Ella

Art History NICC

[afaye2]

Chapter 29 & 30

For these chapters, I chose to focus on artwork full of color. I know that color is a big part of our lives and the appreciation of color is often portrayed in art. I appreciate artwork that lacks color or is full of color. Color can add to a piece of art and there is often a symbolic meaning behind color. Things like red meaning bold, blood, or fierce. I chose to focus on color in these chapters because of how symbolic a single color can be or how color is associated with different things.

Frank Stella created Tahkt-i-Sulayman I, this piece uses bright colors to contrast each other and make definite lines and curves of the shapes. This piece uses color to bolden the shapes and the black background makes them stand out more. The way color can attract or make you feel a certain way, this piece was meant to be intense with color. The artist chose to use this these colors and shapes to create a hard-edge painting. 

Ellsworth Kelly created Spectrum III and Red, Yellow, Blue both focus on bright colors and primary colors. Spectrum III shows the spectrum of colors from yellow to yellow. It comes back around to the beginning and brings the power of color and how they bring different emotions and feelings for each color. Red, Yellow, Blue is the three primary colors, this piece is important to go along with another piece by Piet Mondrian, Trafalgar Square. This piece uses the primary colors along with black lines to capture the connection between the two pieces. The book states they connect “Cubism and Color Field painting”. 

I believe that these pieces of work focus more on the styles of art and how colors can effect the styles. I believe that color is often used in art as a symbol for something deeper. Take the American flag for example, there is a reason each of those colors were chosen and it’s symbolic for something more than just a color. The piece, Three Flags by Jasper Johns. The colors each symbolize something that brings it all together as one and overall stands for America. These artist not only chose to focus on these colors to bring out their styles, an exhibit was created by someone else to feature these pieces together. Artwork isn’t always about the artwork itself but the exhibit and the paintings bringing out the other works of art.

The impact color has on me personally is that I symbolize red with confidence. Put some red lipstick on and I feel more confident than usual. I believe that color has such deep impact on our lives and we associate each color with something. We see it in every day life and art, in movies, in ads, and in everything. Colors are associated with specific feelings, emotions, or even just eye catching. 

Artists are very specific about what colors they choose in their artwork. Each color represents something and they thought about how important the colors together are or where the color is used. Art is very specific and meaningful, the artists may have been creating art for a style or for a feeling, either way it is always well thought out.

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Allison,

You took an interesting approach to overall interpret art pieces in these chapters by basing them off of colors. Like you have mentioned, I have also noticed the connection between colors and what they symbolize to artists. I like the recent chapters we have been reading about much more than the earlier chapters because there is a lot more modern and bright colors used and the artists are more well know. In my blog, I also noted that the vibrant colors in the American Flag painting by Jasper Johns brought more meaning to the piece. 

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

CH 29+30

Chapters 29 and 30 discuss art styles ranging from abstraction to pop art to sculptures and minimalism. While reading, I made the most connections in relation to abstract paintings, Navajo sand paintings and pop art. A common trend in almost all these art styles written about in chapters 29 and 30 was that almost everything was done with oil pastels. I took interest in this because like I’ve said in past blog posts, using oil pastels is one of my personal favorites.  

Beginning with abstract paintings in chapter 29, Hans Hoffman’s, The Gate, caught my attention because of his use of deep bright oil pastels. It is noted about this piece that Hoffman looked at artwork as nature (page 518). This reminded me of a previous artist in chapter 28, Jean (Hans) Arp, because she related to her art in a similar way. Both artists believed that their art pieces came together on thier own and connected naturally instead of having themselves in control. For both artists, the nature of things took place in order for their artworks to be finished (page 502). I like the mind sets that these types of artists have because I feel it makes the art piece itself more unique and universal. People can look at it however they want and see the connections within the artwork instead of direct artist to canvas meanings. It gives a better connection between art and nature and nature and the audience.  

Navajo sand painting art now my favorite type of art noted in this book so far. The message behind these creations has significant meaning to Native Americans and the Navajo people and I love that those traditions and beliefs still exist today. I have been interested in anything to do with Native American art since I was about twelve years old. This interest started when I began learning about the history of my grandparent's farm. This is a family farm that was built over 100 years ago where my family has been finding and continues to find authentic arrowheads in the cornfields and dirt backroads. Although we have no relation to Native American Indians, their stories inspire us and bring a type of spiritual connection to my family. The colors used in Navajo art never get old to me and is the reason I have worn turquoise rings on all ten of my fingers for many years now.  

Pop art is something we briefly touched on in my high school art class. Although I do keep up with pop culture, for some reason it was difficult for me to create something original yet still pertain to the media and what was happening in society today. One piece of pop art that stood out to me in chapter 30 was Jasper Johns, Three Flags. After further observations of this piece, I noticed not only the bright red, white and blues used, but also the contrasted brush strokes within those colors to bring out a sense of antiquity to the piece (page 535).  

Abstract paintings, Navajo sand paintings and pop art are all vastly different styles of art that bring culture and history in their own ways to the history of art. All these styles are still used today and continue to evolve and grow in meaning over time.  

*All references to artists, artwork and page numbers come from Laurie Schneider Adam’s A History of Western Art, 5th edition.  

[thelavenderllama-blog]

Chapters 27 & 28 + Video

This week’s chapters talked about a lot of important art movements. The video, “I Could Do That”, was also eye-popping. I felt that this week’s media stood out more to me and I could relate pieces to my life.

In Chapter 27, there were a lot of different works of art as well as movements. The book talked about cubism and futurism. Pablo Picasso was the artist that caught my eye the most. I have seen his work many times before, mostly the pieces that connect with cubism.  Looking back at his painting, “The Old Guitarist”, and “Man with a Hat”, these two are completely different styles. It is interesting to know that the same artist painted the two. I personally like Picasso’s cubism style more. It makes me think harder about what the pieces represent and what they look like. For example, when I looked at “Man with a Hat”, I was first puzzled as to what it was. The title gives it away, but looking back it at I can see it clearly. 

Picasso’s painting, “Three Musicians”, reminded me of back when I was in band. I felt connected with this piece. The three figures in the painting made me think of my friends and I together during band practice. Although the figures in the painting are not high schoolers in band practice, I like how I can make that connection possible. 

Overall, Chapter 27 reminded me of a puzzle. The styles were more wild, but they fit together. Each piece of work in this chapter connected with each other’s style. Whether it was a painting or a house, I can tell that the styles fit with each other.

Chapter 28 talked about lots of art movements. I had never heard of the term “Dada”, so this chapter was definitely interesting to read about. The artwork is this chapter seemed more puzzling; I had to think harder about the meanings in pieces. However, that’s one thing I like about art; it’s more satisfying to figure out the meaning yourself rather than knowing it with the title or description. 

There were a few artists whose names I’ve seen before, but didn’t know much about them. One of these artists was Grant Wood. I have seen his painting, “American Gothic”, many times in my city. One time I believe it was displayed at the art museum. I like how “American Gothic” represents Iowa. I feel connected with this piece because of that.

I believe the overall theme of Chapter 28 is that artists should create whatever they’d like; they don’t have to follow a certain art movement. When I was looking through the artwork, there are some that are the same but some are different. There’s a variety of styles and media. 

The video, “I Could Do That”, was very eye-catching. I’ve had friends and family look at works of art and say that they could easily create that. I liked how this video talked about looking into details and meaning rather than glancing at a piece. When the narrator was talking about “Tableau I”, I was fascinated to know that it was done with oil painting. Although it looks easy to recreate, I know I could never do it. Overall, the video was very informative on how each piece of art means something beyond the piece itself. 

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

These chapters were ones that I connected with more than the other as well. The simplicity of the artwork noted in these chapters showed how its not always what we see on the outside that is important, instead the meaning behind the artwork. I like how you pointed out multiple different art pieces, styles and artists. I also liked the “I Could Do That” video because it gave the “easier” looking artwork and gave it more meaning. Overall, good organization in this post and you did a good job relating the pieces to your life. 

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Chapter twenty-seven discusses the high points of cubism and futurism in the twentieth century. Well-known artists such as Pablo Picasso and Kazimir Malevich took part in these styles of artwork and played important roles in this new style. These were revolutionary times in the history of art development and changed the game of how movement was displayed throughout famous pieces using shapes and unique placement. The “Dada movement” was a topic in chapter twenty-eight that I drew interest in. Artists that partook in this type of artwork were trying to start fresh in their careers and once again, change the game of art. These art styles bring a new form of simplicity to the world of art where everyday people feel they are able to create the same artwork with no skill or artistic ability. This brings us to the “I Can Do That” video where we can reflect on the meaning behind the art instead of the art itself.  

Starting off with the “I Can Do That” video, I think that almost everyone has probably looked at a piece of art and said either out loud or to themselves “I can do that”. This video pointed out a simple yet interesting approach to viewing art. The woman in the video stated that the artists intentionally created art that was simple to make to make a point that art does not need to be skillful. That anyone can be an artist with a little bit of imagination and inspiration. I think this video made an eye-opening point by saying that yes, you probably could have done that artwork, but you didn’t. Instead of critiquing the artist and the art work, maybe we should appreciate the thought process and the meaning behind the piece. An artwork that stood out to me in this video was where an artist intentionally involved their audience by simply laying a large pile of candy on the floor and inviting people to take a piece. I liked this because the artist was taking part in a new era of art where creativity and thought were just as worthy as skillful and detailed art.  

Cubism is an art style used by the very well-known artist, Pablo Picasso. On page 480 of A History of Western Art, a famous example of cubism is displayed by Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. This piece shows nude people with bold outlines for shapes of the body in abnormal stances. By Picasso’ s placement of facial features, he is displaying movement in a way never done before. This new idea of movement shown through shapes and sharper colors shows Picasso’s brilliance and his “outside of the box” way of thinking. Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square (page 492) brings out the simple side to this movement where it doesn’t focus so much on the skill of the art, instead the meaning behind it. I admire this piece because it is a good example of how things on the inside are sometimes more extraordinary than what is seen on the outside.  

The Dada movement was interesting to me because artists were incorporating humor and sometimes childish acts to create art. This took place following World War I and is said to be a time where artists wanted to start over and begin new lives (page 500). Marcel Duchamp took a more humorous role in this movement by recreating Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and incorporating a mustache on her face (page 501). Jean Hans Arp was another artist who had a playful mind and stuck with the simplicity of this style. Examples of Arp’s playful style are shown on page 501 of The Dancer and Collage Arranged According to the Laws of Chance. These two pieces stood out to me because she has a sort of carefree and free-spirited mindset which relates to my personality very much.  

Cubism, the Dada movement, and the “I Can Do That” video all are a part of explaining that art doesn’t need to be difficult to be meaningful. The examples of art noted in these chapters are great examples of how artists are sending a message larger than what is visually seen. Artwork like this sends an inspiring message to viewers who appreciate art for more than just what we see on the outside.  

All references to page numbers are from Laurie Schneider Adam’s “A History of Western Art, 5th edition”. 

[yauslinm-blog]

Chapter 25+26

After reading these two chapters, this is the type of artwork that sparks my interest over what we’ve learned so far. I love the artwork that is bright, colorful, and tells a story. In the first chapter I will talk about at least one artist that sparks my interest on each topic of artwork in that chapter. In chapter 25 I will be talking about Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Gustave Moreau, and Henri Rousseau. From chapter 26 I will be talking about the top two topics that spark my interest. Those two will be fauvism and expressionism.

Paul Cezanne was known “to have the most powerful impact on the development of Western painting” (p.453). He was known for turning painting into a structure that was visible to the viewer. In the beginning, his artwork was mainly black and always had something to do with violent themes in them. Cezanne is known for his self portrait. The main colors of himself are dark colors, but the background is more impressionist style. He applied his paint thick in this artwork so that the viewer could see each brushstroke. Cezanne was under the influence of Pissarro when his artwork started to become brighter. The first artwork he did with these bright colors was Still Life with Apples. He used black spheres for the beginning of the apples and built onto that with brushstrokes of reds, greens, yellows, and oranges. My favorite artwork that Cezanne did was Mont Sainte-Victoire. This is an artwork of rich green trees in the foreground and a mountain in the background. The brushstrokes of the trees and the mountain are thick and detailed. Cezanne was drawn to this artwork for personal identification.

Vincent van Gogh was an artist that I heard much about in art during school, but never really knew a lot about his art or him in general. Reading about him in chapter 25 gave me a better understanding of his history and his artwork. Vincent only spent the last 10 years of his life painting, but he made a big impact. He, like Cezanne, started his artwork with dark colors. Later, after he started working with Impressionists, he expanded his range of colors to lighter and brighter colors as well. His artwork The Starry Night is the one I am most familiar with. It is described as “intense, expressive color, his powerful imagery, and his strong sense of line” (p.456). It is hills underneath the sky and in the foreground of that its a city in the night time under the stars. I found it very interesting he painted this piece of art while he was in a mental asylum. 

Gustave Moreau led the Symbolist movement. His artwork that I am most familiar with is Galatea. It has to do with the Cyclops Polyphemos looking at a nude figure. He is holding the stone he used to kill the nude’s lover. This artwork is meant to symbolize love and passion that ended in murder. The art comes off as eerie and mysterious. Moreau put the nude female in a reclining position so that she looks vulnerable.

Henri Rousseau was an artist who really had no formal training. This made him mocked by a lot of the art critics, but he was soon later praised for his work. His great work that I want to touch on is called The Dream. This painting has a nude in the reclining position as well. She is laying on a couch, and the couch is in the jungle. Rousseau gave two reasonings as to why the nude lady was on the couch in the jungle. The first one being that the female is dreaming and her dream took her there. The other one being just because of the couch’s red color. This painting was famous for combining “the visionary world of dream and imagination with a detailed depiction of reality” (p.466).

In chapter 26 Fauvism sparked my interest because it had to do with bright, vivid colors that exploded from the canvas. The art was made purely from the color combinations used to create startling effects. This type of painting was known for its “brilliant, non naturalistic color and emotional exuberance that struck viewers” (p.470).

Expressionism also used color in its artwork. It was different from fauvism in the sense that it had a “greater concern for the emotional and spiritual properties of color and form” (p.471).

[lizfass-blog]

Just like you said in your blog post, I was also most familiar with van Gough due to learning about him from an early age in elementary school. I also thought it was interesting that he did some paintings while in a mental institution. Fauvism is an interesting style too because it was so different than the previous styles we have read about. Did you have a favorite painting/work that encompasses the style of fauvism? Overall, great post!

[elyseck-blog]

Lizzi - I totally agree with you. I love this artwork the most. The bright, vibrant colors really catches my eye and interests me the most. I love how you mentioned art telling a story. Every piece has some sort of story to tell yet we might not always know the back story. The pieces where it’s easy to recognize a story or perhaps even make up a story are the best ones. I also enjoyed reading about Fauvism as you mentioned. The colors really pop out in pieces like this and it is so appealing to the eye. It sounds like we have similar art interests! Nice post. 

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

These chapters for me were also my personal favorite to read about because of the new bright colors and mediums introduced. I chose to write about the same idea because it was a time in history where artists used much more color than from the time periods we have been reading about. I liked how the artists used the bright colors and dark backgrounds to create a sense of depth and movement in the characters or nature they were painting. 

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

CH 25 & 26

Chapter 25 discusses post-impressionism and the artists that first took part in this era. I learned that post impressionism was like a new and improved version of impressionism where artists gave their paintings more outlined detail to objects and characters (page 452). They also used more colors which helped to define objects and sequence movement throughout the paintings.   

During the first week of this online course, we posted about our favorite artist or artwork, which for me was Vincent Van Gough. In this chapter there are multiple images of Van Gough’s artwork and it also talks about his general life. Although I chose Van Gough’s A Starry Night as my favorite art piece, I still admire his other pieces noted in the book as well such as his Self Portrait and Bedroom at Arles. I was first introduced to Van Gough and his artwork in my high school art class where my art teacher had a large replica of A Starry Night hanging up in the classroom. Along with Van Goughs artwork, my teacher also had George Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, which is also written about in chapter 25. Going back to Van Gough, although he is one of my favorite artists, I oddly enough didn’t know anything about him until reading this chapter. I found that he painted A Starry Night while he was in an insane asylum, which makes him even more interesting than before (page 458). Personally, I feel like painting is a form of mediation or a way to leave the world in a sense. I read that some people believe that A Starry Night was a painting that reflected what was going on in Van Gough’s mind during his time in the mental asylum (page 458), but I think it could have just been his way of personal therapy or meditation. When I paint in my free time, I feel like I am reading a book in a sense because I forget about everything happening around me and it allows me to really focus on my mind and be in the moment. This painting could have been his way of escaping from the chaos in his life.  

Edward Munch’s Scream was the runner up to Van Gough’s A Starry Night as my second favorite historical art piece. I have always thought of it as a creepy work of art but in an admiring way. I was again intrigued by reading on page 464 that Munch was also mentally unstable alongside Van Gough. By the description of the colors in the sky said to be screaming as well, we can clearly see in the Scream piece that Munch did in fact interpret the chaos he was feeling inside his head onto cardboard.  

Expressionism is an art style that stood out to me in chapter 26. Oil paintings were one of my most memorable mediums to use in high school and I can remember feeling a sort of satisfactory sense when pressing the oil to the paper. I am drawn particularly to the solid shaded background of Emil Nolde’s Still Life with Masks on page 472. My favorite mask in this piece is the yellow skull on the bottom right because of the thickness of the oil which created depth and bright colors.  

Overall, these two chapters bring up some of the most well-known artists of all time and describe their input to the artistic and historical time period of post impressionism and expressionism. I can find more things to relate to in these more recent chapters because there is more development of colors in art instead of previous religious chapters and the art in these chapters are more relevant to today.  

[kaleibiehl-arthistory-blog]

Week 7 Blog Post: Realism/Impressionism Ch 23+24

Chapters 23 and 24 cover a time period of revolution and the “reality” of the world. The most common themes I saw as I read was the real time, real experience the painters captured. In my blog post, I will cover the Realism style by analyzing the painting “Olympia,” and explore Impressionist style by examining “Moulin de la Galette.”

In Chapter 23, I was drawn to the painting by Édouard Manet entitled, “Olympia.” I thought this painting was the perfect representation of the Realism style due to the painting’s representation of raw, imperfect life. According to the reading, Manet’s painting was viewed by many as an oil canvas of a prostitute, sitting in an unmade bed with a flower in her hair sent by one of her clients. Realism is represented here in many forms, the most pronounced one is her body. In the painting, the woman is laying in a disproportionate way, she is not perfect but she is real. I think Monet was trying to capture the true form people are in, rather than the romanticized nude figures seen in previous chapters. Secondly, the bed sheets are ruffled and unmade, creating the allusion that the reality of life is unkept and flawed. “Olympia” was also a progressive painting, it was controversial because rather than staying with the Classical ideal, the real society of nineteenth-century Paris was exposed (428). I also noticed that the woman openly accepts the viewer and glares back. Her body is uncovered and she rejects modesty. The painting led me to believe that Realism style is like protests we see now against the perfect image of models in society, and the notion that women must be private and lady-like. The progressive art movement seemed to show people that women have the right to do or say as they please. On the opposing side, I compare Romanticism style to magazines and screenplays, similar to how many people picture the perfect life to be. In my opinion, Realism style artwork helps people stay grounded and less like they must live and look a certain way; the reality of life is imperfect and a winding road of happiness and sadness. 

Chapter 24 covered the Impressionist style, where painters captured their emotions and “impression” of a situation or moment of time. I noticed a lot of the artwork from this era was painted outdoors and the characters looked off-guard and in the moment. Similar to Realism style, it captured the true sense of the situation, but it also added the feelings of how the artists felt during the scene. According to the reading “Week 7 Overview”, the painters used the manipulation of light in different parts of the painting to “heighten their ability to capture the moments.” Page 435 shows an image of the painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir named  “Moulin de la Galette.” The painting depicts a leisure day at the Montmartre dance hall courtyard (435). Couples are laughing and dancing candidly. I liked this painting because it was bright and cheerful, showing the emotion of each person through their eyes. 

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Kalei,

I like how you chose a piece of artwork that stood out to you most and related it to the change in society in that time period. When reading your analysis about how the woman in the painting was made with imperfections made me think of how women today in social media are beginning to realize imperfections are more beautiful than being perfect Your organization made it easy to understand your connections and analyzations of the art piece.

[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.  

[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.

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Allison,

The change for women’s rights in these chapters was also something I found interest in. It is crazy to see the evolution from then and now and is almost unimaginable to think about a time where the work of women was though of as unimportant and irrelevant. I liked how you pointed out the different meanings behind each painting and connected it all together in the end to relate it to how women’s past bravery carved a pathway to our lives as women today. 

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Week 5 Baroque/Rococo

In the beginning of chapter 19 in Laurie Schneider Adam’s A History of Western Art, religion, politics and science all play big roles in the new movements happening from the 1500’s to the seventeenth century (page 333 para 2). Many new things were being discovered at this time about space, people and religious beliefs which lead to conflict. This is similar to what is happening today within politics and space exploration. When people hear of new things happening that have never happened before, they tend to react by being scared or in a defending manner. Just like in the 1500’s, these new discoveries are leaving people on edge and confused about what the future might hold for us as not only citizens of the United States, but the entire world as well.  

Although new developments may bring fear, it also has a positive side. One in particular was the start of a new era of equality. Before current times, women were thought of as unimportant and irrelevant when it came to anything other than washing dishes, preparing meals and caring for her family. As new developments arose, so did women's rights. This process took far longer than it should have, but not until the late 1500’s were women even allowed to create meaningful artwork. During that time, only a very small number of women, particularly those with higher education and family members as artists, could participate in the creations of artwork. As time went on, women became more and more accepted in both the general society and as artists. When we look at the big picture over time, these developments of society throughout history have monumental meaning today. Especially being a pilot, I could not even imagine living in a world where as a female, I have no rights. Although these rights still have a long way to go, not only for the female population but also LGBTQ and racism, as citizens of the world we have grown immensely in the right direction.  

The 1700’s was also a great developmental time for artists, musicians and science. Musicians such as Bach and Mozart came to light, Edmund Halley identified a comet, and oxygen and calculus were discovered (page 368). John Locke also stated that knowledge comes from experiences (page 368 para 5). This statement is something I have also been saying for many years now. I have also been one to experience things for myself instead of reading about it out of a book. Traveling had been a passion of mine because I enjoy going to new places and experiencing different cultures and scenery, even if it is still just somewhere new in the United States. Every time I come home from a travel, I feel like my views and knowledge of the world is expanded with every trip. I think many people judge others because they are inexperienced with the world and other cultures making it so they are blinded to understanding their point of view. If we all are open in our thoughts and continue to grow and accept one another, we can continue to become a nation united.  

*All references to the information and artwork came from Laurie Schneider Adams A History of Western Art, fifth edition.  

[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.

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

I also found interest in the details and high contrast differences between tempera paintings and oil paintings in that time period. Your connection between the artwork and comparing it to high vs low definition made it easy to visualize the quality and meaning in the artwork itself. Chapter 16 was easier for me to understand and comprehend because the artists and their artwork was recognizable. It was interesting to read about what they really meant, as I had never looked into it. One thing I would have liked to see in this post was how you can relate to it, but overall I enjoyed reading. 

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Ella Osterkamp 

Art History II 

Chapter fifteen and sixteen in A History of Western Art describes the early and high renaissance in the fifteenth century in Italy. Although, this is not a time or place I am familiar with, there are a few pieces of artwork and artists that I am familiar with. Throughout chapter sixteen, I found that the high renaissance was quite literal. It was an exciting time in political history, but not as exciting for artists (page 279). 

Page 243 discusses the popular schooling for young artists and the fact that both men and women went to school together and took a variety of classes including physical education. This interests me because I thought at that time period men and women were treaded very differently. It seems school in Italy for them was similar to school still today. We choose a focus of study but we as students still are required and expected to be well rounded in all subjects to make sure we are knowledgeable for future life skills.  

I enjoyed reading that artists who liked a certain style would travel to location where their interests flourished to find inspiration and to learn more about their own likings. It was noted that artists who had an appreciation for antiquity would travel to Rome to explore the ancient ruins. I can relate to this because my mom owns an antique store which has made me appreciate the uniqueness of antiques, especially jewelry. I believe things grow in value over time instead of decrease in value. When I was younger, I never used to enjoy traveling to rundown places to find old items. I thought it was all junk and a waste of money. Now I have found joy in traveling to different states and stopping in small towns to search for these unique locations and the little treasures we may find within them. Not only do the treasures we find have their own stories, but the owners of these stored also give inspiration to keep finding these shops and supporting their unique and cool history.  

A familiar artist and artwork I noticed in chapter 15 of A History of Western Art was the David sculpture by Donatello. Although I do not recognize the photo of the physical statue, throughout the reading and description I do recognize the names “David and Goliath” from modern music.  

Another artist and artwork I recognize is in chapter sixteen, page 280, called Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci. I have seen images of this drawing many times in many different locations. I have also seen images of this drawing altered to where the man in the drawing is strumming a guitar. Although I have seen this drawing multiple times, I have never looked into its meaning. After reading the description of Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man, I can connect to his meaning in man relating to nature and possibly why another artist has added a guitar to the original drawing in the sense that music is like nature.   

*All references to artwork and artists come from the book by Laurie Schneider Adams, A History of Western Art 5th edition. 

[kaleibiehl-arthistory-blog]

Blog Post Week 2: Chapter 14

Chapter 14 from, “A History of Western Art,” Fifth Edition, by Laurie Schneider Adams, focused heavily on the pre-renaissance time period, and how art developed as lives changed. In my blog post, I will to touch on how the paintings created during this time reflect the powerful voice and progressive mindset of the time. I will also talk about my interest in how young artists are developed. 

In my opinion, the most intriguing thing in this chapter was how young artists learned and developed their skills. This was especially interesting to me because I related to the young students, as I am a college student, just beginning to soak in information and progress in my studies and future. In the section “Training an Artist,” Adams described how apprentices are developed by starting at “the bottom of the food chain,” so to speak. The young aspiring artists mixed paints, prepared pigments, or painted small minor characters in large paintings. I saw a connection here; in premodern times, student teaching was still very similar to current times. I related it to my current job, financial status, and role as a student. I am currently working long hours and studying hard, I find myself at the bottom of the food chain just as the training artists were. At work, I do mindless tasks which I think are similar to mixing paint or drawing background characters. In class, I listen to my professors diligently and I understand that their knowledge on the subject is far superior than mine. I realized, after reading this chapter, that this theme is prevalent whether you were born in the 14th C or 2019. No matter what, learning is a continuation of working your way up. It made me wonder if famous murals painted by extremely experienced and nuanced people allowed their students to create minor characters, and if I have ever seen any of these. 

Along with my interest in training artists, I also enjoyed reading about how people at this time incorporated their beliefs into their paintings. Pre-renaissance was all about building change, progress, and voicing different opinions and views of the world. I could clearly see these values as I read about the piece entitled the Virtue of Justice, found in the Arena Chapel (Figure 14.8). Adams described the artwork as, “reflecting the humanist concern with the government” (231). The painting represented the split between two political parties found in Italy: the authoritarian states and the democratic regions. It showed a majestic queen who radiated beauty and power. In her hand, she held a Nike that represented ancient Athenian beliefs that connect justice to a well-run government. I saw the painting as the artist’s way of expressing her view on a fair way to run the people of Italy. With the painting being gothic and provocative, it mirrored the pre-renaissance mindset exactly; the people of this time have a powerful voice, and change is inevitable. Despite my knowledge on 14th C rebellion, I was surprised to see that artwork at this time used the government as a creative outlet so frequently. I previously thought that authoritarian beliefs shut down all creative ways to speak out, but it seemed that Italy had multiple forms of government, including oligarchies (231), and a  well-built way to express that.

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Kalei, I enjoyed reading your post. Your transitions were smooth and your organization made it easy to relate to and make connections within. I can relate to how you connected with young developing artists by being a college student at the bottom of the food chain. Hopefully our hard work today will pay off for our futures. Throughout the chapter I also noticed and enjoyed that artists used their personal experiences and incorporated that into their artwork. Great post!

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Blog Post Week 2

Ella Osterkamp 

Blog Post Week 2 

Art History II 

Tempera painting was a medium I used back in high school art class. Chapter 14 discusses how tempera paintings have been used since the early ancient Egypt (page 226). It is incredible to read about such fine detail and time went into this artwork. Paintings such as Cimabue’s Madonna Enthroned (page 224) and Giotto’s Madonna Enthroned (page 225) both had to be prepared and monitored by the artist before the painting could even begin. There was a long process that went into these paintings and creating the framework for the art piece its self. Similar to these artists preparation, I also spent a lot of time before my painting even began thinking about the message I wanted to portray and what details I wanted to hide in the unseen background of my creation.  

As a frequent traveler, I relate to the artists attention to detail in their paintings and display backgrounds as I do with my food while traveling. Preparation for a painting is similar to meal displays in the sense that the appearance, both outside and throughout, have meaning and purpose. Timing is another factor relating to attention to detail within painting and food preparation. Even after the painting was finished, the artist waited an entire year for the painting to be completely dry because of all the layers (page 226). This showed the patience and monumental meaning of the artwork to the artist was worth the wait. Chefs are in many ways artists in this sense as well. 

A specific observation I made on page 225 from Giotto’s painting pointed out the spacing of characters and positions of their heads and how that made an illusion of movement relating to that in nature. This interpretation caught my attention because I notice this in modern tempera painting pieces as well. Nature is always changing and moving so I love how the artist can create a piece of art that physically stays the same but internally is changing and moving as well. I have always thought of nature as the most beautiful piece of art. Nature is Earth’s canvas and it will forever continue to grow and evolve as do artists.  

When these paintings were being created, the artists see their work from a different perspective than the audience may. As a pilot in training, my views are much different from the average person's view, literally. I prefer to see the world from the skies and seek adventure in my travels through the skies. When artists like those mention in A History of Western Art, are imagining their pieces, I can relate to them in the sense that they know nobody will truly see the meaning and perspective of their creations, or views in my case, as they experience them themselves. Other similar artists may understand them better than the average observer as other pilots will understand my persepective. 

*All page number and artwork references are from the textbook by Laurie Schneider Adams, A History of Western Art 5th edition.  

[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:

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Good luck on your Communications degree at UD! I took Interpersonal Communications there last semester and loved it!

[ellaosterkamp-blog]

Introduction

Art interests me because it is a way of expression yet it can be made up of or by anyone and anything. I am pursuing a degree in Flight Operations with a minor in Aviation Management.