Welcome, students, educators, artists, bloggers, and community members! Although we have only met for two classes thus far, we are well on our way to bonding as a SMArt community, establishing a flow for the course, and becoming familiar with the creative process, both in theory as well as practice.
For our first mini project, we are working either independently or in pairs to create a logo that will be used to represent our class, Scholars Making Art. The purpose of this project is two fold: First, we are gaining an understanding of the role symbolism plays in representing the beliefs and values of a group. Secondly, by going through an abridged version of the creative process as a class, we are becoming familiar with the way artists approach problem solving, from beginning to end—or from concept to actualized work of art.
We began this process by discussing representation, both in contemporary society as well as in ancient cultures. Next we took a comprehensive look at the creative process as it applies to working independently (in the beginning planning phase) to collaboratively (selecting a viable plan to move forward with as a group). Below is a brief overview of the creative process we will be utilizing in the creation of art works during this class:
- Concept Development:
What is the specific information you would like to explore or general point you wish to communicate with your audience?
- Considerations (limitations):
- Location
- Materials Available
- Time Allotted
- Work Force
- Brainstorm (Idea Generation):
Once you’ve determined how much space you have, what materials you have available to you, how much time you will have to complete the project, and how many people will be collaborating to accomplish this goal, it’s time to begin brainstorming. Brainstorming can take many forms: a word web, bulleted lists, bouncing ideas off a classmate out loud, or thumbnail sketches.
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word web word web thumbnail sketches
- Selection: (Presenting & Voting)
During this stage, the smaller groups will each present their strongest ideas to the class. After discussing the plausibility and potential for success of each project, the class will vote on the single idea to be further developed and finally constructed by the class.
- Planning:
Now that you’ve selected the strongest and most plausible idea, it’s time to:
- Visit the site
- Refine the sketch to include details such as materials and scale
- List tools needed
- Divide into task-based teams
- Construction:
- Collect materials and tools
- Layout sculpture using spray paint, natural markers, etc. at installation site
- Begin to excavate, build, assemble and create sculpture
- Reflection & Critique:
Congratulations! You’ve completed construction of your sculpture. Now it’s time to reflect upon the process and discuss what aspects of the project were successful and what could have used a bit more planning, tweaking, love. This final step is critical in helping you to learn from mistakes made and to grow as artists and scholars.
Next we viewed examples of symbolism and representation and discussed the values we wanted to convey to the school and greater community about our class as a group of scholars and artists. We brainstormed over lunch (or during the walk back to class!) about the symbols we might include in our logo design and got to work on sketching potential designs for our class logo.
During the next class, we will present our preliminary plans to our classmates and vote on the design or designs we feel best represent us. Finally, a group of students will work to polish the design so that it becomes a finished product—the SMArt logo!
Up next on the docket: Learning about artwork from Paleolithic to Contemporary times with a focus on Earth Art. Stay tuned!
Brian Hamm
ReplyDeleteSept 8, 2011
Paleolithic Cave Painting
Over 15,000 years ago, during the Old Stoneage, Cro Magnon humans became the first ever to invent art. Ancient art created by these ancient artists can be found along the walls of various caves across the world.
Chauvet Cave: Located in France. 15,000 years old. I found it very interesting that the paintings discovered in the cave depicted animals that no longer exist any where near France anymore. Chauvet Cave contains drawings of Lions, Rhinos, Bears, and Hyenas!(http://justacargal-s.blogspot.com/2011/05/chauvet-cave-art.html)
One particular painting from this cave really intrigued me. It was a Bison painting made with dots and handprints, and I found myself really thinking about what was going on in the picture and trying to depict a situation.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-poo_q69O6JI/Tc3htPP6PVI/AAAAAAAAEp8/3bK0vlIjr8Y/s400/c3.gif)
Lascaux Cave: Located in France as well, its discovery story was quite amusing. Around 70 years ago, two boys who were searching for their pet dog, Robot, stumbled upon a Cave that contained art from over 15,000 years ago! The dog had gotten stuck in the cave and fallen down into a part that had never been ventured in before. Robot's barking led the rescuers to his position. It amazed me that Lascaux Cave contained ceiling art that would only have been possible by the use of scaffolding. In fact, archeologists found holes in the rocks of the cave, which confirmed the existence of ancient scaffolds.
(http://witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/lascaux.html)
Altamira Cave: One of the earliest caves discovered, it was in the 1880's that an ancient Bison painting was found deep in the Altamira cave. Though it was initially declared a hoax, researchers later confirmed that it was in fact ancient art.
(http://whatafy.com/travel-vacations/2353-altamira-cave-paintings.html)
Tools: I was amazed that complex tools, such as the Atlatl, were invented just so hunting could be sped up to make more time for art. The Atlatl was made as a launcher for the spear. It used a sling-like motion that propelled the spear far distances at high speed.
(http://associations.missouristate.edu/mas/macquest/Desk/atlatlindex.htm)
Animal Bones were even used! The tips were burned and used as black outline for animal drawings. Earth tone, crushed berries, and animal blood were all used for coloring. I found it particularly interesting that to create the handprint, pigment was sucked into a hallowed reed and blown out over the back of the hand to create the design. Many of the techniques used in cave art can still be seen today in slightly different forms. Early signs of the paintbrush were animal hairs were attached to a twig and then dipped in a colored pigment.
The Paintings: A couple things that I found interesting…
-There are no backgrounds in these ancient paintings.
-Animals are always painted in profile, and they are outlined in black.
-Most Cave paintings have no relationship to one another.
-I was fascinated by the fact that humans, who were rarely even depicted in cave art, were given such less detail than animals.
-Ancient cave art is usually found deep in the caves, the reason for this is a mystery to archeologists. My theory is that these ancient artists were using caves as shelter, and to avoid the disturbance of harmful animals and other humans while they slept, they would venture deep where they could relax, stay safe, and designate a living area. Once they settled, they would see no other reason to leave than to hunt or gather materials, so they stayed and used the walls of their new settlement to make their art.
Why?
A couple of ideas as to why Cro Magnon created cave art.
-To decorate their living area.
-To document history.
-Because they enjoyed drawing.
-To mark their territory.
-For ceremonial purposes.
-For good luck while hunting.
-To teach.