Reflection of Visiting museum

      Since this is going to be the last blog in this class, I am going to try my best to be honest. 

      First of all, the experience in Loyola museum wasn't the best I have. I would call it good.

          To be honest, Loyola museum is almost nothing compared to AIC, I knew it is not a fair competition, but after all. All of you guys are a museum, isn’t it?

        I knew this is the way that Gitte wants, she wants us to visit these “poor kids”, and earn kind of understanding. However, I don't really get the point for for these small museums to drag out a feeble existence. After all, people just won’t come…

        However, we have to say that the Loyola Museum did a pretty good job. As a Jesuit Catholic University, of course they would have a Jesuit Catholic museum. Loyola museum can’t compete with AIC, so they just, only focusing on religious exhibitions, and they did a pretty good job. Although we went at a bad time, only one gallery is open for public, but we still have a chance to visit all kinds of exhibition, which all connect to religion.

        I just don’t get why so many people believe in God. I mean, I get it why they believe it, but why there are SO MANY people?

I don't know how I got so off-topic, let’s focus more on the experience itself.

I and Dee visited there, and there are only two visitors besides us. What’s the difference between these two visitors? Well, I tried my best to explore the shining point of these artworks, and I did say something that is very artistic, such as “the figure is…” “Oh this painting is three-dimensional!”and I told her a story about one of these artworks. On the other hand, after visiting a few rooms, Dee said that” it’s so boring.”

And I agree with her conclusion, but the other two visitors didn’t think so. They gather around with the first artwork they saw, and talk about the historical background, skill, and other stuff which is really professional.

Oh I am jealous of them so much.

Movie reflection

I selected this film because it has the highest score, and the fact is this movie blow my mind. I used to watch a few movies which describe artist, like<The Pianist> which I found very boring. This is a great film with creative ideas and fabulous painting. The movie tells a story about Mexican artist Frida. I remember a few clips which I felt touching my heart. After the trolley bus incident, she was terribly injured. The movie used clay animation which describes the horrible impression of hospital in a perfect way. After that, Frida couldn’t walk, she was lying on the bed all the time, and she started to paint on her gesso, a creative idea.

Another clip which really touching me is Frida’s father has never given up on her. I have a very complicated relationship with my father. In fact, I have never felt father’s love, but I still cried because of Frida’s father.

            Frida used to say that there are two incidents happened to her life, one is the bus, another one is her husband, and her husband far worse than the first one. Indeed, Frida’s husband, Diego is a disaster. He used to cheat on her a lot of time, and he even slept with her sister which broke her heart.

            As a great artist who in pain both mentally and physically, Frida created so many artworks that express the feeling of lonely man in pain. 

AIC Experience

            A few days ago we visited Art Institute of Chicago where I have been there for three times. However, I still had a whole new experience this time because several reasons.

            First of all, AIC is a very big museum, it is just too big that every time I visit there I feel tired and wish someone can carry me.

            Second Reason is that we have Gitte who explore the deep meaning of artwork for us. Just like what Gitte said in class, we used to just “look at” it. However, after we have a tour guide, we can observe some of these paintings with the painter’s background and motivation.

            Third reason is I am different now. Although I used to come to AIC for a few times, but I don’t really think I earned any knowledge or experience any beautiful of the painting. After I took this class, I learned to observe the hand trace of Van Gogh’s self-portrait. At that time, I was kind of shocked, and I felt like I could see how Van Gogh paints this. This is very important to me because it opens another gate of art for me.

            In conclusion, I love this field trip.

artist's Toolkit

Blog Four

Honestly, I am some kinds of person who called by indoors man. Outdoors activities aren’t my favorite. Therefore, I have been Chicago for more than one year, but now I still haven’t visited so many famous places, not mention the boat tour. I have to say, the   architectural tour was amazing, all you need to do was sit down there, and so many elegant architectures just blowing in your face, they even had a tour guide for us.

What a pleasure, it must be one of these most relaxing tours in Chicago. Another interesting fact is because we traveled by boat, we had a chance to observe the different aspect of Chicago architectures. Thus, Civic Opera House became my favorite during this tour. While our boat wandering nearby it, I raise my head, and saw this magnificent creature. Maybe because I was too close to it, it just blew my mind at that time.

            From the example pictures in our textbook, I think Chicago has plenty of Steel-Frame Constructions. Once I used to hang around at downtown of Chicago, I found there are great examples of Steel-Frame Constructions all around me. I can still feel the heavy, solemn, and respectful that all these architectures gave to me.

            People always talk about Chicago’s architectures, but why? As my speculation, I think it because of the great fire of Chicago. Just what our tour guide said, that great fire burned down most of the buildings in Chicago, half of the Chicago citizen became homeless.

            However, this end is another beginning. The ruins became the dreamland of architects; they can redesign any kind of architectures they want, and they did. The architects express their creativity and inspiration to rebuild the Chicago, all these different and magnificent architectural styles came together in Chicago. Chicago became even better than before, and raises the world fair in after years. This is why Chicago’s architectures are important.

Blog Three

       One of the most surprising facts I knew is this world has no colors. Yes, it has no color!

I don’t really want to explain the scientific reasons for you. In fact, when I just found out of this surprising truth, I felt like someone told me that I am not the natural son of my mother.

I am that surprise. However, life goes on, isn't love just an excuse of Human reproduction? And I am still falling love with pretty girls, same reason; I still have favorite colors, blue and black. I can remember, several years ago, I was checking the dictionary, and they told me the word, blue, has a very dirty meaning. People in western culture use blue to describe porn.

How rude is that?! Blue is my favorite color since I was born? Have people in the west ever considered the feeling of little boys like me?! The interesting thing is, in China, people use yellow to describe something dirty. “This is so yellow!” This is what they say to something that is pornographic. I wonder what caused us to use different colors to describe something “dirty”.

       The most interesting thing is: we all use color to describe this kind of feeling! Another interesting is the color people like would reveal their personality. For example, if someone fascinated about blue, then he could be depressed. However, this world doesn't really have color, so what really influences our feeling about color? And how the nonexistent colors influence us?

       On the other hand, in America, people dress black to attend the funeral, and black color always represents a feeling of heaviness. However, in China, people dress white to attend funeral! About the wedding, an American start to use white, but Chinese use a red color.

       It is fascinating how the same kind of color can express so many different kinds of feelings of a human being.

       

Blog Two.

Blog2.

China has very unique architectural style. However, I am not so familiar with it because it is not my favorite, but this homework gave a chance to get to know about Chinese traditional architecture. The specific architectures I chose which is Lion Grove Garden. Lion Grove Garden is one of the four famous gardens in Su Zhou city. It already has 671 years history. At the beginning, the disciples of master “Tian Ru” built a Buddhist temple for him, and for the garden part, they hired the famous painter and architect Ni Zan. One of these reasons that they call it Lion Grove Garden because there are so many weird stones which look like a lion.                             

In fact, Lion Grove Garden is famous by its rockeries and ponds. Walking in rockeries, tourist always finds that they can hear others voice, but it takes some time to really meet others, this is an example which shows how large the rockery is.

Another interesting fact about Lion Grove Garden which is all these stones, in fact, represents the different Buddhist stories and Buddhism.

When I was young, I used to visit these gardens with my family. However, I was too young so it didn’t last much of a memory. Even though I dislike China so much for so many reasons, but I have to admit China’s traditional architectures are fascinating and beautiful. A famous Chinese architect always has multiple identities. They are an architect, poet, and painter. In a long period of China, everyone has to versify. A great poetry can make someone famous, and lack of creativity to make poetry will also make people lose their reputation. In one case, someone killed his relative because his relative got a great poet, and refuse to give it away.

Ancient Chinese use poetry to express their feeling about almost anything: eat, dress, sight, weather, love, friendship, injustice, pleasure after sex, and depress feeling after the demotion.

They even write poetry on the architecture. For example,

In fact, the emperor of ancient China used to come to Lion Grove Garden, and there is an inscription left in the garden. 

Translate to English: “ Very interesting.”