Paragone Discussion

Paragone Summary Questions for “Standing in the Shoes” assignment:

Michelangelo vs. Da Vinci

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1. Do you think that one type of art is superior to another?
We didn't think that one kind of art is superior to another. Sculpting and painting are both amazing and equally take quite a bit of work to produce. It's just a matter of the talent that the individual artist has which determines its “worth”. We all gained more an immense appreciation for the process of actually sitting down, planning, and creating art in whatever form that it occurs.
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2. Do you think a discussion such as the Paragone is useful?
We thought that the discussion was useful as it allowed everyone to share both their unique as well as common experiences while working on their project. It also allowed us to learn from each other because artists need to draw on the experiences and inspiration of others to be able to create great works of art. In particular, Stephen could relate specifically to the paragone of Leonardo because he listened to music while sketching and found that it did help him relax and enjoy the process more. Kevin realized how technically difficult it was for Da Vinci to produce accurate looking sketches but concedes Leonardo’s point that it is easier to “repair damage” produced in painting (or sketch) more easily than a mistake in sculpture.
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3. How did your week as an artist influence your interpretation of this reading?
It definitely gave us all an insight into the real world experiences of an artist. It gave us a familiarity with producing art that made the reading more applicable. Those that did the sculpture could absolutely relate to the part where if too much material is removed then you pretty much have to start over. The group members who worked with soap noticed that chunks would break off quite easily making the process even more of a challenge. LaTaira ended up switching to wax as a more “solid” medium. Melanie in her effort to create a dolphin (and as soap shavings lay scattered on her couch) says she saw the process as more of revealing the dolphin within the soap bar by just removing everything that wasn’t her dolphin. Jenna found it hard to carve smoothly. Carving her domino was a lesson in concentration and patience.
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4. Did your group reach a consensus?
Yes, our group did reach a consensus in that all of us do not think that one type of art is superior to another. It all depends on the talents of the individual artist and all of us can appreciate a great work of art no matter whether it is a sculpture or painting. Also even though the assignment took either as much or more effort than planned, we all really enjoyed the experience. It allowed us to explore art further than just face value.
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"Standing in the Shoes"

“Standing in the Shoes” of Michelangelo – Melanie Zoch

I had fun carving, I may take it up as a hobby.  I just took the advice of something I read once about sculpting and that is to take away all that which is not your object.  I just took off everything that did not look like a dolphin.  I wish I had a bigger bar of soap and if I continue in this hobby, I will find a larger medium, maybe wood to work with. I did buy carving tools at Wal-Mart.  I appreciate the patience it takes to do this, but the reward is worth it.  It feels good to create something.  I am artistic anyway so I really enjoyed this assignment.  Doing it yourself is better than just looking at someone else's work.

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“Standing in the Shoes” of Michelangelo – LaTaira Wilburn

After three tries with three different bars of soap I decided to use a candle which was much easier to sculpt than the soap because it was not as soft.  Carving the candle into a potted flower took a very long time because the slightest mistake could have ruined the entire sculpture.  Sculpting the petals was the hardest part of all at first I started out with square petals and then began to curve the rounded edges which was harder than I thought.  After doing this I now have a lot of respect and appreciation for artists such as Michelangelo; the time, effort, and creativity that it takes to make a sculpture amazes me.
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“Standing in the Shoes” of Michelangelo – Jenna Sumners

I attempted to sculpt a domino out of soap. Even though it was not a complex thing to carve, it still took me quite a while. It was really hard to get a perfectly rectangular shape, so I ended up with a fairly small domino with a curved back. It makes you respect those who have the diligence and talent to sculpt something so perfect it could be real if it weren't made of marble or stone. I chose a domino because in a way people are like dominoes. If dominoes are set up on end side by side in a line, and you push one over it will hit the next one which will hit the one beside it...etc, until all of the dominoes are knocked over. As people, we thrive on social interactions, and the things we do and say may only appear to affect one person, but in reality it could affect everyone that the person comes in contact with afterwards; a domino or ripple effect.

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“Standing in the Shoes” of Da Vinci – Stephen Warren

In order to demonstrate the various techniques used by da Vinci, I chose to do a sketch of a painting called “Oceanside Villa” by the artist Silverado.  The atmospheric change between the foreground and background is demonstrated in the way that the foreground is an enclosed courtyard and the background is the wide open ocean and the fresh, clear blue sky.  Perspective in the sketch is demonstrated by the use objects in the foreground and background.  In the foreground, the objects that stand out the most are the two pottery planters, whereas in the background, the eye is drawn to the two boats on the beach which appear much smaller and this effectively demonstrates perspective.  The vanishing point is the horizon where the parallel lines of the ocean and sky meet just above the boats.

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“Standing in the Shoes” of Da Vinci – Kevin Thomas

I chose to stand in the shoes of Leonardo Da Vinci and make a sketch using some of the principles that he used often in his artwork. I started with the idea of a courtyard that incorporated both several of the architectural elements seen during the time of Da Vinci (colonnade, fountain, etc) along with modern architecture (window sill, door structure, etc). I made an attempt to create an Atmospheric/ aerial perspective by lightly applying diagonal shading to more distant objects in an effort to create the “blueing” that is very noticeable as objects retreat from the foreground to the background in Da Vinci’s color paintings. Of course since I was standing in the shoes of Da Vinci, “my” shoes were available to be placed in two locations within the drawing to show scale and depth. The shoes located far away to the right are made smaller and less distinct emphasizing their position in the background, while I tried to draw the shoes which are located near and to the left more distinctly with a heavier stroke and less shading. The vanishing point is far in the background directly above the fountain’s water spring and to the left of the middle column. I created the vanishing point with: the four (4) dark/ slanted horizontal ground/ roof lines, the different height of columns (middle is the longest), and the vertical water fountain sprout beneath.