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"Art is the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to

convey an idea, emotion or visually interesting form. – Encarta Encyclopedia"

I admire and love Jean-Michel Basquiat's unconventional art, particularly this painting named 'Bird On Money', which is also the cover on The Strokes' album, The New Abnormal. I think it suits well my chosen definition of art, as Basquiat's unconventional art style proves that art is not just about aesthetic but also the messages it conveys. Whether it is romance, political, and even paying tribute to someone, art is the product of the creative human mind trying to tell a message.

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"If art is defined as representation, does it take into account other art forms like

instrumental music or the so-called abstract art, like the painting below by

Kandinsky"

In my perspective, different art forms such as instrumental music and the unconventional abstract art is still representation. Through art, artists can creatively express representation through their own different ways as long as it is an outcome from our creative minds.

"If art is defined within the ambit of “aesthetics,” whether as “aesthetic object,” or “aesthetic experience,” how is art viewed from this perspective?"

Although art can be about showing representation of objects and an individual's experience, focusing merely on the aesthetic side of an artwork/art form can overlook its true essence, which is to express messages and deep messages. If we focus only on the characteristics of art and not its message, the art loses its true meaning.

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The arts are often overlooked in this society, because people do only see the societal contributions of science, technology, and other industries. But we must take to account the importance of arts, not only for self-expression but also how it can help society to thrive. Arts is important because it lets us share our unique human experience with one another, in this way, individuals keep their sense of reality and appreciation for the arts can make us think what is needed in society and how we can fulfill these needs. The arts must also be appreciated, because we often don't notice that art industries keep society and culture thrive, such as media arts, music, literature, and many more. Art has always played a role in the lives of individuals and our society, giving importance and appreciation to art not only gives us fulfillment as individuals, but to also help society thrive by sharing and showing our experiences through creativity and art.

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It is said that this was the last painting of Van Gogh before he committed suicide. Was it an actual scene? Does it matter? Why or why not?

Given that the painting does not look realistic and has a more abstract form, it can be said that the painting is not an actual scene. However, I believe that the painting not being an actual scene does not matter. In doing art, this can be an opportunity to truly express what we feel towards what we see. Just like in Van Gogh's artwork, he paints an image of a cornfield in a gloomy and dark manner. If we see it from a more critical standpoint, we can interpret that the painting is a way of how Van Gogh expressed his unsaid feelings moments before he took his own life.

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visualization of Carlos Angeles' "Landscape ii"

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Recreation of Keith Harring's "Growing"

1. Based on Walter Benjamin’s ideas, can you consider the end-product of your project art? In what ways? (at least 3 sentences)

For Walter Benjamin, the reproduction of a certain artwork, diminishes its uniqueness. I intentionally recreated an artwork of Keith Harring given that his art is often used in products such as t-shirts and other merchandise. It this constant cycle of reproducing Harring's art I doubt if these products are still considered art if they are not original pieces anymore? But upon having an understanding of Walter Benjamin's ideas, it is now clear to me that these cannot be a piece of art. Although art is subjective, I can say that recreations of such artworks cannot be considered as art because it has lost its uniqueness and meaning in the process of crafting the art that is embedded in a product. While it takes skill to reproduce art to repurpose it, it is also crucial to understand that art has meaning, from the images being projected to the paper being used in making the artwork. With that being said, to repurpose art indeed diminishes its true meaning and perceived uniqueness.

2. How do the concepts of “originality” and piracy affect the way we receive works of art?

Originality equates to the creation of something creatively innovative and new to the public or a certain audience. Given that art is now more industrialized compared to the times where artists were just independent creators, producing original artworks are now products that sustains these artists in life. However, we live in a capitalist society whereas consuming and enjoying art is inaccessible to a large number of people. With this inaccessibility, people resort to piracy, whereas people consume music, film, and even books, in way that violates present copyright laws.

To conclude, original art is indeed culturally innovative, and people want to consume and to take pleasure in art. However, enjoying original art today costs money and, in a society, where people are forced to work just to earn a little. people are sadly resorting to piracy.

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1.       How can art be practiced for its own sake, separate from society?

-          In the article, it is discussed that art such as creative writing can be separate from societal issues, because an artwork does not need to be deeply connected to society to cause an uplifting feeling to an individual. Art can be practiced while focusing on the beauty of life and other aspects that gives people meaning and a certain feeling that cannot be evoked from art that is deeply rooted in societal situations. However, the article argued that this kind of art practice is not totally disassociating towards society and its problems, as art being practiced for its own sake can be a way on finding our place in society and learning the beautiful side of it.

2.       Why is it detrimental to believe that art is a form of escape?

-          Believing that art is a form of total escape can be detrimental, as it can totally disconnect our art to society. When art is fully disconnected to society, it’s like losing a way to express how we see and feel about society’s issues and happenings. Although art can be a form of self-expression, it must also be somehow connected in helping the well-being of people in a society, whether it’s the artist or the audience.

3.       Why is it important for art to address the “problems of [the artist’s] time”?

-          It is important because it does not only record the events that shows the problem in a certain time but translating these problems into art, evokes its importance to be remembered in society. By having an art that addresses the society’s problem of the artist’s time, we further understand not only the weight of societal problems that the artist has experienced but also how these issues have influenced the way they expressed their art. In this way, we understand society throughout history by observing and scrutinizing their art.

4.       What does Lopez mean when he said that writers and artists should be “teachers of men”?

-          Writers and artists should be “teachers of men” as their art could give awareness to everyone the reality of society and how should people act. In expressing these realities through art, we teach individuals in an society to be aware and act against oppression and other societal issues. Lopez only emphasizes how art can be a powerful driving force and how much society could learn just from consuming art.

5.       Why does Lopez think that the highest form of art is emancipatory?

-          Lopez thinks of art this way, as he sees art is a product of the mind and the soul. The mind and soul can be enriched if our interactions towards one another within a society is fruitful. Although it is hard to achieve, one way of having a society that interacts well with one another is making art that truly gives their people meaning and freedom.

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Despite watching multiple series over the years, I still consider Breaking Bad’s “Felina” episode to be my favorite. Personally, I have always seen some themes of the Capitalist ideology throughout the whole series and not just the episode alone. The series have shown us how oppressive a capitalist society is and how did the main character resorted to illegal means of making money just to leave a decent amount of money before he passes from a chronic cancer. In the series, we see Walter shift from a lower class to a higher one as he attempts to monopolize the illegal meth production. This major shift makes us see how greedy the main character has become and how it reflects in our society which is mostly capitalist. Upon rewatching the episode, I realized that the series as a whole is not only written plainly as a story about a middle-class teacher making a drug empire but it also reflects the realities of a capitalist society.

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In the poem, Marxist theory themes were shown. Clues such as how the state represses the lower classes and enables the elite to disadvantage the working class by owning their lands and other ways. It is emphasized in the poem that there is a major division between the ruling and working class, such as how the elite have cars and mansions and bridges named after them, while the working class struggles and some of them even resorting to sex work to have the resources that are being deprived of them such as good clothes and good money. The existence RSAs or Repressive State Apparatuses have also been presence in the poem through the existence of guards with weapons, declaring the presence of the state in a repressive manner. In the poem, we see that only a few or even none can get out of the struggle that the working-class experiences as the state and ruling class have always continued to do efforts to keep them in place and exploit them. This poem has shown us how the State is machine of repression in a subtle way and can also make us reflect on how these situations are happening today in rural and urban places.

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"3. Reflect on why classical art is considered representational but not realist?"

To further understand this view, we must look back to the definition of representational art. In the module, it is being discussed that a representational style of art depict objects, people, and other scenes from the real world while also being in a realistic manner. If we observe classical artworks such as the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci and the" Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer, it can be seen that the human subjects in the artworks are painted or depicted by the said artists in a way that it is very realistic and resembles a true person.

On a personal perspective, there is truth in considering that classical art is representational in style. This is because in the emergence of classical paintings, technology such as cameras did not exist yet, and painting images from the real world gives way for people to create and keep memories of some events, objects, and people. It is important to understand why representational styles is often utilized in classical paintings as it filled the need of something to produce some memory, whereas today, we are only a click away from taking pictures.

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"Alex"

For my self-portrait, I created a digital collage while employing mixed media art style. In this self-portrait, I tried to express my frustrations and self-doubts about my direction in the future, whether I should enjoy my life doing the work that I love or will I dedicate myself to jobs that will sustain me in life in exchange of sacrificing my passion for art. In the artwork I tried to portray chaos, which represents my anxiety of thinking about my future. Lastly, question marks around the self-portrait, especially the one in the heart, portrays my self-doubt and the never-ending questions that I ask myself on what path should I go to when I finish my studies.