Event Critique Art

Use the following format for your museum critique; answers must be typed below the questions and all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can use this document as your template. Pay careful attention to the required number of words for those questions that have them. Failure to follow the instructions here and on your syllabus will result in a substantially low grade. Minimal answers poorly written are a D grade or less. Elaboration of points, excellent arguments, and good writing garner higher grades. ********************************** Name__Summer Yack________________ Class time period (not section number)____9:00________ 1) Which museum did you visit? (check one) _X__ Univ. of Utah ___ BYU 2) In 150 words, describe at least one of the broad collections on a theme, period, geographic region, or topic) within the museum. The broad collection that I looked at was American Visions. I think these visions are meant to show the Americans of the colonial times. Some things that helped me believe this are their clothing. The women were wearing what appeared to be long dresses in the painting; it is tough to tell as they are all sitting down. The men were wearing clothing that I have always seen in movies or pictures covering the colonial times, many times in what is worn at war. He was dressed in a blue coat that was buttoned up with a white ruffled shirt underneath. A couple paintings in the collection really stuck out to me. One was Portrait of Mrs. Benjamin West and her Son, Raphael by Benjamin West. This painting is of a woman holding her child very close. From this I think it is easy to guess that the woman and her child have a very good relationship and that she is the primary care taker. Another painting is Preparations for Dinner by James Harwood. This shows a woman sitting at a table with many ingredients on the table. Her body language shows her slouching and I

think this shows that her responsibilities have kind of run her down. It doesnt show anyone else helping her and I think it appears that she might be overwhelmed.

3) Give a brief, one paragraph (100 words) description of a special exhibit (ask the curator what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms): The special exhibit that I chose was Mike Disfarmers Cleburne County Portraits. There I read that Disfarmer would use glass plate negatives to create and give community members keepsakes. He would embed a camera into the wall, which would separate him from his subjects. By doing this he became famous for his intimate and sometimes awkward photographs. It was one of the first time that pictures captured more of lifes activities and people interacting opposed to the stiff, timed pictures that were seen before. Disfarmer did much of his work in studio but he also liked to take a portable camera out and try other types of photography. The portable camera allowed him to take photographs much quicker making those included seem more natural than before.

4) What kind of information is provided about the works? Tell me three places you might find more detailed information that doesnt include the web {hint: ask a curator for help with this question} The information provided is who the artist is, their nationality, and when they lived. The title of the piece, when and how it was created. (Example-oil on canvas) They also include how they got the piece to the University of Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Last they give some more information on the artist, kind of like a short biography. Some places you might find more detailed information is on a guided tour that they museum holds throughout the day, at the bookstore in the museum and there is audio about the artwork that you can listen to while

walking around.

5) Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn to these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who were the artists?) This question must be answered in its entirety. (This should be at least 500 words Indian by Shiva Nataraja. This was a sculpture made out of bronze and was created sometime between the 12th and 16th century. It is meant to show the Indians idea of time, as it is circle around what appears to be a person. Some of the cycles the circle represents are the cycle of creation, destruction, and re-creation. The circle shows the continuation of time and is represented by the ring of fire surrounding the man. At first glance the first thing that sticks out to me is the detail on the sculpture. The flames would be very difficult to create as they all of a great amount of detail, also the headpieces that the man is wearing is very complex and draws a lot of attention. Wolf and Sisiutl Transformation Mask by John Livingston. It is believed to be made in Canada in 1951. The Sisiutl is a two-headed serpent believed to live in the waters near British Colombia and Vancouver Island. The Sisiutl is also called a sea wolf and has the ability to shift from an animal to a human. It is commonly painted on the sides of canoes and hung over doorways as it is thought to protect inhabitants from evil spirits and entrances from the supernatural. The Sisiutl has a face like a human but it is on a crocodile-like head. The first thing I thought when seeing the Sisiutl is of a totem pole. It reminded me of hearing about totem poles when I was younger, it is interesting because I was taught when I was younger that totem poles held spirits. I never thought much of it but when reading the plate at the

museum I was interested that it mentioned spirits as well. Traditional style Jamas Shield from the Southwest Pacific, New Guinea, Asmat region in the 20th century. It is made out of wood, pigment and sago fiber. I wasnt quite sure what to think when seeing the Jamas Shield. It was a very large piece, probably like 4 or 5 feet tall. I am assuming since it is called a shield that it was used in battle at some point. It had very intricate detail on it with triangles and other circle like shapes. What really interested me was that it had what appeared to be a face at the top. It has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the top. Also it has stripes that look like war paint on the face. I think that it might be a shield that would be held in front of the warriors face. The face could be meant to intimidate opponents but also to protect whoever was using it. *__________ by Jedediah Caesar. It was created in 2011 out of remnants, urethane, pigment, and stone. I had no ideas when looking at this artwork; it is made up of different colors like pink, purple and green. Some pictures are included and some of the pictures are on the colored paper. One picture is looking out of the front of a car. You can see the steering wheel and the street on what looks like a rainy day. There is also a picture of flowers and another of the sky. I think that this piece is trying to show the beauty of everything around us. How many of us look out of the car at our surroundings? I know that I dont, I am so set on what I need to do that I dont look around. I dont ever take the time to look at flowers or at a blue sky. Sometimes it takes little reminders like this, telling us to slow down and enjoy our surroundings.

6) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed

in class? {They do relate in many ways, you just need to look for those relationships} Minimum of 150 words. I think the American Visions section related well to the experience of war. Whenever I think of early America, I think of all of the wars that we were apart of. In the artwork the men were dressed in what looks like uniforms, while the woman prepared the meals and cared for the children. That somewhat relates to the identity section as well because women had different responsibilities than men. The American Visions can also relate to the freedom and justice section of class. A lot was sacrificed from everyone at this time to get our independence from Britain and later to keep our country united. The Wolf and Sisiutl Transformation Mask relates to the spirituality part of class. These masks are thought to transform between animal and humans, which would take some influence from higher power for that to happen. Also they are thought to protect from evil spirits and the supernatural. These people would most likely be religious or have some type of spiritual beliefs for these masks to have any meaning.

7) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this type of event again? Why or why not? {Minimum 100 words} This type of event was very much out of my comfort zone. For one, I rarely if ever attend any type of museum. The only time I do is if I am required to in assignments such as this. While I dont particularly enjoy going to a museum, I think that it is good for me to get out and experience different things. Not very often do I see the creations that others make and it really gets me wondering what they mean.

Another thing that really gets me thinking is considering where a lot of these artists get their inspiration. I know that for me I like to have a reason behind everything or something pushing me to do something. I wonder what pushes these people to create the things they do.

As always remember that I want to see reflective thinking on your part. Show me you are aware of your limitations, your biases, etc. Show me that you are thinking about your own responses and why you respond the way you do.