Film 17: Lichenstein / Bragg

Lichenstein was inspired by a gum wrapper which lead him to start creating pop art. Like Andy Warhol, Lichenstein also used a projector to sketch his painting onto canvases. However, he did not use a silkscreen like Warhol, instead he stetched his works. I prefer Andy Warhol's artwork over Lichenstein's. I'm not a comic fan, which may have something to do with it, but I find Warhol's art much more appealing. I like the subjects and the colors he used moreso that I like Lichensteins.

When Lichenstein copied other famous paintings, he made adjustments such as straightening lines and changes colors. He manipulated other famous work to see how they would look other ways. It is difficult to see how he copied these famous worked. Whereas with comic books there is a more direct correlation and the works are much more similar. I'm not really a fan of his work with comics, personally. I do not see a problem with Lichenstein's "copying" method. As someone who can't draw (seriously, even my stick figures suck..) I still love to color and paint other images. I don't think that one's artist ability should be based purely on whether or not they can draw their own subject.

Fine artists create artwork to express a feeling, emotion, or thought they have experienced. Commercial artists, on the other hand, have to follow media and create artwork that their clients want, or art to attract a certain audiance. Fine artists though create art for themselves, not the general public.

Discussion Question:

Which type of art do you prefer to look at, commerical or fine? Why?

Film 16: Warhol / PBS

Andy Warhol used a projector to trace and reproduce images. He did two different versions of a Coke painting, one messy and the other tight. His friends suggested he continue with the tighter version of the painting. Personally, I prefer the tight version of these paintings. The lines are cleaner, which I like.

Warhol took a suggestion from Muriel Latow to paint soup cans. This lead Warhol to paint soup cans in different positions and from different angle, taking an ordinary object and making it extraordinary. I don't know what the exact dollar value of these paintings are, but I'm sure they are worth a great deal.

Henry Geldzhler pushed Warhol to paint Marilyn Monroe. He began his Marilyn work on the day that she died. Each painting he did on Marilyn is different because he first painted spaces where her face would be, then silkscreened a photograph on top it is, thus after each use the silkscreen would get clogged. I think that he was still making paintings because he was still designing the canvas, and only part of it could be considered not painting if you want to be technical.

Discussion Question:

What is your favorite work by Andy Warhol? Why are you drawn to this?

Film 15: Pollock / Evans

The biggest difference between this film and the others is that in this film we actually got to see the artist himself paint. Evans used other methods in this film.
1.video clips
2. interviews
3. narration
4. pictures
5. paintings

The Macho Modernist was a term that referred to men who were creating art, not settling down to start a family like most after WWII. Because creating artwork was seen as a delicate job at this point in history, these artists felt they needed to overcompensate by being what they considered to be "macho," things such as drinking excessively, partying, and living dangerously in general. This affected their artwork by becoming an emotional release. Each of their paintings is filled with emotions that they pushed aside other wise.

Clement Greenberg was an art critic, Lee Krasner was an artist, and Peggy Gugenheim was a fan of Pollock's work. Hans Namuth filmed Pollock painting from under a sheet of glass, which put him under a lot of pressure. He lost his inspiration and could no longer move forward the way that he wished to.

Film 14: Dali / Low

This film is the first to show the artist interviewed. Adam Low used interviews with Dali himself. He used many other methods of delivering this information.
1. narration
2. interviews
3. books
4. paintings
5. news

To me, the most interest painting by Dali is "Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of New Man." Painted in 1943, in is thought to be a parody of WWII showing a man emerging from a "new" nation as the United States is becoming a world power. The first thing that draws my eye is the body emerging from what looks to be a shell of some sort. Then I am drawn to the overall mood of the painting. The combination of warm yellow and cool grey gives the work an erie, sort of creepy mood.

Working surreally changes the interactions between art and artists because it allows for the artist to live the art they create, making the connections closer. The audience however, may not understand or connect with the this art the way they would normally because they cannot relate to the moment that the artist lived.

Film 13: Picasso / Braque / Glimcher

This film is far different than the films we have seen thus far. This is the first time in these class that the influence of film, photography aside, on art has been discussed. There was also no single host for this movie, which is unlike the other films we have seen this semester. The film used many techniques to to convey its information.
1. The paintings themselves
2. Comparison of other artists
3. Personal interviews
4. Film clips
5. Work by other artists

Picasso and Braque are the "mountain climbers." Introduced to each other by Guillaume Apollinaire, these two artists worked together, using each others criticism and ideas to finish individual paintings. This is original to this film because in other films we have seen this semester, there has been competition between two artists, i.e. Da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Scorsese, Close, Schnabel, Fischel and Samaras are all artists, with backgrounds in cubism, that were interviewed in this film. Personally I liked Martin Scorsese's insight on cubism, especially when he said "cubism is not a style, it was a revolution."

Discussion Question:
What is your favorite cubism piece, who painted it, and why do you like it?