After reading Chapter 21 I found some of the information interesting. I choose to watch Matisse and Picasso, The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present, Expressionism and The Impact of Cubism. I choose Matisse and Picasso because I thought that the history between these two men was important to art, I also enjoyed the style of art that these men orginiated and the influence they had and very much still have in the art world today. I choose The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present because I felt that this video would give me a more indepth understanding of Spanish art. I also wanted to watch it because it helped me with the information for this weeks discussion post. I choose Expressionism because I found that the whole concept was very interesting and I wanted to learn more. I enjoy learning about colorful art and the history behind it. And I choose Impact of Cubism because I felt it was also an important topic and it was not completely clear when reading the textbook.
In Matisse and Picasso I learned a lot of interesting information but most importantly I learned about the relationship that these two men had and the influence they were in art. Their relationship was like no other. The video refers to Picasso as Matisse’s brother in anguish. Matisse began painting by creating a portrait of his wife and it was displayed in a museum. Many American's visited this gallery and were completely stunned by the artwork that Matisse created while people from France did not like the artwork at all. Throughout the video many of Matisse and Picasso’s family members were interviewed because these men were so important and information and their stories needed to be told. Finally, in the video it stated that importance of artwork is determined by facial reactions which I found important to include because it is very true and the reaction of the viewers describes the true like or dislike of the artwork or artist. In The Mystical North it was interesting to learn about how just North of Spain is like a whole different country. This era was crucial to modern art. I also found it interesting that the cathedral that was talked about in the video is supported by Japanese business men. It was also interesting to learn that in that area outside of Spain the fight for independence is ongoing and still to this day many terrorists attacks happen there. I found Expressionism a very interesting topic and the video was also very interesting. The artwork that features expressionism is of human beings. Beckmann was an interesting artist that was featured in this video; he lived in an abandoned warehouse where he was created much of this artwork. Baselitz type of artwork was interesting; he created disoriented pieces where images were displayed upside down or in different sections of the piece. Expressionism was very influential in a mathematical perspective. The Impact of Cubism was interesting; it featured The Pompidou museum which is a very large tourist attraction. Juan Gris is similar to Baselitz, he also creates disoriented artwork. Marcel uses oblique angels, Robert Delaunay uses abstraction and all colors are clearly displayed, none of the colors mix together. Sonia Delaunay was artist but also did interior design; she considered art and life to be one. Kazimir Malevich created art that was similar to clip art, portrayed many different images into one piece. Umberto Boccioni emphasized number into his artwork but he also had a unique way of displays lines.
In many ways the four video’s I choose related to the textbook. Matisse and Picasso was discussed in the textbook in good detail and the information about their relationship and the type of art each of the men created was discussed. I also noticed that much of the same artwork that was in the textbook was also in the video as well talked about. The Mystical North was also talked about in the textbook and one of our questions for the discussion form was about the 19th century but how the three Revolutions were influential to it. Some of the information that was not clear in the textbook became clearer after watching the video. Both the book and the video discussed how certain insects have representation to the Spanish culture of art. Expressionism was also talked about in good detail in the textbook. The influence of color was emphasized in both the textbook and the video. Beckmann and Baselitz were also briefly discussed in the textbook and their influence and type of artwork. The Impact of Cubism was also in both; Cubism was important for many different reasons but I felt that the video could have been more descriptive opposed to just talking about five different artists and the type of work they created.
Overall I enjoyed watching the video’s, as always these video’s help me get a better understanding of certain topics that we have learning about in the weeks lesson. Learning about artwork and specific artists are helpful because it allows me to put a picture or face to a certain topic. All four of these videos are different in their own ways and bring different perspectives to the table. Although I felt that in The Impact of Cubism the creator of the video could have talked about what Cubism is more opposed to different artists that focus on that type of art, it helped me have a visual image of what this type of artwork is.
