My parents are from a small island in the caribbean called Dominica. It is almost always confused with the other hispanic country called Dominican Republic. They are two different countries and cultures. Dominica is a very small island with a lesser population than a lot of places. So i would most importantly like for my children and who I marry to know that it exists and where it is located on the map. The hand made map of the world by a dominican artist named Tam Joseph, is a perfect way to show them. A dominican artist work showing where countries are located. It is very beautiful nickname The Nature Island because it is an barely touched with manmade things.

This painting is by another dominican artist named Pauline Marcelle, More Mas Bend Down Boutique. This art works exudes the positive vibes that is celebrated in our country in a significant way twice a year. One time of the year being carnival and the other being creole festival. Creole festival is celebrated in remembrance of dominica becoming independent on November 3. I had the pleasure of attending carnival which is a festival with bands playing music from big trucks circling the city of roseau. People with costumes join the band singing and dancing following as the trucks go up and down the street. I fell in love with my culture once I experienced that. I’m sure a lot of people have had that feeling visiting carnival throughout several cities in the US. So this painting of carnival being played out plays an important role to personal culture. I want to be able to pass this music filled with positive vibes and joy down generations.

Arnold Toulon seems to be a very independent artist who is underrated. I found him on google and could not find a website for his art work but it was displayed in his google account. I am unable to see a name for this image but he is from the island of dominica. This is a painting of what woman would wear while participating in carnival. It is more updated than the wardrobe portrayed in Pauline Marcelle painting. This is important to me because i love dressing up and participating in carnival. I have done it several times in the US. Participating in these festivals i have had the best time of my life. Its is important for me to pass this part of our culture down to other people because I love to show people a good time and this would be the definition of one.

Memes can be considered art in so many ways. It is sometimes close to pop art because they recreate images of people to tell a story behind the photo. The caption becomes the title of the art and sometimes you can never find out what the original picture was meant for comparable to when classical works are left for us to figure out until this day. I log on instagram and tumblr everyday and it always lightens my mood with all the hilarious memes created, those are my favorite ones. For example the one i created it has all to do with the presidential elections. I did not want Donald Trump to win but when I browsed the internet I was able to refocus my energy. Like said in the video people literally communicate to strangers their personal experiences and this to me is what art is about.

Jenny Holzer is a very interesting artist. Who knew that her work would even be considered as art? Her truisms are inspirational, she breaks down life into a series of simple words for those who do take a couple seconds to watch the words go from right to left and some go up or down the digital screen i know they can most likely relate. She tries to grab the attention of people by making her words light up or make the background cute. Her art work reminds me of the quotes that are posted on instagram nowadays but she created this style long before instagram was invented. My personal truism is “No good thing is too good to be true”. I always have a problem with thinking that when something is going good it is going to go bad. For example in relationships if things are too peachy creme I tend to not bask in happiness instead I tend to worry that something is going to go wrong. But when I say to myself “No good thing is too good to be true” it relieves me because I can appreciate the good times and if something goes wrong and I have to let it go, it wasn’t a good thing.

This painting is called The head of a Woman also known as La Scapigliata, meaning disheveled. Leonardo da Vinci, a very talented artist before his own time, created this work of art during the renaissance. During that time woman did not have as much power as they do today. He created this image to showcase that woman were more than just mothers and wives. He decided to draw a woman with uncombed hair and no make up displaying a woman’s natural beauty. He used soft lines which came off elegantly showing emotions of a woman that were not being acknowledged. This painting played a significant role in the feminism movement. This is an example of art not having to be created by a woman to have a feminist analysis. Now we have camera’s and I can take a photo of myself showing off my natural beauty with a prouder look on my face because of Leonardo da Vinci setting the tone for woman in The Head of a Woman.

• White rose petal pillow-A rose is my favorite flower. It is considered a symbol of balance. The beauty of this flower expresses promise, hope, and new beginnings. It is contrasted by thorns symbolizing defense, loss, and thoughtlessness. Which symbolizes the rough times I have had in life and have put all that to rest, bringing attention to the beauty of myself, that you don’t even notice the rough part that were apart of my growth. The white color represent purity which I can feel pure again once I dead bad things.
• Book-I have not always known how to but it has always been an aspiration to be happy and a good person. Speaking with god throughout the day has helped me tremendously. Every night I read a chapter in this book which helps me become even better.
• sunglasses-I found these sunglasses the other day. It was something I wanted but it was to expensive for me to purchase. I waited for someone to come and claim them for weeks and no one has so i took them. I am a strong believer in when you really want something the universe conspires in your favor. An example of how the universe feeds off your spirit.
• laptop-I do everything with this laptop. It is used on an everyday basis. It was a item very costly that I bought with my own hard earned money because i knew it would be reliable. It inspires me to go hard in school which will make it worth every penny once i graduate.
• picture of mom and sister-I grew up in a single parent home with just me, my mom and my sister in Miami, Fl. Being away now in Atlanta, Ga, pictures are how i keep them close. The picture i have of my sister in her graduation cap makes me want to graduate because my sister did all while raising a child.
• shoes-These aren’t any old heels, these are Christian Louboutin’s. That brand is a luxurious one, this represents the side of me that likes nice things.
• furniture-the furniture in the background plays a significant role because someone i love dearly bought it for me and they have inspired me to be the woman I am today.
• reflection of myself in mirror with phone-This picture is a reflection of me so i literally incorporated a reflection of myself with my phone because that is also something that is important to me.

There is a lady seated with a smirk on her face. she is peeking out the corner of her eyes. Her hair is flat at the top, parted in the middle of her head hanging shoulder length curly. She is sitting in a chair side ways but her body is turned towards the viewer of the painting. She has on drape clothes, there is a cloth over her head covering half of her hair. There is also a background of water and some land with trees and sand.

They are not able to determine the history of the Mona Lisa painting but suggest it may have been paint between 1509-1519. It is believed to be a painting of wife of the wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Gioconda. History has been unable to determine for what reason this painting was made. Either it was from a time where her husband got a painting drawn by Leonardo da Vinci marking the time they purchased a new house. Another time would be from when they lost a daughter in 1499, which would explain the dark veil she is wearing in the picture representing her mourning. A second theory suggest that the artist painting was, in fact, Leonardo’s self-portrait, given the resemblance between the sitter’s and the artist’s facial features. Some scholars suggested that disguising himself as a woman was the artist’s riddle. The sitter’s identity has not been conclusively proven.

I think the artist was paid to paint this picture because of his artistic creativity. He did not just look at the model and simply paint her he put thought into the background of Lisa’s life and added significance to the picture. The smirk on her face represents happiness which is also incorporated with her last name’s italian meaning. I had no personal reason for not liking the picture. I just did not understand why this picture of a stale faced woman was so valued in this lifetime.

Even though is a mystery of what this image represents which I find very fascinating. I believe when other people may have looked at this picture back in that time, they may have thought this painting was so close to reality. After reading about the painting I have learned that the artist put more thought into painting her than just exactly what he seen. I could see why this would be such a recognized image even in today’s time. If someone were to paint a picture of me i would want details that relate to me close to what Leonardo incorporated in “Mona Lisa”.

http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/mona-lisa-portrait-lisa-gherardini-wife-francesco-del-giocondo

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mona-Lisa-painting

Representational art to me is when looking at art work you can make out what is displayed immediately.

When you take a look at abstract art it is a head tilter because lines and shapes, that may be layered on top of each other, are used to create the figure the artist is painting and makes it more difficult to depict what the object is because it is made far out from reality.

Non-objective art will not be able to be made out what an object is right away because there is not much detail to the object. You would just have to think of your own meaning.

1. Candice Bohannon, Marie, 2008, This work of art is an example of representational imagery and is more representational than the other works of art and less abstract than the next work because of how detailed the image is it is clear this is a woman sitting on a floral couch. You are able to see the expression on the woman’s face which makes you feel like you know what she is thinking. http://www.candicebohannon.com/414292/figurative-works/
2. Paul Cezanne, Lady in Blue (1900-04). This work of art is an example of representational imagery and is more non objective than the previous work of art because of the indirect lines used to make out the woman’s face and figures around the object and more representational than the next work because of how you can distinguish what is in the painting, a table and a woman in a dress. http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/cezanne.htm
3. “A Working Woman” by Yuri Bosky, 1960. This work of art is an example of representational imagery and is more non-objective than the previous work of art because of lack of setting makes image timeless and otherworldly and how unclear it is to tell if the object is male or female but is represented as a woman in the title of the painting and less abstract than the next work because of the image being closer to reality. http://stage.southwestjournal.com/focus/art-beat/2013/07/art-beat-women-at-work/
4. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), Pablo Picasso. This work of art is an example of abstract imagery and is more non objective than the previous work of art because of the geometric shapes and lines used and less non-objective than the next work because of it being easier to distinguish the women painted because of how the shapes are positioned to form the body parts. http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/picasso.htm
5. Head of a Sleeping Woman, pablo picasso, 1907. This work of art is an example of abstract imagery and is more non-objective than the previous work of art because of the simplification of form in this work and less non objective than the next work because of it being different than reality but we can still tell what it is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pablo_Picasso,_1907,_Head_of_a_Sleeping_Woman_(Study_for_Nude_with_Drapery),_oil_on_canvas,_61.4_x_47.6_cm,_The_Museum_of_Modern_Art,_New_York.jpg
6. Alexander Archipenko, Woman Combing her Hair, 1915. This work of art is an example of non-objective imagery and is more non-objective than the previous work of art because basic forms used to communicate and less non-objective than the next work because of the unrecognizable subject. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/alexander-archipenko-woman-combing-her-hair
7. Woman with Yellow Hair (1931), Pablo Picasso, This work of art is an example of abstract imagery and is more non-objective than the previous work of art because of the the unrecognizable subject and individuals can find interpret their own meaning when first looking at the image.
   . https://www.timeout.com/newyork/art/the-100-best-paintings-in-new-york-solomon-r-guggenheim-museum

My friend placed this art work in her room because she thought her room was too dark and she wanted to add some color to her room. When she first showed me it hanging up in her room my first impression of this artwork was that this sure has lots of color and is definitely popping out from all the black. The patterns and rhythm of the artist portrays calmness. The brush strokes in this image are painted horizontally which I have learned in module 4 that horizontal lines indicate calmness(the pattern)
. It also appears to be either raining or just finished raining in the picture. Not as if a heavy storm has just passed but as if it has been drizzling all day. “Artist can use very basic elements like lines and shape to communicate very complex idea.” I think this is an image that you can look at and get a subtle feeling. When I am having a hard time falling asleep I listen to the sound of rain and it puts me in a relaxed mood just reflecting on my day until it gets boring enough for me to fall into a slumber. On the wet pavement and the lake there is reflections of the trees, lights and buildings. There are also two people who are male and female huddled closely under the umbrella. They are taking a casual stroll through a park talking intimately and reflecting on life. The body language of these two look as if they are in no hurry to get to the direction they were walking towards. In the distance I can see lots of homes which probably include lots of chaos. I usually go and talk to her in her room before bedtime we reflect on our day but now I can stare at this image to calm me and make it easy to fall asleep.

When I first saw this image I loved what it said. It was such an inspiration. The image reads “never let anyone dull your sparkle.” Every other word is written vertically which display strength in this statement. Sparkle is written in cursive which is the verb (action) to this statement. Although, there is an illusion of depth this image is 2d art being that it has height and length and also is a flat image. There is a shadow behind the words on this artwork which makes it look like the words are coming out of the image. I would also describe this image as symmetrical there are geometric shapes on each side but they balance out. One shape is bigger on the left side and on the right side there is smaller but one more geometric shape, this is where visual weight is shown. The figure in this image are the words and the ground is the actual sparkles in the back. That sparkle that is in the background can not be dulled as well. This image means exactly what it says but if you look more into the detail, the art of it makes so much sense. This image is in my room, I see it everyday and it reminds me to live my life like it is golden but not any kind of gold, that shiny, SPARKLING kind of gold.

I encounter a form of art as soon as my eyes open every morning. Although it is the same thing I see every morning, does not mean it is not art because i seen it yesterday. My furniture is really creative I wouldn’t be able to put or even think about putting it together myself. When I seen the picture on the internet of this bed I wanted it right away because it communicated who I was but someone else could look at this bed frame and just go “it is cute.” They wouldn’t think as deep as I thought about it, although there are people who will agree and say “this bed fits you.” That is exactly what art is we see a work of art and it communicates to us but just because a piece of work doesn’t seem to touch someone the way it may impact the next person doesn’t mean it isn’t art. Art is everyday life, say you walk out the door and it is raining, you see a rainbow across the sky and snap a picture. If you were to post the picture on your blog i would see this picture as seeing the bright side to a gloomy day or bad situation. Art is taking a simple or not so simple image beyond a simple mind state.

Art has a lot to do with as far as you see yourself. Aesthetic art which was spoken about in all the videos provided for our assignment this week is what I can relate to. I am a member of tumblr and the people I follow on there post aesthetic art, I can sit on there for hours just reposting and liking these images. But before I watched these videos i did not even know these images i loved looking at was art. Aesthetic art is truly all about style something that fits you as art is art. Even the images hanging up in my room and bathroom I didn’t really consider them art because they weren’t Mona Lisas'(you can see these picture in the image posted below). Now I know that these images I have hanging up in my room just to remind me how awesome I am are images that are actual art. “Art transcends language” as described by Leon Botstein. This is what I experience by looking at the images in my room. They move me in a way that brightens my day.

“The Scream” is not an image that i would ever hang up in my wall. When it is explained to me I am able to see the beauty of the image and also look at it for what I see it as. If an image is not beautiful to me it does not play a role in what art is and is not. I am able to think deeper than just saying I don’t like the image. I can still consider something art even if I don’t particularly think it is beautiful.

My name is Ariel and I am majoring in chemistry. I would like to become a pharmacist when I am done with schooling. I want to also know how healing naturally can help as well. I have moved here (Atlanta) just a few months ago, previously located in Miami, Florida. I am unsure if once I get my degree I will be moving back there.

In Miami there is a part of town called Wynwood which you can find art on the sidewalk, on the buildings, galleries are at every corner, even the places you eat or have a drink at are filled with art. That was my favorite place to hang out so I would say that is my art experience right there in a whole.

My favorite non-academic pastime and would say currently (may have to be paused because the semester is started) is reading self-help books. These books have helped me to have a positive outlook on life and keep me humble in everyday life. My favorite books in particular are relationship books. I hope to learn a lot about art and maybe visiting museums can be a new thing for me because i would actually understand the art language.