Canonical Comic

          You have no control of the world of art that you have inherited but you do have a say about how you interpret works of art and relate to them.  There is a list of works of art recognized as art.  Although inclusion upon this list depends on the agenda of whom you ask why not develop your own criteria for what is art. The list is called the Canon of Art. 

          The Canon can be thought of as a barometer or measuring device. Think about what kind of criteria you would include and why certain pieces of art should or should not be considered "art". What makes a work of art good? How does it affect you? Does it move your friends in the same or in a different manner? 

          For your final project of the semester you are going to be appropriating from the Canonical underpinnings of our text combined with the works of art you brought into class presentations and the slides shown in class. Lift pieces of art out of the original context and create a comic or sequencial narrative about three scenes in your life. They can be from the past, present or your Nostradamus future. Include a few paragraphs explaining the meaning behind your composition. 

          How does giving a slice of art a new context alter the meaning? Bonus points if you can use the art in unexpected ways...  See if you can decipher the recontextualized and altered images from above. For example, did you notice Van Gogh's Sunflower is reshapened to create the Friends coffee shop floorboards? Definitely cool. Also Hokusai's Wave is turned upside down and made into a windy sky while Botticelli's Seashell, from Birth of Venus, was refashioned into weights for athletic training. Thats some impressively furtive appropriation.  

Birth of Quinnipiac

The outstanding work of 15 students and my mother, who just happened to be passing through town. Guess which one is Paddy's rectangle? Really, AR101, ya'll did a fantastic job. Your individual interpretations blend exciting... Botticelli would be thrilled.

Principles of Art & the Barococo...

Here is a diagram you can download and use as a worksheet to practice integrating the Principles of Art with the Baroque and Rococo period. Remember to think through how Baroque and Rococo artists each used the Principles of Art differently to reflect the culture of their time as well as often the agenda of those commissioning the art.

On the right are some questions to further deepen your mastery of the material before the exam. At this point you want to be asking yourself....

 "How are the Principles organizing what I am looking at?" 

You could be observing a building, a candy wrapper, perhaps a tree or the flight path of a bird. The Principles are in effect be it by human hand or nature. There is also some key terms parceled out from the Baroque and Rococo lecture to help identify some of the impetus behind many works of art of the time period. Enjoy...