Museum Visit

I visited the Canter Museum at Stanford in late April for the second time that I have ever been there. I went there last summer when we had family in town, it was interesting then and was interesting this time around as well. They still had the Rodin exhibit up and I really like some of his work, especially the one that I have mentioned previously, the Gates of Hell. I love looking at all the individual pictures within the Gates and analyzing the details of it. It's a pretty amazing piece of work.
When it comes to regular paintings, I'm a big fan of nature paintings, and I was able to find a few that I liked in the upstairs rooms, like the Europe and American sections. I really liked the paintings in those sections and it was lucky that when we got there there was a small guided tour going on so we listened in on what the instrustor had to say. I'm not sure how to insert the pictures directly below my typing, so they will show up on top again! It's the one scenic picture up there and it's entitled "Vesuvius from Polillipo by Moonlight" and it was really a beautiful piece of art. Another piece that caught my eye was yet another Rodin work, "Ugolino and his Sons." It was so sad and you could just see the pain projecting out of the statue.

We started out coming in from the very front and worked our way in a circle downstairs, finding some things we liked and some things we didn't. One part that was really cool, was the new exhibit with Leland Stanford's boy depicted as an owl and with pictures of the child and abstract paintings that surround the room. The room is also dimmed lighted which enhanced the effects of the great pictures surrounding you. It was supposed to represent his life after death I believe and it was really a neat little experience.
I didn't really enjoy the Pop to Present exhibit, except for the toilet piece that was by one of the entrances. I least I think it was that exhibit where that piece was. Either way, it was suggestive and disgusting with the colors that the artist used. It was an interesting idea...but wow. Very creative.
The Native American and African exhibits were interesting, but nothing really caught my eye. We hung around looking at the baskets for while though, my mother has great appreciation for those.
I'd forgotten how small this museum was and halfway through wished that we had driven to SF instead, but it's a good thing that Canter can always be a nice little adventure. Overall, it was a good trip. I learned a little more about Rodin which was neat and briefly about other exhibits as well.
Also, that standing wax figure of a man totally fooled me...again!! It did it last time when I wasn't prepared and I was prepared this time but still thought he was real from a distance!! Trickery and great art make a pretty interesting combination.

Blog #7

Assigment 7...Please do your blog on art and society ...what are your thoughts on the role of art in society? Give modern day examples to illustrate your points.

I think it depends on the type of art (if music is considered art then it has an outstanding role is society). It also depends on the society. Art can potentially play an important part, but it can also be put on the back burner. In the United States, music is probably the most popular art form, and it has a drastic effect on society. Music is absolutely everywhere! There are countless genres and venues as well as artists and radio stations. Not only is music popular for itself, but the people who create that music get publicized and that plays a huge part with the unwanted paparazzi and media that dominates pop culture.

However, it seems to me that in Europe, paintings and architecture are much more appreciated. I have never actually been to Europe, but I know that they have many well known museums with priceless pieces of art. Their society is much more accepting and successful in their art. Plus, most of the famous painters through history have come from somewhere in Europe!

Blog #5

This week's reading was that of Chapter 22 (743-764, 764-772, 793-800).
I found a lot of things to be interesting in this chapter, but the main thing that I wanted to pull out and talk about was the painting called "Entombment" by Caravaggio.
There are so many different styles of painting that have been portrayed throughout the years and I think that "Entombment" is a great example of those styles and people in general.

There are many styles and interpretations of the "Entombment" of Christ because artists over time have been recreating it. These different pieces help to distinguish between the different eras of art and help to define the society or thinking of that time as well. There have been many different artists who put their spin into this one event; Pontormo and Michelangelo to name a few.

This connects to people in general because it is the same happening told by different perspectives of people (through their art) and it just shows how different and complex people are. One event, like the entombment of Christ, caused many people to be effected and all in a new, different way. When something happens, every person takes something different with them from the experience. People are curious that way, you won't know how someone will feel until after the occurrence, or how they deal with it after the fact. That definitely holds true in our everyday life, people are consistently changing and evolving, and putting new spins on old things like history. It's just amazing how there are so many points of views and none have the potential to be wrong. These pictures just go to show that people interpret things drastically different than others.

Blog #3

Architecture has never been a subject that has intrigued me to a great extent, neither have sculptures. I found that I had a slightly difficult time reading this chapter, but it got easier as I kept reading and I can almost say that I enjoyed it! What a feat! There are actually some amazing structures out there that definitely deserve their recognition. Anyway, there was picture that really stood out to me, "Gates of Paradise" by Lorenzo Ghiberti, which is pictured above on the left. Now, looking at this picture, does this remind anyone else of something? When I first looked at it, I jumped right into thinking the "Gates of Hell" which was somewhat ironic I realize because it is named the exact opposite. However, there is a doorway figure called the "Gates of Hell" by Auguste Rodin that to me resembles "Gates of Paradise." This is pictured on the right.

I first saw "Gates of Hell" at Stanford for the Rodin collection and I was immediately intrigued. It is one of the most dark and moving peices of that has ever really had an affect on me. Now that I have seen "Gates of Paradise", rather, now that I know that there is a counter subject to Rodin's interpretation, I have many more questions. Did Rodin know about Ghiberti's gates and decide to show the opposite of "Paradise"? Did Rodin use Ghiberti's as inspiration or was he trying to complete some sort of cycle? In Ghiberti's you get a sense of paradise through the lavish gold that bring the pictures to life whereas Rodin uses only one shade of black to his figures. It is a great contrast to look at each and notice the differences and the similarities.

The "Gates of Hell" also greatly remind me of the story Dante's Inferno written by Dante Alighieri. Rodin's masterpiece is unbelieveably dark and sinister. If you see the pictures up close, many will have you churning. Some are very disturbing and realistic as well as very interpretational. Both pieces (the "Gates") are portrayed as doorways which that by itself causes stirring amoungst the masses.

The topic of these two figures I'm sure could go on and on. I'd be interested in researching it further, if I have the chance to do so.

Blog #2

The prompt for this week's blog is to connect something that we read to our everyday lives. I was able to make small personal connections within the chapter that I thought were interesting. When I was in the seventh grade, I actually did a report on Jan van Eyck, so I was somewhat excited to see him in this chapter. It helped that I already knew something about him and the era so that the material was not as foreign to me. It also helped that in my history class we were just talking about the 15th century in Europe therefore some of the names were familiar and backgrounds were as well.

I was not sure if we were supposed to make a connection to our everyday lives personally or more as a general everyday life so I did a brief synopsis on both. In a personal sense, I can relate to the struggle for women to be heard and recognized in their chosen society. In the 15th century it was the battle for women to join the artistic world. There are some aspects in my life where I am sometimes stereotyped for being a woman and find that occasionally I am not being heard. It is entirely frustrating and I can not imagine what those women in the past had to suffer through to accomplish what they did. Where as in a general sense, the religious aspects come to play. The 15th century art revolved around Christ and the church extensively even though the Catholic church at that point in time was under much scrutiny. In today's society, our art is not necessarily based upon our religious values, but life is. Unlike the 15th century, there are so many different religions that are practiced everyday and they are not shunned as they once were. Overall, the world has made dramatic changes but kept some distinct similarities, like the specific way to express oneself via "art." :)

Blog #1

Hello! My name is Kaitlin Rogers and I chose the following three pictures to represent me. I still agree with the saying that a picture says a thousand words so I decided to stick with the visuals!






I kind of like to see myself as a person of many colors and I must admit now that I have never really been a true
connoisseur of abstract art. Abstract art can either be completely
non-representational or based purely on opinion. Those were two extremes that I had a hard time accepting together. However, even with that said, I found this picture and others like it by the same author that I really liked right from the get go. It is a wonderful mix of colors and for me it seems like a vague overview of my personality. I go through stages of brightness, or happiness, and stages of depression which are the darker colors. The colors are not in any kind of specific design or pattern which is directly related to my emotions. All my emotions sometimes linger as well, which is shown in the wisps that the colors create as they fade out slowly into the background. I can see the remnants of a bird in the picture which reminded me of a phoenix, therefore allowing me to interpret this picture as a sort of renaissance. A rebirth of any kind is a positive thought and I try to be as positive as possible even through the most difficult of times. I am not saying that I always succeed, but I definitely try.






















Along with my love of nature, described below, comes my love of riding. I have been riding dirt bikes for a few years now and it was one of the best decisions I've made. The photograph is not a complex one in the sense that it does not have a whole lot going on, however, I am not complex person either and I have a great connection with the rider in the picture. This also symbolizes my love for adventure. I love going on random or planned adventures as it is one of the main things that I live for. I love to travel and be spontaneous and riding helps to guide me at times in my goal to achieve those adventures.

I attempt to be an open minded person and I suppose I am somewhat of a daredevil (also seen in my skydiving profile picture :) ). I know that this photograph is probably not meant to be interpreted as expressionism, but this sport has a very emotional impact on me personally therefore creating the illusion of expressionism in my eyes.





















The content of this picture which I found via the Internet describes me in the most simple way possible which I really admire. I love to read, especially those books that are intertwined with fantasy. Fantasy to me, at times, is much better than reality and it provides a great escape for me whenever I need or want it. The castle in this figure symbolizes my attachment to fantasy and all that it stands for. Along with that fantasy connection, I have an active imagination and needless to say I am more of a dreamer rather than a doer. My head is constantly in the clouds daydreaming about one thing or another even though half the time my daydreams are not plausible for reality in any way, shape, or form.

Nature also plays a large part in my life. I grew up in the outdoors and therefore nature is my greatest friend. I love to camp, hike, anything that just includes being outdoors. However, even though the world is grand with many fantastic sites, forests are nearly hands down my favorite place to be. They provide peacefulness and serenity, shade and comfort. I love the trees and the way they smell and move with the wind. Overall, this painting shows the part of me that tends to dominate the majority of the time and I am really grateful that I found something that could express it visually.