Description
PART 1–
Read Chapter 2 pages 48-68 in online text.
Color Symbolism. Throughout all cultures, color has played an important role symbolically. The meanings and associations of those colors depends upon the cultural context. To the ancient Romans and Greeks, as well as in Asia, the color white is associated with mourning. However, the color of mourning in many Western cultures is black. Color can also differ in meaning through personal association. For example, the colors red and green are not only complementary colors but also are the colors associated with Christmas. To Wassily Kandinsky, red and green were charming and harmonious, but to Vincent van Gogh, the combination expressed the “terrible passions of humanity.” Explore the symbolic association of color and what is associated with those colors. For further research, look deeper into the cultural symbolism of color.
Pick one culture (it doesn’t have to be your own) and tell us a little about their symbolic use of color.
PART 2 —
Drawing project- lines, textures, space, shapes and values-
Start with rubbings and add other elements, like lines or shapes, to create a non representational/non- objective image. See examples. RubbingTextEx.pdf
HOW TO MAKE RUBBING TEXTURES:
(Put paper over an object or surface and rub with the side of a soft pencil or charcoal or crayon etc. Watch the texture emerge on the paper. Rub lightly at first to see how the texture comes through. Rub on a variety of surfaces to get desired composition. Then add other elements, like line, shapes, etc, to the page if you feel the composition needs it for balance.)
Photograph or scan your image to a jpeg and embed it to this assignment discussion by the due date and time. Here’s how to embed the image.
Then Give a critique to one of the other student’s drawings that attracted you. You can view them on the discussion thread. Give them a critique according to the attached critique guide within 24 hours of the due date. CritGuide.pdf
PART 3–
Graffiti as Art? The word graffiti is a plural derivation from the Latin word graffito, which was derived from the Greek word graphein meaning “to write.” Some of the earliest graffiti was found in Pompeii, carved into the walls of homes and monuments. Subject matter included quotations from literature, insults, political statements and caricatures, and love declarations. (Sound familiar?) Today, graffiti continues from its ancient legacy to evolve into “writing” by using spray paint. Graffiti can be found on virtually any viaduct or railroad car in the United States. Examine more of this history and its evolution to an art form (albeit illegal art form) today.
1. Richard Serra’s sculpture, Tilted Arc, was removed and destroyed eight years after it was created. The work was heavily criticized by those who worked nearby. Many objected to its enormous size, which forced them to walk around it when they wanted to cross the plaza. Part of Serra’s intention, however, was to make people more aware of their surroundings as they walked past the sculpture. Some objected to the raw steel wall because its rust-like surface was often covered with graffiti and could not be completely cleaned. Others thought the sculpture might attract rats or terrorists. Graffiti is a common sight in many cities, and much of it is regularly cleaned off, painted over, or obliterated quickly as it appears on bridges, subway trains, or warehouse walls. Many people perceive the spray-paint works as eyesores, signs of gang activity, or illicit damage to public and private property. Yet to many graffiti artists, their work is a way to make an individual mark on an uncaring city or even a form of personal expression that should be respected. They point out that people do not object when billboards and bus shelter ads appear without their approval. Recently, some art museums have commissioned graffiti art on walls near their institutions, and some graffiti artists ask permission before making a work.
Is it really graffiti if it is legal? Does art belong only in certain places?
Should people have the right to determine what imagery is in public spaces around them, and how it looks?
Does graffiti have merit? Should graffiti be an area of study given its illegal history in the United States? Why is it illegal if it has been practiced for thousands of years?
