Art in the Marta Station

The Marta station is a building constructed of straight walls that are highly undecorated.  Most of the coloring of the building ranges from shades of light grey to dark grey, and there are not many ornate details within the building.  However, on my way down a particular flight of steps, I encountered a very beautiful piece of artwork.  It very much reminded me of something that one might see in a European museum.  It appeared that certain figures of individuals and creatures were constructed out of stone and placed skillfully on a wall from one floor of the Marta station to the one below.  It was, in a sense, very unexpected-yet beautiful.  I thought to myself about why such an “elaborate” design would be located in such a “plain” building.  I later realized that the creator of the building, and all those who contributed, must have had some rationale for the inclusion of such an unanticipated design.    

La Pedrera

 La Pedrera, located in Spain, is a building with only curved walls.  While most individuals would most likely consider the construction of a building to be completed with a certain number of flat walls, this artist decided that curvature would be a more interesting technique to use.  This form of construction is definitely more interesting and unique and is therefore a big tourist attraction for visitors to the area.   

The following website includes some additional examples of intersting buildings that will challenge the way art can be found in the construction of a building.

http://villageofjoy.com/50-strange-buildings-of-the-world/

Barthes

In the Barthes article, the following is stated. 

“I have no need to question my feelings in order to list the various reasons to be interested in a photograph; one can either desire the object, the landscape, the body it represents; or love or have loved the being it permits us to recognize; or be astonished by what one sees; or else admire or dispute the photographer’s performance.”    

I also possess a similar opinion because sometimes an initial response to an image cannot be explained in an organized list.  Sometimes one’s reception is a sense or feeling that cannot be explained in words.  For instance, when I look at Leonardo Da Vinci’s work in the Sistine Chapel, I cannot explain my response in words.  I recognize, and I am astonished, but it is an inexplicable feeling and sensation.  His work, his talent, and the overall product are desirable.  I am interested in his paintings, but I don’t feel the need to question my feelings.  My feelings are sometimes easily accessible without a close examination.      

Beauty of Flowers

Art and beauty can be found in numerous situations whether intentionally or accidentally.  Lilies are my favorite type of flower, and I have recently truly started seeing them as artistically beautiful.  The various colors utilized in the creation of this flower are undeniably aesthetically pleasing.  

The orange and pink not only provide a greater aesthetic appeal, but they change the atmosphere in the environment.  In biology lecture, we have been discussing how organisms often adapt to the surrounding environment in order to survive, and how each organism changes the variation and has an impact on other organisms in the environment.  Therefore, the colors not only help the organism to survive, but they have an impact on other species in the environment.  I find them beautiful and pleasant, and they make me feel positive and cheerful.

Art can be found in any aspect of life.  The question is whether a person is able to recognize it.   

Patterns of Intention

In Patterns of Intention, it is stated that “Many of the more powerful terms in the description will be a little indirect, in that they refer first not to the physical picture itself but to the effect the picture has on us.”  I believe that the effect that a picture has is just as important if not more important than the actual picture itself.  All individuals can view an image and report what they see in actuality: color, objects, lighting.  It takes a true literary artist to translate and convey his or her emotions and response into a description of the effect of the piece.  Countless individuals walk in and out of famous museums everyday and view the same well-known paintings; however, how many of them receive the exact same effect after viewing the art.  Even though everyone is seeing the same picture, no one is having the exact same response as another individual.  It is the responsibility of the literary artist to put into words that which we cannot see.      

The image above is one that many people may have viewed before.  We all see the same image, but the effect on all of these people is different.  Every description may be ineffective because no description can describe all aspects of a given piece of artwork.  

Las Meninas

There is a section of Faucault’s work that describes how “language is inevitably inadequate” when describing a picture.  I agree with this statement because there are an infinite number of ways and forms to describe an image or piece of artwork.  However, sometimes individuals will be consumed with the following thought.  “I don’t know how to describe it.  I know what it is, but I can’t seem to put it in words.”  Language is inadequate because sometimes the available words for description are infinite while at other times they are unavailable.   

     

The way that you would describe this painting is different from the way that another individual would.

Another item of fascination is that in all of the analysis of this painting in my previous Spanish classes, we never discussed the image reflected in the mirror on the back wall of the room or other prominent details in the painting.  We primarily focused on the history of the artist and the time period during which this painting was created.  I have analyzed this painting on multiple occasions; however, I have rarely analyzed it with the same intent as I did in class during discussion.    

 

The following quotation is stated by Bal and Bryson on page 186.

“It must be recognized that possession of codes of viewing is a process, not a given, and that members of groups acquire their familiarity with codes of viewing, and their ability to operate those codes, to varying degrees.  Access to these codes is uneven: codes have to be learned and their distribution varies (and changes) within a group.”

In this current age in time, many people may say that they are not art people.  He or she may say they do not understand art.  Art, in a way, is very similar to a mathematical concept.  Even if you are a math person, not all mathematical principals are intended for equal understanding.  Comprehending and understanding math is a process just like considering a piece of artwork is.  It is imperative that an individual takes the aspects of the piece of art one step at a time like one would do with a new math problem or concept.  Gaining access to these “codes” for understanding is a task that varies in degree of difficulty.  Furthermore, attainability of these codes may depend on who the person is as an individual in addition to his or her openness to “the problem ahead.”      

Semiotics and Art History

     When reading Semiotics and Art History, I became very interested when I read the following sentence.  “Since readers and viewers bring to the images their own cultural baggage, there can be no such thing as a fixed, predetermined, or unified meaning” (Bal and Bryson 207).  I completely agree with this statement because I believe that with so many ethnicities, backgrounds, experiences, and opinions, no one description can ever be used to describe one thing.  I believe that the fact that we are all so different and perceive things differently is what makes the art that much more beautiful.  Bal and Bryson also state that, “An image does not represent a single subject-position, but rather an organized plurality of them” (202).  Therefore, an image can have numerous meanings either on the part of the artists or on the viewer.  Everyone sees and creates in a different manner as a direct result of the person he or she is.   

How you perceive the image above is result of who you are as an individual.