Interaction

Internal

External

Taking a look at what everyone else has to say...

Reading over my classmates evaluations of Crewdson, Hocks, Wall, and Sherman my initial response was, oops. I only commented on the two artists that really appealed to me..  It was interesting getting views on what everyone else thought of Hocks and Wall. It made me appreciate their work a little bit more. I liked that most of the class mentioned Hocks has a way of depicting a dreamlike state in his pieces, I went though his work again, and that really started to stand out to me. It seemed like the common thought on Wall's work was that there was either a sense of being caught in a moment or catching a glimpse of someone else's moment. Crewdson, I  think most of us have determined that his work is eerie, captures a story and elaborate. Sherman's pieces seem to be perceived as thought provoking and emotion inducing, some of her work seems chilling and rather odd, and other pieces seem empowered. It's an interesting mix. Over all I think as a class our response to the artists was a positive one, I know I enjoyed the assignment, and that means something coming from me =P

Untitled Film Still #13 -1978 by Cindy Sherman

 My favorite works of Sherman's were her black and white film stills. They combine a sense of old fashioned femininity with a bold and fresh attitude. I like the combination of the two, and the idea that being feminine can be percieved as very powerful. That sense is heightened with the more retro setting and the black and white format. I like it.

Untitled (Beneath the Roses) by Gregory Cewdson

This is definitely my favorite Crewdson piece. I love that he depicts a situation for the onlooker to create a story. In earlier art courses a professor once told me that alot of symbols carry bagage, or an association with something that almost cheapens their meaning. I like that when I looked at this piece the red roses were not the first thing to catch my eye. They're used in such away that the 'bagage' if you will, does not speak for the entire piece. My first thought is not about Valentines day, or the overrated symbol of love. When I look at this I'm so engrossed by its intricacy and detail that the roses are not drowning out the rest of the work with they're symbolic associations. He uses the roses as a component of the piece, and they don't over power it. I applaud and admire him for this.

something i never would have done on my own

A couple weeks ago my digital arts professor asked the class to view the work of several photographers, I was so pleasantly surprised by how interested I was in all of the work, I've only ever taken the time to view famous drawings or paintings, because those are the mediums I've always worked in. I was surprised at how intricate and elaborate some of the artists scenes were, such as Gregory Crewdson. I didn't realize how interesting and thought provoking this kind of work could be because I had never taken time to check it out. I especially enjoyed viewing Crewdson's work, for me it was very reminiscent of Norman Rockwell's scenes, alot of detail and a story that you can conjure that correlates. I also enjoyed Cindy Sherman's work, they had a fun poppy vintage feel, a cross between something you'd see Audry Hepburn in and maybe a pinup from the fifties.