During class and the mention of Earth works one artist came to my mind in particular. Andy Goldsworthy. His pieces are sometimes smaller and other times on a larger scale but no matter what he uses the natural objects around him at the time in order to create his pieces. I'm not quite sure what type of artist to label Goldsworthy, a sculptor, photographer, I really haven't the slightest clue. My first introduction to this artist was in a photography class wher ewe had watched a video on him getting to see how he creates his peices by hand and with only what is in nature around him whether it be rocks, plants, streams, or oceans. Watching his creation process was just as interesting to me as the end results. He is obviously inspired by nature and has decided to use that inpiration to its maximum. Andy Goldsworthy builds his peice then photographs it in its finished form, after the peice is usually left to be destroyed by natural forces, blown down by wind or washed away be stream or ocean. He is an artist to look at in my opinion and can easily be googled online. What I like most about his pieces is that they are not huge like some earth works which shows that this media is something that just about all of us could do if we wanted to, and the sublte hints of life and death and journey that you can see in all his pieces. Though I'm still unsure of what type of artist Andy Goldsworthy would be considered I very much enjoy his work.

Museum of Contemporary Art

I made my first trip to the Musuem of Contemporary Art in Chicago during November the same day that I went to the Art Institute all I can say is that I'm not really impressed. To be truthful I don't know if I'll visit that Museum again personally. Kara Walkers installation was.......I can't really think of a way to describe the room properly. The images surprised and disgusted me, I don't see how many if not all of these silhoutte pictures actually have to do with the history of the African race. Generally even if I'm not particularly fond of a piece I'll look at it a bit, this was the first piece that I actually sort of glanced at decided I didn't want to see and walked past at least twice with out taking a better look. I guess the images just seem......revolting to me and I couldn't believe that this was really in a Museum. Women having sex with horses, children trying to decapitate one another and other various sexually orientated images that if people where actually found doing or even thought to be doing would be jailed or put in an asylum somewhere. I couldn't see this as art but it does prove to me how for lack of a better word demented modern art has sometimes become. There were a few pieces that interested me unfortunatly I can't remember who they where by. Overall as I said before I'm not so sure of a repeat visit to this Museum I just wasn't impressed and didn't really enjoy the works there much.

Art Institute of Chicago

So I took a trip to the Art Institute of Chicago again this time with my younger sister and her boyfriend and I have to say that like any other time I get to go there I enjoy it. Even a bit more this time seeing as I was with people I like but rarely get to spend time with lately and that they acually try to talk about the peices though neither are trained in the art field, its interesting to hear what others have to say about various peices. While there we saw Hopper's Nighthawks painting, went through the miniatures section thats currently there, and spent most of our time in the Chinese and Korean ceramics. I've never noticed NightHawks there before and it was refreshing to see a painting that is often mentioned in any class that I take, a painting that I could readily recognize since I'll admit I not that good with art history, usually I can say I saw something a book but can't remember what the title or artist is. Another peice we saw that I was pleased with being able to recognize was a Giacometti peice in the lower level. A bronze cast piece caught my attention right around the corner from the Giacometti, it was by Antonin Mercie someone I haven't heard of, the head of Joan of Arc, the lighting that the peice was what really caught the eye it was placed basically directly under a spot light which made the piece almost glow the way one would imagine a saint to. I can't see that piece being put anywhere else. The miniatures impressed me alot. I would imagine that this was because I probaly don't have the patience to put something like together, and how realistic they look. Both Nate and I took a few pictures of different miniatures and when we went through them later we were stumped as to whos house it was at for a second before remembering where we had been the day before. The ceramics pieces have always been in interest for me, the smoothness and careful detail that some of the ceramists are able to get into this medium amazes me. I have difficulty just getting a piece in ceramics relatively smooth. Over all I enjoyed this trip as I usually do even with the cold walk from Union Station.