Public Art Academy

Five Famous Paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:00:00 +0000

The Art Institute of Chicago is a top destination for fine art experts, fine art lovers, and travelers from all over the world. It contains one of the largest collections of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in North America. Its diverse collection also includes significant displays of American art, American and foreign contemporary art, Asian art, and modern art. The Art Institute was founded in 1866 by a group of local artists with the vision of running an art school with its own art gallery. Today, the permanent collection encompasses over 5000 years of American and foreign art with over 260,000 art objects in its possession.

Five of the Art Institute’s famous paintings include:

1. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte – One of Georges Seurat’s most famous works and an example of pointillism, the art technique of using miniature dots of different colors that form a single hue of color. It depicts a scene of people enjoying a leisurely day on the island of la Grande Jatte, located on the Seine River in Paris and serving as a retreat for a nearby housing development.

2. American Gothic – A very well-known painting by Grant Wood from 1930 of a farmer standing beside his unmarried daughter. It represents 19th century Midwestern Americana with men and women fulfilling traditional roles of the era. Wood’s inspiration came from a cottage designed in the Gothic Revival style with a distinctive upper window and a decision to paint the house along with “the kind of people I fancied should live in that house.

3. Nighthawks – A 1942 painting by Edward Hopper that portrays people sitting in a downtown diner late at night. It is considered Hopper’s most famous painting, as well as one of the most recognizable in American art. It was painted after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1942 and is said to represent the widespread feeling of depression and gloominess during that time.

4. Bedroom at Arles – A title given to each of three similar paintings by 19th-century Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. The paintings depict Van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhone, France, known as his Yellow House. Each of the three versions of the painting has its own improvements and idiosyncrasies with the third version being a reduction of the originals.

5. The Old Guitarist – A painting by Pablo Picasso, painted in 1903, just after the suicide death of Picasso’s close friend, Casagemas. It depicts an older man playing a guitar and seated in disturbed position. A feeling of melancholy is felt through the shades of blue color exhibited throughout the painting. It is also notable for the apparent pentimento involving an image painted underneath where Picasso originally began a woman’s portrait.

Getting Into Art School

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

If you’re interested in any element of the visual arts, including graphic design, painting, photography, illustration or sculpture, then an art school may be exactly what you’re looking for. They offer courses that are specifically designed to enhance your skills and knowledge in your chosen field of art. Generally art schools don’t have as much focus on extra subjects, such as science or math, whereas larger institutions generally include those subjects in the degrees they offer. An accredited art school or college, however, is still able to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

To be accepted into art school, there are some criteria you will generally need to meet. The admissions committee is looking for applicants with the following attributes:

- Good grades

- Strong academic background

- Personal background that is relevant

- Extracurricular activities

Although an art school does focus very strongly on artistic skills, there’s also an academic element to the courses they offer. So they are looking for students with a proven history of academic achievement, demonstrating that they can deal with academic pressure. You don’t necessarily need to have the best grades, but that’s not the only criteria that are considered.

If you want to improve your chances of being accepted by your chosen art school, here are some things you can do:

- Improve your GPA

- Get involved in your local community

- Participate in after school activities

- Join a civic or religious group

All of these will improve your chances of being accepted at art school, as the admissions committee is keen to find students with a wider focus, as well as good grades. Remember, even if you don’t feel you have the perfect application, it’s not impossible to be accepted into art school. It doesn’t matter whether you’re just looking to improve your qualifications or aim for a promotion in your job, or perhaps you’re straight out of high school – you can get into art school.

If possible, spend some time talking to people who are already at your preferred art school. Perhaps they can give you some hints about what they did to improve their chances. Never be shy of asking questions, most people are more than happy to help you. Everything you learn can be used to optimize your application. Getting into art school may not be impossible, but it can be tough. So take advantage of every opportunity you get to improve your chances.

Careers After Art School

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Ordinarily, most people do not perceive being an artist as a realistic career choice. The common impression is that it is merely an elitist pursuit, with no guarantee of monetary returns. However, this preconceived notion may not be applicable to every career option that involves art. For instance, having a career in art is not restricted to just painting. There are various other lucrative career options in the field of art, upon graduation from art school. These schools can provide formal training in art, which equip students with tools that can be used in commercial settings. You can be one of the lucky ones to be able to pay your bills through your art!

Career Options After Art School

MultiMedia Artist And Animator: If you are interested in creating animated images for commercials in various media, like television, print media, cinema or computer games, you can become a multimedia artist. Multi media artists create the large series of pictures, which become the animated images on television, computer games or movies. In 2002, there were almost 75,000 animators and multimedia artists in the United States of America, and this number is expected to expand further in the future. You can become a multimedia artist if you possess a bachelor or masters degree in fine arts, although it is not always necessary.

Craft Artist: A career as a craft artist can be ideal if you have a passion for creating useful artifacts like stained glass, pottery, hand woven rugs, sculpture or woodcarvings. These crafts are very popular in markets all around the world, thus making a profession as a craft artist a lucrative career option. You never know when your craftwork could become the next sought after collectible! Studio art classes at your local art school can be of great help in mastering the required skills. You can also join an art club to enhance your craft. Generally, craft artists work on a freelance commission basis. You can also find work in studios and galleries that usually require creative craft artists. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average earnings of craft artists in 2005 was $ 27,360.

Fine Art Artist: Fine art is another career option that you can pursue after art school. Painters, illustrators and sculptors come under this category. The competition in this field is fierce, as there are a lot of aspiring artists. As a fine art artist, you can display your art in museums, and your creations can be sold in auctions.

Art Director: As an art director, you can produce creative visual concepts meant for magazines, newspapers, videos, websites or billboards. An art director needs to coordinate with graphic designers as well as photographers, and make decisions related to the presentation of visual concepts. Having management skills is an added advantage for being an art director. A starting income of $73,790 was estimated for art directors according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Advertising agencies also generally require the skills of an art director.

Besides these career options, you can also try your hand at teaching art, landscape d