Pause Your moment: November 2010

Friday, November 19, 2010

Light and time are an essential subject to taking a first-rate photograph. A photo is dependent on the light that gets absorbed by the film. On the other hand, time is a representation of moments in life. We are engulfed in our daily life with moments that pass by so fast and some don’t realize that this might seem to be a special moment to take a photo to keep the spirit of the moment alive. During my niece’s birth every person in my family came to see her, and no one had a camera to take a picture of that picturesque moment. Luckily, I had a camera in my car and took a picture of the gathering we had of my niece and my parents who finally turned into grandparents.

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is one of the most courageous women photographers in her generation. Sherman first started studying in the visual arts at Buffalo State College in New York. She then realized that painting was not a creative work in her point of view. Thus, she later realized the new world of photography. With paintings, she said that she used to steel others ideas and paint them with no interests of creativity. On the other hand, she saw that the best way to express her feelings and thoughts was through photography.

After a sheer determination to achieve in this field, she is now one of the best self-portrait photographers. Her obsession to fit the character in her mind with the people she photographs is amazing. The Different customs and makeup is a clear explanation to such obsession.

Project 1: Masculinity and Femininity

These pictures talks about how a view masculinity and femininity with different prospective. I believe that each person can argue about his or her view of masculinity and femininity in all matters, yet the best explanation can be provided in photos. I view femininity in nature and purity. Masculinity on the other hand would be in emphasized in construction and squared shapes and buildings .

Project 2: Self Portraits.

A self-portrait, is just another phrase for studying one’s self, for a representations of one’s ideas. The photos I took represent a short glimpse into my daily life and the places I spend my time at. Photos are a strong illustration of life; I believe that the photographs I took are overflowing with spirit. They describe my daily routine and how my shadow implies a track left by my character in every place I have been too.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Cultural Event 3: THE BLUE MAN GROUP

The Blue Man Group show in Las Vegas is a theatrical show and a concert that creatively combines music, multimedia, and comedy in order to produce a great source of entertainment.

The show offers about two hours of non-stopped entertainment for the audience. Basically, the show consists of Three Men, blue-painted in black clothes that create a performance of music, art, to form a unique type of show. The show is suitable for all ages. Blue Man Group brings comedy, multimedia, lighting effects, and interactive elements and combine them together to offer a great theatrical experience that is unlike anything I have ever seen. The show does not rely on words.

The show was great and was really an opportunity of a lifetime that everybody enjoy. It does not matter whether a person is a boy or girl, young or old. It is really enjoyable and worth visiting. Words are insufficient to describe the show and it is full of fantasies. The Blue Men Group is going to perform here in Denver so I encourage people to go to the show and enjoy the lovely experience.

Cultural Event 2

On Thursday, there was an art exhibition that was held at DU’s arts building. It was a great small exhibition that we enjoyed so much. I enjoyed the different types of artistic works. There were several kinds of arts used in the exhibition. The exhibition was divided into a few sections. Ceramics was the focus of one of the sections. Other sections exhibited oil paintings, while some others used mixed media.

I liked a painting by Julia Rymer Brucker, BFA 2000. This artist had a collection of three paintings that used mixed media. The artist used abstraction through tones of colors and line structures in order to explore life’s details and concepts of action, movement, and structure. The first one is called (neuro) genesis, 2010. It was obvious to me that the painting presented an X-Ray. I really liked the way that the artist painted the details of the X-Ray with dark and light blue colors, which made the painting seem so real. I also liked the red circles that were a great tool to make a better painting that made it full of thoughts and ideas .

The second painting is called “Heart”, 2010. The artist used mixed media as well. When I first looked at the painting, I did not know what it was all about to be honest. I spent 30 seconds or so without understanding the main idea of the painting as whole. The idea that came to my mind is that it is the kind that only the artist who knew the thoughts and ideas included in the painting. After reading the description, I realized that it represents an electron microscope painting.

The third painting is called “Genesis”, 2010. This painting, I was amazed by the colors that were used in the painting. The artist used several colors like blue, green, and white. The painting seemed like a micronized picture. It is the painting that I really liked the most.

Another piece of art that I really liked is the “Pacific Ocean From Big Sur/Post Ranch), by Everett Singer, BA 1970. It is a nice painting that used oil painting. The artist said that the painting is an exploration of movement in color. The artist used several colors from blue to green which made the painting look like an ocean.

Cultural Event 1: HYLAEA

HYLAEA is a video, print and rare book installation show that is held in the Penrose library at the University of Denver. The show offers several types of art installations that everybody can enjoy while visiting the Penrose Library. The HYLAEA show is made by Timothy Weaver and exists until February 14, 2011.

The exhibition has four Media clusters. The first media cluster exists in the lower level of the library. It is a projected video for a book that consists of images of birds from the original edition of John James Aububon's Birds of America (1840-1844). The visitor of the exhibition can explore the different types of birds in America through this projected video. The video shows a person that turns the pages of the original book every around 10 seconds which gives the opportunity for viewers to see that pages of the original book.

The second media cluster can be found in the exhibition space in the main floor of the library. This exhibition shows some original images from John James Audubon's birds of America (1880-1844), Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America (1849-1854) and Carl Lumholtz's, Unknown Mexico (1902).

The third media Cluster exists in the upper level of the library, and it is also a projected video but with audio. This project is run by software and displays several images along with audio associated with it. This exhibition shows us different types of images in a really creative way. The viewer can explore many images in a really short period of time . These images could be parts from human's body, part of a plant, and many aspects of nature. The audio consist of soft music and bird voices which make viewers feel relaxed.

The fourth media cluster is also found in the upper level of the library. This exhibition consists of large-scanned images of the Eskimo Curlew, and the Imperial Woodpecker.. These images are very detailed with high resolution. These images are collections from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

In conclusion, The HYLAEA show represents a great art show that everybody can enjoy and have a great experience. People can explore plenty types of mixed arts in a really wonderful way. It is a mix of old and modern arts that is represented to audiences in order for them to have both education and fun in the same time.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Bresson's life is filled of unique experiences around the world and fortunately, he did not miss saving them in films. Most people can feel and attach to Bresson's photos science he he captures natural moments shown in daily life. After seeing his pictures, i have noticed the natural presentation of human emotions in his photos which has amazed me.

His study and beginnings in painting had gave him the sense of art and the ability to understand colors and its temperatures and the overall artistic view of the object painted or photographed. He had shown us with his dramatical photos of WWII and the damage caused by it. I was amazed when seeing how natural and real his photos when explaining an action or the results.

Sally Mann: Purity, Simplicity and Reality.

Sally Mann is one of the courageous black and white photographers. in the beginning of her career, she took photographs of her children naked. Seeing the purity of children and not being afraid to show it was the main reason of her early recognition in the art of photography. Her ability to capture her kids in the right moments with the difficult black and white films has amazed all professionals.

I believe that living in a farm with her husband Larry gave her the relaxed atmosphere any photographer needs to focus. And when growing up in age she had realized that death, on of the most ignored and feared subject, is too important to neglect. Thus, she, as with the naked kids project, had amazed the world with her photos of deceased people laying in the ground and left to decay.