Art Critique - 2011/05/25(Wed.)

The Starry Night

by Vincent van Gogh

Description
There is the night sky filled with swirling clouds, stars, and a bright crescent moon. This sky keeps the viewer’s eyes moving around the painting, following the curves.
A small town lies below the hills. The center point of the town is the tall steeple of the church.
To the left of the painting there is a massive dark structure.  This structure is magnificent when compared to the scale of  other objects in the painting.
This painting is oil on canvas. The bold, intense colors, and the striking brushwork are highly expressive, even emotional.


Analysis
There are mostly curvy lines. We also could see some straight lines in the village, but mostly curvy lines. I think he had many different thoughts at the same time when he drew this picture. And Stars are becoming circle in this picture.
We can see that blue and dark blue are main colors. He used dark colors alot. At the bottom of the picture, in the viliage, mostly dark colors. At the top of the picture, in the sky, mostly light colors.
Though there are both dark and lihgt colors, I feel it's more like dull than bright.
Can you guys find some shadings of this picture? Many shadings are at bottom in black color.
I think there are many overlappings of shapes, such as circle or curvy lines. He drew same pattern several times.There are shadings certainly, but it doesn't express any three dimessions. And also it doesn't look like flat picture.


Interpretation
Feeling: When I first saw this picture, I could feel calm. The very first thing that I could find from this Van Gogh's drawing was stars and its peacful-looking villege under it.
Symbols: I don't think he has put any symbols in this masterpiece. Personally, he seems put things that he likes such as stars, trees and a small villege. I will say this picture is quite simple and obvious.
Senses: Using an imagination as the example of this anylsis makes me taste a really cool candy such as minte. Plus, I could also taste shoothing stars. Sweet? Also, I could feel really fresh air like the one that you can have at midnight!


Judgement
This painting is not representational and formalistic because in this painting the sky, the moon, and stars are all exaggerated. Starry night represents all the drama of a man anxious of communication and integration of nature. I can say this painting is absolutely valuable for its expressive and emotional ideas.

3 quotes of inspiration from Chapter 10 - 2011/05/25(Wed.)

▶ "Give yourself permission to challenge assumptions, to look at the world with fresh eyes, to experiment, to fail, to plot your own course, and to test the limits of your abilities."

▶ "We all know intellectually that each day is precious, but as we grow older or deal with a life-threatening illness, this sentiment grows increasingly more palpable."

▶ "The most interesting things happen when you get off the predictable path, when you challenge assumptions, and when you give yourself permission to see the world as opportunity rich and full of possibility."

3 quotes of inspiration from Chapter 9 - 2011/05/25(Wed.)

▶ "Despite all she has overcome, Ashwini still thinks she took the safe path. She embraces the idea that life isn't a dress rehearsal, and that you only get one chance to do the best job."

▶ "Being fabulous implies making the decision to go beyond what's expected at all times. On the flip side, if you do the least you can to meet a baseline expectation, then you're cheating yourself of that opportunity."

▶ "Being fabulous comes in many flavors, but it all starts with removing the cap and being willing to reach for your true potential."

3 quotes of inspiration from Chapter 8 - 2011/05/16(Mon.)

▶ "Showing appreciation for the things others do for you has a profound effect on how you're perceived. Keep in mind that everything someone does for you has an opportunity cost."

▶ "One of the biggest things that people do to get in their own way is to take on way too many responsibilities. This eventually leads to frustration all the way around. Life is a huge buffet of enticing platters of possibilities, but putting too much on your plate just leads to indigestion. Just like a real buffet, in life you can do it all, just not at the same time."

▶ "With a little practice it's easy to avoid obstacles and potholes that people often place in their own path. One of the best ways is to always show appreciation to those who help you."

Famous Art - 2011/05/16(Mon.)

씨름도 by 김홍도(Kim, Hongdo)

18th century

a India ink colored picture(수묵채색화) 

thin coloring

39.7x26.7cm

"Turning lemons into lemonade" - 2011/05/11(Wed.)

Quyen Vuong:
She had nothing but her self-motivation to get out of poverty. She went to Yale with full scholarship and now she runs ICAN. She feels that by setting the table with time and effort you ensure that something appealing will land on your plate. Quyen's experience has taught her that, as she says, "You can make your own destiny by focusing on your goals and working incredibly hard."

Quincy Delight Jones III (QD3)
Just like Quyen, QD3 was driven to pull out of poverty, to be self-sufficient and, ultimately, the best in the world. He "taps the fire in his heart" to motivate himself, and once the flame spreads, charges ahead with incredible commitment and effort.

Perry klebahn
Perry turned a series of bad breaks-literal and figurative-into a winning streak by seeing opportunities and connecting the dots between his broken ankle, his desire to spend time in the snow, his new product design skills, and his astute observation that others would benefit from a better snowshoe. He ultimately made out well, but only after huge investments of time, energy, and perseverance.

3 quotes of inspiration from Chapter 7 - 2011/05/09(Mon.)

▶ "You can make your own destiny by focusing on your goals and working incredibly hard."

▶ "In short, being observant, oen-minded, friendly, and optimistic invites luck your way."

▶ "Making one's own luck is ultimately ablut turning bad situations around and making good situations much better."

7 Questions to Finding Your True Passion - 2011/05/04(Wed.)

1. What puts a smile on your face?
  ▶ my girl friend's smile

2. What do you find easy?
  ▶ to get along with people

3. What sparks your creativity?
  ▶ positive & optimistic attitude

4. What would you do for free?
  ▶ reading books, volunteering for the poor people

5. What do you like to talk about?
  ▶ about love

6. What makes you unafraid of failure?
  ▶ my family & girl friend's support

7. What would you regret not having tried?
  ▶ going back to America for my education

3 quotes of inspiration from Chapter 6 - 2011/05/02(Mon.)

▶ "The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both."

▶ "Planning a career should be like traveling in a foreign country. Even if you prepare carefully, have an itinerary and a place to stay at night, the most interesting experiences usually aren't planned."

▶ "Don't worry that the path ahead appears out of focus-squinting isn't going to make it any clearer. This is true for everyone. Don't be in a rush to get to your final destination-the side trips and unexpected detours quite often lead to the most interesting people, places, and opportunities. And, finally, be wary of all career advice, including mine, as you figure out what's right for you."

'Life is...' - 2011/05/02(Mon.)

Life is waves in the ocean

Sometimes,

life is just normal as gentle waves in the ocean.

Sometimes, 

something good happend in our life like cool waves in summer ocean

Sometimes,

someting bad happend like a big wave that can swamp dowm the boat.

But, as time goes by,

it seems that nothing happend like waves washing up on a sandy shore.