This was a very enjoyable piece to look at in the welcome back show. These pictures might be lacking something in the composition from far away. In the top picture the white against the background seems awkward. In the bottom picture the top and the bottom do half do not mix very well. However these are minor shortcomings because when you get close to these art pieces their astonishing depth becomes clearly visible. Large variety of textures, colors, and mediums that are used show an interesting mix between all the elements of the pictures that make them great. The different consistencies used make every piece of the painting unique. Some parts look like lava, others like mountains, however the overall feel of both pictures is other worldly. The glossy finish was a great way of bringing both pieces together.
The top piece, my favorite of the two makes me feel as if I'm looking at a landscape on another planet, and it has a very natural feel to it. All the forms seem to represent something organic. Cracks in the paint can be veins of some plant or animal and the flowing material can represent liquid of some sort. In this aspect the piece is very strong because it stirs the imagination. In contrast the bottom piece is much darker and uses blue and black which distinguishes itself sharply against red and white. I don't think I understand why the piece is on the floor, it seems very out of place and I do not feel it is a good location for that particular piece.
One thing I'll note is that it is not fun to kneel down to look at an art pieces.
Perhaps my favorite piece at the show. To me it represents the fusion between man made materials with nature. What is really awesome about this piece is now subtle it is. It seems to represent so little, yet it says so much. The wire extending from the geometric shape to the natural rock seems to state that "we are now one."
One side is clearly mathematical and perfect. The other side is uneven and imperfect. It is the collision of these two elements that make this art piece so great. What is the artist trying to say? Is something I wondered for a long time while observing this piece. The conclusion I came up with is that this great universe that we live in can support both, the randomness of nature and the calculating ingenuity of mankind.
This piece is a little irritating because it has a great concept but there are things that can be done to improve it. The middle of the picture, which is the focal point of the image leaves a lot to be desired. In my opinion the structure should have been a lot more complex. In the artist's defense, maybe making the structure too complex would have made it seem out of place. However the very geometric ground and the natural sky are superb together. This dualism between randomness and precision can potentially be a part of my thesis.
The structure itself is also quite interesting as well despite my criticism. It can be a gazebo, a boat, or an above ground observatory for an underground base. I am also very appreciative to the good clean craftsmanship and the smooth composition. This is a very fluid and serene work of art.
One last piece I enjoyed was the poster with the statue of liberty. (I believe it was made by Ortiz.) I liked this piece for its poetry, not so much the imagery. Although the statue with its hand down is extraordinarily powerful as an image and the overall design is nice, it falls apart when you examine the poster in detail. Mostly due to technical things like the unnecessary symmetry and the very obviously photoshopped images that were pasted into the poster. (which might have very really been intentional)
It is the one piece in the gallery with a really clear and powerful message. I partially disagree with the message that illegal immigrants should just be allowed to live here on the basis that people should come here legally. However, I agree with the bigger meaning of the poster which seems to say America is becoming more and more closed minded and racist towards "non-Americans" when in the first place, all Americans were technically "non-Americans" at some point.
Overall the Welcome Back gallery worked well, it has a very good balance structurally and between many different types of art. Some pieces had a connections, for example pieces with a scientific theme or an abstract theme were put together while portraits and figure drawing were put elsewhere. Certain artists got larger spaces than others, one artist in fact got almost an entire room to herself. It seems that the core decision that was made behind every installation was "does this piece look like it belongs here?" In a sense it is almost like a puzzle that was put together out of random artworks.
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