Chiaroscuro, Albrecht Durer & Edgar Degas Blog #2
Posted by brandonpenny | Posted in | Posted on 3:25 PM
0
Chiaroscuro
According to Wikipedia.org, chiaroscuro (Italian for light-dark) is a term in art used to describe a contrast between light and dark. The term is usually applied to bold contrasts affecting a whole composition, but is also more technically used by artists and art historians for the use of effects representing contrasts of light, not necessarily strong, to achieve a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects such as the human body.
This particular photo definitely captures the bold contrasts in light and dark. What emotion does it evoke for me? Love. The girl in the photograph is obviously showing some affection that she portrays clearly through facial expression. I love how offset the photo is…you don’t necessarily need to fit the entire image in a shot to get what you want.
Albrecht Dürer
My photos of the goat and hen can basically relate to Albrecht’s works in that they’re animals. Most of Albrecht’s most well-known works included various animals. His art gave a glimpse into what the Renaissance was like and how they lived. I feel that my photographs of the goat and hen connect with the idea of using animals to provide us resources such as eggs and milk. They did it back then and we still do it today. These animals seem to emanate a sense of innocence and helplessness, emotions that we as humans often feel.
Edgar Degas
On Tuesday, September 22nd I drove down to 9th street and stopped in at ‘Becky’s School of Dance’ to see if I could get some photographs of some dancers in action. (I had passed the place earlier this month and remembered it when I knew what I needed to try and photograph…) Sure enough, I got to speak with Becky herself and she told me to come back around 5:30 because there would be a class and some older girls to photograph. So around 5:30 I show up and meet Morgan (pictured in blue) and Kristi (pictured in black). They were very eager and generous to have me there. It was different for me to photograph such fast movement, because I’m more comfortable with nature shots or inanimate objects, but I managed to get a few clear shots…(many turned out blurry). These photos connect with Edgar Degas’ works because he identified with the subject of dance. Over half of his works depict dancers and his mastery in the depiction of movement. Many of them being female. Their style really inspires me to try new things and take chances, you never know when you’re capable of unless you give it a shot.
I was excited I got to go see the Salina Art Center because I’m from Colorado and had never been :] I didn’t mind hearing about what positions each member on staff held, although it wasn’t all that interesting… The short art film “Smother” was quite the deal. Somewhat disturbing, but it really made you think. It was cool that we actually got to talk to Brady Hatter, one of the artists that currently had some mechanical art on display while taking the tour. I think that I always had know that art could move, but his art was a clear and welcomed reminder that art isn’t just stagnant. I loved Andrea Fuhrman’s “Comparative Vandalism” art! All of the colors were soo vibrant and really caught my eye. Sometimes when you think of art you think of just paint, pencils, crayons, canvas, etc…but Andrea’s photography isn’t that at all and I appreciate that. I absolutely LOVED “500 Days of Summer"! Definitely buying it when it’s out on DVD. Not your average love story, that’s for sure. I’m impressed by how they made the movie make sense with all of the back and forth between days and emotions, but glad it did :) The warehouse apartment they have for artists to live in was very nice. Plenty of space to work and an up-to-date apartment :] I had never been to a Hobby Lobby before so I really had no idea what to look for and where to find it…but somehow, I managed. Overall, the trip was a great success and I’m glad I woke up early enough to make it!