This is my second visit to the Art Institute of Chicago during my semester for art appreciation class.  It was a very different from the first experience.  Every time I have visited, I have found out more, and more details of the permanent exhibits.  My experience this time was  more universally diverse, and fun, because every group had different assignments with different cultures from all around the world.  Definitely my favorite exhibit was the miniature homes, because I love architecture.

I was very excited wen I saw in one of the galleries the painting of Archibald J. Motley, Nightlife, which in a passed  class, I had a little presentation about the Harlem Renaissance movement.













Also, at the entrance, there where some of ancient sculptures I believe from the roman empire.  I was fascinated looking at those sculptures.

There were some mosaics that I loved, but unfortunately my phone died, and I could not take pics of them.  I have to go back to take pics of those pieces.

Art 21 project

               This is my selection for the art 21 project.  In the season 1/2001, I chose identity team, and the representative is Maya Lin.  She designs public places.  She designed THe skiing park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  In this park, she combined different elements, liquid, gas , solid elements to create this fun and visually joyful.

Season 2/2003: Martin Puyear, he represents the time theme. He is an African American sculpture. He uses natural elements for his sculptures, elements like wood, and stone.  Also he plays with dimensions and organic shapes. One of his work is "Ladder for Booker T. Washington"

Season 3/2005: For this season I chose Josiah McElhen, he represents the theme of Memory. He is inspired by existing objects. He recreates them with blown glass, with a twist of his peculiar style.  He designs his installations with three-dimentional reflective visual effect that the image reflected in the mirror, recreates a continuing reflection of the image reflected.  The serial mirror glass collection is the one I love the most.

Season 4/2007: Robert Ryman, he represents the Paradox theme.  American painter, he is known for his minimalism style. Hi uses white as his main color, and plaster to give texture to his work on the wall itself. Also hi plays with light to create visual effects.

Season 5/2009: Cindy Sherman represents the Transformation theme.  She is an American photographer. She manipulates images with computer programs. She transforms images of herself adding color,and accesories to the images. In one of her series, she used large scales to her creations.

Season 6/2012: Ai Weiwei represents the Change theme.  He is a Chinese artist and activist who has been criticized by the Chinese government for his political expression through his work.  He designed the Chinese zodiac heads in New York, and many, many other art works.

Jing,Yangbasai and me visited the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago.  The Museum has nine galleries that exhibit about 4,000 pieces of antiquities from the middle East.  The first gallery is called The Edgar and Deborah Jannotta Which is the Mesopotamian Gallery            (present-day Iraq). The next gallery is called The Yelda Khorsabad Court (Present-day Iraq),the next is the Dr. Norman Solhkhah Family, The Assyrian Empire Gallery ( Also Iraq present-day), then, The Herietta Herbolsheimer, M.D. Syro-Anatolian Gallery ( present-day Turkey), fallowed by the Haas and Sschwartz Megiddo Gallery ( Present-day Israel), next The Joseph and Mary Grimshaw, Egyptian Gallery, The Robert and Deborah Aliber, Persian Gallery ( Present-day Iran), The Robert F. Picken Family, Nubia Gallery, and finally, The Marshall and Doris Holleb Family, Gallery for Special Exhibits.    As soon as we entered the Museum, the first thing we saw was the monumental Human-headed winged bull at the end of the gallery, from all the pieces in the gallery, this is the one catches your eye the most.  The size of the piece is incredible, about 16 feet high. The galleries exhibit many pieces from the most ordinary objects, such as everyday pottery to gorgeous art objects.  Each piece has an explanation of how they transported the artifacts from their original location to the Museum in Chicago.  The expositions are permanent, but there is one section in which there is a special gallery section, in which they exhibit special temporary collections. At this moment the Museum  has a temporary exhibit called  "Between Haven And Earth"  Birds of ancient Egypt.  Egyptians believed that the birds were the connection between humans and gods. They also exhibit  mummifications of Ibises and falcons birds. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures in that section.

 In these two pieces of wall Egyptians had a secret message to their gods. The archeologists found the secret massage behind the structure of the pice of wall. To me this was the most interesting part of the exhibit.

Shadow Photo

          Walking around my neighborhood on Sunday for the Pilsen open studios, I toke many pictures, but this is the one I found more interesting. My shadow on the left bottom balances the composition of the frame with the tree's shadow on the right upper side of the picture.  The illusion of that I am lifting the tree and its shadow. I love it.

Movie Synopsis

The movie Basquiat is about Jean Michel Basquiat, an American artist. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1960, this artist had a natural talent, who painted graffiti on the walls of buildings in New York. Since he was a child, he showed interest for the modern art.  He visited Museums to see different artist's works.  He was captivated by Pablo Picasso's work.  One day, when he became adult, he met an art dealer, who discovered his talent and invited him to exhibit in a gallery his work.  There he met a famous art representative, and promised to Basquiat to make him a famous artist.  Once was involved in the art business, he met Andy Warhol.  Thy had a very close relationship.  He had a very dramatic life, his mother was in a mental ill hospital, he had some addictions to drugs, but despite that, he was very successful at what he did.

      This is one of the images I chose for ma personal collection from the AIC. I am fascinated with the models' expressions. They seemed like statues made of wax.  The artist made an incredible work.  I love that there is no implied line, all of them can be seen an specific point, but what is very interesting to me..... Is that all of them looking to different points, I can see all of them from one point....my point.

" I want to be ordinary"

I came up with the idea of making a backpack which represents part of my ordinary life. Ready to go to school.