The Dependence Between Social Media and Design

             Social media, which is media that depends upon social interaction has recently become the best and cheapest marketing route for entrepreneurs, more specifically, designers.  Designers trying to break through and be noticed must find creative ways to get their name and work to the rest of the world.  Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter are among a few forms of social media which aid in marketing for these designers.  It would be apt to say that designers may depend on social media in some way.  I came across a blog with a blog titled, “How Design Impacts Social Media.”  It states that in order to achieve high traffic in a blog, the design of it must be thoughtfully planned out.  In other words blogs, another form of social media, depends on design.  Don’t you find it interesting that these two means of expression depend on each other to be successful?  In this particular blog it gives 8 ways that design influences social media users.  A couple “ways” include things such as first impression, and branding.  These both play a significant role in social media success, as well as design success.  I would have never known social media and design would have much in common but after reading this blog I have found the connection between the two, as well as their dependence on each other.

A New Appreciation of Comics as Art

          
             I never really understood what comics were. Growing up I was never interested in them but was exposed to them through my brother. All I associated with comics was colorful pictures of superheroes. I also made fun of my brother because I thought it was a dorky hobby. After reading McCloud’s Understanding Comics: the Invisible Art, my perceptions on comics has greatly changed. Comics really are more complex than what our ideologies say they are, such as childish. They allow the reader to be imaginative in their thinking as they read the comic, thus completing it. Other mediums don’t leave the gap for the reader to create their own stories within the story. Comics are art and should be accredit as such. A lot of time and effort is put into the creation of comics and it is unjust for them to go unnoticed simply because they are “just comics.” I’m glad that I am now informed of the true meaning behind comics which allows me to appreciate another thing in life rather than looking past it. I can’t say that reading comics will become a hobby, however when I see a comic strip in the newspaper I will read it and think further into what is in front of me. I hope that others who have never appreciated comics will have the chance to learn more about the mysterious and magical part of them.

Goethe Steals the Attention

             Painted by Tischbein in 1787, the Portrait of Goethe in the Roman Campagna has an established focal point, directing all of the attention to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  The focal point, Goethe himself, is emphasized by contrast and isolation.  Relating to contrast, the cream white smock stands out from the remaining dark elements, focusing the attention to the light form.  In relation to establishing the focal point by isolation, Goethe is the only human in sight among the ruins of ancient Rome.  If there were others lying beside him, he would no longer be the focal point.  In this painting however, he is.  The distance of objects in the painting also emphasizes the focal point.  Notice how Goethe is the largest object in the painting.  Tischbein wouldn’t dare paint him closer to the mountains because the mountains would be too large, stealing the attention away from Goethe.  Instead, the mountain was drawn further away so it would look small and dainty.  This would include the buildings in the background as well.  The focal point is also close to the left side which could potentially draw the viewer’s attention out of the picture.  However, Goethe’s head and eye contact looking to the right side of the painting keeps the attention in the picture.  Tischbein did an excellent job in keeping Goethe as the focal point while keeping the attention in the picture.

Styrofoam Sky

            

          
             Tara Donovan, a respected artist from Nyack, New York creates her large-scale masterpieces out of various every day materials. Scotch tape, Styrofoam cups, and drinking straws have all been a part of Donovan’s sculptures, which frequently have biomorphic qualities. Biomorphic art focuses on organic shapes with shapeless hints of the forms of biology, connecting with surrealism. As seen in Donovan’s work above, we can connect these Styrofoam cups with the softness and full appearance of the clouds in the sky. Working with such small materials and large canvas must be quite challenging. I would expect physical exhaustion upon completion of this sculpture. Donovan’s inspiration keeps her on track. Her source of inspiration is similar to that of Andy Goldsworthy and Jackson Pollock. The three of them respond to the materials as they work instead of controlling what the materials do. Donovan stated “she chooses the material before she decides what can be done with it (Wikipedia, June 20, 2009).” She also thinks in terms of the materials expanding. Her intention of her work is to mimic nature referring to the way things actually grow. Thus connecting to the expanding of the materials. Things start small and grow larger. She has a unique approach to design and for that she is noted as a truly innovative artist.

Is Less Really More?

             Modern art follows the trend that “less is more.”  This is in regards not only to art but also the amount of clothing one wears, makeup, weight, etc.  I am trying to decide is less really is more?  As far as makeup goes, I will agree that the more natural, the more beautiful.  The amount of clothing however, should not be reduced to the bare minimum.  It is not classy, only tacky.  Weight is a large issue in today’s society considering the large population has been battling with obesity.  In this case, less is more.  What about art?  Is simplicity the epitome of beautiful art?  I don’t believe so.  Simplicity can be beautiful art, yes, but being very detailed and dramatic can be beautiful as well.  Obviously it is possible to go over the top, but many of the old European Baroque works of art competes just as well.  Shown above are two examples, one is modern style and the other Baroque.  The modern art appears more abstract.  They are both equally as beautiful but quite frankly I am almost bored with the modern work.   Every one is entitled to their own opinion and many will argue Baroque is better while others prefer the modern art.  All in all, they are both products of time, feelings, and hard work.  They equally exemplify what design is.

The Ultimate Dream Catcher

             Today, we were to get into groups and create something out of materials each of us brought. Our source of inspiration…the materials we were working with. Our group had no idea what we were going to create prior to the final product. We just put things here and there and kept moving forward. It would most definitely be classified as abstract art. We called it, The Ultimate Dream Catcher. As seen above it is constructed of various everyday materials. We managed to make a hot air balloon out of a plastic carton, string, and a plastic grocery bag. Another portion of our creation appears similar to that of a squid, not realistically of course. We worked with the materials, responded to them. A famous artist has a source of inspiration similar to ours. Painter Jackson Pollock creates his art with lines. He “responds to the materials to express something rather than illustrate.” He has control over the paint, and nothing is an accident. Many say that good artists seek inspiration outside of themselves. Pollock claims that his source of inspiration is completely internal and isn’t found outside of himself; his feelings and emotions are his inspiration. However, Pollock responds to the materials, therefore the materials are his inspiration. In many cases, whether artists agree or not, inspiration is found outside oneself.

Claude Monet : Inspired by Inspiration

            Clause Monet, a founder of French impressionist painting, practiced the philosophy of expressing one’s perceptions before nature.  Born in Paris, Monet and his family moved to Normandy, where he attended Le Havre secondary school of the arts.  When Monet traveled to Paris to visit the Louvre, he noticed several painters copying the works of previous grand artists.  He decided that instead of conforming to such unoriginal artwork, he would instead sit somewhere and paint what he saw.  The image shown above, On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt, exemplifies this work of impressionist art that Monet practiced.  He literally sat at a window, observed what he saw, and painted just that.  His inspiration came from traveling to the Louvre in Paris, and his desire to be unique and original.  Inspiration can transpire from anything.  Traveling and viewing the world will open up an artist’s eyes and expand his imagination.  However, Monet wasn’t inspired by the physical view of the Louvre; he was inspired by what occurred there, the actions of those artists surrounding him.  It was after this inspiration to be original that Monet became inspired by the physical view of the world and those living in it.  I suppose we could say his inspiration transpired from his inspiration. 

A Rainbow: the ironic slippage

 A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. They take the form of a multicoloured arc, with red on the outer part of the arch and violet on the inner section of the arch. (Wikipedia, 2009)  In today’s society, when people see a rainbow, they think “gay”.  How did such slippage occur?  At what point did society decide to agree that a rainbow would suddenly symbolize homosexuals?  Growing up, rainbows were aesthetically pleasing to look at.  All of the vibrant colors captured the observers’ attention.  As from the image above, rainbows are now gay.  Homosexuals, in the eyes of many, are not aesthetically pleasing.  The meaning/representation of a rainbow has shifted from one extreme, to another.  From being completely innocent, to “utterly unreasonable,” society has allowed the true meaning of a rainbow, slip to the complete opposite.  What is even more ironic is that in religious beliefs, the rainbow is a promise from God that the terrestrial world will never be destroyed by flood again, as stated in the Bible.  It represents a sacred promise.  Many Christians believe that homosexuals will go to hell based on the word of the Bible.  This shows a large contrast between the light and dark side.  It’s just odd how this one image can have such drastic meanings and relationships.  What once was an icon is now a symbol.  This is bound to occur given that society has the ability to create their own meanings of images, so long as everyone else agrees. 

The Works of Cy Twombly

           

       Artist Cy Twombly exemplifies the Latin etymology of design through his works.  Signare is the Latin term used for design, meaning to mark, or mark making.  By analyzing Twombly’s work, including this piece shown above, Untitled (Rome), it is apparent that he uses non- iconic symbols, and drastic and distinct marks.  This artwork is elusive in that one can not positively say that this piece has a distinct meaning.  To construe the meaning of this art depends on how each individual perceives it.  Some question whether this is art.  Who is to say that this kindergarten work is art?  By definition art is the product of human creativity.  Therefore, this is in fact art.  One may not think a great amount of time and thought went into this project but who really knows how much effort was actually put into it?  The artwork seems as though it has unintentional markings.  Again, who is to say they were unintentional?  Maybe the point of those marks was to allow the perceivers to perceive the work in a different way the artist had wished for.  Twombly’s work is similar to the work of Ric, which I analyzed earlier.  Both artists make use of non- iconic symbols allowing our imaginations to be creative as we perceive their work.  Making aesthetic judgments on this form of abstract work will vary among individuals as everyone has different meanings of what beauty is to them.  That is what makes this abstract art so fascinating; it means something different to everyone.

Fell's Point Festival Baltimore, Maryland

http://www.RicFineArts.com

            This past weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to Baltimore, Maryland.  Luckily, the annual Fell's Point Festival happened to be there the same time I was.  Several artists had their art displayed for pleasure and purchase.  The work of Ric captured my attention over the other art showcased.  He uses bright, vibrant colors for his pieces to capture the beauty of the universe.  This piece, Peacock, among all the others in his collection is composed of unique shapes.  These abstract, non-iconic shapes and lines allow us to concur that this artist creates art in the range of "the picture plane," in accordance to the pictorial vocabulary of visual arts.  In this particular style, the odd shapes and colors aren't clearly representative of anything.  They are merely ink on paper.  This type of art allows the imagination of each individual to decide what it wants the piece to mean; to each their own.  As for Ric, it states on his website that his work represents spiritual reflection.  However, without an individual reading such information, they could have interpreted this artwork in a completely different way.  When I first set sight on Peacock and observed it, it appeared to me as people dancing in the wind.  I suppose my interpretation is in the general area of spiritual reflection.  By refusing formal training, Ric's art is absolutely one of a kind.