Art Institute of Chicago

Recently, I was able to visit the Art Institute of Chicago where this painting entitled “Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir caught my attention. I was so intrigued by the painting that I went home and looked up information on the painting. I learned that this oil on canvas painting was completed in 1879 and captures sister Francisca and Angelina Wartenber. The pair were actually members of a German acrobat troupe and performed at the Cirque Fernando in Montmartre, Paris - which happens to be where the painting is set. Renoir used excellent colors to depict the girls bowing and gathering oranges following their performance. I really likes this painting because the girls seems so young and innocent, dressed in white and gold. This picture was so beautiful hanging in the museum. I honestly think I could spend days at the Art Institute of Chicago and never get bored; I still have many paintings to really take in. If you get a chance, I think you should travel to Chicago and visit the Art Institute - you will not be disappointed!

Key Lime Pie: A Slice of Heaven

Ahhh! Nothing says summer to me like key lime pie. It truly is a little piece of heaven every time I bite into this delectible little treat. I love the look, the taste, and the memories that go along with key lime pie. But onto why I am currently obsessing over key lime pie! Each summer Chicago has an Air and Water Show that is absolutely amazing -- I really am stunned every summer at the beauty of the planes tearing through the sky. The Air and Water Show gives my parents a reason to throw a party in our condo each summer, full of friends, family, and good food and drinks. It also gives my mom and I a reason to make a key lime pie. I love the process of making the pie because the end product really is a design. The crust, the tart, and the whipped cream and lime slices on top all go together to make a really delicious, and not bad looking, pie. Just look at the picture above, a slice of key lime pie is truly a piece of art. The whipped cream and lime, in my opinion, really make the pie look beautiful. Okay, enough talk about pie! My mouth is watering for just a bite of the ever so delicious pie that is key lime... yum!

Lovely Bedroom...

Considering the fact that I will be moving into an apartment in just under two weeks, I find myself eager to find designs of how I want to decorate my bedroom. When I came across the picture found on the left, I suddenly began dreaming for a bedroom like it. I absolutely love the design of the bedroom, from the color scheme to the slanted windows. The color orange in this room is inviting and relaxing. The white rug, walls, and floor contrast the orange bedding in a harmonious way. I feel great vibes coming from this room, allowing the person who it belongs to be happy and at ease. I love the plan that is next to the bed as well, because I always love a nice plant to spruce things up in a house. I simply love this bedroom for all that it has to offer: the space, the design, and the color. I know I would love to go to sleep in this room every night... and wake up to breathe in the beauty that surrounds this spacious room.

Blogs: Time Consumers!

Just like many Americans today, I log onto my computer and have to read a few blogs before I can do anything else. Unfortunately, many of the blogs I follow have no real impact on my life or the lives of people around me. My favorite blog can be found at www.theskinnywebsite.com -- and the blogger posts pictures of celebrities and comments on their bodies. I am aware of how superficial this website appears to be, but I believe it is more than that. It is a good way for me to see what celebrities are doing to maintain, and in some cases let go, of their health; and it is also a great way for me to see what the latest celebrities are wearing and doing. Other than this blog, I follow many others. Some on design, some on culture, some on the lives of people I have never met but still enjoy reading about their daily activities and emotions. I feel that the blogging community is such a vast one that I have not even had a chance to find blogs that would really move me, motivate me, or connect with me; but I continue to search the net for one that inspires me to be the best I can be. Below I have included summaries on two of my favorite design blogs. I hope you get a chance to check them out and I also hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Cheers!

http://veerle.duoh.com/: This blog mixes design advice and views with a great variety of tutorials and interviews. The blogger addresses design in a brilliant way, because she is an engaging writer that is sharing web design with the vast Internet community. She focuses on CSS and web standards, but also includes other blog entries that deal with all sorts of design -- even home design! The blog's philosophy seems to be that sharing tips on design with the world is a good idea because it will lead to many more creations in the world.

http://www.markboulton.co.uk/: This blog, written by Mark Boulton who resides in the United Kingdom, is a must read when it comes to design. Since Boulton is a designer with many years of experience under his belt when it comes to the fields of print, advertising, multimedia, and web design, you would be missing out on tons of great advice if you skipped over his blog. The mission of his blog is to offer the public guidance on many of the elements of good design -- typography, color, CSS, and even information design. The blog's philosophy seems to be that in sharing design advice with others, good karma will come to Mark Boulton.

Hillman Curtis: Artist's Video

Milton Glaser is an artist with his own philosophy on design. In the short video created by Hillman Curtis, Glaser says, "I've always believed that the life of a designer is a life that is very much between two sets of beliefs -- that of the businessman and that of the artist. And everybody kind of has a sense of where they fit in that spectrum." He then goes on to speak more of his beliefs, "My belief is that if you like Mozart and I like Mozart, we already have something in common. So the likelihood of our killing each other has been diminished. That art performs this pacifying function in culture." This belief goes hand-in-hand with Glaser's other belief that art creates commonalities between people. In order to further explain that art brings people together, Glaser quotes a man named Louis Hyde, "This is what artists do in culture: they provide this gift to the culture so people don't kill each other." Overall, Glaser believes that art brings people together and creates a sense of harmony in order for people to get along -- or in his words "not kill each other."

Something neat about Milton Glaser is that he teaches art. When asked why he teaches, Glaser answered, "Fundamentaly I teach because it makes me feel good. It's helped me certainly clarify my own objectives." He loves seeing people change through art and design. He believes there is a responsibility to create good citizenship and you can do this through graphic art. He believes "you want to do things that have some relationship to your community, your family, your country, the world." And he believes you can do this through art. I completely agree.

Glaser also believes that people lose their astonishment for the world, and he feels blessed that he still has that astonishment when it comes to art and his profession. He really feels passionate about art and design, so passionate that he teaches others the passions art and design can bring to this world. Milton Glaser has a unique and fascinating philosophy on art and design, one that many of us could learn a thing or two from.

I found the video on Milton Glaser at this website: http://www.hillmancurtis.com/index.php?/film/watch/milton_glaser/.

Obama Propaganda

After searching the Internet for propaganda posters, advertisements, and web pages, I came across this Obama propaganda poster that moved me. There is a picture of President Barack Obama behind these words: "I'm asking you to BELIEVE not just in my ability to bring about real change, I'm asking you to to believe in YOURS." Of course, this was an election poster for Obama, but I believe it covers all the bases of the presidency as well. President Barack Obama's main tag-line throughout the election was to "Believe in change" and seeing that he won the election, America did believe in change [and still do]. This example of government propaganda does an excellent job at portraying a man and a message to the general public, the words are cast over the picture, therefore bringing more attention to the words than the man. The word "YOURS" is bold and white, ultimately contrasting the rest of the poster and screaming out to the audience that "you are important too!" And, if you ask me, that is what propaganda is all about: sending a message to the public, a message that they want to hear. Today, we see that President Obama's propaganda poster can still convey an important message to the American public: Believe in yourself, and believe in your President--that everything will turn out okay.

Ahhh! Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda... what would we do without you? We have always, and will continue, to be swayed by propaganda. The art side of designing propaganda posters is interesting, because an artist or designer makes the decision on where to place the words, the pictures, and ultimately the message of the propaganda itself. I think this example of a propaganda poster shows that the artist behind it was brilliant.

[I found this excellent example of propaganda at the following website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greysheepduo/2473559487/]

My Very Own Design Mind Map

Below is the mind map I created for the word design. I believe there are many things that contribute to the word and process of design and this is simply my opinion on what they are. Enjoy!