Date: 1735-40
I found this piece very fascinating because of how detailed it was. I like how the artist placed three figures around the clock and how one is wrapping their arms around it. What makes this artwork exceptional are the flowers, gold branches, and the wood surrounding the clock because it makes the clock look like it is a part of nature. I think the artist did a great job of creating a unique concept, and it also required a large amount of skill to execute this idea.

Title: Closepack Millefiori Mushroom Paperweight with Filigree Torsade

Date: 1845-1855

The varied colors and 3D effect is what caught my attention when looking at this artwork. From the top perspective you can see the entire piece and all of the details, but when you look from the side you see something completely different. It looks as though the image is popping up from inside a bubble. I think the entire concept to this piece is very unique. The artist used the glass material well and created a beautiful concept with the flowers and the vibrant colors.

The concept of this oil painting is what first drew my attention to it. I like how the artist was able to create an image of a human by using inanimate objects. The way the books are placed give them meaning and show that anything can be interpreted in different ways. I also thought it was a creative idea to use the book pages as hair. The curtain draped over the man’s shoulders make it look as though he is wearing a cape. It has a very distinctive concept and I enjoyed being able to see this artwork.

This piece caught my eye because I love animals! What I  Specifically liked about this was the detail and the illusion of movement. I can see the story behind the sculpture, I love the positivity I get from looking at this piece of art. I see a baby goat being kept care of by its mother while the baby is playfully leading on the mom, also find this piece of porcelain art being very detailed all throughout the sculpture. I say the value comes with the challenge it took to work with this material. It’s not easy and you can definitely see the time, effort, and skill this took just by admiring the perfection. I think this was difficult and had to be well throughout. 

Glass- Lino Tagliapietra “Spirale” 2016

I love glasswork. I have such an appreciation for people that learn the skill and the creative process to think and do the impossible. Glass work is a delicate process that can only be done correctly with careful hands and practice. This is why this piece stood out to me. I know this artwork took an immense amount of time along with no room for messing up. The detailed patterns going all the way down to the thin lines cannot be done without years of skill and patience. I think the value of glasswork focuses on the patterns, color, light, style, shape, and uniqueness because none of this could ever be an exact replica. 

Fiber/Fabric/Textiles- Sheila Hicks “Escalade Beyond Chromatic Lands” 2016-17

This piece stood out to me because of the colors along with the texture! I love the color balance, color choices, and the supple globes of fabric that make up the whole presentation. This piece takes up the whole wall with a downfall of colorful globes of fabric overflowing from bright colors to dark colors that’s in between two red tapestries. I believe this piece shows value in the size along with the color balance, there’s a message between the color fading from bright to dark. Also, the 3D materials used to make this artwork pop out. 

Mosaic- Laurel True  “you are here mural” 2014

This piece stood out to me because of the wide variety of different effects. You see eyes, lines, curvy lines, wavey lines, circles, plant shapes, and vibrant colors. I love mosaics too because of how much expression could be shown within just one stone that makeup of many to create such a beautiful design and could be the perfect outlet for expression, color, detail, and creativity if well thought out. This looks very time-consuming and descriptive but well done, definitely can tell by the quality of her work! 

Wood- Alison Elizabeth Taylor “The Lookers” 2015

This piece says so much. This stood out to me because I feel this speaking about societal problems! When I look at this piece I see a woman and her company being disturbed by a Karen invading their privacy while the couple is trying to live their lives and mind their business. I appreciate the subliminal messages and detail of this work! The wood gives this piece so much life, movement, and feeling. This piece must have taken so much time to give such detail to bring this strong of a message. The color, movement, design, lines, facial expressions, and character. Absolutely impressive and executed perfectly. 

This sculpture  is very unique. At first, I was not sure what I was looking at. Once I seen the title, I then could see the pumpkin. I think this is a great use of concrete. It make you imagine other uses of the material. I have always thought of concrete as a building materiel. Sung if very skilled, concrete is a difficult material to work with. One must have knowledge of building forms and the structure with in the concrete. I believe this piece is very difficult to execute. 

Artists Name: Martin Carlin

Date: ca. 1781-1785

This piece caught my eye, because the detail of the woodwork is amazing and the decorative paintings on the side gave it an extra flair. This piece in my opinion is better and more interesting than a lot of the others I saw, because it serves as a functional tool as a desk, but also has some decorative art on the side. What I found exceptional in this artwork is the intricacies in the woodwork and also paintings on the side. In my opinion, the value of this piece comes from the time, skill and difficulty involved with creating a piece like this. From past experience working with wood, it is  a very hard medium to work with and on top of that Carlin painted beautiful complex decorative pieces on the side of the secretary. 

Artists Name: Unknown - Workshop of Masci Family

Date: 1501

This piece interested me, because of what the piece is portraying. This piece in my opinion is better and more interesting than most of the others I saw, because it tells a story through the imagery. Most of the ceramic pieces I saw were simply just containers. This piece is exceptional because it shows a confrontation between two groups of men going to battle. I think the value of this piece comes from the idea the artist had to depict this battle that was going on, probably at the time this piece was created. 

Artists Name: Louis Comfort Tiffany

Date: ca. 1905-1915

This Mosaic caught my eye, because of the pretty scenery that is depicted. This piece in my opinion is better and more interesting than the other mosaics I saw, because it is not plain and makes you feel as if you are there in the image. What I found exceptional about this piece is the vivid imagery which this piece encompasses. I think most of this piece's value comes from the artist's idea to capture this moment of nature. 

Artists Name: Chris Gilmour

Date: 2009

This cardboard sculpture caught my eye for obvious reasons. This sculpture is so intricate, made out of a material that most people think of as trash. This is the best cardboard sculpture I saw, because it looks so real and is exceptionally well done. What I found most exceptional about this piece is how the horse and dragon look so real. I have never seen something this real made out of cardboard. In my opinion, most of this piece’s value comes from both the idea and difficulty that this project entailed. 

Artist: Diane Husson

Date: 2015

This concrete tree table caught my eye because it is very unique. This artwork is cooler than the other concrete works I saw, because it is an exceptional design and is created after a natural thing. This piece is exceptional in my opinion, because it looks so real, and if I didn’t know, I  would think it is a real tree. The value of this piece comes from the amazing idea the artist had,  and also the time it must have taken to create this awesome table. 

This piece really stoop out to me because the figure is so cute. It represents a Marmot, This piece really caught my eye because the gradient is so nice and the value that is seen in the shading of the marmot is really impressive. The use of the brown is a really nice contrast of the white background. This piece to me symbolizes what marmot's have to struggle with in terms of being hinted in Russia for their thick coats. A reach for the plum can be seen as a reach wanting a better future for the species,

Year: 1862

I chose this painting because I liked how bright it was. I feel that it stood out compared to the other paintings. Having the trees in the foreground and then as you look out into the distance it gets blurrier because of the sun. The painting has movement, as my eyes went from the tree to the sun and then finally into the valley between the mountains. 

Year: 1906

My eyes went straight to this plate because of how intricate it is. All of the patterns throughout the plate come together very well to create a beautiful piece of artwork. I would say the value from this piece comes from the time the artist spent. It is very interesting that he was able to create such a precise piece of art with glass.

Year: 1351 AD

This piece caught my eye because of the designs that are on the vase. You can tell that a lot of thought was put into the vases. The designs are intricate and the way they continue out into the handles of the vase is pleasing. I think that this vase sets the standards for porcelain because whenever I think of porcelain it usually looks very similar to the vases that Zhang Wenjin created. 

Year: 8th-7th Century BC

I didn’t realize that this was the leg of a bed when I first saw this artwork. I like how they added texture with etching into the wood instead of just carving the sphinx. It is interesting that this was the leg of a bed, I wonder what the whole bed looked like. The carving must have taken some time also considering that they had to do 3 other legs.

Year: Classic Maya

I found this piece interesting because it had meaning behind it. With one side they had a representation of the Death God, while on the other 3 sides it had glyphs relating to the Mayan calendar. I chose this stone altar because it represents something. Whenever I see artwork that is carved out of stone I also wonder how difficult it must be to get the precision and carve out the areas you intend to.

Maker: New Bremen Glass Manufactory (1784–1795)

Maker: John Frederick Amelung (active 1784–ca. 1791)

Date: 1788

Geography: Made in Frederick County, New Bremen, Maryland, United States

Culture: American

A glass cup with delicate decorations attracted me. The glass material looks very new and almost pure to make it sparkle.

Place of Origin: China, Longquan, Zhejiang province

Date: approx. 1300-1350

Historical Period: Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)

Materials: High fired ceramic with celadon glaze

Dimensions: H. 29 in x Diam. 12 in, H. 73.7 cm x Diam. 30.5 cm

Credit Line: The Avery Brundage Collection

Department: Chinese Art

Collection: Ceramics

This vase has a green color same as emerald. The vase is very delicate and beautiful with an emerald green hue and carved flowers. I like this vase because it is very beautiful. 

芦に色紙模様長襦袢

Place of Origin: Japan

Date: approx. 1950-1960

Historical Period: Showa period (1926-1989)

Materials: Silk gauze (ro), resist-dyed (yuzen and shibori) and hand-painted

Dimensions: H. 56 5/8 in x W. 50 in, H.143.8 cm x W. 127 cm

Credit Line: Gift of Julia Meech in honor of Laura W. Allen

Department: Japanese Art

Collection: Textiles

Maple bark, hide thong/babiche, cotton cord/cordage
Date created: 1870-1900

The reason I chosse this piece is because I like floor art. When skate boarding around and seeing art on the floor at a spot it id fun to look at and ride over. When the stones and designs are flush it feels really cool riding over it. Your wheels can feel every crack and bump of the piece and the texture can also be felt. Concrete as a medium is also cool in my opinion, like concrete is a great material to make skate obstacles with. An example of this is the target concrete ball.

Artist: Katsushika Hokusai Japanese,  1760–1849 Tokyo (Edo Period).
Material: Ink

This piece demonstrates scale and color. Many similar pieces in the Edo time period had a closer frame of a subject, such as a mountain or an ocean wave, but this piece steps back to reveal a larger vision. The composition, color balance, scale, and historical context all bring value to this painting. In addition, it is simply aesthetically pleasing to the human eye in a calming manner, perhaps due to the shades of blue used in the ink.

Peter Paul Rubens
Daniel in the Lions' Den
C. 1614/1616

This piece caught my eye because it depicts a man in a lions' den. That's just eye-catching. The light shining on Daniel and the difference in values in the paining helped for it to catch my eye as well. There are a LOT of religious oil paintings, but I especially like this one because of the drama/emotion of the situation, the realism, and the fact that the scene as a whole is understood at a quick glance, but the longer you look at it, the more you want to keep looking. I think the value in this work is primarily from his skill in creating it since the concept of Daniel in the Lions' Den has been the subject of many works.

Etienne LeNoir was in the French dynasty and was known as the patriarch of clockmakers. He made very unique clocks for high class individuals. This piece was made with bronze. I loved the variety of colors this piece holds as well as the shapes. The curves caught my eye and made me very interested in this piece. I also love the different textures this piece has. This piece is extremely unique and I have never seen anything like it.

Xu Beihong's approach to his artwork appears in the realism to depict the horses to be naturalist appearance. The Chinese ink painting captures the symbolic Chinese culture. In this painting, the detail of the individual horse is used with the way Beihong used the shading in the light into dark ink, adding the red ink to the horse on the left and using white space on the horse on the right to separate and make differences. 

This piece caught my eye because I love horses, however, it was the simplicity of the painting that I was captivating. I can totally see the horses out on the farm hanging out like that. I think the concept and the skill of the artists to execute the image of real life.

In Vincent van Gogh’s oil painting of the vase with sunflowers where he used the monochromatic color scheme to differentiate the colors of pigment yellow and binder to create the differences in each petal of the flowers. When you look at it you can see how he identifies the stages of life each sunflower is going through.

I have always had a thing for van Gogh’s art because of his vision and how he is able to articulate his image in the way he uses his colors in the painting to show the stages of life. This takes great skills to be able to execute.

Object Type: figure

Production date: 8thC (circa)

Found/Acquired: Trincomalee (near)

Production place: Made in: Sri Lanka, Asia: South Asia: Sri Lanka

Materials: bronze & gold

This elegant gilded three-dimensional statue of Tara is an important figure in Buddhism made out of solid cast bronze with jeweled eyes, which represents the cultural heritage of Buddhist. 

This piece caught my eye because of the statue's stance with her curvaceous body and the way she is posing with her hands and the huge crown on her head. To me she presents a dominant figure but still with elegance by the way she carries herself and in the hand gestures. I can not compare this piece to the other art work because the meaning it represents is different and the material and the artwork to define the piece is totally in a different realm.

Object Name: Shoulder bag/Bandolier bag

Media/Materials: Hide, cotton cloth, silk ribbon, glass bead/beads, metal cones, wool yarn

Techniques: Overlay beadwork, ribbonwork appliqué, sewn

Place: Oklahoma; USA

Date created: circa 1850

The creator of this bag was able to convey the cultural identity by using the layered elaborate colored design fabrics made with cotton, silk, wool, and glass beads associated with the American Indian culture. It is obvious this bag represents the background and heritage in relation to their life.

In my opinion this piece is interesting because as the viewer you can see this piece evokes intimacy in which the creator is conveying. It is obvious this piece has cultural identity and represents a heritage in the use of the fabric is an art which one can appreciate. 

Period: New Kingdom

Dynasty: Dynasty 18, early

Date: ca. 1550–1458 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Asasif, Courtyard CC 41, Pit 3, Burial B 4, Between head of coffin and wall, MMA excavations, 1915–16

Medium: Ivory, Egyptian Blue

This egyptian cosmetic box is small but it is its simplicity that I was drawn to because I know ivory is difficult to obtain and this box was made from it.  It is a small round shaped box with a pegged lid which allows it to swivel open. With fine zig-zag lines and a floret pattern carved onto the lid. This shows the artisan was skilled for the particular reason that it takes special attention to be able to carve precise lines you have to be a skilled craftsmanship. It’s a skill, but also an art. It is a beautiful artifact made from ivory. No, this piece was not better than the other pieces I chose because of the simplicity and the material alone is its value. 

Qing Qianlong period 1736 -1796

This is a unique work of art because there are 17 different glazes and 12 different powder patterns on this single bottle. It's challenging to do 17 different glazes on a bottle, so I have a lot of respect for the craftsmen who made this bottle. The value of this bottle comes from the difficulty and technique of making it. It takes a great deal of skill and experience to make each glaze perfect.

This is a unique work of art because there are 17 different glazes and 12 different powder patterns on this single bottle. It's challenging to do 17 different glazes on a bottle, so I have a lot of respect for the craftsmen who made this bottle. The value of this bottle comes from the difficulty and technique of making it. It takes a great d