Portrait Painting

Tanktotem VII

2012-02-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

David Smith has been widely heralded as one of the greatest sculptors of the American century.
Each sculpture in Smith’s Tanktotem series which begun in 1952 and completed in the early 1960s, includes the round lid in whole or part of a commercially manufactured boiler tank. To a greater or lesser degree all of these sculptures are anthropomorphic; Tanktotem VII is a particularly elegant and refined work in the series.

It is this graceful beauty combined with its rigor that makes Tanktotem VII so appealing to me.

Villino della Pera in der Via Senese

2012-02-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

This painting is done by Hans Purmann from 1940. I chose this painting because it stood out to me when I was going through the website. I like the bright colors and the scene reminds me of some place that I would like to vacation or something

michael dweck, sonya

2012-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

This is a photograph by Michael Dweck called "Sonya" and I like it because I think it expresses a sense of freedom. She's obviously naked which is an element of freedom, but she is also rushing to go surfing, maybe something she loves to do to escape from real life and all the problems with real life. Thats just my interpretation

CHUCK CLOSE- BRAD PITT

2011-12-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

This portrait of Brad Pitt was similar to the portrait that Chuck Close did of Kate Moss.... The style shows the rawness of the human and gives the viewer a microscopic view to every crevice on their face. I enjoy this portrait because it amazes me how daring Close was. He went to the details that cosmetic companies hope to change. He makes art out of every day people, and points out their "flaws" in a way that makes it very beautiful to look at. You don't really see it as a flaw, you see it as a purity of who the person actually is.

2011-12-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

Belarusian painter Leonid Afremov is one of the most colorful painters you’ve never heard of. His skill with a palette knife and oil paint creates vivid scenes and cityscapes full of bright colors and watery reflections. His thick strokes are almost mosaic in nature, but the result is not without detail where the colors merge. Afremov’s landscapes capture the emotion of a casual stroll through an old Belarusian city, with all the vibrant color and culture alive in this artist’s perspective. The paintings from this artist are amazing simply because of the use of colors. It brightens up any environment

Peter Blake - Last summer

2011-12-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

I decided to do this by Peter Blake because we have been studying him all semester. This is an advertisement for Coke in the UK and I liked how he Incorporated there culture. I also like how all the colors in the rainbow are in this. It really catches my attention and makes me want to buy this product.

America- Andres Serrano

2011-12-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

This is America by Andres Serrano. It was done in 2003 and is a photograph. I chose this picture because with all of the shows pertaining to little girl beauty queens it is interesting to see less glamour and more of the natural girl. When i look at little girl beauty queens now all I see if fake and when I look a this I see a real little girl who is a winner because she is naturally beautiful. I like this because it does show her natural beauty. The color in the background really highlights her eyes and her purple outfit. I also like that with her sash it is making her look like miss america but yet she is only a little girl. It shows what a child aspires to be an that is he dream to be a beauty queen.

Andrew Tift "Lisa Law" (original Mexico Hippe)

2011-12-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

I chose this picture because I really liked the colors and patterns. There is color throughout the whole painting. I liked how Andrew Tift painted this picture. There's a lot of detail in the picture. Also the woman is directly in the center of the painting which I thought was a unique technique. It reminds me of Mexico because of the colors. I think he also depicted the woman meditating well. She looks calm and peaceful. This painting really shows the expression of the woman.

statue of liberty, 1962

2011-12-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

i picked this painting by Andy Warhol because i like the style in which he did this work, which was silkscreen ink and spray paint on linen. it is a very simple concept and could have a bunch of different meanings to it because it is a picture of the statue of liberty.

Andrew Tift's "Laughing Cowboy"

2011-12-06T10:39:00.001-08:00

Andrew Tift's painting, "Laughing Cowboy" stood out to me because of its exquisite detail and coloring. He seems to capture his subject in his paintings so well that it almost looks like a photograph. I enjoyed this painting because of how rich the coloring was and how life-like it seemed. Most of Tift's works are portraits and he paints a wide variety of people, all in different scenarios. Tift was able to capture every wrinkle and line in the "Laughing Cowboy" and even emphasized his straggly teeth, which I thought was humorous. He seems to really capture the essence of a person and I believe this painting is a great representation of the work that Tift does.

Shirana Shabazi- Goftare nik

2011-12-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

The is a C-Print done by Shirana Shabazi and is entitled Goftare nik (good words). It is part of a series she did on the landscape and people of Iran. I choose this because the little girl looked so cute. She has big round blue eyes that seem like they are looking right at you, they do however seem almost a little cut out almost. Her lips are also opened a little. It makes me wonder what they were doing to make this little girl stop and look so they could create this picture.

Midnight Waterloo by susan hiller

2011-12-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

This self- portrait was made by Susan Hiller in 1987. This portrait caught my eye because the picture looked almost as though it had been written or graffitied on. She is captured almost scared looking and very serious, almost as if something had just happened and she was not expecting it. This picture was really unique and many different qualities that I have not seen before. Many portraits before and after this one captured the graffiti/ scribble look and really captured her viewers.

"Unknown" 2011

2011-12-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

Since this is our last blog post of the semester, I decided to stray from the artist list in our text and just go with an artist I know I enjoy. (David Walker is definitely one of my favorite artists) He challenges the concepts of fine art through his beautiful graffiti/photo realistic style and he paints on canvas and in public places. This is one of his more recent pieces which I love! I have just always been drawn to the layering of color and the splatter patterns. He doesn't use paint brushes or any tools but for spray paint. His figures remind me of angels. The scale of his work is also captivating, most f the public domain works he creates are on the sides of buildings or store fronts, this "Unknown" 2011 painting is on canvas, but it too clears 5 feet in height.

The Woodmen and Gardeners, 2002 - Andrew Festing

2011-12-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

I chose this picture because I thought it was really different from most of the other pictures we saw in class. What I really liked about this picture was the colors used and the way everything was painted. I think that the oil on canvas brought out the scenery and it almost made the picture look very life-like.What I also found interesting about this picture was that the Earl of Leicester initiated portraits of employees in modern times, which is why Andrew Festing painted his staff on his Holkham Hall estate in Norfolk. I liked how the portrait was of his employees because I thought that it was very different than just a picture of an average or famous person. I also liked how this portrait "depicts [the] outdoorsmen in their working environment, striking casual poses, dressed in their workers' garb."

2011-12-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

Final Slides

2011-12-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

Final Slides

2011-12-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

Teaser by David Mach

2011-11-30T14:04:00.001-08:00

I chose this picture by David Mach because I liked how the eyes were really intense. I thought the red scarf really made the woman's eyes pop. It is also a mysterious picture because her eyes are the main focus of the picture. I also like how the scarf over the woman's mouth is sheer and you can see the detail of her nose underneath it. David Mach gives a lot of attention to detail.

American Flag 2009

2011-11-30T14:02:00.001-08:00

i chose this artwork done by vik muniz because i thought it was different, and cool because of how it is done made of plants. what makes this interesting is how Muniz’s work is the idea of what he calls a “perceptual bottleneck.” In this work, the viewer can choose either to see a flag or the substance from which it is made which is plants. It is this two-pronged approach. the creation and then the documentation – that makes Muniz’s work a unique combination of real event and reproduction.

Escape Artist by Sam Taylor Wood

2011-11-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

I chose this portrait because someone had done a photo similar to this the other week and I was curious what other work Wood had done. She continued these odd photos. I think they are incredible though. It looks very real, you almost believe that the balloons are holding her up in the air. This is actually a self-portrait. I'm not really sure why she made this photo, I think it is very unique. I'm not sure of the meaning or what message she was trying to convey. I think it is beautiful and unique though.

Vic Muniz- Wasted

2011-11-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

This piece caught my eye because its an entire work of art made out of trash, which is why its called wasted. I find it interesting that he made a work of art about love out of trash. He is known for using different types of materials and I idolize him for that.

Andy Warhol

2011-11-30T13:49:00.000-08:00

Currently on display at the MoMA, this Andy Warhol Self Portriat 1966 really attracted me because of the vibrant use of color. This piece is about 5 1/2 ft in all directions and is composed of nine separate canvases. I know these colors are characteristic of Warhol's art, but the constant of the color red was really eye catching and has a way of unifying all of the separate silk screen squares,tying them into one cohesive piece of art. I also liked this self portrait better than the one we've seen previously in classes. His hand and pose make the composition more interesting for me. Very cool silkscreen ink prints!

Blue Dunk, Walter Iooss

2011-11-30T13:20:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of Michael Jordan done by Walter Iooss. Iooss is a prolific sports photographer who has captured some of the greatest moments in sports history. I guarentee that everyone has seen at least one Walter Iooss photo before. This picture is awesome. Iooss gets a great angle above the rim capturing Jordan and his shadow. I think that to capture a great action shot takes alot of time and patience and Iooss has many to be proud of, but this one is pretty special. These photo's are all about timing and the timing on this one is perfect.

HE/SHE 2003

2011-11-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

This is HE/SHE done in 2003 by Tim Noble and Sue Webster. I think there art work is really cool, and rebellious. They just take ordinary stuff and make really cool shawdow art. It is rebellious because its pretty gross its a male and a female Tim and Sue peeing in public. It's very different, and the way they portray this as artwork is amazing.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia Los Angeles 1993

2011-11-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

I have looked at diCorcia's series of "heads" and this series is of Cities, he took pictures of many different people in different cities in different areas on the street, Candidly. It is a Chromogenic color print and is currently at the MoMA in New York. This photograph stood out to me in particular because the homeless man isn't in the front of the picture, he is to the side. He looks blended into the picture when you first look at it, and your view sort of looks to the left and then skims over to the rest of the portrait. He is on hollywood boulevard an area filled with celebrity, but as I looked at him and then passed on to the rest of the picture, I realized that this is what makes teh picture brilliant. He isn't lit up or flashy he is there in his simplicity as an ordinary passerby on the street, living so close to New York City you get used to seeing homeless people and simply ignoring their presence, as I had done in this picture. His clothes blend into either side of the street with the light shining down the middle and beyond, in other photographs by diCorcia, this isn't the case, so I found it interesting how un-detailed this picture may seem but how the photograph gives you a real life point of view.

Robert Gober Untitled 1991

2011-11-30T12:59:00.000-08:00

This portrait is by Robert Gober and its lack of a title is very interesting, because it looks like a normal mans lower body but then you see there are candles coming out of various parts of his lower extremities. Gober used Wood, beeswax, leather, fabric and human hair to make this. It is currently at the MoMA museum. I chose this sculpture because of the oddities that it possesses, where is the rest of this "man" and what do the candles represent. There are so many questions and interpretations which is one thing I love about modern art.

David Mach

2011-11-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Here David Mach used various postcards to create a collage of the all American Barbie. From far you cannot tell that this portrait is made up of pieces of postcards only when you are close you can see the distinct images. It is also not smooth it has a rough texture. The postcard collection was shown at the solo exhibition at Jill George Gallery in London in October 2006. I also chose Mach last week and wanted to see some of his other work and that is why I chose this image. I thought it was very creative and different. I like how it is an image everyone knows and the colors fit the Barbie theme perfectly. I also like how he used postcards to create this it is a very complex piece.

David Hockney Mother 1, Yorkshire Moors

2011-11-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

This is a photo montage created by David Hockney in 1985. It is influenced by the cubism movement. I thought that this was a very interesting portrait. Although it is fragmented and images are repeated and different sizes you can still see how the women would look if it was just a straight photo. If it were a simple picture if would be pretty straight forward of just an older lady. However, since it is broken up it adds a lot more complexity to this piece. It has become pretty popular style and if you go to this website, http://bighugelabs.com/hockney.php, you can "Hockneyizer" your own pictures to mimic his style.

The emperor's daughter- Nicola Hicks

2011-11-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

This is The Emperor's Daughter by Nicola Hicks. She made this is 1998 and it is made out of bronze. I really like this bronze statue because i love how it looks like the little girl is riding her dog. When I was little and had a big dog I always tried to make my horse to ride around but she would never let me. I think it is adorable and it shows the love between a child and their animals and that there is a special bond between the two. I don't see the reference to the emperor but i still really like it. I also think it is really cool that it is not smooth and it looks scratchy but you can still see the form of both the animal she is riding on and the little girl.

Red Stare Head IV

2011-11-30T09:19:00.000-08:00

This painting, done by Jenny Saville, is apart of her latest exhibition, Continuum. at the Gagosian Gallery in New York. The exhibition includes a series of "Stare" paintings which focus on close up views of faces staring into space. They are scaled up to a massive size in which each feature is described in layer upon layer of oil paint. The oil paints are applied in thick impasto layers, built up onto the canvases appearing at times to be semi-abstract, but revealing from a distance carefully constructed features. I chose this portrait because of the beauty of Saville's strokes with the paint. The painting itself is bold, with thick strokes and although the blankness of the girl's stare, you can still see some meaning to the emptiness.

Daphne Todd's "Last Portrait of Mother"

2011-11-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

This portrait by Daphne Todd is a painting of her dead mother. She took it after her mother had passed away and it is at the refrigerated room of the funeral parlor. I think the picture is a bit morbid, but is painted very well. There are not many colors in the painting, which I believe gives a good representation of the situation. Todd captures her mother in a very unusual state, which most artists do not do. When first looking at the picture, you would not think that the mother is actually dead, but maybe just very frail and sickly. Todd's mother had given her permission to paint her deceased body a year before she died. She had worked for three days straight in order to complete the portrait and the undertaker had given her permission to do this as well. Todd won the BP Portrait Award in 2010 for this piece as well.

Newborn (Louis) by Vik Muniz

2011-11-29T10:07:00.001-08:00

This piece of art is a gelatin silver print made by Vik Muniz. I love this piece because it is black and white but still shows so much detail. This image intriguied me to look more closely at it and then i could just see more and more detail as to the highlights and lowlights in the baby's face. It is very unique how the background slightly blends in with the baby as well but you can still tell where the background is and the baby is. Great piece of art!

David Mach

2011-11-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

This sculpture of a gorilla was made from David Mach. His work fascinates me because he uses things like hangers to design his work. It is amazing how he bends, changes, and manipulates every type of hanger to fit it into the work he is creating. He has made several other works that have been very unique and all using the hangers as well. He has done a great job and he has been one of my favorite painters ever since.

Two Waiting Women and B52 Nuclear Bomber- Colin Self- 1963

2011-11-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

I chose this portrait because Colin Self is trying to show the anxiety about the threat of nuclear annihilation. He does this by using images signifying threat and aggression, and then tries to capture the tension between the two passive women in the photo. What I really liked about the picture was that the women are part-covert and part-fantasy portraits, combining images copied from a mass-produced fashion poster with imaginative invention.

Sandro Botticelli The Birth of Venus

2011-11-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

This was painted in 1486 and it is tempura on canvas. There is a lot going on in this picture but Venus stands there very calmly and serene looking. She is looking to the side and appears to be thinking of something. The technique of this picture is very simple the ocean looks as though there is not much dimension on the left, but on the right there is depth that brings the viewer back to the horizon line. Its almost like she is on a stage.

Dirty White Trash

2011-11-21T09:08:00.001-08:00

This is Dirty White Trash by Tim Noble and Sue Webster. It was made in 1998 out of garbage they found laying around on the street. I think it is so cool that if there wasn't any light being pt on the garbage that there would be no image and rather just another random pile of stuff, but when they light is on the garbage there is an image. I love the whole concept and it makes me want to try to do it because this is real life art in my eyes. They are using resources just from general everyday life to make these structures that really do look like real people, it is unbelievable to me.

Tom Wesselmann "Lulu"

2011-11-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

This painting was done for a benefit print for the Metropolitan Opera. Lulu was known the main character of the Alban Berg Opera and she was known for seducing all the men in her life and breaking their hearts. Even though this painting has simple lines in most of the painting it still expresses emotions. To me she looks sad to neutral maybe trying not to show her true emotions. This painting has bright colors and simple imagery and that is what drew me to this painting. There is a great use of complimentary colors that makes the woman stand out really well as well as great composition. Overall i think this is a great painting.

Paul Gauguin's The Yellow Christ

2011-11-16T18:57:00.001-08:00

This painting was created by Paul Gauguin. I love this piece for its simplicity and for the fact that it is open to various interpretations. The subjects included in this painting dont seem to correlate to one another. It is almost cartoon-like visually as well.

Natalia Vdianova by Mario Testino

2011-11-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

I chose this picture because I liked the previous pictures by Mario Testino. I like his work but I think that this picture's a lot different than the type of photos he usually takes. He usually takes pictures of famous people in a more natural state. This picture is more abstract and fictional. Also, the other portraits I've seen by him capture the subject in a more carefree state whereas the subject of this photo looks like she's struggling. I really liked the colors in the photo. The background and the models eyes are similar in color. The model also has a bluish-green hue to her. This photo is similar to another I picture I posted by Mario Testino because one side of the model's face is dark and mysterious because it has a shadow on it.

Crushed Missile

2011-11-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

Peter Kennard's 1980 photographic work, "Crushing Missile", is like most of his work a political piece. From the year of creation and the imagery of the picture it is clearly about the Cold War, providing commentary on the race to create the most powerful weapon. Beacuase the picture was created before the conclusion of the Cold War, I think Kennard is simply trying to express that he is anti-war, as with other pieces he has created which feature peace signs and general anti-war images. I like the contract of light and dark and how the hand appears to be floating as if it caught the missile in mid-air and crushed.

The Woodmen and Gardeners

2011-11-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

I chose this paiting by Andrew Festing because I thought the reasoning behind it was cool. He makes a point that portraiture is a "practice begun in and most commonly reserved for, the upper echelons of society." Here he depicts woodmen and gardeners in a working environment, relaxed and in working clothing. We don't recognize anyone in the paiting and they are all just common blue collar workers.

Cindy Sherman untitled 1981

2011-11-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

Cindy Sherman has built a name as one of the most respected photographers of the late 20th century. A lot of her work is based on herself as the subject. This photograph really caught my attention because of the fear and confused look in the face of the photograph. It was very interesting to me because in all of her work she is the subject of the work playing a different role as an actress or something. This one looks like she's in the scene of a horror movie.

Marilyn

2011-11-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

David Mach is a Scottish sculptor and installation artist. Mach uses and variety of everyday objects, to create his often large-scale pieces. In the early 1980s Mach started to produce some smaller-scale works assembled out of unstruck match sticks. As in the above image most of the forms were human or animalistic heads and masks. The colored tip if the match heads were put together to arrange and construct the patterned surface of the face. I chose this image of Marilyn Monroe because it is very different while being a beautiful image created out of match sticks. I like the use of the match sticks it is very different and creative. After accidentally setting fire to one of these heads, Mach now often ignites his mach pieces as a form of performance art.

MR ART

2011-11-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

Mr Art by Larry Rivers painted this picture of the art critic, David Sylvester. This painting demonstrates the spontaneous brushwork that Rivers had adopted from Abstract Expressionists. Rivers used portraiture in a subversive way that not only returns painting to the world but drains the language of Abstract.

Mario Testino

2011-11-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

I chose this photo because over the past few weeks ive enjoyed looking through his art work. I feel this photo is very complimentary to her and really describes her personality which to me is not really caring what others think. I also like how the black and white photo shows depth and emphasizes her angle. I also really like how this photo shows her natural beauty.

Knead

2011-11-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Jenny Saville's "Knead" depicts a woman laid in a hospital bed with a breathing apparatus in her mouth, clearly extremely ill. I think the color suggest irony, with the light, warm colors often resembling the happiness but in this case resembling the possible death of another human. Saville is known for her paintings of unhappy situations, yet using bright, light colors to suggest irony. I chose this painting because I like her use of brush strokes and strong colors. They add a sense of body texture and feel which a block color painting wouldn't.

David Cobley's "Blues, Beer and Rock 'n' Roll"

2011-11-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

David Cobley's painting entitled "Blues, Beer and Rock 'n' Roll" is a representation of a man sitting in a room with old records and drinking a beer. I really liked this painting because of how well it was painted and the colors that were used to bring the subject to life. I really enjoyed how Cobley painted this work from a different perspective. By looking down on his subject, the viewer is able to see the whole room and not just the subjects face. Everything in the painting is extremely detailed, down to the covers of the records that are shown. It's truly amazing how Cobley was able to portray the man in this way and make him looked so relaxed and so life-like. Currently, Cobley is living in Bath, England and paints a lot of his work based on the people around him.

GARY JACKETTI

2011-11-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

This piece of art was done by Gary Jacketti, himself. Mosaics are one of his favorite pastimes. Jacketti makes his own tiles from scratch. He take clay, forms large tiles, glazes them with enamel, bakes and cuts them to fit his concept. One highlight was his take-off on Andy Warhol’s ubiquitous portrait of Elizabeth Taylor. Up close, it’s a blur of color, step back and the mosaic’s likeness to Warhol’s portrait is astounding, given the medium.

Self Portrait, After Marilyn Monroe- Yasumasa Morimura

2011-11-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

<-This is a gelatin silver print done by Yasumasa Morimura in 1996. It is based off of a picture of Marilyn Monroe(seen above) and is entitled "Self Portrait, After Marilyn Monroe. This is a common technique she does like the one we studied in class "An Inner dialogue with Frida Kahlo" where she models herself off someone famous. However in this one she does not resemble Marilyn Monroe. When compared to the picture of Marilyn she did create a lot of similarities, but i would have liked it to be closer. The facial expression especially is not like how Marilyn usually posed and should be more sultry like in the picutre she modeled after or smile like she does in other pictures. I do like the idea of trying to make herself look like famous people and role models.

Sasha vs Tin by Mario Testino

2011-11-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

This portrait was created by Mario Testino that previously made The Prince of Wales portrait. I loved how he created this too like like two different images. One made in a painting look and the other as if he sketched a comic or heroine in a children's book. The love the contrast of both pictures side by side and it really gets you to open your mind to the different aspects of the portrait and the girl in the portrait. I love the background he used as well as the dull colors to reflect the stormy background. It was greatly done and really showed Testino's talent in a different way.

Willie Doherty- Non-Specific Threat V (Nauseating Barbarity), 2003

2011-11-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

I chose this painting because I liked how everything about the picture was dark, even the man's face, and especially his eyes. "This visual strain reflects the impossibility of discerning the 'real truth' of the situation." He chose to capture a man who seems to look very threatening and could be a dangerous person. This is because Willie Doherty "reflects upon violent and terrorist situations around the world. He analyses how we determine who the enemy is, and by what criteria we judge them." By looking at this picture, people would think that this man could be an enemy and maybe even a potential terrorist. What I found interesting was that the person he chose plays the 'bad guy' in a television series and was chosen because "he didn't change his physical appearance for the role, or for this portrait." Also, I liked the graffiti in the background, which seemed to stand out in the picture, making people associate the man with the graffiti.

2011-11-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

This is one of Chuck Closes self portraits. I chose to do this because I like the gridding technique Chuck Close uses and we're about to start doing something like this in class I think. I also thibnk that its amazing that Chuck Close can still paint this way even though he had to re-learn how to paint.

“Sphinx (Road to Enlightenment)”

2011-11-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

This is another sculpture by Marc Quinn of Kate Moss. I did Marc Quinn again because I think he creates interesting pieces of art. This is from the same collection where he depicits Kate as a sphinx but she is also depicted as Buddha. I thought it was interested how she looks almost emaciated while most depicitions of Buddha are fat. I also loved how he shows her muscles, veins and trachea!

Perfect Shot by Sam Taylor Wood

2011-11-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

I chose this piece because I thought it was cool how the woman is floating in mid air. She is actually held up by harnesses which are later digitally removed. She hides her face in these type of pictures of her because the harnesses are extremely painful and uncomfortable. she believes that her facial expressions would ruin the art. Taylor-Wood actually fought through breast and colon cancer and the harnesses cut across some of the scars of her cancer surgery. Fun Fact: Elton John said "if he were ever to go the other way again, that Sam would be the woman he would want to spend the rest of his life with."

Jenny Saville "Rosetta"

2011-11-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

This painting jumped out at me when searching for a piece for this week's blog, mainly beacuse it looked strikingly scary. After looking at it for a few moments I started to appreciate the actual painting technique that was used by the painter, Jenny Saville. In an interview found on the internet, Saville rolls out canvas on her floor to paint them with paint brushes attached to sticks so that the five foot tall painter can sweep the paint across the canvas. Saville does not paint from real life, but rather images from photographs, medical textbooks and newspapers. She has even attended plastic surgery operations in order to see how flesh can be moved and manipulated. After reading that last line from the same interview, it made looking at her painting technique even more captiavting.

conflict in mid-air.

2011-11-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

Sam Taylor-Woods work examines the split between being and appearance. She often places human subjects-either alone or in groups-in situations where there is a line between interior and external senses. She is an English filmmaker, Photographer, and visual artist. She began exhibiting fine art photography in the early 1990's. She suspends her subjects in mid-air which shows the internal fight with external factors. I chose this portrait because it is something different and has a meaning behind it. I like how her subjects are in mid-air in all different positions with their shadows behind them. This is a very interesting piece.

John Wayne by Andy Warhol

2011-11-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

This is a screen print on Lenox Museum board. I chose this painting because the colors, and the face really stood out to me. I really like how you cant really see any expression through the eyes, but you see the shadow of the gun. The colors of this painting are also interesting choices, because it looks sort of neon like with all the lines and the blue color.

Double Mona Lisa (Peanut Butter and Jelly) 1999

2011-11-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

I picked Vik Muniz's Double Mona Lisa (Peanut Butter and Jelly) 1999 at first because I found it to be really funny, however the more I looked at the piece the more impressed I became. This quote, “Here’s the art history quiz for the day: What connects Leonardo da Vinci to Bosco chocolate syrup? Answer: Vik Muniz, an artist who specializes in unlikely means of not quite fooling the eye and calls the results ”photographic delusions", denotes Muniz's flaire for edible images. The question then becomes, are they fine are?... The level of detail and photo-real quality make it fine are to me for sure.

Amanda -Alex Katz

2011-11-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

This piece is called Amanda by artist Alex Katz. It was done in 1973 and is oil on canvas. I really like this piece because I think it is a really beautiful depiction of a little girl. It reminds me of the American girl dolls and the picture of them in their story books that would come with each doll when you received it. I also liked this because I like the bold orange background and how her hat is blue so the colors are flowing and it makes her eyes pop more. It is also kind of creepy to me because it looks scarily similar to one of my friends from home. I also think the way it is painted shows the personality of the little girl and her happiness through the painting.

Diana, Princess of Wales by Mario Testino

2011-11-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

I decided to research Mario Testino after various classmates completed a blog using his work. When I looked on his website there were many different portraits of celebrities. I found a folder that had various pictures of the royal family and this one stuck out to me the most. It wasn't posed it wasn't over the top glamour or high fashion, it was simple and very beautiful. This picture captures the very essence of Princess Diana in being that she was very simple but yet something is bold and chic about her. She wasn't an in-your-face royal she was a commoner who leveled with the common people. The other pictures (including Prince William and Kate Middletons wedding photo) were more posed and showed their riches. Where as this is simple and elegant without trying to hard.

2011-11-08T21:42:00.000-08:00

Andy Warhol is known for taking simple objects and enhancing their appearance and meaning. Warhol used glittery, multi-colored arrangements against black backgrounds for his paintings of shoes. He drew imagitive images of shoes for retail stores. He started off using diamond dust for the "diamond dust shoes" but it came out too chalky. Then he replaced it with embedded sparkling pulverized glass. I chose this painting because he made something so simple, so colorful and interesting.

"Wild and Wild”

2011-11-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

I chose this photo done by Mario Testino which was in the Italian Vogue, 2002 editorial. I think this is stunning because it makes you wonder where this girl is from. I like the fact that she's wearing natural tones on her face and is dressed in an enormous amount of colors, feathers, and textures. I also like how she is placed on the side and the one shine of light gives the photo a very warm feeling.

Andy Warhol's Flower painting

2011-11-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

I chose this painting because I love the colors that he used and the simplicity of it. I also think its very cheerful and refreshing to look at. I also liked that there was controversy behind it because flowers were based on a color photography of hibiscus blossoms taken by Patricia Caulfield . Its been said that she has a lawsuit against him for copying her. This painting is one of many in his series called "Flowers".

Francis Picabia

2011-11-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

This is a portrait painting oil on cardboard by Francis Picabia. I love this painting because there are several images of faces and hands of this woman. The neutral colors of calm me and then there are white flowers in the background with green leaves. There are seashells all over the painting in different sizes. All of these nature filled images in the background expresses a calming and serene background with the seductive girls face and arms. Overall great painting

"The New Barbarians" by Tim Noble and Sue Webster

2011-11-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

This sculpture by Tim Noble and Sue Webster is called "The New Barbarians" and is made of resin and fiberglass. I think it is very interesting because it is a representation of the modern day barbarians. The faces of the male and female are still very monkey like, but one can tell that they are supposed to be more evolved than what we are used to seeing. The way that the male figure is embracing the female is very unique because when we usually see sculpture like this, the male and female have no contact. Tim Noble and Sue Webster might be alluding to the fact that we have evolved into a more connected society and a compassionate race. The facial expressions on the sculptures are also very different, with the male's face seeming alert and concerned, while the female's expression seems fascinated with something. Tim Noble and Sue Webster's work is usually very humorous and different and I think this sculpture represents that.

Family Tree, 2000

2011-11-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

This piece is a self-portrait by Zhang Huan and contains nine images. These images are C-prints on Fuji archival paper. It examines identity in a media-saturated society. Huan had three calligraphers write on his face from early morning until night. What is written on Huan's face is a story about the spirit of family; The story is well-known chinese fable. The portrait explores Huan's history and personal identity. I was amazed at the visual progression from photo to photo. The images look legitimate to the supposed creation of this art piece.

assume vivid astro focus

2011-11-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

This portrait really stood out to me when I was flipping through my art textbook. This picture of Yoko Ono is a mixture of inspiration from many different aspects of art. Pop art, glam,psychedelia are some of the arts combined in this photo. The colors that y.o used are amazing and really bring out Yoko in the picture. The bright vibrant colors draw your attention in especially the small intricate images as you look close into the picture. This outfit brought out in the colors almost look as if they are part of the carnival or a festival of some sort. It is an exciting and festive picture that is really capturing and allures the viewers eyes.

Fixed post : my sister sophie

2011-11-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

St Claire (Thirty Seven Wanks Across Northern Spain), 2003 - Grayson Perry

2011-11-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

I chose this painting because I thought it was really interesting and fascinating. For instance, the painting is of an urn that has so many different things on it. The surface is "textured using intricate carving skills and then detailed with a combination of etching and photo transfer techniques". These picture representations on the urn tell "a narrative, and one that is often a perverse tale of the evils of society". What I also found interesting was that his urns "draw inspiration from art history, consumer culture and the sex industries to tell their complex tales - a portrait story". He used glazed ceramic to make this urn, which had people and houses and other different drawings put on the urn. I really liked this picture because I thought the artwork on the urn was so pretty and detailed.

Kitty- Andrew Tift

2011-11-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

This is a drawing done by Andrew Tift, it's entitled Kitty. It is done by charcoal on paper. The women in this drawing is Kitty Godley, the wife of another artist Lucian Freud. He was influenced by John Freeman's television interview "Face to Face". He wanted the drawings to look natural and as if she was in thought, and he did many different views of her. I think he captured her very realisticly. The picture in the middle's facial expression shows emotion as if she was in conversation with someone. The two on the ends looks like she is thinking or reflecting something but her attention still seems to be off to something we can't see. It is also very detailed showing every wrinkle, age spot, and wispy hair.

Rotterdam, 2006

2011-11-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

This is a painting by John Currin created in 2006. I chose this piece because its something that isn't normally seen in the mainstream art world. It is an oil on canvas piece which looks incredibly similar to paintings from the renaissance era. I respect the fact that John Currin had the guts to paint something this sexually provocative and release it to the public. John has done a series of pornographic themed paintings but is really known for painting erotic forms of the female body

David

2011-11-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

I picked David by Sam Taylor Wood because I thought it was interesting that he portrayed David in this way. Usually he is portrayed in a famous way as opposed to a simple, quiet and almost graceful way. I also thought this image was interesting because he almost appears feminine. I looked it up and apparently wood in paying homage to Andy Warhol's film Sleep. Wood takes someone who is known for his sportsmanship and agility and depicts him asleep. Wood ignored his celebrity aspect and focused on his beauty, something that many wouldn't even think about doing with a superstar like Beckham.

2011-11-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Andy Warhol was a key figure in Pop Art, an art movement that emerged in America and elsewhere in the 1950s to become prominent over the next two decades. The Fauves used non-representational color and representational form to convey different sensations. He apply the same idea to the portrait of Pink, using the controls to adjust the colors. I believe painting pink in Pop Art really portrays her kind of personality. She is very lively and bright and she is a key representation of Pop Art.

Yoko XII (Twin), 2004

2011-11-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

I liked this piece by Don Brown (2004) made from Jesmonite and painted over with white acrylic paint because of how natural and relaxed the figures appear. Usually with sculptures the figures are posing rigidly, regally, or even in mid action. These "twins" are very passive, eyes closed and gently embracing. This is a back view of the sculpture, we have the front view in our text. Also, Brown is known for the scale of his sculptures being 50-75% smaller in size than the actual subjects themselves. The text notes that this artist enjoys playing with and varying the sizes of his works. The subject of this sculpture, Yoko, is Brown's wife, who is the subject for many of his pieces (although he does create self portrait sculptures, or pieces with both he and his wife). I just think this particular piece is really beautiful, it seems to be both innocent and and ambiguously sexual at the same time. I was unable to find out why he chose to include two figures of his wife, as "twins", but I would really like to find out the meaning behind that decision. Overall, very cool work of art.

Brooklyn Bridge, c.1983

2011-11-02T13:34:00.001-07:00

this painting is by Andy Warhol and i chose this painting because of the colors he used to change the look of the brooklyn bridge and how he used simple colors ( red,blue,and green). this is done by the Giclee printing process and the art is produced on watercolor paper. the giclee print or process are images that are generated from high resolution digital scans and printed with archival quality inks onto canvas,fine art, and photo- base paper. this provides better color accuracy which is what i liked about the painting and how it was so different than a lot of the other selections i went through.

The Smith Family, FIFE 1989 Scotland

2011-11-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Smith Family is one of an ongoing series of domestic group portrait photographs that Thomas Struth began in the mid 1980's. Struth who gained recognition for his work with black and white photographs started making group portraits in color. He lived with families while traveling the world and at the end of his stay he would take a group photo for remembrance. He would let the families position themselves and to look directly at the camera. I previously chose a portrait by Thomas Struth and wanted to look up his other work and came across this particular portrait. I chose it because the family is all sitting together some are sitting some standing. They all seem very composed and their faces are somewhat mask like as they look at the camera. Struth remains a respectful distance from the family and he does not offer a portrait of psychological depth but rather concentrates on appearance.

Andy Warhol - Jackie 1964

2011-11-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

I chose this picture, because I like a lot of the work by Andy Warhol. I think this pictuer would be considered an overt picture. Becausse the name is in the title, and it looks like the person. I like all the details in this picture, the eye makeup, red lipstic, and how the eye shador matches her earrings, and her lipstick matches the background.

Gillian Wearing Self Portrait

2011-11-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is a C-print that was done in 2000 and it is a very large portrait. Just like the last Gillian Wearing portrait that we looked at this is a more recent image of her again wearing a mask. It is interesting that the mask she is wearing shows a plain and indifferent expression. You are unsure if she is happy or sad because the mask covers any knowledge of that. This technique makes you think about what is actually behind the person. Some people will smile constantly but be very upset underneath that smile. Gillian Wearings creation makes you look at human facial expression with question. I enjoy this paining because of the plainness that it obviously shows but the questions that it discreetly asks.

Superman

2011-11-02T11:55:00.001-07:00

This is called Superman and it was done by Andy Warhol in 1981. It was a part of a collection of works he did that depicted popular characters such as Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse. I loved superman when I was a kid so this painting really stood out to me. I don't understand why he painted Superman twice but I think it looks cool. Cool painting

Noemie Lenoir by Mario Testino

2011-11-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

I chose this picture by Mario Testino because I thought the photograph was taken very well. Her eye is very intense and stands out in the picture. I thought it was cool how the whole right side of her face is in a shadow. It gives some mystery to the picture. Also the use of the pink glove gives some contrast in the picuture. The subject of the picture is covering her mouth and nose and her eye is the only visible feature of her face. You cannot tell if she is smiling or frowning. I thought this was interesting because although her eye is the only part of her that is seen, it is often the part of someones face that you can tell the most from about how that person is feeling and thinking. However in this picture it is hard to read her expression

green suit

2011-11-02T11:07:00.001-07:00

Jim Dine created this artwork at a time of trauma. He survived a car accident, but after heard some horrible news on the radio about the death of a friend in a car crash. Using his own clothes, Dine projected the experiences into his own personal object.

Father- Atul Dodiya

2011-11-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

This is Father, made is 2002 by Atul Dodiya. It is made of enamel paint on metal shutters, acrylic an marble dust on canvas. I like this painting because this artist seems to always paint on the surface and random shop metal shutters on the streets in India. The book said with each lifting of the shutters, the painting becomes slightly weathered, and both the physical exertion of the lifting and the weathering of the shutters' surface are integral components of the work of art. I think that the placement is great and that with very opening of that shop the painting becomes almost better in a way. I also think it is weird that the father in the painting almost looks pregnant with something like a umbilical cord coming out f his belly button, but yet he is an old man. I really enjoy this painting and its placement.

Kate Moss- Mario Testino

2011-11-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

The is a picture of Kate Moss taken by Mario Testino. It was part of an entire exhibition done by him in London last year based entirely on her entitled "Kate Who?". He is a famous fashion photographer working with many famous brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Gucci, and Versace. I chose this because of the difference from the previous pictures we have seen of Kate Moss by Chuck Close. In Chuck Close's picture she is very raw and exposed and it is black and white. In this picture it is very colorful with an excess of paint/makeup on her face. You can see the more of a fashion shot in this picture.

Andy Warhol Self-portrait 1986

2011-11-01T16:31:00.001-07:00

I choose this portrait because it captured my eye and was very interesting. Andy Warhol created this piece about 1 year before his death. This portrait consists of 4 panels (4 silkscreen images of himself) with his trademark "shocked wig". This portrait is on a 6 foot square canvas. The images in this piece of art are slightly blured and out of register. Each panel is not straight or facing the same direction it makes your eyes move and look around. The colors he choice are this bright yellow and salmon with a harsh black backdrop behind the face. Overall i love this piece it is interesting, captures different looks of Andy Warhol.

"Marina's Room, 1987" & "Marina and Peter 1997" by Tina Barney

2011-10-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

Tina Barney photographs families in their natural environments, usually their homes. In the first photo taken in 1987, Barney had directed the father and daughter how to pose and she chose a very loving pose, which showed a loving relationship between them. In the second photograph, taken 10 years later, Barney allowed them to strike their own pose and one can see that they chose a more head on photograph where they don't seem to have a very strong relationship or bond. By juxtaposing the two photos, one can see the changes that have taken place in the 10 years. Barney does a great job of showing the father daughter relationship in a natural setting. Most of her work is of affluent families and shows their own private lives and Barney tries to capture the dynamics of the family in all her work. I really enjoyed these two photographs because it reveals what can happen to a relationship in ten years and how the interaction between father and daughter can change drastically. I believe its a very strong photograph and Barney truly reveals the nature of families and how behind closed door how interactions can be very different.

Before Attack, Hoist a Black Flag

2011-10-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Katy Grannan's portraits are said to capture the desire of her subjects to offer themselves up to the camera lens. Grannan is described as a seeker for people's portraits. She enjoys photographing her subject in their own familiar surroundings as to put them at ease, and to capture the essence of who they truly are. The lasting image would then portray the relationship between the artist and model. I chose this image because of the serenity I felt when looking at it. Although it seems to be a gloomy cold day on a beach, it still shows a feeling of calmness and relaxation. The composition of the photograph is interesting too, making the viewer look at every inch of the picture.

My Sister Sophie by Catherine Goodman

2011-10-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

This portrait really caught my eye when i was flipping through the art text book. It wasn't the fact that the portrait was attractive because to me it wasnt at all. The woman in the piece is morbidly obese and really is not a very enticing looking. The woman in this picture is the authors disabled sister. He loved painting in complete silence and that is why he says he loved painting her. He claims that his sister in the picture looks quite contemplative and seems to have a sense of trust in him. One thing I happened to like about this picture was the light blues he used to bring out her outfit as well as the darker blues in the background. Even though the picture to me is not very pretty or attractive looking there was a good background behind why he painted her . I still think that it would have been nicer if he painted her in a nicer way to maybe show off more of her traits and not so much her weight.

Zwelethu Mthethwa- Untitled, from the 'Sugar Cane' series, 2003

2011-10-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

I chose this painting because I really liked the fact that the artist focused on painting something with a lot of meaning to it. For instance, in this picture he is trying to show what it was like for rural migrants living in South Africa. In fact, 'he reveals the continuing hardships they endure' by capturing all of the hard work that they have to do in the sugar-cane fields. Also, 'he allows his subjects' gestures, tools, clothes, and posture to express their individual stories', which I thought was interesting because you can find out so much about the individual just by looking at the painting. What I also really liked was that the back of the picture looks so natural and light, almost a happy feeling, while the front of the picture where the man is standing is so dark, almost as if he is trying to show the tough times the Africans experienced back then. Also, the man in the picture even has an intense gaze that is in 'stark contrast to the often picturesque natural backdrop.'

"No 3 from profiles lll" by Bettina von Zwehl

2011-10-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

I chose this picture by Bettina von Zwehl because I though it was different. This is a unique portrait because it is a picture of the side of a person rather than of the person looking straight. A lot of her portrait work is this way. In addition, since you only see the side of the baby's head it's hard to decide what expression he is hiding. Even with normal portraits from bettina the person in the picture is usually still and expressionless. This picture looks like a mugshot of a baby. I think this is ironic because baby's are synonymous with being innocent where as this type of picture resembles a mug shot, which are taken when people are not innocent.

Sphinx

2011-10-26T14:00:00.001-07:00

This is a sculpture of Kate Moss by Marc Quinn, also the artist who created the sculptures of himself out of his own frozen blood and the sculpture of his son's head out of the placenta. I chose to search Quinn because he had such odd art work and I found this. I thought it was interesting that there are so many artists that decide to create portraits of Kate Moss also. This one is especially interesting because she is contorted into such an odd way wearing only underwear. It was made in bronze and then painted white. When asked, Quinn said that he named the sculpture so because he said Kate is like a contemporary version of a sphinx. She is a mystery.

"Godfather II - Never Betray The Family" Unveiling Reception

2011-10-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

i like this painting because of the way the artist makes the entire "family" look and the size and shapes of them portray the roles that they play in the movie. "Godfather - Never Betray the Family'' is an acrylic watercolor painting on paper that O'Keefe spent four months creating. Set in the office of Don Vito Corleone, 26 characters from both films gather around the desk wearing ominous expressions. Many have props that are hints about their roles seen in the movies.

Big Self-Portrait, 1967-68.

2011-10-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

This is an acrylic on canvas self portrait of Chuck Close by Chuck Close. His style of realistic paintings portray a wide variety of subjects including friends, family, fellow artists, and himself. This one in particular is one of his first self portraits. I chose this one because I was intrigued by his cigarette, bold black frames, mustache, and unique facial features. This portrait would pass as an actual photograph.

2011-10-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Chuck Close paints a lot of pictures and paintings of his family and friends. In 2002, Close spent 3 months on making this woodcut prints and 2 years to finish the picture of his niece Emma. This picture is made up of 113 color hand printed wood cuts. Close worked with Master printer Yasu Shibata to make this masterpiece.

2011-10-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

This is a self portrait of Chuck Close from 2004. Chuck Close is a photo realist painter which means he takes photographs of people and then creates paintings that appears to be very realistic. This is one example of Chuck Closes photorealist paintings. He uses a grid-based technique and paints each grid so that the portrait looks real. I like this painting because I think the techniques he used are interesting and its like nothing ive ever seen before. If you look at it from far away it just looks like a photo of someone, but if you get close you can see each indiviaul grid and how each grid is painted differently. Its really interesting.

Kim Kardashian

2011-10-26T08:39:00.001-07:00

I chose this artwork, because this is what Ally was talking about in class it's a Barbra Kruger design of Kim Kardashian, and I thought it was very interesting when she said it, so I wanted to look it up. I really like this art work, because it's the same stuff we saw in the movie, but it's just different because its on a picture of Kim Kardashian. The Words are very touching It's all about me I mean you I mean me. It's contradictory, but yet it makes so much sense. I really like it.

Mark by Chuck Close

2011-10-26T08:24:00.001-07:00

Mark by Chuck Close is an acrylic on canvas painting that took Close almost 14 months to complete in 1978-1979. It is currently at the MOMA in New York City. I have seen this portrait there and it is a very large portrait. The details on the painting are so vivid and life like it is truly an amazing piece of work. Chuck Close completed this portrait by using a series of layered airbrushing techniques, which he did to imitate a CMYK color printing. What I enjoy most about Chuck Close is that his name says it all with his artistic style. From far away you would see an ordinary painting and up close you see all the arrangements and details that compose of a humans face that are difficult to put onto paper other than a photograph. I enjoyed the realness and quirkiness of this painting and how normal yet detailed and complimentary the artist made it.

Rain #2

2011-10-26T08:12:00.001-07:00

I chose this photograph taken by Bettina von Zwehl because of the simplicity of it. Bettina von Zwehl is known for her work which depicts psychological states. The series of her photographs of women in rain are meant to portray the feeling of sensuality and to show the transformative powers of rain and its psychological impact. I enjoy this photograph because it does have a calming quality to it, even a sense of being refreshed.

Tony Bevan's "self portrait after messerschmid"

2011-10-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is Tony Bevan's "self-portrait after messerschmid. I like this painting because is interesting in all of the lines that detail the face. The background colors are subtle and help the neutral skin tone pop out with the distinct dark lines in the face. This piece overall shows simplicity and complexity at the same time. This is a fantastic piece of art!

Craigie Horsfield

2011-10-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

I chose Craigie Horsfeild's "Mary Moszynska" (1995) because it fit the mood I was in at the time. Horsfield is known for black and white photography/ portraits of individuals who don't pose fort he camerz. In our text there is another 1995 photograph call "Albert Martin, Avigunda de Puig de Jorba, Vallbona, Barcelona". I think Horsfield's photography is so eye-catching because the subjects are usually without much expression and the composition is interesting. In this photo, Mary the women is staring off at something in the distance (something unknown to us). In the photo in the text the subject in angled away from the camera and their is person in the background you cannot make out. These pictures are interesting because they aren't clear on what exactly is going on.

John Currin

2011-10-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

i chose this painting done by John Currin because i liked the color pallet he chose and how he incorporated the same colors in all the girls. His paintings have known to be sexist in his paintings of naked women. I like this one because to me it shows girls having a good time and it makes me happy.