Scott Lobaido

Scott Lobaido

Scott Lobaido is an artist that I discovered this past September 11^th.  I was at a ceremony by the Ferry that Staten Island hosts every year on 9/11 in remembrance of all those we lost on September 11^th 2001, mainly Staten Islanders.  There is a memorial, which has every victim from Staten Islands name on it.  We also read every person who died on 9/11’s name from Staten Island.  I usually read my Uncles name every year.  Along with the name readings, there are also traditional speeches by important people like the mayor and other politicians.  There is a choir and people playing violins.  This year there was something particularly special at the ceremony.  A man named Scott lobaido painted in front of us live to the song “Fix you by Coldplay”.  It was the most moving and emotional experience I have ever seen in my entire life.  I cried the whole time and even lost my breath when Scott was finished with his piece.  I can’t even begin to describe it and the only way to express it would be to see it for yourself. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MCc5V9Nx_g&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWbZuKj-ygA

Scott also participated in “Flags across America” where he drove across the United States, in 10 months, and painted a large American flag on one rooftop in each of the 50 states. His goal was to ensure that all soldiers flying home from war would look down and see an American Flag greeting them home.  Scott’s mission was to make sure that the soldiers knew how grateful we all are for their service to this great country, and to acknowledge the families of these great men and women, and of coarse express his pride in being a free American.

As you can see from the Youtube videos, Scott is an extremely talented artist.  He moves so quickly but yet perfectly every time.  Every time that he paints he creates another master piece.  I think its amazing that he looks like he is just throwing paint all over the place but in a matter of minutes he has created something incredible in such a short period of time right in front of your eyes.  You can tell how awesome it is by the videos, but seeing it in person is an amazing experience.

Art isn't so bad after all...

In the beginning of the semester one of our first assignments was to draw a picture of ourselves.  I remember sitting in class and as soon as I heard the words “draw” I immediately slouched back in my seat thinking to myself oh great this really IS an art class…I'm going to have to draw and paint and all I'm capable of is a stick figure!  Thankfully to my surprise I didn’t have to draw again in this class throughout the semester.

One of the first questions you asked us was “What is art?”  What determines one thing as art and something else not as art?  I was so confused by this.  When I thought of art I thought gee I don’t know how about a painting by Picasso who was one of the only artists I knew by name at the beginning of this semester.  Although I don’t think that I will be able to draw a much better portrait of myself since the first class I do think that I have a better understanding of what art is.

Art can be so many things and I don’t think there are boundaries with art.  It’s a form of self-expression; it’s beautiful and different and can be fashion, tattoos, paintings, sculptures, graffiti and so on.  A narrow-minded person would say that only an extravagant self-portrait is art.  But contemporary artists of today have proved otherwise.  I think that many people will say something is not because they do not understand the concept of it. But just because you do not understand something, does not mean that its not art!  The whole point of art is to try and open your eyes and mind to someone else’s personal masterpiece.  To you it may not be the greatest thing you have ever laid your eyes on, but that’s the whole point.  If you start to open your eyes a little more maybe you will begin to see more to whatever “art” it is that your looking at!

My two favorite artists that you introduced us to were Jenny Holzer and Barbara Krueger.  I was so fascinated with their work.  I just thought it was so creative and different and I had never seen something like that before.  Many of the other kids in our class did not feel the same.  They felt that it was not a lot of work and nothing special.  BUT before Barbara Krueger or Jenny Holzer nobody else in the world had made art like that.  Even if you don’t particularly like something, it doesn’t mean its not art!  I think a major reason that it is art, is because before they did it nobody else came up with that idea.  Its different and uncommon and not something that you see every day.  I still think that their work is amazing.

Although art is not my favorite subject because I do not feel that I am so artistic I have learned that everyone has the potential to be.  The day in class when we all had the opportunity to create something different I actually got really into it.  I don’t know why but something came over me and I just got in the zone and went with it.  It was very relaxing for me. I wasn’t thinking about finals, or what my weekend plans were.  For the first time in my life I actually felt like an artist.  Maybe that’s what all of these famous artists feel every time they create something new.  So before I took this class I would roll my eyes at the thought of drawing or painting or even talking about art.  But now I feel differently.  I know I will never be the next Picasso but I know that I am capable of creating something that’s not all that bad.  I even hung it up on my fridge!  :) Art isn’t so bad after all.  It’s actually pretty cool!

Tattoos and Kat Von D

            As I have previously stated in my first blog I have a huge interest in tattoos as well as a big admiration for tattoo artists!  I have grown up seeing them on my father (he has almost 30!) and when I was 17 I got my first tattoo (without my parents permission ha-ha) and today I have 9.  I think tattoos are definitely considered art.  Even though you may see someone and think that their tattoo is silly and pointless, to them it could tell a beautiful story or be in memory of someone special to them.  I love that tattoos stay with you forever.  Just like a painting, a tattoo could be interpreted in many ways to different people, but only the person who has the tattoo on their body knows the true meaning of the tattoo.

            After seeing the project on tattoos in class, and watching the YouTube clips from the show LA Ink I started to research Kat Von D. Katherine von Drachenberg AKA Kat Von D was born on March 8^th 1982 and is an American tattoo artist, model, and TV personality.  She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC reality show LA Ink.

Kat Von D moved to LA when she was 4 years old.  She began playing the piano at age 6.  She credits her grandmother as an inspiration for her interest and talents in music and art, and the Latino culture of LA as a major influence on her tattoo art and style.  She began listening to the Ramones, Misfits and other punk rock bands at 12 years old.  She got her first tattoo at 14 years old and quit school at 16 to become a tattoo artist.

            Now although Kat Von D is a very talented tattoo artist, she is one in a million to be famous and as successful as she is today so I wouldn’t encourage or promote a 14 year old getting a tattoo, nor a 16 year old dropping out of school.  But luckily for Miss Kat Von D, everything worked out in her favor!

            People get tattoos for personal reasons.  Just like people chose to style their hair a certain way or behave the way they do or dress the way they dress, some people prefer ink!  For some, they see the tattoo as a way of marking something personal on their bodies, such as a picture of a loved one that has passed on, or an image that reminds them of a past experience in life.  Meaning that they got the tattoo based on important past life experiences.  For others it’s just simply about showing off their personality and letting others see a little bit of whom they are at first glance.  Or it’s a way of incorporating an art form onto their body.

            I think that tattoo artists are very talented.  Imagine being under the pressure of putting a piece of artwork that is PERMANENT on someone’s body!  This is not something that can be erased, or re done.  Once that tattoo is there its staying forever!  Some tattoo artists like Kat Von D for example, have tattooed portraits of people.  I have seen tattoos that are so good and realistic, that the detail is incredible right down to the wrinkles on a persons face or creases on the lips.  The shading and coloring of the tattoo is important.  There is so much work that goes into a tattoo and each one is original because you can never make the exact same tattoo twice.

The first tattoo that I ever got was for my Uncle Eddie who passed away on September 11^th 2001.  It is of his initials and has angel wings around it and 9/11/2001 in Roman Numerals.  I also have the skyline of Manhattan on my rib cage.  My most recent tattoo is lyrics from the song “Free Bird” by Lynard Skynard.  It is a feather with four small birds coming out of it and underneath that it says “and this bird you cannot change fly high free bird”.  I chose that song because it is my family’s favorite song.  My brother, mother father and me are all very close and it meant a lot for me to get that tattoo.  My family loved the tattoo and its important to me because I got it because I love my family and its something that is special to us!

The pictures below are of the tattoo artist Kat Von D

The Pictures below are my tattoos that I spoke about above

A memorial or altar in my home

There are many objects in my house that make up a special altar or memorial that is dedicated to my Uncle Eddie.  My Uncle Eddie who was my mothers youngest brother passed away on September 11^th 2001.  My mother worked in the World Trade Center for 18 years before she retired two years before 9/11.  She was at work the day of the first terrorist attack back in 1993.  My Uncle Eddie worked across the street from the World Trade Center but he had an early meeting on one of the top floors that day.  He left behind a beautiful wife and two very young children who are now ten and thirteen years old.

My family was deeply affected by the terrorist attack on 9/11 and there are so many things in my house that are dedicated to my Uncles memory and all of the other lives lost that day.  I have pictures, posters, bracelets, rosary beads, special items from the World Trade Center, books, items from the 9/11 memorial and so on.  There are so many things in my house that remind me of my Uncle.  My mother even named my dog after him.  

One item that I have brought to class is a cross that was made out of left over material from the World Trade Center.  This is very special to my mother because it is a piece of the building that she will always be able to keep with her.  Another item that I have to show comes from the National September 11^th Memorial and Museum.  I went to go visit it for the first time with my parents and brother back in October and family members are given white paper and are able to color in their family members name, which are inscribed in bronze on parapets surrounding the twin Memorial pools.

When I was 18 I got my first tattoo on my foot, which has my Uncle’s initials with angel wings around it and 9/11/2011 in roman numerals below it.  I then got another tattoo of the outline of the Manhattan skyline including the twin towers in it.  My tattoos can indicate a memorial for my Uncle on my body because I got them in his memory and they will be on me forever.

In conclusion, when my Uncle Eddie passed away on September 11^th 2011 it was a very emotional and rough time for my family.  My mother, me and the rest of our family know that we will always keep his memory alive by keeping pictures up, and telling stories about him.  Each of us has special items in our home that represent my Uncle Eddie.  

My Uncles Grave

My rib tattoo of the skyline of Manhattan

 My Uncle's name colored at the Memorial

 My younger cousins Emily and Eddie, my Uncle Eddie's children

My brother and I at the Memorial in NYC

A painting by Scott Lobadio

Jeff Koons

Jeff Koon’s was born on January 21st 1955 and he is a contemporary American artist.  He is known for his reproductions of balloon animals that are produced in stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces.  He lives and works in New York City and his hometown York, Pennsylvania.

Jeff Koon’s' work has sold for a large amount of money.  The largest sum known to be paid for a work by Koon’s is "Balloon flower" which was sold for $25,765,204 at Christie's London on June 30th, 2008 in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale. 

There are many arguments that Jeff Koon’s work is based on “cynical self merchandising” even though he states that there are no hidden meanings in his works.  While other people view his work as pioneering and of major art historical importance.

After watching the video in class about Jeff Koon’s I am a little skeptical about his artwork myself.

Jeff has a lot of people who work for him.  As we can see it takes a long time for him to finish a painting or another piece of artwork.  From the video it looks like he has a bunch of people working really hard on whatever his next idea is, while he is shown sitting down and talking in clean clothes and not getting his own hands dirty!  Sure he went to art school, and knows a great deal about art.  He creates his projects on the computer but even one of his employees said in the video that he hasn't been hands on involved with a project in years. Jeff Koon’s may have the idea of his work, but he isn't doing any of the lifting or painting.  I think its a little ridiculous that they have to be SO detailed in their paintings that they have to match up so many different numbers and colors. 

I do like his paintings and other works but there is no way that I think his art is worth such a great deal of money like I mentioned earlier.  I also think its a little strange that Jeff Koon’s just sits on the computer and doesn't get involved like the rest of the people who work for him do.  Basically he just gives the idea but doesn't actually create the artwork.  He may give the main goal for the artwork but the people who are actually bringing the artwork to life are the ones who should get the credit for the work.  Jeff Koon’s gives guidance and tells people what he wants his artwork to look like but at the end of the day he isn't creating it!  How does that make any sense?  If somebody writes lyrics for a singer the singer who sings the song will get the fame and credit.  But there wouldn’t be a super star if there weren’t somebody writing the lyrics for them to sing.  I think that Jeff Koon’s does deserve credit as an artist, but I feel like there are so many people that are involved in his projects that do not receive the credit that they deserve.

Final Project

This semester I have learned about different types of art, what art is, and have become familiar with several different artists.  I became interested in two artists in particular,  Jenny Holzer and Barbara Kruger.  For my final project I will decide between the two of these women.

Barbara Kruger is an American conceptual artist.  Much of her work consists of black and white photographs overlaid with declarative captions.

Jenny holzer is also an American conceptual artist.  She is known mostly for her large scale public displays that include billboard advertisements, projections on buildings and other architectural structures, as well as illuminated electronic displays.

Work by Jenny Holzer:

Works by Barbara Kruger:

The reason why I like their work so much is because the way that they project their artwork is very eye catching.  Barbara Kruger uses interesting photos with big bold words in white and red.  Jenny Holzer displays her words on huge buildings in public places.  I think that they are both very creative.  Also, what they write on their photos or display on buildings is always something that stops and makes you think.  They tie in words with their artwork which I think is a really cool form of art.  They don't paint masterpieces or sculpt anything, but they have their own unique style of art.  I would have never thought to make something like that before.  I would really like to see Jenny Holzer's work in person.  I can imagine that seeing it projected on a huge building in big bold letters gives more of an affect in person rather then on the computer.  I also like them as artists because they have a certain pattern and style that they use in their artwork.  You know that its something from Barbara Kruger by the big red and white letters.  I have seen a clothing company advertise a picture of Marilyn Monroe with big red and white letters that read "Supreme" (the name of the clothing company) and immediately I knew that they stole that idea from Barbara Kruger.

The Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC has Barbara Kruger artwork and I will probably go see that and do my final project on her!

Artists from 1950-1985

Jenny Holzer is an American conceptual artist.  She was born in 1950 and currently lives and works in Hoosick Falls, New York.  Originally from Gallipolis, Ohio Jenny Holzer aspired to become and abstract painter and attended Duke University, from there she studied painting, printmaking and drawing at the University of Chicago and then completed her BFA at Ohio University in 1972.

Holzer belongs to the feminist branch of a generation of artists that came about around 1980 who were looking for new ways to make narrative part of visual objects.  She is famous for her large public displays for example billboards, advertisements, projections on buildings and electronic displays.  The main focus of her work is the use of words and ideas in public space.  Her diverse practice includes a wide array of media including things such as photographs, stone benches, stickers, the internet, sound, video, paintings, and bronze plaques.

I took a particular interest in Jenny Holzers art after being introduced to her this year in this class.  After researching her stuff on the internet I really took a liking to her creativeness and the fact that I have never seen art like hers before.  The best way I would like to describe her artwork is fairly simple because it’s just really cool.

Jenny Holzer's ‘Truisms are series of aphorisms and slogans which she posted on walls, printed on t-shirts; and onto giant LED billboards. Basically any publicized place. In an interview she claimed that the 'Truisms' may not be true for everyone. 

 

Like Jenny Holzer, The Gorilla Girls appropriated the visual language of advertising to convey their messages in a quick and accessible manner. The gorilla girls are a group of anonymous female artists, who wore Gorilla masks to hide their identity, and spoke out on racial and sexist issues. After the Museum of modern art held its vast “International Survey of Contemporary Art” in 1984, in which almost no women or minorities were included, a number of professional women in the New York art world founded this collective organization. Their first plan of action was to get their messages out to the public by anonymous posting bold texted posters, similar to Holzer’s Truisms . They have also explored other forms of media such as television, stickers, billboards and bus ads. The girls used wit and irony to point a critical finger at double standards prevalent in the art world and elsewhere. Here are some examples of The Gorilla Girl’s works.

  Part of the reason that I like Jenny Holzer's art work so much is because its so different.  If I was walking outside and saw a big projection of words on a building I would stop to look at it.  And the things that she writes make you think and some are inspiring.  I just really am a fan of her work and think that its very creative and special.  Here are a few examples of her work.

Florence 1996

Providence 2006

Washing 2004

All three of these are bold and make you stop and think.  I would love to see her work in person.  My favorite one out of these three is "your oldest fears are the worst ones".  The text that she uses can hit home to everyone.  Everyone can relate to at least one of her works.

Blog Number 7

The film that I chose to watch was The Titanic.  The Titanic is one of my all time favorite movies.  Like most of my peers my attention span is not that large, and with technology today its nearly impossible to sit down for more then an hour without constantly checking my twitter, facebook or texting someone.  I must say though that I can sit through the Titanic without pausing every five minutes to check my cellphone or get up and do something else while this movie is playing. 

I chose to watch the Titanic because I have not seen it in quite some time and it is coming back out in theatres April 4th in 3D, which I am very excited about!  For me the Titanic is such a good movie because it has action and romance.  Plus its a true story which makes me more sensitive and like it so much more since before the movie came out I was already aware of the dark fate of the passenegers aboard the ship.  Even though we did not see a clip of this movie in class, since we were focusing on classic and famous movies I was reminded of my love for the Titanic.

Another reason why I love this movie so much is because of Leonardo Dicaprio (duh) who looked so young and handsome in this movie!!! He was only 22 years old at the time when it first came out which was back in 1997.  When I was younger I had dreamed of having a love like Jack and Rose and every time I watch the movie I am reminded again how beautiful their love story is. (Who knew I was so cheesy).

Although it is one of the saddest scenes in the movie, there is one part that brings me to tears every single time and I always seem to forget about it.  At the end of the movie when the ship is sinking and really beginning to flood they show several passengers who were not able to get out of their cabins and into a lifeboat.  They show a mother with her son and daughter in bed going to sleep and then an older couple laying down in bed holding one another and it breaks my heart every single time because they knew that they were going to die.  It makes me want to jump into the television screen and pull them out and save them!

The closing scene is also amazing.  When Rose finishes explaining that she never told anyone about her love for Jack Dawson everyone is really choked up.  Later that night she reveals the green emarald that she had kept from her nasty fiance many years ago after the disaster.  Even though it was worth so much money she finally felt like she was freeing herself by telling her story so she threw it out into the sea and let it sink to the bottom of the ocean so it could be with the Titanic.  Finally Rose dies in her sleep and we can see pictures of her life by her bedside and we know that she had lived a long and great life just like Jack wanted her to.  And last but certainly not least Rose dies and go to her heaven which is on the Titanic where she is reunited with the love of her life Jack and the rest of the passengers who died on that horrific day.  This was so touching to me to see them together again. 

Although its cliche for a girl to love the Titanic I truly do think it is an excellent movie and every single time I watch it there are so many more things I am reminded of or learn that makes me love the movie even more!  If anyone has not seen the Titanic they are missing out!

Blog Number 4

The Moma

            In our first blog assignment students were instructed to answer the question “what is art?”.  I defined art from dictionary.com and it gave the following definition: “the quality, production, expression or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.”  I also wrote “In my own opinion, I suppose art can be anything really. It's paintings, fashion, music, or anything that you can find beauty in.  I guess art is different for everyone and every person has a different taste.”  After visiting the MOMA in Manhattan my feelings on art have not changed much.

            I am not a very artistic person and can barely draw a straight line for a stick figure.  I also don’t really have much of an eye for color and my favorite color is black. Like the quote on the first page of the syllabus for this class says, "I don't know what art is but I know what I like."  I can totally relate.  It’s normal for people to shut out things that they do not understand.  It’s very easy for a person to claim they don’t like something because they don’t understand it.  I was never good in art so why would I like the subject?  Since this class I have really tried to open my mind and eyes to different types of art.  Some of it is interesting and some of it is very boring.  What I don’t understand is what makes something a classic and famous piece of artwork and other pieces of artwork that are just as good if not better, not classical?  Like you have taught us, some of us may not like famous artwork but, we respect it.  For example, one of the most famous paintings in the world is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci.  I am not in love with this painting.  I do not think that it’s the greatest painting I have ever seen.  It’s not a very pretty painting.  But on the other hand, I respect it because I know that it is a classic.  I also respect that there is a lot of mystery behind the painting, which I believe is one of the many reasons it, is such a classic.  It’s famous because nobody really knows the true story of the painting.

            Although visiting the MOMA hasn’t really clarified my feelings on art I did enjoy it.  I enjoyed it because it was a different experience for my father and me.  Neither of us knows much about art so it was a cool learning experience for us, and going to see a museum is not something that we would ordinarily do.  We saw a lot of different paintings, sculptures and photography.  Visiting the MOMA was definitely a learning experience for the both of us and something we enjoyed learning together.  We may not necessarily be into art, but we both tried to broaden our horizons by seeing many different artists and understand their artwork.  Its fun to imagine what the artist was thinking or feeling when they were creating their piece.  Understanding the meaning of the artwork is hard, but its still fun to try and figure out.

            In my second blog post I wrote about impressionism.  Impressionism is a style of painting characterized by loose brushwork and vivid colors.  In the late 1800's and early 1900's American artists started developing a style of Impressionism that was similar to French artists.  The Moma did not have a lot of impressionist paintings and artists because of the time period that they were from, but I did get to see Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” painting, his “Agapanthus” and artists Pierre Bonnard’s oil on canvas “Dining Room Overlooking the Garden”. In 1915 Claude Monet built a large studio near his house in Giverny, a town forty-five miles north west of Paris, for the creation of what he would call his grandes decorations.  The subject of these works is the elaborate water lily pond and gardens that Monet had created on his property- already the primary focus of his painting for nearly twenty years. I was in absolutely awe at his Water Lilies oil on canvas.  It was three different panels and absolutely huge.  Seeing this painting in person made such a difference as opposed to seeing it on the computer.  A computer can do that painting no justice.  I would have never thought that it would have been that big!  Not only was it big but also it was beautiful.  I definitely appreciated that as art.  You can tell how long and hard an artist had to work to create that masterpiece. The painting features softly flowing passages of cloud reflections on a tranquil surface punctuated by pink lilies. The thick surface of the panel indicates the prolonged duration of its making.  Monet worked on this and other paintings over a period of several years, building up layers of paint as he altered and refined the compositions.  You can see how detailed and how many layers that Claude Monet put in this piece.  You can really see the brush strokes and layers in person where as on the computer or in a book you would not be able to see that vivid detail.

            In my third blog post I wrote about artist Pablo Picasso.  There was a lot more art in the MOMA from Pablo Picasso. Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and stage designer.  He was a very influential artist of the 20th century and known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and many other styles that he helped to develop.  I saw “Woman Plaiting Her Hair”, “Two Nudes”, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”, “Bather”, “Violin and Grapes”, “Ma Jolie”, “Girl with a Mandolin”, just to name a few.  Like I said about Claude Monet’s art, I also enjoyed seeing Pablo Picasso’s work in person better then seeing it in a book or on the computer.  I recognized a lot of his work from the artwork that you have shown us in class.  I wasn’t disappointed by any of the artwork I was actually impressed with it because it looks so much better in real life as opposed to seeing it on a projector.  I feel like all artwork is more detailed in person.  In person you can see the brush strokes and the painting looks more real.  I believe that you can get a better understanding of artwork if you are able to see it in person.  Seeing a picture of something is a totally different feel then getting to actually be there and see it yourself. 

            As well as the impressionist paintings and the artwork from Pablo Picasso there was a whole lot more to the MOMA.  I looked at sculptures, design, architecture, paintings and photography.  My favorite was the photography. My favorite photographer was Sanja Iveković. Born 1949 in Zagreb,  Sanja is a Croatian photographer, sculptor and installation artist.  Considered to be one of the leading artists from the former Yugoslavia, she continues to inspire many young female artists.  Her photos were really inspiring to me. In the early 1970s when, together with other artists, she broke away from mainstream settings, pioneering video, conceptual photomontages and performance. Much of her work is centered on her own life and the place of women in today's society.  There were photos of beautiful women who are models but on the bottom of each photo there was a women’s name, age, where she was from and a little background story.  Each woman told a horrible tale of being raped, abused, and left by her husband and what happened after and how they were continuing their life.  It definitely made you stop and think, why would Sanja show a model and then put such a horrible story underneath of it?  It made me think that no matter how good a person looks on the outside, you never know what kind of battle they are struggling with on the inside.  I felt her photos were very inspirational and I know that in the 1970’s it was bold for her to put such strong photos out there for people to see. 

            Another artist that I saw was David Alfaro Siqueiros.  He was a Mexican painter and I was attracted to his artwork.  In his painting “Echo of a Scream” it shows a baby in distress in what appears to be some kind of a junkyard and behind the baby is another huge baby head, which I believe is to be the “echo”.  Both babies are screaming.  This painting was really powerful and I was impressed at the detail.  The babies looked so real and the detail on their faces was amazing right down to the wrinkles on the forehead and the scrunched up nose.  Another painting by David Alfaro Siqueiros was “The Sob”.  This was a painting of what I believe is a man and his arms and hands are covering his face because they are sobbing.  Although you cant see this persons face you know that they are sobbing because of the way they are holding their arms up and their head down.  This painting like the “Echo of a Scream” is also very detailed.  The hands and arms just look so realistic and you can see the creases on them like a real arm and hand would have.

            Lastly, something that I didn’t like was by artist Willys de Castro.  This art was called “Active Object” and is oil on canvas mounted on wood.  To me this looked like a white canvas with one black line on it sticking out of the wall.  Art like this is why I have trouble understanding art.  I can easily stick a white canvas on the side of the wall and call it art and I have practically no artistic ability.  So what makes this artwork famous and get to be in a museum when there are a million of other kids my age who can create a really nice painting and its not famous.  I understand that maybe it is famous because before it was created it was never done before and the idea of it is why it is considered art.  But at the end of the day it looked like a canvas sticking out of the wall and looked like it required little effort as opposed to the other paintings that I wrote about.

            In conclusion although art still isn’t my favorite subject, visiting the Moma was a good experience for me.  It can never hurt to try and understand things that you don’t necessarily like.  I doubt I will ever be able to paint something like Picasso did but at least I can say I got to see his artwork up close!