1.
- Who are the subjects in Elle’s photos? How do they choose their subjects?
The subjects in Elle’s photos are entertainment wrestlers and Elle in the video; subjects are typically chosen around experiences that invoke a raw, emotional, and visceral reaction.
- What does Elle point out as important in a portrait? How does this deviate from typical ideas around what a portrait is?
Although geography is noted as an important component, Elle focuses more on the people and trying to show what an experience is like without showing the spectacle of such an experience. It deviates from many portraits by following a documentary style, made to look effortless.
- How does Elle connect their identity as a queer artist with the way they make work?
Photography deals with identity and surface perceptions as well as dealing with form, subject to defined or undefined boundaries as sexual identity can be bound or unbound by similar boundaries.
- How does Cuevas expand the definition of drawing in her work?
Cuevas expands the definition of drawing in her work by expanding her canvas; that is, painting on the riverbed itself adds much more symbolic significance to the action.
- In what ways does she shift typical ideas around political activism and social change?
She protests the idea of political activism due to the reasoning that as people act and are inclined to react daily, activism is an incorrect term in the sense that any action and reaction can be a force for social change or political purpose.
- How does her work open up ideas for you about your own civic engagement? Do you find yourself agreeing with her or wanting to challenge her ideas?
Her work plays on the idea that political messaging to a general audience need not be done through what is considered “typical” political channels, an idea that has been thought of in many different forms. In this sense, I agree with her in that there are more than simple traditional ways to get a political message across.
2. Find an artist on the art21 site (Links to an external site.) that resonates with you and write a few sentences about their work. Why does it resonate with you? How is this artist challenging norms or typical narratives in their work?
Paul Pfeiffer and his work in “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” piqued my interest. He chooses to rework several images, in a sense, by changing blending or erasing figures of the photos to leave an abstract feeling to the photograph. As it started with erasing Marilyn Monroe, he eventually expanded to erasing certain figures or parts of figures, which could result in a chance of emphasis on people that were not part of the original focus. It changes how we perceive the meaning of portraits, how we perceive importance in a photograph, and how choose it. In a way, this blending could make the sides of the background into the foreground, or the center could become insignificant. Taking away or adding context to photographs allow us to directly compare how messages are being told through art media and can allow us to further appreciate current art, as well as give a good basis for questioning and further expanding what art can mean.
3.
- How have your ideas changed around what drawing is/can be? If so, explain.
Drawing can be more than just something to look at; it can be a message, a symbol, it can be more than just lines and colors on paper. Although I have thought this way previously, seeing these media myself has given me good examples and further enriched my experiences.
- What has been the most challenging part of the class?
Letting go of perfectionism and fear of failure, sometimes I can’t start things because I know the beginning is rough and that I’ll struggle (like writing anything or drawing anything, extending even to schoolwork)
- What aspect/assignment/part of the class has been the most relevant to you/your life?
Linear perspective taught me perseverance and that I am capable of drawing well enough to meet my own standards
- What aspect/assignment/part of the class has been the least relevant to you/your life?
The current segment of portrait drawings, although not to say it’s irrelevant, really gets my perfectionism going.
- Where do you want to most improve in your drawings going forward (can be in terms of technique, concentration, understanding of art, anything)?
Breaking down complex drawings to simple elements that I myself can understand and recreate. This will be a skill that directly translates to success in complex tasks that should be broken into simpler components