Visit to the Banksy

My trip to visit the museum was alright but the weather was not too great. I did end up going with friends since we went to Soho right after so it lightened the mood. I went into this museum with an open mind because it was fascinating that a graffiti artist could create impactful art.

This is actually my second time writing this blog because the first time the website crashed on me and nothing saved so… take two on my phone this time.

The first art piece at the Banksy Museum that caught my attention was one that was seen in Ukraine. This piece showed the reality of the situation in the war. The ordinary appearance of the woman as she is depicted to be in a bathrobe and the addition of the mask and extinguisher reveals the idea that Russia is intruding into the lives of ordinary people. Furthermore, it symbolizes the dangers faced by civilians and the need for safety amidst chaos. The fire extinguisher is an interesting pick for a tool because it can not be used as a weapon and yet it is an active response to the violence. I think it was interesting that Banksy choose to portray a woman rather than the typical man we see on the war scene. Furthermore, Banksy’s choice to create this piece in an area that was destroyed by the war reinforces the idea of street art as a form of protest. It brings global attention to local struggles, making the art itself a part of the dialogue surrounding war and peace.

The second art piece really drew my attention because I think it displays modern-day romance. It depicts two lovers that seemingly are close and yet they are so far. Their metaphorical distance shows the negative effect that technology has on the new generation and the way people interact. In the couple despite their the physical intimacy, they present to be emotionally distant, highlighting how technology can interfere with genuine connections. I think it displays that close proximity does not guarantee emotional intimacy. It pushes the audience to think on how technology might have effected their relationships so much so they might be oblivious to it. It pushes the agenda to “live in the moment” and that is something I really appreciate because I try to live by that. It reveals an element of distraction that phones bring where you can have everything in front of you but be too involved with the phone. In a world where communication is instantaneous and constant, the irony lies in how phones can foster a sense of isolation. This art piece really conveyed a powerful message that definitely targets younger generations.

This piece by Banksy spoke volumes, it connects to the idea that peace is absolutely necessary. It has a greater effect because the soldiers are the ones pushing for peace despite being fully armed. Although this art piece was curated in 2005, it is still just as relevant in as the world is amidst numerous wars where peace is vital. While society may celebrate military figures, the depiction of soldiers in a peaceful light can provoke discomfort, challenging people to reconcile these conflicting ideals. Further their depiction of being fully armed pushes the idea that they are the face of war and not the face of peace. This piece makes viewers think about the impact of war and its desperate need for peace. In our society today this should serve as a call to action to try to gain peace. It was also interesting to note the color choice which is a stark constant. The peace sign in red immediately drew my attention and the soldiers in muted colors made me wonder the significance of soldiers and not regular people. In general, I think this art piece had an important message that should not be taken lightly.

 

Banksy: An Artistic Criminal

For this independent trip, I decided to go to the Banksy Museum mainly because I was not familiar with who Banksy is or his artwork. From the discussions in class, I sensed that he is an anonymous artist who does graffiti on the walls of popular cities. I was interested in checking it out and when I left the museum, I was more appalled than satisfied by what I saw.

Upon entering the museum, I saw one of Banksy’s works that seemed to have some contradicting elements. The work is titled “The Mild Mild West” and it was one of Banksy’s first murals. The title is a play on the words “the wild wild west”, which I picked up on quickly, but I was distracted by the teddy bear holding a Molotov cocktail. It was aiming to throw at the approaching riot police officers dressed in black. How could a sweet, innocent children’s toy be turned into such a violent person with no expression to its actions? To say that this is the mild west is an understatement. Banksy used irony to portray the theme of non-conformity, which is a concept society is familiar with, but the approach taken was not for me.

I continued following the blue arrows directing me where to look next, and at every turn, I saw another piece of “artwork” that exaggerated its message. For example, the piece titled “Toxic Mary” angered me because the point Banksy was attempting to convey was not the common consensus. In the piece, the Virgin Mary is holding a baby and is feeding it a bottle of poison rather than milk. Banksy wanted to show how the influence of caregivers can be toxic and that a child has no control over how their life will turn out. I strongly disagreed with Banksy’s view because the role of caregivers and parents is to protect, guide, and love the child. No one is out to harm the child, and while they may have no control in the early stages of development, it is not accurate to say that they are on a fixed path they cannot get off of.

Within this small museum, I would say there was a handful of hypocritical artwork that stood out to me. One of those was titled “Snorting Copper”, highlighting how even law enforcement breaks the rules they are suppose to enforce. The cop’s eyes reflect his guilty conscience and fear of being caught. Another one was titled “Grannies”, emphasizing how compassionate the older generation is towards youth’s rebellious ideas. Typically, the older someone gets, the more conservative they are in their actions, but these grannies seem to be still living out their good old days.

I cannot say that I was displeased with the experience entirely. There were some funny works of art, such as “Aachoo! (Old Woman Sneezing)” and “Hula-Hoop Girl”, but that did not hide what Banksy’s true mission is with his art. Most of the art had a very judgemental perspective, whether it be portraying the weaknesses of government officials as apes or adding in a weapon/firearm to an innocent children like drawing. Would I call Banksy’s work art? No. There was not a lot that I agreed with and the more I saw, the quicker I wanted to leave the museum. Personally, I do not understand the fascination with someone who promotes false beliefs or propaganda, but to each their one.

Banksy Museum New York – Suzanna Grigoryan

Initially, my trip to the Banksy Museum was not the most enjoyable. The weather was terrible; it was raining, windy, and cold. The bus to the city took very long with traffic, but nevertheless, I arrived and purchased my ticket. Walking into the museum, I felt surprised, as the setting was very dark and unlike any other museum I have ever been to. As I have previously mentioned, I am not a huge fan of art, however the simplicity and supposed mystery underlying Banksy’s works is a factor I definitely found enticing when walking around the building.

For one, I noticed that a majority of the pieces contained rats as the objects of focus. Accounting for Banksy’s protesting nature, I learned that the purpose behind depicting these figures is to symbolize the rebels of society, which feel neglected by the general public, therefore creating political commentaries on life. According to a comment on the regarded work, Banksy’s art critiques consumerism, political authority, terrorism, and the status of art and its display. From the pieces I viewed, I can confirm that these messages are certainly depicted within the displayed artwork.

“The Rolling Stone May Gather No Moss, But it Can Start an Avalanche” (2005)

It is said that to create the presented piece, Banksy collaborated with Simon Munnery, an English comedian, who provided the titular phrase. This piece can certainly be interpreted through a variety of different perspectives, however to me, it meant that although a goal may often take long to reach, the end result is always worth the struggle and effort. To elaborate, I believe Banksy attempts to communicate that although certain actions may not elicit immediately obvious results, their long-term impacts can still be prevalent, therefore even if a rolling stone does not have the immediate power to gather moss, resembling growth, improvement, and success, it still has the capability to leave lasting implications by initiating an ultimate avalanche, represented by long-term success and accomplishment. This also coincides with the idea of a chain reaction (domino effect), as every action in life leads to an essential ending.

Grannies (2006), Los Angeles

One thing I appreciated within the Banksy Museum is that all of the art was relatable and simple to understand, as opposed to overrated works that often communicate no message and seem soulless. Every framed composition was able to connect with me in some sort of way, for it was easy to detect the context behind each developed scene. In the painting depicting two grandmas knitting in chairs across from each other, the phrases on the clothing items reflect the passing of time, which is a common enemy to all humans alike. The elderly ladies reflect on their rebellious youth and reminisce over their childhoods, sharing a bittersweet moment that I can also relate to at an age where I am experiencing numerous transitional moments in life, leaving my own youth behind as I enter the world of adulthood.

Game Changer (2020), Southampton

Due to the relatively recent essence of this artwork, it can feel substantially touching, as it reflects the relatable COVID pandemic, which internationally impacted humanity to a certain extent. After learning that this piece was donated by Banksy to the Southampton General Hospital, I felt a deeper respect for this artist because this small act reveals the truth and kindness behind Banksy’s motivations, which unlike numerous artists, are not driven by superficial monetary values. Alongside of this contribution, Banksy wrote a note thanking the health professionals and hoping that this gift brightens the medical space. In this piece, the child chooses to play with a nurse rather than the stereotypically chosen superhero dolls, depicting the nurse in a cape, thus conveying the message that “not all superheroes wear capes” and in a critical time like this deadly wave, medical workers are the true heroes, saving the world through their dedicated efforts, which must be acknowledged and appreciated.

Overall, this museum was definitely a very unique encounter and I definitely enjoyed it more than the formerly visited MoMA, although I was left pondering many questions, predominantly remaining skeptical of how Banksy could possibly be identified as an anonymous figure when he/she spent so much time creating art in public areas and was even noted to partner with other individuals. Nonetheless, my favorite aspect of this museum was the integrating experience it provided, immersing the audience within a completely divergent world, specific to Banksy’s universe. Each creation was unique with its own offering of talent, beauty, hidden significance, and occasional humor. Towards the end of my journey, I came across a quote stating, “Copyright is for losers”. This was able to summarize Banksy’s mission within one statement because it portrays his/her desire to spread the accessibility of art to all demographics alike, protesting against capitalism in this exact manner. Therefore, the public is morally and legally free to reproduce and access any works that they wish to.

Art Lab

I started my experience at Snug Harbor by waiting for some friends to get there. After we grouped up, we entered the building and decided that we wanted to paint. We chose to do oil painting mostly because we learned about it earlier in class. We had a teacher that taught us the basics of oil painting, and she even told us how she started her journey into painting. She showed us some of her works, and we realized that she was very skilled in her work. After she showed us some examples, she set up some tables with different items we could draw. Niko and I decided to choose some tomatoes that were outside of a box. Being that this was my first time drawing, I have to say I was not very good at it, but with the help of our teacher, I managed to successfully paint my first artwork. 

As you can see, this is not the most perfect piece, but it’s not the worst considering it is my first time painting. What I learned from my experience is that painting is fun with a group. I also learned that when you finish a painting, you feel a sense of accomplishment, even though the work does not have to be that good.

In conclusion, my experience at the Art Lab was good, and I would prefer drawing over looking at art in museums because I like actually painting myself rather than looking at someone else’s art.

My Trip to the Banksy Museum by Wilson Wu

INTRODUCTION:

       From traveling through Brooklyn to Manhattan, I felt satisfied with the easy commute I had to go to reach the Banksy Museum. There was only one train line I had to go to, which was the N train, which made the trip very cheap and accessible to reach the museum. After reaching Canal Street, I walked around to find the museum till I saw a photo of Banksy right on top of a 3-story building. Immediately I walked in and climbed the stairs to the cashier on the counter. After showing him my student ID, he gave me a discount to the point where I had to pay $26. When my ticket was paid, he pointed to the entrance of the third floor of the museum where my journey to the Banksy Museum would begin.

SECTION 1 (PALESTINE AND UKRAINE SECTION):

“The Bethlehem Wall” by Banksy

“Ukraine Murals” by Banksy

       It was quite fascinating to observe art works, in which Banksy revealed his political stance on certain issues that were occurring in the world. Most notably, he has spread awareness through graffiti and even took the time to post them in his social media accounts to illustrate the damage that the wars in Palestine and Ukraine were to the innocent civilians who lived there. As shown in “The Bethlehem Wall”, he was willing to travel to a warzone area through a series of illegal tunnels to get his voice heard of the anger and disappointment he felt of the lost lives that were occurring. Many of the war paintings I’ve seen, such as Picasso’s “Guernica” that was discussed in one of the lectures, were all made by artists at their homes or pleasant locations and eventually shown in museums for display. Banksy, however, was very unique in that he was an artist who was willing to travel to dangerous places, in which many of them were bombed, to paint on damaged properties of what he thought were detrimental events that were occurring in those areas. This was also proven in the “Ukraine Murals”, especially with the street paintings of the woman holding a fire extinguisher while wearing a gas mask and the one with a child using judo on an old man. It just illustrates the high amount of unusual defense methods that innocent civilians had to go through when defending themselves in a war that they are not adapted to.

SECTION 2 (UNITED KINGDOM SECTION):

“Queen Vic” by Banksy

“Queen Ziggy Stardust” by Banksy

“Stop and Search” by Banksy

       Banksy made many graffiti works in the United Kingdom that mostly depicted him questioning those who have a lot of power and influence on society. For instance, he was not afraid to voice his social criticisms towards many monarchs. Within the “Queen Vic” painting, he drew a figure of Queen Victoria sitting on top of a woman. The context behind this was fueled by his anger at Queen Victoria making a statement that opposed gay rights claiming that, “…women are not able to be gay.” This painting was created during a time when gay rights were limited in Great Britain. As a result, the artwork raised awareness about the tyranny of the monarch, who ignored the concerns of the people and failed to address them. Another work of art that Banksy made of a monarch was the “Queen Ziggy Stardust” painting. This piece of graffiti, however, was made to compliment Queen Elizabeth by depicting her as Ziggy Stardust who was a fictional character that became an icon in rock music. This can furthermore show Banksy the complementary thoughts he had on both characters and their similarities to one another. Other than monarchs, Banksy was also shown to heavily criticize British law enforcement. As shown in the painting “Stop and Search”  a police officer stops and checks Dorothy’s bag from “The Wizard of Oz”. This shows the ridiculousness of Great Britain’s stop and search policy that was occurring during this time, as it highlights the violation of the rights of British citizens (Mainly of which belong to minority groups). Most of these people were also shown to be innocent, as represented by Dorothy and the flowers she had in her bag.

SECTION 3 (UNITED STATES AND FRANCE SECTION/CONCLUSION):

“If graffiti changed anything-it would be illegal” by Banksy

“Child Labor” by Banksy

       The main icon that Banksy used in many of his drawings was that of a “Rat”. When graffiti was born in the 20th century, it was seen as a dangerous art tool because of its damage towards properties that were owned by property and business owners. Even if people want to get rid of them, I’ve learned that the “Rat”icon was used as a symbol by Banksy to show how graffiti artists cannot be easily disposed of in society. Furthermore, Banksy rather sees it as an important artist tool for street artists to spread their ideals on large objects to depict it towards a larger audience. This can further motivate social change and even cause people to recognize issues that they’ve never known before. One of these rat paintings is shown in “If graffiti changed anything it would be illegal”, which shows Banksy’s perspective on the mass impact graffiti has on people’s rights. I also started to gain a perspective on how Banksy’s artworks are not at all damaging to property owners. Mayor Bloomberg created a bounty hunt for Banksy fearing that his works would damage the reputations of many business owners. However, many of them are under the control of the property owners. One of those graffiti works was the “Child Labor” graffiti, which was painted in a Bronx property painting and was eventually removed to be stored. Many property owners would even go as far as to sell them to museums or auctions, which raised questions on their morality.



(ostensibly) Affordable Art Fair

Earlier today, my seminar-related travels brought me to the Metropolitan Pavilion, which was hosting the Affordable Art Fair–a gallery in which artists from all over the U.S. and even international artists have the opportunity to showcase their art and sell it to the interested. I admittedly did not have high hopes for this event, a feeling pre-established by my purchase of a ticket the night before. I had paid roughly $41 for a relatively bare-bones entry ticket; VIP tickets were around twice that if memory serves. This represented my first financial hurdle in regards to the curiously named “Affordable” Art Fair, as I found the comparatively steep price affordable by no means. As a silver lining, guests under 16 were allowed free entry–but what good did that do me? I digress.

As I stepped into the venue itself, I was greeted with bustle. Swaths of people moving from exhibit to exhibit as if on a circuit, chatting up a storm amongst themselves and even with the artists. Immediately, I felt out of place. The employees were polite and I had no real interactions with anyone (save for one of the artists, but I will get to that later), but looking at the price tags of artworks made me realize the gulf between myself, an 18-year-old college student working a minimum wage job, and the artistically inclined who had undoubtedly come from all over to spend thousands of dollars on a new painting for their living room–or something. I think the cheapest painting I found was $600. Slave to souvenirs as I am, though, I didn’t walk home empty-handed: virtually all of the artists gave out free postcards or bookmarks as business cards, and who would I be not to capitalize on such an opportunity?

In any case, the art itself was a mixed bag for my tastes. I believe that modern art receives too much flak from the general population who I notice tend to prefer the classic old Western canon. I won’t lie and say that every piece I saw spoke to me, but there were many that I highly enjoyed. For example, Mercedes Jelinek’s Immersion, a photograph printed on recycled book paper, seemed to me an incredibly interesting way to present photography in a novel light. That being said, it was also $6,000, which overrode any positive feelings I had for the work. I understand that artists need to make a living, but the entire point of an “accessible” gallery should be that art is accessible to everyone, and I don’t see how such a price point can justifiably be called accessible.

As I sauntered through the gallery, I came across works by Chicago artist Richard Glick. We exchanged polite smiles and then he struck up a conversation with me, which made me momentarily freeze. He told me he was the artist behind the paintings I was looking at–something I discerned by the name on his lanyard–and I barely uttered a “That’s nice.” Retrospectively embarrassing for me, but we got to talking and I started warming up. The first thing he said to me after was, “You know, they call this affordable but it really isn’t at all.” I swiftly nodded, and we got along to talking about my school, what I was interested in, et cetera. This interaction was probably the highlight of my visit. I really enjoyed being able to have a conversation with an artist, even if it was just exchanging pleasantries. Instead of being some far-off figure, the artist was just a human standing in front of me. I also liked that he addressed the hypocrisy of calling the Fair “affordable” without my having to even intimate such a thing.

I wish I had more positive things to say about the Affordable Art Fair, but I would be lying. Woefully out of place among the rich art snobs of Manhattan, I decided to move on to better, cheaper things. Namely, a quick detour to the Chelsea Hotel to check out the lobby before I hopped on the SIM1c once again. With Patti Smith on my mind, I set out on a 10 minute walk from the Pavilion to the Hotel; it was probably shorter than that in actuality. But in any case, it served as a nice way to end my trip, although I do regret not getting a coffee or something in the bar. Next time, I’m sure.

Banksy Museum: A Tearful Experience

♥ Trigger Warnings ♥

BEFORE YOU READ: This post contains mentions of war, violence, and sensitive political controversy. Sensitive topics will be bolded in red.

♥ Thoughts Before Blogging ♥

Honestly, I spent an hour staring at my blank page (with some tears) trying to figure out how I could possibly blog about my experience at this museum without diving deep into super uncomfortable topics. There are many reasons why people find art uncomfortable to speak about or experience, but according to Banksy himself…

I do feel comforted. Not by the topic, but by the fact there is somebody with a greater voice who advocates against everything that harms innocent people.  I am disturbed, but my singular voice is also insignificant. Banksy is listed as one of the most influential people on Times Magazine. He uses his voice when common people cannot and that is what comforts me about his art.

♥ Rats Make Me Crazy ♥

Let’s start tame. When you walk around the museum there is a LOT of rat imagery. Some of my personal favorites include “Rats Along the Seine,” “Gangsta Rat,” and “Out of Bed Rat,” all shown below.

Why was Banksy so obsessed with rats? How is this classified as protest art?

The most important quote to note is “‘…rats are the only wild living animals in cities, and only rats will survive when the human race will have disappeared and died out.’ The similarities between these nocturnal creatures and graffiti artists are clear.

They are the clever, tough, and unwanted vermin of society.”

One of Banksy’s main forms of protest is graffiti art, and as a graffiti artist, he seems to resonate with rats the most. He mentions that if you feel unloved, rats are your role model. Perhaps he feels unloved by politicians due to the fact there is definitely a lot of unrest in the world at the moment.

War, Kids, Future

War. Unrest. Everybody has an opinion on it. Here, I would like to focus more on the position the children are placed (or displaced) in when it comes to war. Banksy focuses on this and topics of innocence throughout his artwork. Here are some examples.

Despite war, innocence is never lost in children. They still find love on top of the hill of guns and missiles, they hug the missle made to kill them. The child with the balloon (symbolic of hope and the future) is reaching at it at a questionable angle; is she letting go of hope and her future, or is she reaching out for it? Children know nothing but love and unfortunately are born in a world with governors who don’t value their lives.

I was met with a sign that said “Exit the Warzone.” My teary-eyed friend said we should. I told him that the worst part of all this is we have the option to leave the warzone. I am heartbroken as I type this, and truly, I believe this is how true art is meant to make me feel. I am meant to feel anger, heartbreak, and desperate for change. These artworks definitely did that for me.

Coppers

Banksy also had strong opinions on policemen and used humor to refer to those negative opinions about the police force.

Banksy does not take policemen’s actions very seriously. He believes sometimes their actions are unwarranted (ex. chasing after a playing stickman), and a less tame idea that can be the intention of making these artworks is the rise in police brutality towards BIPOC. Banksy also alludes to The Wizard of Oz to showcase the unnecessary searching of items when unneeded, he shows Dorothy being searched by a cop, which seems very childish to us as the audience, but is this the reality? The artist seems to believe so.

♥ More About Kids ♥

Banksy loves the idea of innocence and how optimistic and naive children are. It is why he is so angry about involving them in war. Some examples Banksy has about childhood innocence are the heroes they look up to. They look up to policemen, and although Banksy is very opposed to the system they are a part of, he seems to admire that children see policemen as role models. They also look up to nurses and doctors. Children value life, so they value those who save lives.

♥ Conclusion ♥

To conclude, this was one of my favorite museum experiences. I was brought to so many emotions, both negative and positive. I would 100% go again, but I do wish it didn’t cost $26 to walk in. After all, the price of entry is one of those capitalistic ideas that Banksy goes against.

Banksy museum

The trip to the city was not actually that bad. I went to Bay Ridge with a friend and had a coffee before heading to the Banksy Museum. I took the R train all the way down, and although the ride was long, it was not bad at all. The only real problem was the rain and wind; the weather has really changed to fall. Regardless, when I finally got off the train, the museum was right next to the station.

I knew a little about Banksy before my trip to the museum, but nothing more than the basics. I knew he did graffiti art, and that style often conveys a political message. Graffiti art is illegal, so when it is created, it usually has a message behind it. However, anything beyond that was unknown to me.

Walking into the museum was a special experience for me. The art on display was amazing, and the messages conveyed were powerful. It is clear that Banksy hates two things: the police and big businesses. In other words, Banksy is the average person’s painter, someone who stands up for the little guy and shows the elite that art is for everyone. This was evident when one of his paintings went to auction and shredded itself after being sold, effectively destroying the artwork. In short, his graffiti art is for the public and is not meant to be gatekept by the elite.

I feel the piece of art that best represents Banksy’s style is titled “I Fought the Law and I Won.” This artwork does a great job of making historical allusions and relating them to modern times. The man getting pinned down is reminiscent of the man who shot ex-president Ronald Reagan. In the piece, however, the man is a graffiti artist, and Banksy tries to show that graffiti artists are treated in a similar way to those who are seen as dangerous. The artwork also alludes to the Clash song “I Fought the Law, But the Law Won.” Along with being a great song, it adds to Banksy’s sense of humor and emphasizes that his graffiti art has legitimized graffiti as a form of art.

My favorite piece in the entire museum was the one shown below. It depicts a criminal holding onto the paper of a typewriter while scaling down a wall. `Besides being aesthetically pleasing, the piece carries a great message. My interpretation is that people can escape from the prison of their minds through creativity. This is very similar to the route Banksy has taken in his art; his creativity comes in a taboo form, but it serves as an escape from tradition.

 

 

 

All in all, my trip to the Banksy Museum was very special, and I genuinely had a great time. Banksy is so different from other artists, and the message he conveys is important: art is for everyone, not just for one class of people.

 

”I Fought the Law and I Won” (top)

Banksy’s criminal (bottom)

Art Lab at Snug Harbor

Art Display:
          Upon entering the Art Lab at Snug Harbor, there were many unique paintings filling the halls that surrounded us. Ranging from sculptures, cartoon paintings, to paper collages made by kids, I was amused by the diverse selections they had on display. What particularly struck me was how community-oriented these paintings were; they were mainly completed by Staten Island artists, and even depicted famous Staten Island “monuments”, such as the Ferry. Additionally, because these paintings were being sold, I noticed that a lot of them were emphasizing beauty, rather than a deeper meaning. This was probably because, as commonly noted by John Berger in “Ways of Seeing”, people love to hang art that is beautiful, shows their possessions, or can be used as decoration.

 

 

 

 

Oil Painting Class:
          After looking at the many pieces arranged, I walked into a room where I could participate in a live oil-painting class. I was excited to try oil painting for the first time, especially right after our discussion of oil paintings in Seminar! This was a really nice experience considering we had not paid anything and basically got a free art class and supplies, truly being an affordable access to art. Also, there were a lot of other Macaulay kids here too, so it was fun to complete this class together. I was assigned two pumpkins to paint— one white and one orange.
         First, I started off with a “sketch” in blue oil paint. Initially, I found it difficult to create the original sketch, especially because of the enormous brush I had to work with. However, after some trial and error and patience, I was slowly able to get a sketch, to the best of my talent, of what best replicated the pumpkins that laid before me. After the sketch, I was given a multitude of colors of oil paint to start layering the sketch into completion. This was my favorite part. Mixing the colors to mirror those of the real pumpkins and constantly transferring my sight into my hands was a fun process. I have never copied a real life object onto a painting, and surprisingly it was less difficult than I had thought it would be.
———Although my pumpkins are not fully realistic to the real ones, I am still content with the final product. Also, I enjoyed seeing everyone else’s final products. Everyone used a different technique, and it was fascinating how the interpretation of the same object can be depicted differently on their final canvas. After finishing the oil painting, we were able to take them home. It impressed me that it takes a week to fully dry, but now seeing it after the drying process, I can appreciate that you can see the layers of oil paint, further giving it dimension.

 

 

 

Conclusion:
          My time spent at the Snug Harbor Art Lab was my favorite Seminar trip so far. Instead of just looking at the art, which unfortunately can be boring at times to my wandering mind,  I was also able to interact with it and be an artist for a day. After the Art Lab, I further spent the day at the Botanical Gardens and had a fun time looking at nature’s art as well.

 

 

Banksy exhibit

This class continues to grow my appreciation for art, and as someone who does not care much for art I can confidentially say the Banksy exhibit is a must see. The art has such deep meaning, but always with a comical twist, in addition, the art has so many modern references such as, movies like Planet of the Apes and Pulp Fiction. Banksy is anti police, and anti capitalism, I noticed that he wants what’s best for the average person, his art is satirical to many elitists such as his mockery of Andy Warhol.

The first piece that stood out to me was the picture of an ape, with the text saying, “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge.” This was easily my favorite piece especially because the Planet of the Apes series is my favorite movie series ever. I also belief this could be a reference to Darwinism and how apes will continue to evolve, and like in Planet of the Apes, will be in charge. Banksy had a few pieces with apes pictured as advanced beings, and this spoke volumes to how animals that humans used for entertainment, and hold captive may one day have the power to do the same to us.

The next piece that stood out to me was the work of this rat, and there was many other rats pictured. Banksy being the rebellious type, appreciates the nature of rats and how they exist and no one likes them, also how rats are so little and harmless but hold such great power. Banksy is technically a wanted criminal. He has to be stubborn like a rat, so he can still make his art. He is not doing harm to anyone, yet people in power want him hunted, like a rat.

All in all, the Banksy exhibit is definitely my favorite museum of the few I’ve been to, Banksy is just an average guy, not like these artists who make millions and their art has little meaning, it is just sold for the value of the meaning, and he does not encourage his work to be sold as he is strongly against capitalism.