This painting is of a farm and a cornucopia. It connects to my cultural heritage because my family has always grown our food and loved to garden. I carry on this by growing food for my family every year. I think growing plants and providing by my own hands is enriching and makes me feel more in control of the future. I believe being able to feed your self is a skill everyone needs. I live with the goal of being self sufficient.

Walter Curlee, Horn of Plenty, July 2014Horn of Plenty

This painting is of shelves of books holding back a lake. I think the lake represents knowledge gained and supported by books and learning. I was raised to enjoy reading. My family are all teachers I am the only one that did not go into teaching. My cultural Heritage I stand behind learning and knowledge i would rather read a book than play video games or watch TV shows. Knowledge is power if you do not know something you should learn it.

Jacek Yerka, Shelves of Books, Unknown Date,  Shelves of Books

My biggest cultural Heritage is believing this painting is of seeing is to believe. It is everything I disagree with my family is all about belief in something larger than us. If you require proof to believe you are not believing. Religion requires a leap of faith one that a true believer should be able to do with out any proof. I do not have a specific faith as half of my family is Jewish and another portion is christian and others follow different faiths. To me one must believe in something greater than ones self.

Caravaggio, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, 1603  The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

MEME’s are art they are used to convey feelings and emotion felt by the artist. I would say just like paintings memes are sometimes easier understood by a target population. As I have worked through this class I have come to realize that art does not need to be in a specific format. As our world changes so will the formats of our art. At first we used charcoal and walls of a cave, to finely made oil paints on canvas, and to now where art is made on a computer screen. We will always question how new things fit into the definitions of our world.

I have recently have been promoted to maintenance manager at my work. I was a supervisor over second shift I have seen many managers come in and fail. I was asked to step up to the challenge of taking a morale broken team of over worked mechanics and get our equipment run better. The biggest challenge that I have faced is having the mechanics own what they have done. I was faced with machines that have a patchwork of quick fixes done to them instead of quality repairs. This truism is now posted all over the maintenance shop to remind them to own the machines. This assignment has helped me professionally by making me think about my issues that face me at work.

Remake                                                                    Original

The content of the painting shows Nebamun hunting in a marsh it has many spiritual meanings behind the imagery. Like the cat symbolizes the sun god hunting the enemies of light and order also Nebamun is hunting in the fertile marsh showing his victory over nature according to the British Museum see  Nebamun hunting in the marsh. It was created in 1350 B.C. by the artist that created Nebamun’s tomb it was created to show his life accomplishments. This picture has great deal of context behind it Nebamun was considered a god in his culture. This picture shows him being victories over nature and how the sun god was working with him to fight enemies of light and order.

If we use a contextual analysis of the painting we see that many of the objects in the painting help us understand the meaning behind the painting. Such as the cat in formal analysis it is just a cat hunting with its master. But contextually we see that cats are religious symbols of the sun god.

If we use Psychological analysis we can look at the fact that Nebamun was considered a god amoung his people so the painter put him in that position he is larger than anything else in the picture. We see him aligned with the sun god working together to hunt and dominate nature.

This assignment was difficult to get the cats and chickens to behave and get them where I wanted them. I had to use a ton of chicken scratch to get them to stay still long enough to get the picture and the cat had to be harnessed to go outside and stay put. This our garden we lost some wheat doing this picture also we ussually keep the chickens out of this area because of there destructive behavior.

These are the items I would grab if my house was on fire if I knew my wife and three cats were out. From left to right the first is a shadow box my sister made for me when I completed boy scouts it shows everything I accomplished while a boy scout. I chose this Item because it represents most of my teenage years and all I learned from scouting.  The second is the certificate that shows that I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. I choose it because it shows the achievement and completion of great magnitude. The next item is another Shadow Box that is for all of my achievements I gained while in cub scouts including a badge that shows I hiked to the peaks of seven mountains in a mountain range in California. The next item is a Shadow Box given to me by my chief when I got honorable discharged from the Navy. I choose it because it shows all I gained while in the Navy. In the center is a book it is my family bible it has been in my family since 1706 as my family traveled from Russia to Germany and finally to America it has been passed from eldest son to eldest son for generations. It reminds me of my background and those I represent. These items are material though If it came down to life of anyone and these items life will always win.

Artist: Jackson Pollock Date: 1947 Link: Reflection of the big dipper

Formal Analysis: The work is random splatters of paint across a canvas. Your eyes are drawn to the center of the painting by the bright blue shape in the center, you then see hints of yellow and orange surrounding the center giving suggestions of an organic form that you can never make out. The contrast of the bright blue, yellow, and orange to the black adds layers of texture to the painting. The black lines are almost straight showing some non organic form to the painting.

Contextual Analysis: During this time abstract and expressionism was starting and Pollock is considered one of the first. He was painting during the depression so he struggled to make money and relied on government programs for funding.

Psychological Analysis: Jackson Pollock continued to strive to gain attention his whole life he never got as a child, from his alcoholic father and his mother who was busy raising his bothers and sisters. He struggled his whole with Alcoholism himself and eventually died because of it. This painting was created during his drip period when he struggled to identify his quality work. He also was struggling to keep his marriage together.

Biography.com Editors.  Jackson Pollock Biography . The Biography.com website, January 28, 2015 , Paul Jackson Pollock Bio. Accessed 26 Feb 2017.

This work makes no sense at all to me, the big dipper is a constellation of stars that looks like a dipper. This painting does not even have a shape of a dipper. Maybe the title ‘reflection of the big dipper’ is referring to something else like the tool he used to create this painting. Maybe he used the biggest dipper he had in his kitchen to scope paint out and fling it at the canvas. I believe this painting is about nothing, it is free form created by the artist with no purpose. I do not like this work because it has no intellectual value. I do not see anything in it.

On the other hand people may find this work interesting because of its free form look. To them they may see the big dipper as Pollock was trying to express it. Maybe the randomness of the lines lets the viewer search and find there own meaning in the painting. Maybe others think this is how Pollock saw the big dipper and they now have insight into the artist mind. This allowed them to view what he felt while looking at the big dipper. My opinion still stands I still dislike this painting I still believe it shows nothing and is just some random paint thrown at a canvas.

Eiffel Tower

1.  Title: The Eiffel Tower Struck by Lightning Artist: Gabriel Loppé Date: 1902 Link: Eiffel Tower 1

The Eiffel Tower Struck by Lightning is an example of Representational imagery because it shows in detail the Eiffel Tower as it stands  which is less Abstract than the next work because of the perspective of the image.

2. Title: Eiffel Tower  Artist: Marcin Stawiarz Date: 2016 Link: Eiffel tower 2

Eiffel tower by Marcin is an example of Representational imagery and is more Abstract than the previous work of art because of  exasperated view causing disproportion of the structure and less Abstract than the next work because of realistic detail and colors. 

3.Title: Magique Eiffel Artist: Kaly Date: 2016 Link: Eiffel Tower 3

Magique Eiffel by Kaly is an example of Abstract imagery and is more Abstract than the previous work of art because of coloring and angles at which the tower is at and less abstract than the next work because of realistic view of the tower from street level.

4. Title: Eiffel Tower Artist: Robert Delaunay Date: 1924-1926 Link: Eiffel Tower 4

Eiffel tower by Robert Delaunay is an example of Abstract imagery and is more Abstract than the previous work of art because of the use of solid colors and blocks to create the image of the Eiffel tower and less Non Objective than the next work because of identifiable image created. 

5. Title: Eiffel Tower Artist: Diego Rivera Date: 1914 Link: Eiffel Tower 5

Eiffel Tower by Diego Rivera is an example of abstract imagery and is more Abstract than the previous work of art because of less identifiable image and less Non objective than the next work because of the easier to see image of the Eiffel Tower.

6. Title: Shadow of the Eiffel Tower Artist: Erwin Blumenfeld Date: 1938 Link: Eiffel Tower 6

Shadow of the Eiffel Tower is an example of Non objective imagery and is more non objective than the previous work of art because of the more obscure image given and less Non objective than the next work because of even though it is harder to see you still get the image of a tower.

7.Title: Windows Open Simultaneously (First Part, Third Motif) Artist: Robert Delaunay Date: 1912 Link: Eiffel Tower 7

Windows Open Simultaneously is an example of Non objective imagery and is more Non objective than the previous work of art because of the image of the tower has to be interpleaded in the mind. 

To the right. This is a piece of art I brought home with me for my wife when I was deployed on board a submarine. It was painted in Italy, this is a painting of the alley way where the painters shop was located. I interact with this painting everyday as it is hung in my living room. It reminds me of my navy days and the travels and experiences I had while in the navy. My first impression of this painting was how drab the artist painted everything and how dark the colors were. To me that alley way was bright and sunny and full of life and color. It made me wonder if this is how the artist saw that alley way. Maybe the artist was trying to say how alone he was in a place so full of people. The artist used Directional lines to guide yours eyes to the figures in the middle placing emphasis on the two. While looking at it though you see splashes of color from the flowers. These subordinations pull your attention to the ground creating a variety that draws your attention to how much larger the area is compared to the figures. the painting has a symmetry with the two massive walls on either side.

To the left. This is a picture I took of my wife while in high school together it was for a photography class we were taking together. We drove down Hwy 1 in California and stopped here for lunch and waited for the tide to go out so we could walk out on the tide pools. This picture sits on my desk at home it reminds me of all the time we spent together while going to through high school I look at it every day. I used black and white 35MM film to take this picture using aperture and exposure I was able to bring her into focus as the figure while the background is out of focus. This placed a lot of emphasis on her. My first impression of this picture is the concentration she has on the star fish while all the pictures concentration is on her. I used a exposure method to burn in her hand to make it brighter to draw your eye to what she is holding. The picture is very organic and with no symmetry to it. This is how I see her every day when she is around everything else is out of focus.

I personally define art as anything that makes you feel something. Such as when you look at a painting it makes you wonder and,  transports you into the artist frame of mind. I view machinery as art. It makes me wonder why the designer did what they did. While I view finger painting in museums as not being art because, I feel they lack intent.

http://bikeswallpapersmkhan.blogspot.com/2012/03/yamaha-vmax-wallpapers.html

This motorcycle is art because every piece was created with intent to convey power. The designer could have left the clutch cover without a pattern but they did not. It was created for people to enjoy and make them feel emotion.

To qualify as art for this class a piece must convey feeling and transform the ordinary, by adding human flare to make it unordinary.

My definition differs from the courses definition because that is art. What I see nothing in, someone else may see it representing some great explanation of the universe. Where I see a motorcycle as art some just see a loud means of transportation.

Beauty plays greatly in to what art is. If I don’t find beauty in something I rarely pay any attention to it as art.

Hello, My current major is Engineering I plan on transferring to Georgia Tech after I finish my associates degree. I plan on using my degree to advanced my job from supervisor to Manager. I took one photography class in high school not because I like photography but because I wanted to have a class with my girlfriend who is now my wife. I spend most of my time at work but when I am not at work I garden and read. I also enjoy building stuff in my past time.