Reading Assignment ( unfinished )

For me, it is scary to see how those machines and robots can replace human’s craftwork. In many ways, the usage of them can increase the efficiency and save the opportunity cost for us to do other things we want. However, is the crafts work really just about producing products? I believe they are not. I would judge that there are things that you cannot achieve with machines and robots.

For arts, there are many computer programs out there can make a painting of landscape in just a few seconds. However, compare them with the really oil paintings in galleries, they miss the soul of art. Different artists paint differently, and even the same artist has different styles in different period of time. The real paintings are unique from each other. Through the different ways of color usage, the composition planning, and the stroke sweeping, artists give arts their soul.

Most people in the world may say that machines save time for us. However, they make us loose the ability of handcrafting. 

Visit Indiana University Art Museum

I visited Indiana University Art Museum during this Thanksgiving break.

The second I stepped into the museum, a memory from seven years ago was recalled into my mind. That was my first time of visiting America and Indiana University Art Museum was the first American museum I have ever been to.

When I visited IUAM seven years ago,  saw these series of modern arts. I still remember that I was so confused by the this modern expression of art at that time.

However, when I stood infront of those modern arts this time, I felt the meanings and passion in them.

Water Series

As a serie, these photos really connect together with a theme of different shapes of water. 

This is the photo I love the most and inspires me with some artistic ideas.

This "O" shape water wrap around him head is like a cover of his eyes. However, a internal energy hits it and it is blowing up.

This expresses the idea of revealing a camouflage, which is covering the truth.

With the man looking forward, a feeling of "a bright future is coming" comes into my mind.


For me, water can become a path to explore. Just like what Monet did.

Water can be amazing media to use or to show.

Day 17-Greece

Day 17-Greece

            During this Economic depression, Greece was one of the most suffering countries in the world. Because of so, I felt the depression of the country at the first day I arrived in Athens.

            As the capital of Greece, Athens should be a flourish city. However, what I saw was the closing stores and the early close public system.

            Different from its economy, Athens’s cultural or historical relics were amazing. Akropoli was a “center of culture and religion” built on a high rocky outcrop above the city of Athens. All of the temples in Akropoli were made of enormous limestone and marbles. It was not hard to imagine how hard it was to build all these architectures on the hill.

            All these works showed the strength of Greece around 500BC. Through the long river of history, many great empires had used the art in Greece. For example Rome copied the technics of stone carving from Greece.

Day 15- Netherland Amsterdam

Day 15- Netherland Amsterdam

            Amsterdam in Netherland was a very interesting city. Compare to other Northern Europe countries, Amsterdam was not that neat. This gave me the feeling of living in a southern Europe city.

            Vincent Willem van Gogh was born in Netherland and he was one of my favorite artists in the world. I decided to visit Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was full of Van Gogh’s best works and his friends’ works.

            Through my visit, I felt Van Gogh’s life. His paintings in different period of times were so different, showed his changes. The works he painted in southern France showed that he was really excited because of the beautiful countryside. And also, the paintings he created in later of his life were not so bright. He used heavy and dark oil paints showed his pain in life.

Day 14- Kolon, Germany

Day 14- Kolon, Germany

            “How could the Taxis possibly be this in order! ”

            This was my first impression when I look out through the window of the Kolon train station. Although I had imagined the neat of a German city, I had never though it would be like this. However, this was not the only thing shocked me.

            Walking out the station, The Cathedral of Cologne appeared in my eyesight. It was too tall that I had to lift up my head to have a full view of it. The Cathedral of Cologne was different from other Catholic churches. Its Gothic design gave it a mysterious and unreachable them.

            

Day 12 In Paris

Day 12 In Paris

            “Paris was not as fascinating as I had imagined it to be since I was little. “

            This was my first impression when I just at Paris. Though it was true that compare to Italy or Greece, France was a much better developed and modern country. The highly modernized subway system was truly amazing, but I believed that as the capital of a strong country, Paris should be like this.

            Then I started to ask myself that what really stood out for Paris made it one of the most famous and romantic places in the world. The answer was did not come out to me until I visited the Louvre Museum.

            I had been to many museums in my eighteen years of life time, but none of them were as exciting as Louvre. What really attracted me was not the new main entrance, designed by Ieoh Ming Pei. For some people, they did not understand the reason of its triangle shape. In contrast, I loved it! It formed a great contract with the old part of buildings. The glass triangle shape entrance was a sign of modernization and the old palace buildings were the signs of history.

            This contrast also told the world that Louvre Museum did not only own the beautiful arts from the history, but also focused on how the path of art would go on.

Day 11 night on train from Florence to Paris

Day 11 night on train from Florence to Paris

            Waking up in the middle of night I had no idea where am I. This was the first time I have this indescribable feeling. However, on this train from Florence to Paris, no one except the captain would know where we are in this particular of time.

            Does where we are really matter to us? The answer would be yes for most of the people, because there must be a place that belongs to each one of us and we call it home. The difference between each city and country is huge.

            At this point, I started to miss Italy. The second I step on the stone sidewalk I know I will fall in love with this city. The tinny stones on the streets enable the horse coaches run.

            Rome’s beauty of art impressed me. “Wherever I go is like walking in the museum.” I speak this to my dad when he asked my impression of this city. Not only the famous churches or the squares, but also the daily life architectures were amazing. The crafts on them were so detailed that look like they are moving.

            Florence had a similar artistic background because many famous Roman artists were born at here. However, it gave me a completely different feeling. Compare to the busy Rome, this whole city was just like having a tea break. Everyone was so leisured, falls in this artistic city. Great architecture designer Michael Angelo and amazing painter Leonardo Da Vinci were both born here.

Day 6 From Rome to Froenze

The last day of Rome was full of impressions. Early in the morning, my mom and I went to the Colonseil, a place has the role just like the NBA stadium. When this gigantic structure came into my eye, I was shocked by ancient architects’ ability.

            As we know, Colonseil was the place for the shows of human fight with animals. The competition between human and wildness was dangerous, but this was the only way for the lower class to gain their honor and sometimes even freedom.

            However, all these fights were entertainments for the anarchy. The power of higher class was well shown by these severe competitions.

Day 4- Rome

The first full day in Rome was amazing.

Piazza di Spagna, Pantheon, Fontana di Trevi… All of them were so beautiful.

Day 4- Rome

The first full day in Rome was amazing.

Piazza di Spagna, Pantheon, Fontana di Trevi… All of them were so beautiful.

Day 3 From Istanbul to Italy

This was our last day in Turkey so we decided to end with a beautiful memory of the unbelievable Mosques.

We went to the Blue Mosque.

Day 2 Istanbul

The second day in Istanbul, my parents and I went to the Topkapi Sarayi.

Topkapi Sarayi was the home of The king for years and also the government center.

When walk in the enormous gate of this palace, a mosque appeared in my view. It was an aged building, which was as old as the Ayasofya Mosque ( over 2000 years old). The differnce between this mosque and Ayasofya was that Ayasofya was open for every one but the mosque in the Tokapi was only for the king's family.

Harem was one of the most interesting place in the Topkapi Sarayi, " Harem" means "private" in the Arabian. "Harem" was the home of King's wives and his mother. Every part of "Harem" was carefully designed with beautiful arts. One of the most impressive arts was the mix colored brick walls. The detailed figures and beautifully chosen colors were shocking.