Author: Raiyan

Art is often something that encompasses our daily lives. Art is truly everywhere around us. Art is the music we hear when coming out of our house and it is the spray painted drawings that cover the lampost. A lot of times in our very fast paced society, there are forms of art that go unnoticed. There is meaning behind each mode of art and a message thats there to convey. Art is the language of the mind and often what keeps people going. Art can come in all shapes and sizes, some as murals on the side of a school buildings, and some in the corners of apartment complexes. Each piece of art has a story to tell all driven by the same purpose: to convey a certain message that resonates with the viewer. That is the true essence behind art and why art is such a vital component to our lives. 

Throughout my entire life, I lived and went to school  within the same radius. I walked by my middle school almost everyday to get to my highschool. One thing I did start to notice was the new additions of colorful banners etched with motivational phrases throughout the playground. Phrases such as “work hard, play hard” serve as a reminder to the kids that life is all about balance and that is something the school tried to act upon. My middle school looked very basic when I used to attend it 5 years ago. Grey bricks with no signs of color would radiate very boring energy throughout the school. However, as I was walking home one day, I stumbled upon this large mural near the main entrance of the school. I see a large arm as it reaches towards the skies. I see an arm that’s made out of a plethora of books. This arm has its hands clenched to a golden key as it points towards a keyhole with the emblem of a lion. The arm full of books symbolizes the academic integrity of the students and the books can be best symbolized through the phrase “knowledge is power.” The arm symbolizes the fact that each student controls his/her education and they have the power to take it in any direction they see fit. The arm clutching on to a key represents the end goal and the key to success being to fulfill their education. Something as simple as a mural in front of a school, can hold so much weight and meaning. In a visual standpoint the bricks give the hand a rugged texture that gives off a sense of aggression and grit. The way the natural light flows from the top left corner of the mural truly makes the art form come to life and gives it a very divine tone. In relation to Kwon’s three paradigms for public art, one can see the mural fit as an art in places paradigm. The reason why I would categorize this as an art in a place because although this is a beautiful mural in and of itself, it is an artwork on a school building. The “place” would be referred as the school as the painting was done on school grounds. However, one can see that the artwork interacts with the space or the school itself because of the message the artwork embodies. One can even say it is integral to the school because when students see this painting on their way to the main entrance, they are greeted with empowerment and a symbol that their hard work means something. A symbol that represents that the students are their own superheroes and this welcoming gesture is well needed in the school. This painting not only affects students but throughout the community, it echoes the importance of education and how education is needed and valued throughout the community. When we touch upon the artists themselves, the identity of the author is not visible. Rather, the identity of the author is not needed to understand the value of the art work. This is a very unique type of artwork because there is a certain message that is being provided by the mural. The funding body can be recognized as local officials and the government because of the fact that this artwork has been produced in a public setting. Logistically, the artist had to have been approved of the work also due to its size and the place being an educational institution. The mural is very large and that relates to the purpose and the overall message being conveyed as well. This piece of work was very wholesome and enjoyable because the art truly resonates with the people in the community, it shares a powerful message and is situated in a place that maximizes the full potential of the art itself.   

Growing up in an apartment sitting on top of a Lebanese deli and a Dominican laundromat, my morning alarms consisted of hispanic bachata songs like “No es una novela,” and soothing Nancy Ajram serenades playing from open windows. I grew up in a low-income, culturally diverse neighborhood of Long Island City, where I learned about different traditions and the various socio-economic hardships within my family and community members. What is very interesting to me, is the difference in art at different places throughout the city. For example, in Manhattan, in wealthier neighborhoods, the art is often exemplified in statues or sculptures. However, in lower socio-economic environment, like the one I grew up in, the art is more focussed within individuals and often exemplified in forms of street art.  Within my neighborhood, street art is something that was very prevalent throughout the city. You would see it on the corners of the local deli, you would see it on trucks driving by, but I was greeted with one specific example of street art being graffiti every morning as I woke up. My apartment was situated in a position where it was in the middle of other buildings. I would always stare out and look at the multitude of different shapes and letters. The different striation marks of the can of paint would always fascinate me. I always tried to decipher what these strange characters meant. This one specific graffiti was etched on the bottom of a first story apartment. It is placed right under the red fire escape. My eyes naturally gravitated towards the mixtures of different colors and the circular “doodly” font type. The contrast of different colors lit up the dull grey cement blocks. In relation to Kwon’s three paradigms for public art, this example of street art would also fit in an art in places because of the fact that the graffiti was done in an established location being an apartment complex. The artwork interests with the site because of the fact that the local neighborhood is in a low socio-economic environment, so many people resort to street art as a means of expression. There are smaller gangs in the area who use graffiti as a way of marking their territory. Many can say that the graffiti itself is what makes the inner urban communities, so unique and diverse. You can try to get a sense of how certain people use art to convey their thoughts and feelings.  The work of street art is more of an embodiment of the community, it represents an extremely diverse population. For this example, the artist themselves were the funding body because this type of artwork is not legally funded. The identity of the author is somewhat revealed here as this type of graffiti is a marking of the individual. It is a representation of ownership and a sign to others. This type of artwork is usually shown off by local gang members etc. Overall, street art is imperative for inner urban communities and it’s what truly gives off an urban community vibe. It gives communities identities and complete freedom of expression. Usually funded art work can be very biased because of the funding bodies and where the art is displayed. These forms of street art usually have no boundaries in the level of expression and is often very fascinating to reveal.  

Art is something that many people fail to appreciate in our very fast paced 21st century society. Many people including myself have fallen victim of staring at our phones and not paying attention to our surroundings. I have stumbled upon many examples of art that is very stimulating and it is very interesting to see the expression of others. Art is the language of the mind and often what keeps people going. Being able to see the different forms of art in two very different places was truly something mesmerizing and that is the true essence behind art and why art is such a vital component to our lives. 

• The name is of the exhibit is called Terracotta Oinochoe. Although this exhibit is not necessarily a painting, the creditor for this exhibit goes to Joseph Pulitzter Bequest in 1946. According to the description of the exhibit, it is being taken place roughly during 520 B.C. In the exhibit it conveys the message of Pelueus, the future father of the hero Achilles, cowering over the treetop. This story is being depicted by Pelus being treed by a lion and a boar. The texture of this artifact is looked as if it is comprised of ceramic or porcelain material which has a glossy finish.
• When I first witnessed this exhibit, my eyes are naturally gravitated towards the texture of the porcelain/ceramic material. My eyes follow the tint of black throughout the side of the jug. When my eyes start to shift downward, the lion itself is very textured, to the point where the fur of the lion comes off as a  jagged spear like figure. Immediately there is a sense of aggression and sharpness that is found in the lion. The animal is sat in a pouncing position, as if it was ready to attack the inhabitants of the tree. When you look at the tree specifically, the tree is depicted as very thin and fragile. The leaves are that of mere dots and ironically not much texture is being put into it compared to the lion. The only points of texture are given in the lions maine and the hairs sticking out of its body. Overall, the texture and the figure of the lion jumps out to the viewer of this artifact. The painter is shown to emphasize the mouth of the lion being opened wide, the body being ready in attack position, as the hair of the lion is shaved in certain parts of the body. The eyes are shown to be opened wide as if the lion has an objective in mind. There is a very intricate pattern that follows below the lion, acting as a pathway or a “floor” for the art. It is closed off by another intricate pattern acting as the “ceiling.” These patterns resemble a starting and finishing point to the work of art. Overall this lion came off as an aggressive animal but has a very mythical tone to it. The sharp style of the artwork comes off as very magical and reminds me of ancient writings and drawings. There is an underlying tone to this work of art that is contributed by the subtle choices of the artist including certain shadows and the cream and the distinct light to dark color choices.