Blog Post #10: Museum Paper

Blog Post #10: Museum Paper

DUE: 05/15

For this tenth blog homework, you will share the museum paper with proper citation. It would be great if you can read your paper one more time and make minor revision before publishing. Please remove your last name and your instructor's name from the paper. If your essay is a word document, you might need to copy & paste in a notepad program before you publish it. This way, your post will have proper indentation.

Please properly cite your sources:
Bronx CC information on How To Avoid Plagiarism: < http://bcc-libweb.bcc.cuny.edu/docs/howtoavoidplagiarism.pdf >.
My course follows MLA citation: < http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/ >. If you are not sure about the MLA, click on the "MLA Help" tub.

Your images must also be part of your Works Cited page. For example, if you are citing an image on the web (MLA Handbook, 5.6.2d):

Pollock, Jackson. Autumn Rhythm. 1950. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ARTstor. Web. 16 Sept. 2008.

Blog Post #9: AbEx

Blog Post #9: AbEx

DUE: 5/13

For this ninth blog assignment, you will discuss Abstract Expressionism (AbEx): explain how American artists created an American image.

One paragraph, 160 words (minimum)

Please describe what "painting" was before Abstract Expressionism. What did American artists such as Jackson Pollock, Hans Hofmann, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Clifford Still, and/or Frank Stella, do to an image to make it truly American? Does it really make you feel what America is? In other words, do you agree with what they think America is? What is America for you, personally?

If you want to check the textbook, Chapter 29 talks about this art movement. In class, we watched the film "Painters Painting" last Monday, but only partially. Later, I posted more clips from this film on Blackboard for your interest. ALSO, the 5/08 class discussed younger generations of artists who responded to Abstract Expressionism in unique ways. You can find my PowerPoint "Response to Modern Art" and slide list PDF in WEEK 14 folder on Blackboard.

As always, at the end of your post, please cite an image of your choice that you discuss in your writing. Find images in the library database (ARTstor) and cite the label information in the following format:

Artist’s Full Name
“Title of Work” written in quotations*
Medium (i.e. oil on canvas)
Year Completed

*When referencing the work in the body of your writing, also be sure to write the titles in quotations. 

Blog Post #8: Final Topic

Blog Post #8: Final Topic

DUE: 5/06

For this eighth blog assignment, you will discuss your final project: explain how and why you chose the topic, what you learned from the course influenced your decision, and how you are progressing in your research right now.

140 characters (max)

This is a relatively short assignment because we are in this era where your resume is not getting you a job but your "tweet" would be (read about this phenomenon HERE). I expect students to come up with a line or lines that can catch your classmates' attention and make them feel they want to read your paper (and/or are excited to watch your performance art). Read the textbook for Action Painting (page 521-523), Action Sculpture (page 548-549), and Performance (page 554). If you need resources for performance artists, you can watch video documentations HERE.

At the end of your post, please cite three art images that you use for your final project. Find those images in a database in the following format. The label information is generally available in the database:

Artist’s Full Name
“Title of Work” written in quotations*
Medium
Year Completed

*When referencing the work in the body of your writing, also be sure to write the titles in quotations. 

Blog Post #7: Baroque Impact on Japan

Blog Post #7: Baroque Impact on Japan

DUE: 05/01 [extended to LAST DAY OF CLASS, 5/15]

For this seventh blog homework, you will explain the Baroque influences on Japanese Teen Fashion. Please answer the following essay questions:

What is Baroque Art? How did Japanese teenagers learn about the Baroque style? How accurate are their representations of Baroque cultures?

PLEASE ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS BY USING WHAT YOU LEARNED AT LAGCC EVENT IF YOU ARE ATTENDING THE 4/24 PANEL EVENT.

250 words (minimum).

Your finished writing needs to be at least 250 words. It should have an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. Post the writing on your Blogger page under the title, “Baroque Impact on Japan” and label the post "Baroque Art," "Japanese teen fashion," and "Comics."

This topic is about Baroque Art, Chapter 19 (pg 333-366), and a few topics related to international cultures are covered in Chapter 31: Continuity, Innovation, and Globalization (pg 550-581) in the textbook.

Please properly cite your sources if you borrow ideas from the textbook or the video.
Bronx CC information on How To Avoid Plagiarism: < http://bcc-libweb.bcc.cuny.edu/docs/howtoavoidplagiarism.pdf >.
My course follows MLA citation: < http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/ >. If you are not sure about the MLA, click on the "MLA Help" tub.

At the end of your post, cite two photographs that you took at the event. Alternatively, you can cite an image from a database in the following format. The label information is generally available in the database in the following format:

Artist’s Full Name
“Title of Work” written in quotations*
Medium
Year Completed

*When referencing the work in the body of your writing, also be sure to write the titles in quotations. 

Blog Post #6: Painting vs Photography

Blog Post #6: Painting vs. Photography

DUE: 04/29

For this sixth blog homework, you will explain the contributions that Photography made to the field of Painting. Please answer the following essay question:

How did Photography change the way people understand Painting?

250 words (minimum).

This is a reflection essay on John Berger’s TV series "Ways of Seeing," which the class watched but did not finish. The video is available in WEEK 10 and WEEK 11 Folders on Blackboard. (This video is based on Berger's book with the same title, but I do not assign the book to class. The ideas that this video covers originally came from the renowned German literary critic, Walter Benjamin.)

In the textbook, those topics are covered by Chapter 22: Romanticism (read pg 398-414) and Chapter 23: 19th c Realism/Photography (415-432).

Your finished writing needs to be at least 250 words. It should have an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. Post the writing on your Blogger page under the title, “Painting vs Photography” and label the post “ways of seeing” and "John Berger."

Please properly cite your sources if you borrow ideas from the textbook or the video.
Bronx CC information on How To Avoid Plagiarism: < http://bcc-libweb.bcc.cuny.edu/docs/howtoavoidplagiarism.pdf >.
My course follows MLA citation: < http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/ >. If you are not sure about the MLA, click on the "MLA Help" tub.

At the end of your post, cite one artwork that you chose in the following format. This information is generally available on the wall near the artwork if you are in the museum:

Artist’s Full Name
“Title of Work” written in quotations*
Medium
Year Completed

*When referencing the work in the body of your writing, also be sure to write the titles in quotations.

Blog Post #5: Arches

Blog Post #5: Arches

DUE: 03/13

For this fifth blog homework, you will explain the differences between Roman and Gothic arches in Art.

1) Draw Roman and Gothic arches in your sketchbook. Clearly label them as Roman Arch and Gothic Arch. There are two distinct styles (typical shapes).

2) Explain why artists "invented" Gothic arches when they already had Roman arches.

The Roman Art presentation on Monday (3/4) discussed various Roman Architecture such as the Colosseum, Pont du Gard, and the Pantheon. Romans were able to build those impressive structures because they knew how to make round Roman arches. Roman arches have keystone, voussoir, and springing (see page 127) that made it possible for Romans to build domes. Romanesque churches also use this Roman technology.

Now, look at Gothic arches (see page 201). This discovery of pointed Gothic arch is considered a significant development from the Roman arches, but WHY? What is so good about Gothic arches? How did Gothic arches change the way people build church structures and other elements in them? In other words, what do we know about Gothic Style today?

You will discuss: Gothic elevation (potentially higher buildings), lighting from stained glass windows, shifted mood and color of the interior space (from Byzantine gold mosaics to red-and-blue stained glass windows), in comparison with Roman arches of Roman/Romanesque buildings.

Please include one jpeg image of your own drawings that show how you drew your two arches. This will be a photo of your own sketch. 

Images of Gothic Art can be seen in Chapter #13 or at museum websites.

350 words (minimum).

Your finished writing needs to be at least 350 words. It should have an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. Post the writing on your Blogger page under the title, “Arches” and label the post “Reading 4.”

Please properly cite your sources if you borrow images and/or ideas from the textbook, video materials, or websites.
Bronx CC information on How To Avoid Plagiarism: < http://bcc-libweb.bcc.cuny.edu/docs/howtoavoidplagiarism.pdf >.
The course follows MLA citation: < http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/ >.

At the end of your post, cite one drawing of yours that show both arches in the following format.

Your First Name (no last name)
“Title of Work (clearly state which arch is which)” written in quotations*

*When referencing the work (your drawings) in the body of your writing, also be sure to write the titles in quotations. Your drawing/image needs to be in focus.

Blog Post #4: Ancient Greece

Blog Post #4: Ancient Greece

DUE: 03/04

For this fourth blog homework, you take a position and defend the Greek styles of art from the Egyptians. In the class discussion we had on 2/25, several students spoke up and stated that they preferred Egyptian Art over Greek Art. Then during the class on 2/27, we went over the components of Greek Sculptures (& Roman copies of them) that are considered a significant progress in the history of art.

While we feel that the Egyptians achieved a lot and their art concepts truly impressed us, how would you support the ideas of Greek Art (based on what you learned in class and from reading so far)? What did the Greeks try to do with their art, which the Egyptians did not attempt? What were the art ideas that first developed in the region, which continue to motivate artists today?

Please include one jpeg image of your choice that relates to your argument. This can also be a photo of your own drawing of Greek Art. Images can be taken from museum websites such as: The Metropolitan Museum of Art "Greek Art in the Archaic Period" < http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/argk/hd_argk.htm >. You find more images under "GREEK AND ROMAN ART" < http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/te_index.asp?i=20 >.

250 words (minimum). I made the word count for this post shorter, for a change.

Your finished writing needs to be at least 250 words. It should have an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. Post the writing on your Blogger page under the title, “Ancient Greece” and label the post “Reading 3.”

Please properly cite your sources if you borrow ideas from the textbook, video materials, or the above mentioned websites.
Bronx CC information on How To Avoid Plagiarism: < http://bcc-libweb.bcc.cuny.edu/docs/howtoavoidplagiarism.pdf >.
The course follows MLA citation: < http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/ >.

At the end of your post, cite one Greek Art that you chose in the following format. This information is generally available on the wall near the artwork if you are in the museum:

Artist’s Full Name
“Title of Work” written in quotations*
Medium
Year Completed

*When referencing the work in the body of your writing, also be sure to write the titles in quotations.

Blog Post #3: Portrait Drawing

Blog Post #3: Portrait Drawing


DUE: 02/27

For our third blog homework, we will prepare our previous homework drawing from WEEK 2 & WEEK 3 for a digital platform. Artists have created portraits of the rulers and the riches throughout the history, but what it would be like to actually make a portrait? Consider the lighting situation when drawing (which ones are the lightest lines and which side is the darkest?). Take a picture of your own drawing of a classmate or a self-portrait and upload it to your blog via your MOBILE DEVICE with the title "Portrait." Please explain in 160 words what you are trying to capture in the drawing, and how it was difficult/easy. IF you do not have a cell phone or a digital camera, or any mobile device with a camera, you can scan and upload your drawing (the image resolution must be at 72 dpi and the size is approx. 600 dpi x 1024 dpi. You can use software like Photoshop or Windows Paint Tool to modify your image).

160 words (maximum).

Your finished writing must be between 150 and 160 words if you are uploading this post on a mobile phone. Otherwise, your device does not update it properly. Post this content on your Blogger page under the title, “Portrait” and label the post “Drawing 1.”

Art Vocabs #1

Many art vocabularies used in Art History has specific meanings in the context of art. Through discussions in class and writing papers, the class exposes students to those academic vocabularies in order to prepare them for an advanced study in Higher Education.

Page #s below correspond with Chapters and GLOSSARY in the textbook.

Page 57 - The Egyptian Canon of Proportion in art, the right half (the box) describes useful ideas for Blog Post #2.


586 - Papyrus: (a) a plant found in Egypt and neighboring countries; (b) a paperlike writing material made from the pith of the plant.
583 - Canon: a set of rules, principles, or standards used to establish scales or proportions.
587 - Portrait: a representation of a specific person; a likeness.
Also, Portraiture: the art of making portraits (page 587).

Knowing how Papyrus contributed to our cultural knowledge is fundamental for any college students in any country while Canon and Portrait are important concepts in Visual Arts.

Note: Obviously, the popular stationary shop PAPYRUS tries to sell us fashionable writing papers by citing this immensely significant portion of our history.

Title Change

I decided to change the title of my course blog to "And yet it moves." It is named after one of my own art projects from Rome. However, this is also an English translation of the legendary comment "Eppur si muove" by Galileo Galilei, Italian philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, physicist, and artist from Pisa, Italy. He was said to utter this phrase when the Roman Catholic Church told him to abandon his formerly held belief that the earth circulates around the sun.

You can read more about him HERE.

His famous experiment at the Learning Tower of Pisa is HERE.


By the way, there is also a video game called And Yet It Moves, which I have never played:

Screen shot from "and yet it moves Review" by Tony Miller 
at Nintendo Okie, published on 09/02/2010.

Blog Post #2: Why Ancient Art Now?

Blog Post #2: Why Ancient Art Now?

DUE: 02/25

For our second blog homework, we will write a brief reflection on the video series that the class watched (Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). Why do you think people study the ancient world even when most of those places and buildings do not exist anymore? How do you think the process is useful for artists and art lovers today? Try to use three art vocabularies: Papyrus, Canon, and Portrait. You write about the concept that comes from Egyptian Art and continues to influence artists with a few examples. Please check definitions of those art terms in the art context before starting your writing. Please include one jpeg image of your choice that relates to your answer for this blog homework. This can also be a photo of your own drawing.

350 words (minimum).

Your finished writing needs to be at least 350 words. It should have an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. Post the writing on your Blogger page under the title, “Ancient Art” and label the post “Reading 2.”

Please properly cite your sources if you borrow ideas from the textbook or the video. The video is part of the BCC Library Collection.
Bronx CC information on How To Avoid Plagiarism: < http://bcc-libweb.bcc.cuny.edu/docs/howtoavoidplagiarism.pdf >.
The course follows MLA citation: < http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/ >.

At the end of your post, cite one artwork that you chose in the following format. This information is generally available on the wall near the artwork if you are in the museum:

Artist’s Full Name
“Title of Work” written in quotations*
Medium
Year Completed

*When referencing the work in the body of your writing, also be sure to write the titles in quotations.

Blog Post #1: What is Art?

Blog Post #1: "What is Art?"

DUE: 02/20

For our first blog homework, we will prepare a brief reflection on Jerry Saltz's "Seeing Out Loud" <http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-12-13/art/seeing-out-loud/>. Do you agree or disagree with what Saltz says about art and art criticism? Why or why not? Try to articulate what art is for you and how it is similar to or different from what Jerry considers art. Please include one jpeg image of your choice that relates to your idea of art in this blog post. This can also be a photo of your own drawing.

350 words (minimum).

Your finished writing needs to be at least 350 words. It should have an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. Post the writing on your Blogger page under the title, “What is Art?,” and label the post “Reading 1.”

At the end of your post, cite one artwork that you chose in the following format. This information is generally available on the wall near the artwork if you are in the museum:

Artist’s Full Name
“Title of Work” written in quotations*
Medium
Year Completed

*When referencing the work in the body of your writing, also be sure to write the titles in quotations.

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