I’ve always been a girly girl but Makeup, while a big part of a young girl’s life growing up was never my forte. However now it would seem that the simple act of painting ones face for special occasions or a night out has turned into more; a mainstream art form. You’ve got your natural look, your dramatic look, the smoky eye, and the list goes on. However now painting your face with cosmetic products isn’t as simple as it used to be. With all the different brushes used to apply certain cosmetics, and the array of techniques to enhance the effect it’s no wonder people think of it as art. Let’s face it, a makeup artist may not be seen as Leonardo Da Vinci but when you look at some of the professional makeup’s done in theatricals and special effect movies the complexity of it as well as the application makes it as much a master piece as the Mona Lisa. The only difference being that you face, or sometimes your whole body becomes the canvas. Just like any other art form Makeup can be used as a way to passionately express one’s self or even tell a story.
A sculpture is a three dimensional artwork that is created by shaping or combining hard materials. These materials can be many different things such as stone, marble, glass, metal, wood, etc. There are also many different techniques used to form a sculpture and mold it. While I do love stone sculptures such as Michelangelo’s, David, a type of sculpting art that has always caught my fascinating would Glass art. Whether it’s a piece of glassware found in your homes or one of those huge colorful glass chandeliers, the art of using Glass as a medium and sculpting it is mind blowing. Contemporary glass art objects can be anything from undulating, abstract, sculptural forms to embellished interpretations of everyday items. Dale Chihuly is a famous American glass sculpture who’s created more than a dozen well-known series of works as well as many large architectural installations that are celebrated around the world. Some of his works are both massive and impressive the colors and detailing done through glass blowing are incredibly beautiful.
A few years ago I visited the Miami Art Museum and saw a wonderful exhibition of the works of Carlos Cruz-Diez. Cruz-Diez is a Venezuelan artist whose style consists of kinetic art and op art. Kinetic art is a form of moving art that depends on movement for the full experience and op art is a style that works with optical illusions. His career mostly focuses on the use of color, line and perception. This form of art is fascinating because it allows the viewer to actively participate with the artwork. The change of color and the composition of lines in his work give off the effect of movement as the viewer’s position changes. My experience with his exhibition was great and while I walked through the different colored chambers of red, green and blue I found the effect of the color bathed rooms inspiring. I was completely enthralled with this form of art because it really opens up your perception of color and the ability to actively participate with the artwork was a new experience all together. This was a completely different style of art that I’d never encountered but really enjoyed. Explore his work at Carlos Cruz-Diez
Tattoos have been around for century’s and today there almost everywhere, so it’s safe to say that there pretty well accepted, but even still there is some controversy. Most often Tattoo’s are said to look “unprofessional” and other times it’s the art work itself that might be offensive; tattoo’s having also been connected to crime affiliations. While tattoos have been used for religious, spiritual, criminal, and personal reasons in many different cultures, the practice of filling your skin with ink hasn’t died down. Today most people choose to get tattoos for cosmetic, sentimental/memorial, and symbolic reasons. The growth of tattoo culture over the years has transformed it into a pop culture phenomenon and is now a very popular form of art. Looking at tattoo artwork today they as decorative and detailed as paintings you would see hung up in a museum and therefore has rightly earned the recognition as a form of art. Today people of many different age groups have tattoos although many times it’s the older generations that don’t particularly like the permanent body art. In my case coming from a strong Hispanic family, my grandparent’s motto is “Your body is not a canvas!” my response; “why not?”
Graffiti is writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. This is the Wikipedia definition for graffiti but here’s my question. Is graffiti art or is it just vandalism? In my opinion graffiti can be both art and vandalism. By law graffiti is known as vandalism because of the public and private property that is being “defaced”. Some graffiti art works are nothing more than their names, or initials and numbers written out on buildings and doors, this in my opinion is just tagging and nothing more. However graffiti artists such as Banksy who is known worldwide are considered real artists. Banksy specializes in satirical political and societal commentary as well for stenciling, spray paint, and fine brush paintings which are very detailed. His work has meaning; it’s a form of expression. Also Graffiti originated in ancient civilizations and the drawings and writing on the walls then are taught in our art/art history classes today as the earliest form of art and communication.
