Printmaking/Graffiti
1) Choose one work by Banksy from the link and upload a photo of the work to your site. You may look for your own Banksy work:
https://docs.google.com/a/hkis.edu.hk/document/d/18e4S3oZGZlTOI93VVrGaEN7VyZ_qoOKQ7sTzJB-N1pA/edit
1) INITIAL REACTION
(What does this art remind me of? What are some questions I have about this art?)
This art reminds me of someone who is dreaming of something they can’t do/have. This is because there is a person in the bottom left hand corner with his face down. Then, in the top right area, there’s a girl who is flying up with a balloon. The questions I have is who is the person in the corner. Is there a story behind the person? and, Why does the wall look so big in compairison to the person?
2) DESCRIBE (& RELATE)
(What do I see? What is the medium? What is the subject matter?)
What I see in this picture is a man sitting in the bottom left corner with his face in his hands and looking sad. Then in the top part of the photo there is a girl floating away with a stack of balloons. I think that the medium or product used is black spray paint with a stencil. This is because the lines are all very concrete, and the parts that are filled in aren’t solid, but still colored in. The subject matter is the person in the corner of this photo.
3) ANALYZE
(What is unique about the work? How does this compare to other Banksy works?)
What I think is unique about this work is that there isn’t an opposite juxtaposition, but instead shows a relationship between the person in the corner and the girl with the balloons that could show what the man wants to remember or be again. He might have missed the times when he was younger and carefree, but is now weighed down by the heaviness of the world. Banksy’s other works usually show opposite juxtapositions, while this picture shows a different relationship of dreams versus reality.
4) INTERPRET (& CONTEXTUALIZE CULTURALLY)
(When and where was this artwork produced? What is the artist trying to say about society or culture?)
This artwork was painted on a wall on the West Bank in Israel. It was in August of 2005. The artist is trying to express the dreams of a child who wants to fly away from these problems. Bansky also used a female child to shows “innocene and vulnerablity”. It was painted on Palestine’s walls to show the desire for freedom and wanting to float over the walls. Children from both sides of the wall share this same dream. Also, there is significance in how the author used seven balloons because 7 appears prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scriptures (particularly the apocalyptic texts).
5) EVALUATE
(Do you think that this artwork is successful? Why or why not? What is worth remembering about this artwork? How has your first reaction about this artwork changed?)
I thikn that this artwork is very successful. This is because it accurately represents the dreams that the children on either side have- to be free and away from these struggles. The part that is most worth remembering is the contrast between the person sitting and the girl flying away because they’re so different in terms of where they stand in society, but so similar in having the common dream. My first reaction changed because I originally thought it was all about wanting to return to a young age, but now after reading the artist’s intentions, I realized its about escaping a bad society and gaining freedom.
Action Photos
- What compositional rules did you apply?
I used the compositional rule of space. This is because I left some space in front of Nina which shows she is juming into something or racing to get somewhere. - What story/message/mood are you trying to convey through your photographs?
The mood I’m trying to convey through this photo is excitement for something. This is because you can see in Nina’s stance in the first and second photo, her posture shows happiness or excitement. The story I want to show is that shes bursting into the future with excitement - What do you think are the 3 most important elements in creating the action photograph? (arrangement of objects, foreground vs. background, light and shadow, perspective, proportion etc.)
I think that the three most important elements in taking an action photograph is firstly the placement of objects. This is because most action photos should be taken from the side because if it is taken straight on, then you can’t see the action taking place. Secondly, the perspective is a very important aspect of action photos. This is because the perspective which the photo is taken from can convey different stories. For example, if it is taken with the camera below the person, it shows power, however, if it is taken above the person, it shows weakness. Lastly, the position of the subject adds really well to making a good abstract photo. This is because the way someone’s hair is, or feet are positioned, can make a photo have a lot more depth.
- What compositional rules did you apply?
I applied the composition rule of space because I left a lot of empty space to the right of Nina which shows she is trying to skip either away or towards something. - What story/message/mood are you trying to convey through your photographs?
The story I’m trying to convey is that Nina is jokingly running away from something. This is because she doesn’t have a scared look on her face, but a more fun look. Her body posture and the way her hair is flying shows happiness instead of fear. - What do you think are the 3 most important elements in creating the abstract photograph? (arrangement of objects, foreground vs. background, light and shadow, perspective, proportion etc.)
I think that the three most important elements in taking an action photograph is firstly the placement of objects. This is because most action photos should be taken from the side because if it is taken straight on, then you can’t see the action taking place. Secondly, the perspective is a very important aspect of action photos. This is because the perspective which the photo is taken from can convey different stories. For example, if it is taken with the camera below the person, it shows power, however, if it is taken above the person, it shows weakness. Lastly, the position of the subject adds really well to making a good abstract photo. This is because the way someone’s hair is, or feet are positioned, can make a photo have a lot more depth.
- What compositional rules did you apply?
I did not apply any specific rule of constitution, but just a mixture of different ones. The rule of space is visible because Nina is sort of walking into empty space. The rule of thirds is being broken in this photo because Nina is smack in the middle, and not on any certain line or box. Lastly, there is a bit of the verticle and horizontal rule because Nina is the verticle object in this photo. And the wooden ground to the green plants to the sky shows the horizontal lines. - What story/message/mood are you trying to convey through your photographs?
The mood I’m trying to convey is kind of a bored look. This is because there is nothing really special going on in the photo, and Nina is just walking from one place to the other. Also, her stance doesn’t look like shes especially excited or thrilled about something, but instead just having a normal, almost boring day. I also think the black and white part of this photograph is very interesting because the color relates to the overall mood of the picture. - What do you think are the 3 most important elements in creating the abstract photograph? (arrangement of objects, foreground vs. background, light and shadow, perspective, proportion etc.)
I think that the three most important elements in taking an action photograph is firstly the placement of objects. This is because most action photos should be taken from the side because if it is taken straight on, then you can’t see the action taking place. Secondly, the perspective is a very important aspect of action photos. This is because the perspective which the photo is taken from can convey different stories. For example, if it is taken with the camera below the person, it shows power, however, if it is taken above the person, it shows weakness. Lastly, the position of the subject adds really well to making a good abstract photo. This is because the way someone’s hair is, or feet are positioned, can make a photo have a lot more depth.
Macbeth
Soliloquy: Sharing your own thoughts aloud (in a theatre)
Act 1, Scene 1: 3 witches met on a heath and prophesised about when they were going to meet again and plan encounter with Macbeth. Thunder and lightening was striking at the time.
Act 1, Scene 2: King Duncan rewards Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor because of his courage in the battle.
Act 1, Scene 3: Macbeth and Banquo see the witches on the heath and the witches told them that Macbeth will be king some day, and that Banquo won’t be king himself, but his children will. Macbeth ends the scene by talking to the camera himself.
Act 1, Scene 4: Macbeth learns that King Duncan’s son, Malcolm (Prince of Cumberland), is the next in line for King, instead of Macbeth himself. He thinks he has to do something about this due to the prophecy.
Act 1, Scene 5: Lady Macbeth gets a letter from Macbeth and gets excited at the thought of her being queen. She plans on killing King Duncan when he visits.
Act 1, Scene 6: King Duncan arrives at the castle, and praises Macbeth yet again. They talk about the beauty of the house- but it is actually rotting on the inside, much like the owners of it.
Act 1, Scene 7: Macbeth contemplates whether or not to kill King Duncan, and decides not to. However, even though he is reluctant, Lady Macbeth changes his mind. They plan to kill him in his sleep, by making the guards too drunk to notice.
Act 2, Scene 1: Macbeth starts to feel guilty for his plans to kill King Duncan. Then, he has a dream of a dagger that is calling out to him- probably because his mind is filling with evil.
Act 2, Scene 2: Macbeth kills King Duncan and his guards, while Lady Macbeth puts the daggers and wipe blood on the guard’s hands to frame them. Macbeth is very depressed about killing them.
Act 2, Scene 3: Duncan’s sons, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Poerters, Macduff, and more people came do Macbeth’s house to find Duncan and the guards dead. After learning that they may become a target, Donolbain ran away to Ireland, and Malcolm went to England.
Act 2, Scene 4: Ross tells Macduff that since Duncan’s children fled, they must be guilty, or in suspicioun of being guilty. So, Macbeth is next in line to become the King of Scotland.
Act 3, Scene 1: Macbeth has a suspicioun that Banquo might know about how he killed Duncan (because of the 3 witches), and because Banquo’s son could be King eventually. So while Banquo and his son are out riding, he plans to send someone to kill them both.
Act 3, Scene 2: Lady Macbeth is becoming guilty of the bad deeds they have done, and doesn’t find being Queen as great as she would’ve thought. When she tries to tell this to Macbeth, he says that everything is fine, and that he will kill Banquo and his son, but doesn’t give too much details. He tells her to hide her face from showing what she is feeling on the inside.
Act 3, Scene 3: One more men is sent with the other two to kill Banquo and his son (Fleance). When they successfully kill Banquo, Fleance manages to escape, the men filling only half of their task. The new man killed the other two that Macbeth sent, leaving only one (in case the other two told someone about Macbeth’s murders.
Act 3, Scene 4: Lennox and another lord have a suspicioun that Macbeth was responsible for the death. Then Macbeth comes by and they tell him about Macduff fleeing to England. And Macbeth plots to kill everyone at Macduff’s castle as a warning to not fight back.
Act 4, Scene 1: Combined with previous
Act 4, Scene 2: Lady Macduff talks to Ross about how she is angry and thinks Macduff is a traitor for running off. Then, she tells her son that Macduff is dead, but the boy knows she isn’t telling the truth. Then, a messenger comes in to warn them of the murderurs that arrive soon after. They kill her and her son.
Act 4, Scene 3: Macduff gets tested for his loyalty after he leaves his wife and children back in his castle. Then, he recieves news of the killing of his family, and decides to create an army to send to Macbeth.
Act 5, Scene 1: One of Lady Macbeth’s servants call a doctor to watch her since she keeps sleepwalking. The doctor doesn’t witess anything until the third day, when he sees Lady Macbeth rubbing her hands and holding a lantern. In the process, she confesses about Duncan, Banquo, and the other killings her and her husband have done.
Act 5, Scene 2: Scottish rebel army is waiting for the England army to arrive. They find out Macbeth is waiting in his castle, assembling his own army.
Act 5, Scene 3: He’s in his army room, very confident (because of what the three witches said) that he is going to win this battle. He asked the doctor about Lady Macbeth, and he says that she needs to cure herself.
Act 5, Scene 4: The English army is camoflagued as Birnam Wood, which lets the prophecy take place of the approaching forest.
Act 5, Scene 5: Macbeth becomes aware that his wife threw herself off the building and died. Then, he recieves news of the approaching Birnam woods and remembers the prophecy.
Act 5, Scene 6: Malcolm and Macduff throw down their leafy disquise and lead into the castle.
Act 5, Scene 7: Macbeth kills a young man named Siward.
Act 5, Scene 8: The final scene. Macduff challanges Macbeth to a fight, and eventually reveals that he was born early by being “ripped through his mother’s stomach”. Macbeth realizes that he is no match, and has been tricked by the witches. He then dies, and Malcolm becomes the new King of Scotland.
Research on Self-Portrait Artists (Part 2)
3) Provide the details of the work directly under or beside the photo. Usually, this includes the title, artist, medium, size, and year.
Title: Self Portrait, 1889
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh
Size: 57.79 × 44.5 cm (22 3/4 × 17 1/2 in.)
Year: 1853 – 1890
4) 1 or 2 Paragraphs for Written Work
Investigate the work:
- Who made it? (full name)
- How was it made?
- When was it made?
- What are your first impressions about the work?
- What interpretation can you make just from looking at the work?
- What is the real background story behind the work? Cite your source.
This self portrait was painted by a famous Dutch artist, Vincent Van Gogh during the years 1853 to 1890. It was made using oil paint on a canvas. My first impression of this work is that it seems to represent him as an artist. This is because you can see his paint pallete in the corner, which could represent his love of art. I also really liked the texture of the painting. You can clearly see the brush strokes (what he is famous for). My interpretation of the work is that it shows his sadness or depression. This is because of his facial expression because he looks really tense, and you can even see his veins in his right forehead. Also, his eyes look very droopy, and could imply sadness. Lastly, the overall color of the painting is blue, which symbolizes peace and tranquility (which could be what he wants to achieve in life), but also symbolized sadness (which could be what he is experiencing now). The real background story is that he voluntarily admitted himself in May of 1889 to the mental asylum in Saint-Paul-de-Mausole at Saint-Rémy in the south of France. He tried to calm his delusional thoughts through his painting. Overall, I really like this painting because it represents his thoughts and life at the time by showing sadness through color, and his love for painting through the pallete.
Final Reflection (Part 3)
1) Take a photo of your finished painting and upload this to your art portfolio.
2) Write a response to the following in one paragraph:
- How did you select the photo of yourself. (What made you choose this photo over others?)
- What is the most important aspect of your final work? Why?
- How is your work a representation of yourself and your connection to a community? What personal qualities/traits/messages are you attempting to convey?
- What part of your work are you most proud of? What part of your work were you most challenged by?
After completing the self portrait project, I wanted to reflect of a few aspects of the experience. One, is the photo I selected. I chose this because it was a picture of me from the Spring Formal at cotillion. This event was pretty special because I have been in cotillion for three years, and it was the last formal. To me, the most important aspect of my work is the photos behind the the main painting. This is because these photos all representing my life, friends, and family, whilst the painting of me just shows me. My work is a representaition of myself and a connection to the community because I included a lot of photos with my friends and family members. I also have a bunch of photos of the places I have travelled to, or live in. I am trying to convey that I am very family-oriented through all of the photos with my parents and brother. I also wanted to show that travelling is a big part of my life and something that I enjoy through the photos of different places. The values of my painting is both the part I’m most proud of, and the part I was most challenged by. This is because every lesson, I had to work hard to find the exact color I used before. Also, the fact that they didn’t plainly have the color pink was frustrating, because I had to mix red and white every time to get the color. However, in the end I think it worked out pretty well. Overall, I am very pleased with the end outcome of my painting.
Self Portrait (In Progress)
1) Give a brief description (1 or 2 sentences) of what stage you are at in your painting.
Right now, I finished painting my self portrait. Now I have to add in my Black and White photots in the background.
Prejudice Presentations
1. Reflect on the first four lessons of the unit and on your classmates’ presentations.
In the first few lessons of the unit, we learned mainly about the 4 concepts: identity, stereotypes, prejudice, and racism. I really liked learning about issues that impact the real world right now. It was interesting to shift away from the textbook for a while and do more interactive work. During the presentations, I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s stories. I did not think that some people experienced prejudice in those ways, and it was very eye-opening. As for my own presentation, I learned a lot more about myself through it. I got to really understand the incident and evaluate it more. However, it was pretty uncomfortable to share about such personal topics in front of the class.
2. What did you learn about identity, stereotypes, prejudice, and racism?
I learned that identity is all about what you think of yourself as. People can identify you as something, but identity is something that only you can decide. I like to this of it as identity with the “I” as in you. I learned more about the difference between stereotypes and prejudice. I learned that stereotypes is sort of like classifying someone as something, rather than prejudice is acting upon it. Lastly, I learned that racism is the major influence of prejudice and stereotypes. Also, that race is a term that society has created, and isn’t real.
3. In what ways did your ideas change from the initial lesson when we created word webs on the white boards?
My ideas changed from the first lesson because I learned the actual definitions of the word, and more real examples of each word coming into play in real life.
4. How does race shape the way we see ourselves and others?
Race shapes the way we see ourselves and others because it makes us more aware of everyone’s differences. Our brains categorize people into groups, and when this is done, the differences become more real. If we look different than others in a society, we see ourselves as that. Different. While if others don’t look the same as a group of people too, they will seem more unknown, and with unknown sometimes comes fear. The race and color of someone can change how afraid we are of actually meeting them.
5. To what extent do our ideas about race influence the choices we make?
It usually varies to what extent ideas about race influence the choices we make. Sometimes, it could be making a small decision that isn’t affected by the ideas of race as much. Or it could be another decision that is clouded up by ideas of race. For example, if you don’t want to get in a taxi just because someone is a different color than you, ideas of race would have influenced us in a small way. I think living in Hong Kong, ideas about race don’t exactly influence our choices too much. We are all mostly familiar with different races of people, so we don’t let it influence us. However, for some people who aren’t exposed to other races may be more afraid, and let their assumptions take over completely.
PBL Finished: March 11
Our end result of the project is an LED skateboard. We ended up giving up on the bike and moving on to doing a skateboard. I learned a lot about knowing when to stop something from this project. Maybe if we decided on the skateboard sooner, it could’ve been a lot better, but I’m glad we stopped when we did.
The way the project works is that when you push the skateboard forward,
Action: Behind the Gare St. Lazare
Brief Story:
This man is outside a dancing show and was imitating the dancers he saw. It is cold and rainy because of the clothes he is raining. I assume it is somewhere in Europe. I think this because of the signs on the building next to him.
Research:
Henri Cartier-Bresson was the photographer in 1932. This photo was taken at a railway station in Paris (Gare St. Lazare). He did not expect the image to become so iconic. Bresson’s take on the Gare St. Lazare was completely different from other artist’s views. Decisive moment- captured right when the person jumped. Captured when all the elements just fall into place.
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