DTC 356 POL 26-46 Reading

As with the controversy on the definition of art itself, I wasn't surprised through the reading to see the complexities of the meanings and value of art in society.

The idea that the words we apply to things have no natural meaning, that the word itself means nothing out of context, was interesting to me. The example in the reading was that the word "cat" didn't actually have a true connection to the animal it represents. It's merely a way of referencing or symbolizing that animal through speech.
Even further, is that the word itself would carry connotations and cultural attitudes towards the animal, which vary through different eras/cultures.
I hardly had thought of the word "cat" as capable of such complexity.

As for the value of art, it seems to be based largely on the desirability of the work. When others desire a work of art, or revere it, it can begin to accumulate value in the public's eyes. Over time, these values appended to famous art become common.
We even assume that a famous artist' work should be worth thousands, or hundred of thousands of dollars.
If they have passed away and are famous, we assume it should be worth even more.

To a degree, I'd say the value of art is determined by what individuals themselves dub it worth. And over time, that worth becomes a fact that can't be easily controlled or changed.

-Thomas Holland

DTC 355 Stewart 10-38 Reading

This reading covered the basics of design and composition, including volume, value, contrast, and gradients/shading (among others).

It's sometimes daunting, even if you create art, to step back and look at the number of things that are to be considered when beginning to do a work of art.
Sometimes the process can be far more complicated than a simple idea. That idea or concept may not even scratch the surface in terms of possible design and effect that could be achieved.

Thinking about all these elements you could incorporate, it makes my work feel shallow and underdeveloped (even with some of the aspects included)!


Also, in the interview with Phillia Yi, she says that she met people doing 5' X 7' paintings a day.
I'm sure there are people who do that, but I can scarcely imagine the amount of creativity that must take to do!

-Thomas Holland

Andy Warhol "New" art

Yahoo news posted a new article earlier, showing some photos that he took in The Factory (his workshop).

Because he only made one print of each photograph, each is considered a work of art.


See the slideshow here;

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/warhol-snap-shots-slideshow/warhol-snap-shots-photo-1377532949694.html

-Thomas Holland

An Interesting Artist

This artist is one who I follow on DeviantArt, and I simply enjoy his work.
It's unique and I can't get over the atmosphere in his work.

If you'd like to check him out, here's a link to his DA gallery; http://davespineapple.deviantart.com/gallery/

Posting purely for the benefit of others getting to see his work, with the hopes they'll like it as much as I do!

-Thomas Holland

DTC 356 POL Representation and Realism

The question of the truth of Photography, and how it represents either reality or an objective personal view, was a new thought to me. 

I had never really given it that kind of thought. I see photography as art, another form of expression. 

But it also is a record of what was. 

The problem of deciding whether a photograph is evidence of reality or an objective view seems to belittle the photograph itself.

Can't it be both? Why can't a photograph present truthful evidence of a past event, but also show an objective view of the Photographer?

In every facet of life, when a story is retold in any way, the person telling it has their own views. The truth is always filtered through an objective lens, but it can still be true. 

As for the realism section, it is strange to think that people tried to regulate it. Even stranger, is to think that a person could believe representing depth to be deceptive to realism rather than enhancing it.

-Thomas Holland

DTC 355 "Practices of Looking" Pg. 2-10

In this section the various uses of line is discussed, and it reminds me of an important point.
Any class I have ever taken that contains art or art-related material starts with Line.
It really emphasizes how important a line can be. In one stroke, you can create an image, a thought, an emotion.
Then when you look at complex artwork and graphics, if you think of line, there's an entire novel contained inside a single picture.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but i'd say it's worth an infinite amount.

-Thomas Holland

DTC 355 "Launching the Imagination" Preface and Intro

Reading this part of the book, I notice a few things.
Firstly, the fact that when I have done art, I have both "created" it and "designed" it. Without knowing it, the majority of my work is "designed" around an initial concept rather than created through the duration of it.

Secondly, the mention of only being a beginner once. I would hold this to be true, because I often over think things or end up restricting myself based on what I know are my strengths and weaknesses.

Lastly, there's a spelling error in this book on page V of the preface, "...it is not enough to recognize the elemtns and principles..."

-Thomas Holland

DTC 356 Introduction of "Practices of Looking"

This introduction raised a question I have asked myself before in relation to the exposure we get to advertising.

In the past, I've thought that if a person were to grow sick of the exposure to advertisements, that they wouldn't be able to get away from them. They are on most surfaces and constantly in our faces, and I thought to myself that that situation would be extremely frustrating.
(and hoped I'd never have a day where I felt like that)

Otherwise, the book seems to be an interesting read, and I look forward to learning about how visual images represent/change culture around us. 

-Thomas Holland