Clearly the Salk Institute is a research laboratory that warrants these considerations when selecting building materials. The materials that make up the Salk Institute consist of concrete, teak, lead, glass, and steel. In my opinion these materials address the laboratories demands by being easy to maintain, as well as being durable allowing the Salk Institute to be built to last. I really enjoyed Kahn’s attention to detail when it came to the concrete work. Once the concrete was set, Kahn allowed no further finishing touches in order to attain the pinkish glow of "pozzuolanic" concrete.
He makes reference to this early by discussing Indra’s net. “Buddhism uses a similar image to describe the interconnectedness of all phenomena. It is called Indra’s net.” Many people looking at the book from a far may think that the author intends to write for art historians but his audience is instead historians, or people interested in the past and the start of globalization. It is fascinating how Brooke uses art to provoke thought about the society of the time, and how paintings from the Netherlands can connect objects and society to China, North America and worldwide. Brooke begins the story around the Netherlands; this could be because it most relates to Vermeer.
Two admired philosophers, Michel Foucault and John Berger, have blessed the world with their different yet similar views on power and how it is obtained. Foucault believes that power is inspired by the act of being viewed while Berger believes that power can be obtained through imagery but both agree that power is derived from the act of viewing, history, and knowledge. Foucault bases his theory of viewing and power on Bentham’s Panopticon, an architectural figure that allows one to view without being viewed. The structure consists of an annular building and placed inside is a central tower that is surrounded by individual cells. “The Panopticon is a machine for dissociating the see/being seen dyad: in the peripheric ring, one is totally seen, without ever seeing; in the central tower, one sees everything without ever being seen (Foucault 216).” The design was set up primarily for inmates in prison during the mid 1800’s, but as society modernizes so does the blueprint for Panopticon.
Movement and time have been in many ways ever-present in sculpture. In the era of modernism, however, movement and time evolved from mere descriptive attributes, into concerted preoccupations of artists creating sculpture. After the commencement of Modernism in the late 1800s, scientific developments permeated, and influenced cultural understanding of motion, time and mass. Sculpture was then able to be reduced to more mechanical, minimal forms, specifically pertaining to concepts of movement and time. It is important to state early on, that time and movement in sculpture are impossible to discuss without the inclusion and acknowledgement of space.
Albert Speer was a major contributor in multiple ways during World War II. One vital way in which he involved and contributed himself to Adolf Hitler’s regime was through his status as Chief of Architect in the Nazi Party. Speer’s first attendance of a Nazi Party rally, merely actioned out of curiosity, found himself strangely drawn to Adolf Hitler, not only because of Hitler's proposed solutions to the threat of Communism and his renunciation of the Treaty of Versailles, but also drawn towards the man himself. Speer's first major commission as a Party member came in 1932 when Karl Hanke recommended him to Goebbels to help renovate the new District Headquarters in Berlin, and, later on, to renovate Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry. Goebbels was impressed with Speer’s work and recommended him to Hitler, who then assigned him to help renovate the Chancellery in Berlin.
Both Corbusier and Meis had a deep understanding of the aesthetics of historic design. According to Le Corbusier, “To be Modern is not a Fashion, it is a state. It is necessary to understand History, and he who understands History knows how to find continuity between that which was, that which is and that which will be.” This was apparent in the two chairs where they drew from ancient influences and combined it with the modern to create new and iconic designs that have continued to be popular and sought after in contemporary homes and offices even today. The ‘LC2’ or the ‘Grand Confort’ armchair on the left, designed by Le Corbusier, architect Pierre Jeanneret and furniture designer Charlotte Perriand, was originally designed for Maison La Roche in Paris and exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in 1929. The chair is a simple box like structure made of bent tubular steel, and lined with thick square seat and back cushions.
According to Rolling, in art, the human figure symbolizes an understanding of who we think we are and where we stand in society. Rolling adds a quote from art historian, Nicholas Mirzoeff "Art History is predicted partly on the assumption that each perfectly expressive form-in this case- the human figure--acts as a signifier exactly expressing its signified, without excess or the need for explanation and with complete aesthetic realization" (331). The human figure is a means of recreating humanity during that era based on the artist's thoughts. (Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya, 106.) Author J.H.
Lindsey Swidergal Period 7 October 29, 2010 The Greeks Impact on Western Civilization More than thousands of years ago the Greeks made advancements that have affected our society today. Art had affected this by the building of sculptures, different architecture, the beginning of drama, and literature. In math, different solutions were created that we still use in present day. Through philosophy, people came with new ideas of thinking and understanding, Democracy made the society have freedom and increase in advancements. The ancient Greeks contributed philosophy, art, math, and democracy to Western Civilization.
Did the United States learn from past mistakes at the end of World War II? I believe that the United States did learn from past mistakes at the end of World War II because it was the end of isolation for the country. America lead the creation of new world organizations by Roosevelt’s action to move toward a policy of internationalism, and trying to create organizations to prevent future wars. These policies are a clear sign that the United States has learned from it’s past. Additionally, the US was able to help found the World Bank, and help allies like Germany heal their economy.
Modern Art Museum The knowledge I gained from this trip was extraordinary. I really enjoyed being able to see that hard work and dedication to art pays off in the end. There are only two artists that I would like to talk about. Each caught my eye, but in two very different ways. The more I read about Vernon Fisher the more I love him.