Frida Kahlo

One of the class's longest projects, artist film, which I originally chose to watch a documentary about Andy Warhol, I had to change my plan for some reasons. Well, the length of Warhol documentary is quite long about 4hr, it wasn't really matter though, I honestly felt little depressed while I was watching that film. Even though, it is just a film, my weakness appeared again, I can  not watch depressive films.

For that, I was looking for a new film to watch and since the review from my classmates was great about Frida, I decided to watch it.

Frist my impression, I can not just express with those words 'good, awesome, great, etc' 

this film is the one that I've been looking for, that is real touchable, emotional, understandable..

I would love to say she is an artist that we need to learn from, not only because of her artistic skills, but also her way of thinking, the attitude towards life, the confidence as a woman, also the modesty as an artist.

In her life, there are numbers of horrible situations that nornally people would give up on everything, but everytime, when she gets bad things, she wakes up again and become stronger. She was a person who never blamed on anyone else, and never cried out in front of people. 

The fact that I respect most about Frida is she never stopped drawing no matter what happened in her life.

When she got an accident so she could not even move half of her body, when she lost her baby, when her relationship went bad. She expressed all her emotions on her paintings.

Most of her works, we can see her portraits, the film explains well enough to understand what the reason is.

First time, she had to draw pictures without moving on the bed while she's laying down. She could see herself through the mirror on the ceiling that was the start, then when she got several reasonable pains afterwards, she expressed her emotions on the pictures, on that progress she could put herself into the picture. I'm guessing, that's why the reason people can feel her feelings through her pictures.

At the very last part of the film, when Frida became very famous as a painter, she got an exhibition and her body got the worst condition that she could not move again. Nevertheless, she came to the exhibition laying her body on her bed, the scene just made me cry. The passion and mental strangh, I'm wondering what can be more beautiful than that. The film Frida, I totally recommend to everyone, it is a real worthwhile film. 

Art-making Activity

HOPE

Used wire, recycled boxes, glue cap, paper tapes, wooden stools, smile sticker

Since I've visited Alexander Calde's exhibition at MAC, the project that I got from the fieldtrip; Art making activity with one chosen object + 4 other objects.

I've chose the wooden stools and I thought of wheels. I tried to create a car, but I had problem of lacking wheels. So I used glue caps only because it was the similar size with the stools. and I used little wire to make an antena and used the extra mini stool to make a spare wheel. The purpose of smiling face is because it is still happy eventhough it is made out of recycled meterials. 

MCA

Jason Middlebrook

Der Diagnostische Blick V, 1992

Oil on Canvas

'The title of a German phsicians' guide that feature images of

physical manifestation of various diseases and aliments, and

allows doctors to better recognize those symptoms in their patients.

It was my second visit to the Museum of Comtemporary Art, the first time was last year during the very cold winter time, and this time with my dear art appreciation class. There were various projects going on that day, first floor which we focused mostly, one room, there was Alexander Calder's exhibition and the other room, many different comtemporary artists' exhibition. Calder's work was basically showing us variety of creative mobile works. Among all, I could see shapes of animal, insect, fish, etc. The point that I got from his work was that this artist is very attracted by the motional fact of mobile. When I think about mobile, the first thing that I can think is the line works. Several lines are connected to shapes stably. Also Cader's work showed me the composition of whole figure and the spacing. And expressing living things as mobile which has motional effect, it was much better to show audience about the  characteristics. On the other hand, in the second room which I liked better, for I like something various. I could see several artists' different style of art works, but the one that I liked the most was the works from Jason Middlebrook.

"How much thought and consideration goes into our devision"

Above those two pictures shows his speciality very well. He used natural wood's shape, pattern, and variety of colors on this art works. When I used to draw a lot, I drew a lot of natural stuff, like tree, bird, various kinds of plant, and the sky. His work, reminded me the works that I did years ago.

 Yet, unlike I used pastel colors, Jason used acrylic colors to express the natural beauty and it shows very strong clear shapes and the tangibleness.

On the forth floor, I could find the European artist Luc Tuymans exhibition. Like the photo above, his works has very light pastel tone colors which makes me feel like looking at old films. His color works are very light, so I was thinking it must be water colors, but it was acrylic. Even though, he used this shallow tones, it express enough amount of shades, the weight of masses.

As the MCA is at very convenient location, we should visit more often to help our life better.

Since the architectural design of MCA is so estetic to be in raining day, we should look through the window on a raining day.

Composing myself.

someone

9x12 traditional panel

acrylc color

Sometimes, I go to the art supply store 'Blick'. Nowadays my biggest interest at the place is the varied sort of canvases. I've purchased a few little portable canvases, but my laziness put them away for awhile.
This afternoon, somehow, I felt complicated, anxious.. needed to compose myself. started drawing after a long while. well - there is a cute man. wanted to share with the artists!

Chicago Artists' month

Monument with Standing Beast
- Jean DuBuffet



Picasso's Chicago
- Pablo Picasso



Four Seasons
- Marc Chagall



Crown Fountain
- Jaume Plensa




Cloud Gate
- Anish Kapoor

"How many great public art works in Chicago Loop?"

My first self-audio tour was pretty cool. I would say it was a new experience for myself, because I am kind of person who really ignores what the experts or gallerians explain about art works. Everytime when I go to exhibitions, museums, art galleries there are always someone who try to teach(?) us. But, my point of view, "How do you know?" this question occurs in my brain all the time. What I mean by this, our great artists are mostly dead, at least those who have pictures in great great museums. Although the historians, and all kinds of experts studied every day and night about the art, how do we or they know that is true or not unless we talk to the real artist? There is no clue that what they explain is right or not. My introduction got pretty long, for I wanted to say why it was different experience for me. The self-audio tour which gave me some (correct amount of ) information while I was exploring the works. I didn't have to only concentrate on what it was saying, but I could get help to understand in what process the work had made. For example, the Four Seasons by Chagall, I could have just seen and passed by, the audio tour, instead, made me to think of the process. Such as the meterials, the skill; mosaic, the year it had made; 1974, what the work try to express or tell; Chicago River in four different seasons, and how Chicagoan's are taking care of the work in improved environment.
This such a brief information contains only the important part of the information which helps you understand better. Especially, what I liked the most was that the audio didn't try to explain what the artist was thinking or the emotions that the artist had at that moments. If the audio had said this, I would be dissapointed again, but it was very useful. Among five different art works, I  would love to recommend the one called Picasso's Chicago by Pablo Picasso and of course with the audio listening. I've passed the art work very many times, neverthless I have never thought that It is a woman. The audio listening gave me a new look on that Picasso. After I listened the audio information, I could see that the sculpture is a woman. But, there is a very important tip that we should see the art work first and listen the audio and see the art work again. When we know the information first, our creativity or imagination can be shut. By seeing different times, it made me think in different ways and see the art work in different views. The side, front, back, down each point has different views and it made me more think about a woman's portrait. Unlike other works that I saw from the tour, Picasso's work has varied point of views in different angles. Basically, the tour made me appreciate of being in this great chicago environment and impressed by how the works exist in the loop invisibly. From now on, I should stop being lazy to recognize and explore the goodies in Chicago, and get all the benefits as much as I could! In some point, it even refreshes mind!