Wk 6 Reflection on Learning

Reflection:
Consider the previous 6 weeks; what your learning been

From a personal perspective, what has been the most interesting to you so far in this paper?
Definitely thinking about visual text contextually; what is the story behind it, what is the socio-political situation like at the time? For me, it adds more story and layers to the visual text.
Think about the content, readings, resources, tasks and approach, so far. Comment on what has worked for you? Why?
Referring back and using the readings, resources as a guide to some texts and visual texts had worked for me and given me more understanding. The tasks I cannot say the same for; some of them had very vague instructions. Or maybe I need more coffee.
What has not worked so well for you? Why?
Whilst I like the blog work and can see the purpose behind them but it can get tedious after a very long time and it feels bleh and have no motivation to do it after awhile.
How have your ideas, assumptions, knowledge’s and ways of working been challenged?
I feel like more ideas and knowledge have been expanded because of this paper; it made me search for more information, context until I feel satisfied that I have enough to go on. Assumptions are a hit or miss; it is either correct or completely wrong for me but that is why you research more!
What creative approaches have you taken when doing this paper?
None really but I have been preparing for a Matchbox exhibition while doing university work; mentally and physically challenging!
Explain how the approaches, strategies, skills and/or processes encouraged in this paper be useful to you in your other BDes/BFA projects/modules/papers.
Some papers will ask you for contextualization; be it an existing visual text or your own. Writing techniques and MLA citation learnt in this paper can be carried on to other papers – this can be blog posts, workbooks, etc.
Do you think you have a different or a new appreciation for a paper like this and its relevance to your desired art or design practice?
If it was more reading, research and less blog work, I think I would enjoy it more.

Week 7: Task 2 – Seeing the World

Indigenous World Views vs Western World Views

1. What is your own world view? And where might those world view ideas come from?

I think really had time to think about such matters; I feel like I am a cog in a bigger machine but at the same time, if I were to stop working, would the machine stop too? No it wouldn’t. I suppose this view comes from life experience and western philosophy.

2. How do you think your world view shapes the way you see yourself, others and the world?

I see myself as an individual and everyone else as a individual; we have our own actions to be responsible for, our own wants and needs, etc. The world is a huge place full of interesting and a variety of people with infinite number of possibilities – we only need to take those for ourselves, to better ourselves.

3. How might you connect with world view, ideology, identity and a personal perspective and/or differentiate between them?

This is turning my brain to mush, may I skip this?

4. You get your sense of belonging in relation to others who share the same set of values, beliefs and ways of being in the world, can you indentify some aspects of that collective world view that marginalize or subordinate other world views.

This is similar to indigenous world views where people stick together for resources and social interaction however, if one learns in high school or in life in general, people form cliques. People in cliques tend to be tight knitted and quick to condemn anyone who does not fit in.

5. If your world view is dominant and/or the most widely accepted and unchallenged world view, what might it be like if your world view became the marginalized, un-noticed, or a disregarded world view?

To be honest, I don’t think anyone would care. I just like to be myself and everyone else to be themselves, not be too crazy, etc

6. How might the dominant view see you and expect you to live your life?

N/A

6. Return to the Sheilagh Walker text as she offers a world view and perspective in academia. Now what would you say about the world view or her argument.

Task 4: Visual Analysis and Contextual Knowledge

Task: Demonstrate Visual and contextual knowledge in a paragraph.

Elizabeth-Louise Vigee Le Brun: A prominent 18^th century French painter, who mostly painted the aristocratic class; her major patron was the Queen Marie Antoinette. Over her years of patronage, Le Brun had done over thrity portraits of the Queen and her family; leading her to be the official portraitist of Marie Antoinette. One of Le Brun’s paintings of the Queen, Marie Antoinette in a Muslin Dress, had drawn controversy at the time. In modern eyes, Marie Antoinette’s attire is modest but casual. The casual part of the painting did not bode well with the public; Marie Antoinette simply did not look like a Queen of France. The painting was quickly replaced with a more formal portrait.
In this portrait, Marie Antoinette wears a simple muslin dress; at Petit Trianon, the Queen and her entourage wore such attire, where court protocol is not enforced. The background is possibly set in Petit Trianon (like the dress, it’s very simple and rustic). In her hands, Marie Antoinette holds a cabbage rose, a recurring motif in all her portraits.
Referring back to Mirzoeff and the power of “Majesty”, he states that this concept is built around Absolutism rule and that its monarch’s had power that centred in their very person. This impressive power, or Majesty, is visualized but not seen. With the absence of Majesty from the portrait, did it make the public uncomfortable? Did they see, within this painting, not a Queen but an ordinary woman? Without the element of Majesty, I believe this is what the public had thought at the time.

Resources:
Mirzoeff, Nicholas. “Chapter One: How to See Yourself”. How to See the World. London: Pelican, 2015. 36 – 17. Print.
Vigee Le Brun, Elizabeth Louise. Marie Antoinette in a Muslin Dress. 1783. Oil on Canvas. Schloss Wolfsgarten.
Vigée Le Brun, Elizabeth Louise. Marie Antoinette with the Rose. 1783. Oil on Canvas. The Palace of Versailles, Paris.

4C Visual Analysis of Selected Image

Gillian Rose: Visual Methodologies Questions

Zoffany, Johann. Portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay and Her Cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray. 1778. Oil on Canvas. Kenwood House, Scotland.

 

Some questions about the production of an image:
When was it made?
The painting was completed in 1779.
Who made it?
The painter attributed to the painting is Johann Zoffany but it is possible he is not the painter. Any other possible painters are unknown.
Was it made for someone else?
The Earl and Countess of Mansfield had commissioned the painting from Zoffany, portraying their nieces. Noble/aristocratic families had commissioned paintings of family members, which was the norm at the time.
What were the social identities of the maker, the owner, and the subject of the image?
Zoffany was a German Neoclassical painter, born of Bohemian origin. The owner(s), the Murray family, are from the aristocratic class. Elizabeth Dido Belle and her cousin, Elizabeth Murray, are also from the aristocratic class.

 Some questions about the image:
What is being shown? What are the components of the image? How are they arranged?
What is shown is the ladies Elizabeth Dido Belle and Elizabeth Murray. They are composed side by side together (showing them as near equals), with Elizabeth on the right, reaching out to her cousin. They are placed in an outdoor background, possibly a garden on the estate.
Is it one of a series?
No
Where is the viewers eye drawn to in the image and why?
My eyes are drawn towards Dido; she is a stark contrast to her cousin on the right and her expression/gaze is very direct. Paintings of the time had black people as “accessories”, gazing up onto the white protagonist. This was a symbol of power; however Dido is on equal footing with her cousin in the painting and her gaze is directed towards the viewer.
What are the genre(s) of the image? Is it a documentary, soap opera, or melodrama for example?
It is a documentary, portrait and family painting.

 Some questions about audiencing:
Who are the original audiences for this image?
The family of the subjects and guests.
How is it circulated?
In print media, and the internet.
How is it re-displayed?
The painting was previously housed in Scone Palace, Scotlan. It is now housed in Kenwood House, with information about the paintings subjects, as of 2007.
Who are the more recent audiences for this text?
Anyone interested in British history, abolition of Slavery in Britain or those who visit Kenwood House.
Is more than one interpretation of this image possible?
Yes, I believe so.

 

 

 

3D Blog Task – Brainstorm

Mind map to come soon :)!

3A Written Response

What is Mirzoeff asking you to think about?
How do we see ourselves? This extends to the current selfie to the history of the self portraits. How did people in the past and present depict themselves? Do mirrors have a part in how we perceive ourselves? Who are selfies and self portraits catered for? Selfies are usually shared among friends and family in social media, portraits of royalty were catered to the common people, to show power, majesty and authority. Mirzoeff also asks us to think about feminist views, the male gaze (especially in cinema), gender roles, stereotypes, race and sexuality and how they incorporate into our identities.

Do you think it might be important we know about it, think about it or consider it or research it in more detail? Explain why?
I feel it is very important to know, think, consider and research it in more detail because the topics Mirzoeff explains are relevant to the present. I have never thought about the selfie in depth as it is so integrated into our society/thinking; why even think about it indepth? And the fact that the selfie can be a window to our sexual/racial identity is intriguing. Another thing to consider in the same vein is how do people see us/how do we want them to see us? Also the history of Absolute Monarchy and the laws of “Majesty” are interesting – something I would like to research more.

Vigée Le Brun, Elisabeth Louise. Self-portrait with Her Daughter. 1789. Oil on Canvas. Louvre Museum, Paris.

 

Select a Visual Text from the chapter that base exemplifies your understanding of Mirzoeff’s ideas and explain why you have selected this in view of your understanding.
I chose Elizabeth-Louise Vigee Lebrun’s self portrait with her daughter (circa.1789) because Mirzoeff had pointed out in the chapter that Le Brun had put a contemporary spin to the iconography of Madonna and Child. Le Brun makes the portrait very informal (akin to a modern family photo), and shows herself as not only as an artist but as a mother. During the painting’s time, professional women artists were looked down upon and were expected to follow a strict doctrine of domestic home life, caring for children and not having a professional career. I feel that the painting exemplifies Mirzoeff’s idea of “the self” – Le Brun paints herself as an artist and as a mother while challenging social norms of her time.

2A Blog Task Word Cloud