Project 2 Initial Images

Internet as an Art Medium

The internet as a medium allows many users to bypass the obstruction of traditional art exhibition. Price writes that, unless a piece was a painting, the context of the work being art would be lost. Art existed as art only in the art world, and considered avant-garde required definition in order to be understood, artistically or otherwise. Distribution of art was limited to the its institution exclusively.

The internet, then, allows artists to bypass the traditional institution. And with the internet's unregulated nature, communication can spread rapidly between producers and receivers. As Shirky points out, information has a way of spreading in a way many cannot predict. The deadly earthquake which struck China resulted in media users, which then grew into a global campaign the Chinese government could not predict. Exposure through use of . In order to control what the people could, the Chinese government had to shut down  Price acknowledges the internet's free market model and users' ability to feign authorship, but the opportunities presented to artists through the use of the internet cannot be ignored.

The only way an artist would be able to gain exposure was through various physical exhibitions and the ways in which people responded to them. But the internet, with its boundless communication network, allows artists who would otherwise not receive attention in traditional institutions to thrive in the new medium. The lack of adherence to traditional markets then allows artists to work with disregard to norms, which then fosters creative inspiration in the vein of the article discussed earlier in the semester. Despite the free market nature of the internet, i.e., users posting information without crediting the source, the internet is serves as expressionistic and boundless medium for artists. 

Project 2 - Slacktivism

I'd like to take moment to say that the top image turned out to be 999.5kb. Pretty proud of myself.

Project 1 Critique

PROJECT CRITIQUE FORM
Name
Class Section

Critique

- What ideas did you incorporate into the piece?
-War
-Struggle
-Individual struggle
-Wartime Media

- Do you think the piece is successful? Why or why not?
 The piece is successful in that it portrays individuals during wartime, especially the main focus of an old man with a flintlock rifle. A very visible struggle is occurring in the picture.  When first reading the assignment criteria I intended to use more color in my picture, but it was not suitable with the subject at hand.





 Self-Evaluation

- What skills did you learn through working on this piece? How did you employ these
skills in your work?
I used the selection and marquee tools selectively, the most obvious example being the overlaying text. I used layer masks and the gradient tool in order form most of my image.

- What challenges did you face?
Managing to find the right amount of text while not obscuring the image was the most technically difficult aspect of creating the image. Trying to form an image from what I had at hand was also challenging, as was hoping to incorporate brighter, bolder colors into the image.

- Did you find a suitable resolution—if yes, what? If no, what would you change?
I enjoyed how the image came out. With my limited experience and the images at hand, I think this was the best resolution of the image.

- What revisions would your make if you were to do the work a second time?
If time permitted, I would incorporate a border into the image in order better capture how war can erase the individuals' identities.

Project 1

Letham Summary

In his article, Jonathan Letham discusses what plagiarism means in the art world and how many pieces of art are not plagiarism, but are in fact being appropriated by the artist in their own works. Plagiarism is typically defined as the theft of another’s ideas, art, etc., for the one’s own gain, and is thought to be an act of dishonesty and corruption. But many aspects of art come from preexisting artwork.  Letham lists a number of artists who have taken previous stories, themes, and ideas and incorporated into their own art, e.g. the many reoccurring themes that pervade literature. And each time one of these themes is presented, it is being remade into something unfamiliar so as to keep the art fresh. Artists are aware of this, too. This plagiarism gives rise to exceptional artwork, and that “Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void but out of chaos.”

Letham then goes on to challenge the idea of copyright and the changes being made to copyright during an era of exponential technological growth. Copyright laws are making it harder to distinguish between plagiarism and inspiration, as demonstrated by large media corporations. These laws stifle up and coming artists who feel the same mix of emotions as the artists being mimicked when they first creating their own artwork. Even pieces of admiration or satire are being buried in the business of art. But in the art world, there are ways to get around these strict copyright rules. Gift economies, commons, etc., allow artists to use some material for their own gain.

Though plagiarism and copyright are serious crimes, art exists through perpetual retelling and appropriating of different ideas, themes, and expressions. 

Collage Critique

Some thoughts about the previously posted collages:

• I enjoyed how the "Serenity" picture came out. While it wasn't a collage in that it wasn't an amalgam of pictures put together, but the two pictures came together quite nicely. I somehow managed to get a small transparent effect when creating layer masks, which gave a small ethereal effect. The simplicity of the image contributes to the feeling I was attempting to convey.

• My first collage was forgettable. I made it, felt like it sufficed, and continued on my way.

• I did not use the selection tool on many of the images. When I did try to make a selection and incorporate it into the image, I felt as though the image felt cheapened. I didn't get creative with the tool, which may yield some nice effects if I play with the same way I did with layer masks. 

• The "Technology/War" collage came out well. The way I arranged the images gave the image a very structured and rigid feel, good for expressing the coldness of war and the technology used. 

• During the whole thing, I was more interested in color and unity than creating a unique collage.

I wasn't sure if we needed to upload our pictures or not, but having them up couldn't hurt, so here they are.

Edit: I think I'll post the corresponding ideas, too.

Entertainment

Serenity
(My favorite)

Technology/War

Community

History

Bit Depth

Bit depth refers to the number of bits used when displaying colors. This generally indicates the amount of colors available in an image's color pallet. As bit depth increases the range of colors increases i.e. a greater number of colors can be displayed.

Examples of bit depth are 8 bit, 16, and 24 bit, with the latter being true color. Past 24 bit is generally considered overkill, as the human eye can only perceive so many colors, unless the image is going to be edited with a program such as Photoshop. 

Sources:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/bit-depth.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IujXVlz-y54

Interview Transcript

Scott Farrell: So you’re now a world renowned artist with a pretty impressive resume of art. Around what time would you say you started focusing on art?

Wayne White: Oh, I’ve always been an artist. Before I could walk, I was drawing and making art. So I guess I’ve always focused on my art. And my mother was big into art, so she was always pushing me into my art. She was a big inspiration growing up.

SF: You grew up in Tennessee, so a certain amount of opposition is to be expected. Were there any teachers or other adults who supported your art?

WW: I had one teacher when I was in first grade, Ms. Stoddard, and she told everybody that I was destined to become a great artist, really do something. Look how right she was. But besides that, most people thought I wasn’t the all American boy. And they were right, I fought and rebelled against that kind of traditional shit.

SF: So, like many of us, college is where you really came into your own.

WW: Well, I found more people who thought like me, were really into creating and enjoying art. And we were just a bunch of kids just messing around at college. Oh man, it was great.

SF: Your style is very unique, and you incorporate a lot of humor into your art. Would you say that this is what attracted you to working for TV and the like?

WW: I fell in love with Peewee’s the moment I saw it. I was like, “I gotta work here, I gotta get in on this.” From there I just fell into all these other shows. They paid me so I was like “what crazy shit do you want me to make now?”

SF: Would you say that your focus on your word paintings came about as a result of working yourself to hell and back for TV shows, music videos, etc.?

WW: Well, that was definitely a factor. I just try to create art, to enjoy creating that art. But my kids also got me working on my paintings and spending more time at home.

SF: Quick final question – where do you see your art going from here?

WW: I’m still just creating art. If people like it or not, well, screw it, I got here because I just did what I wanted.