After stretching the canvas and applying a few layers of paint, I sanded it a bit and the texture is nice. I think I didn't stretch the canvas enough though because it feels a bit loose.
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We started stretching and priming our canvases this week. I'm probably going to try to work it to a really smooth surface through sanding, but I'll see how the texture is before I try to change anything.
While it wasn't a formal art exhibit or lecture, my trip to China provided new perspectives on artistic culture and culture in general. A stoic and overbearing tall piece of granite faces out towards the sea with Mao Zedong's calligraphy perfectly engraved onto it. Structures like this reminded me that even though China has moved towards a free market economy, the government is still idolized to a fault. I still adore eastern influences in art and culture, but the modern culture of China is something that I have to further investigate honestly. The juxtaposition of a street vendor selling a trinket with the icon of one of the most infamous communist leaders in history staggered me.
As for the traditional art forms, I visited a jade shop and could not believe the amount of work put into hundreds of intricate and rounded sculptures and jewelry. The pieces of marbled and creamy rock were smooth and glossy, and their exaggerated and fantastic forms were so different from the sculpture that we're used to in the United States. My trip to China exposed me to a deluge of new questions and curiosity rather than answering questions I had about my heritage and culture. Some of these new questions are about the artistic relationship between different cultures and how to reconcile differences and strengthen similarities in a piece of art so I can create some unique work. I look forward to exploring these concepts in my sketchbook or in my free time. Sculptures by Katsuhiro Yamaguchi
http://www.moma.org/collection/artists/35538?locale=en http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/2012/08/katsuhiro-yamaguchi-at-gisela-capitain/ Yamaguchi makes several simple shapes and forms utilizing iron and cloth sacks. These sculptures look deceptively small on their thumbnails, but in fact the heart form is approximately 47"x 43"x 20". Yamaguchi creates these sculptures in the 1960s, a time period where Japanese artistic culture was undergoing rapid change after World War II. Artists experimented with less traditional mediums and techniques. I like the sculptures for the historic value that they possess. Similar to the Benton murals, they represent a distinct phase in cultural movement during this time period. I also appreciate their simplicity and distinct texture and form created by stretching cloth sacks over wire frames. I think what Yamaguchi's sculptures and Benton's murals illustrate is that sometimes art is forgotten by history even though it might have been a quintessential representation of the time period. Pen and Ink Drawings in the Saatchi Gallery http://www.saatchiart.com/art/Drawing-Page-59-Prime-Pages-from-the-Manual-on-Dismantling-God/580191/1742459/view http://www.saatchiart.com/art/Drawing-Portrait-Supplement-No-3/395678/1658238/view Recently I rediscovered my love for drawing in general because we'd been away from it so long in art class, and it's rather hard to find time for really detailed drawing in my sketchbook. I'm always impressed with the intimate detail that you can get with the medium while simultaneously having freedom to be messy and expressive. I could probably spend hours browsing this gallery's pen and ink works and days browsing in even more galleries. I like the close detail and incredibly finesse that was put into the first piece. The use of negative space and Japanese characters to create a mythical feeling was excellent. The actual exhibition this piece along with twelve others was featured explored conceptual imagery and art. The second piece was no where near as planned and finished as the first one, but it supports my earlier emphasis on the flexibility of the medium. These pieces in pen and ink really inspire me to get back to drawing and to doing what I like. Also, they represent a steady production of traditional artwork even when new concepts and experimental techniques are popping up constantly. |