Blog Assignments

January 23   Line Collage

January 30 What Defines Art

     One to two paragraphs defining what is and is not art.  The difference between high art and other art, can animals make art...

February 6 Abstract  Painting

February 8  - Aesthetic Philosophy Photos

February 13 - Practice Writing about one work of art from class using the following guide. 

             1. What is the Title of the Art work, Artist Name, Media used, Date Created?     2. What does the picture look like; can you describe it in your own words?    3. What elements of design are the most noticeable and why?   4.What is the Reason that the artist created the work.  5. What Aesthetic Philosophy did he/she have?   6.  Is it folk art, naive  art, outsider art, or brut art.

February 15  Gallery Critique  Terry Hayes

February 22 Proportion collage- Post photo and tell your story behind your picture.

Symbolism and Iconography

Iconography is the visual images used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these  These can be universal in meaning to us such as a Christian cross, or a stop sign. Symbolism  usually includes icons but the meaning often changes.  For example, we are familiar with the wedding symbol of brides wearing white and for funerals we wear black.  However, in many parts of the world this is reversed and people wear black to weddings and white to funerals.  Even apples and oranges can have different representational symbols in paintings. 

The apple’s meaning varies when placed in Eve’s hand, the apple can be seen as symbolism for sin. When held in Adam’s hand, the apple can mean the fall of man.  The different images of the apple changes in different time periods.  Later in time the apple is presented in pictures of the Madonna and the Infant Jesus as another sign of that redemption.  

However, a stop sign icon usually means stop no matter what.  Look for examples of icons and symbols in Pinterest and make a board for each.  Be prepared to look at artwork and decide if that icon or symbol means the same to you today as it would for someone else in a different part of the world or different time period.