The National Art Museum of Sweden

Which artworks made an impression?

Amor and Psyche, the sculpture by Johan Tobias Sergel probably had the biggest impact on me. At first I didn’t know what the sculpture made of marble stone represented, just that it was so unbelievably smooth and detailed that I wanted to reach out and feel the contours in it (of course I didn’t with guards nearby.) The first pictures I tool were of backsides and feet of the statue, simply admiring how such hard stone had turned into a life like flowing form with so much motion. I loved something about this statue before I knew the back story, but I’ll be  honest in saying it was the meaning of this piece and not necessarily the piece itself that I fell in love with. It’s a long mythical story, but I’ll sum up. Venus (the god) was jealous of this mortal (female figure shown) Psyche’s beauty. So Venus sent her son Amore (cupid-the male god in sculpture form) to make Psyche fall in love with the most hideous man. Instead of doing this Amore fell in love with Psyche, but made her promise to never look at his face (his divine beauty was to remain a secret). Psyche promised and they lived happily for a short while meeting only at night in the dark. Psyche’s sisters were jealous of her love and convinced her that her man may indeed be a monster. Psyche became worried and curious by this so she shone the lamp on his face one night while he slept. She was so startled by his divine beauty that she spilled some hot oil on his face and woke him (the lamp on the ground is a part of the sculpture). Amore was furious with her betrayal and lack of trust so he left never to return. This statue shows Psyche pleading with Amore to stay with her and begging for her forgiveness. Psyche was in love however and searched everywhere for Amore, finally asking the gods for help she was denied by all but one, Venus. Venus saw this as an opportunity to destroy this beautiful mortal princess so she gave Psyche a series of impossible tasks in return for help finding Amore. Psyche completed every task to Venus’s demise so Venus tricked her by making her next task put her into a coma when she completed it. At this point Jupiter intervened and consulted with the other gods to allow psyche to enter the immortal realm and become divine herself. They agreed, admiring her perseverance and passion for love, so she was turned immortal and a wedding was arranged for Amore and Psyche. Both the story behind and the unique details of this marble sculpture made it have an impact on me. (I even bought a little shopping bad with this picture on it because I liked it so much!)

Another impressionable piece was Rembrant Harmensz van Rijn’s “The Kitchen Maid.” The simplicity and unity in this piece were attractive to me. I love that he chose an “ordinary” girl for his subject. This painting was actually put in his window for 2 weeks and tricked people on the street into thinking it was a real girl gazing out of a window. Her look is really admirable and you wonder what she’s thinking. Rembrandts intention was to leave an impression, make people look harder and wonder who this girl is. This wasn’t a popular subject to paint in his day so I admire the originality and humor in the “joke” he played on the towns people.

Which artworks do I feel a connection with and why?

I made a connection with the painting “Sledding” by Bruno Liljefors (1882). This painting seemed familiar in a happy way, like a memory of mine or a dream that had been perfectly painted. The picture he paints reminds me of night sledding with the neighborhood as a child. I can bring myself back to the cold winter air and my soggy boots from too much fun in the snow. Lastly I can almost feel the warmth of the house he paints at the top of the hill. This painting reminds me of some of the pictures we have at our house too so that provides another connection.

Another work of art that I made a connection with was Nils Kreuger’s March Evening (1900). This piece stood out to me specifically because the beauty and movement shown gives me a similar experience to the first time I walked around Stockholm. I have never been abroad before and everything seems so much more beautiful, perhaps because of how much history it holds. I walked around in the evening (since they come so early here) and just admired the way these hundred year old buildings were complimented by the surrounding water that’s everywhere. This picture is very aesthetically pleasing to me because of the colors and pleasant feelings I associate with the subject.

Which pieces of artwork would I like to know more about and why?

Upon seeing Alexander Roslin’s The Lady with the Veil. The Artist’s Wife (1768) I instantly wanted to know more about it. Why was this woman covering half of her face with a veil? Was she hiding a scar or deformity? Her other eye shows past the veil, but only if you look closely, I wonder if this was her intention to hide or the artists? These questions were answered by activating the audio-tour description. The artist was criticized for painting a portrait of a man showing his ‘bad-eye’ (I am assuming wounded or deformed.) He painted this in retaliation. It is a picture of his wife and it was what I would call an old-fashioned ‘come-back’ as if to say “don’t tell me what to paint and what to hide.” I thought this was clever and the piece is certainly more admirable for it.

Another piece I wished to know more about was Jan Massy’s Venus Cytheria (exact date unknown 1509-1575). This is a massive painting that I could get really close to and inspect in the museum. After noticing certain things about the painting I wanted to know why certain things were placed in certain places. There is a translucent couple in the background, are they supposed to be ghosts? Her foot seems to have been erased and re-painted, was this a mistake or on purpose? What are the significance of each of the details? The audio-guide gave quite a lengthy explanation about this painting and every single thing in it does hold some sort of symbolic meaning which I appreciate. The couple in the background isn’t suppose to be transparent, but the paint has faded because the picture is so old, showing that the artist drew the couple in on top of the background (this indicated that they may not have been in his original plans.) The foot was moved to a different position by the artist, as well as her fingers on her left hand. The paint he used to correct his original design has worn with age revealing his initial placement. This was really unique to see in a painting and I’m glad there was so much information about it with the audio tour. 

1.     Discuss what you thought about creating your logo.

I was really excited about creating my logo because I have always been interested in graphic design. I am constantly doodling, I actually love doodling ‘logo-like’ sketches so this was fun. It required more of a thought process than my random scribbles but I like how much meaning this logo has to me now.

2.     Describe the process: creative thinking skills and ideas you used in the logo creation.

The first thing I did was think of the message that I wished to convey to the audience about myself. I thought of which values and aspects of my personality I could simplify into a logo. Sun was an obvious choice for me; it has been a symbol of who I am throughout my life. I associate the sun with a positive personality, moving past adversity, bringing joy to others, warmth, and happiness (just to name a few.) Secondly, I tried to narrow the most central parts of my life. My life as I know it so far has pretty much been centered around hockey (hence the sticks in the middle) and I knew I wanted to make this a central part of my logo without making it the entire logo. The number 16 also has significance because it the number I have shared with my dad my whole life, and a representation of how vital and supportive he has been in my life. I wanted the sun to display motion, as if it were moving forward and persevering through cloudy skies. Lastly I knew I wanted to include the trinity knot for many symbolic reasons. The symmetry in this knot attracted me as well as the meaning behind it. I am from Irish decent and my grandfather told me this knot stood for family, connection, sisterhood, love, peace, and unity. When the girls in our big Irish family turn 16 they receive claddagh rings, each unique to the girls personality. I received one with trinity knots (or sometimes referred to as aaron knots) instead of the traditional hands. This is when I learned some important lessons about family and love from my grandfather and a lot about my heritage. I chose to make the rays small in some areas not only to give the illusion of motion but to represent the growth and maturity I still have left to experience. Life to me is about learning, loving, and spreading as much ‘sunshine’ as you can on the way.

3.     What was the most important discovery you made in the creation of your logo?

I worked with a new medium during the making of my logo so I discovered some do’s and don’ts about working with watercolor pencils. I discovered too late that adding water means you cant go back and easily make areas darker with more colored pencil. I liked this medium because it was mess free but I hoped I could add more detail by using the pencils. I had to cut down my original map-out design because the lines were too thin for these particular pencils to create the clean and finished look I desired.

4.     What is the most important information you learned from watching the videos, powerpoint, and reading material  for this project? What is your opinion of the videos?

The brainstorming process was most important to learn about for me. I tend to run with a doodle in the direction it takes me, not in the direction I necessarily want it to go. Having a precise plan and sticking to it was frustrating at points but resulted in me getting almost exactly what I wanted out of my artwork. There is nothing wrong with doodling for fun but the reading material for this week taught me how to stay somewhat focused on a design. 

Art Exploration

1. Discuss what you thought about creating the Value Scale and Color Wheel. 

I have done these things before in art class in high school so I honestly didn't mind the idea of doing them again, if anything I was just bummed because all I had time for was the assigned task at hand and all I really wanted was to play around with the materials and paint something original. The materials were SUPER expensive in Sweden because I live in a small town where they only sell the best quality stuff (there must be some serious artists around here.) Long story short I have some overpriced but very nice new art supplies:)

2. Which media did you enjoy working with the best and why?

Paint, I love painting, the possibilities with color, the uniqueness in the color when it's self mixed, I love it all. Plus painting is fun. Plus the graphite stick I bought was a pain and required a utility knife to sharpen, and the charcoal stick I bought (or what I thought was a charcoal stick gathered from my limited knowledge in the Swedish language) actually required that you burn it yourself, and then use it... I didn't feel like starting any fires in my house-family's kitchen so I used the graphite stick. Also, I could only find a ruler in cm, not in. So the conversion part wasn't quite exact. 

3. What was the most important discovery in the creation of these studies?

You're proportions of magenta, cyan, and yellow need to be EXACT if you're not looking for a green-black or a blue-black. Finding a literal black was difficult and I'm not sure I actually achieved it. 

4. What is the most important information you learned from watching the videos for this project? 

The videos were okay. I didn't really refer to them much in the making of my color wheel and value scale. The one on the value scale was helpful but frustrating, the artist in that film is a pro and I couldn't make mine any where closed to refined as his but so it goes for beginners:) Also, it was a good thing my nine year old house brother watched with me, he stopped me before I painted yellow where orange was supposed to go, and then laughed at me. 

Elements and Principles Photography

This assignment was awesome for me because it gave me purpose when going out into Stockholm and taking pictures. I tried to remain focused on the element or principle at hand for each picture I took, so that my pictures would be obvious and intentional. Doing this while remaining creative however is easier said than done. It was easy to look at something and say “That would be perfect for my ‘space’ shot.” In fact it was so easy, that I had at least 5 pictures for almost every category. The problem is, with all of the beauty surrounding me and all of the opportunities I had to take what I would define as just an ‘interesting’ or ‘artistic’ photograph, I ended up with over 100 photos, and no definite categories for almost any of them.

Once the photos were in front of me on my computer I wrestled with which elements or principles suited them best! Colors turned out so vibrant in photos I had designated for shape, obvious rhythm appeared in photos meant for color, and distinctive lines appeared in photos meant for movement. I had to take some license as both the photographer and the observer in deciding the final labels for these pictures. This was a frustrating process, but I’m glad I went through it because it’s made me more aware and given depth to the composition of ‘interesting’ and ‘artistic’ photos. 

Even more frustrating was that my "organize" and "slideshow" features simply would NOT load after hours of trying, no exaggeration there. I tried everything, even "going pro" but that didn't work either. So this is the link to my album, which can be viewed as a slideshow. 

Album/Slideshow: Elements and Principles of Design in Photography

The Emotions of Color

1.     Describe Color and its effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.

Color profoundly effects our emotions. Though we may not be aware that different colors can evoke different moods, color actually influences our psychological and even physical sensations. Though the emotional effects of color are not an exact science and each individual responds personally there are existing trends. The “temperature” of a color can have a strong link to the emotion it can produce, for example “cool” colors inducing a calming effect and “hot” colors can indicate fear, anxiety, or despair (think of the reds used in Edvard Munch’s The Scream.)

2.     What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?

I am certainly most fascinated by the emotional and psychological aspects of color. Our brain is a mysterious and inexplicable control center. I am really interested in how “pink rooms” work in Jails. What about the color pink makes it such a calming color, when some people hate the color pink? Knowing that certain colors can affect the appetite is so intriguing to me because we always associate hunger with the biological need for food. Color playing a much bigger role in our lives than we realize really makes me think harder about the colors I have surrounding me each day.

3.     In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and its effects on emotions?

I was actually surprised about Van Gogh’s café painting. There is such strong emotion behind it, such anxiety and hatred towards the idea of “the café.” I never considered that the harsh and violent contrasts of his color choices were meant to evoke that feeling, but they do. I’m sure some people might appreciate bold colors or even prefer to surround themselves with them but I myself seem to agree with Van Gogh about them creating a sort of uncomfortable feeling.             
A perfect example, and what I thought of while I was watching this, is my room here in Sweden. I live with a host family so I get what I get but I can see now why I really despise my room here for some reason! The bed is painted a bright green (not ‘lime’ and not ‘john-deer’ but that disgusting place in between) and the blanket is a very bright (and very clashing) blue. These weren’t colors I would pick, but I didn’t consider that they might be the reason I don’t like being in my room. Then today I was shopping at IKEA and was really attracted to this deep purple blanket, normally I would chalk this up to me just “liking” the color purple. But when I stood with the blanket in hand and imagined it in my room a very calming, soothing image of my room appeared in my head. I pictured the green bed painted over, this purple blanket replacing the blue one, some candles lit, some nice throw pillows, and all of a sudden I wanted to be in my room! Returning to reality and the actual state of my room was saddening. The combination of what I learned this week and that little experience in IKEA have turned me into a believer, color really does have an effect on my mood.

The not so lovely colors in my room. 

4.     In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and its effects on emotions? 

I was most intrigued with Goya’s style of painting. He was a revolutionary, but his paintings didn’t only portray political meaning. He had this scary notion of the ‘monstrous consciousness’ that could really freak a viewer out. His dismal colors of dark reds, blacks, and grays animated the ‘within’ of humanity, the ‘real reality’, etc. His paintings actually produce an eerie feeling to me, an uncomfortable and scary truth that lies beneath the surface. He really forces the observer to question the human experience and as much as this bothers me, it fascinates me. Not because I question the darkness of humanity as he did, but because his paintings were so revered and he was hired by wealthy families and people admired his work! I know today anything goes, but it was surprising to me that his dark and dreary colors influenced even the seemingly most “naïve” of viewers. It was almost as if he was mocking the people he painted for, as if he knew how the colors and other aspects of his works would influence them but they had no idea. 

Module 2: Video Review

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

CARTA key concepts:

•  The human production of art is specialized for "inter-subjective" communication. Visual art is a nonverbal form of communication, and it's communicating an emotional state. 
• Art is not a happy accident or a series of "suspicious coincidences", but an actual science. 
• Differences in realism vs. the deliberate distortion to create a pleasing effect. (example was the narrow waist, wide hips, and stance of the Indian sculpture.)
• The concept of "Visual Aesthetics", rather than art. A list of appropriate laws was given with examples to help the audience understand why the brain reacts to different kinds of art in different ways. 

Philosophy of the arts key concepts:

• The evolution of aesthetics. This video takes us through the historical philosophy of art. The way it was defined, viewed, theorized, and how it has been an ever-changing thing even up until now. 
• It is argued what truly defines a work of art as beautiful. Does one need to be educated to properly view art? Are there rules to beauty? Is it scientific? Is the artist's intention the only thing that matters? and so on with these curiosities about the nature of what art is and how/why it effects us. 

2. Which philosopher's theroy on aesthetics do you feel is most important? Be sure to mention the philosphers name, era (time in history), and contribtion to the aesthetic theory in your response.

I feel that Immanuel Kant’s theory on aesthetics is most important, especially for his time in the 18^th century. He was strongly influenced by Baumgarden but developed his own influential theory that the aesthetic experience cannot be governed by moral law or any specific rules. His notion of the genius artist was really important because it leaves more ownership of the idea and overall credit to the creator. Kant’s ideas shaped romanticism and the importance of the artist. Kant’s theories continued to influence future theorists on notions such that you cannot teach someone to create a masterpiece. I’m glad that Kant’s ideas went on to influence further art education because it does take a trained eye to appreciate certain aspects of beauty, but the feeling one gets from experiencing has no rules or guidelines at all. Overall I agree with Kant’s views that the aesthetic experience should not be constrained by moral law and that there is no exact science to beauty. Judgment of the beautiful is not rule bound but judged on the feeling.

3. What do you think about Changeux and Ramachandran scientific view of aesthetics and art? What was the most interesting fact you discovered from each speakers lecture? 

• Changeaux touched base on how art (at least visual) art, is a nonverbal form of communication, and it's communicating an emotional state. This insinuates the intention of art and how the artist is meaning to provoke a certain kind of feeling. He set the stage for Ramachandran by talking about the processing of visual arts and what rules art must follow to be processed subjectively. The coolest part of his speech for me was the part on Subjectivity processing tests and familiarity of something making it "boring" to our brains. It was interesting to see that certain receptors fired when we see something new and that is a pleasant experience. I would love to learn more about this. One of the thoughts I had when he was speaking was something mentioned in the other video about technology somewhat making it harder for our aesthetic experience. With all of the images we now see daily (tv,movies,posters), rarely do we see something truly unique (our subconscious may recognize it if we don't) and because of this perhaps we are missing out on the most pleasant of aesthetic experiences. 
• Contributing to the intention of art, the second speaker Ramachandran elaborated on how art is not a happy accident or a series of "suspicious coincidences", but an actual science. I like how he first pointed out the difference in realism vs. the deliberate distortion on the Indian sculpture. It really made me look at picasso's extreme version of distortion and other similar peices in a different light. Understanding the intention actually makes me appreciate the art itself a little bit more. The concept of "Visual Aesthetics", rather than art was also a really interesting concept to me. His list of laws and examples helped me understand the science behind my admiration for certain kinds of art. I appreciated his argument that the aesthetic experience is neurological, and not necessarily based on opinion. It made me wonder however; even though certain laws in visual aesthetics have scientific evidence proving a pleasurable effect, such as peak and shift, what about the minority? The group of people who look at the same piece and find it discomforting, are their brains wired wrong? I know he didn't declare it an exact science but there has to be a certain amount of subjectivity involved as well, no? I also wondered at the end why he showed the King Kay picture and called it hideous and "kitsch." I agree it's not the most original or inspriring peice but I missed his point on why that painting didn't neurologically accomplish what the monet could. 

4. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

Both of the videos, as well as the text, focused a strong curiosity on why art gives the reaction it does, and what makes art, art. They all use the Chauvet paintings as proof of creativity and aesthetic awareness long before our recorded time. The evolution and history of art given in the Philosophy of Art video and the text help us understand the grounds for Ramachandran's neurological and scientific arguments. A trend I noticed in both the videos and the text is that art is an ever-evolving subject matter. It appears to me that boththroughout history and in our present day that the definition of what constittues art and the reason for its aesthetically pleasing effect has remained a mysterty. Even putting science behind why certain images please us doesn't explain 

5. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics in your reading?

I liked both of the films, even with Changeux's accent being really difficult to understand. I liked how neurology was added into the mix of what we've been examining because it gives some ground to stand on. Scientific "evidence" (I use quotes for argument's sake) always adds depth to a topic because it makes theories stronger, more feasible.  Giving examples with this science was even better because neurological science isn't something that's necessarily easy to 'wrap you're head around'. The only components that the videos lacked were a deeper exploration of creativity in the artist. The book really had us examining the qualities of a creative person, what constitutes as creativity, etc. I liked this topic and would have liked to hear more about it.