Jackson Pollock

From our class discussion, it seemed like the general opinion of Pollock was not a good one. Most people in class didn't seem to think he was very creative or very talented, and I had the same opinion at first. But like many art works we have talked about in class, the longer I thought about it, the more it grew on me. My first impression pf Pollock was the same as many others. I thought that it took no talent or creativity, and a child could do the exact same thing. There clearly isn't any depth to his work, it is just him walking around splattering paint all over a canvas on the floor, which really is something even a monkey could do. When I thought about how simple his works were, it hit me that his work might actually be something that I enjoy. It is obvious there isn't any underlying meaning, so we (hopefully) wont have people trying to analyze and pull meaning out of his works. Not trying to dig for meaning and being able to take the picture at face value is refreshing. His works are simple, easy to understand what is going on, and easy on the eyes. Some of this paintings have cool color schemes that are enjoyable to look at. Here is one of his paintings that isn't anything extraordinary, but for some reason I enjoy it.

I feel like Pollock changed the way people look at art. He might not have done works that require a great deal of imagination or talent, but he did do something very original. He made it evident that art is something that anyone can create. I typically think of art as something that would be difficult to make that is done by a well known artist, not something my 4yr old niece made. But Pollock's simplistic approach to art has stretched boundaries of things that I would consider art. Even if you don't like his art, I think he should at least be respected for his originality and ability to challenge people to think about what the definition of art really is.

Frank Lloyd Wright

When we first took a look at Wright's works in class, I was instantly a fan. Then once again as I was reviewing for the mid-term exam, I took another look at his works and was reminded of just how cool and creative his designs were. He had an incredible talent for innovation and creativity. In class we discussed how he was able to use modern materials, like steel and concrete, to make his structures unique. He was also fantastic at utilizing nature in his designs, especially in the Fallingwater house. Being interested in this ability I decided to read a little further to try to see if there was anything else unique about his style. I discovered that the as he went on his career, there had been great improvements in the glass industry. Being incredibly innovative, he utilized glass work in his designs. He used glass to compliment his ability to create designs that utilized nature. He used glass to allow nature to play a vital part in his designs. Here is one example of his glass work in the Meyer May house.

What I like about the picture below is how it captures that Wright was able to not only make the house visually appealing from an outside perspective, but he also was able to make nature a part of his design from an inside perspective.

Then another thing i discovered as I was looking into more about Wright's works was the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. This building is so cool. This building shows how versatile of an architect he was Not only did he design houses for a rural nature setting, he was also able to design a museum in for a crowded city environment. I am amazed by the wide variety of buildings he designed throughout his career, and how he adapted his style to the advancement of building materials. He was always up to date and original. I think it is safe to say that Wright was an architectural mastermind. Below is an inside view of one his most famous works, the  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.