Invitation to the Dance

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the works that most appeal to me are those about dancing. As a child, I took ballroom dancing for over six years. The works I chose are from the 3rd century B.C as late as 1951. Three of the most intriguing pieces are “Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja)” found in the Asian Art section of the South Asian Hindu-Buddhist and Jain Sculpture gallery, “The Dancing Class” by Edgar Degas found in the European section of the Dega’s Paintings and Pastels gallery and lastly Nasturtiums with the Painting “Dance” I by Henri Matisse found in the Modern and Contemporary Art section of the Early Picasso and Matisse gallery. What connects the three pieces of work is that they involve movement of the body as well as the other works I have chosen. Dance is not only learning one step after the other, but it is also time to let free, like some do with picking a paint brush and painting or even sitting while reading a book. Dancing also teaches you to trust your partner or the group. While dancing can be preformed with no music, many are. Listening to music and dancing helps multitasking, it is not that easy to dance at the right beat of the music. Through this gallery, I expect my viewers to know that dance isn’t just taking one or two steps but it is so much more. “The Dancing Class” evokes so many memories, where I was in my dance class and we had to practice our routines before competitions. There are many other types of dances, not only with a partner like the “Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja),” where the dance is considered a solo. Lastly there are the dances where you can totally feel free, and just let your mind control your actions as in Nasturtiums with the Painting “Dance” I. 

Edgar Degas
"The Dancing Class"
1870
European Paintings. 

School of Iwasa Matabei
"Dancers"
Ca. 1700

Edgar Degas
"Russian Dancer"
1899
European Paintings

Henri Matisse
Nasturtiums with the Painting "Dance" I
1912
Modern and Contemporary Art

Terracotta Statuette of a Dancing Youth
3rd century B.C
Greek and Roman Art

Thomas Hart Benton
"City Activities with Dance Hall"
1931

Attributed to George Morland
"Dancing Dogs"

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
"A Dance in the Country"
1755
European Paintings

Palter DeLiso, Inc.
"Dancing Shoes"
1951

"Shiva as Lord of Dance"
(Nataraja)
Ca. 11th Century
Asian Art

LES Galleries Reaction

   The Lower East Side galleries were different yet similar to the Chelsea galleries. The location for one, was a huge difference. The Chelsea galleries was in a more modern location with the High Line right besides it. The Lower East Side was around Canal Street which was occupied by many people, but towards the galleries the number of people decreased so visiting the galleries was a pleasant experience. The Lower East Side galleries artists' are less known than the artists' in the Chelsea galleries, therefore the artwork tends to be less expensive.
   At first, I thought the galleries on the Lower East Side were dirtier, but that was because the first ones we started to view were under construction. As we walked along the galleries showed a better quality of themselves. Three galleries that I actually did capture my attention were the (1) Boss Contemporary, (2) McKenzie Fine Arts Inc, & (3) Dean Dempsey.
    From all the galleries we have visited, these three are my favorite. The first one contained flowers that had the shape of cameras, the second one had these amazing paintings of, you can say backgrounds, which in a way looked out of this world and pretty mysterious. The third one had some art work that was digital and changed their photographs and didn't just contain one photo.
   Personally, I think the Lower East Side galleries contained more variety in the art work. Every gallery seemed to introduce something new and totally opposite from what you just saw in a previous gallery. Other thing that differed is that the Lower East Side galleries didn't have any titles of the art work or the author or the medium hanging beside the piece of work. All the art work was in a book with all the information needed included with the price. The Chelsea galleries also contained these books but they were also titles and authors next to the art work.
   Yet, the thing that connects these two galleries is that the walls of the galleries were both white. The art work was also hanging, for the most part in both galleries. Both of the galleries have their unique ways of showing their art work and displaying their qualities.

 
 

Art:21 Reaction

 Elizabeth Murray's theme was humor. The work Elizabeth does relates to humor for several reasons, for one her work looks cartoonish so that can be considered humor. The abstract work she concentrates on has many intense colors, shapes, forms and textures which also humor her audience. A better word that would better describe the artist's work is cartoon, colorful, mysterious, or wacky/silly as she described her work as. Also she was told by others that the work she does looks wacky and silly. Humor is supposed to be something that amuses people, I think Elizabeth’s art work catches your attention. There was a painting in the video which she discusses with her daughters, because she thinks they will be truly honest unlike other people who may not want to say the “harsh truth.” Besides that, the painting was really abstract but once they started to discuss it, you notice that it is really a house, and there is smoke coming out and what amazed me the most was that the roof of the house was a green triangle with white lines inside of it. The triangle wasn’t also just placed right on top of the purple “house” it looked like it was floating on top of the top left corner. There was many other details in that piece of work but those were the parts that amused me the most. This is what makes Elizabeth’s art work humorous. The word humor is a good theme word for Elizabeth but I don’t think its the perfect word for her. Her work to me, represents more of cartoon letters, some graffiti and just a general theme of cartoon things. These are some other works by Elizabeth Murray: 

Design in Our Lives

During our second trip to the MoMA Museum we looked at the "Applied Design" gallery as well as the "Designing Modern Women 1890-1990" gallery. We were asked to look at the art work and think if it is a"high functionality" or a "low functionality." High functionality objects in my opinion should serve a purpose and be helpful in our daily lives. Low functionality is something we don't necessarily need and could live without.

Alfred Roth
"Bed Frame"
Tubular nickel-plated brass and steel
1927

The bed, I consider to be high functionality. The bed is ergonomic because it serves a"people's efficiency in their working environment" which defines the word "ergonomics".  Yes, a person can sleep on the floor, but it doesn't give a person a good nights rest. A bed serves that purpose. Roth didn't design a bed, he designed the bed-frame. It serves as a high functionality because it is something every household has, at least one and it is used on a daily basis... well more like night basis.

Gae Aulenti
"Table with Wheels (model 2652)"
Glass, metal and rubber
1980

The table with wheels is another high functionality because it makes labor easier. Carrying things from one place to another is now done easier, faster and without back pain. There are 4 wheels which keep the glass on a even balance as well as the objects that go on top. The table with wheels serves a similar purpose like the car. The car as well has 4 wheels which transport people as well as things from one place to another, faster. What makes the "Table with Wheels" ergonomic is that it helps people every day, transport heavy objects or multiple objects from one place to another much faster. This helps with saving time, getting more work done and last but definitely not least it helps humans with their health. 

Betty James
"Slinky"
Steel
1945

A "low functionality" object I would consider it to be the slinky. It is not something we need in our daily lives. Slinky's are interesting and amusing but only for a little while. They usually get tangled up fast and just cause more nerves than amusement. Honestly, I can't find a way to make the object more ergonomic. I don't think it is a useless object but I don't think it serves any purpose and it is not good enough to last as a good entertainment. 

Pamela Woodhead
"Scarf"
Metallic Lurex and resin beads
1979

Another thing that I consider to be a "low functionality" is the scarf. No, I don't think all scarfs are low functionality, just this one in particular. I think this would be more used to an art project than the use for a scarf. Scarf's should protect you from the wind and keep you warm something this scarf lacks. To make this scarf more ergonomic I would replace the empty holes with material such as cotton, silk or any fabric. Another thing I don't like about this scarf is that it looks uncomfortable. 

No, a object does not need to be high functional to be a good design. I wouldn't consider the slinky a good design but it is decent. It does serve as entertainment it just lacks the time of the entertainment. Art and design are not two separate idea. For example, posters are designed but they need art to be good. They still need to hold information but to make the poster attractive, art has to be considered. The scarf is also something designed but honestly I have used similar material to make a border around one of my projects. 

Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary

         The ways that the piece of work skirts the line between reality and fantasy is that in reality an artist could paint a woman, the fantasy is that the woman being painted becomes alive as the artist in the paining paints her. The artist creates an illusion that the artist in the paining is painting a real woman that comes to life with the touch of his brush. The artist uses elements of an artist using a palette and painting with a paintbrush. The way he denies our understanding of reality is that the artist in the painting doesn't creature a portrait of a person, or a painting of a human being, but an actual human being. A work of art that is created by God not by an artist and his paintbrush.

Rene Magritte
"La Tentative de l'impossible" (Attempting the Impossible)
Oil on canvas
1928

Illustrate a Story

"It's not just a tattoo."

Dawn Maestas. 

                           

The reason why I chose this story is because all the stories I saw included two people in the pictures. This was one of the few that only had one person. The title also caught my eye because it makes the reader interested in what a tattoo means to her, Dawn Maestas. After listening to the story you realize how much she has gone through. 

The hands on top symbolize the relationship she was in. She compares the "ex's name tattoo" to a car accident so that's why there is a car. The hand in the middle is a hand of a tattoo artist. The pills around are the drugs that the ex took which then lead them to be violent towards Dawn. The jail bars represents how Dawn was basically locked down, during her relationship of. Lastly the background represents the long, 28 year journey Dawn had to take. 

((Transcript))

                                        Audio 1:

Anonymous Participant (AP): I was with a guy for five years. He was much older. He was really abusive towards me. After a while when I tried to finally end it, he kidnapped me, held me hostage, and tattooed his name all over my body against my will.

Dawn Maestas (DM): Every time that you had to get dressed and undressed, you would have to look at that tattoo and know where it came from.

AP: Yeah. That's when I called you.

DM: I do laser tattoo removal. When you walked in my office, it was déjà vu. I knew the loneliness, the embarrassment, and I was so angry that life had done to you what it had done to me.

You know, I myself had a tattoo of my ex's name. And he'd make constant references to it all the time--that he owned me. This is a person who locks his arms around your legs at night, and you have to ask for permission to use the restroom. So, you know, it's not just a tattoo it's … it's like being in a car accident--every time you pass that intersection you remember the impact.

How do you see yourself today versus the very first time you came in my office?

AP: I don't feel like this prisoner in my body anymore. You just helped me in so many ways. You are my counselor, like, my mom, my big sister-- you already know what I'm going through.

DM: I'm extremely honored that you let me be that person. You know, I can be thankful that I walked out with my life, but I've lost time that I will never get back. I spent 28 years living in violence. I think if she can do this faster, then she gets to enjoy so much more of her life that I lost. And I hope you know how much I care for you.

AP: To be honest, I'm just like Who am I for her to care about so much--I'm just a nobody. But you remind me that I am somebody. And I don't feel alone.

DM: That's all I could ask for. We're gonna make it. I refuse to let us fall.

Audio 2:

Dawn Maestas (DM): He was very charming, promised me that he would never hurt me, and then drugs changed everything. At first it was just a lot of cheating, being mentally abusive, and then the physical abuse started to come in. 

He had a sawed-off shotgun in the top of the closet. So I thought, I am going to take the shells out just in case. And I thought, Ok I'll put them in the hamper, he'll never check in there. And so he had come into the house that night, and he was high. He was looking for money, so he had dumped out the hamper and came across the two shells. I got yanked off the couch and put on all fours. And he has that loaded shotgun to the base of my head with it cocked. 

And I remember thinking, he is as high as a kite, he is going to twitch, and he's going to blow my head off. He's telling me all the reasons that he should kill me. And I keep telling him how much I love him. "Don't do this. The kids are only two rooms away, and they're going to hear the shotgun blast, and they're going to wake up, and they're never going to forget that my brains are all over." And I kept telling him it. And what seemed like forever, which could have only been seconds, he finally put the gun down, drug me to the back room, and beat the hell out of me. 

And then afterwards I remember him telling me, "The kids are going to wake up, I'll go get us breakfast." As calmly as if nothing had taken place. Time and time again in some of the most horrific situations when I thought that I was at the point of losing my life, I used to tell God, "If you let me survive this, when I'm strong enough, I won't leave anybody else behind, I promise."

Chelsea Galleries

Chelsea Galleries Reaction

     On October 2,2013 my class & I visited the Chelsea Galleries. There was so many galleries to chose from. After visiting a few galleries as well as seeing and exploring The High Line, I have noticed some art works that stayed in my mind in a good way as well as some in a bad way. The gallery that contained art work that I liked was the Jim Kempner Fine Art Gallery located on 501 West 23rd Street. The gallery that had art work that didn't catch my eye was the Freight + Volume Gallery located 530 West 24th Street.

Carole Feuerman
"Shower Print with Pink (Frontal View)
2012

     I do like this piece of art work for several reasons. For one I like glitter which in person, this artwork contains. Another reason is the color (pink) which is another thing I like. The silkscreen on canvas with diamond dust is 45 x 39" which I also think is a perfect size. Not to big and not to small. This would be a good investment because it is something that will stay in style. People will always adore woman and their beauty. I would display this artwork because I like all aspects of it. I think work that you like should be displayed and not just kept in storage. A storage room is meant for things that you don't like anymore or are not planning to use anymore not for keeping good art work there.

Jeff Koons
"Puppy"
1998

Another art work that I like is the puppy. I always wanted to be a vet so any animal will always catch my eye. The "Puppy" is a porcelain measuring 18 x 13 x 17 1/4". I would gladly display the art work in my house, the size isn't too big and it would show my guests a little something about me. I also think that this would make a good investment. As years pass people will still love animals also many people are interested in porcelain objects.

Peter Allen Hoffmann
"Outer Space"
2013

This piece of art work on the left doesn't catch my eye because it is too plain for me. Yes it is colorful and does contain "happy" colors but it doesn't speak out to me. It just has plain stripes of pink, red, orange, yellow, green and blue going from left to right three times. This wouldn't be a good investment because the work can be copied by any person. Of course if wouldn't be the exact thing but it is somewhat an easy aspect.

Daniel Ranalli
"Big Bang-Yin Yang"
2008

Another piece of art that I don't like is the one shown on the right. I don't like it because it just looks like a messy blackboard background with two other boards in front with chalk writing on them which is also unclear. I don't think this would make a good investment. Personally I think a better idea would be to invest in a chalkboard and then doodle on it as you please.