Pat Lodge Professor Julie Hicks LBST 1105-H72 November 25, 2012 Final Reflection

Before this semester I had not fully indulged myself into different artistic expressions for quite a long time. In high school we were required at some point throughout the four years to take at least one elective class that fell under their category of visual or performing arts. I fulfilled this requirement my sophomore year when I decided to enroll in the introduction to photography class. At the time the school was still providing the materials for use of film photography. We learned how to properly take a film photograph and subsequently develop the film and prints. It was very interesting to learn the steps in print production and the multiple variables that come into play when attempting to create a clear image. On the other hand, though, the class seemed to lack the actual artistic expression. We were simply instructed to just go out and take pictures without really discussing the image being captured. Yes, we briefly covered the rule of thirds and other aesthetics of the image, but there was never any further acquisition of the inspiration behind it. I went on to take the advanced photography class my senior year, but the experience was greatly diminished by the switch to completely digital and, also, the instructor's lack of guidance or incentive. At the beginning of the semester I was looking at pieces of art in a very similar way that I used to in those introductory photography classes. I was looking simply at what the work was depicting and not looking deeper into what was being said within the paint on the canvas. This was because I rarely ever thought of art in such a manor. I always would merely take a glimpse

at a piece of art and quickly disregard it or maybe agree that it is visually striking. As we talked about the various different types of art in the beginning of the semester in started to dawn on me that there was a reason why I found such pieces to be striking with others I could not care for. It was the words within the piece that were reaching out and speaking to me that caused me to find it appealing. At the McColl center I could really tell that these words within the art were speaking to me. There were so many different types of artwork displayed in the beautiful building that once was a place of worship. Even some of the pieces that I did not even choose to specifically write about were so striking that I found myself pondering what the artist might have been thinking at the time of inception. Specifically the pencil drawings of a desolate world that may be soon to come were so intriguing how they were simply a paper posted on the wall and that the depiction even extended onto the wall around them. One of the pieces that I had choose to analyze was that of a sculpture called The Thrashers and the Entangled by Robyn Hasty. Upon writing my response for the McColl center I was so fascinated to find out that Hasty was actually a street artist as well, who had even done pieces in my hometown metropolis of Philadelphia. The sculpture itself incorporated various different materials such as glass, string, wood, and metal. It used different found objects that were placed together in a way that its message was belted throughout the room it was situated in, but for one of the first times I was allowing myself to hear it. The juxtaposition of a sickle that was ready to cut through the dangling glass pieces spoke of how an individual's aspirations are ever pressed by the conforms of our society. At the McColl center I was truly connected to the art in a way that I never have before when we were allowed to step into the studio of Joann Sieburg-Baker. Upon entering the room my spirit was instantly lifted by all of the bright and vibrant colors surrounding the workspace.

She went on to explain to us how she uses a special printer to produce her images not on a simply print, but on fabric canvases. She explained how she loved the colors that could be produced and the closer the images feel when not covered by a pane of glass. I felt the same thing as I became lost in a large photograph of a large bush and wide open foggy field named Windows, Venice. I was captured by the magnificent color that filled the frame and the wonderful textures that could be produced on the fabric prints. One of the best parts was that she began to specifically explain that the picture was taken at outside a house in that she has had the privilege of visiting multiple times on trips to Europe. Being able to listen to Sieburg talk about her experiences capturing some of the images and the reasons why she is so connected to them helped me on my journey to further connecting with art. Our visit to the Bechtler Museum of Modern art was the next big step for me as I delved into the thousands of possibilities that art encompasses. First of all, the building that housed the museum was like none that I have ever seen before and the spaces for the art within justly accented the brilliant pieces on display. Our guide to the group that I was in directly to the top floor were the largest galleries were found. In these rooms the works of Alberto Giacometti were on exhibit along with that of his brothers, Diego and Bruno, and father, Giovanni. I was struck be the soft and supple lines of one of Giovanni's paintings, Snowy Landscape. The entire painting was practically full of fluffy, white snow and it instantly brought me back to recent winters back home in New Jersey. The winter season was always a time of love and hate for me in high school, since it was the highly anticipated wrestling season for practically my whole family and I. I grew up my whole life wrestling ever since I was four years old in our neighboring town Riverside. The tradition started when my mother brought my oldest brother to sign up for a winter sport when he was young and he ultimately chose to wrestle. Along with my

other brothers, I then began to go to practices at a very young age since he was already going. Ever since then it was something that my family sort of revolved around during the season. So much so that my mother found herself as the head of the booster club during my entire high school career. As I stated in my response for the Bechtler, "the snow always will bring me back to a mental image of myself running down the sidewalk wearing at least four layers of clothes and on either side there are mounds of icy, hard snow half my height that has been collecting from all of the plowing and shoveling." The painting made this connection to my past without me even having to think about it and it was a soothing feeling to be brought back to all of these fond memories of my family being brought together by simply a sport. At the Bechtler I was also able to make a connection for the first time to a strongly modern piece of art, Fading Blue. I was not exactly a simple task, but I felt almost compelled to by how strongly I was drawn to the painting. I tried to use the name of the painting as a key source to the meaning behind the of the bold red strike through a large blue ring on the right side of the painting. The use of the word "fading" was what inspired me to view the entire image as a transition from a dark, sad place to a calm, moderate tan. The tan is may be always trying to obtain a pure, white color, but at the same time is content with its gentle appearance. This is something that I related to myself and how every person should go about acting. Not everyone can be perfect, but only be happy being as close to it as possible. The end of my journey in the course was at the Mint Museum were the door was opened to a extravagant array of different types of art. Many of the different pieces were striking and interesting, but I found some difficult to connect to. It was not until I happened upon Robert Weir's Picnic Along the Hudson that I found myself enthused by the beauty of a piece. From the moment I saw the image out of the corner of my eye there was no way that is was going to take a

further look at the painting . I find it almost comical now that I was so drawn to the painting since I went on to discover strong personal connections to the painting. Robert Weir was an art professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he even lived with his wife and children. I understand that many of the painters considered under the Hudson River School movement did not paint any specific view or image, but rather went out and observed so that they could return and incorporate the different aspects into their paintings. I do not know what it particularly was about the painting, but I feel as though Picnic Along the Hudson contained aspects specific to the West Point region of the Hudson. I could tell this since I had just recently been to West Point this past summer to drop off my younger brother for the beginning of his training prior to the start of the school year. After my reflection on the pieces of the Mint Museum I found it interesting that I continue to chose paintings or images of landscapes. I feel as though the roots of this come from the how I spent the majority of my time outside when growing up. My brothers and I were always out and about in the woods or by the creek encompassing our neighborhood. The old house that my family used to live in was, also, only one block away from the Delaware River. I remember how I would get lost in the docile movements of a large willow tree that sat just along the shore of the river. My late grandfather also loved to take walks along the river in different areas such as historic Riverton or Delanco's Hawk Island, a few adjacent towns to mine. I feel as though I have always had an appreciation for the beauty of the world around us and that has caused me to become so strongly attracted to the simplicity within the splendor of landscape paintings and photographs.