Friday, November 16, 2012

Module 12 Video Review


1.  I chose to view the Andy Warhol video because I have always been amused and fascinated by his artwork and zany personality.  I wanted to explore his work more and learn about him as an artist a bit more, so I decided to watch the video.  I chose to watch the Sculpture of Spaces video because I was intrigued by the idea of using the earth as one’s canvas.  I wanted to see these works and see how they were created, so I chose to watch this video. 

2.  Andy Warhol would recreate famous images of famous people such as Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor or Campbell’s Soup.  Warhol would destroy the original image by reproducing it and making it even more superficial.  Warhol moved into an apartment with tin-foil covered walls that came to be used as his studio as well as a hangout for artist parties.  He turned to photography and became obsessed with celebrity and making people famous.  He published his own magazine and made a movie with Elizabeth Taylor.  He returned to making silkscreen paintings and people would pay him money to be the subject of one of his paintings in order to become famous.  Warhol also became a journalist in his later years.
Isamu Noguchi walked away from sculpture and went to Japan where his idea was formed and inspired.  He wished to create works in spaces where people could meet and come together to enjoy them.  Noguchi began to create sculpture gardens in New York that were inspired by his childhood in Japan and the intricate gardens found there.  Noguchi was commissioned to re-design Miami’s Bayfront Park, but was faced with adversity by city officials who did not wish to fund his vision and unique style of sculpting.  Nevertheless, Noguchi won out and the park was created in his vision.  He went on to explore other mediums for his parks, including slides and water, and began to include these features in his designs.  One specific work that he created that was very important was his sculptural work in Jerusalem which were acclaimed for their sensitivity to the religion and natural features of the area.  It was said that Noguchi visited Jerusalem and just completely understood its importance and relevance and beauty, and created something that fit perfectly with that image.          

3.  The video on Andy Warhol relates to the book because there was an artist’s profile page about him in the book, as well as several of his works.  Where the book only touches on the work of Warhol, and focuses more on his personality, this video focuses more on his work.  The video goes more in depth and surveys the life-work of this famous, celebrity artist.  The Sculpture of Spaces video also relates to earlier readings in the text where we read about earthworks.  The video is similar to the Warhol video in that it goes more into depth and focuses on one particular earthwork artist and his work.  In this video we get a thorough look into the life and work of artist Isamu Noguchi.    

4.  I believe that watching these videos is important because it allows us to learn more about the world around us, as well as about specific artists, artworks, and art styles.  It adds depth to our knowledge of art, but also to our knowledge of life in general.  The videos open our eyes to history and various cultures and customs and ways of life that we may not have learned about otherwise. 

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