Day 30 – Yes, I Do Like Art

Today is the last day of my Art Month of the Coffee Bean Dreams Project. In case you missed the beginning posts, my plan is to spend each month focusing on a different subject, and art was the first topic. In my initial post about art, I asked the question of whether I even like art. (Read it here: http://www.coffeebeandreams.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-1-do-i-even-like-art.html). I talked about how I’ve always listed “art” as one of my hobbies because I felt that you were supposed to do that, but I wasn’t sure if I really actually enjoyed art.

After spending a month researching just a tiny bit of art over morning coffee, I’ve learned three things. First of all, I do like art. I wouldn’t call myself an expert in any particular area or type of art, and I probably would not impress anyone with my knowledge of anything artistic. However, I have enjoyed spending this month learning new things about I never knew about paintings, different kinds of ancient art, and photography. Which brings me to my second revelation: learning about art is much more enjoyable when you’re learning because you want to and not because you have to for school or something like that. (cue snarky “thanks, Captain Obvious” comment). And third: it’s really fun to discuss art with friends who are also interested in it. I’ve had several people give me their thoughts and opinions on my blog posts over the last month, both commenting on what I wrote and also suggesting art that I might find interesting. This interactive learning has been what really sealed the deal for me. I found that art was so much more enjoyable when I was comparing my thoughts with friends on an honest level rather than trying to impress someone with my interest in or knowledge of art.

I tried to decided today what my favorite piece of art was out of the ones I’ve looked at this month. I don’t know if I can really pick one, but I will say I really enjoyed learning about the Impressionist paintings. I’ve always had a hard time trying to learn about painting, but reading about the Impressionists was interesting to me and I found a lot of paintings I really liked.

So that’s it for Art Month… stay tuned tomorrow for the next 30 day topic. As a final bonus, here’s a painting by Max Beckmann that I really like, Quappi in a Pink Sweater. I’ve had a print of this for years and I love it!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 29 – Surrealist Photography

Yesterday I talked about how photography as an art is evolving. The article I linked (this one: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/nov/16/sean-ohagan-photography-art-form) discussed how the prestigious Deutsche Börse prize in photography was won in 2012 by John Stezaker, who does not even take photographs. (Read his Wikipedia page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stezaker). Stezaker makes surreal type collages by combining pre-existing images. Here’s an example. It reminds me of the surrealist paintings I looked at a few weeks ago.

Stezaker doesn’t take any of the photographs himself. Instead, he finds and combines things like old postcards So he uses photography, but doesn’t take the photos himself. Does this matter? I don’t think so. Art using found objects is still art. Think of modern art exhibits you've seen. It’s the creativity with which the artist arranges them that matters. I’m not sure calling this type of art “photography” is exactly correct, but what else would you call it? In any case, I think it’s pretty cool.

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 28 – The Changing Face of Photographic Art

I came across an interesting article today on how the digital age is changing photography as an art form. I really liked it and it’s an interesting read if you have a few minutes: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/nov/16/sean-ohagan-photography-art-form. The article discusses the most expensive photograph in the world to date, Andreas Gursky’s Rhein II. The image is digitally manipulated, with a building and dog walkers removed by Photoshop. The photo most recently sold for just over $4.3 Million dollars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_photographs). Honestly, I think the photo is pretty bland. But it’s interesting that it’s basically a fictitious construction of a modern river, impossible to obtain via photograph without digital editing.

Is this art? Photography has switched (is switching?) from the kind of expertise Ansel Adams had into a more digital type of expertise. Photography is more accessible than ever- most of us can take a photo on our cell phone. In fact, all I have to do is shake my Moto X phone twice and it’s instantly ready to snap a photo, so I don’t miss a shot because I was wasting time unlocking the screen and navigating to the camera. But has this overwhelming increase in photography hurt the art more than helped it? Or has it just changed the way artists make photographic art? I think it’s the latter. As the article I linked to states: “[N]o amount of technology will turn a mediocre photographer into a great one. Nor, in conceptual terms, will it transform a bad idea into a good one. For that you would still need to possess a rare set of creative gifts that are still to do with seeing, with deep looking.”

To be an artist, you must still be artistic. Although the way photography as art is perceived has changed, and is changing, good photographs still come from a good creative artist. I’m still not sure what to make of the Rhein II photograph, however!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 27 – We’ll Always Have Paris!

Something I’ve noticed during my brief foray into the world of fine art is that Paris has played a major part in art’s history. This is probably another one of those moments where you are rolling your eyes at me and saying “Yeah, NEWS FLASH, Diana.” But hey, I just never paid enough attention to really notice it before. Anyways, given that Paris has played such a central role in art, I was intrigued when I came across a photographer famous for photographing Paris itself. 

One of the most influential photographers of the 20^th century was a well-known Parisian Photographer, Gyula Halász, who went by the pseudonym “Brassai.” (http://famous-photographers.com/brassai/; http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/BRASSAI.html). Born in Hungary, Brassai’s family spent time in France when he was a young child, and he would eventually become famous for photographing Paris. He had a great interest in art and even studied sculpture and painting at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. Eventually, Brassai’s path took him back to Paris. He loved the city and photographed it extensively, both by wandering the city at night and by taking pictures of the city’s high society- its intellectuals, operas, and ballets. His first book, Paris de Nuit, showcasing his pictures of Paris at night, was a great success.

Brassai was known for his writing and filmmaking as well, but his photographs of Paris at night were beautiful and are what really captured my attention. Look at a few examples, below:

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 26 – Know Your Craft

I’m spending one more day discussing Ansel Adams because I felt I couldn’t move on until I mentioned his contributions to the technical side of photography. Adams did more than just point a camera at a scene and shoot. Although that’s probably an overly obvious observation, I was impressed by Adams dedication to developing his technical skill in photography.  

For example, he used glossy paper to intensify tonal values. He used different apertures and exposures to capture sharp details and have a long range of focus. He developed the “Zone System” with the help of his friend Fred Archer. This was to determine the optimal exposure and development time for a photograph. I don’t pretend to really understand any of what any of that means. (Although, Adams taught thousands of students in photography workshops over the course of many years. So if he was still around I’m sure he would have been happy to teach me!) Adams also produced ten volumes of technical manuals on photography, and was a consultant to a few companies which sell camera equipment. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams; http://www.anseladams.com/ansel-adams-information/ansel-adams-biography/).

My point is that he worked very hard at photography, his craft. I don’t even know that much about photography, but when I look at his work I can tell it’s special. And I really enjoy seeing his photographs. It’s a joy to see art that’s well done, whether it’s a painting, a photograph, or an ancient Egyptian carving. Adams photography is well done. I hope that I remember, in whatever endeavors I take on, to do my best and ensure that whoever sees my work knows I poured true effort into my task!

And because I can’t resist… here’s one more Ansel Adams photograph:

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 25 – Art’s Influence on a Greater Cause

Finally, time to feel like I’m writing a real blog entry. The last few days were a little sketchy!

So, let’s talk some more about Ansel Adams. (http://www.anseladams.com/ansel-adams-information/ansel-adams-biography/). First, a little interesting background. Adams hailed from San Francisco, California, where he was an only child and was given a conservative, Victorian style upbringing. When he was four, he broke his nose in an earthquake, which left him with a distinctly crooked nose for life. Probably due to his upbringing and crooked nose, Adams was a shy child and did not fit in well at school, which resulted in his spending a lot of time exploring nature. As I mentioned yesterday, his love of nature played a huge role in his photography. In particular, Adams loved Yosemite, and spent a significant amount of time there every year.

Adams devoted much of his time to protecting the nature he loved, not just through photography but through attending meetings and writing letters. However, his photographs exerted the greatest influence on his goal of preservation. Adams showed the “magnificent natural beauty of the West” in his photographs, and Adams earned a following of many who loved his visual artistry. He used his art to serve a cause he believed in. So many of the areas he photographed have been preserved because of his efforts.

I like reading about this, because I like thinking about how art has an influence on society. Although I think “art just for art’s sake” is not a bad thing, there is something special about art that is born out of the artist’s passion for a cause. Adams’ took photographs because he loved the medium of photography, sure, but his own passions influenced his subject matter. How wonderful to see your life’s work changing something you care about for the better. Although I tend to side-eye a bit people who say your job shouldn’t feel like “work” (I think this is a completely impractical way for a society to run- I think you should care about doing good work, but not all jobs are going to be things people are passionate about and those jobs still must be done for society to function; there are ways to find fulfillment in areas of life outside of your job, and working an “uninspiring” job shouldn’t prevent you from living an inspired and fulfilling life), there is undeniably something very cool and inspiring about someone who was able to do something they truly loved and influence positive change in something they cared about.

Below are a few examples of his incredible nature photographs!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 24 – Shortest Blog Ever: Ansel Adams and Nature Photography

It’s hard to even know where to start with Ansel Adams. He had a very long, influential career in photography. But one of the coolest things about his career, I think, is that he not only influenced the world of photography, but also environmental issues that he cared about. I read today that he fought for the preservation of natural wilderness in America, and that his photographs showing the beauty of wild America resulted in the protection of many of these areas. (http://www.anseladams.com/ansel-adams-information/ansel-adams-biography/)

I have a lot more to say about Ansel Adams and his photography- the biography I found of him at the link above is really great! But I’m even more tired today than yesterday (I guess it’s all really catching up with me today?), so I’m going to catch some sleep now and write more tomorrow. Gotta get some zzzzzs when you can!

Xoxo,

Diana