Video Review week 9

1.  The first video was “Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art”. This video on the art of the Lowbrow genre. Lowbrow is best described as pop art; generally dreamlike characteristics and involves a lot of the figures we see on the television. Some examples of the figures used are automobiles and scantly clad pin-up type, as well as other abstract figures that really can’t be put in another categories. Some critics argue that it should take the name of “Lowbrow Surrealism”, and I feel that it resembles surrealist paintings from the readings. 

 

The second video was “Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach”.  This video discussed the method to displaying modern art in the Tate gallery. Throughout the 20^th century, art was displayed in galleries in a straight forward chronological style. With the Tate Approach, art pieces were broken down into four groups, or exhibits, which each piece being categorized to match that exhibit. This video focuses on grouping of artworks with the Tate Approach and the job of a curator breaking up the works into the right groups and themes. 

 

 The next video was “Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology”. It features a Native American woman making a stand for the protection of Indian burial grounds. This movement was based on fighting for the rights to claim their ancestral artifacts from becoming amusement in museums and other exhibits. These Native rights groups fought for the protection of bones and remains being dug up, and boycott the museums that show Native artifacts. The artifacts can tell a great deal about the past and should not be destroyed, as well as not be moved because more can be discovered by examining remains in their nature state. It’s also about respect of the ascestors, because they fell that their cultural remains are not meant to be used for exhibit purposes. 

 

The last video was “George Eastman House: Picture Perfect”. This video talked about the George Eastman House located in Rochester, NY. It goes into discussing Eastman’s creation of the first camera, and the collection the visual history of photography that he created. It gives a good history on photography, including explaining the thousands of different kinds of cameras and lenses, and works from over 14,000 photographers. It was interesting to see the early models of cameras and the photographer's styles and how they can be compared to the changes in what the photography field is today.

2. I felt that three of the videos I could relate to my Art Exhibition project. Because it is based on Native American Art, I felt that the issues talked about in the “Bones of Contention" video were very relatable to my project. Most of my art I chose was more current, but I know that a lot of tribes are reluctant to let certain images to be portrayed because they do not want outsiders misrepresenting it. The history explained in the "George Eastman" video could relate because photography was something I liked when I was choosing my art pieces. Lastly, the "Lowdown and Lowbrow" video related because I discovered some very abstract pieces done by some current artists. Pop culture artists today have an array of influences, and mixing the traditions of the past and today's abstract style made for some really interesting pieces.

3. I felt the videos were very helpful, except the "Displaying Modern Art" video because it didn't really have to do too much with my project. But I felt that the rest of the videos gave me extra guidance to take me in the right direction for my project.