from one random scene to another.

Un Chien Andalou: Art Film-ish

At first when I watched the film I immediately compared it to blow out in terms of plot. Blow Up is considered to be an Art Film. Art film are typically almost pointless and made for small audiences with no intention of being commercialized. However, Art films do have a unconventional plot but it has a plot indeed. However this film had no plot at all and it has no aesthetic or logical purpose. This kind of film is basically made for no reason but have had influence on some great directors work including Hitchcock. I also respected that Dali was one of the creators behind the film.

Un Chien Andalou

I thought Un Chien Andalou was a strange and crazy but mostly dark movie. I haven't seen many silent films though so I can't really compare this to another film. The movie didn't really make sense to me and the title which means "an Andalusian dog," didn't make sense either because the film had nothing to do with Andalusia and there isn't a dog in the film.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Un Chien Andalou

In this video a man was staring out his window at the moon after using a razor blade on his balcony. It quickly then switched over to a man riding his bike and then being in a room with a woman who he later molested. I thought that the ants in his hands scenes were very strange as well as the woman who stands in the middle of traffic and is hit by a car. The first woman tries to escape while the man tries to get her but the whole experience was quite uncomfortable in my opinion. It again switches to a man sleeping in a nun's outfit being woken up by (hands) as a doorbell. An angry man walks in making the man in the nun's outfit stand against the wall as a punishment. It switches again to a man getting shot from a gun that was originally books. The scene switches once again to a woman who applies her lipstick, shows her armpit hair, and sticks her tongue out at the original man and leaves. Somehow when she opens the door, she is on a beach and kisses a third man. The last scenes shows the two buried in the sand. I felt this entire video made no sense because there were so many scenes with no direction and people and objects would just disappear.

Un Chien Andalou



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCl_8522FF0


Sunday, March 26, 2017

Essay

Throughout the semester we've looked at many different artist. One of the most influential artist in my opinion is Paul Cezanne. Cezanne has made a lot of innovative contributions to Modern Art through his work.

Cezanne was a French artist and part of the Post-Impressionist era. He most widely known for laying the transitional ground work from Impressionist to the Post-Impressionist, even being referred as the "Father of of us all" by artist like Matisse and Picasso. Cezanne changed the course of art drastically with his multiple complex views of the same subject. Something that would affect the development of modern art immensely. He looked at art in a brand new way, one that artist to this day still try to recreate. He liberated form from color in his art and when working looked at as constructing a picture rather then painting it. In the art world it is often asked, "where would art be today, if Cezanne didn't change it?" That question right there solidifies his legacy and simply summarize how influential his contributions were in my opinion. Though before this class I wouldn't call myself a fan of art, I can now say I appreciate Cezanne's work. The card players series for example, you feel like you're right there with the people in the same room. Cezanne is a one of a kind person, someone who comes into something and changes it forever. Jackie Robinson and Michael Jordan, who changed the course of their sports and are immortalized because of it, is the closest comparison I can make, to how Cezanne changed art. He has been dead for over 110 years, and his techniques and ideologies are still used to this day in art. Cezanne's affect on art is everlasting.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Cézanne Midterm Essay

Since the start of class in the beginning of the semester, we’ve looked at some monumentally influential artists. For example, one of my personal favorites, Paul Cézanne, who lived from 1839 to 1906. Cézanne was a French artist and post-impressionist painter whose work laid the foundation for many other great artists to build on.
Cézanne is said to have bridged the gap between late 19th century impressionism and early 20th century forms of cubism. His unique method of building form with color and the analytical approach he takes to nature established him as one of the most influential artists of the 19th century.  Unsatisfied with the Impressionist dictum that painting is primarily a reflection of visual perception, Cézanne sought to make of his artistic practice a new kind of analytical discipline. In his hands, the canvas itself takes on the role of a screen where an artist's visual sensations are registered as he gazes intensely, and often repeatedly, at a given subject. Both Matisse and Picasso are said to have recognized Cézanne as “the father of us all”.

One of his most easily recognizable works of art, which also happens to be my favorite painting of all time – The Card Players – shows just captivating his work can be. The short, exploratory brush strokes he uses are a signature touch in his artwork and really helps to convey his intense study of his subjects.  Overall, Paul Cézanne contributed enormously to modern art, and his legacy lives on.

Midterm Essay

Paul Cezanne, also known as the “Father of Modern Art”, is one of the most influential artists seen throughout history. In the late 19th century, Cezanne became the first artist of his generation to deliberately and successfully break away from Impressionism. Cezanne was a French oil painter but continuously failed to conform to the norms and movements of the art world during his time, such as the Cubism and Impressionist followings. Ultimately, Cezanne found a balance between the two - which was made by creating structured shapes and figures, while using the bold, life like colors inspired from the Impressionists. Furthermore, what separated him from all other artists was that he was also willing to sacrifice an accurate depiction of reality if it had the potential to strengthen the overall painting.
Cezanne painted in almost every genre, and was particularly successful in landscapes, still life work, and portraits. In particular, Cezanne used dark shadows to hold the form of his subject, while also putting brushtrokes of purples, greens, and vivid reds to emphasize the overall painting and put his “style” on it. These colors normally do not fit the average skin tone, but like the Impressionist movement, Cézanne created a sense of immediacy and excitement through using vibrant colors.
Ultimately, Cezanne’s work was very transformative which helped the art work progress further into modern times. However, the Post Impressionist attitude that Cezanne carried throughout his art, which included him disregarding the rules of color, and changing perspectives. Despite his various methods to painting compared to the norms during his time, his paintings are still marvelous, solid and filled with life. Without Cezanne, modern art would not be where it is today.

Midterm

            Marcel Duchamp was a painter and sculptor associated with Cubism. Duchamp is also linked to the Dada anti-government movement.  Duchamp was known in his later life to reject the works of his peers that only pleased the eye. His intention for art was to please people’s minds.
            Duchamp’s desire to involve the human mind in art made him on of the most influential artists of his time and is the reason he is still regarded as one of the best. One study of his that definitely leaves room for people to wonder is his Nude Study. Pieces such as Passage From Virgin to Bride and Nude Descending a Staircase have their own color scheme and style but the titles make viewers wonder what they aren’t seeing. This is where the mind comes in. Duchamp continued this pondering sensation throughout his career.
            When Marcel Duchamp created readymade sculptures, many asked the question of whether or not this is considered art. Seeing as how the pieces were created but someone else and served a purposed, how could he be considered the artist? In my opinion, and the opinion of others whose names hold much more value, Duchamp is of course an artist. He has taken items that our minds have given a purpose and completely changed them and how we seen them. Fountain (1917) is one of my favorites. The name is as ironic as the piece itself- an old, assumed-used urinal cleaned and turned into a porcelain sculpture being named Fountain is genius.

            Marcel Duchamp’s contributions have left the art world a better place for future expression and innovation. His pieces are timeless and continue to beg the same questions as future generations learn about them; giving them a sense of immortality that not all artists’ works can carry.

Midterm Essay

Henri Robert Marcel Duchamp was a major influential and innovative contributor to Modern Art. He founded the American Dada movement, by challenging what defines art. One of his most famous works that provoked the question of what art is was the 1917 piece Fountain, which was a urinal. Another of these exhibits was the 1913 Bicycle wheel. These “readymades” were objects that were taken out of their usual context, like a urinal and bicycle wheel, and given the status of artwork simply because the artist deemed the so. While his work is similar to the work of Surrealists, he never associated himself with and specific artistic movement. He argued, rather, that art should concept-driven and be motivated by intellect and ideas.

American Dadaism tended to have more of a serious tone to that of the European Dada movement, and was not predominantly organized. A prime example of Duchamp's association with Dadaism was his submission of Fountain to the Society of Independent Artists exhibit in 1917. Art in the Independent Artists shows were not selected by a jury, meaning all pieces submitted were displayed. Still, the show committee claimed that Fountain was not art, and refused to have it in the show. This caused an upheaval among the Dadaists and led Duchamp to resign from the board of the Independent Artists.

Mid Term Essay


            Art has been around for thousands of year and done so as a depiction of things that happened or what may happen in the future. It was always depicting what they saw and not how they felt. Henri Matisse was one of the first to paint how he felt and not what he saw. Henri Matisse was a French artist who became known for his colorful but two dimensional works of art. These paintings were revolutionary since they were unlike any other, these painting would pave the way for modern art from early 20th century to today.
He emerged as a Post-Impressionist, and first showed prominence as the leader of the French movement Fauvism. Although his works were traditional such as nudes, figures in landscapes, portraits, and interior views his revolutionary use of brilliant color and exaggerated form to express emotion made him one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.