EVENT 1: LACMA

  Visiting Lacma was an enjoyable experience because a number of the exhibits contained work I found highly intriguing. In respect to the field of science the work may be related due to the approach carried out by the artists, concerning their technique, materials and execution. Each artist perfected their own practice so they may create with the greatest outcome.

  This Portrait of Pieter Tjarck by Frans Hals had me very much engaged, roughly 34x27 inches (frame excluded), because of the incredible precision. I was most intrigued by his technique with the brush, his understanding of how to mix oil paint and turpentine to reach a consistency that manipulates the brush strokes to mimic the texture of a particular surface was incredible to me. This mixing of materials shows his understanding of how to produce a paint that will sit on the canvas with such ease that it shows no unwanted texture; furthermore, an approach that definitely illuminates scientific understanding of concepts, even simple ones, leads to great outcomes. I admired how, what appears to be effortless painting, produced a picture that rivals a photograph. 

  Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass shows a beautiful understanding of the relationship between art and science. Using nature's own creation, Heizer plays with the emotions of the viewer by allowing them to venture beneath an object with such mass that would otherwise be experienced from the side or above. The granite behemoth weighs 340 tons and hovers 15 feet above the tunnel's lowest point. This piece attempts to span art history through its marriage of prehistoric size, modern engineering and interactive characteristics.

Sources:

Heizer, Michael. "Levitated Mass" Granite. First Sketch 1969. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). 5905 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA USA 90036. 28 Oct. 2013.

Hals, Frans. "Portrait of Pieter Tjarck" Oil on Canvas. 33 9/16 x 27 1/5 inches. ca 1635-1638. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). 5905 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA USA 90036. 28 Oct. 2013.