Undirected Blog #4

I find Ancient Egypt to be one of the most interesting cultures to study. Their beliefs about death, their gods and goddesses, and their amazing pyramids and tombs all fascinate me.

The rituals surrounding the burial of Egyptian kings and queens is the part of Egyptian history that I find most interesting, but because that's not really what the curriculum of our class is about, I'll try and focus more on the art and detail inside the tombs. Prior to doing our homework, I had never heard of the Valley of Kings and Queens. All of the materials used by the artists of this time, from gold to shell, are so beautiful, and are still amazing works of art after thousand's of years. Learning about the death of King Tut was also new information for me, and the intricate burial he was given which helps explain how he died were very cool. The techniques used to figure out his cause of death are interesting as well because it really shows how we can use technology to explain the unexplained in history.

Undirected Blog #3

I was so excited when I realized that our next assignment was about the Near East. I am so amazed everytime that I learn something new about the cultures of the area. The architecture and sculptures are what interest me most. I find it hard to fathom how they were able to build such large and intricate dwellings, like the ziggurats of Sumer.

I am also fascinated by the development of writing. The change from pictographs to cuneiform is such a huge step forward, and it's hard for me to understand how the people of this time period were able to accomplish so much in the way of arts and culture so long ago.

My favorite visuals from our text this week were the reconstruction drawings of the different city-states. Once again, I can't believe how much these people accomplished with so little technology and no electric tools. I'm hoping to pursue a career in city planning, and it really makes me wonder how much planning these cities took, and how long it would have taken to complete them.

Living in one of these places would be quite the experience as well. It would be such a different way of life, so much slower than what I am used to. I would imagine there would be no such thing as immediate or instant, and it would take so much patience to complete a single project or task.

Undirected Blog #2

For this undirected blog, I thought I'd focus on my response to the Woman of Willendorf. I know that I recognize her, and because I've taken multiple art classes I wasn't surprised to see her, but what shocked me was the fact that I didn't actually know anything about her. After reading this article, I was so surprised that my other classes had neglected to teach anything about her.

To be perfectly honest, I find the statue a little grotesque. Probably because I'm used to our society's ideas of what is attractive and beautiful, and because this was probably a very unhealthy way to live when this statue was created, and also as it is today.

I also spent a lot of time considering the contrast between Botticelli's Venus and the Venus of Willendorf. I found I knew a lot more about Botticelli and his painting, and I wondered if that could possibly be because Botticelli's Venus is much more attractive to people in our society.

Blog #1

Hi all, my name's Kelli Swenson and I'm in my third year at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, and I'm taking this class because I need a couple more GE units this semester and I love these on-line classes.
For my first two pieces of art, I chose a couple of my own paintings that I painted in high school. They both mean a lot to me and I have them hanging on the wall above my bed in my apartment.

The first one is of a face from a magazine, I started out using dots, and I mixed all of the colors on my own. This painting took a really long time for me to finish, but it's my personal favorite. I think it shows a great deal about my personality because it shows my determination to finish what I start. I apologize for the quality of the photos, I was standing on my bed trying to take the pictures which left them kind of uneven and you can see a reflection of the rest of my bedroom.

My next painting is of a flower, I think I got the original photograph from a calendar in my art class. This painting is a good representation of my improvement as an artist. The face was my first legitimate piece of art and the flower was a later piece, and it was so much easier and took so much less time. Having my paintings hanging in my "home away from home" has really helped me settle in and gives me a sense of comfort every time I enter my room.

As my third piece of art, I chose this photo of a silly antique owl that I bought at a vintage store in my hometown. I am a pretty quirky, silly, and sometimes ridiculous girl, and I have a new obsession with vintage owl stuff and this is the first owl in my collection.

For my fourth piece of art, I took a picture of a postcard a friend gave me when I was having a rough time a few years back. The quote on it is something I think about almost daily, and is definitely something I think of whenever the idea of faith is mentioned. I believe that everything works out the way it's supposed to, I guess I'm a que sera sera kind of girl. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants most of the time, and so this quote is reassuring when I'm not exactly sure what the outcome of my latest decision will be. I think the postcard may be hard to read, it says:

" 'Faith is believing that one of two things will happen.' She said, 'That there will be something solid for you to stand on- Or that you will be taught to fly.' "

For my final piece of art I chose a local newspaper. The "North Bay Bohemian" comes out weekly and I search for it at local coffee shops and newsstands. The Bohemian is free, and it always has the most up to date news on the local culture and art scene. It lets me know when and where new art shows are opening, and where live bands will be playing. It has movie, restaurant, and play reviews and I tend to make my weekend plans based on what I find in the paper that week. I also love the Bohemian because its articles, which are very left-wing, give an interesting perspective on what's going on in the world. The Bohemian represents my personality because it covers all of the bases when it comes to my hobbies and interests.