On Friday, April 27, 2018, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley opened Introspection. The exhibition, which displayed student work from the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, was held at the UTRGV Visual Arts Gallery in Edinburg, Texas; its opening reception took place between 6:00 PM and 9:00PM. The exhibition, which opened at the universities Visual Arts Building, showcased the work of artist Kristina L. Garcia titled “South Texas Bobcat Series”. Garcia’s work is a three-dimensional piece that was created in 2018.
There are definitive aspects to this work, including materials, textures, colors, and shapes. It is best described as a series of animal craniums or skulls manipulated with specific materials. Moreover, this artwork is best described
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as three-dimensional and sculptural piece. The materials used in this artwork include glass seed beads, bone, metals such as bronze, and Swarovski crystals. It appears that this art piece was crafted through the use of molding and casting. The craniums, some of which are encased in bronze, are beaded with glass seed beads. The colors that makeup this piece include different shades of brown, black, and gold; this consists of a much more earthy hues. Shapes are almost all organic in nature. Space is utilized, and lighting seems deliberate. In terms of texture, the craniums all range from smooth to rough at the touch; the embellishment of the skulls allows for a much bumpier surface. Some of the expressive qualities that can be found in the work include elegance and thoughtfulness.
The work relates to other ideas like life, death, and the organic nature of the earth. Similarly, it relates to events like growth, decay, and preservation in terms of biology. The use of skulls invites all kinds of interpretations to be considered and made about the artwork. For instance, there is a clear reference to the ideas of life and death. Similarly, there is a coherent connection between these ideas and the earth. This work could be trying to suggest that there is both an inherent richness to life and beauty in death; this is most indicated by the lustrous beading of the skulls. The jewelry-work makes the piece all that more attractive, allowing a viewer to admire something as odd as a skull. Evidently, nature plays a major role as an influence to the work. This work could invite viewers to question the morbid and anxiety-inducing nature of death that humanity often projects. It goes without saying that death, life, and skulls are heavily expressive topics throughout countless cultures and the human race as a whole. Similarly, there are deep historic and emotional ties to the ideas of death and returning oneself to the earth after …show more content…
passing. This piece is constructed in a deliberate way, as if the position and manner of the skulls were planned; for example, the artwork implies movement.
This quality can be noted because the jaws of the craniums are open wide as if the animal is in action. A major similarity throughout the work is the use of animal craniums; additionally, abundant beading is also present in more than one of the sculptural pieces. Moreover, there is a repetition in line work, specifically in the jaws. Continuity is present through the use of patterns and repeating colors. The subject of organic life intertwined with organic earth is suggested
clearly. The work is a success for many reasons. For example, the piece is highly successful in being both morbid and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. After one studies the work, the substance of the piece is neither plainly obvious nor entirely obscure; there is just enough room for the viewer to make suitable inferences without being misled. Some of the criteria that a viewer might use to judge this work include skill, technique, aesthetical purpose, and relevance. Moreover, technique and skill are both exceedingly present in the work. There is an obvious level of craftsmanship observable just by examining the meticulous amount of detail invested in the embellishing of the skulls. Although the ideas of life and death are used often in terms of artistic influence and inspiration, the artwork still manages to be original in its own way. It still maintains its originality because not only are the materials impactful, but the technique is instrumental to the success of the piece. In summarization, Kristina L. Garcia’s artwork “South Texas Bobcat Series” is successful in display and communication to its viewers. Space, lighting, and placement is all effectively executed, making the piece all that more efficient. Although using an often overdone piece of subject matter, the artwork allows itself to remain one-of-a-kind, intrepid, and candid. Elemental aspects like line, shape, color, and form are instrumental to the success of the work and it the reach of its message. The materials used are telling of what the work wishes to convey to its audience, and allows a viewer to understand an otherwise worrisome subject face-to-face. All three skulls complement one another well, as do the ideas that they present; in this way, an observer is able to form their own ideas about what they are looking at and what it means.
The sugar skull is obviously referring to the Mexican tradition called dia de los muertos. Dia de los muertos takes place during the end of october and the first of November. This celebration is an important holiday as it is considered a vital part of Mexican identity, and identity in which is a combination of mesoamerican rituals, European beliefs, and Spanish culture. Mesoamerican culture shared many of the same traditions when celebrating their ancestors. Dia de los muertos isn’t about the final resting place of the dead, but instead the beginning of a new journey. A journey to the Machlin, a final resting place for the souls. Due to Spanish colonization, death rituals were influenced by new laws and lifestyles. Spain and the catholic church made an lasting influence on the cultures of mesoamerica. Many of these influences were a cause of mass war and the bubonic plague. Life and death balanced together like right and wrong, good versus evil, eventually creating a general understanding that life and death, itself, is a cyclical journey. Europeans brought the idea of cemeteries to the indigenous people. Today there is evidence of this with sugar skulls and celebrations in the cemetery and homes. According to The Day of the Dead, Halloween, and the Quest for Mexican National Identity, Stanley Brandes
The colors used in this painting are a combination of bright and dark, giving a sense of professionalism and unconventional feel to the ambassadors and their backdrop. Their clothing is brittle and complete. The composition of this painting is mainly “stuffed” into the center column of the image with the ambassadors substituting walls marking the end of the items in the composition as well as forming an area that our eyes are tensed
Sculpturing is all about expression, as the image form has depth as well as width and height; three-dimensional display. Deborah's innovative and intellectual ideas are seen in the horse with its pose and energy; alert and ready to react to whatever comes its way. The form is organized to create the image; each branch represents a part of the horse's physique.
In the ancient Egyptian culture, the belief was that there was a life force and spirit inside of the body, known as the ‘Ka’. Therefore, mummification was performed as a ritual to preserve the physical features of the body as well as to protect its inner spirit, mainly to ensure that the ‘Ka’ could recognize the body where it may dwell in the eternal life. Thus, the funerary psychology of ancient Egyptians was that death did not bring an end to living, but instead was only an escape from the physical human life and a gateway to immortal being. Due to the fact that a being’s life span was short in ancient times, people’s main hopes rested in their afterlives, where they would be with the gods (Stockstad 121).
By means of this her work shows enamour for unusual remnants that the society saw as useless understood by their actions of discarding these and offers a new strongly held perspective that allows us to see into the perspective of the world from a different angle, that at time was not seen as a tradition.
The visual elements in this painting are shape, color and light. The shapes and contours of the mother and child are life like.
For the Formal Analysis Essay, the following artist and work of art to discuss is: Artemisia Gentileschi (Italian 1593-1653), Judith and Maidservant with the Head of the Holofernes, c. 1625, oil on canvas, approx. height: 72 1/2 x 55 3/4 inches. Detroit Institute of Arts. The following will mention the subject of the artwork, elements of design including: line, shape, and color. In addition, the principles of design will be discussed in termed of movement, emphasis, and balance.
The subject does not accurately depict the human anatomy. In fact, while studying this figure, one may notice that geometric shapes make up many of the limbs. For example, the artist uses ovals to represent the palm of the hands, the shoulders and the knees. The man's chest is in the form of squares with rounded edges and with perfect little white circles as nipples. This...
The painting’s canvas has been exploited perfectly. All the space on the canvas had been used. However, space was not used to create depth, and there was no layering or recession present. The painting does not feel that it has motion, apart from what it looks like the creatures eating from the tree of life. The eating motion was depicted by the posture of the creatures, with arms extending towards the plants – in the case of creatures – or beaks being wide open – in the case of birds. All these factors 'accord' the painting with a unique
Through the means of commemorating and remembering those of prestige and importance, tombs and sarcophagi are produced of these individuals. This funerary manner and distinctive burial practice was initiated Etruscan culture and it developed through the means of cremation and inhumation in earns. The concept of placing the remains of individuals in elaborate, thought out spaces was a valuable attribute of these people. The Etruscan objective of creating the best possible outcome in the afterlife dictated the way in which individuals ornamented and became portrayed in their tombs. Presen...
This piece is acrylic, oilstick, and spray paint on wood panel that is 186.1 centimeters in height and 125.1 centimeters in width. This piece features a human-like figure in the center that is mostly half red and half black. This figure has a gray head with one yellow eye and one light gray eye and above its head is a black halo. The background consists of patches of various colors such as light blue, black, dark red, light green, beige, turquoise, pink, and yellow. On the bottle left corner there is a figure drawn that looks like a fish and has a strip of mustard yellow painted through it. Also towards the bottom right of the artwork, there is some drawn on letters that almost look like words but are messily painted over with a desert sand color. This piece is my favorite because I find it aesthetically pleasing. There is a lot going on in this piece that makes looking at it genuinely interesting. The colors that Basquiat choses for the background go very well together and overall compliment the figure in the center. I like how incredibly expressive this piece is and it makes me want to buy a canvas and start painting that I desire. I also like how the human-like figure is drawn. One could see what looks like an outlined ribcage on the figure, which makes me believe that the head is actually a skull. Upon further research I learned that Basquiat was
The Boli figure (fig. 1) stands on four separate legs that all connect to the ground forming a stable connection to the earth for the Boli to rest without fear of falling over. The set legs of the Boli also show stillness within the piece. As an individuals gaze progresses upwards through the animalistic features found on a Boli it can be seen that the Boli has a hump at the top of the “back”. This hump can vary in size throughout different Bolis and can even slightly vary in placement amongst them as well. The Boli can be extremely vague in appearance lacking definition and precise features. This lack of definition can be explained from the Boli being a form of an alter. Dark brown mud can be seen on the outermost layer of the Boli displaying somewhat of a matte finish as the light reflects off the piece. Cracks of the Boli’s surface capture shadows creating more definitive line sporadically throughout the piece almost as if each crack is a lightning bolt...
In chapter six of the book, the pictorial imagery demonstrates a variety of art forms connoting its realism and diversity of the power of connecting to wealth in contradiction to the deprived in the western culture. The images used in this chapter relate to one another and state in the analogy the connection of realism that is depicted in social statues, landscapes, and portraiture, also present in the state of medium that was used to create this work of art. In fact, some of the works presented depict mythological paintings that resemble the transcending metaphysical matter of nature. Take for instance, the general aspect of the artwork presented in this chapter. They depict different social levels through the use of objects, emotions and various conditions.
The theme of death is present in many works of literature. It is given metaphors and cloaked with different meanings, yet it always represents an end. Every end signifies a new beginning, and every death gives rise to a new birth. Physical death “...is mere transformation, not destruction,” writes Ding Ming-Dao. “What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. What dies is only our human meaning” (49). Figuratively speaking, death symbolizes a change, an interruption or cessation of regular routine. In this sense, death can be viewed as a more positive occurrence, because change leads to new experience, which, in turn, leads to knowledge and a better understanding of life. The plays Othello and A Doll House both encompass the theme of death. While the former deals with physical death, the latter depicts a change, a transformation of a period of time and a way of life.
"Vanitas still life with portrait of a young painter " by David Bailly includes such objects as dying flowers, a skull, a painting of musician, musical instruments (recorder, conductor’s baton), statuary of a young, virile man and a young child, a portrait of another young man, and a clean palette hanging on the wall. The meaning behind these articles can be manifold, depending upon one’s point of view, but I think they are all important symbols of the passing nature of vitality and life itself. The flowers, once brilliant and lovely, are now withering in their vase. Music, represented by a man playing a lute in a portrait on the wall and by numerous music related items (a recorder, a conductor’s baton) is itself transient and elusive. Obviously a skull can represent death, but it can just as easily be a reminder of what remains behind. The clean palette hanging on the wall is evocative of a clear start, a new beginning, the option available to us all to begin again, before it’s too late!