Module 5: Project #2

 Burchfield Penney Art Gallery

A.) The Spooning Chairs by Wendell Castle created in 2002 made an impression on me because it is one black chair and one white chair spooning each other in a comfortable setting.  This artwork symbolizes the love between a biracial couple so peacefully.  I loved this because it is relevant to our time.  We now live in a world were it is mostly perceived as normal for different races to be in love.

Another artwork that made an impression on me was The Four Food Groups created by John McQueen in 2006.  The entire piece was done with hot glue, sticks, zip ties, and string and stood about five feet tall.  Although it symbolizes how plants have consumed the wastelands of the industrial age, the most impressive part was the choice of media.

B.) I feel the most connection with the artwork called Afternoon Wind, Created by Charles E. Burchfield in 1964.  This is because the painting reminds me of heaven and my grandmother just passed away recently.  She was the first thing I thought of when I looked at the painting because of the sunlight peeking through the darker clouds.

Another artwork I felt connection with was created by William Ehrich in 1942 named Horror.  This was a wood carving of a person holding its head with the face of fear and agony.  Although I am not going through anything compared to when this piece was created, I have been experiencing a sense of anxiousness all week over an assignment that is due in one of my classes. 

C.) One work of art I would like to know more about is the Mother with Children Sketch by Charles Cary Rumsey.  This piece was a gift from Mrs. Charles C. Rumsey in 2007.  I would like to know what her message was and why she presented it to her husband.  Was she trying to explain the hardships of being a mother?

Another piece I would like to know more about was created by Hannah Samuels in 1948 named Group.  This was a wood carving that looked like three people hugging and holding onto one another for support.  One of the individuals seemed smaller than the other two almost like two parents protecting their child.  I am interested and would like to know more about this artist life and background.

How Art Made the World Part 1: More Human than Human

The most interesting fact I learned from the video was that the figures of the woman body from 25,000 years ago looked the way they did because our ancestors brains responded to particular parts of the body. The woman's breasts and stomach were exaggerated because fertility was highly desirable back then. Other parts of the body such as the face and arms were completely ignored and left out. This is really interesting because now days a desired body type would never be big breast and a big stomach. That would resemble someone who is fat in today's world which is highly unfavorable. Our modern world is dominated by images of unrealistic bodies. These pictures are everywhere we look. On tv, in magazines and advertisements. The modern day body image is very different from our ancestors and this is because there has been a shift in what is desirable and what the ideal body should look like. The problem is that the ideal body image is so unrealistic that no one will ever be happy or satisfied with the way that they look because it is nearly impossible to get to that body goal image we portray.