{"id":487,"date":"2015-03-04T15:48:13","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T14:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/?p=487"},"modified":"2015-03-04T21:43:21","modified_gmt":"2015-03-04T20:43:21","slug":"on-selfies-vs-self-portraits-and-universal-beauty-vs-what-i-find-beautiful-beauty-class-portfolio-assignments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/2015\/03\/on-selfies-vs-self-portraits-and-universal-beauty-vs-what-i-find-beautiful-beauty-class-portfolio-assignments\/","title":{"rendered":"On Selfies vs. Self-Portraits and Universal Beauty vs. What I Find Beautiful (Beauty Class Portfolio Assignments)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>F<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-489 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Dianes-tree-300x216.jpg\" alt=\"Diane's tree\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Dianes-tree-300x216.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Dianes-tree.jpg 783w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>or those following the Beauty Class, this post is about the first two portfolio assignments. One of the primary methods of learning in this course\u00c2\u00a0is the creation of portfolios in which students are asked to catalogue their experiences of beauty in art, nature, work, and everyday life.\u00c2\u00a0The weekly assignments allow me to trace\u00c2\u00a0student progress over the course of the term and are intended to\u00c2\u00a0provoke and inspire thinking about beauty. My assignments are a subset of the larger portfolios the students have been\u00c2\u00a0asked to create.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Self-Portrait #1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first portfolio assignment was to create a self-portrait using a camera. In advance of completing this assignment I encouraged\u00c2\u00a0students to seek inspiration by browsing a few articles\/websites\u00c2\u00a0featuring self portraits.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/photography.tutsplus.com\/articles\/100-seriously-cool-self-portraits-and-tips-to-shoot-your-own--photo-5689\">100 Seriously Cool Self Portraits (and tips to shoot your own!)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/artanddesign\/jonathanjonesblog\/2014\/sep\/04\/the-top-10-self-portraits-in-art-lucian-freud-sherman-rembrandt\">The Top 10 Self Portraits in Art<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/yourshot.nationalgeographic.com\/assignments\/self-portrait\/\">National Geographic Self Portrait competition<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 (see the submissions)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Since I suspected not all would have access to a tripod, I gave them the option of having someone else click the shutter. What was more important to me than who snapped the shot, I explained, were the particular choices made by the student in preparing for the photo to be taken. \u00c2\u00a0I asked them to submit the image along with five\u00c2\u00a0adjectives describing the portrait and what it captures.<\/p>\n<p>When the students came to class the next week they were asked to break into small groups and consider the following questions in relationship to the assignment:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Where did you find inspiration? In the three websites recommended by Diane? Elsewhere?<\/li>\n<li>What was your goal? How did you approach the task? Were you able to achieve what you wanted to achieve?<\/li>\n<li>What&#8217;s the difference between a selfie and a self-portrait?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Not all, but many students had browsed\u00c2\u00a0the sites I suggested\u00c2\u00a0and could describe in some detail\u00c2\u00a0specific photos they found compelling. While a handful of students said their goal with their self-portrait was to create art, most\u00c2\u00a0conveyed\u00c2\u00a0that their goal was more personal\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto convey something about who they were. We discussed that\u00c2\u00a0these need not be mutually exclusive aims. Finally, we discussed the question of what distinguishes a self-portrait from a selfie. Students suggested\u00c2\u00a0that selfies are more casual, that you don&#8217;t necessarily want to keep them, and\u00c2\u00a0that they are about connecting with your friends. I reflected back to\u00c2\u00a0them that their observations were very much in line with statements made \u00c2\u00a0by a curator in <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.getty.edu\/iris\/whats-the-difference-between-a-selfie-and-a-self-portrait\/\">an article in the Getty <\/a><em><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.getty.edu\/iris\/whats-the-difference-between-a-selfie-and-a-self-portrait\/\">Iris.<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>The article maintains\u00c2\u00a0that while both selfies and self-portraits are &#8220;efforts at establishing and embellishing a definition of the self,&#8221; the primary difference has to do with intention or purpose. A selfie is a &#8220;mode of conversation&#8221; and is &#8220;disposable.&#8221; \u00c2\u00a0A self-portrait is intended to be interpreted as a work of art and is meant to endure. The class also agreed\u00c2\u00a0with the\u00c2\u00a0assertion of one of the curators interviewed in the article that\u00c2\u00a0some selfies are great and\u00c2\u00a0rise to the level of art.<\/p>\n<p>We then looked at a number of\u00c2\u00a0student self-portraits and focused\u00c2\u00a0on the various approaches that students took, as well as at the use of line, shape, color, pattern, and texture that made some of the portraits particularly beautiful (from my perspective). The students adopted diverse approaches to the assignment\u00c2\u00a0and many made clear\u00c2\u00a0choices about color, setting, or staging,\u00c2\u00a0as you can see from the following\u00c2\u00a0four examples, which the students\u00c2\u00a0gave me permission to share (clockwise, Christina Hoo, Enis Gashi, Chelsea Larosa, Megan Schroeder).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CH-self-portrait.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-491 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CH-self-portrait-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"CH self portrait\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CH-self-portrait-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CH-self-portrait-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CH-self-portrait.jpg 1430w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/EG-self-portrait.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-493\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/EG-self-portrait-169x300.jpg\" alt=\"EG self portrait\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/EG-self-portrait-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/EG-self-portrait.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MS-self-portrait.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-492\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MS-self-portrait-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"MS self portrait\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MS-self-portrait-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MS-self-portrait-360x200.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MS-self-portrait.jpg 711w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CL-Self-Portrait.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-494\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CL-Self-Portrait-169x300.jpg\" alt=\"CL Self Portrait\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CL-Self-Portrait-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CL-Self-Portrait.jpg 211w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Universal\u00c2\u00a0Beauty vs What I Find Beautiful<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For a second assignment I gave the students the following quote as a prompt. It&#8217;s\u00c2\u00a0by Tom Morris in his 1997 book, <em>If Aristotle Ran General Motors<\/em> (pp. 82-83):<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There are many forms of beauty in the world. When we hear the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbeauty,&#8217; we may think of different things. \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Many people think of nature. Some envision a painting or\u00c2\u00a0 cathedral. A mechanic may imagine an engine he&#8217;s seen. A wood-carver may think of scrollwork. A luthier, of a guitar inlaid with pearl. A jeweler might vividly picture a multi-faceted gem. A football coach can call to mind a spectacularly executed play. An avid basketball fan will excitedly talk of &#8220;a beautiful move to a basket.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I then asked the students to submit two images. First, I asked for an image of\u00c2\u00a0<em>universal beauty<\/em> (i.e., something that comes to mind when you hear the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbeauty&#8217; and that you suspect most\u00c2\u00a0people would find beautiful, as well).\u00c2\u00a0For the second image I suggested that students\u00c2\u00a0consider the following:\u00c2\u00a0&#8220;If a trial attorney finds beauty in a well-argued case, where do you find beauty?&#8221; Alongside each image I added the requirement, &#8220;Give me 75-150 words on what this image signifies for you and what makes this object, event, action, or person beautiful (compared to others in the same category). Justify your aesthetic judgments in terms of Gardner&#8217;s or Heisenberg&#8217;s criteria.&#8221; You can read about Gardner &amp; Heisenberg in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/2015\/02\/a-different-orientation-beauty-class-wk-1\/\">last week&#8217;s post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>When we examined the submissions for universal beauty we found that a significant number of them featured a landscape of some sort, many with water and trees.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/constance-elephants.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-495\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/constance-elephants-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"constance elephants\" width=\"274\" height=\"183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/constance-elephants-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/constance-elephants.jpg 942w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 274px) 100vw, 274px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a nice example taken by student, Constance Colin (those are elephants you see). We considered this convergence in taste in light of the curious\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Komar_and_Melamid#People.27s_Choice\"><em>People&#8217;s Choice<\/em> art\/research project by artists Komar &amp; Melamid<\/a>, who used a survey and statistical analysis to determine &#8220;the people&#8217;s&#8221; Most Wanted and Least Wanted Paintings. Komar and Melamid&#8217;s oft-cited (and rather controversial) study found that people around the world favor a painting that is a mostly-blue landscape with water, people, and animals; <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-496\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/komar-and-melamid.jpg\" alt=\"komar and melamid\" width=\"274\" height=\"184\" \/>moreover, in the US, people seem to enjoy\u00c2\u00a0paintings that also feature\u00c2\u00a0historical figures and children.<\/p>\n<p>When Komar and Melamid created the US Most Wanted Painting\u00c2\u00a0they added George Washington and a few children in the foreground of the painting (pictured left). You can see the Most Wanted and Least Wanted paintings <a href=\"http:\/\/awp.diaart.org\/km\/painting.html\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I also shared my photo of the bare tree at sunset taken from my bedroom window, shown at the top of this post. I explained to the students that I have taken countless photos like this over the years and\u00c2\u00a0that it was only when I was thinking about this assignment that I\u00c2\u00a0made the connection to Ansel Adams&#8217; photograph\u00c2\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.creativephotography.org\/node\/2476\">Oak Tree, Sunset City, Sierra Foothills, 1962<\/a><\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0I used this as a prompt to talk about Elaine Scarry&#8217;s assertion that beauty often compels replication.<\/p>\n<p>Next, we examined\u00c2\u00a0the what students find beautiful that is more idiosyncratic. However, rather than sharing\u00c2\u00a0the images they submitted I shared\u00c2\u00a0the ideas or concepts underpinning the\u00c2\u00a0images.\u00c2\u00a0I took the 75-150 word descriptions written by the students and created encapsulations. Each of the following statements\u00c2\u00a0describes\u00c2\u00a0where a single\u00c2\u00a0student finds beauty:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An uncensored view of the world<\/li>\n<li>A life well-lived (having impact on others)<\/li>\n<li>Family, childhood, homeland<\/li>\n<li>Transformation: a symbol of oppression turning into a symbol of freedom and art<\/li>\n<li>Inner peace, strength &amp; determination<\/li>\n<li>The human form<\/li>\n<li>Loving relationships<\/li>\n<li>Eclecticism<\/li>\n<li>Genuine laughter<\/li>\n<li>Rainy days &amp; everyday life<\/li>\n<li>Travel, exploration, seeing the world<\/li>\n<li>Hard work, celebrating life, and giving back to others<\/li>\n<li>The unique, the standout, that without symmetry<\/li>\n<li>Exploring the unknown<\/li>\n<li>Food \u00e2\u20ac\u201c cooking and eating delicious and aesthetically pleasing meals<\/li>\n<li>Persevering against all odds<\/li>\n<li>The cheese plate and the conversation it promises<\/li>\n<li>Unexpected joy in a change of heart (from resentment to love)<\/li>\n<li>Risk, adventure, facing fear<\/li>\n<li>History; and ruins, which remind us of what&#8217;s gone even as they persist into the future<\/li>\n<li>Family and memories of when times were good<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I ended this part of the exercise by displaying the\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/valuesandframes.org\/handbook\/2-how-values-work\/\">Schwarz universal values as mapped by the organization Common Cause<\/a> and suggesting that each student&#8217;s\u00c2\u00a0particular &#8216;beauty&#8217;\u00c2\u00a0could be mapped onto the Schwarz values (see <strong>Psychology and the Search for Universal Values<\/strong> in this <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Universal_value\">Wikipedia Entry<\/a>).\u00c2\u00a0I explained that while everyone has values found across the map, often\u00c2\u00a0a person will have a preponderance of values in one part of the chart. For instance, a majority of my values fall in the green segment of the\u00c2\u00a0map below. I further explained that Universalism and Benevolence\u00c2\u00a0pull in the opposite direction of\u00c2\u00a0Hedonism, Power and Achievement; and that Self-Direction and Stimulation\u00c2\u00a0pull away from Conformity, Security and Tradition.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/mapping-of-schwarz-values.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-490 \" src=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/mapping-of-schwarz-values.png\" alt=\"Schwarz Theory of Basic Values as Mapped by Common Cause \" width=\"929\" height=\"696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/mapping-of-schwarz-values.png 982w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/mapping-of-schwarz-values-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 929px) 100vw, 929px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Schwarz Theory of Basic Values as Mapped by Common Cause<\/em><\/p>\n<p>We will return to the Schwarz values later in the term, but I wanted to make the link early on\u00c2\u00a0that aesthetic criteria are linked to values. As Steven Taylor describes it in his article\u00c2\u00a0<em>The Impoverished Aesthetic of Modern Management: Beauty and Ethics in Organizations<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We all have aesthetics that drive our decisions. I may love small, fast sports cars because my aesthetic criteria value a feel of oneness between horse and rider. You may love large trucks because your aesthetic criteria value utility and power. When I see a sports car, it is a thing of beauty to me. When you see a truck it is a thing of beauty to you. We all hold various sets of aesthetic criteria that we have developed over time and they play a critical role in determining how we act.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In my next post I&#8217;ll talk about how we prepared for a visit to the contemporary art museum, the exercises we tried at the museum, and the works\u00c2\u00a0the students created in response to the experience.<\/p>\n<p>[contextly_auto_sidebar id=&#8221;fMIHLE6xRIvvWJVi2HzOCV8HhImzyy4J&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; For those following the Beauty Class, this post is about the first two portfolio assignments. One of the primary methods of learning in this course\u00c2\u00a0is the creation of portfolios in which students are asked to catalogue their experiences of beauty in art, nature, work, and everyday life.\u00c2\u00a0The weekly assignments allow me to trace\u00c2\u00a0student progress [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-487","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-beauty","7":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p15Pqw-7R","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jumper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}