Baltimore Museum of Art

Still Life with Pitcher and Plate by Félix Vallotton

Group of Artists by Marie Laurencin                         

Anemones and Chinese Vase by Henri Matisse      

       My favorite work of art was Still Life with Pitcher and Plate by Félix Vallotton. The photo taken does not show how incredible this painting is. The reason why I picked it is because when I first saw it, it did not look like a painting at all. The painting looked like a photo. The more I looked at it from a distance, the more it looked like an actual photo taken. When I went up close, I saw smooth paintbrush strokes. However, these strokes were not apparent unless I went up close to this painting. Not only did that aspect of the art work strike me, but also the shape of the pitcher, plate, box, and blanket looked as if it were popping out of the painting. The painting had a 3D look to it. The color of the pitcher was interesting to me as well. Parts of the pitcher were painted in a brighter color, making it look shiny as if you were looking at the pitcher in real life. The dark background makes the rest of the items on the canvas easier to see, and I also think it helps with the "3D" aspect it shows.

       The meaning of this painting, to me, is that Félix Vallotton was reflecting on his life while painting this picture. The reason why I feel this way is because of the title Still Life with Pitcher and Plate. It's as if the artist wanted to stop time and be still for a moment. This image with the pitcher, plate, box, and blanket seem to be items you'd use for a gathering with friends and family. I think I have a plate that looks like this at my house, and that's why I feel like these items could be used for a family or friend gathering. They are used for nice and formal events, and the artist wanted to capture this moment and "stop time."

Visibility

     I haven't put much thought into what play writers or movie makers go through to make sure their story makes sense. Play writers must visually imagine what the actor sees and what they think. Not only is this important in plays, but visual image is important while making a movie. Movies "go through the written stage, are visualized in the mind of the director, then physically reconstructed on set." Visualization is mandatory in order to write a successful play or to create a movie that makes sense. In every successful story, there is an image.

     Connecting this to real life situations, I personally tend to think in images and pictures. When I think about what classes I have on MWF I'll picture myself walking to class, where I sit, and which teacher I have. Another example is if I'm planning a trip to NYC, I'll imagine myself arriving at the train station, getting my ticket, getting onto the train, and meeting up with my friends. Images are important to my every day life. The author states, "even in reading the most technical scientific book or the most abstract book of philosophy, one can come across a phrase that unexpectedly stimulates the visual imagination." The visual image is something every human uses in their daily life.

Julio Fine Arts Gallery

     Tonight I attended the event at the Julio Fine Arts Gallery. I saw many different types of art work. Some included pictures of tattoos, paintings, and self-portraits. Out of all the incredible art work in the gallery, this piece caught my eye. Each picture is an image of a body part. At first I didn't notice what these images were. Because they are all different colors, it was not my first idea that these individual pictures were actually different body parts. My initial reaction was that it was a representation of the solar system, and that all of the images were pictures of different planets.
     This art work was laid out on the floor, and only a little bit was placed on the wall. I found that this placement was interesting. It stuck out to each person who was at the gallery because it took up so much space. The images were placed in an interesting way, it almost looks like a spiral and it's very pleasing to the eye. Not only were the images placed on the ground, but some of them were flat while other images were popping out of the ground.

The Whole Ball of Wax

     Art is everywhere we look, even if we don't think about it or notice it. This article discusses how people can experience art. It is interesting that art can make a person feel a certain type of way. Saltz says, "When we look at art, we're not only looking at it; we're also looking into it and through it." Therefore, art is not something people solely look at, people delve into art and look for a deeper meaning to it. There can be art that portrays calmness or peacefulness, but also there can be art that is violent and depressing. All in all, art is "The Whole Ball of Wax" because it is everywhere, it is not something we can avoid.
     In addition, this article briefly discusses how art can change the world. It brings up an example that art cannot change global warming, but it can change the world gradually. Saltz also says, "Art is an energy source that helps make change possible; it sees things in clusters and constellations rather than rigid systems." Saltz is saying that art can be seen in many different ways and people can interpret things differently, there is not one correct answer. Art is the ability to see things in different visions; everyone perceives things differently.