final

I had the ticket stubs and pictures but I don't have the chord to my camera to put the pictures on the computer.


Erica McCullough
Intro to Art
27 April 2009
Final Exam Paper
Hard Candy is a very artistic film. All scenes throughout the movie use colors to make the audience feel different moods. At first when the two main characters, the little girl and the man she met through chat on the internet, meet at a café. That is the only part of the movie where the colors are normal, like any other movie making whoever is watching it assume the man is a predator and the little girl an innocent naïve teenager as his prey. When they go to his house every room has a different color scheme. At first the colors are soft, with the intentions of keeping the audience believing him to be her predator. Then, when the twist in the film arises, when she ties him down and starts yelling at him the colors turn to black and white with the characters at a bland grey color. The film was very artistically directed with the intentions of making the audience change their perspectives with whichever color scheme the scene portrays.
The movie Coraline, based off of a children’s book, was directed by Tim Burton so of course it was creatively made. With computer animated clay characters, the beginning of the film starts off with Coraline as any other child who feels like her parents neglect her and choose their work over her. The scenes are all bland with black and white colors. Only when she visits her very unique neighbors do the colors change. When she enters the alternate world through the little door in the wall, all the colors change to vivid and bright. Her new mother and father and all the other alternate characters in the new world have black button eyes which foreshadowed the darkness and blindness that eventually fell upon Coraline. Once she realized her new mom wanted her soul, everything turned from very colorful to dark and disturbing. A prime example would be the garden having all its beautiful flowers turn into vicious monsters that wanted to attack her. This film used colors and clay characters and is very artistic.
The Foreigner was a play I viewed on campus at the theater behind the TLC building. It was very comedic and enjoyable. The actors were very talented as well. The playwright and script were very cleverly put together in a creative demeanor. As part of the audience it made me experience many emotions which I assume the play meant to convey to its audience. The script was creatively written to make the audience feel happiness through laughter, sadness and anger at racism and ignorance. All sets in all plays are built by people to set the scene and that in itself is also an art. This set did a wonderful job of putting it together to develop the scenes. It made you feel right at home there with the actors on stage. I would love to see this play again for it was a lot of fun.

My Blogroll:

www.postsecret.com
By Frank Warren, this started as a community project where people all over the country send in postcards with their secrets on them.
www.xanga.com/photos_n_quotes
This site has a lot of really pretty pictures and inspirational quotes.
http://tazmo.deviantart.com/
Mohamed Gaff (Tazmo) takes beautiful portraits of people and objects and nature.
http://larafairie.deviantart.com/
Lara Jade is a young fashion photographer who is quite popular on the deviantart website.
http://ribbon-picktures.xanga.com/
This is a blog with more amazing conceptual photography and portraits.
(Photography is my favorite genre of art)

I Love This Piece of Architecture: Wing House by Wallace Cunningham

The Wing House located in Rancho Santa Fe, California was designed by Wallace Cunningham and built in the 70s in between 2 canyons. “The subtle curvature of the surrounding topography is reflected in the design, which encourages constant movement from one space to another, from interior to exterior,” says Cunningham. The house, which sits on a four-acre site, is defined by concentric semicircles and composed of two overlapping private wings, with the public spaces at the center.

Human Nature

When I think of Human Nature I automatically refer back to the Nature vs. Nurture conflict. These paintings perfectly symbolize this conflict through the portraits of babies still in the womb. It starts out white, like innocence, then goes to black, as though the whole baby and its whole environment is corrupted by what it learns and experiences.

Graffiti

Graffiti from Little Five Points in Atlanta:

My Photographic Eye

Smoking:

The Human Condition

All of the emotions one may have conflicting photoshopped into a young woman.

The Art of This Culture: Rastafarianism

Rastafarianism is not only a religious movement but also a culture and way of life. Through music, Rasta people express their love for life, love, and Jah, their God. The drum is a symbol of the Africanness of Rastafari, and some mansions assert that Jah's spirit of divine energy is present in the drum. Reggae music was born in Trenchtown, the ghetto of Kingston, Jamaica. Bob Marley and Peter Tosh are pretty much the reason for the international awareness of reggae music and Rastafarianism. Like "Exodus," many songs are written to promote the Rastafari doctrine. Dreadlocks as well as marijuana are often associated with this culture as a way of expression. Rastas maintain that dreadlocks are supported by Leviticus 21:5 ("They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh.") I love this culture and find Rasta music beautiful and inspiring.

Art on Youtube 2

This video is called 1week of art works and its one canvas or wall that gets completely covered in black and white paint until the very end. All of the works they do are gorgeous and unique. The multiple artists who participated incorporated all of their personalities and individuality to create one big piece. It's truly amazing.

My Left and Right Brain

I drew my brain as I see my right brain as full of random creativity and my left brain as dull and black and white. The quote in the ribbon says "The art of art, the glory of expression... is simplicity." (said by Walt Whitman)

Human Psyche

The Human Psyche will never be fully understood. In this abstract painting one can find faces or parts of the body depending upon their imagination. The combinations of cool and warm colors symbolize the conflicts that we all experience as humans. The different depths and values it possesses shows the different depths of perception we all have. The brain and thought processes of each individual is so abstract that no one can really fully comprehend everybody's thought processes.

Catharisis I

I was with my best friend Jessika, whom I've known since I was in the third grade and we were listening to all of our favorite songs from our freshman year in high school in her room. That year was such a big deal to both of us because we ended up dating the same guy and he was the biggest loser ever. We both learned and grew from that experience and when we heard this song by Something Corporate, it brought back all the memories. Ironically, this guy texted me inviting me to a party that same night Jess and I had listened to this song. I hadn't talked to this kid in months, and out of the blue he invited me to some party. I remembered all the hurt he put me and my best friend through and of course denied his invite, but still I reminisced in all that we were. This song meant so much to me back then, and it still does. I used to listen to it constantly when he broke up with me and cried every time I heard it. When Jessika and I listened to it in her room this past weekend though, we didn't cry, but laughed at how young we were and how we thought we loved him. Even though this song brings back those memories, it now helps me to remember how strong of a person I am, and how I should live my life with no regrets, just learning experiences.

Slideshow of Favorite Works of Art

All of these are pictures from Deviantart.com of either portraits or paintings.

My Favorite Artist

My favorite artist would have to be Andy Warhol. All of his works are unique and creative, especially in the way he makes them. He's not your typical paint on canvas with a brush artist, he actually put thought and creativity into how he made his works of art, he invented new ways in putting art on paper. Each piece was its' own individual, no two looked the same. He left behind a legacy and was adored by many.

Dance

Dancing is in itself a work of art. Through body movements it expresses emotion and beauty and generally tells a story, much like a portrait or sculpture. Dancers are artists who instead of using a paintbrush or chisel, use their bodies to express themselves and their creativity.

Poetry Slam

"Don't Take my Sunshine Away" by Sparklehorse

your face is like the sun sinking into the ocean
your face is like watching flowers growing in fast motion
all your kisses i swallowed
brightened mornings and hollows
my vines and tree knots will come unwound

baby you are my sunshine
my sunshine
please don’t take my sunshine away

the grounded fireflies are little stars that are dying
returning to the earth i can hear them crying
like christmas bulbs that i swallowed slept in a tree that’s gone hollow
and never a brittle wintertime

baby you are my sunshine
my sunshine
please don’t take my sunshine away

sunshine
my sunshine
please don’t take my sunshine away

This is a beautiful love song/poem that uses the symbolic references and metaphors to the beauty of nature. He compares the good and the hard times of love and expresses this through the essence of seasons and what comes with each. He is trying to prove to her that it will pass and that she shouldn't leave him because she is his sunshine :)

Human Struggle

-Delun (Deviantart.com)

The photographer of this portrait is representing the human struggle for identity and freedom. Free will and freedom of choice are limited to mankind by the restraints of society. "We are mass produced marionettes, crafted to play by rules and restrictions. We are batteries to fuel the world." Social constraint shrouds these rights like that of the cloth. Without the ability to voice one's inner self, they develop inner struggles. "Lost identity; Restricted mind; False freedom."

Fashion as art

I found this picture of fashion as art. The cool colors of the sky and her dress, the blues and whites of the environment, all seem to flow together. The wind in the light sheet makes the portrait have this elegant lightness to it. There is also a lot of depth in the picture shown in the clouds and ocean behind her.

Film/movie as art

Across the Universe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziToC3371NE

The whole movie incorporates music, The Beatles covers, art, dance, and cinematography to produce the most artistic movie I have ever seen. Every song and every scene in the film could be still-framed into a portrait. Each song has it's own meaning, especially this clip for "strawberry fields forever." The main character Jude is a striving artist and his girlfriend's brother is at war, and it shows both of their interpretations of the song and how the war has been affecting both of their lives. "Across the Universe" is definately one of my favorite movies of all time.

Music Video Art

I Caught Fire (in your eyes) by The Used

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bg7wxhJtTA

This music video uses fire and warm colors to express the warmth and heat that comes with love, and it also uses cool colors to show the soothing aspects of love. The burning tree symbolizes the beauty and destruction that comes along with relationships, and the couple holding hands watching it symbolizes they know what they're getting into and it's okay because they love each other. It is an upbeat love song, sung by one of my favorite bands. The lyrics are also very meaningful and deep.

Diorama responses

1)This diorama evoked a strong emotion in me (sadness):
Sarah Shouse: the animal testing one. It showed pets in the pound, and having had both cats and dogs, I have a deep love for animals, and am completely against animal abuse and testing.

2) This diorama taught me something I don't know:
The drinking and driving diorama taught me that the rate of drunk driving accidents have decreased by 47 % in the past 15 years. I would have never thought it had decreased that much, for there are still a lot of drunk driving accidents.

3) This diorama was creative:
The diorama with the bed and condoms spread out was a very creative approach to announcing the effects of STDs and AIDS. It definately caught my attention.

4) I have something to say about this diorama:
Making sure pets are spayed or neutered in order to keep pets out of the pound is a good idea if you have an outdoor pet, especially since we see so many cats around campus in the cold.

5)The message in this diorama could be considered propaganda:
Many of the abortion dioramas were pro-life. I am personally pro-choice, however I would never have one myself. It is a very heated debate and I think everybody has a right to their opinion, but to be one-sided on the controversial subject.

Art on Youtube 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gvGDsIYrrQ

I found this youtube video very artistic because I would have never thought of using ketchup and french fries as painting utensils. It's also surprising how good of a painting it is because of how it was done with ketchup.