“Art and Identity: The Museum of Modern Art”

                                     “Art and Identity: The Museum of Modern Art”
          Art is a mirror of the emotions, feelings and identity of an artists. On our trip to the MoMa we were asked to find pieces that embodied Individual, cultural and historical identity. Identity is what defines us, separates us from one another makes something or someone unique from another.

         The first piece I would like to talk about is piece by Cindy Sherman “untitled #92” made in 1982 on chromogenic color print. This piece i feel embodies individual identity in the artist and in the actual work. Cindy Sherman is famous for being both the photographer and the model for most of her work. In this piece which stood out to me because of her piercing eyes, the vibrant colors, the positioning and the emotion. Cindy’s work uniquely embodies emotion through the eyes and positions and situations she puts her self in, her work is very poetic in a way that it can be interpreted in multiple way. I feel this work identifies Cindy as an artist and separate her from other photographers.
The second piece I loved and I have a bias for cause I'm familiar with the artist and I adore a lot of his work is Keith Haring’s piece “untitled 1982” completed in 1982 and is ink on two sheets of paper. Keith Haring was a pop artist, social activist he demonstrated for aids awareness drug awareness and anti-apartheid. His pieces are very primal, tribal yet very urban and simple. His piece i feel embodies cultural identity, the cultural activist pop cultural of the 1980s. A lot of the art that i like and that I’m familiar with from the 1980s were very primal and urban like haring and Basquiat. I feel there pieces defined the art cultural of the 1980. In “untitled 1982” the work is animalistic, cartoonish graffiti style very sexual and full of humor. The cultural significance behind the piece with all the sexual visuals and the aids epidemic in the 1980s i feel is what makes this piece.
The third and final piece I will talk about “Untitled film still #3” made in 1977  black and white film. This piece I feel embodies historical identity. I feel it has historical identity not because of the black and white film but because I feel it gives a glimpse into a particular time the datedness of the clothes and hair the physical objects like the soaps and salt containers, the pots and cabinets I feel it gives a glimpse into what a woman in the late 1970s looked like and was expected to do.
All the pieces can be interpreted by individual identity especially of the artist that created them were very distinct. All three have cultural significance definitely the Haring piece and Sherman “Untitled film still#3”. I Feel they all have Historical identity these pieces are all stand out pieces of there time and will be remembered especially by me. Identity is our uniqueness it separates us and helps us to define us but also allows us to see similarities.

Cindy Sherman
"Untitled film still #3"
1977
black and white film

Cindy Sherman
"Untitled #92"
1982
Chromogenic color print
Kieth Haring
"untitled 1982"
1982
Ink on two sheets of paper

Narrative Digital Collage

  My digital narrative represents the time when I got out of the Marine corps and the deciding factors. The background is an actual picture of the 29 Palms highway which was the highway I used to take to and from base. I used it to represent the last time I left base and that I'm more then likely never going there ever again. I distorted the contrast and the hues to make it feel otherworldly and apocalyptic cause thats the way the place made me feel for four years, the place was hell on earth. I put the skull with the street sign in the foreground to make it seem that if I stayed on the path I was on my future would be negative unhappy and possibly die. I put the school bus further down the road with the marine corp emblem cause my company deployed shortly after I got out. I put the two silhouettes of male figures to represent me and why I got out for the most part and that was to be happy and to be with who I want.

"good art bad art"

  Art is very personal and how its valued is subjective. What is good for one person can be horrible to another. Good art to me is art that stirs an emotion, a feeling or a thought, but thats not always the case cause bad art can do the same. I guess the only way to judge art is by the standard of the time but not completely cause artist tend to push the boundary of the standards. I generally like most art from Rococo to surreal. I love el Greco I remember seeing the view of toledo when I was younger it just spoke to me I couldn't stop looking. I guess good art holds your attention and doesn't let you go and stays with you forever. The amazing use of white the way the bushes seemed to be blowing in the wind and the realistic depth just amazed me. The sleeping tree by Chaim Soutine is so beautiful and Wimsey. So good art to me inspires thought, feelings, emotions grabs your attention and stays with you for a long time.
    Bad art to me is art without direction, thats stale, dead it inspires nothing easily forgotten. Dada art for the most part I guess can be categorized as bad art I actually like most of Dada art but some are just really forgettable, inspire nothing and just look unpleasant or unfortunate. Bicycle wheel makes me feel nothing and question what arts is if thats considered art. I guess i'm used to bad art  cause i'm from Williamsburg and i'm used to crappy art being sold for way to much and everyone considers them self an artist like Van Gogh or Goya but have no talent or training or direction other then money and living there hipster lifestyle.