Assignment 5c

Revisit project assignment 2b. Briefly remind us what MoLAA is and tell us how the knowledge you learned this semester enhance your understanding of the artwork found at the MoLAA? Be specific.

MoLAA is the Museum of Latin American Art, which is located in Long Beach, California. By studying the Pre-Columbian era, I have gained a better understanding of how significant the artwork at the museum is.

2. Revisit any one item of art found at the MoLAA past or present. (You can do this a couple of ways: by clicking on the video links found in project 2, then pausing it. Examine the name of the artist. Or, go to the MoLAA website and find an artist there). Do a search on that artist and tell us how his/her work relates to the topics we studied this semester. Find an example of his/her work. Include the following elements:

http://www.molaa.org/readimage.aspx?IMAGE_NBR=313

1. Contains a brief paragraph of reference to components A and B, how you came across this piece, how it connects to your study of humanities

Miguel Antonio Bonilla: El Nudo / The Knot, 1994

I found this piece of artwork by going to molaa.com and searching through the permanent collections until a piece caught my eye. This piece of artwork is representative of an era when war was occurring and status of a country or even legal standing was often unknown.

2. Contains the following analytical elements:

1. Observation: What do you see in the artwork? What is the subject of the work? What is the work made of? What techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the artist use? Be specific in your description

I see two men, most likely soldiers, facing each other with a cloudy blue sky behind

them. There is a red and white rope, similar to a candy cane, connecting the two men. The artist used acrylic paint on canvas to pain this work, and uses very curvy lines to accentuate the figures.

2. Interpretation: In one sentence, what is the artwork about? Give specific examples to support this statement.

This painting is about comradery in a time when war was common.

3. Judgment: What led you to choose this work of art? What do you think or feel about this work? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations.

I just searched through the museum’s website until I saw a piece I liked. I think this piece shows a sense of hope and glimmer during the time of despair.

4. Questioning: What would you like to know about this work? What would you like to know about its history, its subject, or about the artist? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience.

I understand this was created in 1994, but I would like to know what other significant pieces of art Bonilla has created and if they all relate to Latin America.

Assignment 5b

1. Contains a web link to the actual piece (art, photo, architecture, pottery, etc.)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar_statue.JPG

2. Contains a brief paragraph of reference to components A and B, how you came across this piece, how it connnects to your study of humanities

In assignment 5a, I researched Simon Bolivar. For this assignment, I am researching a statue of Bolívar in Washington, DC. Although Bolívar is known throughout the America’s I wanted to represent his distinction here in the US.

3. Contains the following analytical elements:

1. Observation: What do you see in the artwork? What is the subject of the work? What is the work made of? What techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the artist use?

This piece of artwork is a magnificent statue. The statue represents Simon Bolivar on a horse, with one leg in the air, to show he was a leader in a battle. In this case, the battle was the liberation of many southern American countries against the European colonies. The piece of artwork is a sculpture medium and is made out of brass. It is the tallest statue in town, with the tip of his sword reaching over 27 ft tall.

2. Interpretation: In one sentence, what is the artwork about? Give specific examples to support this statement.

This artwork represents how one person can make such a difference throughout world.

3. Judgement: What led you to choose this work of art? What do you think or feel about this work? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations.

I chose this piece of artwork because I wanted to show my classmates how Simon Bolivar is not just honored throughout South and Central America, but also in the United States as a hero. I feel this piece art is a wonderful representation of Bolivar, actually and metaphorically.

4. Questioning: What would you like to know about this work? What would you like to know about its history, its subject, or about the artist?
5. I know the artist of the sculpture is deWeldon Felix, who also created the Iwo Jima statue of the 5 men, but I would like to know when this statue of Bolivar was erected.

Assignment 5a

2. In a paragraph, tell us what "Independence Period' means.

The independence period in Latin America took place during the 18^th & 19^th centuries. The period consisted of revolutionary wars against European rule of the colonies. The Latin America revolutions followed the French & American Revolutions against European forces as well. Haiti was the first country in Latin America to gain independence. Simón Bolívar is the most well known leader of the revolution, as he led Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Bolivia to independence.

3. Tell us why you chose the topic:

I chose to research Simón Bolívar because he was taught in 9^th grade and I remember very little about him, but would like to refresh my memory.

Bolivar was President of Gran Colombia until his death. Following his lead in the revolution throughout Latin/South America, Bolivia became president of Gran Columbia. He wrote most of the constitution in order to implement a new, more centralized form of government. He retired presidency and was planning to move into exile in France, but died because of a severe case of tuberculosis.

Over 20 cities in South America are named after Bolivar. Cities throughout Chile, Columbia, Argentina and Peru have cities and villages honoring Bolivar. In addition to these cities in South America, there are several equestrian statues honoring Bolivar. These are located in Washington DC, San Francisco, and in Buenos Aires.

Bolivar had no decedents of his own. The only living in the generation after him come from his sister and brother. He also only had 2 cousins that he knew of. Bolivar’s eldest brother worked on diplomatic relations in the US and seldom had contact with Simon.

6. Cite your sources used for this component and tell us why these sources are credible.

http://www.embavenez-us.org/kids.venezuela/simon.bolivar.htm

I used most of my information from the website listed above because it is a .org site and most non-profit sites are very reliable/credible.

Assignment 4c

1. Research the word "culture" on the Internet. In a brief paragraph, tell us what you find, tell us how this project topic fits into that definition. Cite your source.
The word ‘culture’ stems from the Latin word cultura meaning, ‘to cultivate’. According to my resources, there are many different meanings to the word culture. The most prominent and commonly referred to meaning is the set of shared values and goals that one specific group or organization lives by and practices. When the word first came to be in Eastern Europe, the term referred to cultivation and horticulture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture

http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=culture

2. Examine any two of your classmates work for a review. Use project 4a and project 3a; so choose 1 student to review for project 3a, and one student for 4a.. Tell us in two paragraphs (one each) what you learned, how we can apply Freire to this topic, how this relates to the region we are studying in this class.

Project 4a- Adriana Garcia; Adriana researched La Malinche for her assignment. La Malinche was “the first Mexican” as she was a mix between native and Spaniard. She was also the translator between the Spaniards and the natives. She knew several different Mayan and Aztec languages and quickly learned Spanish because of her work with Cortez. I never knew any of this before I read Adriana’s blog, so everything I read was new information. This relates to Freire because many people regarded her as a traitor, just like Freire, and she was criticized for trying to better her culture, again just like Freire. Both of these cases are unfortunate, but with time, we have come to realize these people as heroes.

http://adrianagarciaintdis4.blogspot.com/2009/04/assignment-4a.html

Project 3a- Krista Brughelli; Krista researched the Mayan culture for this assignment. I learned that the Mayans made their own written language, and they were the only Pre-Columbian culture to have a full written language. They were also part of the Mesopotamians that developed the calendar we use today. I also learned that Mayan people still use the traditions of the pre-Columbian era today. All of this was new to me, even though I have researched the Mayans in the past. This relates to Freire because the Mayans developed their own written language and Freire tried to teach the written language to those who wanted to learn.

http://kristab33.blogspot.com/2009/03/assignment-3a.html