Art History

1. Today, the 21st century, the young and the even the old have become so caught up in technology and what's "in" that the works of art from the past are slowly fading into nothing and bcoming meaningless to people. I believe we can learn a lot from these works, if only we took the time to even take a glimpse. For even a tiny glimpse could spark interest. Not only can you learn abou the artist and the culture that surrounded him/her and what maybe even they were like, their personality, but you can learn a lot about yourself. A painting for instance, could represent exactly what you're feeling, it could say the things that you done know how to say. Art is a history that can be passed on from generation to generation and that's one thing I really like about this class. I like that Jan wants us to know who Picasso is, that she wants us to know how to tell the defference from Bache and Mozart. Art is proof that some things from the past are actually worth remembering and keeping around.
2. The web definition of the adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" says that it refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. And I guess that's how you could say it in more simple manner. But going into more detail, this saying  has so much truth to it, but no one would even know because it's juts a saying. People JUST say it all the time without knowing exactly what they are saying. A painting, for example, could have the name A Dancer, but the painting probably desnt even portray a dancer. Or maybe it does, there's just so much more meaning, a bigger story to it than the title is giving it credit for. Just a picture of a flower could control how someone feels, how they think, and maybe, if they let it, change a person's life. No thing is ever as simple as it looks.
3. What can you do with a degree in art history? Anything! You ca become an art teacher, work in museums, art galleries, art journalism, art law! The possibilities are endless. I asked my dad this question and he told me that someone getting a degree in art hiistory is probably wasting their time because art is a rediculous thing to want to persue a career in. I had to just walk away from him since I myself am an artist, I was kind of offended. Art is just a three letter word, but it's got so much to offer the world, no one even knows! I believe art has the power to change the world and it has already begun to do just that.
5. I am very interested in all of the arts! There's not one I want to learn more about just because it all has captured my attention in a way I never thought it would. I never really had an eye for art until I came to SLSPA. It has opened my eyes to a lot of what the world is like, more than just working and  cell phones and trying to lose weight. Art is a beautiful thing and now I have an amazing opportuniy to learn more about it I'm taking it by the hand and learning as much as I possibly can! I hope to one day pass on what I have learned. It's amazing how much art can actually do besides sit on a canvas and be pretty.

How do you determine the value of a piece of art?

How do you determine how valuable a piece of art is actually worth? How much can a single painting actually mean? Before typing up this blog I watched a video from the University of Manitoba that somewhat answered these questions. He took the idea of two paintings, one being 300 years old. Some people would say the older one is more valuable, that they'd prefer to see that one over the copy. I think that in a way, that is true. Considering all the artistic properties that the copy doesn't have, such as riginality, the copy will never be able to accumlate the same properties simply because it is just a copy. Yes, newer is nice and it's refreshing, but new also can be taking what has already been done and recreating it just so it's more "in the now." The idea has already been used in the past so why? Why try to recreate something already so valuable? An older piece of art WOULD be more valuable, I believe, because it was more of a truth to it. There's a lot more meaning to an original than a copy because it made more sense to what the time period was, what the artist was about, and the culture that surrounded them. A copy has no story except that it's a copy.

My Sonnet

Pretending I can't see so I must be blind
Trying not to speak so I must be mute
Extremely lost and left behind
Who I am is not yet absolute
I stand here in the pouring rain
And fall down to my knees
Held down by a ball and chain
Answer my questions, please
A light will shine
I have that faith
I walk this line
With my hands over my face
Just smile on through
Now that I can do