Samson and Delilah.

I went to see this film the other night, it was actually pretty good, although there wasn't much of a story line, I saw it as more of a documentry to show us how the Aboriginal people in Austrailia are misstreated and classified as different to the rest of the Austrailian continent.
I don't have much knowledge on this subject, but after watching the film I actually can understand a abit more about the issue, and I would suggest anyone the same to go see it too!

In contrast...Musee du Louvre.

MONA LISA.

I've finally seen this Leonardo da Vinci painting in real life and as close as I could possibly get...which was metres away guarded behind a glass protective box and a barrier for the viewer to stand behind.
I heard one person say to their friend

"yeah it's good, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about"

which made me laugh because she had some point, I mean the other da Vinci Paintings were displayed much more low key, and on a scale 3 times as big as The Mona Lisa. Though this is probably the most famous and iconic painting in the world, therefore has every right to be protected and presented to such a high standard. Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, and luckily was recovered intact two years later, the painting has since also attracted much vandalism in the past for different reasons, and so the bullet proof glass is vital to keep the iconic painting safe.
When I looked at the painting I still couldn't understand how genuine it was, even though it was standing right there in front of me I had to keep reminding myself that this was the original Leonardo da Vinci. Although I had heard the painting was only small, I didn't realise how small it actually would be! when you walk into the room you can just see a swarm of people pushing and shoving each other to get to the front of the safety barrier, and a few feet ahead is the Mona Lisa, barely visible at this point. When i got to the front it was still a struggle to take a clear picture of the painting, I took like 15 photographs to eventually get a clear portrait of her.
It was as though a famous person was standing with her body guards in front of these crazy fans, pushing and taking photographs, it was just a constant repeat of flashing camera's. really bizarre.

I did really enjoy visiting the Louvre, I couldn't believe how massive the gallery was, it would take days to view the thousands and thousands of collected art pieces. I admit that I'm more keen on 20th century art than the exhibits in the Louvre, though the works of artists such as Botticelli, Raphael and da Vinci leave me in awe of their pure talent to paint so beautifully.

Jean-Francois Rauzier.

Hyper-photos. Rauzier's artwork is created by assembling hundreds of close-up shots taken with a telephoto lens, giving amazing high-definition detail which no normal camera could possibly capture at the distance taken. When I saw the images I hadn't the knowledge of how Rauzier created them, I couldn't understand how a piece of photography could be so clear and so life-like. Since returning home I looked into the work of Rauzier and now I'm just fascinated with how he produces such detailed images, it's crazy because when I looked closely at his work I could see no sign of the images being tampered with, no joining to suggest any cropping and redesigning.
The hyper-photos give off a strange atmosphere whereby time has frozen and a fantasy world has been captured, the colours are so vivid and magical that it's hard to believe the photographs have been taken from the real world.
From these photographs I have taken, you can see how large the scale of his images are, which indicates how precise Rauzier has to be in order to display a flawless photograph. I like his work because of the interesting way in which he creates, his subject matter is confusing and again has similar characteristics to collage, the image as a whole makes sense until you look closely and discover random objects which contrast each other.

Serge Mendjisky.


Mendjisky uses photography to create a means of distorted collage's, displaying images of city life, public events and other general scenarios. It was the scale of his work which captured me the most, because from afar the images could be mistaken as a random collection of colour. When I took a closer look I could see a clear image of buildings and people which have cleverly been restructured to give the impression of an original photograph.
I find collage really interesting to use and to look at, I see it as another form of painting, so instead of creating with acrylics, oil or pastel, I can use photographs and images to give the same effect.
Mendjisky reminds me a bit of Rauschenberg's approach to image and colour, both use imagery to create abstract art, and where Rauschenberg utilizes paint to combine the two mediums, Medjisky's creations give off a similar affect using only photography.

Arman.
I really like this sculpture piece in the exhibition,by the artist named Arman. I found it aesthetically pleasing to look at, but it was frustrating because it was in a box and I just really wanted to touch it! I love ready-made art, I think it's really interesting to look at, and i like the debate on whether or not it is considered as art in its own right.

Philippe Pasqua.
I loved this painting 'Portrait de Femme'. The overall scale was amazing, because the markings were so clear and seemed so simple when I was stood close to it. I've been researching this artist since coming back, and i find his oil paintings amazing, he's inspired me to go back into painting. Pasqua's style is expressive, abstract and spontaneous, his brush strokes are visible and the painting's appear to be in motion, bringing his portraits to life.