Watch an 'Art Film' and Chat About It

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind... is the 'art film' that I chose to watch. The art word of the week is composition. The composition can be described as the “overall mark of success, the standard of achievement, and the frosting on the cake” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). The creativity of this film can be seen in the overall piece of work, with the impeccable direction to editing. Through this film, scenes go back and forth, into the future and the past. There is a distinct beginning, middle and end of this movie but the idea of flashback and forwards really made the film. It gets the audience thinking and really wondering where this will go.

What intrigued me about this movie is the art of the imagination. The film revolves around a couple who decided to get their memory of each other erased. Through their difficulties, and everything that they have been through, they each decided that they no longer want any memories of each other. Through the process, they begin to realize what they had in the beginning. I have always been a fan of a happy ending and in the end; the two meet again to work through everything they have been through.

Through the discussion with my friends, we had both discussed what the movie has to say about fate. This discussion led to the idea of erasing memories and what our imaginations can lead us. Though this film didn’t really have a visually distinct artistic value, but what we concluded is that the creativity of the mind can come up with ideas that have never been heard before. We all really enjoyed the composition of this movie as it got us all thinking and really paying attention. We discussed the concept of memory and we realized that none of us would really want to erase our memories. Through thick and thin, we believe that our past is what shapes us today and we need to go through these things in our daily lives to learn and grow.   

After watching this film, the idea of the imagination can come up with so many different ideas. Allowing our imagination to lead us into a different place can be as creative as any piece of work. Memories are significant in our lives, and without them, we would never know what exists and has existed in our lives. 

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (6^th Ed.).  Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Looking for Patterns in Urban Settings & Nature

Lines... In and around Toronto, we see patterns everywhere. The art word of the week is lines. We see lines everywhere, and a simple concept like lines can form various abstract patterns. Lines are described as “a visible mark made by an artistic tool” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 135).

            My inspiration came from my everyday life and hobbies. Lines can be seen in our daily lives, and as I walk through various neighbourhoods, I can see forms of lines found in objects. The first picture I had taken is of a bench outside my friend’s house. A simple crisscross pattern forms the back of the bench and it forms the shape of a diamond. The second picture is of a driveway and I chose to take this picture because of the simple patterns that the lines form. Brick by brick, they form a pattern and sizes. The last two are pictures that have been taken a while back, going through my old pictures; I began to look at these abstractly and realized that lines and patterns are everywhere. A Ferris wheel consists of many lines in different directions. In the night time, we can see what the lines form and it becomes an abstract form of art. The last picture taken was from a tennis court in the Rexall Centre at York University. In places like these, I never had analyzed all the patterns that a court holds. Here, we can see shapes and lines from the court, and in the seating, aisles and windows.

            As a future early childhood educator, looking for inspiration through nature and in the urban setting can be helpful in planning activities. We can teach children to look abstractly in our nature and find shapes and patterns outside of our classroom. Patterns are everywhere, and we can easily find inspiration for activities and take it to the next level of teaching. 

      

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (6^th Ed.).  Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Fine Art Critique

Massacre of the Innocents... by Paul Peter Rubens is the piece of art that I chose to critique. This is a painting depicting an infanticide as written in the Gospel of Matthew. Those who are being killed are the innocents, the babies that have not yet lived, as eluded to in the title. This is a piece that captures a horrific scene described in holy texts; a scene of anguish and despair from the parents that attempt to stop the massacre. The most striking thing about this piece is how easily the numerous dead infants can be overlooked because of the murderers are much more powerful figures and prominent in this painting. The art word of the week is texture, which refers to "the surface quality of the work of art" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 144). Although you cannot see the texture of the painting, it has a rough, bumpy texture from the paint.  

The artist is trying to give a visual representation of a horrific chapter in the Bible. The artist is perhaps inspiring those art viewers that do not know about the story to read more about it. Massacre of the Innocents is a powerful painting that makes me feel disgust and confusion, this biblical passage is often depicted but this may be the strongest depiction in the sheer horror in the adults that are trying to stop the massacre. I do not like this piece of art, though artists often depict tragedies, I much prefer aesthetically pleasing pieces rather than ones that depict a time in history, where innocent children were killed. This piece was probably highlighted because of the context, the children that are killed in the painting are coined "innocent" by the title which is the perfect adjective to use, as I have learned in ECE that all children start of as blank slates and it is a good education they need to fill their minds.

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (6^th Ed.).  Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Instant Sculpture with Found Objects

Makeup... With makeup we create art onto our faces, nails and body. Forming an art sculpture with makeup is a basic way to depict art. We use art materials like the makeup brush, and I chose to form a brush with makeup and nail polish. The art word of the week is colour, colour is what enhances the makeup. Colours enhances elements like eyeshadow enhances the eyes. Women use makeup to enhance their features and it is a form of art we go through everyday.