Kori Smith (Chitty) video 1

Droplet from Kori Smith on Vimeo.

Response to week 1 readings_Chitty, K

 In both, Coming into Focus by James Broughton, and Metaphors on Vision by Stan Brakhage, we are asked to see without seeing. Broughton wants us to see without fear of what will become of our vision. I think this is the epitome of creativity and being true to our artistic self. As human beings we seek to measure up to our competition and create something as close to original as possible. What we miss out on is just being in the moment, allowing our passion to be our poetry. Similarly, Brakhage asks us to see in a different way too. He asks us to see and pretend like we don't know. It reminded me of meditation, because in order to meditate we have to clear our mind of any obstruction. In order to truly be creative and have vision we must break our fear, number one, and number two, believe in what we produce and stand wholly in a moment.

"The Ontology of the Photographic Image" by Andre Bazin

       Since ancient times, humans have been obsessed with the ideology of living after death. The article “The Ontology of the Photographic Image” by Andre Bazin, lists a few ways humans went about preserving their image after their departure from the world, including mummification and the more-popular self-portraits. In this day and age, however, an image is not considered so much as a way to preserve life, but is given more of an artistic sense, and is either composed almost entirely for aesthetic purposes only, or to accurately represent the surrounding world through realism. The only way to capture true realism, however, is through either photography for cinema, as “the fact that a human hand intervened cast a shadow of doubt over the image.”

       Bazin’s statement of the reliability of paintings vs. photographs is valid in my opinion, as the artist is able to manipulate and alter reality as he sees fit. The photographer, however, is limited to what is actually before him, and despite the means in which he takes the photo; the photo will always bear some semblance of reality. I especially enjoyed the sentence “photography does not create eternity, as art does, it embalms time, rescuing it simply from its power corruption.” I also agree with the concept that, with the invention of photography, art is now free to regain its aesthetic beauty as it doesn’t have to strive for realism anymore. 

My Fan from Sam Burris on Vimeo.

Urban Jungle by Juan Rubio

Urban Jungle from Juan Ruio on Vimeo.

Shree_Thapa_Exercise1

Untitled Project from Santosh_Thapa on Vimeo.

Red Cross Trailer from michael myers on Vimeo.

Exercise 1 - Blurred Lines

ARTS 3381 Video Painting - Exercise 1 - Blurred Lines from Matthew Leslie on Vimeo.

Finally got approved by Vimeo. Here, without any further ado, is "Blurred Lines."

Paintball Westworld Course

Westworld course from Kelli Manning on Vimeo.

I play paintball out in Forney every saturday. I strapped a GoPro to my gun last week and these are the results.

Grenadine from Megan Stevenson on Vimeo.

Essay Response( Broughton & Brakhage)

  Both writers were deeply drown under the philosophical state. Both writers were describing the purity of consciousness via literature. We can see great discovery of visual poetry on the writer’s documentation.  It is not a non-sense, but a fact that artists have different vision than normal humans have. They can animate world with their thinking. 

 Broughton’s “Coming into focus” is underpinned with various great peoples word that relates to revolution in the forum of art. According to his article, Broughton writes that “Then, as St. Augustine advised, Love God, and do what you will.’’ These sort of sentences are providing us a knowledge that do not afraid of experiencing something different, crossing the border line or limit. 

Similarly, while doing a survey on Brakhage essay “From Metaphors on Vision,” we can easily flesh out another visual poetry. The writer is presenting a glory of vision through words. An abstract vision which is almost anti nature.  Brakhage a-one style of curating vision is incredibly thoughtful and nerve breaking. 

axw120330- Andrew J. Wells - Fridge

Took multiple angles and shots from inside my fridge.

The Paintings of "George W Bush" at Centraltrak from Michael Morris on Vimeo.

Week 1 Readings

James Broughton views on cinema are very divine and poetic.  James thinks cinema as a true form of art and the real artists are completely independent. “True poets are as anarchic as Jesus and Lao-Tzu. They love revolutions, for revolutions are symbols of freedom from the major enemies of art.”  I find his quote quite interesting because it raises the question of what is the true purpose art. Is the art intended for you or your audience? We can try to please the enemies of our art by trying cater to their interests or we can take our own path and express what our true vision is even if it no one likes it but ourselves. I don’t think there are any “enemies of art” as we each see it differently in our own eyes. There will always be people who dislike your art and sometimes you have to find a balance between what you and your audience wants to see. Art should be produced to the scope of your project. Who is it for? Is it for yourself, a general audience, family, or a cult following? These are questions we should be asking when we make art.

Stan Brakhage must have had a lot fun overthinking the concepts of vision. His poetry behind his art seems to be as equally important as his visual imagery. Most of his metaphors are beyond me but I did find it interesting how he explained perception though an infant’s eye. He explains that when we were crawling babies we were unaware of the classification of things. It is almost like we are spoiled once we see things as a voice in our head instead of the sight of our own eyes. We sometimes get detached from our world and start to ignore the field of grass from our eyes perception because to us it is just another boring “field of grass” that we have seen many times before.

 

W1 R1 - Stan Brakhage and James Broughton

Stan Brakhage, in his article titled, "Metaphors on Vision," alludes to the infant eye as being the gateway to the "loss of innocence." That one line speaks to me because I find it to be true to reality. When we are infants, if any can remember, we only interpret basic shapes and colors; which as Mr. Brakhage goes on to say that the same interpretation of reality is on the mirror-side of life near death. Being that this is the process of which the eye takes during development and degradation, Mr. Brakhage explains that in the interim all we have to imagine such a world of interpretation is to use knowledge. Not only to use knowledge, but to use the "Ultimate of Knowledge," he claims, which to him is the study of film. Through film, one can experience the entirety of reality and travel to places only seen in dreams. Filmmakers can explore areas of their own psyche that were previously locked away during maturation away from infancy, and portray that knowledge to the audience.


Stan Brakhage goes on to claim that our society is driven by fear; whether that be primal fears, or fears we impose upon ourselves. For example, one may fear their own extinction however also fears to take the plunge into immortalizing themselves through family. He makes a claim that we as a society fear many things and artists can relieve that fear through film. They can "create a new language," which can translate those fears into pleasurable feelings. Overall I agree with Brakhage for as an artist myself, I see it in my soul to bring my imagination to life through photography and other mediums. I can relate heavily to what his main arguments were on a personal level.


The James Broughton article, however in my opinion, was utter bullshit. He loosely attributes inspiration and imagination to being connected to divine intervention from God. I say that it is indicative of religious propaganda. I'm not expressing this feeling because of some ulterior motive, because I am personally very spiritual. I feel, however, that Broughton is crippling his readers into not thinking for themselves. Also, the claim that audiences have no valid opinions, is bullshit. That segment just read to me as the author being pretentious and an art-snob. I say that you do not need an art degree to have an opinion on art. Everyone can experience art.

Broughton and Brakhage

Both artists have a passion for film. They revel in their pursuits as proprietors of a divine calling.  They encourage the viewer to find their passions by emphasizing in very different prose the active pursuit of seeing in a new way with a camera.
James Broughton uses metaphors to guide new filmmakers into a deep appreciation for the art in the chapter "coming into focus" from his book Seeing the Light.  He draws parallels between poets and prophets who have shaped the meaning of transcendent vision and an artist with a camera. The capacity to see or not to see in a revolutionary way is why he and other artists pursue voyaging imagination.  Broughton gives the reader a sort of pocket guide of various philosophies that film artists may choose to live by, in order to become a re-birthed viewer/artist.

Brakhage shares a similar view about the nature of film in his article, "metaphors on vision". Brakhage is a sort of anarchic poet because of his use of metaphors that defy a typical understanding of film making. With this, he attempts to justify his opinion that film making is the most current, novel medium to discover resonant material.  He is seemingly the epitome of what Broughton was defining as an artist who is actively separating himself from creative drainers such as producers and academics. Brakhage, as well as Broughton, are comparable to Picasso who proclaimed, "it takes a long time to become young".  Similarly, Brakhage says "one can never go back, not even in imagination". Within their creative pursuits behind the camera eye, they are regaining that childlike quality that makes them unique in the ability to see. 

"Coming into Focus" / "metaphors on vision"

          According to the article “Coming into Focus” by James Broughton, for many filmmakers the creation of films is not just the making of a moving picture – it is also poetry. Broughton is one such filmmaker, who views what he does and creates as “poetry and love and religion and my duty to the Lords of Creation.” To him, cinema has the ability to elicit a change on the viewer’s soul, his included.

          While his writing is lyrical and heartfelt, I find that the way he goes about attempting to express himself is unclear and scattered, and sometimes veers off the topic of cinema he’s supposed to be writing about. I do, however, agree with his ideology that, with there being so many aspects of our lives that we have no control over, the things we enjoy give us the ability to endure the moments in between.

          The article “metaphors on vision” by Stan Brakhage, challenges the entire concept of the societal influence on what we, as humans, see. He questions how we would perceive the world had we not been told how to define what we are seeing, and just how much of life we are missing by casually labeling things as we are taught to, then brushing them off. With this we lose our ability to question, to think, and to imagine, thereby missing out on much life has to offer.

          Brakhage’s writing brings attention to concepts I have never thought of, lending credit to his theory that as we are told how to perceive things, we lose the ability to see them as they truly are. His article is thought-provoking and profound, as he explains that some artists have retained and nurtured their ability to see the world as it actually is, and how some translate it into cinematic masterpieces. 

Welcome to Video Painting at UTD!

Welcome to ARTS 3381 Video Painting. This will be the course blog where you will post your responses to readings and discussions. Whenever a reading is assigned, you will make a substantial post (a couple paragraphs detailing your thoughts and responses) the following week as a new post on this blog. Please include photos, links, and short video clips that illustrate your feelings about the readings. Looking forward to our semester together!