Yip Man

Ip Man, originally released as Yip Man in China, as a film about the life of Yip Man. Yip Man is a martial arts master who was Grandmaster and developer of Wing Chun. The film is loosely based around Yip Man’s life slightly before the Japanese invasion of China during WWII. The film was directed by Wilson Yip and scripted by Edmond Wong. The film was released in 2008 and initially aired in Hong Kong.

I choose this film because I think it is one of the greatest action movies. Ip Man was a very successful film because not only was it recepted greatly by critics, but it also inspired two sequels and a prequel — Ip Man 2, Ip Man: The Final Fight, and The Legend is Born: Ip Man. The film is inspiring to watch both for the amazing action scenes, but also because of Yip Man. He is humble and reserved. His actions showcase he is a master whom all other masters look up to as a source of leadership. The actor who played Yip Man, Donnie Yen, took the role of Yip Man very seriously. He tried to embody the teachings of Wing Chun. Months before the filming started he began eating one meal a day and training in the ways of Wing Chun. I think that his acting help to make the films so successful.

The film is in Chinese so I cannot comment on the dialogue in its native tongue but in English subtitles it is amazing what Yip man has to say. Not only a master of martial arts, Yip Man is a thoughtful and well spoken member of society. The writing portrays this through meaningful words sometimes or actions that say more than many words. Yip Man is best when handling conflict. His responses help to bring the character to life.

In the film there are a lot of sweeping shots that look between two points of interest. During non-fighting scenes the camera is looking straight on to the talking cast. At times there are also following scenes where the camera will follow the character as they slowly traverse a sad area. In the beginning there is a lot of color and the scenes are beautiful. Once Japan invades the color scheme shifts to a grey palette. The Japanese flag is one of the few things in many scenes that is shown in color. The red stands out against a white background.

Sounds play an important role in the film during fight and other scenes. A somber or cheerful tune sets the mood of audience or a fast drum beat builds to a climax. During fight scenes the punches and kicks are very loud. Even during incredibly fast punches the audience is sure how many hits landed. There is also rather graphic pops when bones are dislocated or broken. When the fighter lands they always land with a resonating thud.

Before the fight the camera normally pauses at both fighters and captures their pre-fight dialogue and stance. Then the camera is drawn into the action for close ups of the fast movements; during the mega moves the camera comes back and the kick or punch is shown in slow motion. The fights are lively and intense. They take stock of the condition of each fighter, how injured they are by how bloody they look and pains in their body language.

Overall this is a fantastic film that follows Yip Man through a difficult time. It captures the grim moments with somber music but makes sure to uplift the audience and gets them ready for a fight. The actual fight scenes all showcase the skill of Yip Man versus his opponents very well. Fighting students has a much different tone the final battle at the end of the film.

Source:

“Ip Man (film).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ip_Man_%28film%29&gt;.

Science and the Modern Artist

This post is about taking art and science together. They should not be thought of as different entities because they have to work together to become more than they are separate.

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In this video you can see what Ollie Palmer calls his Ant Ballet. The work uses the ants natural instincts to follow a certain chemical and tries to move them around. The ants follow the pheromone and they create a lovely cascade of ant movements. The experiment is two part; in the first part he moved real ants with a robotic arm through on a platform. The ants were not allowed to be brought to the UK so, in the video I showed, the ants are modeled by computer code and their the pheromone is highlighted in green. This is a great example of art coming from chemistry and computer science.

Doug Hall created the art exhibition piece The Terrible Uncertainty of the Thing Described using a Tesla coil as the centerpiece of the exhibit. The piece has televisions surrounding the chairs flashing images. The chairs are conduits for the Tesla coil’s arc as well. The function of the work is communicating how we are influenced by both the lighting strike and the media. Nature and mass media serve as what forms us.

One of the most modern examples of science and technological advancement is the revolution of 3D printing. This stop motion animation of Bear on Stairs was done through collaboration of two design firms, DBLG and Blue Zoo, and 3D printing. They took the computer model and animated the bear moving. They brought the bear to life by printing off each frame of the image and making it a stop motion picture from there. This type of animation would have taken a long time for a craftsman to produce the bear in so many different forms. The bear is very detailed in his torso movements and articulations.

This work of 3D printed art is an optical illusion. John Edmark spins the art. As the sculpture spins around it begins to move. Through the careful layout and careful arrangement of the lines and folds the prints fool our minds into thinking that there is vertical movement when there is only horizontal spinning. I like how this could have evolved from flipbooks turning sticky notes into little animation sequences. A virtual image is brought to life through 3D printing and a talented designer.

In a very interesting work of art by Hilden and Diaz, Forms in Nature, they turn a normal light into a magical forest. They use the light cast off of the lamp to create the branches of trees that surround the room. I don’t know how something like this would have been possible without modern digital design. The ability to see what something is going to look like before a single bit of material is wasted is an amazing achievement.

This is pixel art created by Mark Bern, it takes colors depth of field and and turns it into a spectacular image. The parts were 3D printed and brought together to paint colors in low resolution. The work reminds me of Impressionism and using quick strokes and blending of colors on the canvas. This is an amazing demonstration of the level of painting that can be achieved with technology and science.

Bibliography:

“Artist Ollie Palmer on Staging an ‘ant Ballet'” BBC News. BBC, 25 May 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Ftechnology-18190618>.

Hall, Doug. “Doug Hall: The Terrible Uncertainty of the Thing Described.” San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Walter and McBean Galleries, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/exhibitions/587&gt;.

“BEARS ON STAIRS.” DBLG Studios. DBLG Studios and Blue Zoo, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://dblg.co.uk/work/stairs&gt;.

Ziegler, Chris, and John Edmark. “Watch 3D-printed Objects Turn into Spinning Works of Art.” The Verge. N.p., 18 Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/18/7749771/watch-3d-printed-objects-turn-into-spinning-works-of-art&gt;.

Hosmer, Katie. “Chandelier Produces a Forest of Wild Tree Shadows.” My Modern Met. N.p., 09 May 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/hilden-and-diaz-forms-in-nature&gt;.

HIPOLITE, WHITNEY. “Mark Bern Takes His 2-Dimensional Pixel Art and Prints It in 3D.” 3DPrintcom. N.p., 11 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://3dprint.com/57292/3d-printed-pixel-art/&gt;.

Tour of Early Modern Art, WWI

The early modern era was a time when the Renaissance ideas of capturing nature in exact detail had been replaced with the Impressionist era, which focused on art capturing how a moment felt. Early modern art expanded on the works of the impressionists and began to experiment more with the creativity of art. During the early modern era, there were also strong influences that gave the artists shared themes. This time was during WWI and the Great Depression. Today we will be looking at some of the art that came from WWI.

Battle of Courcelette:

Battle of Courcelette was painted by Louis Weirter in 1918. Weirter served in the British infantry during the Canadian attack on Courcelette. It was Canada’s first attack on the front and resulted in one of the few victories of the Allies.  The battle resulted in many casualties on both sides. The painting is really beautiful in capturing the chaos of battle. There are guns shooting, explosions, fire, and destruction scattered across the battlefield. The painting is interesting that it shows no soldiers but instead captures the battle field in its moment. War here is devastating, but exciting while still intense.

Shock Troops Advance under Gas (Sturmtruppe geht unter Gas vor) from The War (Der Krieg):

Otta Dix etched a scene of WWI German  troops advancing wearing gas masks, 1924. This war was a new type of war. Before this war, many artists depicted war with bright colors and good lighting to see it and all the battle with a touch of glory. With the age of industrialization, the quick and easy war was no longer the way of life. The German people went into the war very optimistic about expanding German culture and enriching their nation. This etching, with grim black lines, depicts where the war lead; it became something of a horror for all sides involved. I think that this piece really brings out the horror and the evil in war. In the far right, behind a tree there is a grim reaper looking menacingly onto the battlefield. It seems to say death is all that you will find in war.

Over the Top:

John Nash was commissioned to paint Over the Top as part of the attack on December 30. It was painted in 1918 on oil canvas. The troops march around and over any obstacles. There are two people dead in the trench but they do not look back. The soldier keeps marching into the blackening sky. This piece shows more of a romantic view of war mixed with the knowledge of the evil. It combines brave troops and harsh conditions to paint the image of a side that is willing to do what it takes to win the war. I think it is clear from the style of painting so far that this one is a very different take on war. It is not picturing the battle because everyone knows that is terrible. It is showing the troops march and their dedication to the cause.

 

Bibliography:

Alamenciak, Tim. “A War on Canvas: Battle of Courcelette.” TVO. The Inside Agenda Blog, 04 Nov. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2015. <http://theagenda.tvo.org/blog/agenda-blogs/war-canvas-battle-courcelette&gt;.

“Otto Dix. Shock Troops Advance under Gas (Sturmtruppe Geht Unter Gas Vor) from The War (Der Krieg). (1924).” MoMA.org. The Museum of Modern Art, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015. <http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=63260&gt;.

“‘Over The Top’. 1st Artists’ Rifles at Marcoing, 30th December 1917.”Imperial War Museums. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015. <http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/20015&gt;.

My Thoughts on the Impressionistic Style

Impressionism started with a group of artists who sought to capture the moment of a painting rather than the details. In the 1870s artists took a look at how their surrounding made them feel and tried to capture that onto canvas. They focused on the impression that their subject had on them which is why we call them Impressionists. To capture the moment brush strokes are soft and fluid. The paintings are often characterized by splashes of color that gets blended into the background. 

Overall the Impressionistic style is one of wonderful colors and emotional paintings. I rather enjoy these painting. One of the things that I like about this era was the outdoor them. The painting to the left is The Cliff at Fécamp by Claude Monet. Is beauty lies in its simplicity. Just some clouds and grass overhanging a cliff, with a few clouds in the sky. So simple yet so beautiful to the eye. It takes a different approach to the classical idea of extreme detail and gives the scene life through colors and harmony.

While Impressionist paintings focused of the lights of a scene, Post-Impressionist took the techniques of the Impressionists and added emotion. Vincent van Gogh’s painting is a great example of where color blending and soft brush strokes combine to form a picture of the event. In a Starry Night Gogh captures the shades of the night how they would appear in a dramatic movie, the glow of the stars overpowering the city below. The dark tower rests outside of town trying to reach the stars but not quite making it there. The moment is there and it’s happening now. The painting brings the town and the sky to life while harnessing the bright glows to signify the joy in the night sky.

The paintings that came directly from the Impressionist were fantastic works of art that are a masterpiece by and definition. But it is the seeds that these artists planted that paved the way for modern art, abstract art, expressive art, etc. The spectrum of art was widened and continued to widen until anything could be art. At this point art loses its meaning. When My Bed, by Tracey Emin, is considered art, the idea of a artizen is replaced with that of a philosopher. The exhibit goes beyond the art as a creative expression that I like to see in a museum. It shows not the skill of the artist but more of the poet who is able to craft a story around something until it is expressed as art. Impressionism was a beautiful time of amazing artists creating something out of nothing. Some works now take nothing and turn it into something.

Bibliography:

“Lesson #5.” Impressionism.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.impressionism.org/teachimpress/browse/lesson5.htm&gt;.

“Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night.” Vincent Van Gogh Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. <http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starry-night.html&gt;.

“Tracey Emin – Contemporary Artists.” Tracey Emin. The Saatchi Gallery, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/tracey_emin_my_bed.htm&gt;.

The Middle Class and Classical Art

Throughout the enlightenment, more people began painting secular paintings. As more painters became patrons of aristocrats, rather than of the church, the Rococo era ushered in erotic images and portrayals of the rich. The new subjects of are much more playful than the strict and rigid spiritual art.

As can be seen below, The Swing is a care free exposition that showcases a husband pushing his wife on a swing toward her other lover. Created by Jean-Honore Fragonard in 1797 this piece has come to symbolize the Rococo era. The patron who commissioned the work is seen in full view of the women’s legs. Her shoe is coming off in the heat of the moment. As the strict moral high grounds of the church began to loosen, artists had more freedom in risque subject matter.

Furthermore, the era was that where love and sexual desire was in the air. Venus, a popular choice of Reinicance painters, is shown in this panting The Bath of Venus. Francois Boucher portrays Venus with full nudity except for a small, almost translucent, piece of cloth covering her privates. She is bathing her son, Cupid, as two doves get close in the pool. The art centralizes on female beauty and the female form. The pascal colors are typical of paintings from the era. While Venus has been seen in many paintings for her beauty, the erotic nature of the painting was much more limited in the past or at least the erotic nature was less obvious.

The end of the Rococo era was seen as the French began to become more morally sensitive. The erotic and frivolous nature of the era were seen as unnecessary and over the top. The French Revolution played a role in how people saw the art around them. The Rococo art was a style that the aristocrats put into place and as the common people rose up against the aristocrats, they had a distaste for their art.

In reaction to the Rococo style of painting, which lacked depth, the second half of the Classical era was spawned. During this time period, the world was going through the age of Enlightenment. Philosophers believed in the power of human reasoning and understanding to better interpret the world around us.

Classical music took full advantage of our greater understanding of musical composition and music theory. Through our understanding of cords, tempo, and dynamics, music became clearer with more crisp sounds. Beethoven’s use of these techniques were the result of meticulous attention to detail. Most of his work was composed over several revision where he would play with the notes until he was satisfied with the way it sounded. Beethoven exemplifies humans capacity to overcome the environment around us. Even with deafness, he was able to compose beautiful pieces.

 

Bibliography:

Finn, Suzanne. “Extravagant Decoration: French Rococo Art as an Expression of Pleasurable Pursuits.” Marquette University, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/rococo.html&gt;.

“THE CLASSICAL PERIOD (1775-1825).” THE CLASSICAL PERIOD (1775-1825). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://cmed.faculty.ku.edu/private/classical.html&gt;.

“The Swing.” Artble. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.artble.com%2Fartists%2Fjean-honore_fragonard%2Fpaintings%2Fthe_swing>.

“The Bath of Venus.” The Bath of Venus. National Gallery of Art, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. <https://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg55/gg55-12200.html&gt;.

 

J.S. Bach Prelude Suite No. 1 in G Major

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach,1685. He was born into a great musical family; his father was the town’s musical director. Bach was a composer, teacher, and player of the musical arts. He is best know for his compositions on the organ, but also composed for the harpsichord, keyboard, and choir. After his lifetime he inspired the 18th and 19th century composers such as Beethoven and Mozart, who called him a “master of harmony”. During Bach’s life his work was not well know and many of his works were not published for a century after his death.

Bach has a style of music that is the embodiment of Baroque music. It is extravagant with rich harmonious melodies. He was able to take advantage in the new methods of creating organs at the time. Through the advancement of science, more precise and illustrious compositions could be made.

The work of Suite No.1 in G Minor is a beautiful piece that is played on the cello. The prelude is one of his more famous works, as it is used in TV and movies often. On a cello, it is not as easy to create a harmony as it is on a piano. Bach plays to both the cello’s natural resonance and careful placement of cords create a smooth, calm, and pure sounding melody. The musical notes carry with all the notes before it and melt into a great sound. The piece also fosters low and deep cords that cut through the air. These deep notes are very eloquent places next to all the high and crisp melodies.

Bibiagraphy:

“Johann Sebastian Bach.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

Costanza, Christopher. “Suite No. 1 in G Major.” Suite No. 1 in G Major. Stanford, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <https://costanzabach.stanford.edu/commentary&gt;.

Northern Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer

History

During his life, 1471 to 1528,  Albrecht Dürer contributed many great wood carvings and painting to the Renaissance era. His work featured exceptional detail that was common among northern painters at the time. One of his works, Young Hare, paints a picture of a rabbit beautiful covered in fur and light reflection off its coat; the painting is almost photo realistic. Dürer’s most famous work might be Adam and Eve, where his anatomical proportions capture the biblical begins with touches of the refined Renaissance human proportions.

Self Portrait

Starting at the age of 13 and continuing until he was 29, Albrecht Dürer painted a series of four self portraits.

The detail of his final paining is outstanding. His iris have lines radiating outward just like that of a real eye. The hair on top of his head is ruffled ever so slightly adding a bit of rough character to the photo. The fur on his coat glistens with a luscious texture that wraps to his body.

Intricate details are my favorite part of the Renaissance era, so I have a strong preference towards northern painters. This picture would fit well next to a fireplace and a trophy animal. This is a stunningly simple and elegant painting that captures a simple man.

Humanism Meaning

In his portrait he is depicting himself from a straight on perspective. This technique is commonly used for portraits of Christ. In the wake of humanist movements, self identity was on its way to becoming and important part of life. Today the concept of self image is drastically different than in the 1500s, when a mirror was a luxury most could not afford to have. Through the works of painters and humanists, the concept of personal beauty and vanity was further refined to create today’s modern standards.

 

Sources:

NA. “The Self-Portraits of Albrecht Dürer.” N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth200/artist/durer_intro.html&gt;.

Springer, Mike. Self Portrait. Digital image. The Genius of Albrecht Dürer Revealed in Four Self-Portraits. N.p., 4 July 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://www.openculture.com/2013/07/the_genius_of_albrecht_durer_revealed_in_four_self-portraits.html&gt;.

 

Hey this is art!

I think these would be super cool to print.

3D Printed Birdhouse