Video Review

The Power of Art: Rothko

The key concepts ideas of this video are Rothko was commissioned to in the Seagram Building, deliver paintings to the Four Seasons Restaurant.  He decided to accept it but he first thought of his role in American capitalistic society.  Rothko was a child in Russia during a violent time especially against Jews.  He believed that art could save the world.  He created the subway series while dabbling in Expressionism.  He wanted his paintings to take on the values of contemporary society.  He also did not want any psychological analysis of his art.  Many of his paintings that were observed displayed the feelings of human tragedy.  The murals he painted were never actually hung in the Seagram building.  In the time period of 1954-1957 Rothko’s paintings multiplied.  Many people described his paintings as restful pictures where Rothko on the other hand thought of them as tragic.  Rothko offered a German curator that he would paint for free if he would build a chapel of apology for the Holocaust.  He spent the rest of his life searching for a chapel.  Rothko was a heavy drinker and smoker.  He began to paint darker and darker paintings.  When he was allowed to paint whatever he wanted for a Texas Chapel, he painted only in black.

I chose this video because I wanted to learn more about Rothko.  I wanted to know his background story.  I am glad I picked this video because it provided me with just that.

Andy Warhol: Images of an Image

The key concepts/ideas of the video are Andy Warhol was a commercial artist.  In 1960 he decided to start experimenting with images for advertising.  He died in 1987.  He was very interested in the lives of Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.  They had inspired many images.  Photographs are enlarged and displayed on screens of silk; they are then transferred to canvas and paper, using paint and ink.  In 1963 he created Ten Lizes, which was featuring Elizabeth Taylor.  He saw the silk images as a means to make some money.  He then began to film and photographs his friends.  He then added paint to the silk images.  His work addressed race riots, cultural revelation of China, the moon conquest, and the universal dollar.

I chose to watch this video because I have heard of Andy Warhol and thought this would be a good opportunity to learn a little bit more about him.  It is nice to put a face to a name.

 

The films relate to the readings because we addressed these names and topics in the reading.  The films elaborated on them which helped to better understand the readings.  The videos also added more than the readings by providing some background information that helped us to better understand the person behing the art.  It also gave a visual of who these artists are which makes them easier to relate to.

The films were interesting and added to my knowledge.  I learned the background and the life of Rothko.  I also learned about who Andy Warhol was and how he was fascinated by Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.  The films were great and definatly gave me information that I wanted when visiting the video in first place.