Victoria Ventimiglia
Lisa French
Arts in New York Seminar
12 September 2013
Blog #1
The first seminar class was interesting. Through the discussions we had, I was able to hear the ideas, thoughts, and viewpoints, of others on certain topics regarding art. Many of the ideas shared were thought provoking, and therefore enabled me to come up with new ideas or to improve on old ones. One idea that I found intriguing was that art is the reaction that happens between the observer and the work. I never perceived art in that way before. I thought that anything that has been created could be considered art, as long as it is perceived that way. The more I thought about this new idea, though, the more it seemed like a fitting definition for what art really is. After all, anyone can make something and merely call it “art”. It is the reaction, whether it be positive or negative, that happens as what is created is being observed, that brings it to life.
Blog #2
The Night at the Museum was a wonderful experience. Usually when I go to museums, I go alone. With fellow students, I was able to observe the pieces of artwork with more than two eyes. We discussed these paintings and sculptures, and drew conclusions from what we saw. The communication between all of us encouraged ideas we may not have thought of on our own, and improvement on original ideas. Everyone has their own unique perspective on things, so it was nice to hear thoughts from a different point of view, whether we agreed or disagreed.
One piece of artwork that we observed wasTwo Ivans and Oksanaby Viola Pushkarova. In the painting, there is a man sitting at a table leaning on it with his eyes closed with two babies on the floor; one looking up at the man, and the other drawing on a round object. When I looked at the painting, I saw a man neglecting his responsibilities as a father. One baby is looking up to him in an attempt to interact, and the otheris drawing on a round object because he or she was not reprimanded to do otherwise. As I looked closer at the picture, I realized a few things. One thing I noticed was that there was no mother to be found in the scene, therefore making it seem that the man was the only caretaker available for the children. Another realization I had was that the man’s feet and hands were slightly red and dirty, along with his clothes. After observing the picture more in depth, my group and I drew the conclusion that the man in the picture may be a father who must work extremely hard to support his family,and is not helped in doing so.
Conversations about the art were thought provoking and helped me form ideas that I may not have thought up on my own. These same discussions also enabled me to see things from the viewpoints of other people. The experience I had at the museum has given me insight to new ideas and different perspectives that I was able to mold into my own.