Andy Goldsworthy (9/22/11)

Andy Goldsworthy is a sculpture who uses materials from nature to construct his pieces. The piece below is made from sugar maple leaves arranged near a seemingly still water source. The vibrant red color of the leaves against the dark rocks and soil of the water is aesthetically pleasing. The interaction between the leaves and the water in a portion of the art is also interesting to see. The piece has a distinct organization to it with the leaves radiating from a central location with a gradually changing gradient in the concentration of leaves.

Gestalt (9/20/11)

Gestalt refers to the associations the brain makes when visualizing a piece. Certain connections are naturally made through the visual grouping of objects of similar color, shape, or proximity. In the image below, the circles are visually grouped into 5 distinct lines even though the circles themselves are not physically connected.

Form vs Content (9/15/11)

Companies change their logos as time passes in order to relate more to the present time. A clear example of this can be seen through the changes Apple's logo has undergone over the years from 1976 to today. The logo has taken on color and a more chic look overall as the years have passed.

Like a Joseph Cornell (9/13/11)

The china cabinet is similar to Joseph Cornell's boxes in that it is a conglomeration of items in a display that may or may not have an obvious connection but come together for a final piece with a story. The individual pieces within the box carry a relevance that has a significance in the composition of the cabinet as a whole.

Lucas Samaras (9/8/11)

Below is Lucas Samaras's Untitled Box 2. This piece is a basic cube that is embellished with bright colors and fine details. The exterior of the box is intricate in the color content with no noticeable pattern in the in the setting of the details. The larger areas of more distinct patterns draw attention but there is only a connection through the colors and neither by the placement on the box nor any other noticeable aspect. Even though no pattern is seemingly present to create a sense of unity, the final product is unified in its compilation of colors.

Louise Nevelson (9/6/11)

The following is a Louise Nevelson sculpture that was created in 1964 and titled "Cascade". Even through the obvious sense of unity throughout the sculpture, the different components of the artwork carry an essence of uniqueness. A sense of uniformity is conveyed through the overall use of the typical rectangle or square that is repeated throughout the piece. Yet, the waves and other shapes within the individual boxes within the piece provide an individuality to each component. Also, there is an aspect of unity that is created through the black color of the entire work. On the other hand, the relative positioning of individual boxes and the resulting natural shadows throughout the sculpture add a gradient of color shades that serves as another aspect of distinction.

Jospeh Cornell (9/1/11)

 

The above is one of many Joseph Cornell's boxes. This specific piece is titled "A Swan Lake for Tamara Toumanova: Homage to the Romantic Ballet". This box has considerably less chaos in it than does some of his other works. I like the grace of the swam captured behind the blue glass. The feathers surrounding the central image add more of a naturalistic touch to the piece.