Ripples in the Tides

                   For this exhibit I would put it at the poolside cafe. The reason I would put the exhibit here is one because of the name and its association with water. Since my exhibit has to do with the water it seems like the perfect place for it. The second reason for choosing the poolside cafe is that its big and spacious. It has enough space to accommodate all of these pieces of art. The third reason I chose the poolside cafe is because that it is always crowded. This area always seems to be packed with people, more so than the other buildings.
                 
                  The theme of the show has to do with the water. As the title seems to imply it has to do with ripples in the tides of the water. I came up with the ideas after I picked the venue. I figured it went hand in hand. Poolside cafe with the word pool in it and it's location near the pool has do to with water. When I think of water I think of the ocean, a river, lake, pond, or pool and all of these things are somewhat soothing and  relaxing. Whether you are on a boat sailing, swimming in the water, or just simply relaxing and listening to water move or flow. As for how I came up with the main title of the exhibit, the paintings that seem to entice me the most are those of the ocean. I just find them interesting to look at especially the detail in which they are painted and I also find them soothing to just look at. This show is important because of the potential it has to draw an audience. If these pictures are in fact soothing then if students are having a somewhat stressful day they can simply come and check out the exhibit and it would help them relax a bit.

                   As curator of the show I picked the pieces because they all have to do with the theme of the show. The first painting is called Estaury at Day's End and it was painted by Simon de Vleiger in 1640. This painting captures the everyday life along the Dutch coast at the time. In the picture you can see the boats sailing along the coast. The one boat is sitting at the dock while two people are applying tar to it. You can also see black smoke from the fire that is heating up the tar rising up towards the clouds. The second painting is named Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula and it was painted by Claude in 1641. According to legend, St. Ursula made a voyage to Rome accompanied by 11,000 virgins and returned with them to Cologne where they were all martyred. In the painting you can see the girls carrying bows and arrows, symbols of their martyrdom. The building on the left is based on the Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio, Rome. The canvas was painted in 1641 for Fausto Poli, who was made a cardinal by Pope Urban VIII in 1643. Onece again you can see the tide in the water and the ripples.

                   The third painting is named the Red Rigi and it was created by J.M.W. Turner in 1842. The painting was created with watercolor, wash and gouache with some scratching out. In this painting you can see  people in a small boat in the front. In the background you see another boat with one person in it. This painting is attracting by the light watercolors that were used. If you look at it you can almost envision a peaceful day out on the lake. The water seems calm with not too much of a strong tide and the ripples can be seen from the boat moving. The fourth picture is named Morlaix, Entrance of the River and it was painted by Paul Signac in 1927. It was created using black crayon and water colors. This painting is very different from the others in the way it was painted and the detail that the artist put into this work. It show one boat in the water with the ripples and tides going towards what looks like an island in the middle of the river. Just by looking at this picture you seem to get lost in it's details and color. The fifth and last painting is named Green Line with Green Eyes and it was painted by David Reeb in 1952. This is an acrylic on canvas painting. I picked this painting because it just seemed to jump out at me and it also seem a little random. In this painting, the Green Line passes between a tranquil and hedonistic world, represented by the hotels along the Tel Aviv beach, and a world suffused with fear and violence, represented by the masked Arab youth and the two (human or animal) figures standing behind him. The Green Line both unites and separates the two decorative patterns in the painting: the x pattern that appears against a pale blue sky, and the eyes blazing against an intensely colored red ground. The hotels and the Arab youth are copied in a similar manner from photographs, and are depicted in black and white. They create a uniform, non-hierarchical visual continuum, analogous to random channel surfing on TV or to flipping through
newspapers that depict harsh scenes from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and neutral scenes from everyday life alongside each other. The emphasis on eyes as a recurring motif in this  by Reeb is intended to rehabilitate a communal, collective form of vision. I found that this painting with all it's detail told the most intriguing story out of all of the other paintings. It also stays in the concept of the exhibit with the hotels overlooking the ocean with the ripples and tides.