Art History

[hannahmtrimble]

Week 15 Response

          I do not think censorship is generally not required in art, with some exceptions. I do think concepts and ideas developed and expressed by artists can be dangerous, but that all has to do with what the individual perceives as bad or dangerous. I think the line should be drawn at violence and offense to certain groups of people. Honoring and remembering an event/culture, or interpreting emotions or reactions are very different than thrusting hate upon others or exhibiting racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, etc. Other than that, there are few things I can think of that should be forced out of existence, resulting in the oppression of the creative and free mind. Censorship is often found alongside oppression-like connotations, whereas I think the censorship I think should take place in art is the opposite: it should promote freedom of the mind and everything, rather than the condemning and oppression of certain peoples. I don’t think the perception of explicit content or violence is relative to individual cultures. I think it has more to do with historical events and portrayals; war, gods, sex, etc. are not exclusive to one group of the human race. I think art does show a parallel to free speech, not just in America, because it is simply another form of expression that should not be silenced for futile reasons. Free speech is the freedom to say what you want, especially about the government, and not be condemned for it legally. This does not mean you will not have consequences or reactions to your opinions and voice, and it does not mean you are always right or morally correct. I think the course of levels in restriction have a lot to do with what the masses accept it to be. One minority can try and censor artists or the masses themselves, or the other way around, but it all has to do with how much nerve the oppressed party has and how far they are willing to go with standing up for themselves. That said, I sure hope censorship continues to be less restrictive, people should be able to express themselves how they like, as long as it is not hurting others.

[hannahmtrimble]

Blog Post Week 12

          This is “The Nightmare”, which is an oil painting finished in 1781, done by Henry Fuseli. This is a very popular and beautiful work, which is perhaps why it ended up catching my eye. It features a dimly lit room, with few inanimate objects around the main subjects.           The main thing that catches our eye, is the beautiful, yet quite distressed, woman stretching across the width of the painting. Her arm, in the true fashion of the era, brings this feeling of desolation off the bed, passing her discarded blankets, coming further into the foreground and into our space. It is obvious that she is sleeping, but there is a great amount of suffering shown in her facial features- indicating to us that her nightmare is ongoing and very real. Her mouth is slightly open, her eyebrows are furrowed greatly, and her hair is in falling tendrils as her head leaves the security of the bed. On top of the girl sits what looks to be a small demon-like creature, his body positioned to be facing away from us, only for his neck to crane around to reveal to us his face. We see his eyes bulging out of his head, showing his own crazed nature and expression, perhaps promoting the idea that emotion and fear are what drive this painting. He sits on top of her lungs with a great frown, shortening her breath and almost crushing her and her chances to escape. His shadow shows that he possesses horns, further perpetuating its devilish nature. To the left, we see a demented black horse that follows the theme of bulging eyes. It’s almost disturbing to look at, but only gives us a glimpse of what might be going on behind the woman’s eyelids. The blankets laying under the women are red, detailed intricately with gold. They appear to be scratched at, ripped probably from the lady or the demon within her dreams clawing himself into reality. As a whole, we find the structure of the main figures in the painting, made up of the woman and hermit-like man, form a triangle to create a sense of balance and order within the painting that counters the chaos within the girl’s mind.           This painting does not have a significant historical context that comes with it, other than the fact that it was very popular and inspired a great amount of literature in the time. This, I can understand. The painting is something you can look at seemingly forever, and inspires a lot of wonder and ideas. What is she dreaming about? Where do these fears originate? What does it say about the woman? This is probably one of the main reasons why I love the work so much. I have also mentioned in previous posts, I enjoy the darker themes of art quite a bit, and nightmares are included in that. The position of all the figures, the mixture of beauty and ugliness, terror and serenity, et cetera are stark but they compliment each other and work so well together to make such a great work.

[hannahmtrimble]

Week 11 Blog Post

        I have to say that I really like Ai Weiwei’s work. There is a lot of passion and personal moral behind his work, and I can appreciate that. Especially because I think many of the things he advocates for are needed and agreeable, so I may be quite biased. I enjoy how his ability is shown in whatever material he may use, and a lot of his works are fascinating to look at and consider their meaning. I also think that his works are to be considered as both “art” and “activism” together as one.There is no doubt that these pieces share a message that expresses Weiwei’s intention and calls for activism and change. I think he uses art as a form of activism, a way to express his beliefs and entice change in the areas he visits and the things he speaks about. This, in a way, is art- Is it not? I don’t think art is just simply what the piece is, whether it be a painting, sculpture, et cetera. I believe there is art in how it is made, how it is presented, and how it is able to fulfill its purpose. All of Ai Weiwei’s works cover all of these avenues in great detail and therefore are able to encompass the titles of both “activism” and “art”. The way that he is able to take a concept and, as the video notes, “reform it in a way that gives the work new meaning” is remarkable and brings a new perspective to my argument as well. We have seen activism in art, but not to this degree. He finds a way to make activism his art, which is why I think he is so well known.

          It is quite easy for some to shove his works into the category that claims they are not fine art. This might be because not all of his pieces require large amounts of talent and a particular mind, and some of them use quite traditional technique. I disagree with this frame of mind, because there are many more reasons to consider his works to be fine art than not so. These reasons can lie in the materials he uses, the reasons they are made vs. the way he interprets them based on personal experience, and the way he decides to express the need for change. It is complex. It is “classical, from its technical proficiency, from the forms he uses, the materials he works with … but its very modernist in its values”. These modernist values are very important, and many of his works specifically have to do with government hindering individual freedoms, and I think this is quite important and is a concept that should be listened to with open ears. Living in a first world country with a government that employs checks and balances that prides itself on ‘freedom’ can help us forget that many other countries in the world do not have these luxuries. Weiwei is trying to bring these luxuries to the people that don’t have them by bringing the awareness that many countries like us lack- improving lives for the greater good should not be considered a hindrance to people that prefer to be ignorant towards them.

[sharacota]

Week 8 Blog Post

The artist I decided to go with was Caravaggio whose full name is Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio. The artist I was intrigued by was Caravaggio because of the way his art turned out into the end. I feel Caravaggio used many dark colors and covered deep topic through his art. Another thing I noticed if he was not painting dark and gloomy he was painting portraits of people of the time. The image I chose is called Narcissus. Caravaggio painted it in 1599 and it is being displayed in Galleria Borghese.

The image I thought was very interesting. This image how I preserve it is a young boy looking into a puddle and what is looking back at him is what he looks like as an older version of himself. I think that this painting is one of his lighter pieces of work that is not of someone decapitating someone else. I noticed a lot of his work involved the death of someone. I enjoyed this image because it was very different than most of his other work that he painted.

I believe the story that he was telling through this work was that you have to look and see the bigger picture of what life truly has in store. That you have to see the bigger picture that even though your young you will grow into the person that you want to be. On the other side of this, it could be a man looking in on his past. He could be reminiscing on his youth; maybe what he could have done different with his life, or remembering past memories about life. This artist is very talented in all of his artwork. If you are ever in Rome, Italy and are around the Galleria of Borghese, you can look at this image and see it in person!

[hannahmtrimble]

I think this is a really interesting painting of Caravaggio’s to choose. In a lot of his work, we see a lighter figure with a starkly darker background but this brings more of a monochromatic color scheme to the table. I also agree with you on the younger boy looking at his older self’s reflection point of view. I love the way the younger boy looks at what you and I perceive as the older version of himself with such curiosity. He looks as if he’s about to jump in due to his thirst for knowledge, which shows Caravaggio’s influence on what will  be considered the Baroque style.

[hannahmtrimble]

Mary Magdalene as Melancholy

I chose to analyze Gentileschi’s work this week, because I find her as a person so interesting and strong. We don’t often hear of artists of her nature, so intensely confident and groundbreaking in her art (and the fact that she’s a woman, not afraid to stand up for herself). For this week, I chose “Mary Magdalene as Melancholy ”, because it simply caught my eye the most out of all her works. I have a sort of soft spot for darker works of art, and though most of Gentileschi’s work is of the sort with intense subject matter, this painting just looked so intriguing to me. As I looked further into the painting, I learned that it was finished in 1625 and lies in the Treasury of Seville Cathedral. This painting is a true Baroque. We can see it in the urgency of her position and the lack of stark angles and strong light sources. Her body is hunched over itself, creating many diagonals and other Baroque era characteristics. What I think I like so much about this painting is that the norm for this era is more of emotional intensity shown through obvious and passionate physical movement, but not here. Mary Magdalene shows her emotion through her barely opened eyes, almost as if she is so sad she cannot bother to open her eyes all the way in the moment. I absolutely love the position her body is in as well. It's certainly a position that not many women would be painted in at the time, slouching, hand between her legs- but the overwhelming bout of depression she obviously feels trumps any kind of act she might put on for others. Gentileschi is telling us this story by focusing everything on her. We see nothing but a few inanimate objects but the eye is drawn straight to Mary’s distinct frown, her red nose, cheeks, and hands, most likely worn out from trying to push her tears away. Another thing I love about this painting, is that it shows such strong regard for sadness but we see no tears. The artist does so well with the position and facial expression that the scene is more of the empty and numb feeling one gets after letting all their emotions out. The title describes Mary as the literal embodiment of melancholy, not just that she is feeling so, which is so powerful to me and really wonderful to consider when looking at the work.

[berendsr-blog]

Bosch Begining this assignment, I knew that I would have to truly dig deep to even try to grasp what the artist was thinking here. It was rather difficult to pick out two, considering there is a lot going on, and alot that the artist is trying to express. First photo, I chose this because you can see where the people are all over the animals. Look at the sadness in the owl’s eyes. It’s almost as if it is saddened by the sins on what is going on.It’s like the humans depend on the animals to survive, but seems the animals are being treated poorly by the way they are perched on them. The animal is surrounded by sin, and realistically speaking has no way out. It goes on to effect the ducks, and birds as well. To me, this is like saying those whom surround him are who he considered to be the animals, while those closest to him were portaying love and lust. Over all it truly was difficult to determine the thought behind it.

For my second photo, it took me a minute to process. There are multiple relations going on here. So, this was hard to decipher. I started with looking at the women at the bottom, with one black male. They are all gathered around, almost as if they are trying to unify something and show they are all created equally. Look at the way that eac party interacts with one another. Almost all appear to be sexual in one way or another. I think he was trying to express himself and how he feels, while showing how he feels the outside world sees him. Again, this was difficult to not only grasp the concept, but to focus on just one interaction that is going on.

[hannahmtrimble]

I really liked how you paid attention to something as small as the owl. I enjoyed your analysis and it made me think that maybe the artist is suggesting something more here. Its almost as if Bosch is saying that animals do not have the same capacity for sin as humans do, which are, in Christian belief, made in God’s image. This is an idea I find very interesting and might lead to what the true meaning of the painting is, as too many it is a great mystery. Your analysis was fun to read and consider!

[hannahmtrimble]

The Garden of Earthly Delights

 I really enjoy just looking at this painting as it almost reminds me of a Northern Renaissance version of where’s waldo, although the objective is to find the various eroticism and images the naked eye doesn’t pick up because there is so much going on. Section one is maybe the easiest panel to interpret. It is how God created mankind and its surroundings. We see normal animals, beautiful fountains, etc. Really the essence of life beginning and adjusting to their new environment. The middle panel is where we get the complicated image of what humanity will turn God’s great creation into: a sea of sin and a corruption of the once “perfect” world humanity was to thrive in. The last panel shows us Bosch’s interpretation of Hell. Here, we find people doing very weird things as well, which might be a hint as to where the actions of the people in the middle panel might be headed.

My first screenshot depicts one of the more striking scenes on the Hell panel of the work. It shows a knife or blade between two giant ears, most likely coming from the giant man being hollowed out underneath it. I think this shows more than anything the complete lack of restraint in this painting. Nothing is off base, which very much parallels the idea of the painting, which is to show the complete ability of humanity to sin when not restricted by morals or sin. The next part of the work that I isolated would be the scene in the lake, of both the group of people eating the giant blueberry.I think it shows what vulgarity and greed can come from a lack of morals. Obviously, this is a very exaggerated example, but these people are being shown feeding of the literal fruits of God’s labor without thought or appreciation. I would also consider it to be maybe a symbol for something more valuable and sacred to the religion (or society in general), that mankind may take for granted or abuse easily. This could be a symbol for greed, materialism, etc.

[wrightergirl]

Blog Post Week 4

Art has always been a rallying point in the past. A call to arms. A statement that made people think. Art has been created to celebrate moments of victory, to grieve in moments of loss, and much like in Hong Kong, art has been made to protest. Abby Chen makes a statement about the art happening in Hong Kong is about being human. I think that hits so deep of a meaning because every time we look at art we see a glimpse of their personality, a piece of their soul laid bare for people to view for eternity. I think what she means is that whether it be a masterful painting done by a skilled hand or a roadblock made to look like miniature stone henges art is a part of us. Even people who don’t think about it, when we see art we feel something, when we make art we make it with a purpose. I believe she is correct in stating that the the finest art will come from this turmoil because in history art made from turmoil wracks us with the most emotion. Viewers can FEEL what the artist is intending, can hear their voice in every brushstroke, every brick laid, every word eloquently written. If one thing comes from turmoil it is the bearing of the soul, and for artists it is bared for the world to see. I think art holds immense power in the Hong Kong confrontation, for when civil words and polite manners are not heard, artist ALWAYS find a way for their message to be heard. For their voice to be heard.

[hannahmtrimble]

I love your points about personality in art, especially in forms that are trying to break free from oppression. I think this is really cool to think of in the Hong Kong perspective of things because artists are using the form of graffiti and street art especially. These artists are so greatly showing their personality, even if they are anonymous which is amazing, on everyday objects and sights throughout the city. You mention that the art made from these situations is for everyone to see, and that’s exactly what’s happening already. It’s amazing!

[hannahmtrimble]

Week 4 Blog Post

The power of art is something that should never be doubted. I think the author of this article has a really good point in saying that a lot of great art will be coming out of this uprising. Artists use their mediums to express what they feel, to break out from oppressive societal constraints, etc. Why would this (hopeful) breakthrough in Chinese politics be any different? I think what she really means is that the circumstances warrant a lot of emotion and righteousness that artists will surely be inspired to document, remember and cope with, in their respective forms of art, that is. As Chen shares, there are already street artists, taking their talent to the streets in more obvious yet anonymous fashions to promote change. This is why I believe art is so important and effective under these kinds of circumstances; it’s everywhere and it is more effective and empowering than many might think. She also notes that, “these traumatic experiences have opened my eyes to humanity in a new and deeper way”, and isn’t that one of the many great qualities of art? That we are able to cope with atrocities by making it, viewing it, and interpreting it? That is something that holds true power and sentimentality in humanity, and that’s one of the many points I think she’s trying to make in this article.

[gomezla98]

Pietà at the Foot of the Cross - Ambrosius Benson - Google Arts & Culture

Donated by Antonio Plasencia in 1935

For my Northern Renaissance Research, I chose the painting “ Pieta at the foot of the Cross.” This painting was developed by Ambrosius Benson in 1530. 

In this painting, there is a great detail that has gone into the work that is to be admired. In this painting, the artist clearly demonstrated asymmetrical balance by adding a similar reflection on one side and a beautiful view of the castles and landscapes on the other side of the painting. There is also a demonstration of movement in the painting in the foreground of the painting is the capturing of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Later in the back, we also see another image of Jesus Christ being laid to rest and lastly, we focus on the castles and the landscape in the background. 

This painting does a great job of showing emphasis by having Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in the foreground is the first thing that catches the eye.  I chose this piece of work because I find this painting to be sad and beautiful. This painting is able to make you feel what the artist was trying to show you. By looking at this painting you are able to feel sadness and beauty together. Sadness because of the crossing of Jesus christ and beauty because of all the beauty that they are surrounded by in nature. You are able to see the sadness that the Virgin Mary was feeling and the others as well. But by having the beautiful castles in the background as well as beautiful landscapes to go with it we were able to feel the beauty of the moment. 

What describes this work of art as something to be associated with traits of the Northern Renaissance is first the most obvious is that this work of art is a religious one. This painting is of when Jesus Christ was removed from the cross. You can also notice how the artist tried to add more light, space, and volume to the painting to try and make it as natural as possible. Another trait within the painting was the detailed realism the artist added the crown of thorns, the blood dripping from where the crown is, the details on the human faces of each person. You can also see the details in how skinny Jesus was by slightly exposing his ribs, collar bones, and the girth of his arm. 

https://www.radford.edu/rbarris/art216upd2012/Northern%20europe%20in%20the15th%20century%20s11.html

[hannahmtrimble]

I love this painting, and I'm glad you love it too! It really brings in the Northern Renaissance trait of great detail. The background is amazingly intricate and the foreground just so. I also like to pay attention to the positions the people in these kinds of paintings are featured in. We see two different types of groups, very separated and closed off from each other. The way they all drape their bodies in grief really adds balance between the two groups as well as a great deal of emotion to the viewer all these years later. A really great work!

[hannahmtrimble]

Blog Post Week 3

The work I have chosen to analyze would be the amazing “Ascent of the Blessed”, made by Hieronymus Bosch from about 1500 to 1504 in an arrangement of four panels, titled “Visions of the Hereafter”. This painting stands out to me for many reasons. Within the entirety of the four paneled work, this is the painting that I think has the most interpretation value; the other paintings have more of a straightforward message in their visuals and moods.

This work is also very intriguing to me because of the stark amount of contrast, movement, and unity. Initially the eye is drawn to the tunnel of light, assumed to be leading to the heavens, where we see a women accompanied by an angel to the beyond. The tunnel provides us with the contrast that this painting stands out for. Below, we see a dark environment representing a world of sin and mortality, and above we see a contrastingly light plain that expresses the diving aspect of heaven. Once we take our eyes off the light portal, we start to see the movement and rhythm of the piece. In the foreground, we see many souls in different stages of their ascent to heaven. This creates a sort of path or guideline as to where our eyes are supposed to travel, and with this outline we are told the overall story of the piece. In the words of our second reading, we can “follow the rhymes from one body to another”. However, we can only interpret this story due to the great amount of unity the work possesses. These different stages and interactions between angel and man tell us that the process to ascend to heaven may be complicated and long, but the heavenly tunnel tells us that this journey might be worth it.

Now that the painting itself has been interpreted, one must look at it’s historical context. This work encompasses many traits of a typical Northern Renaissance painting. First, the obvious religious concentration was a common trait in the Netherlands at the time. Not to mention that the painting is oil upon an oak panel which, according to the readings, was a contrast from the use of temperas in Italy. Other traits that make this a trademark Northern Renaissance work is the great attention to detail we see in each of the unique angels, the texture in the panel, and the intricate nature of the highlights and shadows. This painting is truly intriguing to me, and I can see why it is highly acclaimed for the era.

[hannahmtrimble]

Blog Post Week 2

Throughout the last half-century, there have been more influential inventions than many other time periods can claim. Among the most significant of these, if not the most significant, would have to be the invention and development of the cell phone. The modern-day adaptation of the cell phone has revolutionized how we communicate, it has altered a high percentage of the world’s population’s lifestyle, and it has opened a whole new realm of technology for humans to explore. Before the cell phone, people had to be at home to receive any kind of message. There was no “free” way to call for a ride if you were stranded at the airport, it could take days of phone tag to finally get a hold of someone you needed to talk to. Now, we communicate with each other instantaneously through both texting and calling (and even FaceTime). We are now exposed to different vernaculars of slang and abbreviations, we can make plans in seconds, we can be notified of emergencies much faster, and we can call someone up at any time of day. The modern-day cell phone has changed the way we view the world.

A lot of people’s lives revolve around our phones whether we like to admit it or not. We have all our contacts in them, we have our conversations, our calendars, our entertainment, etc. in the palm of our hands. People were not able to live with such convenience like this fifty years ago. Every second of our modern-day is different from that of one lived fifty years ago because of our cell phones. This invention truly streamlined what we know as typical life and technology today.

In fact, I would say the early models of cell phones would have to be the Cimabue of the technology world. As our reading noted, he is a great influence of Giotto and “He is seen as a kind of “transitional” artist between the Medieval and Renaissance periods”. To put this in technology terms, the early modeled portable cell phones influenced the advanced and life-centered smartphone. It is also one of the inventions that made our world a technologically driven one. We can do so much on our modern devices, to an extent that many of us don’t realize or acknowledge. We have opened up a new era of technology with cell phones and smartphones. An example would have to be the fact that there are now careers and large businesses through social media-which we mainly use through our phones. We can meet people from around the world, book flights and hotels to go see them, and listen to music all on our phones at the same time. I see cell phones improving, getting faster, and more intelligent for the ease of the user in the future. There really is no considering what it might do in the future, maybe it leads us to a dark path of our own destruction, or maybe it leads us somewhere that advances our mindset and knowledge of our world. These realities wouldn’t have been dreamed of before the cell phone, and that is why I consider it such a great and promising invention.

[lutesm-blog]

Favorite Painting 

Jackson Pollock Il Museo del Mondo 

Why this is my favorite simply because when I saw it in person it made me cry. Still does.  

[hannahmtrimble]

My favorite work of art was recently created by the artist Banksy. I love what the work stands for, and the way the artist expressed his personal (and famous) style in a print that he shredded whilst being sold. The work is not only a spectacle, but a show and a protest piece. (even if the shredder malfunctioned lol)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwimtavl_oPnAhWNKM0KHXzCBuUQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.sky.com%2Fstory%2Fbanksy-reveals-he-meant-to-shred-entire-1m-girl-with-balloon-painting-11528598&psig=AOvVaw0QqOwG_I_Xg3_SrBzPcLmP&ust=1579122205486507