I am relieved to have the art class done. Honestly, that horrid class should be 5-6 credits. I am sure she is a nice enough person, but I hated her assignments. most took me hours and hours. One took me over 12 hours to complete, another 8.5. If I end the class with an A it will be because I busted my ass and she just stopped reading my pointless BS. Example the industrial revolution effecting the world of art paper. 100/100 cool right. I said nothing of point in it, the whole time I thought of the movie Billy Madison when they asked the Industrial Revolution question to him. I even kind of framed it with nonsensical BS:
Explain: How did the Industrial revolution impact the art world. Minimum 1 pages.I think the industrial evolution had a large and positive impact on the art world. Starting in the bare bones area of mass manufacturing and the invention of the steam engine, gave people the ability to transport large amounts of good and people across countries in shorter periods of time. Without the Industrial Revolution we also would likely never had the Realist movement come in to be. The Realist style is older than the Industrial Revolution itself, social consciences, nature, and the political realm would never been brought to the collective minds of those who appreciate art without its rapid expansion throughout the world.
The striving of rights and freedoms spread through the countries affected by the Industrial Revolution. The newest levels of consciousness steered people more towards seeing humans in a new light. Cartoons and satirical comics for the first time were targeting the elite and upper echelons while showing he pains and realities of the working classes. The farther the papers were able to circulate or travel the more eyes saw the images. Artists for the first time were widely seen through copies and recreated images easily spread but the rapid branching out of the new society.
Word of mouth and the railroad allowed news to spread even faster. Making who taught you less important than where your art is showing. Critics came on to the scene, the ability to publicize, and get to a local easier gave an excuse for art critics to be created. Their word was gold; go see this person, avoid this one. They could make an artist or break them. Making people want to travel to physically go and see the artwork or the artist themselves. Freedom for an artist to choose how they wanted to create was no longer stymied by a patron. If you were to see, it was to a private collector, museum/gallery or dealer. This may have slowed many artists without the patronage crutch, but it again advanced the era in art and taught a self sufficiency. I am guessing this is the time the phrase “struggling artist” took on whole new meaning.
So though there was a new set of struggles for artists with the utter loss of the patronage crutches they had for centuries, in my personal opinion for those who could create, be judged, and survive doing something they love makes the Industrial Revolution key to the art of the time. Social recognitions, human rights, and the ability to move ideas and people faster through inventions of the time like the telegraph and train travel. I am fond of the more used photography that is my forte if there ever was one in art.
Look at those who benefited from the Industrial Revolution, like Ansel Adams (I know he comes a bit later) with his works being able to have the ability in the near future to have his photographs distributed widely. I hope I have an opportunity to talk about him a bit. He was also a wonderful pianist at the Ahwahee hotel in Yosemite National Park, and created a wonderful Christmas time dinner theater there.
I put the saucy little fact about Adams after watching a show on either Discovery or Smithsonian about the hotel! Corey calls me the queen of written bull-shit. If I pull out even a B I will have to agree. The final was from hell, I should seek therapy after it (amongst other things!). There were 30 questions, not 40. I missed 4 because I ran out of time. You had to know the name of the artist, the era, and a historically significant reason for the painting. All timed. Thank god for the ability to speed read, and photographic memory to remember where about in the book they were.
On to my religions course, it was enlightening and challenging. The professor is totally awesome! His name is Steve and is one of the only Conservative professors I had ever dealt with. He is a former Catholic priest with a whole little of kids, a darling wife and an obsession with fast cars (British I think he fancies the most). He was great in guiding me as I got flustered when writing a paper. Another he allowed me a wide birth to compare Maslow's hierarchy of needs to that of the Hindu religious practice. His final was write about what you have taken from the course or the impact of groups like the ACLU and its (in)tolerance for religions like that of those who practice Christianity. I did both focusing on the Eastern Religions and then that.
Next up is me research class. It is vital that I do good in that class as it is required for the Behavioral Science's degree. It will allow me to branch out the degree to marketing, criminology, homeland security, social work, ect.
I am actually debating taking Steve's ethics class just for fun. I like the intellectual stimulation and the challenge of being in a class (online only) that I am usually the only one with a more Conservative mindset. I just want to keep up the GPA, in hopes of during the transfer getting a scholarship for the next 2 years I will be paying out of pocket 500 bucks a month (2,500 a semester not counting books) for the degree.
I am really board right now with no class work as sad as that is to say! But still relieved as hell that Art is done. Now if I could just get my final grades! I guess I shouldn't be too picky as I ended the semester 2 weeks before it is scheduled to end.
