Although you have been asked to post to our blog and respond to your peers postings, much of your instruction this semester will occur through postings I make to our blog. Please carefully read what I post and access all of the links as they will contain content and examples NOT covered in our books.
When individuals undergo training in the visual arts, they begin their education by looking at the elements of design - layout, shape, color, line, contrast - and how they affect the viewer's perception. Design students are trained to use the tools of their trade to communicate visually in much the same way that prospective authors are trained to use words to communicate in writing. Despite their training in the formal elements of art making, much of the artist's education happens in the real world by observing people, events, and places. This week, we are going to examine the work of Romare Bearden, an American artist who lived and worked in Harlem.
Bearden worked in a variety of media - printmaking, painting, and collage - and was considered a multimedia artist. The term "multimedia" as we know it today was borrowed from the art world and referred to any artist who used several media to create a single piece of art. Bearden created his collages by combining cut paper, paint, photographs, marker, pencil, and pen and ink. Although he created his layers manually by cutting, layering, and pasting different elements, you will able to emulate his methods in Adobe Photoshop by employing the software's different tools and working in layers.
Please look carefully at Bearden's work. Notice the way he used color, shape, photographs, and page layout to communicate his ideas and make statements about his world. The link below, Guided Tour, provides a short video description of his work, "The Block." Please watch the video and pay careful attention to the analysis of the work.
- What are your thoughts about the way Bearden combines photos, color, and shape in his multimedia pieces?
- How do you foresee using these ideas and practices in your own work?
- What do Bearden's images say about his world?
- How can an understanding of art inform the images you use in instructional design?
- Why do you think I am asking you to look at this artist's work?
1) As far as artistic ability I think it shows amazing creativity and originality.
ReplyDelete2) To be more creative. Not just photoshop. PPT. Clip Art. GoogleImages, etc
3) He is more of a "detailed" person.
4) We want any image we use in instructional design to convey meaning.
5) For us to think outside the box.
As far as educational purposes and directing the eye go though... my eyes went crazy trying to figure out what part of the picture to look at.
To be honest, I was not very interested in his work at first sight. As I read his biography and began to understand his style, I became more intrigued about his use of multimedia pieces.
ReplyDeleteDue to the fact that I do not feel I am a very creative person, I think that I am limiting myself. My first instinct is that I cannot be that creative to design something like Bearden’s work. I certainly need to tap into my suppressed creative side and see what I can pull out.
Bearden’s world is very broad across the spectrum of life and expresses value of humanity for all. This is something I can relate to as a person who cares deeply about others and desires to help those in need.
The understanding I am receiving from these Blog art lessons has been opening my creative side and helping me to understand how art and design can go hand in hand. I am beginning to feel more comfortable with my creative energy. I hope that by the end of this course, I will have shed my inhibitions to making an effort to try new things.
I believe you want us to understand the multiple facets of art and design that can easily go together in our work. I feel your attempt has been successful; at least as far as I am concerned.
I agree with Jackie—I was not initially a fan of this piece. I like the idea of multimedia, and use technique in some of my own creative pursuits. But the mixed media here feel too disjointed and their message too allegorical. The bold colors dominate the fixtures of the cityscape, but this, combined with the photo pieces, feels, for lack of a better word, creepy to me. But art contains deeper meaning than what is on the surface, and in some ways, Beardon’s juxtaposition of color, media, and shape forces the viewer to think beyond just a snapshot in time of a city block, and see the life and community beneath the surface.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this reinforces the fact that there is subtext behind all imagery. I need to be more aware of it, and use it to my advantage.
Bearden’s world was certainly not homogenous, and life behind closed doors is not always what one sees on the outside.
An appreciation for art history helps us to understand the context behind images, and gives us an insight into how art has been used to convey messages and culture.
I think the choice of Bearden, because it’s “different,” jars us a little. His work is striking and lends us new perspective and inspiration.
1. My initial thoughts were just so so on Beardon’s work. I liked how he combined all different media forms but could not really interpret his work. I do like that the colors jump out at you that your eye is drawn throughout his work. I enjoyed listening to the analysis of his Harlem piece and liked hearing the stories about what each building was actually representing. I would never have guessed there was a funeral going on or that the mouse trap was a window shade!
ReplyDelete2. As for my own work, I am not too sure yet how I will use these ideas and practices in my own work. I do know that I would like to make my work unique and serve as some form of representation. However, I think that Beardon’s work is extremely abstract and does not convey a solid image to its viewer. We have to create media which explains about a graduate program so it would be hard to be as extreme as Beardon in creating this type of work!
3. I think that Beardon’s images show the world as he views it. He creates images which can be interpreted in many ways as life is interpreted in many ways for people. I think his world is complex and every changing.
4. I think understanding art gives meaning to the art work. If I were going to select a photo or a specific shape and wanted it to convey a particular message I would have to make sure whatever I selected gave the right image or message.
5. I think you are asking us to look at Beardon’s work because it is outside the box. His work is not cut and dry and asks you to look deeper and analyze what you see. It draws the viewer in because you cannot take it all in, in one glance.
1. I think that in the time period which Beardon was working greatly influenced his work. Being able to easily combine things like photos and lithographs was innovative and fresh. Today, in a world where images are slapped together in seconds on computers and we rarely expect things to be hand crafted this may be a little more difficult to appreciate. I think that Beardon's use of "pieces" is a wonderful display of his world, a world which may not always seem to fit together close up, but is still recognizable. I also think that collages are a great way to create visual tensions to keep a viewer moving through a piece.
ReplyDelete2. As far as my work goes, I am a huge fan of how Beardon works. I love bright colors, creating disjointed images, creating tension by putting things like the bright colors and religious undertones next to the harsher realities of life.
3. In this particular piece I think that Beardon uses the theme of windows very well. Like Devri said being able to look in on someones "true" life. I also think the contrast of bright blocks of color and black and white photo creates a strong tension that was probable felt on that black.
4. Although most artists are trained to create art, there is something that is truly natural, organic and innate about art. I think that this quality become crucial when understanding any piece. Figuring out how we innately look at a piece of art and try to understand, and why we "like" or "dislike" it can be a great insight into how we can create stronger instructional visual.
5. Sometimes when we a submersed in a certain world (scholarship, work etc.) art becomes a reminder of other worlds that are out there. Looking a Beardon's work, or any art work is a great way to boost creativity and get a chance to see the world through someone else's eyes.
1. At first it did not look very clean so I wasn’t very interested in his work. From a creative perspective, I thought it was very creative. At first it looks like a kid has done it, and I thought to myself “oh I could’ve done that”. It turns out Bearden was the creative one and not me.
ReplyDelete2. I think I need to let my imagination fly and don’t be scare of the outcome. I need to be more creative and go for crazy ideas.
3. His images reflect that he leaves in a chaotic world. But I guess that’s real life when you look outside a window and analyze what’s happening around you.
4. Because you learn proportions, color use, and different techniques to make your art piece better.
5.Because you want to show us the many crazy things that are out there and encourage us is to be creative. Also to show us that even though we are adults and are educated we can create art that looks like a little kid did it.