Week One (Introduction)

Paul Signac. Le Port/Soir. Couchant rouge (Saint-Tropez). 1906. © Chicago, The Robert B. Mayer Family Collection. Photo: Michael Tropea. Sourced from http://173.203.108.197/news/top/201307151815/signac-the-colours-of-water

I am not a very creative person, so I decided to take this course to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. On day one, when asked to answer what or who is my favorite artist, I didn’t have an answer. I recalled seeing several paintings at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris last summer that I really enjoyed, and after a bit of googling, I discovered the style is called Neo-Impressionism. The vivid colors and individual strokes appear to show the viewer two or more separate paintings, depending on the distance the viewer stands from the piece.

Update 10/21/16 - Since beginning this class, my understanding of art has increased dramatically. Just today, I was having lunch at Johnnys and pointed out how the elements of art and the principles of design were applied to an original painting on the wall.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci is probably the most well known artist in history, having created some of the most recognizable works ever created. Around a year ago, I went to the Lourve in Paris and had a chance to see some of his works in person. If you've never been to the Lourve, it may not be what you would expect it to be. There are so many tourists jockeying for position with their phones and cameras out it is almost impossible to get close. The Mona Lisa was by far the worst. This is as close as I could get to it without spending half of a day waiting in line.