BMA- Andy Warhol Self- Portrait

Going to the art museum last week was a very fun activity in place of class. One piece of artwork that I thought was very interesting was "Self-Portrait" by Andy Warhol. It is a synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas. It was in the modern art section on the museum and was a huge display. It's black backdrop with pink marks almost looked smudged and chalked on. To me it also looked like he was wearing some type of head dress on or feathers. The portrait is perceived to be of Andy Warhol himself, but an "elusive" portrait because viewers can exactly tell details of him. Warhol made many self-portraits throughout his career, however this one is subject to the real or true representation of him and is a more aged version. 

Andy Warhol's Portrait:

Visibility by Italo Calvino

While some of Italo Calvino's ideas needed more thought in "Visibility" an idea that stuck out to me easily was that imagination is a way of attaining knowledge outside the individual. Imagination opens many different outlets for the human being. Visibility creates the difference between the two types of the imaginative process. The first being at the word which arrives at the visual image, example: writing, reading, and directing. The second type starts with the visual image and arrives at its verbal expression. The second can be when viewing a piece of art and it then connects with a word in your mind to give meaning. I think many people can relate to the first type of imagination. It is very common for people to think out something on paper, organize it, plan it and then perform it out.

The Whole Ball of Wax - Review

"The Whole Ball of Wax" by Jerry Saltz begins itself in the form of a question, "Can art change the world?" Salt answers this question soon after with a definite no, but continues on to pose many other questions on the power of art. When I read the first paragraph I agreed that no, maybe art can not stop the spread of AIDS, but I believe that seeing some piece of art, no matter what it is, can change a person's views or ideas in a second. This idea connects to the "bridge" of art to a "new vision and the vision itself". Art is the same as religion, politics, or science in that it is an experience. Looking into a piece of art for more than just how it appears. I agree with Saltz that art is an experience, where you see it, with whom, how does it make you feel, how was it made, etc. I think that everyone has much different experiences and opinions therefore, art can not have a singular result or meaning. Another part to point out is that art tells us things we didn't know: things about ourselves, and maybe things we didn't even care to know. After reading this article I am now more aware of art and what it does for the human mind, body, environment, and society.