Interesting read!

Check out this complete list.
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/jan/13/10-most-subversive-women-artists


My top 2 from this list: Artemesia Gentileschi (1593-1656) and Louise Bourgeois, left, (1911-2010), a fantastic contemporary sculptor and fiber artist! 

Thanks Michael Hernandez for finding this :)

For those of you that have Instant Netflix, here is a list of documentaries that you should definitely watch. If you watch one on your own time, write up at least 1 page of notes that you've learned from this documentary AND write a paragraph of how it is relevant to our class, I will give 5 extra credit points on your next quiz that applies. Ongoing. (That could be the difference between a B and an A!)

*All descriptions are by Netflix.

I stumbled upon the most amazing documentary website where you can watch entire films that are no longer or not on Netflix. Here are my top picks from this site. My top picks from Netflix are coming soon :)

Watch these ones first as they are great ones for our Renaissance chapters!
The Medici: The Godfathers of the Renaissance
Watch it here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/medici-godfathers-renaissance/


The Mona Lisa Curse
Watch it here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/mona-lisa-curse/


Leonardo da Vinci
Watch it here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/leonardo-da-vinci/

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Ai Wei Wei: Without Fear of Favor
Watch it here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ai-weiwei-without-fear-or-favour/

The Genius of Photography
Watch it here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-genius-of-photography/

Why Beauty Matters
Watch it here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/why-beauty-matters/

This is Civilization
Watch it here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/this-is-civilization/

In a jam for a halloween costume? These are relatively easy and will be a big hit! (Besides, homemade costumes are the best!)

See more from buzzfeed.com *Thanks Wesley!

Hope your studying is going well! 

Here are some fun facts about the ancient Romans from www.afaweb.org

• Women in ancient Rome dyed their hair with goat fat and beech wood ashes. Red and blond were the most popular colors.

• Trajan’s Column is 128 feet high, which is the same height as a nine-story building. The sculptural frieze that wraps around the column is approx- imately 655 feet in length—the length of about two football fields—and depicts more than 2,500 men.

• The Circus Maximus, a theater in Rome, could hold as many as 250,000 spectators. New York’s Yankee Stadium holds approximately 60,000 people.
• Instead of soap, Romans used oil, which they rubbed into their skin and then scraped off with a metal tool called a strigil.
• When the Roman Empire reached its territorial peak in 116 A.D., it spanned 2.5 million square miles.
• Lead was used as both a preservative and a sweetening agent. The toga, the official costume of the Roman citizen, was created using a semi-circular piece of white wool cloth that was about 18H feet in diameter.
• Many gladiators, like athletes today, chose colorful surnames to enhance their public identity. One gladiator, whose name is preserved on a funerary monu- ment, was known as Antaios, the name of a giant from Greek mythology.
• The trepan, or drill, that ancient sculptors used to create their art was also used as a surgical instrument to bore holes into the skull. This procedure (called trepanning) was thought to cure headaches, treat brain disorders, let out evil spirits, and treat insanity.
• Roman charioteers belonged to racing clubs or teams. The most well known were the Whites, Blues, Greens, and Reds.
• Roman bath houses used an advanced heating system called hypocaust to heat the caldarium (hot bath) and tepidarium (lukewarm bath), as well as the floors and walls of the complex.
• Romans played board games such as chess, checkers, and tic-tac-toe.
• Many ancient Roman houses had flushing toilets and indoor plumbing.
• Associated with Mercury, the messenger god, a caduceus (a winged stick encircled by two snakes) came to be linked with postal workers and journalists. The caduceus of Mercury is often confused with the rod of Asclepius—a staff with a single serpent—which is a symbol of medicine

If you haven't discovered the companion site for our textbook, Gardner's Art Through the Ages then you're definitely missing out on important study resource. 

• Artist Pronunciation
• Sample essay questions
• Glossary
• Overviews
• Maps
• Study Guides
• Quizzes

*There will be a pop quiz on Wednesday: At the bottom of the quiz, write down the secret word - pseudoperipteral - and earn a secret extra point :) Happy Reviewing!

If you couldn't tell by now, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is probably my most favorite museum that I've visited. It is massive, covers virtually every part of the world's finest art, AND they have the Heilbrunn Timeline.
Super helpful to put dates in order, have reference pictures, essays on a wide variety of topics, key events, and specifics on artworks that we cover in class. You have to be willing to explore outside of our text. There is so much wonderful information out there! 

Good luck studying for your Greek Quiz on Tuesday and enjoy your Monday off :)_

Well, we're into the end of the 4th week of  school and we should be settled into our art history groups and have become familiar with the routine.

First, I want to say that I'm very impressed with your first 3 quizzes this year. You seem to all really enjoy the class and are excited to continue our journey through world history and art. I'm proud of you guys for sticking with it!

Second, the Greek chapter is upon us....dun dun dun....
You should really be on top of your reading and flashcards. Do not leave those till later or you'll regret it! If you're absent, make sure you get those notes from someone- make new friends! You will not be granted extra days of studying if you're absent for any reason.

Third, here are some shoes that a girl, Olivia <no last name>, designed as she was inspired by art time periods. You can follow her tumbler here.  Click on the pictures to enlarge and scroll through. 

I hope your vacations were relaxing and energizing! This is the first post of the year and it's just to remind you that if you haven't started thinking about your summer prep work- you should. Make sure you have your textbook right at the start of class. We're wasting no time jumping straight into context!

Enjoy the last weeks of your summer, soak up the sun, hike, read by the pool, and visit with friends. I know I will! Here are my summer highlights, what are yours? Comment below :)

Hi there!

I hope all of you are enjoying more of your free time now that AP Exams are all over. 

Juniors: STAR Testing is this week, as you already know. You will test Tuesday and Wednesday. 
Seniors: You will have other options like watching a movie in the auditorium or the DB Tournament or Magic Mt.

I will not be in class on Thursday or Friday :( Please make sure you are nice and polite to the sub. Don't leave a mess in the classroom!!!

Reminders for your Illuminated Manuscripts:

1. Wash out all paint brushes completely. 
2. Don't leave them sitting in water over night/weekend. Make sure all bristles are upright and not down in the cup.
3. Don't get paint on the carpet.
4. Throw away all trash!
5. Squeeze out just a little bit of paint. You can always get up and get more.

1. Paint carefully and take your time
2. Paint in the direction of the bristles. It is not a crayon.

I hope you're working hard on your videos, research papers, and galleries! I can't wait to see them!!!! 


TEXTBOOKS! I HAVE DECIDED ON KEEPING THE 12TH EDITION GARDNERS FOR ONE MORE YEAR!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO LIST YOUR TEXTBOOK (SEPARATED OR NOT), BARON'S, ANNOTATED MONA LISA, OR OTHER BOOKS YOU PURCHASED FOR THIS CLASS,  PLEASE PROMPTLY FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW! 
            -THANK YOU!

Thank you Sam R. (5th period) for emailing and being our middlewoman! This is a great way for us to interact with other artists!

From Jeffrey Bennett
Re: Class Questions

Hey Sam,

These are all really great questions!  Below are your questions, followed by my responses.

1. How does Jeff Koons communicate his ideas and creativity with the team will realize his art?

Jeff Koons is mostly a verbal person, and isn't very good at communicating his ideas visually.  One might expect an artist to be able to draw, sketch, illustrate or even just doodle as a way to get their idea across.  Not Jeff.  I don't know if he can draw, and I've never seen a drawing that he's done himself.  He mostly just describes what it is that he's trying to accomplish.  From a practical point of view, often Jeff doesn't seem to have a clear or specific idea of what his art is supposed to look like, or what details are important.  This can make it difficult to work with him, as one is often trying to guess at what it might be that he wants.  He expects others (the studio assistants, artisans, craftsmen, engineers and fabricators he works with) to delve into his ideas and provide feedback that advances his process.  Working with Jeff furthered my perception that his art is mostly about commerce and seduction.  If you were to ask, "Is Jeff Koons an artist?", I would respond, "Yes.  And his art is salesmanship."

2. Do you consider yourself an artist or a facilitator?

This question gets at the very nature of what it means to be an artist.  Is an artist someone who makes things?  Or someone who comes up with the ideas that others execute?  To be perfectly frank, I don't think about these issues while pursuing my professional work.  When I am working with Ellsworth Kelly, there is no doubt who is the artist and who is the fabricator.  In my experience, the best working relationships involve a great deal of sensitivity, and I guess are something like a good marriage.  I just try to do the best I can to make the project be as good as it can be, and to leave my own ego out of the process.

3. How much or how little of a role do you take in the creative process?

I find my work to be very creative, and in that way very satisfying.  My role can vary from project to project.  The best projects are ones where the artist has  a clear vision of the final product, and the ability to make decisions along the way as the details come into focus.  Typically, my company is involved in new work almost from the very conception.  So I suppose the answer to your question is that my role in the creative process is substantial.  A good analogy might be the relationship between a composer and the musicians that they work with.  The musicians add elements of improvisation and interpretation that are integral to the composer's process.  Neither the musicians nor the composer can succeed without the other.

4.What steps or what profession do you go into to have this role?

Most of the people who succeed in the profession of art fabrication come at it obliquely.  When I was in college, I never imagined that such a career even existed.  By simply following my own interests and passions, I ended up with both an engineering degree and an art school education.  That turns out to have been good preparation.  The best advice that was given to me was to follow my interests, and to forget about degrees and credentials.  That being said, success in this field requires a broad set of skills.  Most people tend to be either "left brained" (i.e. rational, mathematical, scientific, etc.) or "right brained" (i.e. creative, emotional, expressive, etc.).  Working as an art fabricator requires one to develop both sides of the brain.  The right brain is necessary to communicate with the artist and to understand their vision; the left half is necessary for problem solving and getting things done.

5. What are you working on now? What was your favorite project? 

My favorite project is usually the one I am working on at the moment.  At present, it's  the "Fly's Eye Dome."  The project involves the restoration of a structure that was created about thirty years ago by a visionary artist, engineer and inventor named Buckminster Fuller.  Currently, we are preparing it for installation at an international art exposition in Toulouse, France this May.  One of the things that is exciting for me about this project is that it spans across the worlds of art, architecture, design and invention.  

Attached are two images of the project.  The first image is the designer with the original structure, taken in 1980.  The second image is a computer rendering of the structure as it will look when installed in the medieval center of Toulouse, along the banks of the Garonne river.

I hope the above is interesting for you and your classmates!  Let me know what sort of feedback you get.

Jeff