I really liked seeing all of the different artworks from Picasso because he is such a unique artist and really changed the direction of art in a huge way. I learned a lot from our tour guides about Picasso’s personal life as well as his relationships with his children and his multiple wives. The artworks that I was the most drawn to were the paintings he did of his daughter, Maya. Just by looking at the works of art, you could tell that the relationship Picasso had with his daughter was a strong one and that he cared for her deeply. The consistent use of bright colors and bold shapes to depict her showed how he thought of her personality and character. This gave me a lot of insight into Picasso as a painter, and I think that is what makes his relationship with art so special.
Reflections
media literacy ad/pr analysis
The image I have selected is a cigarette package that was discarded on the streets of Saint Germain, featuring a distressed infant with a cigarette in its mouth. Unfortunately, the media is unable to load due to the size of the file.
Five key questions of media literacy:
Who created this message?
- Health associations
What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
- advocacy, expertise, family values, fear,
How might different people understand this message differently than me?
- some people may not know who had the message placed on the box and think it is a joke/meme and not understand the value of consequences. Or, some people may believe that this issue only effects people with children.
What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
- Family and children
Why is this message being sent?
- to encourage smokers to acknowledge the effects and risks of smoking.
Media literacy ad/pr analysis
I spotted this ad on a nighttime boat tour on the seine. It is an ad for Louis Vuitton placed on the Musee d’Orsay which we had visited the week before. Louis Vuitton has several rather large ads placed on historical sites around Paris we have been spotting throughout our excursions, however, this was the first I had seen this one in particular. Louis Vuitton knew thousands of visitors pass this sight on a daily basis, rather than be by foot, car, or boat. Besides well-thought placement, all these ads around Paris are cohesive with the same design of a large image and the brand name in a white strip at the bottom. Those walking by the sites these ads are placed on will recognize they are from the same campaign. I see this advertisement placement as disrespectful to the historical sites, taking away from the true beauty of the architecture and history. Others, perhaps those who have more love for Louis Vuitton may recognize it as impressive and an excellent image because Paris is Louis Vuitton’s birthplace. The lifestyle presented is that of luxury, and excess wealth, the lifestyle that those who recognize the ad as good most likely live. Louis Vuitton is capitalizing on tourists by reminding them they are in their birthplace, and sending them messages to visit their stores while they are here.
Disney Corporate Ownership
While exploring Disneyland Paris’s Discoveryland, I assumed I would run into merchandise that reflected its space and futuristic theming. These traditionally would be characters like Buzz Lightyear and films like Star Wars because of their presence on the rides of this park area. While some Marvel characters move through galaxies and space, such as Groot and Captain Marvel, I would not expect them to be promoted in this park. With the recent opening of Avengers Campus in Walt Disney Studios Park, adjacent to Disneyland Paris, I assumed the consolidation of merchandise would remain in that section of the park. This goes to show how Disney cross-promotes its different brands throughout the parks. It takes an overall association, like space, and strategically places its merchandise to match. Consumers might not think twice about this tactic but it allows for them to purchase branded goods that they wouldn’t be able to get if they didn’t visit both parks. As shown above, they will even go as far as to mix in this branded Marvel merchandise next to traditional Minnie Mouse and Buzz Lightyear merchandise so it is seamlessly incorporated into the store.
Media Literacy Ad/PR Analysis
I found this advertisement just around the corner from Citadines. This ad was published and created by Disneyland, and there were a lot of aesthetic components put into this to grab my attention. First, the signature Disney font in a large font across the middle of the advertisement immediately drew my attention, as well as the artwork and direction of the photos. I am not necessarily the biggest Spider-Man fan, so I was not particularly excited by this advertisement, but someone who is a big fan would react differently to it. Excitement, loyalty, and friendship are all values that are being represented in this advertisement. This message is being sent to try and encourage people to interact with these new Disney products and Disney as a whole. 
Art Museum Gift Shop
I have always enjoyed visiting the gift shops in the various museums I have seen, but I never thought about how the products could be ethically concerning until class on Monday. While visiting the gift shop at the Musée de l’Orangerie, I saw products that were both created ethically and also ethically concerning. The main product that stood out to me on the side of products designed ethically was the paperweight inspired by Monet’s water lilies. I think that the art in this is beautiful, and with minimal surrounding pieces, it does not take away from the beauty of the original work. On the other hand, I think that the water lilies on the portable speaker are horrible. The speaker dots make the art look blurry and grainy, removing the original work and beauty. A souvenir like this is ethically concerning because it makes the original art feel much less unique. 
Art museum gift shop
I found this Rubik’s cube in teh gift shop to be rather questionable. I feel as though switching around the different aspects of the image and combining them with other pictures defeats the purpose. There should be respect for the art and viewing it how the artist intended, which can be loosened to a certain extent in order to allow people to appreciate it (i.e. photographs online and in books.) Mixing the pieces together and the risk of never having the correct sides in order again (unless one were to solve the cube) just generally rubs me the wrong way.
I had previously purchased a Van Gogh and Monet puzzle at the Orsay and I was very excited to see another one in this gift shop as well. While doing the past two I found myself naturally really studying every corner of the art as that was necessary to complete the puzzles. Though these are on a much smaller scale and lesser quality than the actual art, I think the act of looking at the details of the colors and shapes to create the finished piece is really special.