Postmodernism: 3 readings

Frederic Jameson:

• Interesting article because I knew exactly what picture was being referred to as I was reading.
• It was a difficult read. There are some concepts and words that I'm not familiar with.
• Describing the picture as having flatness or depthness
• Photographic negative in contemporary art
• How they tied in the concept of "death"
• Prevalent points in the article
• "High-modernist and postmodernist moment" between the shoes of Van Gough and Andy Warhol

Jean Baudrillard:

• Disneyland has many illusions and phantasms
• The park is filled with fun things, but when you think about it: much of the day is made up of getting there, being there in the giant parking lot, and lining up awaiting your turn for entry
• Disneyland is a childish place, but was thought of from a grown man: Walt Disney
• Things that confused me:
• Objective profile of the US can be found through Disneyland 
• Disney land is imaginary to make us believe that the rest is real
• Hyperreal
• The usage of the word "real" was very confusing to me. It was used too many times in the same sentence, which caused me to become very lost and confused.

Postmodernism Introduction:

• Talking about different cultures
• "Postmodern artists, just like the explorers of past centuries, simply plunge into the unknown and then try to represent it"
• They take notes of the new mix of messages, symbols, cultures, and media and then create something that reflects to postmodern condition.
• Jean Baudrillard: shows that people are so wrapped up in the media, TV, and electronics. The cord is stabbing the person in the neck, kind of like what a vampire does. The cord leaves two "teeth" marks. It's almost like TV shows consumed this person, because a fake monster has attacked them. Just like something you'd see in the movies.
• Hyperreality: an order of representation that is not the unreal, but has replaced 'reality' and is more than real.

George Kubler

       This reading was very difficult for me to understand. The paragraphs describing "Individual Entrances" was especially difficult for me. Kubler was describing that writing a biography on an artist can't solely focus on their life before their art work started. It's important to write about their development as an artist and how they came to be. However, the analogy about the railroad tracks is where I became lost. Kubler said that talking about the artist's biography is like talking about a traveler on one railroad track and disregarding all the others. This makes sense to me, however when Kubler introduces the idea of the tracks extending in different directions, I become very confused.
       I also like the part where Kubler talked about talent. He says that talented people begin at a younger age and master the tradition of art. This is something that makes sense to me. To become a talented artist requires the person to go through years of experience and critiques. The more experienced the artist is, means the more talented the artist is. This is something that is relatable in everyday life. The more experience someone is exposed to in a certain area creates this person to master it. For example, someone who is new at teaching is not exposed to situations that may throw them off guard. This doesn't mean the teacher is unsuccessful or untalented, but they haven't practiced or mastered the "art" of teaching. Meanwhile, a more experienced teacher has been exposed to numerous situations which means that this teacher has mastered the "art" of teaching.
      Although this article was about the biography of an artist. I still think it can connect to other occupations.

Julio Fine Arts Gallery #2

  

         This piece stuck out to me the most out of all the pottery in the gallery. It's called "Boetian Cup" which was purchased from Robert Hecht. The description says that it's too heavy to be a cup, and it was more likely to be used as a grave offering. Because it was made to be a grave offering, it must be a special item. The reason why this pottery stuck out to me the most is because of the colors. A lot of the pottery had dark colors and images on it. However, this piece had calming colors to it such as the sandy color and the light brown. Also, I felt it was interesting to put this pottery on a mirror. This way, it's easy to see details that were carved into the bottom instead of having to lean over and look. This piece jumped out at me right when I walked into the gallery.

Data Visualization

       The video talked about how people can communicate things quicker through data visualization because our brains can decipher the design. They used and example of a tiger running through the grass. We have the ability to tell the difference between the pattern of the grass and the moving tiger. Our brains are wired this way and we need this skill in order to survive. A concept like this is not common sense. It was very interesting to hear what they had to say. I never really thought about how our brain works when we see these patterns.
       Throughout the video they also said that the best and fastest way to change someone's mind or behavior is by showing it visually. This interested me because since my major is speech-language-hearing sciences, we talk a lot about behavior and how to change it. For example, if a child is acting up during a therapy session or if we are working with people who have emotional/behavioral disturbances. I thought it was interesting that they said sometimes visually showing the desired behavior results in the target behavior.
       Lastly, they said it's helpful to show something visually that is complex and hard to comprehend. I would have to agree with this statement. I am a visual learner, therefore sometimes in class it's hard to understand a concept unless there are visuals. For example, chemistry is difficult for me. Last year we learned about the electron orbits. This is something that only made sense to me if the teacher drew out each orbit and explained it that way.