Artwork: Architecture
Library
Size: 48 cm x 61 cm Medium: Pencil and Bristol Paper Completion: April 2018 Exhibition Text: Library is inspired by architect Maya Lin’s renovation of Neilson Library at Smith College and Pre-Romanesque architecture. The building’s intention is to provide a variety of texts, literature and access to technology for the community, promoting education and employment. A welcoming naturally lit atmosphere is created through use of an abundance of windows. |
Inspiration
Maya Lin is an earth artist and architecture who favors the movement of minimalism, which deals with unusual ways of sculpture creations, often involving geometric formation. Minimalism, hence the word minimal, is a way for an artist to strip a complex idea or structure of its intricacy, symbolism and spiritual representation and instead focuses on the pure aspect of purposeful vagueness. There is often a bare visual aesthetic. Her strength regarding this approach to art also contributes to the use of architecture, which is often complex with simple features modern-day. Recently in 2016, Lin constructed a new design for the library at Smith College. It is a simple, innovative plan that allows flexibility for improvement of the current structure while also respecting the historical value and significance of the library. Her goal is modernization while maintaining aspects of history. Regarding the Nelson Library, one of Lin's larger focuses was the lighting. With practical applications and modifications, illumination was a key characteristic in her plans. I was inspired by the focus of natural lighting in my own architecture design. Lighting is an important aspect in aesthetic and feeling. It impacts the interpretation of amount of space and can impact the comfort and stress levels of individuals. My desires were to create a building that still maintained historical aspects of architecture while allowing for some degrees of modernization.
The Palazzo Medici Riccardi is a palace located in Florence and is a well-known structure. The evolution from the bottom to the top of the building makes it seem lighter and less dense. The lowest level is comprised of stone, during the time period an essential appearance of strength and impenetrable borders. Smoother blocks were used higher up, and the frequency of windows along the building front increased. It follows a traditional structure. It resembles the Romanesque creations are architecture. Their common characteristics included semi-circular arches of various sizes, thick walls, and relatively simple exteriors. Some other features that are not reflected in the architecture of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi are that Romanesque buildings often have the attachment of rounded towers as the connected units. I was inspired by the powerful look of this style. The material I chose to use for my building material was granite, which is an extremely dependable material and has a refined appearance.
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Planning
Process, Technique & Experimentation
Reflection
This project I found to be mildly challenging and quite time consuming.
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
I am able to identify the cause-effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect upon my artwork by analyzing the effect of scaling objects, repetition and surreal elements in all artworks.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Magritte's approach to his painting was to produce an unbalanced, fantasy-like piece through use of repetition, unrealistic scaling, and presentation that highly reflected components of surrealism. Dali achieved an overarching portrayal of surrealism and blurred reality through finely-constructed visuals that reflected and provoked feelings of exhaustion and confusion.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
That many ideas can be a reflection of experiences that are not generalized to the bigger population, such as sitting on a beach or having a portrait made, but can be rather individualized and a product influenced by the wandering and experiences of the individual mind.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea around my research was ways in which I could present meaning through a surrealist lense and portray my own individual beliefs and ideologies through a format that did not cater to the eye of the general human experience.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I learned that Dali strove to bring abnormal aspects of thinking and living directly into his work, creating pieces that were much more original and depended on personal experience or thought.
I am able to identify the cause-effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect upon my artwork by analyzing the effect of scaling objects, repetition and surreal elements in all artworks.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Magritte's approach to his painting was to produce an unbalanced, fantasy-like piece through use of repetition, unrealistic scaling, and presentation that highly reflected components of surrealism. Dali achieved an overarching portrayal of surrealism and blurred reality through finely-constructed visuals that reflected and provoked feelings of exhaustion and confusion.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
That many ideas can be a reflection of experiences that are not generalized to the bigger population, such as sitting on a beach or having a portrait made, but can be rather individualized and a product influenced by the wandering and experiences of the individual mind.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea around my research was ways in which I could present meaning through a surrealist lense and portray my own individual beliefs and ideologies through a format that did not cater to the eye of the general human experience.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I learned that Dali strove to bring abnormal aspects of thinking and living directly into his work, creating pieces that were much more original and depended on personal experience or thought.
Bibliography
“Maya Lin Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-lin-maya.htm.
“Palazzo Medici-Riccardi.” Architecture Around the World, buffaloah.com/a//virtual/italy/flor/mr/ext/index.html.
Gondaliya, Mitali V. “Romanesque.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 14 Aug. 2015, www.slideshare.net/MitaliGondaliya/romanesque-51638461.
October 14, 2016 Published October. “Maya Lin Shares Design for New Neilson Library « - Smith College Grécourt Gate Smith College Grécourt Gate.” Smith College, www.smith.edu/news/maya-lin-shares-design-for-new-neilson-library/.
http://www.amlinkmarble.com/stone_resources/granitestructure.htm
“Palazzo Medici-Riccardi.” Architecture Around the World, buffaloah.com/a//virtual/italy/flor/mr/ext/index.html.
Gondaliya, Mitali V. “Romanesque.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 14 Aug. 2015, www.slideshare.net/MitaliGondaliya/romanesque-51638461.
October 14, 2016 Published October. “Maya Lin Shares Design for New Neilson Library « - Smith College Grécourt Gate Smith College Grécourt Gate.” Smith College, www.smith.edu/news/maya-lin-shares-design-for-new-neilson-library/.
http://www.amlinkmarble.com/stone_resources/granitestructure.htm