Who is Giacometti’s “Pointing Man” ?

1. Who is Giacometti’s “Pointing Man” ? Look at Module 2’s “Pointing Man.” Compare these to the sculpture of Sennefer, Steward of the Palace in Module 2. The sculptures of Sennifer and Chefren had as their purpose to be containers for the soul of their Pharoahs. Who does “Striding Man” or “Pointing Man” represent? 2. Many artists, political cartoonists and photographers, use their art to protest injustice and to promote peace, environmental protection, and human rights. Look at slide #12 in the module 1, Francisco Goya’s THE THIRD OF MAY. Goya was a cartoonist, painter and red-letter political hot head of the early 19th century. He was protesting the warmongering of Napoleon and the ineptitude of his King Carlos the 4th of Spain. Goya staged his paintings to focus on social causes. He was arrested numerous times for his writings and illustrations. Goya’s work is not unlike that of cartoonist today. Look through the Sunday paper cartoons or on the Internet and find 1 that presents a current issue. If possible, include the name of the artist. You do not need to select a political cartoon. Describe what is going on in each frame of the cartoon. Explain what the point is of the cartoon. Freedom of speech is a right we enjoy today. A right Goya did not enjoy. Please do not attach cartoon images. 3. In the slides for Module 1, the Nature of Art is the following quote : “Traditional societies do not separate art from the rest life.” Our high-tech, multicultural society has few shared traditions, so we have few traditional art forms. We tend to think of “art” as something produced only by unique, gifted people. That is because we have trouble accepting the art within us. We see it as a sign of weakness rather than strength, insignificant rather than nurturing, feeble-minded rather than intelligent. Most of all we cannot keep an open mind about what we cannot recognize or understand: if it doesn’t look like something that is difficult to do, it isn’t art. As an experiment, select 1 work of art within the slides of your modules that you absolutely have no understanding of, and no value for. I want you to include in your discussion the title of the work of art and the name of the author, as well as your opinion of the art work. Then over the semester, I want you to make every effort to understand the work, its artist, technique and meaning. This means you will have to do research on your own. During the last week of classes refer back to this work with your newfound information. See if your opinion has changed. 4. Click on the link for Jackson Pollack, in module 2 slides. On Pollack’s web page there is a Quick time movie. View the movie. Describe Pollack’s painting style. What type of style is Pollack’s art? Read through the sections in Module 2 on representational art, abstract art and nonrepresentational art. Select 1 of these descriptions as your choice. Explain your choice for Pollock’s painting style. His style is very fun to try. As part of your discussion activities use some tempera paints at home, find a spot in your garage, or patio. Lay out some newspapers. Your experience must be recent. Lay a large sheet of paper on these. Turn on your favorite music. Move with the music and let the paint go. Record your the experience in your discussion. If you don’t have paints or brushes invent your own media. Include in your discussion the music you used, the media you used, where you set your painting up and what it looks like. How do you feel about what you painted? Your must do the painting project and discuss it as part of this discussion submission. ( Don’t actually paint). 5. Subject: Examine the Direct Painting Method of Claude Monet No where is the direct painting method ( painting at one sitting on location) more obvious than in the exquisite work of Claude Monet. Click on the link for Monet’s “Water Lillies” in Module 5 slides. You will find several paintings by the artists that are series, such as the “Waterlilies” or the “Haystacks”. View 2 or three of these series to make a comparison. Notice how the colors change with the times of day, seasons of year, etc. Study the brushstrokes and use of color. Count the number of colors you see. Describe the colors in detail. You can click on the slide to get a close-up view. How do you think Monet created all these colors on 1 canvas without somehow blending them? You will find a clue in the notes for slide 7. Originally, Monet wanted the original exhibit to contain paintings on all 4 walls, so that the viewer would be immersed in the paintings.