Module 12 video discussion

1.      Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I chose the two videos I watched because I thought they would be interesting to learn about.

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

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the ’50s and ’60s: Abstract Expressionism was born from a joining of attitudes in American art and European avant-garde art. Abstract art is compared to figurative art. Klines uses shapes that show emotions. Uses of action painting reveals a process of constant discovery and brings us into a place of color and form. John's paintings undermine our assumptions and make us think. He seeks to make his common subjects visually seductive. Warhol and Rauschenber become art icons of the 60s by creating the path for pop artists in the use of everyday objects.

Isamu Noguchi: The Sculpture of Spaces: Noguchi creates sculpture gardens to "humanize space and sculpture." Noguchi's childhood holds many clues to his interest in sculpture. Young Noguchi is plagued by poverty. To make a living, he sculpts heads, including the head of Martha Graham. In 1980, Isamu Noguchi is commissioned to redesign Miami's Bayfront Park. A retrospective of his sculptures reveals his artistic versatility and vision. He experiments with different media such as water to create a new manifestation of an approach to sculpture. He explains the relationship between a human and the sculpture he or she observes. 

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

The videos relate to the reading in the text because the reading and video refer to Abstract expressionists, and the creative powers of the unconscious and its technique of automatism as a way to tap into the many sources of Surrealism. Also the videos relate to how western ideas about art were taken up and adapted by many cultures like Japan.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

The videos were helpful because it helped add depth to my understanding of the artists and how the used their art to send messages, also how ideas about art were adapted into different cultures.