I decided to spread out my “walk” throughout a whole day and include pictures from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The first image was from my daily morning coffee run right before classes. The last picture is from my lunch trip to a taco spot. And last but not least, the second picture was part of my walk to the train in the evening after my last class.
Before beginning my day I decided to stop by Starbucks for a cup of coffee. Right as I walked in, a piece of artwork captured my attention. I feel that I confidently call the first photograph a work of art because it has a meaning, purpose, and it evokes emotion. If you look at the full work of art it illustrates a small map of the location of the Starbucks I was in. It includes the major buildings in the small proximity and silhouettes of people participating in a few activities in the area. It is not only meant to look pretty and play into the ambiance of the coffee shop, but to also be relatable, familiar, and comforting. The main purpose of the artwork is to be aesthetically pleasant but to also make customers feel at home.
For the second picture I decided on the well recognized Madison Av street sign. Although, many people know of the location, it is definitely not art. It is simply a sign that helps create a sense of direction. Even though the white Highway Gothic font stands out clearly in the Traffic Green background color, I would never consider it art. The sign doesn’t evoke any emotion in me, nor does it have a deeper meaning that could be interpreted. The meaning behind the sign is very objective and holds the exact same definition for every person viewing it regardless of their background or experience. The intent of the sign is the same as its interpretation; to direct people and be visible for everyone.
As for the last picture, I chose to use an art decor from a place I visited for lunch. It definitely caught my eye but I am not sure whether I would consider it art or not. Just like the last picture it is just a bunch of signs, but at the same time the signs are not accurate and do not direct people to a certain destination. It is simply part of the decor. The “artist” used a variety of colors on all of the signs to write down popular destinations. Although the piece of work evokes happy emotions (at least for me due to all of the bright colors) there is no organization in it. The colors and locations of all of the signs seem to be random and in addition, all of the signs are pointing in random directions that don’t correlate to the actual locations of the places. The piece itself seems colorful and artsy but I don’t know if I would call it art. Similar to the Starbucks painting, the signs are meant to decorate, and bring out similarity (since I’m sure many people have heard of the locations on the signs). I’m not sure if the artist meant for it to have a deeper meaning or if the colors/locations are significant to them, but it doesn’t show through in the work.
