Claes Oldenburg

Claes Oldenburg was born on the 28th of  January 1929, he is an American sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. Oldenburg lives and works in New York.

In 1956, he moved to New York where he drew and painted while working as a clerk in the art libraries of Cooper-Union. He became interested in environmental art through Allan Kaprow and his "Happenings," and in 1959, had his first one-man show, held at the Judson Gallery, New York where he exhibited wood and newspaper sculpture and painted Paper-Mache objects.

In 1960, he created his first Pop-Art environments and Happenings in a mock store full of plaster objects. Beginning on 1965, he did colossal sized public sculpture such as pairs of scissors, ironing boards, and a typewriter eraser. "Lipstick" was the first to be executed and was placed outdoors on the Yale campus in 1969.
From the early 1970s Oldenburg concentrated almost exclusively on public commissions. His first public work, "Three-Way Plug" came on commission from Oberlin College with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. To me, Claes Oldenburg was accomplished a lot of things through his life.

Their first collaboration came when Oldenburg was commissioned to rework Trowel I, a 1971 sculpture of an oversize garden tool, for the grounds of the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, the Netherlands.  To me, Claes Oldenburg was accomplished a lot of things through his life. 

Fourth plinth

        

 

The Fourth Plinth is a plinth in Trafalgar Square in central London. It was originally intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV, but remained bare due to insufficient funds. For over 150 years the fate of the plinth was debated.

  

The fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square is an empty pedestal that has been empty since 1841.

For over 150 years the fate of the plinth was debated; in 1999, a sequence of three contemporary artworks to be displayed on the plinth were announced

In 1998, the Royal Society of Arts conceived the Fourth Plinth Project, which temporarily occupied the plinth with a succession of works commissioned from three contemporary artists. These were:

Mark Wallinger, who was born in chigwell, London at 1959.

Bill Woodrow, who was born on the 1st of November 1948 near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom.
 
And Rachel Whiteread, who was born in London, England on the 20th of April 1963.

The Royal Society of Arts late-1990s project concluded that it had been a success and "unanimously recommended that the plinth should continue to be used for an ongoing series of temporary works of art commissioned from leading national and international artists.
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For over 150 years the fate of the plinth was debated; in 1999, a sequence of three contemporary artworks to be displayed on the plinth were announced.

In my opinion I think even though it took quite a long time to decide what to put on the fourth plinth, it's really a good experience watching the fourth plinth



 

Christo and Jeanne claude

Christo was born at Casablanca, Morocco, on the 13th of June 1935. Jeanne-Claude was also born on the 13th of June 1935 but he was born in a place called Gabrovo, Bulgaria and died on the 18th of November 2009.  

Although their work in my opinion is visually impressive and often controversial as a result of its scale. The purpose of their art, they contend, is simply to create works of art or joy and beauty and to create new ways of seeing familiar landscapes.Both Christo and Jeanne is best known for producing enormous packaging projects: he wraps parks, buildings, and entire outdoor landscapes.

Christo has collaborated with his wife Jeanne-Claude for over 40 years on these projects. The two earn the huge amounts of money required to execute their monumental works by executing and then selling preparatory drawings to collectors and dealers. Christo  typically creates temporary wrappings generally lasting several weeks on a vast scale. Borrowing land, structures, and spaces used and built by the public. 

In Christo’s printed and three-dimensional work, Christo wraps an object, challenging the viewer to accurately remember the concealed object and giving it the notion of rarity because it is inaccessible.

Wrapping historic structures in silvery fabric and blue cable has become a famous tradition for Christo and Jeanne-Claude.


   

Evaluation - Fashion project

  
Usually, at first my thoughts on receiving the second assignment brief was quite interesting because I wanted to see where I’m developing from my first assignment. I collected some information from different artistic views and which I tried to explain in my own words. Some of the researches I took for e.g. Man Ray's Photography were monochrome colours, nearly every single image that he has produced are more focused on filter paper than any other.

At my fashion photography class, I found it quite difficult until I found out 3 minutes after my teacher explain to me what to do, the work I was given was to use the method on how to develop a film by using a agitator, the funnel top, the film reel and the developing tank and other various objects during the fashion class, also I tend to use a lot of work time.

I found that seeking and handling the information was quite difficult because when I needed to find the specific information for each one especially Gordon Parks, his work that he has done has mostly produced mono Photography, it took me quite a long time in the to gain more of the information I needed. I think that the elements of my research that inspired my designs were the line, shape and form in terms of photography that I done.

What I found difficult on my work is how I tried to put the cap, the agitation rod, the funnel top, the film reel and the developing tank in place with the following steps in terms of when I was loading the film inside a black bag which I couldn't see inside of.

In my opinion, my first thoughts on receiving this assignment, was complicated because I thought because I didn’t do as well as I thought on my first assignment but now I feel like I can do quite better on the second assignment that I just finished.

Each of my Individual work on this assignment especially in the lesson on the magazine cover when we had to design a stencil drawing on art deco and on art nouveau. In my opinion, this task has been unsuccessful.

 To be honest, before I didn't think my designs would be high quality, but then at the end, I was more than satisfied with some of my designs which I put more quality into. On the other hand, I do feel that I could have improve some of my work to a high standard like improving every single mistake that I have committed on the assignment on street fashion project, that way I would have earned more marks on my second assignment, instead I could be getting a grade that I'm really not expected to get from my teachers.  

Before we started our I was finding it difficult to pick my designs because some of them were simply not good enough, then I had to create better new magazine cover designs for my final piece. I planned out each of my designs and I picked out the best design on Photoshop. The techniques, process and materials I use to edit my scanned filter and create different colours using Hue and Saturation.

If I had Extra time, the changes that I would make would be to spend a lot on each task in my book at a time by producing quality not quantity. I just completed my work on time. to me, I think I rushed one of the sides which was the last side I did before finishing my second assignment.

Evaluation Writing

At first, I found it difficult about what I needed to do for the cube, but then I found it clear that I had to produce a six sided cube with the still life, self-portrait, Zentangles and three typographies. My first thoughts on receiving the assignments brief was quite interesting because I wanted to see where I’m at. I collected some information from different artistic views and I put it in my own words. Some of the researches I took for e.g. Van Gogh‘s drawings were line and tonal, sketches were contour and gestured lines, some of his paintings were cross hatch.

I found that seeking and handling the information was quite difficult because when I needed to find the specific information for each one especially Egon Schiele, his work that he has done has mostly produced mono drawings and mono paintings, it took me quite a long time to find some of the information I needed. I think that the elements of my research that inspired my designs were the shape and form and the colour of the line drawings and still life’s I done.

To be honest, before I didn't think my designs would be high quality, but then at the end, I was more than satisfied with some of my designs which I put more quality into. On the other hand, I do feel that I could have improve some of my work to a high standard like improving every single mistake that I have committed on each side of my cube, that way I would have got more marks on my assignment, instead It could be the other way round.                              

 

Before we started our I was finding it difficult to pick my designs because some of them were simply not good enough, then I had to create better new designs for my final piece. I planned out each of my designs and I picked out the best six drawings to put on each side of my cube. The techniques, process and materials I use are three primary colours and those three colours to produce secondary and tertiary colours by using acrylic paint.


I think during my time at GCSE (BTEC Art and Design Level 1), it was easier because if you didn't understand what you needed to do, you will be provided with a lot of help from your teachers. However, at the moment BTEC Art and design Level 3, it's much harder because there is a lot more work given to you by more than one teacher, mostly I have to work independently on my assignments that are given to me to do. 


Before when I couldn't come on Saturday to complete my work which Ieft me with one more day to go. On that point, I thought that I wasn't going to make the cube on time. On the last day, I managed to solve all my problems by finishing off the detail on each side of my cube, in a way that made me produce my assignment to a high standard.   


If I had Extra time, the changes that I would make would be to spend a lot on each side at a time. I just completed my work on time. to me, I think I rushed one of the sides which was the last side I did before finishing my cube.
  

 

 

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15 1452 and died on 2^nd May 1519, was an Italian polymath, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived.

Leonardo's early works begin with the Baptism of Christ painted in conjunction with Verrocchio. Two other paintings appear to date from his time at the workshop, both of which are Annunciations. In the 1480s Leonardo received two very important commissions and commenced another work which was also of ground-breaking importance in terms of composition. Two of the three were never finished, and the third took so long that it was subject to lengthy negotiations over completion and payment.

One of these paintings is that of St. Jerome in the Wilderness. Bortolon associates this picture with a difficult period of Leonardo's life, as evidenced in his diary: "I thought I was learning to live; I was only learning to die."

Although the painting is barely begun, the composition can be seen and it is very unusual. Jerome, as a penitent, occupies the middle of the picture, set on a slight diagonal and viewed somewhat from above. His kneeling form takes on a "trapezoid shape", with one arm stretched to the outer edge of the painting and his gaze looking in the opposite direction.

Among the works created by Leonardo in the 16th century is the small portrait known as the Mona Lisa or "la Gioconda", the laughing one? In the present era it is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Its fame rests, in particular, on the "elusive" smile on the woman's face, its mysterious quality brought about perhaps by the fact that the artist has subtly shadowed the corners of the mouth and eyes so that the exact nature of the smile cannot be determined. The shadowy quality for which the work is renowned came to be called "sfumato" or Leonardo's smoke.

Leonardo was not a prolific painter, but he was a most prolific draftsman, keeping journals full of small sketches and detailed drawings recording all manner of things that took his attention.

In my opinion Leonardo da Vinci was a successful painter, and with the famous painting called Mona Lisa, that inspired other future artists to design their own type.   

 

Egon Schiele

Egon Schiele was born on June 12, 1890 and died on October 31, 1918, he was an Austrian painter. Schiele was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century. His work is noted for its intensity and its raw sexuality, and the many self-portraits the artist produced, including naked self-portraits. The twisted body shapes and the expressive line that characterize Schiele's paintings and drawings mark the artist as an early exponent of Expressionism.

In his early years, Schiele was strongly influenced by Klimt and Kokoschka. Although imitations of their styles, particularly with the former, are noticeably visible in Schiele's first works, he soon evolved into his own distinctive style.

Schiele's earliest works between 1907 and 1909 contain strong similarities with those of Klimt, as well as influences from Art Nouveau. In 1910, Schiele began experimenting with nudes and within a year a definitive style featuring emaciated, sickly-coloured figures, often with strong sexual overtones. Schiele also began painting and drawing children.

Schiele's work grew more complex and thematic, and after his imprisonment in 1912 he dealt with themes such as death and rebirth, although female nudes remained his main output. During the war Schiele's paintings became larger and more detailed, when he had the time to produce them. His military service however gave him limited time, and much of his output consisted of linear drawings of scenery and military officers. Around this time Schiele also began experimenting with the theme of motherhood and family.

Some view Schiele's work as being grotesque, erotic, pornographic, or disturbing, focusing on sex, death, and discovery. He focused on portraits of others as well as himself. In his later years, while he still worked often with nudes, they were done in a more realist fashion. He also painted tributes to Van Gogh's Sunflowers as well as landscapes and still life’s.

Pablo Picasso

 

 

 

Pablo Picasso was born on the 25 October 1881 and died on the 8 April 1973; he was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright who spent most of his adult life in France. As one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, he was known for co-founding the Cubist movement.

Picasso demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent in his early years, painting in a realistic manner through his childhood and adolescence. During the first decade of the 20th century, his style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. His work is often categorized into periods. While the names of many of his later periods are debated, the most commonly accepted periods in his work are the Blue Period from the 1901 to the 1904, the Rose Period from 1904 to the 1906), the African-influenced Period from the 1907 to the 1909, Analytic Cubism from 1909 to the 1912, and Synthetic Cubism from the 1912 to the 1919.

Picasso's African-influenced Period on 1907 to the 1909 begins with the two figures on the right in his painting, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, which were inspired by African artefacts. Formal ideas developed during this period lead directly into the Cubist period that follows.

Analytic cubism from 1909 to the 1912 is a style of painting Picasso developed with Georges Braque using monochrome brownish and neutral colours. Both artists took apart objects and "analyzed" them in terms of their shapes. Picasso and Braque's paintings at this time share many similarities. Synthetic cubism from the 1912 to 1919, was a further development of the genre, in which cut paper fragments – often wallpaper or portions of newspaper pages – were pasted into compositions, marking the first use of collage in fine art.

In Paris, Picasso entertained a distinguished coterie of friends in the Montmartre and Montparnasse quarters, including Andre Breton, poet Guillaume Apollinaire, writer Alfred Jarry, and Gertrude Stein. Apollinaire was arrested on suspicion of stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911. Apollinaire pointed to his friend Picasso, who was also brought in for questioning, but both were later exonerated.

 

 

 

Van Gogh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His Life and his Work




· Van Gogh was born on the 30 March 1853, and died 29 July 1890; he was a Post-Impressionist painter of Dutch origin. Vincent was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, Van Gogh had had two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman.



· He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. The works of his early Dutch period are somber-toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is "The Potato Eaters" in 1885. In that year Van Gogh went to Antwerp, where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints. He is mostly known for painting and drawing.



· Van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin, and began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists. His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health.




· He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results. 
  In my opinion, I think that Van Gogh is a interesting artist that been in a lot of art exhibitions with his art work which made him more popular with his fantastic work.