Video Review

The video Through the Eyes of a Sculptor, presented some very interesting ideas and knowledge about sculpture that I was not aware of. One thing that I found the most interesting was how many steps it took to create marble sculptures, and how time consuming it is. I had assumed previously, that sculpting took a lot of time, but I was not able to truly conceptualize exactly how much time and delicacy and dedication it took before watching the videos. The other part of the video that I found most interesting, answered a question for me that I've had for a very long time. Marble is heavy, yet also extremely delicate…how does it get moved? The video taught me that cranes are used to lift and position and place heavy sculptures, and that bridges made of marble are left between delicate parts of the work during transportation, to make sure that everything stays together.

The Glass and Ceramics video was my favorite because I find blown glass and stained glass to be gorgeous, and I love to paint ceramics myself. I had no idea that there were so many different ways in which to make blown glass, and that there were so many different types of tools used to shape it to perfection. Something else that was new to me was the way in which stained glass masterpieces were created. The video taught me that artists create a comic-like drawing, number the pieces of the design, cut those pieces out, and then use them as a type of stencil to cut out the corresponding glass pieces. As for ceramics, I knew that they had to be cast into a plaster mold and heated in a kiln, but I did not know that clay was mixed with quartz and water to create the mixture called slip. The video amazed me with the number of uses for ceramics that it displayed. I learned that ceramics are not just for plates and pots and decoration, but can also be used to create hip prostheses, teeth, knives, mufflers, etc.

I have to admit that I am one of those more traditional people who think installation art is just weird. However, the video on installation art was very interesting and taught me new things about this form of “art.” The video confirmed my suspicions that installation art is meant to be all around us and has an attitude to it because it is the new and trendy thing to do, or so someone said in the video. I learned that installation art was a very conceptual and controversial form of art and that its purpose was to create an experience. I also learned that both pop art and video art preceded and inspired installation art during the 70s.

All of these videos related well to the text, as they focused on art forms that were introduced in the text. The videos seemed to pick up where the text left off, going further in depth into describing specific aspects of the art mediums that fall in the categories of sculpture, installation, and craft. Where the films gave an introductory view of glass blowing, ceramics, marble sculpting, and installation art, the videos delved deep into what goes into making this art. I thought that the films were a great tool to help my comprehension of what craft, sculpture, and installation art really are, and to see the effort and time and steps that go into the creative process. It was as though I was able to catch a first-hand glimpse of what it’s like to be a sculptor, craftsman, or installation artist.