Video Review: Modern Artists and the Modern Era

Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.

-          I selected each of the four videos all for very different reasons, but mostly to learn about what each video had to offer. The video Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the ‘50s and ‘60s seemed interesting because I thought before viewing the film that it would have many of the artists that I learned about when I was younger. For the next video, Uncertainty: Modernity and Art, I didn’t understand the title at all and it confused me so I wanted to know more about it and understand its concept better. Next to Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol is one of my favorite artists; I didn’t know what the video Andy Warhol: Images of an Image had in store for me but I wanted to find out. Maybe the film would have had his famous 100 Cans painting or maybe it would have had Marilyn Monroe in it, but I did know for sure I wanted to find out. The last video I chose was Isamu Noguchi: The Sculpture of Spaces, I chose this film because I do not know of that many sculptors so the more I would view and study the better knowledge I would have about them.

For each video list / discuss the key concepts you learned.

-          The key concepts I learned in the first video, Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the ‘50s and ‘60s, talked about six different artists. The six artists that were featured in this film were Franz Kline, who focused on color in his abstract paintings. Helen Frankenthaler, who became very popular and famous after painting Mountains and Sea, which influenced a whole generation of American artists. Willem de Kooning, who said that even abstract shapes must have a likeness. Next the video talked about Jasper Johns, who seemed anxious and basically destroyed all of his work before he painted Flag. Andy Warhol, I learned that he was a commercial illustrator in the NY advertising industry before becoming a painter. Lastly the video goes to Roy Lichtenstein who commissioned a comic book like painting that has abstract pattern taken over his painting.

-          In the next video, Uncertainty: Modernity and Art, this film went through more of the history of art from the ancient Greeks to Jackson Pollock. Before modern times many artists wanted to create art to show humans on what they thought we should be, but nowadays many artists want us to feel the art and focus on our feelings.

-          The next video, Andy Warhol: Images of an Image focused on Andy Warhol and his different style on creating art. He painted many famous people, but the two women he painted were my favorite in history, Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor. After painting Marilyn he became famous, he just took one of her photos from a newspaper and made copies of them. Also his painting of Liz Taylor the viewer can see a white dot in different places of the painting.

-          The last video was a little bit confusing, I really didn’t understand it. Isamu Noguchi: The Sculpture of Spaces was a video that took a different approach to the sculptor’s life. This artist took an anti-sculpture quest and landed in Japan to create a beautiful work of art. Also I found out that he worked up until his 80s, where he was commissioning a great sculpture that would take about 8 to 10 years to complete.

How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

-          Every video at least has a reason for relating to the text. The text is basically a summarization of the videos and gives me an introduction to what I will watch and learn about. The text talks about modern art and what artists are doing now. In the videos that I chose many of the artists were born in the modern era and each have an important place in modern art.

What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

-          I liked the Andy Warhol video a lot, mainly because I like Andy Warhol and his paintings. My least favorite film was of Isamu Noguchi, that video seemed a little bit dull and hard to follow. But I do have to give the sculptor credit for having the strength and determination to focus on artwork well into his 80s. The videos to add depth because the text just summarizes the concepts for me and the videos add to that.