IndexIntroductionLinear PerspectiveCreating a Self-PortraitWorks Cited:IntroductionLike any other online course, I didn't know what to do except when I signed up for Art 1000. I had pretty low expectations and thought it would be a breeze . Not even a day after starting the class did I find out that it would be the exact opposite. As the course was only 3 weeks long, the pace was very fast, which meant that any student taking this course would have to put in the time and effort. Well, that's exactly what I did. Over the past three weeks I have forced myself to dedicate at least 4 hours of my time working on each assignment and I can tell you that the work has paid off. Through classroom instruction and Mark Getlein's Living with Art, I have become extremely familiar with the knowledge and definition of art. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The very first thing I learned in this course was that art is always the expression of the artist. Art is communication; whether it's the artist showing us something, telling us something, or making us experience something. The first session showed me how to look at art by doing descriptive analysis. Step by step, you work from what you initially see in a piece, explaining its elements, giving meaning to those parts, and finally reaching an opinion about everything. In the second session I learned more about those elements that go into the work. The formal elements, also known as visual elements, are line, shape, shape and mass, light, color and value, structure and pattern, space, time and movement. The Principles of Design are unity and variety, balance, emphasis, focus and subordination, scale, proportion and rhythm. After learning about each of these elements and how they relate to the artist's work, it became easier to understand the meaning behind each individual painting. In the third session we were presented with thematic categories and started working in groups with our online colleagues. This became a common task from sessions five to eight, which gave us a great opportunity to share ideas and get feedback on our work. My group looked at the topic category Imagination and Fantasy (Getlein's Invention and Fantasy) and established different themes for a specific work that was chosen. Throughout this process we were introduced to the idea of ​​surrealism. In the fourth session, our task was to look at the artwork Puppy by Jeff Koons and make the connection between the work and the materials used to create it. In this way, I learned that material is important when creating art. Can make the entire piece; even changing the medium can change the way the piece reaches viewers. As the third assignment of session 4, we were to watch the 1940s film Citizen Kane and determine the possible themes and representations in the film. By doing this, I learned how much goes into a production and how even the smallest thing, like camera angle or sound, can symbolize something much bigger in a story. As you can imagine, this is a lot of work that I have learned over the years. last three weeks. Without learning all this, however, I would be like the majority of art viewers who don't "get it." After learning all that I have, I have a greater appreciation for art, whether it's the art itself, the artist, or the artistic creation behind it all. There is a lot that goes into an artist creating a piece that communicates visually. Three of the most important things I have learned that have helped me better understand works of art are to understand the elementsvisuals and principles of design, knowing the artist's background and learning the reason for the materials they use. For example, watching Wilfredo Lam's The Jungle I would never have understood it without knowing space, color and value. In this case, Lam specifically chose the colors blue and green to portray a night or dark scene. I would have also never understood the way he incorporates scale and proportion into his paintings, along with subject and theme. Lam used the disproportion between the shapes to create an uneasy balance between the heavy upper part and the more open lower part of the composition. The subject of Lam's painting was based on the masks of African and Pacific Islanders, which he painted after returning to Cuba from Europe. Wilfredo Lam's experience with traveling and being a member of the Surrealist movement influenced his artwork, which is an example of using knowledge about the artist's past and life to understand his work. Piet Mondrian's work is another artist that I learned to "understand" that you need to dig deeper into his previous works. Piet's painting Melo in Bloom is difficult to understand the first time you look at it, unless you are familiar with his Red Tree or Gray Tree. Mondrian developed his work based on the spaces of the painting, rather than the trees themselves. He was focused on purity and as the years passed he began eliminating elements from his work. In addition to knowing the artist's background and their previous works, another important thing is to know the materials they are using and how these relate to the work itself. Puppy by Jeff Koons was specially made with flowers to communicate happiness and security for viewers. He combined the two most sentimental visual images – flowers and puppies – to tap into a specific emotion in his viewers. The vibrancy and optimism of flowers are what made Puppy who he was. The whole concept and feel of Puppy would change if the materials changed to something marble or steel. I think being an informed viewer will have positive consequences for a viewer beyond art appreciation. Looking at a work of art can be overwhelming and confusing, but it doesn't have to be easy. Artists spend years making these pieces, so for the most part they won't throw them in your face; it will take some time to understand. Taking the time to research and learn not only about the artwork itself, but also about the artist's history and how their work developed, can make your experience with the artwork more intimate. It's an exciting feeling when you finally "get" the work. Linear Perspective Linear perspective is a technique used by artists in which the relative size, shape, and position of objects are based on lines converging at a point on the horizon. With this, the shapes appear to decrease in size as they move away from us. When the lines converge at the horizon they disappear and this is called a vanishing point (Getlein 105). In the Tribute Coin, Masaccio uses linear perspective by superimposing the people in the painting, making some appear closer and further away. Along with this, a mountain scene is shown in the background. Use linear perspective to create the illusion that this landscape is far away and high up, touching the sky. In the School of Athens Raphael uses linear perspective by creating two walls that converge towards an opening in the sky. As the walls move further away, they move closer until the door to heaven opens. In addition to this, use the stairs to make it clear that the ones at the bottom are bigger because they are closer, and the ones at the top of the stairs are smaller because they are further away. Theme, composition and linear perspective are allrelated in Renaissance art. Early Renaissance art was dominated by religious themes. In The Tribute Coin, Masaccio created a two-point linear perspective with the placement of Christ. The compositions of these types of paintings were balanced because everything was relatively symmetrical so that the lines converged on the horizon. Leonardo da Vinci used theme, composition, and linear perspective when creating his painting The Last Supper. The religious theme depicts the gathering of Jesus Christ and others sharing a meal before Christ was crucified. Da Vinci creates a one-point linear perspective by placing Christ at the vanishing point as Masaccio does. The composition of this painting is also balanced, with Christ in the center and a symmetrical amount of people to his left and right. There are four doors on the left and right sides of the street, converging towards the back wall with three windows. A great technique used by artists is the inclusion of the artist themselves in their work (Lecture Notes). El Greco's The Burial of Count Orgaz and Velazquez's Las Menians do excellent work in this regard. The presence of each artist in their works enhances their overall image and meaning. Like many artists, El Greco and Velazquez include themselves in their paintings to create a new perspective and include their own personal opinions on the story being told. In Las Menians, Velazquez can be seen in the left corner staring directly at the viewer. The painting depicts a behind-the-scenes look at the Spanish court, including the king and queen in the background framed or shown in a mirror. Theories suggest that by painting himself and having the picture hung or the mirror in the background his audience is looking from the point of view of the royal family reflected in that mirror (Mental Floss). The burial of Count Orgaz contains images of both El Greco and his son. El Greco stands in the mourning row left of center, while his son can be seen in the foreground with one hand on the long torch. On his son's pocket is the year of his birth on his pocket square (Mental Floss). I think El Greco did a good job of including himself and his family, without interrupting or taking away from the artwork itself. The levels of reality in each of these images enhance the work thanks to the artist's great skill. There is a great amount of realism that makes the paintings appear as if they were real people in real time. Another painting that demonstrates this is The Ashes of Phocis by Nicolas Poussin. In this painting the landscape seems as if it were a photograph. It looks so realistic that the viewer can almost imagine themselves there in that moment. I believe there are several alternatives for artists to include themselves in their work without including a self-portrait of themselves. I think a lot of artists do it without us even knowing it. Many artists may include objects in their paintings that symbolize certain aspects of their life, which viewers would have no idea about unless they dug deeper into the artist's life. An example would be van Gogh and his work in creating landscape and nature pieces. Even though he doesn't include himself in these paintings, he has made it known that that type of work is what defines him and gives him pleasure. Creating a Self-Portrait When I create a self-portrait of myself, I don't want to make it look realistic, but more on the creative side and funny while still looking like me. I would create the painting on a large canvas, much larger than my 5 foot body. I would use a variety of watercolors, making sure each color didn't match what it would normally match in real life. For example, instead of painting my hair brown as it actually is, I could paint it, 30(2), 380-381.