Artist Post: Mucha

Can you guess who?

I chose Alphonse Mucha because much of Mucha’s artwork is very design-oriented. I felt that his work could be used as possible design elements for not only posters but also web design or other advertisement based designs. Interestingly, Mucha’s artworks were created via lithograph. Therefore, he could mass-produce his art pieces, which is a prevalent aspect to the present day’s art world.

     Alphonse was born on the 24^th of July in 1860 in the Czech Republic. He was most known for illustrations, advertisements, and designs. The theatrical scenery largely influenced him as he had worked for the Viennese theatrical design company in 1879. Later, he would attend the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. In 1887 he continued his studies in Paris where he began working for magazines and advertisements concerning Christmas in 1894. He created posters via lithographs in the style of Art Nouveau “New Art”. His works often comprised of beautiful women adorned in flowers, robes, and other design elements. Often the designs represented what he was currently working on for advertisement purposes. However, most were focused on the idea of beauty.

     His artwork serves as inspirations to many other design elements that can be found in everyday artworks and advertisements. 

Although this is quite a variation- it still possesses many  design elements that are similar to the style that Mucha conveyed in his own artwork. 

Web Designs

Lounge Lizard Website

Lounge Lizard began in 1998 as a web design and marketing agency that has a goal to create interactive and engaging web designs in a very creative and unique way. (as described by the "about us" section of the website listed above). They use a variety of different systems to achieve the experience of viewing their website designs.

Personally, I enjoyed the experience that Lounge Lizard provided me and it easily is one of my favorite deisgns.The  information was not necessarily interesting per say; however, the presentation was so visually stimulating, that I found myself unable to break away from the web page for quite some time. Thus, the strategy to communicate ideas was very successful in that the style seems so novel and therefore very engaging. The only thing that I felt might be problematic was the fact that the visual elements occasionally became distracting- and my focus shifted from the text information to the surrounding visual information. For the purpose of the consumer/audience, however, this would best suit a company that might be providing services of entertainment. The web designs are incredibly entertaining and I could see those types of designs being featured on hotel, catering, and amusement park websites. I would want to go to an amusement park if their web page looked like Lounge Lizards.


Built With Momentum Web Designs

The web designs created by Built With Momentum use a different communication strategy than Lounge Lizard's designs. However, the organization of the material and information is incredibly successful. I didn't feel lost at all when going through the different parts of the website. In addition, the simplicity of the website was key. The visual graphics were meant to be neutral- so that the information was the primary focus of the viewer. Unlike Lounge Lizard, I wasn't distracted by the surrounding visual elements. In my opinion, this type of design would be great for any type of company that is meant for a wide variety of audience.

3D Tour Of Paris France

This website is really neat- it's very interactive and as long as your internet and computer are up to speed, you're good to go. I felt that I was a part of the city for the time that I went through this site. It begins from an aerial view and "swoops" into the buildings of Paris as if the viewer had a bird eye's view. I feel that this kind of website would be AMAZING for learning purposes in which it already does provide the viewer with knowledge regarding the history of Paris.

Here are a couple of other very fun and unique web designs that I enjoyed going through:

This link is very interactive- almost like a computer game. It felt like you were entering another world.

Ramayana by google

This web page is kind of confusing at first- but it is really well done after you spend some time delving into the webpage.

Green Colorize

Getting Lost in North Woods at Night= Terrifying

So, I decided to "get lost" in north woods--- at night. I went with one other friend who knew the woods ( I did not). What can I say about this experience except pure terror and disorientation? Not only did I not know any of my surroundings- as it was VERY dark and we were limited to a small beam of light pointed ahead of us- but, during the experience, a person and a dog were stalking us!! Every time we would look back with the beam of light, the person ducked, and the only thing we saw were a pair of creepy glowing eyes of the dog that would occasionally bark. So- getting lost provided me with quite the adrenaline rush. I kind of enjoyed it.... I have a couple of not-that-great pictures of the adventure. Though, I feel that they look as disoriented as I felt.

And across a swamp we went!

I don't know what goes on in North woods- but there was one point that candles were just hanging from trees. It was weird and it put me on edge. 

That was about the amount of light available ^^ so not only was I lost- I had no ability to see what was around me (only what was straight in front of me)

My friend leading the way! 

Image that was very disorienting- I was moving pretty fast at this point as we were clearly aware we were being stalked by something behind us. (SHEER TERROR)

So, those are the best pictures I acquired. Feeling lost does not feel good- at all. I've taken for granted the securities that I have with familiarities. Feeling lost feels kind of like a whirlwind of confusion and discomfort. The best word I could use to describe the experience is disorienting. I would do it again though, because it definitely brought me out of my comfort zone and into something fun and exciting. 

Reading: Section 15

"the electronic age redefines public as composite of privates"

The example of being in a plane under the will of the pilot or plane's comtrol is an interesting thought. In today's world, more than ever, people are depended on the will of another on a daily basis. The electronic age does just that- by turning tangible space into abstract space and by turning space into time---"takes control out of your hands and puts it in the will of another." The section goes on to discuss the isolation that exists within entities- and in this isolation exists a controlled microenvironment. For example, one person in government may have access to all of America's information. For others, the exploration of the world is more accessible and exchangeable than ever before-- and this ultimately effects the control it possesses over our own lives.

--Reference "Public Space in a Private Time" by Vito Acconci

Final: Portrait

Here it is! I'm at last finished I believe. My main goal in this piece was to create volume using shading and light. I wanted the portrait to be dramatic by creating a "spot light" effect using light's filtering effects through the forest canopy.

Progress with background

Portrait

My first illustrator experience

The signature & simple drawing- I've come far!

Logo Challenge

So- You probably can guess what I was trying to say... every choice from color to shape was deliberate in order to get my point across.

Artist Post: Piet Mondrian

As I began researching for artists that I found of interest, I came across Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue (1921) and decided to delve deeper into what this image represented.  I have undoubtedly seen this painting before; however, I never knew what was going on in the piece or who was responsible for its creation. Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue, simple as it may appear, possesses a great deal of information.  After researching more about this piece and Piet Mondrian, I feel I have gained a much better understanding about composition, color, and the ideas behind non-representational art that I hope to carry into my own digital artworks.

Piet Mondrian, the mastermind behind many of the geometric appearing artworks, was hugely affected by World War I in the early 1900’s.  Consequently, his art changed into very non-representational pieces. After seeing the devastating effects of the war, he felt that life was too ugly and he therefore did not want to represent anything from life. Rather, he claimed that beauty lived within geometry and that through these forms, universal harmony could be found. Interestingly, the artworks are similar to the aerial view of  city streets.  The abstractions were broken down into lines and shapes of different sized of rectangles and squares.  Only primary colors were used throughout the artworks. To me, I find it fascinating how color can impact one’s visual experience through the various color interactions. There is a true balance shared between these primary colors that make the painting visually “relaxing” almost. My eye is immediately drawn to the largeness of the red in Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue, and then it movies on to the yellow and then the blue.  These colors are almost uncomfortably cropped off in my opinion. However, my eye is never lost as my focus is always shifting from block to block or line to line continuously around the piece. Again, the experience to me is very relaxing. In addition to the choice in color palette, Piet creates a unified composition through his use of stark black lines. My favorite part about this piece is the oscillating effects by the lines which are tugging back and forth. If you stare for the right amount of time, the lines begin to move up and down and left to right. It’s almost kinetic looking. Mondrian accomplished this through the placement and thicknesses of the lines.

 Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue 1921

I feel that the artworks created by Mondrian are relevant to not just digital art, but all types of art. The paintings initially appear very simple; but, this simplicity is what I find to be so genius. How might I go about creating my own artworks through simplicity? I feel that I am very susceptible to “overworking” my works of art and thus this is quite the challenge to me. How might I find the harmony that Mondrian has depicted? 

Composition with Gray and Light Brown 1918

Work cited:

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-mondrian-piet.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/mondrian/

Progress as of Sunday 10/14!

Progress??

One eyed sailor looking guy...

illustrator: music

Portraits~!~ (5)

Lady gaga
http://wallpaper-wide.ru/en/preview.php?hd=14626&px=1280x1024

http://liveloveandshoot.com/tag/fashion/

scarlett johansson http://liveloveandshoot.com/tag/fashion/

My attempt to do a self-portrait (oil)

Tis all for now. 

Artist Post 2: Harold Cohen

Digital print with varnish

Who would have thought that robots are unleashing their own creative spirit and creating original artwork? Harold Cohen, an English abstract painter, became interested in computing and artificial intelligence after a visit to UCSD in 1968. Harold then began his 23 years of research that delved into the development of a rather “different” computer controlled robot that ventured in the world of artificial intelligence. The program is named AARON and the robotic mind is specialized to create art. Aaron, the name of the robot, comes up with several new images during the night. Harold then chooses one of the images Aaron had thought up. For the next couple of hours Aaron gets to work and draws lines, mixes colors, and begins to physically paint abstract imaginary (mind you, not in the same form you might expect to see a human painting in). The robot even cleans the brushes! "AARON can make paintings of anything it knows about, but it actually knows about very little -- people, potted plants and trees, simple objects like boxes and tables, decoration” says Harold regarding the artworks of Aaron.

Harold Cohen quotes, "I wrote it to discover what independent (machine) intelligence might do, given some knowledge of the world and some rudimentary physical capabilities. And, in the process, to have IT teach ME about possibilities I hadn't imagined. I'd be happier if AARON's work in the future were LESS like human work, not MORE like human work."

Aaron is the first robot ever to create an original piece of artwork. The idea came from investigations regarding the natural representations of how human being’s see marks on a paper as a recognizable image (like a shoe) or other known objects from the tangible world. I find it fascinating that a robotic mind can create something new. It almost seems to violate the idea that people are special because we are innovators. If Aaron is able to create the images as seen in this post, I can’t imagine the other possibilities. It’s refreshing when creativity can be made from robotics rather than just scientific output. I am curious, however, as to why Aaron has such a specific style of art. I realize that Harold was the creator, and thus must have the largest influence on Aaron- but, it would be interesting if information from past artists were to flow through the robotic mind. What mixture of art would Aaron come up with then? I do believe that creativity is not as creative as we all may think. It has to come from somewhere in my opinion, much as the same way that Aaron thinks up artwork.

Digital print with varnish


(Screen Print)



Digital print with varnish






References:
http://crca.ucsd.edu/~hcohen/
http://www.kurzweilcyberart.com/aaron/hi_cohenbio.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AARON

Artist Post: Aaron Koblin

I stumbled upon Aaron Koblin's body of work on Google images as I tried to search for ideas that corresponded to my own for Project 1. Not surprisingly, he is also the Creative Director of Data Arts of Google. Koblin is known for his incorporation of data and crowd-sourcing into visual schematics. This, in particular, was fascinating to me as he was able to visually introduce another creative point of view on something that relates to most everyone. Koblin quotes: “An interface can be a powerful narrative device. And as we collect more and more personally and socially relevant data, we have an opportunity, and maybe even an obligation, to maintain [our] humanity and tell some amazing stories.” To branch from off of this idea, I think it would be interesting to present statistical data in an aesthetically pleasing and conceptually significant way. For the project, I certainly hope that I am able to execute something of the sort. Equally important to me, I want the viewer to be able to connect my concept to the visual presentation without dissecting the visual information for a conceivably long time. Koblin's artwork is presented in such a way. Immediately you recognize a hint of what's going on in the image; however, there is still explanation required in order to acquire a full sense of satisfaction conceptually. In Koblins body of work appropriately titled "Flight Patterns," I understood what was going on- but, there was still ambiguity left for me to uncover. Above is the digital piece that I had found during my artist search.

I immediately too notice that this was the shape of America as I'm sure most people have. Next, I noticed the brighter regions of the shape that represent the highly populated cities. The lines, as the title gives away, represents airplane routes over the United States. It truly shows just how connected every person is to one another in the world. When I first saw this image, I thought that this represented the flow of digital information among North America. However, this artwork was more physically derived in my opinion- as the image tracks people literally moving their bodies from various different points on the globe. In today's era we are not only connected by physical means (as Flight Patterns implies), but we are also connected by a web of digital information that flows relatively freely in a matter or milliseconds. The ides is further illustrated by the fact that you can travel around planet Earth in a mere 24- hours.

This image is a bit less identifiable than the last. But, if you look closely you may or may not see a peninsula that lies between the Atlantic and the Gulf. I like this zoomed in version of the above image of North America because it really shows you the minuscule details that might otherwise be overlooked.  This honestly reminds me of a circulatory system in a human body. The cities representing the places of importance in the body and the more heavily traveled routes would be the major arteries or veins and  are thus larger in order to carry more blood and nutrients (aka people and supplies). Pretty interesting how seemingly different processes such as flight routes in the world might functionally overlap with blood routes in the body. I hope to build off of this idea for project one- the idea of global oneness, the way individual molecules work together to make up the entirety of the human body. Regardless Koblin has provided the world with artwork that is both conceptually and aesthetically interesting. He has also worked on other bodies of work such as "sheep market." "TheSheepMarket.com is a collection of 10,000 sheep made by workers on Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Workers were paid 0.02 ($USD) to "draw a sheep facing to the left."" (http://www.aaronkoblin.com/work/thesheepmarket/)

^^"Northeast"

http://www.aaronkoblin.com/work/flightpatterns

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Koblin

http://www.ted.com/speakers/aaron_koblin.html

Color/Value Corrections

I felt the figures of the first photograph were somewhat silhouetted... My corrected version is the second photo. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Collage

The collage project:

First- I built this image like I was building a human face from a skeleton. I tried to incorporate the superficial human muscles groups of the face first. From there, it evolved into an image that portrays aesthetic unity through the compositional elements of space and color. Although the individual photographs used to create this artwork are somewhat ambiguous- they synchronize to achieve a common purpose-- one discernible shape. Must of the way individuals cells and muscle groups function to construct the human form.

Scans for 9-6-12

Experimentation scans: Patterns & Nature- my two favorite things.