Nicc BYC

Art History

[lizfass-blog]

Week 10 (chap 29 + 30)

Both chapter 29 and 30 are styles of art that occurred after World War II. During this period in America, there was a lot of social and political distress and disagreements of how, what, and the meaning of art should be (Adams, 549). Likewise, the first style that came out of this time era was abstract expressionism. This style mainly was based on fauvism, cubism, and geometric forms (Adams, 519). From this, action painting became popular. Artists focused on their involvement and own movement to create their works of art (Adams, 521). This style of art reminds me of the action of splatter painting - which was popular in the 2000s!

Action painting also had an emphasis on color choices, just like the next style did too. Color field painting seemed to me, like the style that had the greatest emphasis on color choices. Artists seemed to select their colors in a way that could portray an image or feeling. Helen Frankenthaler’s, The Bay, was one of the pieces that I enjoyed reading and viewing. The color choices worked well with one another and reminded me of many lakes in Wisconsin.

With all the previous art styles influences, Pop Art, Op Art, Minimalism, and Conceptualism became popular. These styles used aspects of other styles, but also had some contrasting thoughts about which style was preferred. For example, pop art and often minimalism works were thought to be opposites because of their main visual focus. Pop art used many common, everyday objects as the focus. One artist, Andy Warhol, was one that I had heard about but did not know much about. So after reading about him, I was able to conclude that his work used many commercial images and focused on life at the moment, instead of his self or the past.

Sculptures also became something of note. During this time, the texture and materials were the largest importance. George Segal’s sculpture, Portrait of Sidney Janis with Mondrian Painting, reminded me of these plastered people we had in my library in high school (Adams, 539). It is different to have your main subject just be a plastered human.

Subject matter then changes completely after these styles to geometric shapes in the following styles. Op art is one that uses shapes, lines, colors, and abstraction to create a retinal experience (Adams, 542). In elementary school, I have fond memories of creating optical artwork. I distinctly remember choosing particular colors and line placement to make it mess with my classmates’ eyes. Similarly, minimalism uses geometric shapes to create art. This time of work is supposed to “convey the idea that a work of art is a pure object having only shape and texture in relation to space” (Adams, 543). Even more abstract is the style of conceptualism. Here the artist removes themselves from the artwork, and instead, has the work explain itself. In my opinion, this seems like something that had not been focused on previously.

Likewise, the styles presented in these two chapters seem to push boundaries and all previous art. The nature of art seemed to be evolving via color, subjects, textures, and simply just the meaning behind the work. For me, this type of art is often the stuff that I have seen or enjoyed viewing. I’m excited to see what new styles of art arise in the future!

[bigyellowclock-blog]

I liked your points on the artists own personal involvement in the creation process. Up until that point, there had been several pieces in which artists expressed themselves in their work. I think that the changes grew more so during those times though the use of abstract art. The artist was able to use free form and paint or sculpt whatever they’d like without having and real boundaries or confining rules. Pieces like Pollocks work do show a good amount of artistic freedom.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

Chapters 29-30 Post

           I am on the internet a lot, along with most other people my age. The younger generation is being constantly exposed to images, sounds, ideas, more so than ever before. Everything has become very public and open. Since we are so familiar with this kind of awareness, we relate what we see back to our own personal experiences. While this was certainly the case throughout all of history, some of the Pop artworks introduced in Chapters 29 and 30 show a change in subject material, focusing on more and more modern events and items.

           One work that helps to display this is Campbell’s Soupby Andy Warhol. The picture he made is just of a normal can on Campbell’s brand tomato soup. His use of an everyday object brings up many different talking points. Warhol wanted to show his ideas on commercialism, consumption, and mass production. His use of a recognizable object is able to draw in people, using something they know and draw them in towards a deeper message.

           Another piece I think uses familiar images is Torpedo… Los!By Roy Lichtenstein. The image looks like a panel out of a comic book. Soldiers in a submarine, the captain giving and order to fire a torpedo. While the implied scenario is powerful alone, I think it would not have the same effect if it were done in a different art style. The cartoon outlines of the characters and use of the word bubble give off a different, more noticeable tone to the piece. I personally am drawn to these kinds of images, growing up on comics myself. By using the cartoon art style, he was able to draw in my attention more so than if he had done it in a more realistic sense, and I’m sure I’m not the only person to react this way.

           There are several art pieces that I think do not demonstrate these ideas of pop culture images but still have recognizable qualities. The first ones that comes to mind are the works done by Jackson Pollock. His diverse methods of putting paint onto a canvas result in some interesting pieces. The action form of painting involves using the whole body, moving the artists around and splattering paint along the canvas. While the creation of his paintings took some time, the end result looks like nothing more than squiggly lines and messy splotches of paint. It looks like the random artwork of a young child. Pollock’s style is was fact very random. Since he dripped paint from up high instead of applying it straight to the canvas, he was not fully in control of the end result. Even though his art does not look like anything, since we were exposed to it, that has become something in our vocabulary and is something we can refer to in our everyday lives.

           By using subjects and style people can relate to, artists are able to make a deeper connection with the viewers and attract them in. We think in terms of what we see around us, so using simple images that we know can have a more profound impact on us than painting out in intricate detail. I enjoy the different examples of Pop culture artworks the book provided because I feel like I can relate to it more than works from the past.

[avenariush-blog]

Week 9 Blog

Driving to Wisconsin Dells, at least once per year, there’s a stretch of land for a couple of miles in which are houses made by Frank Floyd Wright. The most notable probably being the House on the Rock. His style is very distinct as the houses are boxy and often include a red exterior. I was very surprised to see that these houses were made in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. I was also very surprised to see his name mentioned in these chapters! In this blog, I will analyze main points from chapters 27 and 28 of the textbook and the “I Could Do That” video, while relating them to the experiences of my own life.

Earlier this semester, we talked about Afrofuturism, which by default, is a subset of Futurism. It’s interesting to see that Futurism, a form of art in which combines the machinery age with industrial ideas, was made in the early 1900’s in Italy (p. 487). The first cast project of Futurism was Unique Forms of Continuity by Umberto Boccioni in 1913. This piece was a bronze cast of a man walking forward. However, this man’s anatomy was not that of a human, but some sort of robot or cyborg. The legs looked very similar to flare pants at the bottom and part of the head looked like the corner of an engine block. You could make out that it was a robotic-human model, painted in a gold tone. This is a very identifiable piece of art for the Futurism genre, taking very little knowledge of art to put a genre to it.

Next, my favorite part of the chapter, which is architecture with Frank Lloyd Wright. I enjoy his work because I can see it multiple times a year as it is just right over in Wisconsin, and I marble at how he was so ahead of his times with most of his work being done in the early 1900’s, but yet still so distinct and almost modern over a hundred years later. It’s interesting to note that Frank got a good architectural foundation from Louis Sullivan, the famous architect who developed the skyscraper (p. 494). Varying far from a skyscraper, Wright took what he new and developed the Prairie Style. This style included Wright taking architecture and fusing it with the natural landscape of wherever he was. He usually used rectangular shapes, asymmetrical arranged horizontal planes (p. 494), red exterior at parts, and of course, the fusing of nature into his pieces as seen with Fallingwater and House on the Rock in Wisconsin! Frank truly was an organic architect with the way he developed his pieces.

Shifting into chapter 28, we have another personal favorite of mine, Salvador Dali. I first learned about him in Spanish class as we studied culture, and of course, you can’t study culture without art! Dali was a Surrealism artist. I believe that I have mentioned him in a previous blog! His most famous piece of art arguably is The Persistence of Memory. This piece portrays a series of objects in a partly desert landscape that are melting, such as a clock melting over a tree limb. A dead fish, a pile of ants swarming over an orange item. This sort of art perfectly portrays irrational thoughts that artists are having at the time, which is what Surrealism is. Shout out to Grant Wood also making it into chapter 28, another artist that I mentioned in a previous blog (his work is also on display at the Dubuque Art Museum)!

Heading into my least favorite art, we have American Abstraction. This collection of art is essentially modern art which may relate to the social times or political times of the artist. Georgia O’Keeffe, an abstraction artist, made a piece called Black and White. It is a piece with an arrowhead like shape peaking out of the image on the left side in white, while the rest of the image is in black and grey. On the surface, one might think, wow, what is so special, I could make that myself. That’s where the “I Could Do That” video comes in. This piece was oil on canvas, and if you watched the video, you would know that making extremely straight edges with oil on canvas is extremely difficult (such as the arrowhead). So, after all, this piece is much more of an artist’s piece. What I am saying is that if you are an artist, you can appreciate this piece more because you know skill level it takes to produce a piece of this expertise, versus the knowledge of the general public who may not understand. I finally understand this “simplistic art form”, which I guess may not be so simple after all, but more of an artist expertise genre.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

Nice work tying in with your own experiences, referring to Frank Floyd Wright and his work. I think that it’s interesting to see something like the houses he built or any other kind of large piece, especially ones that people drive by everyday. Most people do not know about the history of them, not really paying that much attention, but now that you have read up on Wright, the houses will hold a sort of deeper meaning now.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

Chapters 27-28 Post

           When talking about different works of art from separate time periods, I feel there is a sort of bias towards the earlier pieces. I look at older paintings and prints from the 1500s and think that they have a more sophisticated feel to them. They are depictions of real people and settings, clearly detailed and designed. On the other hand, when I look the works in Chapters 27 and 28, I have the opposite impressions. The works in the Cubism and Futurism fashions give me these kinds of ideas, labeling them as less classy, which isn’t fair to the artwork.

           One painter I recognize using the Cubism for is Pablo Picasso. The use of color and space greatly differs from other earlier forms of art. His piece Three Musicians stuck out to me the most, not looking like anything before it. The whole painting is made up of simple shapes and contrasting colors. The figures depicted do not resemble actual humans, but the way the outlines of the shapes work with each other creates something that can be identified as people. The simple shapes in Cubism can have the same end resulting idea as older techniques, three people with instruments.

           Another art style that differentiates itself from the past is Futurism. Futurism was made to break away from the old art styles, totally setting itself apart from previous ideas and relating itself to modern concepts. One piece I think does this well is Unique Forms of Continuityby Umberto Boccioni. It is a sculpture piece, not of a person, but of a person-like figure, expressive of someone walking along. The statue is golden and looks wavy and fluid, even though it is a solid mass. It has curves to it that look like a flowing sheet in the wind. There are no human characteristics other than the legs of the piece. Everything is made out of the same material and has the same smooth golden texture to it.

            For the assignment, the video talking about art and the ideas people have about certain works was interesting, and it ties into the works coming around during the late 1800s. I have heard people talk about art, saying that they could have done that, that it isn’t as difficult or tiring as others make it out to be. I feel that I too have done this at some point in my life. However, I have learned that there are several different aspects to consider when looking at an art piece.

           For starters, making art is not always easy. The ways some artists go about making is different than traditional methods, taking more time, requiring more skill, and having different results. Piet Mondrian’s painting Broadway Boogie Woogieis an example of this. The piece is a series of different colored squares and rectangles all making a sort of cubic web. It would take a lot of time to paint out each small section while making sure the shapes were correct. I’m sure there would be shortcuts like using tape to straighten the lines, but making art is only half of it.

           Artists put their own feeling and experiences into the art they make. They show a variety of emotions through their own personal styles, and sometimes those styles happen to be very simplistic. Just because someone could replicate it does not mean it would carry the same emotions. It is important to look at every angle of a piece, both the physical work and the message behind it before saying that you are capable of doing the same.

[avenariush-blog]

Week 8 Blog

The artist that I know the most about is Vincent van Gogh because of my elementary school art teacher. The Starry Night and van Gogh’s ear always were points of emphasis anytime we started and made new projects. Moving into the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, we will encounter more of the art that often is known today as well as my favorite art from van Gogh. In this blog, I will analyze main points from chapters 25 and 26 of the textbook while relating them to the experiences of my own life.

Vincent van Gogh as I said is my favorite artist for a couple of reasons. Vincent comes across as extremely peculiar for a multitude of reasons. The first reason is because van Gogh only dedicated the last ten years of his life to painting (p. 457). Given that Vincent only lived for 37 years from 1853-1890, that means he spent roughly only a fourth of his life painting. However, in that short amount of time, the accomplishments of van Gogh would live forever. The Starry Night, which is known to be van Gogh’s most touted work, was an Impression painting, oil on canvas. The strokes of the wind through the air blowing across the night sky over a Dutch village are so distinct as well as vibrant for the dark hue of the painting. What strikes me as amazing is that this painting was done in a mental asylum and is said to reflect a disturbed mind. While I can see where people might get the disturbed mind feeling from the dark hue of the painting, I do not think that is how it is perceived today. I think it is just admired for the image’s creativity.

The second work of art that was shown in my elementary school teacher’s classroom was The Scream. I remember it very distinctly as it sat on the right side of the chalkboard in his room. I also tend to remember this because I wore a scream mask for Halloween for like two years in a row as a kid. However, even though I know the painting, I couldn’t remember the artist, Edvard Munch. In contrast to van Gogh, Munch lived for a much longer period, from 1863-1944. In comparison to van Gogh, Munch was said to suffer from mental issues (p. 464). Munch was more of a Symbolist (works often suggest states of mind and ideas), the most notable Symbolist work being The Scream, as I mentioned earlier. This painting is very interesting as it is seemed to be painted in waves and curves. The figure which is doing the “screaming” has its hands covering its ears. The hands are curved around the head and blending along with the pieces terrain which are curved as well. This piece is meant to describe a scream of colors and nature, as Munch felt for inspiration for this piece. I believe this painting could also express a disconnect from society as the character is blocking out the “noise.”

Moving onto the early twentieth century, we have Expressionism and artists such as Franz Marc and Vassily Kandinsky, who were a part of the German Expressionist group, The Blue Rider (p. 472/473). Off the bat, I am going to be honest, I find this genre of art to be similar to looking at a world of nothingness. The bright exhibition of blue, green, orange, and yellow lull me to sleep along with the often-long shapes used in these works. One of these works that tend to lull me to sleep is The Large Blue Horses by Franz Marc. This painting is said to represent red dogs, pink skies, and blue horses. However, the only thing that I can make out from the oil on canvas painting is a few blue horses. I was actually able to make out more from Marc’s other corresponding painting, Small Yellow Horses, which is essentially a template of the horses used in The Large Blue Horses, painted yellow and placed on another piece of canvas, with a different background.

Overall, I was mostly impressed by chapter 25 with the works of van Gogh and Munch. Their works resembled each other with the Impressionist styles. It was also interesting to see that these artists went through mental suffering and still produced legendary works. As for chapter 26, I will hold my silence (or you can just read the second to last paragraph).

[bigyellowclock-blog]

I was surprised to learn about the different artists of the time going through mental issues. Seeing that both Munch and Van Gogh went through it while also creating similar art styles was interesting to me. Their pieces are also very memorable and are some of the most easily recognized artworks around the world. Post-Impressionist works do seem to be the ones more commonly remembered. The way you talked about the art being shown in elementary school classes mirrored some of my own experiences.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

Chapters 25-26 Post

           The interests of people change over time, and those changes can range in size. The public may value a certain type of art style for many years only to transition into an entirely new style, one that may resemble the first or is totally different than the one before it. During the late nineteenth century, Post-Impressionism art was one of the more popular art styles, focusing on sharp, contrasting colors. Over time, this art style was eventually rivaled by other forms, including Symbolism and Expressionism. It is interesting to see the transition in art styles over the course of history and how the viewing public reacted to the changes.

           The Post-Impressionist works lasted late into the nineteenth century. One of the most famous Impressionist painters was Vincent van Gogh, and one of his most well-known paintings is The Starry Night.The bright colors of the moon and stars as well as the swirling, wave-like motions in the sky create impressive contrast with the dark hills and buildings painted below. Van Gogh is able to create a sense of movement in his paintings, using the swirling patterns to lead the eye. Everything is brightly contrasted and has a fluid figure, the sign of a good Impressionist painting.

           As time went on, new forms like Symbolism were brought into the spot light. Works in these styles focused on mental images, not dealing in real life situations or settings. While the subject matter of Symbolism was different than the other art techniques, the manner in which the art was done varied. One piece that used elements from Impressionism and Symbolism is The Screamby Edvard Munch. The colors used to portray it are bright and contrasting, but the subject of it is very surreal. The man in the front of the painting screaming looks distorted and inhuman, and the waviness of his figure moves out into the rest of the painting, shaping it in a similar manner to van Gogh’s work.

           Along with the changes in art movements comes smaller changes within one point itself. Post-Impressionism had many people working in its format, but the way they went about it were not all the same. Van Gogh’s pieces do show off a popular side to the movement, but that is only one person’s personal touch and technique on it. There were many other painters during the time that took Impressionism and put their own ideas into it. I like how one type of art movement can have several different subtypes, increasing the amount of variation during one specific time.

           One piece I think greatly demonstrates the alternatives of Impressionist art is Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatteby George Seurat. Seurat worked with a unique style of art known as Pointillism. By using several small dots of different colors, he was able to make one larger picture, similar to how pixels make up computer screens. Even though the style in which he worked was very different, the art itself is still considered to be Impressionist, using vivid colors that distinguished from each other as well as smooth curves and design. It is strange to see how different people interpreted the same art movements.

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Week 7, Ch 23 &24

I find it appropriate that realism is the topic of focus when reading about the nineteenth century because that is a time where people are beginning to point out the realities of life instead of the luxuries. This is a time where artists are connecting people and art with nature and incorporating real life experiences into their own artwork. 

 Gustave Courbet was an artist that stood out to me when reading chapter twenty-three of A History of Western Art because he believed that realism was created best by those who made art based off their own experiences. I connected to this because my personal favorite art to create comes from my own experiences in traveling. In my free time, I enjoy painting things in relation to the ocean. Some of my most enjoyable memories come from spending time by the sea, which inspires me to paint portraits of beach scenery and creatures of the ocean. I connect with these moments so much that all the tattoos I have thus far are of ocean theme. I agree with Courbet when he says that the realest and most authentic artworks in realism come from those who have experienced it themselves (page 418).  

Honore Daumier’s, Louis Philippe as Gargantua, was a great example of the mockery of artists to political figures in the nineteenth century. This print of the prince carelessly eating all the people in poverty’s goods showed what was happening in political society and how it was affecting people. Although this was an exaggeration, Daumier was sent to jail for this print and a new law was proposed so that no illustrations were allowed in the press, only words instead. I like this story because it shows the power of corrupt politicians and how artists were standing up for civilians with no voice even though there would be consequences in the end.  

Chapter twenty-three also discusses the development of photography. When noticing some of the first stages of photography, it is so cool to see the monumental improvement to where we are today with capturing photos. Photography is something I have grown to enjoy as a personal hobby, and I almost always take my DSLR camera wherever I go. I am grateful for the development of photography and appreciate the process and knowledge it took to get to where cameras are today.  

In chapter twenty-four, it states that unlike realism in the 19th century, impressionism rarely gave a focus to political views. This is interesting in the fact that based off different styles of artwork, the artists seemed to have very different standpoints. Before reading chapter 24, I felt I could relate to realism artists more, but afterwards I have noticed that impressionism art focused on the effects of light in nature and weather occurrences, which is what I prefer as a better viewpoint myself.  

Claude Monet’s, Bassin des Nympheas, stood out to me on page 440 because it has so much detail in every brushstroke. The way the vibrant colors reflect a deep green onto the water to show the stillness of the water is not only clever, but visually appealing as well. I like that this painting was inspired by his own water garden, similar to how Gustave Courbet used his own experiences to create realism artwork in chapter 23.  

Chapters 23 and 24 discussed realism and impressionism in the nineteenth century and how the development of art and photography in real world situations were affective in the portrayal of politicians versus society. Nature and lighting were also a major part in the creation of realism and impressionism artworks.  

*All references to artwork and artists come from chapters 23 and 24 of Laurie Schneider Adams, A History of Western Art, 5th edition.  

[bigyellowclock-blog]

I think it’s amazing to look back at some of the things we do toady, like photography. The way some things have developed over time is surprising and it’s interesting to wonder how people worked in different ways to do the same things we can do now with a single button push. Your points discussing how Realism was suited for the nineteenth century also stuck out to me. As art became more and more complex, connecting with people on a larger scale, it definitely helped that the subjects painted had a more realistic look to them.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

Chapters 23-24

Chapters 23 and 24 deal in art that came around during the nineteenth century, like Realism and photography. I remember learning about that time period back in grade school. Abraham Lincoln, the Civil war, the Industrial Revolution. I can recall long history classes talking about the events that took place, but one thing that was not mentioned all that often was the art. I’ve seen in a lot of classes dealing with historical events that the presence of art during it is usually an afterthought.

When teaching history, most people will try to stick with the facts and events that happened, not really diverging off into other areas. I believe art is one such topic that is, for the most part, avoided. The history of art and its relation to the world is a very large subject to cover and would be difficult to truly delve into without interrupting or overshadowing the traditional history lessons. I also think it goes into a lot of detail about each subject. Art is very personal and can display a wide range of feelings about something. Art during the nineteenth century would show different messages about the same events.

However, I think that art is a powerful tool that can be used for teaching, and not just about the art itself. I have stated before that the art made is greatly influenced by the current events at the time. Whatever was happening would influence the artists to create something that helped demonstrate their positions and opinions on an issue. The influence is also global, present in all countries around the world. One piece I have seen before that displays a message of the times is The Stone Carversby Gustav Courbet. In it, two men are shown working to break large stones with hammers. It carries a message the artist wanted to show regarding the effects of socialist practices on people. The two men are looked at as mindless drones repeating the same tasks over and over. The image is also done in the Realism style that was made popular around the nineteenth centuries. It helps create a sense that the men are real people, allowing the viewers to better connect and relate to it.

There is also a major development that came about during the nineteenth century that had great impact on the rest of the world. The creation of photography allowed for more expression as well as the capturing of a moment. Photography became a focal point for the French artists, questioning whether photos were art or not with multiple arguments for each side. The debate lasted years without really seeing a proper conclusion. Today it is accepted as an art form, and I like to wonder how those that were opposed to the idea would react to it. However, returning to what I had said, I believe that the creation of photography is important for teaching. A photo is a real life image that can be printed and placed wherever and can be created with ease, much faster than any painting or sketch. Though it is a still image, that does not mean there is not emotion behind it like there is with other art forms. Whoever takes the picture can choose to focus on whatever they like, translating their feelings through real world objects.

[afaye2]

Women Artists

For these two chapters, chapter 19 and chapter 20, I decided to focus on women artists, I relate to this because I am a women, even though I am not an artist. I found it interesting and could relate to in a sense. The women artists included in these chapters are:

Judith Leyster. Her painting The Last Drop is a very contrasted painting and in the text book it talks about the meaning of the painting and how it portrays drinking and smoking as time paces and death occurs. I found this painting interesting, especially after reading the meaning behind it. This painting is an eye opener because to me, I took it as how precious life is and the carelessness in the two that were drinking and smoking. I think it speaks on the issues of heavy drinking and smoking during the period. 

Maria van Oosterwyck. Her painting Vanities Still Life also has an hourglass insinuating the passing of time. It also has the decay of the corn insinuating death, similar to Judith Leyster’s painting. This painting is dark and detailed, my reflection of this painting is that it has such a deep meaning to every detail in this painting. I personally was intrigued by, not only the details, but the reds which I often connect with love or passion. 

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard. Her painting Self-Portrait with Two Pupils interested me because in the painting on an easel which is assumed to be her self portrait. To me, is intriguing because it is a self portrait of her painting a self portrait. This painting has a deeper meaning to which she is teaching the two women behind her. My reflection of this painting is that it has so much meaning and is important for women artists. 

Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. Her painting Marie Antoinette and Her Children is a painting of a queen with her three children, and one empty crib. The textbook talks about how the queen is oblivious of the world around her and this makes me realize the issues of the period regarding women. This queen’s only purpose was to raise her children and she had no understanding of the world around her. I find it interesting the issues regarding this painting and the issues surrounding it. 

Angelica Kauffmann. Her painting Cornelia Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures also involves a mother with her children. This painting depicts her children as her jewels and how precious they are. I think that this is similar to the previous painting, but with more of a loving tone.

These women portrayed social issues and other things regarding women’s issues during this time. I didn’t realize the meaning behind these paintings but now I realize how important these paintings are. These women portrayed some controversial and important things through their art, along with making their voice be heard in a prominently male career.

I know how women are still fighting for rights today, but then it must’ve been even harder for women. In the textbook it stated in many ways that women were supposed to have children and that’s all. I think that these women made a voice for these women, oblivious or stuck. I think that this issue isn’t as prominent today, although there are still prominent issues today, but these paintings and these artists paved the way from women today. Without women artists breaking glass ceilings and making statements we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have today.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

How you related yourself to the women artists of the time was interesting. You managed to find different areas about each of them and their work that you could relate to on a personal level. The pieces brought to light some social issues that would have gone unnoticed if they had not made the art. While the men artists of the time do tend to dominate the front lines when it comes to representation, women, both back then and today, have made serious contributions and made their presence in the art world very known.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

Chapters 19-20

           The power of current events has on everything ranging from political movements to art can be seen throughout history, and I find it interesting how today’s events has the same kind of effects and influences over today’s society. Back during the last moments of the sixteenth century, the presence of politics and science were everywhere, dominating most people’s time. Several innovations were made then, like the discovery of gravity by Isaac Newton. Before this, Mannerism was one of the most prevalent art styles, but this started to have competition from the Baroque style which focused on more realistic colors, shapes, and textures. It would influence several different works across multiple countries including France, Spain, and Italy, each area having its own take on the style.

           I think that all the work done in the sciences led to people wanting to try for more realistic looking results in their artwork. Instead of going for the more stylized methods of Mannerism, artists began to work towards more expressive products. One of the pieces that come to mind first is Boy with a basket of Fruit by Caravaggio. Caravaggio painted everything very carefully and meticulously. The fruit in the basket are all very detailed, showing the reflections of light in their corners. The boy too is painted realistically. He stands out from the background, becoming more pronounced than he would in the traditional Mannerism style. I think that the influences brought on by the new discoveries and changing times were in part responsible for these changes in how art was produced. It’s interesting to see how the events of the time period affect everything around it, both in artwork from that time and in the general community. They are pushed by the current events into new things they would not have had considered before or have not had the motivation to peruse.

           I also think that the way in which people respond to the changes going on around them can affect what it is they put out into the world. Artwork from a person who worked within the Baroque style and appreciated it would have a different result from someone who worked in the same style but did not totally agree or welcome it. Those who continued to work in the Mannerism style would try their hardest to overshadow the Baroque works being made.

           In today’s society, the effects of current events on art are still very persistent. Works of art cover a whole range of political topics, ranging from racial issues to displease with treatments to religious ideals. All artwork like paintings, sculptures, architecture tend to have a specific message about a certain issue. I think that political cartoons are the most obvious when it comes discussing the effects of current events on society. They clearly state what they are talking about and make their message on the topic very clear. I believe art lets us express our personal believes about a subject while making it look a certain way to draw people in.

[rhoadsj-blog]

Week 3 - Early/High Renaissance

This week’s reading covered both the early Renaissance and the high renaissance. Both of these time periods are an important time for art. The early renaissance contained a large change in style by incorporating oil paints as media and the high renaissance brought us many very well-known and highly valued pieces of art.

In the early Renaissance, I found it to be really interesting how big of a difference in detail there is between the work of the artists from the Netherlands and the artists of Italy. According to the textbook, the Italians tended to use tempera paints whereas those in the Netherlands leaned more toward oil paints. The use of oil paints allowed the artists from the Netherlands to create more precise details in their art than the Italians could with their tempera paints. I really enjoy the intensity of the colors the artists from The Netherlands were able to produce in their paintings. It’s such a huge difference to turn between pages 267 and 268 in the textbook. If one were to focus on Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus tempera painting on canvas, which is an absolutely stunning work of art, in my opinion, on page 266 and then flip to pages 268 and 269 that contain paintings that incorporate oil paints, like Robert Campin’s Merode Altarpiece and Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece, it’s almost like going from low definition to high definition resolution on a television. The intricate details can be seen in figure 15.32 on page 268 that zooms in on a very small image of Christ carrying a cross near the windows from Robert Campin’s Merode Altarpiece and figure 15.34 on page 270 that zooms in on God’s crown from Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece that shows the fine details in the gems of the crown.

The high renaissance is when many easily recognizable paintings were created, like Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and Michelangelo’s work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. According to the textbook, the high renaissance uses the word “high” to mean that the work from this time had very high approval. One artist’s work, in particular, stood out to me very strongly in this chapter and that was Giorgio da Castelfranco, as known as “Giorgione”. His work can be seen from page 300 of the textbook to page 302. What drew me to his work is the absolute beauty in the way he painted women’s bodies. He chose to use realistic body types for the women he painted, making their bodies more pear-shaped, which is a very common body type for women today, and it seems as though it may have been common in the 1500s as well. Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus on page 301 is a very beautiful example of the way he painted women’s body types.

In conclusion, the early renaissance contained a large change in style by incorporating oil paints as media and the high renaissance brought us many very well-known and highly valued pieces of art. Both of these time periods from this week’s reading are an important time for art.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

I liked how you focused on the amount of detail being used during the Renaissance. It would have been quite a shift to go from more traditional paintings to extremely detailed intricate artworks. So much was packed into the art works, setting it apart from the pieces that came before it. The use of different techniques, both in materials used and the subjects of the paintings, really made their mark. It is easy to see why these works became so well known throughout the world.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

Chapters 15-16

I have always wondered why and how some people put meaning into ordinary, everyday things, building them up to seem like they have a strength. During the High Renaissance, the architects around the time became focused on churches that featured circular shapes or layouts, and centrally planned churches, which had to do with where the building was placed in an area. The textbook states that they believed that the circle was the perfect shape, geometrically speaking, as taught by Plato, and related it to divine powers. They would build their churches around this idea, structuring the layout to be more than just functional. Domed ceilings of the churches were meant to symbolize heaven. The practice of building places of worship in a circular structure continued on into the Middle Ages.

The fact that they chose to focus on the circle as a divine shape makes sense to me. It has no corners, no rough edges. There are examples of circular things in nature. Alberti noted that centrally planned shapes were prevalent in the world around us, like the hexagon. It’s a simple shape. However, I cannot help but think about what led society to deciding why the circle was destined to be brought forward over everything else. I think about other shapes and what kind of rationale would be used to justify their being chosen over the other shapes. The square could have been picked for its equal side lengths and right corners. The triangle could have been admired for its symmetry, possibly related to the Holy Trinity.

Also, I think it is human nature to want to put meaning into things that don’t inherently have any. The people decided to focus on the circle, making it into a religious symbol. We do this today as well, putting meaning to things that, on their own without any context are just what they are and no more. The cross is the first thing that comes to mind. The Christian faith puts a lot of emphasis on the cross, turning it into a symbol, even though it is essentially two lines intersecting. I believe people want to put meanings to everyday objects. I think that in doing so, we can have something that we can stand behind, something physical that we can claim as our own and relevant to our lives. Something we are able to put value in and display.

During the High Renaissance, the architects in charge of building the churches were also given a chance to determine their placements. Keeping in mind the still powerful symbolism the circle gave out, the decided to place the churches and mosques in the center of circular openings, placing them directly in the middle of an open area surrounded by buildings. They put great emphasis on the symmetry of the area, making sure to continue the practice of the circular structures. I find how far the architects and artists were willing to go with the circle. They wanted to display it at every opportunity. Instead of just simply having a round building, they decided on having it be placed in the center of a round area. The power the put into the circle was enough to make them go farther than most would have maybe considered to go.

[codybertram-blog1]

Pre-Renaissance

For this week’s assignment, the Pre-Renaissance, there was a lot of description of art dealing with religion. The main section of this reading I will cover is how art at this time often depicted differences in heaven and hell. One of the great art pieces of this time, Last Judgment by Giotto, shows the differences very well. This art piece shows how on one side the saved souls are rising up towards heaven showing how the saved are righteous. However, on the other side it shows hell with individuals who were considered disordered, violent, and they are located in the lowest  domain of the universe. In this same painting we can see there is a bishop that is approached by a damned soul who is carrying a bag of money. This is indicating that the damned soul is trying to buy their way into the saved souls. This specific part of the painting is believed to represent the financial sin.

This specific painting and meaning behind it is interesting to me because I can see how it relates to my own life currently. For those individuals that are religious, heaven is the place everyone is trying to end up and hell is viewed as the place no one wants to end up, the same as in the painting. The painting also has someone trying to “buy their way in” and people still believe they can do that today. I personally have had conversations with people in the military about their views and some believe they can do whatever they want and at the end they just plan to give everything away and all will be forgiven. This to me is the same as what the damned soul in the painting was trying to do by buying their way into heaven.

Another section covered in this reading was the art styles around the time of a series of disasters in Western Europe. In 1329 there was a famine, in 1333 a flood, in 1335 the smallpox epidemic that killed thousands of children, in the 1340’s the Bardi and Peruzzi banks failed, and in 1348 the bubonic plague. The bubonic plague killed millions of people, in Florence and Siena, it was estimated that 50 and 70 percent of the residents died. Following the loss of so many people there were population shifts, economic depression, and this in return lead to a change in artistic style.

This change in style following loss of individuals and such disasters is something I can relate to easy. In the beginning of my time spent in the military a big style of art a lot of us were getting into were tattoos. Before being deployed the tattoos a lot of us were getting were more positive, upbeat, and motivational tattoos. Things we were proud to show off and talk about. After losing friends and brothers however that style changed for many of us, just like the style changed for the artist in the 1300’s following the disasters such as the bubonic plague. After losing people we were so close with the art style of the tattoos as a whole became darker and had a lot more meaning behind them. The style went from proud and motivated to a remembrance and darker style.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

It is an interesting thought. The ideas that religious ending places like heaven and hell have the same kind of power they do today as they did many, many years ago. It was also a good point that humans also seemed to have remained the same when it comes to their actions and what they will do to get into the better place. The reactions people take to losing those close to us can play out in similar fashions, effecting both our thoughts and actions to make us a bit more darker and bleaker tone.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

Chapter 14 Reflection

           In the beginning stages of the Renascence period, people began to revive the styles based from Roman influences. The artists worked to make pieces like those from Greece and Rome. The artists also took on students or apprentices so that the art style could continue on. I started to wonder how learning art and art styles are passed down from person to person. In the book, the method of how students work is described how they got into their profession. Young aspiring artists would find someone to work under and study. They worked on simple things first, mixing paint and working on minor pictures, preparing them from more complex tasks. The text also uses a word that stuck out to me; “assimilated.”

           Assimilation means to take in information, understand it, and change to be more like it. I feel that the artists doing this with the techniques they learned with their masters is, in a sense, sort of limiting. If everything they learn about art, even the simple things like preparation, comes from someone before them, then there is not any real development in terms of personal style. The techniques of the Renascence, focusing on pieces from Rome, would remain present as people learned and continued to create in that style. I would assume that the student would be able to put their own personal spin or viewpoint in their work, but if they learned everything from someone above them, they might end up shaping their own ideas and methods to be like the ones they learned instead of venturing out and trying something new. They ways of teaching art, both back then and today, I feel may reduce the chance of more unique pieces, limiting the chances for true creativity.

           However, I also feel that there were positives to having artists training others in styles, mainly exposure, both in the artists themselves and with the general public. I do think that some of the teaching methods people use can limit how some may think, but it may also result in them being exposed to something they did not know existed before and have a strong emotional reaction with. It can introduce them, in turn allowing for more expressiveness. Also, while the styles of the Renascence may not have changed or branched out like in modern times, the amount of those who were able to partake in the appreciation of art was able to increase during this period, both with help from the training of artists and the increase of literacy in Italy where it started. The text talks about the start of the humanist movement which created libraries for people. The studies artists did on the old Roman ruins led to new understands of the nature of humans, allowing for even more growth from both the artists and viewing public. With several different texts all revolving around the subject of art, along with other factors, such as artists choosing to sign their works instead of remaining anonymous when producing a piece, led to more and more support in the arts.

[thelavenderllama-blog]

Introduction

I think that art is very special and each artist is unique. It’s fascinating to see the different types of styles and creations made!

I personally love to write. I also enjoy playing video games and spending time with friends/family. I actually just graduated with my Associate of Arts, though I still need to take a few more classes to fulfill the degree. I will then be going for a Communications degree at UD!

There isn’t anything specific I hope to cover in this course, but I am excited to learn about art!

I don’t have a favorite art piece, but I do like Monet’s style:

[bigyellowclock-blog]

I agree that the different styles and techniques of various artists are interesting to look at. I also think that your interests are pretty cool too.

[bigyellowclock-blog]

I think it’s interesting to see how people work out their emotions and express themselves and their experiences through art.

I enjoy writing stories, video games, and coming up with new, creative ideas. I’m after an Associate of Arts degree.

I hope I can find out new ways to express myself through art, using the examples I see in the class as a guide.