Art Explorer #3: Fine Art Critique

The Maharaja’s Silver Carriage

This work of art caught me by surprise. I had never been to the AGO before, and its magnificent to experience all the imported sculptures and paintings of history. When I walked into this section of the art gallery I felt as if I was an heiress in India, paintings of royalty surrounded me and beautiful inanimate objects took my breath away. My object of focus was the Fort Coach Factory. Its embellished embroidery is what struck at me. The Carriage was large with elegant colourful detail. I very much enjoyed this piece of art. I feel that even though this Coach Carriage is not realistically used as a means of transportation now days, back in 1915, I feel that those who rode in this Carriage were treated like royally and came from wealthy backgrounds because this piece holds such elegance. This image also reminds me of Cinderella, a beautiful princess awaiting her prince to take her to the ball in an elegant carriage. I believe not all royalty men and women experienced this form of transportation as it was one of the most popular means of getting around back in 1915. However, elephants were still used.

                                    

The materials that have been used to construct this beautiful piece of art is created from iron, wood, silver, silk, enamel glass and decorative art. This Structure is clean embellished with detailed iron.  Coloured gold dust surfaced images including flowers & birds all over the carriage. The coat of arms of the Bhavnagar Royal house is a shield presented at the back of the carriage.  Bulldog heads, swans and lions also cover the carriage. The association I make with some materials used is the association of royalty and power. The animal symbols used remind me of strength which represent the lion and bulldog and purity and innocence representing the swan. This structure does not evoke a smell or sound-unless it’s in motion.
The artistic process of this structure was probably manufactured with the use of machines, however, detailed embroidery and images on the surface of the structure were probably crafted by hand. This piece of work I imagine took months to build and the artistic designs surfacing the structure were probably added to symbolize a deeper meaning to the carriage, possibly royalty, strength, protection and power. This piece of art was dated back in Bombay (Mumbai) 1915, as India’s Silverwork heritage. The structure itself is a majestic piece of art resembling the rich and royalty.

Throne
Mysore, 1876
This piece of art is a miniature silver copy of the gold throne of Mysore. The design is similar to the work on the Maharaja Carriage. This piece of art relates to the Maharaja Carriage as its surface is covered in silver, and animal accents like dragons and horses seem to protect to the throne.  Other images including an umbrella, stairs with female attendants used as poles accent this throne. As the Maharaja, this throne evokes royalty, power and majesty.  The historic background of the throne entails Mysore ruled by the Wodeyear dynasty almost continuously since 1300, and had been under British control as of 1831. Charamaraja Wodeyear X presented this throne to Viceroy, Lord Lytton, as part of a diplomatic campaign to regain his kingdom. In 1881 Mysore was restored to Maharaja.

The element of art that describes this piece of art is texture. Texture is seen all over the Maharaja`s Silver Carriage from the detailed iron, the 3-D bulldog heads and swans covering the carriage. The layers of embellished paint covering the surface images also creates texture. According to Schirrmacher & Fox (2009), “texture refers to the surface quality of a work of art” (p.144). The texture of the carriage is smooth and its images are hard and bumpy.

Future ECE implications can incorporate the use of different textures within the classroom. Children can explore different textures in the classroom in various learning centers to promote their sensory development. 2-d and 3-dimensional objects within the classroom help children create realistic objects and explore outside of the box rather than with just paper and pencils.



References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009).Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont,CA: Delmar.

http://artmatters.ca/wp/2010/11/the-maharajas-installation-the-silver-carriage/

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://breathedreamgo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/AGO-carriage-550.jpg&imgrefurl=http://breathedreamgo.com/2010/11/win-passes-to-maharaja/&usg=__f5bJc2Q7N2wb0LGqoJANAlPKPtM=&h=416&w=550&sz=93&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=qEZ1btogDZMLmM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dago%2Bmaharaja%2Bsilver%2Bcarriage%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADFA_enCA347%26tbm%3Disch&ei=bF6iTdbbGs-O0QGOvtmLBQ

Arts Explorer #2: Instant Sculpture With Found Objects

It’s always hard to imagine an object for a different use other than its purpose. Both the process and product play an important part in the development of my instant sculpture. My sculpture represents the process of manipulating the materials and experimenting with them to create a piece of art regardless of the end result.

 My first instinct for my sculpture was to create an object that defines an important characteristic of me. My sculpture is a trophy. I crafted my sculpture using recycled items around my house. The materials consisted of coloured pencil crayons, paper, glue, tape, styrofoam, a recycled water bottle, and old soccer medal and candle. I decided to create my sculpture with a water bottle base to give the structure height, and added colour to the sculpture with pencil crayons sticking them around the water bottle. Glue and tape were used to intact the objects together structure, an old soccer medal was used to invoke value and lastly, the styrofoam held the number one symbolizing “ a gold medal” the highest level of achievement.

It represents determination, motivation and will power. Through the process of completing a set goal I will reach the end of my goal as I never give up, thus attaining the “trophy” as an achievement. The trophy is only valuable if there is a story retelling the process of achieving the product. The process of reaching a goal begins with the self and ends with a reward. The symbolic representation of the trophy allows me to take pride in my achievements when I attain my goal, no matter the result, I always find my achievements successful.

The element of art that my sculpture represents is design and composition where the finished product is less of a concern. According to Schirrmacher & Fox (2009), “design or composition is the overall mark or success, the standard of achievement, and the frosting on the cake” (p.142). 

Future ECE implications for sculpting can enhance a child’s aesthetic creativity. Children create sculptures and art creations regardless of their product. The most important aspect of their creation is the long process it took to create it. Thus, children can take away a successful achievement from their art creations regardless of the product.

References            

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009).

Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Arts Explorer #1: My Creative Inspiration

RHYTHMIC INSPIRATION.

Creativity can evolve from just about anything, as long as you let your imagination explore its possibilities.

                                                                 CREATIVITY...

is the freedom of combining innovative skills that have been sparked by inspiration, through the exploration of the world.

Creative individuals can propose a creative idea subconsciously, without even knowing that they are doing so. I think everyone has the potential to create a new piece of work if they are enthusiastic enough about it. I believe creativity erupts from within, from ideas that have been sparked by experience or the “EUREKA” moment.  Being creative takes work and effort. The picture I have posted is an illustration of my creative work. I wouldn’t call myself artistic, however, I have a passion for music and over the years, I created a collage filled with an illustration of music lyrics through the form of pictures and words that represented my mood and feelings. I would blast my music really loud in my room and choose an appropriate song that corresponded with my mood. If I was angry I would listen to the rock genre etc. Lyrics that caught my attention would be illustrated on paper with some symbols and pictures that would counterpart with the words. This piece of work was considered creative to me because I expressed my interests both aesthetically and emotionally through the inspiration of music. I feel that music is what I need to get me through my day, from waking up in the morning and getting on the subway ride to school to getting right back on that subway going home. Music wakens my creative soul.

These pictures posted are some of my creative artwork that I've illustrated over several months. These pictures hold some of my deepest thoughts pertaining to experiences in my life. Music would inspire me to express my emotions though this creative process. My favourite and most effortful piece is the picture in the bottom right corner. I've highlighted the section in the third picture.

 I LOVE colour, and I flaunted my work using all different coloured sharpies. Instead of painting and expressing my thoughts in a messy way, I expressed my emotions using a different form of creativeness. Whether I was pleased or gloomy, I discovered music lyrics that would fit my mood and my experiences and I would just write on and on, designing shapes and symbols that connected my feelings and words together on paper. The rhythmic sound of the music was so motivational in which continuing my work was almost endless. My favourite piece of work is the blossom of colour presented in the bottom right corner. This piece took me the longest to finish and has some of my deepest quotes I was concentrated on.  I created many different creations of these emotion pictures through the inspiration of music. Although they may not look very creative, the process and deep meaning behind the image is how it became creative to me.

I consider the expression of creativity to start with ideas that can be moulded into something new. These creative pieces took lots of dedication, and time to finish. These inspired lyrics shaped my feelings and emotions as I constantly turned to music with any disposition I was experiencing. By changing the tools used, I had found a unique way to express my interests.  My collection of colourful lyric artefacts has been a pastime of mine over the years. I believe that when you think too hard about being creative or asking yourself questions about creativity, “what makes ME creative” endless possibilities that should come to mind leave you with blank thoughts.  However, asking yourself what makes you different and thinking deeper about artefacts that have meaning to you defines the creative individual within you. I believe that we aren’t supposed to be looking to be CREATIVE, we must let our creativity unfold at anytime within our daily accomplishments. My creative inspiration for music allows me to colour my feelings through the expression of language.

This creative experience narrates future teachings that can stimulate children to become creative thinkers, using secondary resources. Paper and crayons can acquire a child to illustrate their imagination on paper, but when you incorporate music, the rhythm and language allows children to think divergently about their thoughts in their head, and how it can be connected to music. It can enable unemotional children who cannot express their feelings to connect their thoughts to a song. My creative inspiration can be used as a teaching method that enables children to express their creative ideas and emotions with the enhancement of music.