Ralph Bacerra Essay -- Art

Ralph Bacerra attended Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angelas. Although his original intention was to become a graphic designer, his career path changed after taking a class with Vivika Heino (Stewart, 2008). Heino was the lead ceramics teacher at Chouinard and it was under her instruction that Bacerra found his love for ceramics. Heino was very influential in her use of glazes and inspired Bacerra to experiment and branch out in regards to his glazing methods. After a brief tour in the military Bacerra traveled to China and Japan where he was greatly influenced by the style and glazing techniques of the East. Bacerra went back to Chouinard where he taught for eight years and served as chairman of the ceramics department and later served the same position at Otis College of Art and Design (Bacerra, 2004). Bacerra uses very distinctive geometric elements in his ceramic pieces. Bacerra’s pieces incorporate stripes of shifting background hues, twisting lines, with interlocking cubes and cones with cylinders and other geometric volumes (Lloyd, 2010; Clothier, 2012). At first glance Bacerra’s pieces seem to have odds and ends jutting out in peculiar and random ways. However, when one takes a closer look, all of the shapes and lines work together in a simple and elegant way. Many of his pieces have a mixture of both organic and mechanical elements. He uses organic shell-like circles and smooth, almost melted looking lines along with defined geometric squares, triangles, and circles giving his work a distinct abstract look. Bacerra uses a wide range of color in his pieces but sticks mostly with a bluish-green palate with hints of gold. Many of his pieces are comprised of different shades and values of blue and green (sometimes purple ... ...il 7-19). Interview by F Lloyd [Audio Tape Recording]. Oral history interview with ralph bacerra. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. , Retrieved from http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-ralph-bacerra-12942 Clothier, P. (2012). Ralph bacerra. American Ceramics, Retrieved from http://www.peterclothier.com/ralph-bacerra.html Hamer, F., & Hamer, J. (2004). The potter's dictionary of materials and techniques. (5 ed.). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Lloyd, F. (2010). Ralph bacerra. Retrieved from http://www.franklloyd.com/dynamic/artist_bio.asp?ArtistID=1 Jenyns, S. (1971). Japanese pottery. London, England: Praeger Publishers. Stewart, J. Y. (2008, June 13). Ceramic artist famed for use of patterns. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/13/local/me-bacerra13

Article Critique: the Tyranny of Choic Essay

I will be writing a Article Critique on the article â€Å"The Tyranny of Choice† by Barry Schwartz. In this Critique I will addressing many psychological concepts, including what is a maximizer and satisficers. Also I will test myself to see which one fits me the most with the decision I made in my life and the ones I will make in the future. A maximizer is someone who tries to get the best out of ever situation or tries every options until they found the best one. (Schwartz,2004) A satisficers is someone who would settle for OK even if the best is out their for them. Maximizers spend the most time on everything because they spend most of the time comparing any and everything they find. Satisficers may browse and look around but when they find something that is right for them then they eliminate any further browsing. A scale was develop to distinguish the two and it is called â€Å"The Maximization Scale†. When you use the scale and and you are higher than 4 then you are considered a maximizer. If you score lower than 4 then you are considered a satisficers. Many say that a maximizer tends to become more depress than a satisficers mainly because they tend to think about the many choices they turned down to get the â€Å"best choice†. Sometimes the choice they chose isn’t that much better then the other choices they turn down. So they would dwell on the thought and it would get them upset and start to become depress. Whereas with satisficers they get depress but not as much, because they are upset about their other choices but since they lowered their standards they are pretty acceptable with their decision. (Schwartz, 2004) My score is 4.3 which means that I am more of a maximizer. When I make a decision I do all of my research before I try or do anything new. I weight out my pros and cons before I attempt to do anything, mainly because I do not want to make a mistake in the long run. At the end of the day though I am happy with the decision but some how I see better choices that I either overlooked or didn’t pay attention to. When I figure out those choices I tend to get upset or mad with my self, because some time I think the magic what if Some try to put their all in their getting what they assume is the best choice. â€Å"The more we invest in a decision the more satisfaction we expect to realize from our investment.†(Schwartz,2004,pg 74) What ever they invest in, they expect to be able to use it or learn from it for a long period of time not a short one. The reason I say that is because they wouldn’t want to spend all their hard work and time on something that will not last that long. If that do happen then the person will be upset and soon become depressed about their wrongful decision. In my opinion I thought this Article was very interesting to read. I saw myself reading and thinking that I do the exact same thing I am reading about. I am a online shopper never go to the store and shop, but I tend to start site hopping. Which is simply me going from site to site trying to find the best choice or the best value. At first I didn’t know they gave people who find the better item and people who settle a name. I also tend to try to put my all in something I expect to last quite a while Example, I wanted the new Ipod touch, but it cause 300 with everything, now I sacrificed going out, getting fast food, and limiting my spending. Now the only reason I did that is because I expect the iPod to last for a long time now, but if it was to last for a couple of weeks or months then I would not have done all of that. Overall this article was a well put together article in which I learned a lot of information from that I can use later in life, it also explained a lot of thi ngs in my life at this time. In conclusion, â€Å"As the number of choices we face increase, the psychological benefits we derive start to level of†(Schwartz,2004 ,pg75) It seems like the more choices you are faced day by day the more it will start to bother your emotions and feelings. You are faced with so many choices on a day to day basis, and you try our to make the â€Å"ideal choice†. At the same time your mind may drift off and say â€Å"What if I chose this or that† then the pressure increase. This article was to help you realize somethings about yourself. Also it was something that would help you better yourself in the years to come. References Schwartz, B. (2004, April). The tyranny of choice. Scientific American, 290(4), 70-75.

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous

The Mona Lisa is perhaps the most recognizable piece of art in the world, but have you ever wondered just why the Mona Lisa is so famous? There are a number of reasons behind this works enduring fame, and combined, they create a fascinating story that has survived through the ages. To understand why the Mona Lisa remains one of the art worlds most iconic images, we have to look at her mysterious history, famous theft attempts, and innovative art techniques. Interesting Facts: The Mona Lisa The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci and is believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco Giocondo.For such a famous painting, it is surprisingly small; it measures just 30 inches by 21 inches (77 cm by 53 cm).The painting uses a number of unique art techniques to draw the viewer in; Leonardos skill is sometimes referred to as the Mona Lisa Effect.The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, and wasnt recovered for over two years; she is now housed behind bulletproof glass to protect her from vandals. The Mona Lisas Origins The Mona Lisa was painted over the course of several years by Leonardo da Vinci, the Florentine polymath and artist who created some of the Renaissances most iconic works. Born Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci in 1452, he was the illegitimate son of a nobleman, and although there is little information about his childhood, scholars do know that as a young man he was apprenticed to an artist and sculptor named Andrea di Cione del Verrocchio. He created many sophisticated pieces of art over the course of his career, and in the early 1500s, began work on what would come to be known as the Mona Lisa. Unlike many artworks of the time, the Mona Lisa is not painted on canvas. Instead, she is painted on a poplar wood panel. While this may seem odd, keep in mind that Leonardo was a sculptor and artist who had painted on large walls of plaster throughout much of his career, so a wooden panel probably wasnt much of a stretch for him. It is generally believed that the painting is of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. The word mona is a colloquial version of the Italian word for madam or maam, hence the title Mona Lisa. The works alternate title is La Giaconda. It is believed that the painting was commissioned by Giocondo to commemorate the birth of the couples second child. Over the years, there have been theories that Lisa Gherardini was not in fact the model in this painting. Speculation abounds that the mysterious woman in the image could be any one of a dozen Italian noblewomen of the time; there is even a popular theory that the Mona Lisa is a feminized version of Leonardo himself. However, a note written in 1503 by Agostino Vespucci, an Italian clerk who was assistant to  Niccolà ² Machiavelli, indicates that Leonardo told Vespucci he was indeed working on a painting of del Giocondos wife. In general, art historians agree that the Mona Lisa really is Lisa Gherardini. Scholars also agree that Leonardo created more than one version of the Mona Lisa; in addition to the del Giocondo commission, there was likely a second commissioned by Giuliano de Medici in 1513. The Medici version is believed to be the one that hangs in the Louvre today. Unique Art Techniques ilbusca / Getty Images Unlike some artwork of the sixteenth century, the Mona Lisa is a very realistic portrait of a very real human being. Alicja Zelazko  of Encyclopedia Britannica attributes this to Leonardos skill with a brush, and his use of art techniques that were new and exciting during the Renaissance. She says, The subject’s softly sculptural face shows Leonardo’s skillful handling of  sfumato, an artistic technique that uses subtle gradations of light and shadow to model form, and shows his understanding of the skull beneath the skin. The delicately painted veil, the finely wrought tresses, and the careful rendering of folded fabric reveal Leonardo’s studied observations and inexhaustible patience.   In addition to the use of sfumato, which was rarely done at the time, the woman in the portrait has an enigmatic expression on her face. At once both aloof and alluring, her soft smile actually changes, depending on the angle from which the viewer is looking. Thanks to differences in  spatial frequency  perception within the human eye, from one viewpoint she looks cheerful... and from another, the viewer cant quite tell if shes happy or not. The Mona Lisa  is also the earliest Italian portrait in which the subject is framed in a half-length portrait; the womans arms and hands are displayed without touching the frame. She is shown only from head to waist, sitting in a chair; her left arm rests on the arm of the chair. Two fragmentary columns frame her, creating a window effect that looks out over the landscape behind her.   Finally, thanks to Leonardo’s mastery of lighting and shadows, the womans eyes appear to follow the viewer wherever they may be standing. Leonardo wasnt the first to create the appearance that a subjects eyes are following people around the room, but the effect is so closely associated with  his skill that it has become known—somewhat incorrectly—as the Mona Lisa Effect. Grand Theft Painting Pablo Blazquez Dominguez / Getty Images For centuries, the Mona Lisa hung quietly in the Louvre, generally unnoticed, but on August 21, 1911, it was stolen right off the museums wall in a heist that rocked the art world. Author Seymour Reit says, Someone walked into the Salon Carrà ©, lifted it off the wall and went out with it! The painting was stolen Monday morning, but the interesting thing about it was that it wasnt til Tuesday at noon that they first realized it was gone. Once the theft was discovered, the Louvre closed for a week so investigators could piece together the puzzle. Initially, conspiracy theories were everywhere: the Louvre had staged the heist as a publicity stunt, Pablo Picasso was behind it, or perhaps French poet Guillaume Apollinaire had taken the painting. The French police blamed the Louvre for lax security, while the Louvre publicly ridiculed law enforcement officials for failing to turn up any leads. After more than two years, in late 1913, a Florentine art dealer named Alfredo Geri received a letter from a man who claimed to have the painting. Geri immediately contacted the police, who soon arrested Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian carpenter who had been working at the Louvre at the time of the theft. Peruggia admitted that he had simply lifted the masterpiece from the four hooks upon which it hung, stuck it under his workmans tunic, and just walked out the door of the Louvre. The Mona Lisa was found tucked safely away in Peruggias apartments, just a few blocks from the museum. Peruggia said he stole the painting because it belonged in an Italian museum rather than a French one. There were also rumors he had taken it so that a forger could make copies of it to sell on the black market. Once the Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre, the French turned out in droves to see her, and soon, so did people from all over the globe. The small, simple painting of a maybe-smiling woman had become an overnight sensation, and was the most famous work of art in the world. Since the 1913 theft, the Mona Lisa has been the target of other activities. In 1956, someone threw acid on the painting, and in another attack the same year, a rock was thrown at it, causing a small bit of damage at the subjects left elbow. In 2009, a Russian tourist flung a terra cotta mug at the painting; no damage was done, because Mona Lisa has been behind bulletproof glass for several decades. The Most Famous Face in the World digitalimagination / Getty Images The Mona Lisa has influenced countless painters, from Leonardos contemporaries to todays modern artists. In the centuries since her creation, the Mona Lisa has been copied thousands of times over by artists around the world. Marcel Duchamp took a postcard of Mona Lisa and added a mustache and a goatee. Other modern masters like Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali painted their own versions of her, and artists have painted her in every conceivable manner, including as a dinosaur, a unicorn, one of Saturday Night Lives Coneheads, and wearing sunglasses and Mickey Mouse ears. Although it is impossible to put a dollar amount on a 500-year-old painting, it is estimated that the Mona Lisa is worth nearly $1 billion. Sources Hales, Dianne. â€Å"The 10 Worst Things That Happened to Mona Lisa.†Ã‚  The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 5 Aug. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/dianne-hales/the-10-worst-things-mona-lisa_b_5628937.html.â€Å"How To Steal A Masterpiece and Other Art Crimes.†Ã‚  The Washington Post, WP Company, 11 Oct. 1981, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1981/10/11/how-to-steal-a-masterpiece-and-other-art-crimes/ef25171f-88a4-44ea-8872-d78247b324e7/?noredirectonutm_term.27db2b025fd5.â€Å"Theft of the Mona Lisa.†Ã‚  PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/mona_nav/main_monafrm.html.â€Å"Work Mona Lisa – Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, Wife of Francesco Del Giocondo.†Ã‚  The Seated Scribe | Louvre Museum | Paris, www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/mona-lisa-portrait-lisa-gherardini-wife-francesco-del-giocondo.