Photo/Sculpture

CINDY SHERMAN: PHOTOGRAPHY

This photograph was taken by Cindy Sherman. It is also Cindy Sherman who is the person in the photograph. This picture (along with the series of others it was a part of) is very interesting because it possesses qualities of a painting. I believe this was her goal. The makeup is extreme and the contrasts and coloring are that of one as well. She was representing a Caesar or a Roman man, even though she is a woman. She is known for these different photo series some of which are just like this photo, where she wears extreme makeup and assumes a role of some type of person. She has purposely kept most of her photos named "Untitled" because she wanted to leave them ambiguous.

JERRY UELSMANN: PHOTOGRAPHY

This is a photograph by Jerry Uelsmann called "Beginnings". This is actually manipulated photography which became his signature and made him a forerunner of photomontage in the 20th century. He used ideas that seemed unrelated and showed how they do relate by placing them within one another for example. This picture shows a close-up of a seed pod. In the background is a house or building. In between them is brush and foliage. This could be conveying the message that everything grows from a beginning. The foliage and trees in the middle, all began by a seed, which most people would know. But it's also important to note that even our man-made things like houses began with a seed, whether it be the seed of an idea or the seed that made the trees for the wood that built the house. He continued to make these types of photos and pioneered photography and imaging.

WALKER EVANS: PHOTOGRAPHY

This photograph is by Walker Evans called "The Burroughs Family". He took this during a series he was doing of three poor farming families during The Great Depression. He continued to document the depression and was well-known for his photographs. This is an important photo because it shows this family who struggled and was affected by the economic state of the country, so that those who may never visit a family like this (poor on a farm scraping by) can see what the rest of the country was going through. These photos are so important that some of them are in the Library of Congress as a depiction of this era.

LUIS JIMENEZ: SCULPTURE

This piece is called "Vaquero" by Luis Jimenez. He is an American sculptor who uses American materials to create American works of art. He uses things like fiberglass, cars, surfboards, and plastics to make his creations come to life. His pieces center around American life or beauty in America, not necessarily of something we would consider beautiful, but something about America that he finds beautiful. For example, this piece is a rodeo riding cowboy. The vibrant colors and realistic feel of this bucking bronco in motion with the attire of the cowboy accurately depict a beloved pastime of the south.

JAMES TURRELL: SCULPTURE (LIGHT)

This piece is called "Wedgework 3" by James Turrell. This is amazing because of the shapes created by the light and colors he chose. The captured image of it almost looks like a painting. His philosophy was that people were spending too little time appreciating art and there needed to be a movement that made people stand and appreciate longer. With this use of space, light, color and shape he creates something that might translate different to each viewer.

ANDY GOLDSWORTHY: SCULPTURE (EARTH ART)

This is Earth Art by Andy Goldsworthy. It has the impressive quality of using the space (the water) to show a design. The leaves are placed, strategically I'm sure, to create shapes. The use of the earth to create art is his signature and something very important to him. He purposely uses materials made available to him only in nature as a whole. He doesn't edit anything he uses. The concept is to show the aesthetics in everyday nature and the beauty of our environment. As an active environmentalist he uses his art to influence the concern for nature.