Equality in Difference

     Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, one of the most prized painting known today. Despite all that, his greatest quest is actually to equal the perfection of the divine creation in his arts. Written in his notebooks, "Tell me, tell me, has one ever finished  anything?". Which probably means that he was never able to finish Mona Lisa or any of his masterpiece. Because of this obsession, he was able to create really great works still preserved and valued until today. And his greatest masterpiece Mona Lisa has been in the limelight for centuries. But why exactly is it that famous among art critics and enthusiasts? Is it the realism of the subject? The controversial model? The background? His perfected sfumato technique? Or the painting's harmony itself?

     Painted on a thin poplar wood, Mona Lisa is an amazing piece known for its subtle transitions between lighting and shadings causing a smokey effect. Da Vinci's blending of colors, with no harsh borders and with brush stokes almost invisible to see has been praised by a lot of critics. Aside from the realistic approach of the painting, the way he painted the emotion on the subject is another redeeming feature. You could almost feel that the painting itself is alive, looking right back at you. The combination of the eyes and that enigmatic smile would keep you wondering what was she really feeling giving off a mysterious air to the whole painting. His sfumato technique is so great that it makes the painting glow. Only a few could use this technique and Da Vinci is the master of it. He was also an expert of aerial perspective, which is quite obvious in this piece.

     Three centuries later, during the post-impressionism era, there's another famous masterpiece. Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night, an oil in canvass artwork well known throughout the art community. Not for it's realism like Mona Lisa but for how he managed to capture the soul of the dark night in a unique way. The composition of colors are clearly an influence of post impressionistic era, but what made this piece beautiful is the flow of colors. The way those streak of yellow and white lights moves through the dark blues of the night. You could feel how the stars and fragments of clouds reflect the moonlight. Another thing about it is it shows contrast, the contrast of lines, colors and the madness that is the sky over the serenity of the town. The blunt brushstrokes, bold color and vivid coloration made the painting seemed moving. Portrayed in that painting is a beautiful place, but it's lonely, grim and cold. His ability to capture complication, uncertainty between despair and hope is genuine and stunning.

     Although it's still a mystery no one but Van Gogh could tell us what that painting really means. It actually depicts the view from the window of his asylum room, just before sunrise. Sure the subject is as simple as that but Van Gogh saw more, he saw the colors in that dark night. It's amazing how sensitive his sight was to be able to see all of that. But it also shows how restless his mind for such vision to be created. Despite being a masterpiece of this generation, Van Gogh actually considered The Starry Night a failure. He thought the painting was being an abstraction, he places the blame on his having painted stars that are too big. Though contradicting his failure for the piece, Van Gogh explains why Starry Night is beautiful.  You can feel the stars....you feel the vastness of infinity moving beyond the edges of canvas.  It is a dark painting in tone and feel. The shadows loom.  But the stars are hopeful, luminescent, "in spite of  everything."

     Both paintings are of contrast to each other. One being realism of a person and the other, a landscape painted through a post-impressionistic eyes. But regardless of its contrasts, they have common traits. Its how both piece shows off a mysterious feel. No matter how long you look at them, study them, it's still an unsolved puzzle. Another would be how both of them is clearly an image of emotion. They are alive, moving and 

inspiring

. Lastly, both of them are unfinished works of art but still a masterpiece. So no matter how imperfect something is, if there's a presence of emotion and passion, it will be beautiful.

The History of Arts

The history of art is the history of any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview. Over time visual art has been classified in diverse ways, from the medieval distinction between liberal arts andmechanical arts, to the modern distinction between fine arts and applied arts, or to the many contemporary definitions, which define art as a manifestation of human creativity. The subsequent expansion of the list of principal arts in the 20th century reached to nine: architecture, dance, sculpture, music,painting, poetry (described broadly as a form of literature with aesthetic purpose or function, which also includes the distinct genres of theatre andnarrative), film, photography and graphic arts. In addition to the old forms of artistic expression such as fashion and gastronomy, new modes of expression are being considered as arts such as video, computer art,performance, advertising, animation, television and videogames.

The history of art is a multidisciplinary branch of the arts and sciences, seeking an objective examination of art throughout time, classifying cultures, establishing periodizations, and observing the distinctive and influential characteristics of art. The study of the history of art was initially developed during the Renaissance, with its limited scope being the artistic production ofWestern civilization. However, as time has passed, it has imposed a broader view of artistic history, seeking a comprehensive overview of all the civilizationsand analysis of their artistic production in terms of their own cultural values (cultural relativism), and not just western art history.

Today, art enjoys a wide network of study, dissemination and preservation of all the artistic legacy of mankind throughout history. The 20th century has seen the proliferation of institutions, foundations, art museums and galleries, in both the public and private sectors, dedicated to the analysis and cataloging ofworks of art as well as exhibitions aimed at a mainstream audience. The rise of media has been crucial in improving the study and dissemination of art. International events and exhibitions like theWhitney Biennial and biennales of Venice and São Paulo or the Documenta of Kassel have helped the development of new styles and trends. Prizes such as the Turner of the Tate Gallery, the Wolf Prize in Arts, the Pritzker Prize of architecture, thePulitzer of photography and the Oscar of cinema.

Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa (La Gioconda or La Joconde, or Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo) is a half-length portrait of a woman by the Italian artist Leonardo  da Vinci, which has been acclaimed as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world."
The painting, thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardine, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, is in oil on a poplar panel, and is believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506. It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republi, on permanent display at the Musee de Louvre in Paris. The ambiguity of the subject's expression, frequently described as enigmatic, the monumentality of the composition, the subtle modeling of forms and the atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work.

 The Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the history of art and
continues to inspire reproduction, parody, scientific theory, and more.
In 2003-2006 we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the painting
which now has it's own room at the Louve. The painting has achieved
celebrity status and is continually appearing as subject
of news articles around the globe.

 Mona Lisa has been spotted making the rounds with
Leo da Vinci in Italy and Paris. Ever the trend setters they've
attracted the likes of Raphael, and a host of other Leo
wanna be's who imitate their trendy styles. Lisa is not into
jewelry or frills, preferring a more natural look. She doesn't
like to sign autographs and rarely does interviews guarding her
privacy. Leo will sign autographs, backwards.

Week 10: Techniques

before i start making video, first i do i explore some expert in making videos and take their techniques. i'm not good at drawing and i hate to draw! ahaha but i love making music, i love walking in the streets and listen in different sounds and you can easily realize that in any part of life is music.

taking picture is really my thing. before i decide to buy a camera first i explore some beautiful picture and search the techniques how they take that picture.

One of the best ways to develop creativity is to become an expert in that area. By having a rich understanding of the topic, you will be better able to think of novel or innovative solutions to problems.

exploring is also one of the best way to enhance our creativity, by walking to street you can get idea. specially in out nature

blog

blogging is an online diary, this is where you can share your feelings, experience in life etc.

you can post anything in your blog. honestly i use blog because its required in our subject, but i'm not interested in blog, i never read any article blog before. but after requiring us to make a blog weekly, i'm curious  how the other blogger post their own way, yes i copied some style of those bloggers.

is a discussion or information site published on the world wide web consisting of discrete entries typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Until 2009 blogs were usually the work of a single individual, occasionally of a small group, and often were themed on a single subject. More recently "multi-author blogs" (MABs) have developed, with posts written by large numbers of authors and professionally edited. MABs from newspapers, other media outlets, universities, think tanks, interest groups and similar institutions account for an increasing proportion of blog traffic.

NEW MEDIA

the effect of new media in my life, before when i dont know how to use computers, i love watching t.v.

playing outside with my friend, and i always wake up early just to watch my favorite cartoon.

but now because of computer, cellphone etc. i could not watch t.v. for the whole day,

and i don't play anymore outside, because i usually play online games right now.

even when i want to update in news, all i need is computer and internet,

i don't need to out just to talk with my friends or to be socialized

there's already facebook, twitter, myspace etc. we used to

talk there, specially when my friends is out of the

country. and for my the disadvantage of the

new media now being too much exposed

in everything, i mean even a 4 years old

child know already how to use

computers and because of that

they can be expose to the

porn sites. and learn

some disrespectful

words.

if

you will ask me

i would choose my life

before, without the new media.

becuase for me its more fun before.

Week 7 - Rainy Days

rainy life. last monday july 30 2012, the best rainy day i had in my life,

when i was a kid i used to play under the rain with my bike. and last monday i do it again and

we played basketball after playing basketball i cooked "champorado" of course without "dilis"

it will not be YUMMY! after that we chill a little in our terrace, and we make kwento about our past

when we're still young. it's just like the old days when we are young. i miss being a kid.

Tuesday worst morning i ever had, because that time i went to school because i thought there was a class

and my shoes gets wet, you know i hate when my shoes gets wet or any dirt. after a 20-30minutes travel with a heavy rain. i saw the student outside at our campus and YES there is no class! but its my bad

i forgot to check update on my facebook and twitter. but its ok, so i went hone and my dad cook a good

food, sopas yes it is! good for the cold morning!

but thank you for the batelec for holding on, because there's no lost electricity after the rain.