Line and Space

It seems like this week we have had the opportunity to really take art appreciation to a new level. Instead of just talking about whether we like a painting or not or talking about what a painting means...we actually get to look at how the painting is put together. We have been able to scratch the surface of what it's like to be an artist and see how even great artists, like Leonardo Davinci, use the basic principles of art. These principles that we are learning help form the very foundation of art. We are learning the "laws" of art and we have seen how you can use our new found knowledge to recognize these principles in a work of art and it really does add to our appreciation of it. That is what this class is all about: learning to appreciate art.

I don't know about everybody else, but I really have felt at times throughout this week that I was looking at a whole new world. I have been looking at objects or scenes and trying to break them down and apply what we have learned. For example: I have looked at my lamp or my desk and I actually drew the contour lines in my head. Remember when we looked at our hands in the podcast and imagined the contour of them? This reminded me of when we were little kids and we used to outline our hands with finger paint. I looked outside my window at work at the street, building, and the trees below and I saw them in a whole new light. I was trying to decide if I was viewing them at a one-point or two-point perspective. This week, I also found while I was driving that I was trying to point out the vanishing point, horizon line, and the orthogonal lines of the road and the horizon. I can't decide if this is really cool and it is like I'm actually learning and applying my newly acquired knowledge to the real world...or I'm really weird : ). I think it is really cool that we can take this class and actually apply it to our lives...It's like a teacher's dream, huh Michelle? Can I call you Michelle? Do you prefer Professor, Madam, Mam, Miss, or your Highness?

Let me know what you guys think! Have you had this weird/unique experience where you are actually applying what you have learned in class to the real world? This is how education should be. It's almost sad that this doesn't happen with every class. : ( I think the word I'm going to use to describe it is: NIFTY!