Chelsea Galleries Reaction

Field Trip #5

       Recently I visited the art marketplace of NYC and I had the opportunity to see some great works of art. I found very interesting how the whole neighborhood of Chelsea is full of galleries at every corner. What impressed me was the fact that I bumped into art related with my culture, because here, far from my country Romania, I don’t see it that often. Overall, I liked some works of art and I disliked others.

        First, I will tell you what I didn’t like and why. In the first Gallery I went, I was surprised that anybody lost time to create something like that. This was Anton Kern’s Gallery at 20^th street. Between April 12 and May 18, 2013, the works of art of Richard Hughes are displayed. Exactly after you get in, you can see this huge works of art in a big room with high ceilings. The room looked like an image of Hurricane Sandy. In the room were these big broke poles hanging. One piece was titled “Pedestrian (Sketchy Freddy)” and it looked like a human’s legs. This is supposed to be architectural art, but I can’t see the beauty in it. A different work of art of Richard Hughes that I didn’t like was “Neapolitanz”. The piece was made of 3 painted polystyrene boards connected with each other. Again, I can’t see the beauty in this piece, as well the quality. And thinking that was for sale, made me think that taste in art is very diverse.

        After this unhappy experience, I bumped into my culture. We went to Yossi Milo Gallery on Tenth av. and I was surprised to see something similar with old Romanian costumes. This gallery was presenting Charles Freger’s exhibition of color photographs from eighteen European countries. The costumes represent changing the season, festivals and holidays. One that impressed me was “Cerbul” because brought back memories from childhood. In the photo was this costume of a stag that I used to dress up and I was going at people’s houses singing carols on New Year’s Eve. A different picture that I liked because of the same reason was “Ursul”. This is a costume of a bear and usually people go and sing carols around the Christmas holidays in large group accompanied by a person dressed like that. Usually the other people play musical instruments.

       To sum up, the galleries are very diverse and you can find works of art that you like and also that you don’t like. Besides the pictures of the costumes i found also a few interesting paintings in a different gallery so I invite everybody to check them out.

RICHARD HUGHES                     Charles Freger

"Pedestrian (Sketchy Freddy)", 2013             "Cerbul" , 2010-2011

"Neapolitanz" , 2013                                          "Ursul" , 201-2011

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Illustrate a Story

Project # 3

    

 I chose this story because is about humanity. New Orleans police officer David Duplantier tells his wife, Melissa Eugene, about patrolling in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. How you can see in the illustration , the city was on fire and flooded. Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst hurricane ever. The police officer tells his wife how is one image in his mind that hunts him until this day. He saw a woman with a small child and she was asking for help, asking were are the doctors. And the police officer couldn't help her . 

                                         David Duplantier and Melissa Eugene | StoryCorps

Design in Our Lives

Field trip 3

                Design has a real impact on our lives . But most of us , we try to use design in different ways . You can use it in fashion , culinary , architectural and many other departments . Also some objects can be classified by their functionality . The study of functionality in design is called Ergonomics . It derives from two Greek words : ergon , meaning work , and nomoi , meaning natural laws , to create a word that means science of work and a person’s relationship to that work .

                On my second trip to MOMA NYC , I visited the Architecture and Design Galleries from the third floor . I was astonished by two piece of art , with great design and high functionality . One of them is part of an architectural design . Was the presentation of the “ Bibliothèque  Nationale de France “ from Paris that was designed by Henri Labrouste . The high ceiling , the architectural design , the paintings and the big windows combined together are fabulous and I consider that this building has high functionality and makes it very ergonomic . The other work of art that surprised me in a good way was a solar system panel  called “ GROW “ , design by Samuel Cabot Cochran and Benjamin Wheeler Howes  from SMIT Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology USA . Is practically a hybrid-energy delivery device that generates solar and wind power . I find the idea very ergonomic and I think this piece of art has high functionality .

                  However , I was surprised to see some pieces of art with low functionality but with great design . What caught my attention was “ Earthquake Proof Table “ by several designers from Israel . It’s a steel and birch plywood table . Was design for earthquakes , changing the regular tables design to be able to resist under the toughest circumstances . Beside the great design , I think has a low functionality . Especially in this country where earthquakes are not so common  , and if they occur the magnitude is low . To  be more ergonomic , the table can be used on a daily basis in Japan where is not a single day without an earthquake . Another interesting design I found on Martin’s Ruiz de Azua  work of art , “ Basic House “ . This piece is a house made of extra-light material and folds like a handkerchief . Can be practical if used like a shelter  by homeless people  . Is not that popular , probably because has low functionality . Is not that comfortable either , and in case of bad weather , this is not a solution . I don’t think  you can make this work of art more ergonomic because of the low quality and if you try to add other materials , you will change it completely , transforming the basic house in a more complex one .

              How I said before , design is not directly related with the functionality . Can be some objects with a gorgeous design , but with no functionality . Or you can see objects that lack in design and very ergonomic . The fact that design and functionality are not related doesn’t mean that you can’t find a great work of art , very ergonomic and with a great design . This proves that the art and design can work together  and in most of the cases the results are tremendous .

               This trip made me see some objects through their functionality and to compare them with others . Low functionality objects can be improved , and transformed  in the most ergonomic object they can be , with or without a beautiful design  . Despite that , I will try to make my life easy and surround myself  with objects that have high functionality .

High Functionality
Bibliotheque National de France , Paris -             Grow

Henri Labrouste                                               Samuel Cabot Cochran;Benjamin Wheeler 

Arhitecture                                                         Recycle and reclaimed materials

1868                                                                   2005

Low Functionality

Earthquake Proof Table                             -   Basic House

Ido Bruno; Arthur Brutter ;                                Martin Ruiz de Azua 

Steel and birch plywood                                  Polyester

2010                                                                  1999

Art and Identity: The Museum of Modern Art

Field Trip #1

             My visit at the Museum Of Modern Art and also at the PS1 Exhibit was so exciting . I was able to see plenty  of  works of art . Some of them were breathless . The main parts of the museum  that I visited were the Contemporary Galleries between 1980 and Now from 2^nd floor , Inventing Abstraction from the 6^th floor and the most important and the one I liked so much was the Painting & Sculpture part from 5^th floor . Also the MOMA PS1 exhibit from Queens was interesting . Every piece of art was different in its own way and made me see what the artist really wanted to say through his piece .

             First of all , paintings are my favorite type of art . I have my favorite artists like Picasso , Van Gogh and Rembrandt van Rijn . My choice of a work of art that embodies individual identity is Picasso’s painting “Bather” from MOMA . The medium used is oil on canvas and was painted in 1908-09 . In the painting we have a nude female after the bath . The background is simplified in 3 colors . I consider this individual identity because shows personal characteristics of somebody . I this case was about Picasso’s subject that is a nude female .  The painting present in the same time different views how is also said in the painting information , “ The bather’s body is broken into discrete parts : her breasts , stomach , and shoulders are hardened into geometric arcs and curves , and her right foot twists unnaturally “ .

           For historical identity I found another painting . I chose “Departure” by Max Beckmann  from MOMA as well . The medium used is oil on canvas and is also a triptych , a three part format . The painting show a king on his departure in the middle piece and on the side are images of sin and salvation . Initially , the german artist said that is no explanation for the painting , but after , “ became to be seen as one of the emblematic artistic responses to Hitler’s Germany “ .  The detail and what was going on back then in Germany gives this painting a powerful historical identity .

          However , for the cultural identity I didn’t choose a painting . I looked for something that represents my culture and I found a great work of art : “ Iconostasis “ by Sammlung Ludwig at MOMA PS1 . The artist used mixed media . There are practically icons on a wall . Traditionally this wall is used in Eastern Christian church to separate the public from its sanctuary . This work of art moved me from the second I stepped in the room . I am an orthodox and my church has this . Living far from home , in a country that doesn’t have that much of your culture , to see I piece of art that warms you little bit is priceless . This piece was finished in two years and the result is fabulous .

         These two trips were useful for my knowledge and for the little artist inside me . New ideas of creativity kicked in . However  , these three examples of identity are just a small part of plenty other pieces of art that soon il will discover  thanks to my art professor . 

Personal Identity                Historical Identity              Cultural Identity 

Pablo Picasso                    Max Beckmann              Sammlung Ludwig

" Bather "                            " Departure "                     "Iconostasis"

Oil on canvas            Oil on canvas , three panels        Mixed media

1908-1909              Frankfurt-1932;Berlin 1933-34         1977-78