Nacu 1 Maria Nacu Candice van Loveren Geis Advan.docx

Nacu 1
Maria Nacu
Candice van Loveren Geis
Advanced Writing for the Artist
3 May 2016
Kanye West Doing His Kanye Best
Kanye West is known for his confidence and his ego. He often
does things or says
things that put him in the spotlight for causing controversy. His
anthem, Power, which
was released in 2010, provides commentary on his power he has
over the public, while
also critiquing what the public thinks of him. The music video
for the song brings the
lyrics to life, allowing an audience to see what West is trying to
say. West’s music video
for his song Power creates a visual narrative of how dangerous
power can be by
referencing historical paintings and artwork and using that
symbolism to explain how his

perceived ego grows with media backlash.
A viewer can search for the Power music video on YouTube
and will be exposed
to an intimidating, demonic, and fantastical, as West puts it,
moving portrait (Itzkoff).
Within a few seconds of watching the video, the audience is
able to identify the
juxtaposition of contemporary and classical: West’s rapping is
paired with allusions to
classical works of art and art history. The video opens with
West, who is positioned front
and center, with mysterious and glowing eyes. As the moving
portrait continues, the
audience can see allusions of various artworks, such as, M.C.
Escher’s Waterfall,
Michelangelo’s The Final Judgment, and the Eye of Horus.
The director of the music video, Marco Brambilla, has described
the video: “This
is a highly constructed, highly mannered, somewhat religious
table that communicates
Nacu 2

the end of an empire," adding that his "work often
deals with the seduction and the alienation present
in contemporary culture" (Frazier). However, the
video only features the first verse and chorus of
the anthem, ending the video with a suggested
fatal blow to West by two characters. So, what is
West trying to say? The music video asks to
audience what or who the enemy is. Is it West,
because of the personality and character or is the power itself
that is
dangerous? Or is it a combination of the
two? The imagery that is used in the video
provides answers to these questions.
One of the alluded artworks is
M.C. Escher’s Waterfall (Fig. 1). Escher is
known for his optical illusions. Waterfall
is a lithograph by the Dutch artist that
creates the illusion of perpetual motion. In the music video, it
can be seen in the corner,

by female characters, pouring urns of water that is flowing
upwards (Fig. 2). This
symbolism suggests the idea that the want, the need, and the
perception for power is
cyclical. Not only does this create a fantastical scene, but also
shows that the theme of
power never really ends. If West says or does something that
sparks controversy, an
audience is going to fuel the flame for his ego by talking about
him, giving him one more
reason to speak his mind, and the cycle continues. The imagery
creates the illusion for the
Fig. 1. Waterfall. M.C. Escher.
Lithograph. 1961.
Fig. 2. Power. Kanye West. Music video.
2010.
Nacu 3
viewer that power can and is an out of this world experience. It
makes it seem that the
opportunity to have power is something magical; however, it
never seems to end well.
West is showing the audience that putting his ego on a pedestal
is not something to be

marveled at, but rather how dangerous it can be by perpetuating
commentary on his
personality. West is often criticized for his inflated ego, but
media outlets are the ones
that give him the power to do so. West activates the narration
on the problematic
audience in the music video by using the technique of
chiaroscuro (Kaufman).
Chiaroscuro is uses sharp contrasts of light and dark that breaks
the fourth wall
and brings the viewer into the piece of art. This can be seen in
West’s eyes (Fig. 3). It is
the first thing that can be noticed when the music video starts.
West’s eyes are glowing
white, causing the viewer to constantly redirect focus to West
when he is in the shot. By
bringing the viewer into the video, it makes that individual part
of the problem. West
Fig. 3. Power. Kanye West. Music video. 2010.
Nacu 4
never breaks gaze throughout the video, literally staring what he
believes to be the

problem in the eyes.
References to religion have always played an important role in
art, and West
chose to embody two different religious symbols in the video.
The first reference is the
stylistic exemplification of Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment
(Fig. 4., Fig. 5). The
music video and The Last Judgment both have large, ominous
floating figures that take
up a majority of the picture plane. Michelangelo portrays Christ
as a “giant who raises his
might right arm in a gesture of damnation so broad and
universal as to suggest he will
destroy all creation” (Kleiner). What bigger power reference
can one get by comparing
oneself to God? Six years after the music video was released,
West tweeted, “My number
one enemy has been my ego... there is only one throne and
that’s God’s …”. West is
quite aware of how dangerous his ego can get, and the video
narrates how that ego is
perceived. The allusion to Michelangelo’s fresco best describes
West’s perspective on

power.
Fig. 5. Power. Kanye West. Music video. 2010.
Fig. 4. The Last Judgment. Michelangelo. Fresco. 1536–1541.
Nacu 5
Another religious allusion that aids West’s view on power is
the Eye of Horus, in
which he uses in the form of a large necklace (Fig. 3). Horus is
an Egyptian deity, god of
sky, war, and protection (Kaufman). West wears it to emulate
power and strength, to
make him a symbol of these qualities, and puts him in a position
as a god. The video is
West’s way of personifying what the public and himself
believes what his ego is: a god-
like alter ego. This hubris, of course, catches up with him, and
he eventually receives a
fatal blow to the head.
West creates commentary on how he is perceived in the media.
He and Brambilla
paint a picture of an almost heavenly environment and pair it
with the harsh criticism in

West’s lyrics. The symbolism in classical artwork juxtaposed
with contemporary
references sheds light on how the media fuels West’s ego. West
is a confident artist and
is proud of everything that he produces. That confidence often
comes across as an
inflated ego, which West is aware of, but at the end of the day,
who is it that is giving one
man all that power?
Nacu 6
References
Frazier, Walter. "The Making of Kanye West's 'Power' Video."
Billboard. Billboard, 4
Aug. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. "High and Late
Renaissance." Gardner's Art
through the Ages: A Global History. Fourteenth ed. Vol. Book
D. Australia:
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. 616. Print. A Global
History.

Itzkoff, Dave. "A Preview of Kanye West's 'Power':
'Apocalyptic in a
Very Personal Way'" ArtsBeat A Preview of Kanye Wests
Power Apocalyptic in a
Very Personal Way Comments. The New York Times, 29 July
2010. Web. 18
Apr. 2016.
KanyeWestVEVO. "Kanye West - POWER." YouTube.
YouTube, 05 Aug. 2010. Web.
18 Apr. 2016.
Kaufman, Gil. "Kanye West 'Power' Video: A Cultural Cheat
Sheet." News. MTV, 06
Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.
The Last Judgment. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 2
May 2016.
Waterfall. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May
2016.
West, Kanye (@kanyewest). “My number one enemy has been
my ego… there is only
one throne and that’s God’s …” 17 February 2016, 3:07 PM.
Tweet.

Illustrated Excel 2016 | Module 9: SAM Project 1a
Illustrated Excel 2016 | Module 9: SAM Project 1a
Five Points Media
AUTOMATING WORKBOOK TASKSGETTING STARTED
Open the file IL_EX16_9a_FirstLastName_1.xlsm, available for
download from the SAM website.
Save the file as IL_EX16_9a_FirstLastName_2.xlsm by
changing the “1” to a “2”.
0. If you do not see the .xlsm file extension in the Save As
dialog box, do not type it. The program will add the file
extension for you automatically.
With the file IL_EX16_9a_FirstLastName_2.xlsm still open,
ensure that your first and last name is displayed in cell B6 of
the Documentation sheet.
· If cell B6 does not display your name, delete the file and
download a new copy from the SAM website.
If you see a Message Bar with a security warning at the top of
the Excel window, click the Enable Content button in the
Message Bar to enable the macros contained in the file. [Mac
Hint – If you see a popup with a security warning, click Enable
Macros to enable the macros contained in the file.]
To complete this project you will need to display the Developer
tab. To add this tab to the Excel ribbon, click the File tab to
open Backstage View and then click the Options button. In the
Excel Options dialog box, click the Customize Ribbon option
and click the Developer check box. Click the OK button to close
the Excel Options dialog box and confirm the Developer tab
appears in the Excel Ribbon.
PROJECT STEPS
Robert Cisneros is the sales manager for Five Points Media, a
company selling subscriptions to online media including movies
and TV shows. He has asked you to help him automate a

worksheet he will use to analyze sales data each week.
Switch to the Week 1 worksheet. Run the Title macro to insert a
title for the worksheet in cell A1.
Edit cell A1 to add 1/6/2020 as the date at the end of the title.
Add totals to the worksheet as follows:
a. Assign the Totals macro to the Totals button in column H.
b. Use the Totals button to run the Totals macro.
Identify the top five sales for the week by recording a new
macro as follows:
c. Enter Top as the macro name.
d. Assign the shortcut key CTRL+j to the macro. [Mac Hint –
Assign the shortcut key Option+Cmd+j to the macro.]
e. Store the macro in This Workbook.
f. Enter the text Highlights the top five sales for the week as the
description.
g. With the macro recording, select the range B3:F12.
h. Apply the Top 10 Items conditional formatting rule to the
selected range.
i. In the Top 10 Items dialog box, use 5 as the number of top
values to highlight.
j. Highlight the cells with Green Fill with Dark Green Text.
k. Stop recording the macro.
Assign the Top macro to the Top 5 button in column H so that
Robert can identify the top five sales values by clicking the
button.
A macro named Bottom highlights the bottom 10 percent of
values, and Robert wants the macro to highlight the bottom five
values. Modify the macro as follows:
l. Open the Bottom macro in the Visual Basic Editor.
m. After the .TopBottom = xlTop10Bottom line of code, change
the .Rank = 10 line of code to .Rank = 5 so that the highlighting
rule identifies the bottom five values.
n. Change the .Percent = True line of code to .Percent = False
so that the highlighting rule selects values rather than a
percentage of values.
o. Use the Bottom 5 button in column H to run the Bottom

macro and highlight the bottom five sales values for the week.
Robert wants to use a button to apply data bars to selected cells
and compare their values. Add a button as follows:
p. Between the Bottom 5 and Bonus buttons in column H, insert
a Rounded Rectangle to match the other button shapes. (Hint:
Depending on your version of Office, the name of the shape
may appear as Rectangle: Rounded Corners.)
q. Set the height of the rounded rectangle to 0.3” and set the
width to 1”.
r. Enter Compare as the button text.
s. Apply the Moderate Effect - Dark Green, Accent 3 shape
style to the new button.
t. Assign the Compare macro to the Compare button.
The Compare macro should select the totals in the range
G3:G12, but instead selects cells in the range J3:J12. Correct
the macro as follows:
u. Open the Comparemacro in the Visual Basic Editor.
v. Change the Range("J3:J12").Select line of code between the
initial comments and the
“Selection.FormatConditions.AddDatabar” lines to
Range(“G3:G12”).Select so that the macro selects cells in the
correct range. (Hint: There are no spaces before or after the
parentheses in the code.)
w. Run the edited Compare macro.
Thursdays and Fridays are typically the busiest days of the
week. For subscriptions sold on those days, salespeople receive
a 10 percent bonus for sales in the top tier (indicated by a gold
star) and a 5 percent bonus for sales in the middle tier
(indicated by a half-gold star).
Use the Bonus button in column H to run the Bonus macro and
determine which salespeople receive a bonus for their Thursday
and Friday sales.
Record a new macro and assign it to a button to prepare the
worksheet for printing as follows:
x. Enter Print_Setup as the macro name.
y. Store the macro in This Workbook.

z. Enter the text Sets up the worksheet for printing as the
description.
aa. With the macro recording, change the orientation of the
worksheet to Landscape.
ab. Set the range A1:G12 as the print range.
ac. Scale the worksheet to print on one (1) page wide and one
(1) page tall.
ad. Select cell A1 to remove the selection from the range.
ae. Stop recording the macro.
af. Assign the Print_Setup macro to the Print button.
Your workbook should look like the Final Figure on the next
page. Save your changes, close the workbook, then exit Excel.
Follow the directions on the SAM website to submit your
completed project.
Final Figure: Week 1 Worksheet
2
Art 291w
Persuasive Media Review
The objective for this review is to go beyond simple art
criticism to incorporate your own judgment
and persuade the reader on how the work you are reviewing fits
into the aesthetic discourse in the art
community. Utilize information learned throughout the
semester. This is an opportunity to back up all

statements with evidence seen in the artwork/chosen media or
based on external research. Be sure to
reference class assigned readings, tips on Blackboard, notes
from the aesthetic discussions, and first-
hand knowledge from viewing the work. This project is worth
20% of your semester grade, in place of
a final exam, to emphasize depth in research and creativity in
original thought. Student learning
outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
Include all of the following:
• This paper is to be focused around a theme or idea that is
related to the visual arts and
arguable.
• Students may choose to evaluate one aspect/object to evaluate
in detail or you may include two
or more related objects (as connected to the arguable theme
mentioned above):
o Explain why the object(s) were chosen.
o How are these objects connected to aesthetics/art history?
o Students will write a detailed description, analysis,
interpretation, and judgment to
conduct a formal art critique as it relates to the thesis
developed.
§ Describe the object/show chosen.
§ Describe the physical characteristics of how the object was
viewed. What is the
general feeling in that space?
§ Describe the artwork or media around the object chosen
(influences or close in
physical space).

§ What techniques and media are used? Specifically describe it,
including
technical information.
§ Be sure to include an analysis, clearly interpret the work, and
infuse judgment in
the writing as it relates to the thesis chosen.
• External research conducted and references included
o Students must include a proper MLA reference citation for the
work(s) that is explored,
as well as references for external information, such as linking it
to aesthetics.
o Scholarly sources are expected, but popular sources can be
valuable as well.
o Students will not earn credit for this project if it is submitted
in final draft form without
a reference page. They will also be at risk of plagiarism issues
(accidental or
intentional), if the reference page is missing or incomplete.
• Persuasion is a key focus of this project.
o The primary goal is to persuade the reader to follow an
arguable thesis statement.
• Incorporation of all writing skills and feedback garnered
throughout the semester.
• MLA formatting and typed according to the syllabus.
• Participation in the related practice thesis exercise and
Discussion Board (Brainstorming
Arguable Topics in Media Review Writing) will aid students in
developing this paper, but those

components are graded separately from this paper.
• Review of the Persuasive writing tips for a formal tone during
Week13 must be completed
before finalizing this paper.
• The Discussion Board (Persuasive Media Review Peer
Discussions) is part of this project grade
and will be a more informal opportunity for peer review, as this
is a culminating project in
place of a final exam.
• A MLA formal outline for this paper is due Week 15 by
11:59pm on Thursday, April 19.
• Each student will communicate with the instructor
individually during Week 16, April 23-26,
concerning clear thesis writing and progress on the paper.
• The final draft is due exam week on Thursday, May 3 by
11:59pm, as noted in the course
schedule.
o Digital submission to TurnItIn Assignment through
Blackboard
§ Students can see originality reports and upload new versions
until the final due
date.
O’Der 1

O’Der 1
O’Der 1
Jasmine O’Der
Candice van Loveren Geis
ART-291W
4/19/2018
Video games as art review of
Firewatch
Thesis statement: Video games should be considered art because
it has all the components of art such as, Creative skill,
imagination, and visual form.
1. Introduction to the discussion
2. Description of Firewatch
A. What is Firewatch
1. Video game for multiple platforms
2. Released February 9th 2016
3. List of teams and crew members
4. Description of genre
5. Explanation of gameplay
3. Review of Firewatch
A. Discussion of gameplay mechanics
1. Immersive
2. Interesting, relatable, and realistic
3. Easy controls
B. Story and writing
1. Plot analysis
2. Creativity and skill of writing
C. Personal experience and feelings
D. Others reviews, ratings, and thoughts
4. Background and production of Firewatch
A. Walkthrough of all the departments of Firewatch
B. Developer, publisher, director, producer, designer, artist,
writer, composer, and voice actors.
C. The art processes

5. Comparisons between video games as art and other types of
art.
6. Counter arguments from critics
7. Concluding thoughts
References
“Firewatch” Wikipedia April 10, 2018
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FirewatchAccessed4/19/2018
“The Art of Firewatch” Youtube, Uploaded by Campo Santo
Productions March 12, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYnS3kKTcGg
Campbell, Colin “Firewatch Review” Polygon February 8, 2016
https://www.polygon.com/2016/2/8/10900796/firewatch-review-
pc-ps4-playstation-4campo-santoAccessed 4/19/2018
Mccaffrey, Ryan “Firewatch Review” IGN February 8, 2016
http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/02/08/firewatch-
reviewAccessed 4/19/2018
Melissinos, Chris “Video Games Are One of the Most Important

Art Forms in History” Time September 22, 2015
http://time.com/collection-post/4038820/chris-melissinos-are-
videogames-art/accessed 4/19/2018
Moriarty, Brian “Its becoming Harder to Deny Video Games
‘Art’ Status” Time September 22, 2015
http://time.com/collection-post/4038821/brian-moriarty-are-
video-games-art/accessed 4/19/2018
Stuart, Keith “Are video games art: the debate that shouldn’t
be” The Guardian December 6, 2012
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/dec/0
6/video-games-asartAccessed 4/19/2018
Stuart, Keith “Video games and art: why does the media get it
so wrong?” The Guardian January 8, 2014
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2014/jan/0
8/video-gamesart-and-the-shock-of-the-newAccessed 4/19/2018
Tucker, Abigail “The Art of Video Games” The Smithsonian
March 2012 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-
art-of-video-games-101131359/Accessed 4/19/2018

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