#17= Art 21

#16= Contemporary artist from my culture

Liu Xiaodong

         Liu Xiaodong felt that realism was documentary and direct for him. Even when the modern art movement dominated the world in the late 1980s, Liu Xiaodong still insisted on the realism of his duty and focused his attention on daily life and familiar people. For more than a decade, Liu Xiaodong still adheres to his own concept of painting, focusing on the independence and alienation of ordinary people's survival, away from the trend and embarrassment. Best known for his realistic and humanising paintings of everyday people in politically complex places, Liu Xiaodong is concerned with those left behind by modernisation globalisation.

#14= Lecture by Kerri Soukup

Lecture by Kerri Soukup

          I was honored to listen to a lecture by Kerri Soukup who was graduated in Fine Art and worked in Leo Burnett as an executive creative director. She was a proud and independent woman. There was something she speech that attracted me. First of all, She said modern makers are true characters, They have more creativity, and not just ads. They make things and solve problems. What's more, they create something. Then, Kerri Soukup analyzed the difference between art and copy. After that, she said what she looks for her company included talent, concept and craft, and character. At last, she showed us four artworks that she felt better and gave the presents to the artists.

#13= MCA

Reflection of MCA

       There was an enjoyable experience for me in MCA last week. MCA is a great contemporary art museum and the art exhibition section occupies most of the entire museum. There are many parts in the art exhibition such as Chicago Works, Heaven and Earth, Groundings, West by Midwest, Atrium Project, Enrico David and so on. There are some artworks in each part. However, I was only interested in one of the artworks that made me thought in them.

       The artwork made me think for a long time. When I saw the artwork, I imagined a black-eyed person sticking his head into a rope so that his neck became so long. It made me think a Chinese idiom that is called Tie One's Hair on the House Beam to Keep Oneself from Falling Asleep. It means a person work or study hard day and night. Because of the rope, the person studied hard but he finally got black eyes.

       Although I was interested in it, there were also many interesting artworks in MCA. Anyway, in my opinion, it is worth to recommend to visit it.

#15= Museum TEAM Project

Special Art Museum

        I had a project with my team that visited a museum. We had chosen a museum called Intuit and researched it before we visited. It is center for outsider art. We visited it on a cold day after classes.

        When I first came to the museum, I asked if my team was really a museum because it was too small. In the museum I visited, it was the smallest one. This art museum mainly collects works by Henry Darger. He was a reclusive American writer and artist who worked as a hospital custodian in Chicago. After he died, his artworks were discovered so that he became famous, so he was an outsider artist and his artworks were outsider art.

       In the museum, the main part is the Henry Darger Room Collection. We can see something that was in his house before his death. After visiting the art gallery, although he didn't become an artist during his lifetime, I thought he was still keen on art.

       Before we left the museum, we had interviews for an employee and a visitor. We waited for the employee over 30 minutes because of a meeting. We asked her about some insights about art and the details of Henry Darger. We are fortunate to ask the only one European-American visitor around the age of 30 about outsider art and his favorite artists and artworks. This was an enjoyable and relaxing visit for me. 

#12= Cultural Center

Reflection of the Chicago Cultural Center

     I was an honor to visit the Chicago Cultural Center. Before I visited it, I didn't where the Chicago Cultural Center is. I was curious to walk into it because I heard it was a great platform that shows the African American designers' artworks. The African American designer can make the most of their talents. I spent more time to see many artworks such as magazines, posters, album cover, toys, textiles, and household goods during the exhibition. They showed African American achievements. In addition, there is a painting on the outer wall of the cultural center. It was drawn by Kerry James Marshall.

#11= AIC

Reflection of AIC

       It was my first time to visit AIC. My first expression was the museum was so large. All kinds of famous artists and artworks that were from all over the world displayed in different parts. The main forms of the artworks are paintings and sculpture. They open the door of the art for me.  I was interested that the artist can state their situation or mood at the time by their artworks. I also had to do a mini-presentation about a specific art after I described and thought with my partner. In addition, I think AIC likes a maze or an art. If I might miss more art without the teacher's lead. After I visited AIC, I have a little reluctance to leave because I want to feel the more artistic atmosphere. All in all, AIC is so great because it has collected so many famous artworks.

#10= AIC Webhunt

Exploring the AIC Website

         It was my first time to explore the AIC Website. I didn't know the URL of AIC before I explored the AIC Website, so I just put The Art Institute of Chicago in Google. I have got the web address which is www.artic.edu since I entered "Downtown's Chicago#1 Mesuem| The Art Institute of Chicago".

         When I arrived "Home", I felt it was simple and tidy although it has many pictures. I went to "Visit" first. I knew the time of opening and the location about AIC in it. Of course, it also tells us the price. After I went back "Home", I visited "Exhibition and Events". It describes simply current and upcoming exhibition and events about artworks in AIC. If I click the artworks, I can see the exhibition or events in details. Then, I visited "The Collection". Much more all kinds of artworks were classified. I can see the details from each artwork and why the artists paint it. Finally, I went to "Shop" because I was curious about what I can buy as a souvenir. 

         All in all, I was easy to find it to navigate the AIC website. I thought the best part of the website is "The Collection". It is a better website if we learn art more.

#9= Craft

Something Interesting in Halloween

       Halloween was gone. There was something interesting during Halloween. Last week, it was my first time to think what the Halloween craft is when I saw a project about it. I searched it on the Internet and found many Halloween crafts were big pumpkins with grimaces. 

       I was interested in the grimaces, so I decided to make one before Halloween. The picture I took was my Halloween craft that didn't finish. It was simply because it was made by a part of a carton and a paper that was drawn to a ghost mouth.

       When Halloween night was coming, I received an invitation from one of my friends. We would knock on the door with his daughter and she would get much more candies. Because we walked and knocked one by one, we were too tired. However, we were not scared; in contrast, we were excited and enjoy it well.

#8=Artist II (Movie)

Synopsis and Reaction of A Strong Clear Vision

       For the artist project II, I watched a movie called A Strong Clear Vision by Maya Lin. It is a documentary about the view of art and creativity. The film describes the design achievements of her in the past 20 years and their impact. It goes to say an experience that she got the main ideas of monument which was built in Washington.  It described she and her classmates would do a homework about cemetery building and the topic had been death at that time. They got more ideas from a poster of Vietnam War and searched the historic event. Their art was praised by the senior officer and decided to build. After watching the film, I was surprised to her creativity. She can help most of Americans accept peacefully the sad America history by a monument.

#7=Loop

Reflection of  Visiting Public Art

     There are many public artworks that I have visited in Chicago. There was my preparation work before I visited public art. I found them on the map first, then prepare phone and some food or drink because I needed to visit them for a whole day. I don't know how to use the audio component, so I don't know how interesting was it. When I visited Running Table, I found the most interesting information is Running Table. It turns out to be a public art although it is very ordinary as a table. I would recommend the tour is Cloud Gate because you can see you in all forms when you walk to it even walk into it. It is so interesting for you and sometimes you may laugh. In fact, I only took some photos, but no anything unique happened. If searching the information of the public artwork on the Internet is cheating, I have cheated. However, I really got more information about public art in Chicago. I learned about the common feature of public art.

#6=color

My Favorite Color

   My favorite colors are purple and blue. The purple stands for dazzling and the blue is on behalf of simple and pure. I like this picture because it is made up of purple and blue, and has a little mystery. The color of high brightness looks very elegant that is I like. Also, the colors can make me calm down when I meet some problems that I can not solve myself. I love these colors.  

#4=Reflection Water taxi

Reflection Water taxi

     For the Water Taxi, it was my first time to take it since I came to Chicago. I was so curious when I sat in the water taxi. I communicated with my classmates and took many pictures at that time. I ever asked myself, "why do the architectures have so many styles?"

#5=Architectural Experience

Canton Tower

I had an unforgettable architectural experience in Guangzhou. Guangzhou is a huge city near my hometown. I often visit it when I have free time. Two years ago, I visited Guangzhou again to see Canton Tower that is about 600 meters. I was on a ship at that time. I only had known it was beautiful but I thought it was so marvelous at the moment. It is wonderful because it is a small waist of a girl. It was my last architectural experience before I came to Chicago and I never forget it.

#2=Beauty

A.  Summary of "A Darwinian Theory of Beauty"

       In the TED Talk "A Darwinian Theory of Beauty", the speaker explains beauty from intellectually, philosophically, psychologically. He describes what the beauty is from Darwinian Theory and the source of aesthetic pleasure. After that, he says that the difference in beauty between nature and art. Finally, he tells us the beauty is forever in our heart.
     In the talk, I caught some attention. He said any intense and pleasing beauty experience is part of our human psychology after evolution. I disagree with it. In my opinion, everything that is living has intense and pleasing beauty experience. However, they express it in different ways that we don't know. For example, a monkey thinks it is a pleasing beauty experience if they can eat a banana. The beauty experience comes from its heart. In addition, he said that another major principle of evolution is a sexual choice. I am interested in it. According to the word of the speaker, evolution has a special attraction to make us choose for something.

B.     A person

I think it is beautiful because it shows the warmth and happiness of a family.  

         An object 

I think it is beautiful because it shows many different shapes.

      A landscape 

I think it is beautiful because it looks like a married venue and represents happiness.

      An artwork 

I think it is beautiful because the form of the persons is vividly expressed in the picture.

#3=Artist Project I

Artist Project I: Elisabeth Lousie Vigee-Lebrun

https://drive.google.com/open?id=146mVoUEYg8wdho2zYIyOSkti7Gv1S3YH

#1=Choice

Running Horse

      This is an work of a famous artist in China. His name is Beihong Xu. The art was called Running Horse which was finished in 1941. I choose it because Beihong Xu created and led a new art era. I like it because the meaning of Running Horse is running towards the sun. It means we should be persevere when we do everything. It gives more and more power to our Chinese people.

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