Art has always held a very special place in my heart, and it all started with painting. Ever since I was young, I have always had a static fascination with paint. Oil paints, pastel paints, water paints, every paint. Something about the physical nature of creating art and the ability to go in any direction always got me excited to make something new and see what others would make.

I spent a lot of time as a kid just throwing together colors and creating cool landscapes or characters from my favorite shows. I had stacks full of my paintings, and with everyone I made the better progress I gained. Although my technique improved, I never grasped the full capabilities of painting till I studied Kehinde Wiley in my senior year of high school.

In my AP English Literature class, we were discussing modern African American art and I was assigned to research Kehinde Wiley. Through Wiley, I got to see a whole different side of painting, and all art in general. I gained an understanding of the message that art can convey, further beyond the superficial visual. For the first time, I understood the full appeal of art, to EXPRESS. Everything that I have covered throughout my blogs about the latent value of art was first perceived by me through Kehinde Wiley.

Kehinde Wiley was born in Los Angeles to an African American mother and a father from Nigeria along with five other siblings. His family was not wealthy, with most of their money coming from his mother’s thrift shop. His mother got him interested in art so her children would not get involved in gang violence or in jail. Likewise, Wiley has been working with art since very young, but it wasn’t recently that he gained much traction. In 2015, he worked with The Brooklyn Museum of Art to open up the exhibition “Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic,” which covered his works in the past 14 years of his career. In 2015, he was the recipient of the National Medal of Arts.

Currently, Wiley is a portrait painter of fusion of realism and old master painting styles. He almost remasters old renaissance paintings and turns them into modern portraits of everyday life within the African American community. He specifically challenges themes in these old painting and in modern society, addressing African American identity politics. He is against the vilification of the African American community, so he depicts the African Americans as subjects (and protagonists) of his works, depicting to his audience that the African American community is strong and should be valued.

The second most prominent theme covered within his work is sexuality. Wiley himself is homosexual, so he often depicts the struggles of being gay and black in a racist and homophobic society within his works. This makes his works extremely revolutionary and progressive, as he depicts voices that are often shunned and silenced within our society.

Wiley has so many amazing paints, you should check them out if you can. What’s really cool too is that he makes them HUGE! His paintings are larger than life size portraits, spanning to 12 by 12 feet. He does this to express the power and importance of these piece and show that African Americans deserve “royal portraits” just like the hierarchy and army leaders of the renaissance received. I’ll list a few of my favorites below:

Napoleon Leading the Army Over the Alps (2005): Based on Jacques-Louis David’s 1801 equestrian portrait, Napoleon Crossing the Alps. This image depicts a black man riding a horse and leading an army just like Napoleon while wearing modern common apparel. This depicts that the African American community can hold power and lead a strong community just as Napoleon did.

Femme Piquée par un Serpent (2008): Based on Auguste Clésinger’s 1847 sculpture of the same name, which depicted a woman in the process of dying from a venomous snakebite. At the time, the sculpture was controversial, as many saw the woman’s writhing and contorting as more erotic and sensual than indicative of impending death. Wiley uses this to his advantage when depicting the current controversy in our society of being homosexual. Wiley as breaks the rules of nude figure study, which is provocative white women being portrayed for the pleasure of white men. This challenges this study by depicting an African American man over a bed. “As a gay black man, it is important for Wiley to reposition black male bodies as objects of desire, eroticism, and vulnerability, as opposed to fear, strength and violence. Black gay men are often doubly victimized in society, and Wiley’s purposeful queering of recognizable images; his use of flowers; and camp, playful portraits are all important contributions to what queer black art can look like in America, and the importance of blackness to queerness, and visa versa.”¹

This is what I was talking about when I said that Wiley showed me the message and expression behind art. There is so much potential, it can be so much more than merely visual. Wiley even says that his work “is not about paint. It’s about paint at the service of something else. It is not about gooey, chest-beating, macho ’50s abstraction that allows paint to sit up on the surface as subject matter about paint.” Wiley expresses so much lifestyle, emotion, power, and motivation through his work. Empowerment and envisioning a better society. Expression of the current hardship of racism and sexuality. He covers topics which are so complex and need to be depicted. Through his art, he speaks for millions and preaches to billions. His voice is heard through the art he creates.

Wiley inspires me, and I have learned so much through his paintings. Likewise, I see that painting can be so much. I have a much greater appreciation for all of art, not just painting, because of him. Art is so amazing and can speaks wonders. Painting may have been the entrance into art for me, but you can find your niche anywhere. There is so much out there and so many art opportunities. Go explore, there is so much to be found in art.

¹“Kehinde Wiley.” The Art Story, 2018, www.theartstory.org/artist/wiley-kehinde/.

Art can take on many forms. I have covered many physical and tangible artforms through my blogs, but for this post I am covering an art form that is more of a practice: the art of travel.

My desire to travel and see the world spawned from my parents. When they were younger, my parents were constantly traveling all over creation. Both my parents loved traveling, but my dad was dedicated. When I was young, my dad would tell me stories of how his trips around the globe changed the course of his life and the way he views the world. I would hear about trips to Spain, Morocco, Kenya, China, New Zealand, and all over America. Every story I would hear would take me on an adventure when envisioning the places that they went to together.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am a huge fan of movies. As I grew older, I would find my own passage to seeing the world through movies. I loved adventure movies like the Indiana Jones series and The Secrete Life of Walter Mitty. I would get to a taste of what it was like outside of East Norriton, Pennsylvania. This was part of what got me hooked to movies, the ability to see different parts of the world like my parents would describe.

Although these movies were never the real deal, and the stories would only lead on my aspirations to travel. It wasn’t till my junior year in high school that I got my first experience for what travel. My school was offering a service trip to St. Mary’s Mission in Tohatchi, New Mexico. New Mexico was like a world away from anything I had ever seen, and it was located on the Navajo Reservation, so it was in a culture I had never experienced. The trip was probably the most gripping experience I have ever lived through.

New Mexico was like another planet to me. Everything was so different than anything I have experienced in the past. The landscapes were barren but beautiful. I was in a desert landscape with vibrant reds and oranges that lit up huge rock formations with scattered and seldom vegetation. The common standard of living was much different than what I had experienced in my life. This was probably the first time that I as exposed to poverty firsthand. The culture was so striking, as I had always been surrounded by my own culture throughout my life. Seeing the different mannerisms, ideologies, languages, and religions of the locals extremely enthralling to me. And the art that came out of Navajo culture, SO COOL. Pottery, tapestry, and jewelry are very prevalent traditional art forms in Navajo culture. The style of Navajo art is SO beautiful and so different from the Euro-centric styles of these art forms.

This experience opened my eyes and released me from the bubble I had been living in my whole life. I saw landscapes I never dreamed of, cultures I never learned of, and art I never conceived of. It was a great learning experience and invigorating adventure. I finally experienced the thrills of travel that my parents always exclaimed about.

This is what art is all about, evoking these feelings and excitement. Although it may not be a tangible form of art, it is still extremely immersive and persuasive. Travel is a way to learn about the world around you and take in the cultures it withholds. Seeing landscapes can be an escape and a means for self-transcendence. Visiting cities can give you a taste for local culture (people, food, leisure) and architecture (infrastructure, artistic, landscaping). Meeting new people can give you insight to local mannerisms, languages, and living conditions. There is so much to observe and learn through travel. Likewise, this is an art form that helps you appreciate and understand even more artforms. So much of art stems off of location, learning the locations of the world will give you insight on why certain art pieces are the way they are.

Travel is SO GOOD! Try it, try it, try it, try it. Now that you are in college, it is the perfect time to start traveling. There are so many opportunities presented in college for travel and so many resources that can help you achieve this travel goal. Explore the world, it’ll change your life.

 

I never knew that graphic design was a thing till my junior year in high school when I signed up for a graphic design course. At this point, I just needed an extra art credit and the name “graphic design” sounded cool. I soon found out that graphic design is the creation of digital media that combines images, words, and artistic styles to convey a message.

In taking this class in my senior year, I was exposed to all different pieces and mediums of graphic design. I was shocked to find that graphic design is everywhere: in the ads on buses, the graphics in PowerPoints, designs on t-shirts, the logos of literally anything. I never pondered the background of these things, I never stopped to think of them as art. But graphic design is very much an art, and actually a very broad category of art.

There are so many directions and subdivisions of graphic design. Graphic design can apply to creating logos, photo editing, “clip-art” graphic creation, artistic expression, animation, and so much more. Graphic design is very versatile, in that there are so many creations that spawn out of it. In a way, graphic design is what make the world turn in today’s modern society. It is the backbone of visuals, entertainment, and media throughout our western society.

I ended up really enjoying the creation of logos, filtering of photos, and creation of graphics that are expressive. I enjoyed the class so much that I have begun to use the skills I learned outside of class. I’ll often find myself editing a photo I took or creating a meme of my friends with the graphic design knowledge I gained from the class. I would have never guessed that I’d love using photoshop and be capable of making graphics like the ones I see around me.

In taking this class I learned that graphic design is very methodical and elaborate. Color combinations, aspect ratio, shape and symbol, font and calligraphy, spacing, foreground and background, focus, sizing, the list is endless. The little logos that you see on your Nike clothing, favorite sports team, and Pringles chips have a lot more effort put into them than you’d think.

In this class, I ended up getting in touch with artistic aspects of myself that I never knew existed. Graphic design is a great avenue artform for trying new artistic mediums. Because it is so versatile, there are so many options for you to find what exactly fits you for your graphic design niche. Once, you find your niche, it is very easy to get into graphic design. Many organizations offer access to programs like photoshop for graphic design. Especially in places like college where thousands of programs and facilities are provided to students, it can be very easy to gain access to graphic design programs. Take advantage of these opportunities, try out graphic design. There are so many avenues that you can take in graphic design. Once you find what speaks to you, clench it and make what most defines you and your mission in creating graphics.

As I addressed in the finale of last semester’s blog, I have always loved films. Ever since little baby me, I have always loved movies. Ironically enough, I never really got into any TV shows as a kid. Sure, I watched SpongeBob and Adventure Time, but I never really invested myself into any real TV shows. It was not till my freshman year in high school, that I gained a real appreciation for TV shows.

I remember seeing ads for what looked like a movie about some crazy dude. The one scene they showed a million times was of the guy making everything around him levitate and spin with loads of colors swirling while he had what I could only describe as mind constipation. I would watch that and think, “whow, that seems surreal. I bet that’d be a cool movie.” Well after watching the ad about a million time I caught on to the fact that it was actually a TV show called Legion. The ad caught my interest, and in watching the premier, I found myself strapped in to a 700-foot-high roller coaster.

Legion is an absolute masterpiece of a show, so good! The show is about a guy named David who has been told he is insane throughout his whole life. He is thrown in a mental hospital, his family refers to him as crazy, and all of his memories are suppressed and jumbled. Although things begin to go haywire while he is in the mental institution. He starts seeing things and hearing voices, all of a sudden it seems like he can move things with his mind as though he has superpowers. As some of his suppressed memories begin to unfold, an ominous being called the “devil with yellow eyes” begins to haunt him more and more, driving him more and more insane. Shit hits the fan, David essentially has the ability to make things fly with his mind and control other peoples mind and stuff. It’s gets really wild, so I don’t want to spoil any of the juicy parts of the show.

There are so many parts of this show that make it such a great experience. The mixture of lighting and color are very vibrant but set up an ominous mood. Every little detail is important: aspect ratio, focus, visual and audio mix. Every, single, detail. Not to mention the soundtrack is SO GOOD. This show is the reason that I began listening to indie music and classical rock: Undiscovered First, The Daily Mail, She’s a Rainbow, Behind Blue Eyes. So much good music, and it all pairs perfectly with each scene.

But my favorite part of the show is the ambiguity. Every episode keeps you guessing on what reality is and what is in David’s head. The whole time I was constantly on my seat contemplating “Is David insane, or does he really have these superpowers? How much of this is actually real?” I would watch this show with my dad and my brother, so we would always break into discussion after watching the show. We would constantly be contemplating what just happened and what’s gonna happen next. This show did something right cause it was constantly on our minds.

This show really was a gateway drug type deal, because it was SO GOOD and it got me into so many other TV shows: Ozark, Breaking Bad, Stranger Things, This is Us, Parks & Rec. TV is definitely different than movie for a few reasons, but given the right director and the right settings, TV shows can be just as dynamic as movies. There is so much that can be depicted through the motion picture. Different experiences, people, emotions, landscapes, can all be captured through TV or movies. There is so much potential of expression that exists in this art form.

I would say try TV shows if you haven’t, although my guess is that quarantine already had you watching some TV show. EVERYONE binge-watched at least one show during quarantine. Go explore new shows, watch something you would have never considered. Test the waters, see what its like. Who knows, you might find a TV show that you really resonate with.

Hear me out, hear me out, video games are an artform. Video games are a medium that hold so much potential for expression and depiction. They may not seem like a tradition form of artistic medium, but there is so much creativity that can come out of this medium.

Growing up in the early 2000s on the US East Coast, video games were made a pretty common part of the arising youth. More specifically, everyone had a Nintendo Wii. Likewise, I also had one growing up. Video games have been present in my life for a very long time. I grew up playing a lot of Mario Bros, Smash Bros and Minecraft. But what was always my favorite was the Legend of Zelda game.

In the Legend of Zelda games, you play as Link, a boy who fights like a knight as he tries to save the princess Zelda. I always loved the concept of exploration and bravery, so the way these games encapsulated these feeling really enthralled me. The Legend of Zelda series has many titles, although the game which has stuck with me the most is The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

Majora’s Mask is an extremely unique and colorful game. Within this title, Link trapped in the land of Termina where the moon is crashing into the world in three days, so he must be hasty to save everyone by stopping the skull kid possessed by the evil Majora’s Mask. The gameplay is great as all Zelda games are, but what makes this game so special is deep, dark messages and undertones planted throughout the game.

This whole game addresses the complex concept of death. On the superficial level of this game, you get to see how the people of Termina respond to their impending death by the crashing moon. This game expresses that various approaches that humans tend to take towards death. Some people freak out and get scared, others just dance the night away with ignorance. Going beyond the superficial, the way these people act also demonstrates the stages of grief. Each area with their residents demonstrates an approach: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Furthermore, this game is littered with even more symbolism and ambiguity. The way the game starts off, there have been interpretations that Link is dead throughout the while game. And even the side details of this game have been cleverly constructed to add to this lucid experience. For example, the music throughout the game is composed with a distressing and ominous undertone (and leitmotif among tracks) which sets a dark stage for the plot and symbols in the game. Every little detail is crafted to evoke a precise feeling, going far beyond the mere distraction value.

As you can tell by the massive paragraph I wrote (that I tried so hard to keep short while still leaving out immense details of the astounding quality of this game as an experience), this game really excites me. I have always found this game to be a great depiction of how real and legitimate video games can be as an artform. Like any other artform, video games can tell a story, hold deep messages, express certain feelings, and depict certain situations. And there are even some games that let you express yourself and create your own art within that game.

Art comes in many forms, and video games is definitely one of them. I don’t think I need to tell you to try out video games because you probably already have, but I will say be open to video games as an artform.  Search for meaning and experience while playing games, try to find something more than mere distraction factor. And even try new games that you wouldn’t normally, test the waters. You never know, you might find new video games that speak to you, evoke a feeling deeper than distraction stimulus.

I’ve grown up in a house full of artifacts from all over the world. Ever since they were in college, my parents have made it a priority to travel to different countries and see different culture. Every time they travel somewhere, they always bring back artifacts that they pick up during their trips: rugs, paintings, sculptures, woodwork. Of everything they bring back, I have always been most intrigued by the pottery.

Pottery is one of the oldest artforms in the world, with its first discovery dating back to 29,000 – 25,000 BC in the Czech Republic. This invention spread through the world like wildfire, leaving a huge impact on the operational and artistic aspects of cultural. Every civilization has their own style, and every era defines a new subdivision of that culture’s subdivision. Then, with the conquering and/or mixing of cultures throughout time has led to influence on pottery style.

There are all different forms of pottery that hold different functions: from water pitchers, so ornamental pots, to instruments like the ocarina from China and Mesoamerica. Different cultures have different styles based on local resources, life and community beliefs. A great example is the difference between the modern Navajo pottery with traditional symmetric carvings and the bowl from Argyll, Scotland with a more contemporary interior design and no carvings. There are about a million combination of minerals and chemical compounds that can be used to create different glazes and different texture. For example, that bowl from Scotland uses iron oxide and copper oxide to create those deep oranges and greens.

Unlike most of the artforms I write about, I have always taken interest in the art of pottery. Although, it wasn’t till recently that I actually tried making pottery. Looking at all the pottery in my house and what I’ve seen around the world, I was always curious as to what goes into actually making the piece. During the summer of my sophomore year in high school, my mom began going to an art studio that our local township offered. She has always been really into art, so she wanted to try something new at this studio. One day she came home with pottery that she made, and I though to myself, “hey that would be cool to try.” I decided to go with her during my next off day from work to test the waters. I have always been the most intrigued by the pottery wheel, so I immediately jumped on the wheel to try it out. Ever since then, I go with her once a week during each summer to get my pottery game on.

When I started, I was really bad. Like anything else, you have to fall to learn. As you get into it, try new ways to position your hands, use different utensils for shaping, observe the impact of different concentrations of water, you begin to learn and improve intuitively. I’m no pro, but I have greatly improved my game and I find more joy every time I make another piece. Even now, I still learn something new every time I make a new piece.

Anyone can get into pottery. Test the waters, find the methods that you like best, define your style. And if you want to go one step further, do your own research or search for professional guidance. There are so many resources available everywhere if you want to try something new or get some practice for something you love.

Growing up, I was never a fan of rap. I didn’t really understand the appeal, it seemed like it was just somebody talking over some strange noises. It didn’t help that I grew up with parents who CONSTANTLY listened to music from the late 20^th century, so I was brainwashed into only liking the music they liked (don’t get me wrong, I still do enjoy the occasional Led Zeppelin and Beatles).

As I grew older, everyone around me began listening to rap and hip hop. At first, I didn’t try to explore new genres, and I wasn’t a big music guy in high school to start. Years went by and I had heard some rap and hip-hop artists just from hanging out with friends, but not really listening. Music in the background to fulfill a vibe, but not actually listening to the beauty behind the piece. Going into college, I was determined to redefine myself and explore everything that seemed new to me. This mindset bled into my music, and I found myself looking for new music.

In college, I started doing some reflections outside while listening to music. One day while sitting on the picnic tables outside the HUB, I saw a YouTube recommended for “FEAR.” By Kendrick Lamar. I had heard of Kendrick Lamar before from my friends, so I figured I’d turn it on and really listen to the song while I reflected. Oh man, was I in for a rude awakening.

“FEAR.” by Kendrick Lamar is an extremely deep and powerful piece that packs a punch for expressing the distresses that arise from every aspect of life. Lamar describes all the fear he has faced throughout his life, from an adolescent to present day. Many of these fears arise from Lamar living in a society that constantly challenges and threatens his identity, relating to the hardships facing the African American community living in a society that has hurt and bet against them. Lamar describes the suffering he faced with domestic violence as a child, the distress he received through the fear of dying young, and the fear he still feels of losing the life he has built for himself.

The lyrics of this song are tremendously powerful. Everything he says has deep meaning to it, every line is cleverly woven to symbolize or express. This song has such a profound message for its audience. Lamar depicts these emotions to allow his audience to connect with his life, specifically reaching out to the African American community and saying, “you are not suffering alone” (or for somebody like me, teaching people the distress that many take on in the African American community). Just in the inflection of his voice alone, you can grasp the genuine agony that he is trying to depict. You feel this pain, you learn about the pain he has felt, you connect with the pain he has felt. You can fully perceive the level of stress within this song. Oh yeah, and the beat to this song is fire. Oh god, this song is so good! Literally every other minute I am writing this I stop and say “damn, I love this song.”

Words cannot describe the excitement I gain from this song and all the music Kendrick Lamar produces. It is so full of energy, so full of meaning, so deep. Kendrick Lamar is probably the most influential lyricist right now. Just like this piece, Lamar’s songs are extremely important in our society, as they are masterpiece depictions of the agony faced in life and the hardships undertaken within the African American community.

After finding this song, I fully gained an appreciation for rap and hip-hop music. If you pay attention, it can be so much more than merely mumbling. In terms of all music, I do believe that, like any art form, you must find the style that fits you the best. Some people may not be able to vibe as well with rap as they would with another type of music. Although, that doesn’t mean you should downplay the importance of that style. Hip-hop and rap are huge right now and are playing an extremely influential part in the development of society’s views. I urge everyone to try out not only rap, but all forms of music. Find what you connect with most and respect what you’ve tried but don’t connect as much with.

Welcome to my blog series, Gateway Drug Art Forms, where I’ll be analyzing how specific pieces of art have gotten me hooked on whole art forms. This is a sequel to my blog series from last semester in RCL 1, where I covered music, novels, cartoons, photography, landscaping, classical music, and movies. This series I will be reaching further into the crevice and analyzing more awesome topics.

Here is a link to Season 1, if you are interested 🙂