Welcome Back Show

Looking at artwork by the grad students and faculty members in the Welcome Back Show was a good experience. The collection of varied artworks allowed me to think more critically and generate new ideas for my thesis. The work that stood out to me most was Shane's digital work on the far back wall of the Red Room, opposite the entrance. From far away, at first glance, it did not look like digital art. I thought it might've been either a photograph or a very intricate and detailed painting. Today, during Design III class, I thought of that artwork as the professor taught us how to make basic structures in Programming. It made me want to create something realistic and visually stimulating that it would make the viewers wonder, "That was done by a computer program?" I love art that is detailed and finely rendered because it looks like a lot of effort and thought was put into it. I did not jot down exactly what it looked like, but the digital prints appeared to be waterfalls from the top, where the viewer can see the water streaming to a pit or edge. There were two versions of the waterfall; one in a dark setting and the other in a warm, ambient daytime setting. From looking at them both, I felt at peace but kind of isolated at the same time. The vast landscapes with contrasting colors and vectored shapes were pleasing to the eye but the portrayed emptiness made me feel like I was standing and staring at the waterfall alone. As I said before, I felt peaceful- this probably reflects my personality as I enjoy tranquil times by myself especially looking at artwork.

One piece that bothered me in the show was the white panel in the center of the room that seemed to depict a subject with a mustache, focused on the face and part of the upper torso. That is what I am picking up from my memory, although I could be wrong. What I strongly remember about that piece was that it was minimal. I did not look to see who had made this piece. As a fan of very detailed pieces, as I have mentioned, I am averse to most pieces that look like very little effort has been put in. After observing an interesting piece on the wall, I turn around and see this panel supported upright of a figure wearing a silhouetted mustache. That was literally it. It did not stimulate my mind and I was not inspired by it because I found very little to say about it. Perhaps if the artist provided a reason/s behind the piece, I might justify it. That piece surrounded by everything else that had color and more detail looked insignificant.