NICC ART

[coolfreshsongstudentlove-blog]

Week 11

           In the last chapter of our book we take a look at art from the 1980’s to present. As technology becomes stronger in society it allows these artists to branch out. Not only do they have access to more materials than they have ever had before; but they also have the opportunity to learn about other forms of art from around the world with the increase in globalization. One sculpture that I really liked in this chapter was Hanson’s, The Cowboy. The realistic quality of his wax figure is amazing, with the detailing of the veins in his arms and hands, the addition of hair and clothing to the figure adds to its realistic quality. When I saw the wax figure it reminded me of many of the wax figures that are created today portraying many famous celebrities. One really begins to understand how hard it is to capture the liveliness in these wax sculptures once they go online and see all the criticism towards the statues that did not turn out so well. You would think that between 1995 when Hanson created his wax figure, to where we are today, wax figures would be something of the past. However, they continue on today thrilling the many celebrity fans who go to see them each and every year.

           Environmental art is something I find very beautiful; I especially like it when you know it is not harming the environment. Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty is a great example of environmental art that does not affect the environment. This spiral formation was created in the Great Salt Lake in Utah, by Smithson. Since his art does not affect the environment it allows the Spiral Jetty to fit in and blend with the surrounding materials. Seeing Smithson’s work reminded me of when I would create rock art in the trout stream. I would go out into the middle of the stream and stack rocks on top of one another creating a rock tower or design which looked very pretty standing in the surrounding water. It also did not harm the environment since the only materials I was using were rocks.

           Shirin Neshat’s Fervor, is different than most works shown in this chapter and in previous chapters, and the main difference is how the picture was taken. Fervor is actually a movie and the picture we see in the chapter was derived from Neshat’s video. Many back then may not have considered this piece a picture because it came from a movie; however today this act is so common that people do not even question it anymore. With such advancement in technology, we are able to take pictures of scenes in the videos we take, and save them as pictures. In Neshat’s picture you can see the divide between the men and the women; this reminds me of how far we have come in our own culture, whereas in other cultures they have sadly not changed. Growing up we would do some of our farming business with the Amish community, there you would see similar forms of this separation between the men and the women. It is nice to see this expressed in a photograph, because it can help make it a known difference for the oppression that woman still have to deal with in some cultures today.

  References

Adams, L. S. (2011). Continuity, Innovation, and Globalization. In A History of Western Art (5th ed., pp. 550-581). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

[wand23-blog]

I really enjoyed this last chapter because it’s the kind of art we all grew up with and see every day.  Hanson’s sculpture called “The Cowboy” was so realistic.  He thought of everything to make it look alive.  I saw wax figures of a lot of famous people in Las Vegas that blew my mind on how real people can make things now.  I like that you said that the Spiral Environmental Art that he didn’t harm the environment.  He did make the water turn colors because of the algae.

Great post and good luck in the future

Chris

[wand23-blog]

Chapter 31 Week 11

           The last chapter in the book was one of my favorites.  This era takes place from the 1970’s to present.  I feel that this art stands out and is easier to comprehend because it’s what I’ve seen the most of growing up.  There were lots of artists, sculptures and architecture created all over the world.  Some artists had their own creation while others tried modernizing something from a past era.  

           Environmental art is very fascinating how someone sees an outdoor area and thinks of what they can create from it.  Robert Smithson did that by creating a big spiral for about 400 yards.  By looking at the picture this doesn’t look like the size of four football fields.  Even with modern bulldozing equipment I couldn’t imagine how long it would take to move lots of dirt, rocks, and salt crystals into the water to form the end result; “Spiral Jetty”.  It’s mind-blowing that the algae made the water red instead of the normal green and brown looking.  The best thing about this is that there isn’t anything that isn’t hurting the environment that he created.  This reminded me of something in my hometown that was created with lots of different of things from the environment.  It’s the Dickeyville, WI Grotto, and it’s made out of concrete, but the last layer are covered with seashells, different types of rocks, tiles, wood, and glass all from different parishioners.

           Duane Hanson made realist sculptures look like a living person.  “The Cowboy” must have taken a while to create.  There were at least five steps to create the masterpiece.  He molded each section of the model’s body and assembled the sections, then flesh colored polyester resin was poured into the mold and reinforce with.  Finally, the figure was painted and dressed with human clothes. (552)  His detail showing the veins and even the chest hair shows us that he thought of everything and didn’t cut his work short. I remember going to the Madam Tussands in Las Vegas at least twelve years ago.  I thought this was museum was very fun to go to because they had lots of famous people on display to take pictures with.  These figures also look very realistic.  This was right before smart phones or a good camera on a phone so I don’t even know which stars I took my picture with.  It’s definitely something I would do again whenever I go back to see how much the wax figures changed as far as possibly better technology.

           On page 560, my first glance at the image I thought it was some weird designed ship on the water.  Come to find out Frank Gehry designed the Solman R. Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.  It’s fascinating that the space the building is on was once an old factory and parking lot. The museum is definitely different but has a very unique design that showed lots of pride in the design and colors. He did make this 100 million dollar museum very appealing for the residents and tourists to pay a visit to. Gehry was born in Canada but moved to the west coast to pursue his dreams.

References

Adams, L. S. (2011). In A History of Western Art (5th ed., pp. 550-581). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.            

[captainamandapierce-blog]

Ch’s 29/30

In the early to mid-1900’s, New York earned its place on the art-world map with its new style of art. The art world experienced a smooth shift from European Abstract Surrealism and slid into Abstract Expressionism.  This new style included Action Painting. Action Painting was, in a sense, precisely what it was named.  This style used different and very characteristic techniques to apply the paint on canvas, such as splattering, spraying, dripping and rolling.  For the first time, the creation of the work of art was, in and of itself, a work of art.  

Arguably the most famous Action Painter of his time was Jackson Pollock.  This name is a familiar, household name when it comes to famous artists.  His paintings could be described by a novice as “paint splatters.”  Pollock often times found himself lost in the creation of his artwork and said that while he was creating his art he was unaware of time and space, stating that, “the painting has a life of its own.”  After he finished painting, he would trim the borders of his artwork, masterfully containing the abstract splatters and confining them within an angular space.  

Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline were among the pioneers in staging “one-man shows.”  At these “one-man shows,” the men would stand alone on a stage and create a piece of artwork in front of an audience.  In addition to their unique style, these two men were also famous for eliminating recognizable figures and representations.  Their artwork was truly abstract, by its definition.

Another famous Action Painter Was Willem de Kooning.  While the style and method remained the same as Pollock and Kline, Kooning’s works of art retained some blatant differences.  His use of Action Painting was entirely in the form of exercising aggression, and he did not entirely eliminate recognizable figures and representations.  Kooning’s artwork did maintain some recognizable figures and shapes, but exacerbated the style with a Cubist style of abstractness.

This style of art is arguably the most controversial style in terms of recognizing masterpieces. When looking at a Jackson Pollock painting, it is easy to catch yourself saying, “even I could do that.”  Let me tell you, from experience, that it is not as easy as it looks.  Any attempt at a recreation results in a piece that is seriously lacking the finesse that these professional artists have.  It almost makes you feel embarrassed to have even attempted to create something similar to their work.

The next major, notable style of art to emerge was Pop Art.  Andy Warhol is one of the most notorious Pop Art artists, and is famous for many pieces of art like Campbell’s Soup.  Pop Art always reminds me of cutting and pasting collages from magazines.  The images had that kind of feel to them but stood out in a unique and well-thought out way. This era also saw the emergence of Minimalism and Conceptualism.  Conceptualism was said to have equally as important and deep of meaning in the interpretation as in the artwork and images themselves.  

[wand23-blog]

Hello,

Abstract Expressionism was a very interesting era to learn about.  Jackson Pollock was a very talented Action painter.  I really enjoyed reading how he did each painting and involving his whole body into his artwork.  I remember doing this in grade school and really enjoying splattering different colors of paint on a big sheet on the classroom floor.  I never heard of Andy Warhol but I have seen his work with Campbell’s Soup.  I grew up in the 80′s so that is the only soup my parents bought.  Nobody can really beat their tomato soup with grilled cheese.  I really didn’t think someone creating a label would still be a masterpiece many decades later. 

Great post,

Chris

[wand23-blog]

Blog 10 Chapters 29 and 30

           Abstract Expressionism was a term used around the Great Depression, but mainly used after World War II and this put the United States on the world map for art.  It was generally used to categorize the New York School of Painters, which despite its name, actually comprised artists from many parts of the United States and Europe. (519)  This era was a lot like the Surrealism movement.  There were a few different phases such as: action painting, sand painting, color field painting and sculptures.

           There were two teachers that came from Germany and taught in a couple different schools together in the United States. Their names were Hans Hoffmann and Josef Albers and they really liked four corner shapes from the Cubism era. Their art and teaching influenced many students for at least a decade.  Hoffman’s painting; “The Gate” was very colorful squares.  For me, this almost looks like how artists would paint old rough looking brick in Galena, IL after many touch-ups on the brick and mortar. Brick would be a gate between the walls inside and the outdoors.  I think he painted every size of square a different color to symbolize how big that gate is.  Albers painting: “Study for Homage to the Square” almost looked how a large area rug would look with multiple different red shaped squares inside one another.  This painting would have been a prime example from last week’s short video “I could do that.”

           I remember putting different paint colors in separate cups in grade school and then using a brush to throw the paint on an old bed sheet lying on the floor.  I just thought this was a way to pass time in class and never thought that this was a way to create art.  This is the only type of art I have ever liked growing up.  I guess it lets out any frustration or stress when the paint hits the sheet.  I never paid attention to what the art teacher called this because of how much fun it was.  This was called action painting, and Jackson Pollock was the most known artist.  Pollock used his whole body to create a drip technique. His arm and body controlled where the paint would end up.  His painting; White Light” is creative with the different textures, lines, colors and objects he has in the painting.  My first glance at the painting was “Where is Waldo”.  He brought Abstract Expressionism with his imagination to all of his paintings.

           Pop art originated in London and England but really didn’t become big until it made its way to New York.  It was pretty much artwork based on the country’s media, values, needs, and the pop stars.  I never heard of Andy Warhol, but I have seen many of his labels from advertising products. The Campbell’s Soup label I would think is what made him famous.  I grew up in the 1980’s, so there were only a couple of soup options, but Campbell’s was always in my parents’ house.  It’s kind of funny seeing that labels on food is a form of art.

           Chapter 30 also had Conceptualism.  The artists wanted to extend Minimalism so that even the materials of art would be eliminated, leaving only the idea, or concept, of the art. (546) Sol LeWitt was the perfect example with his Wall Drawing.  There were four equal squares that were framed in with blank bands.  Each diagonal line was a different color or texture.  Chapter 29 I enjoyed more than chapter 30 mainly because of the action painting and I could relate more to that chapter.

 Adams, Laurie. A history of Western Art 5th Ed.  McGraw-Hill 2011

[allisonmartinek-blog]

Ch 27 & 28: week 9

In regards to the video, I constantly engage in the argument of what constitutes a piece of art to be noteworthy or does this artwork hold any value because of the lack of technical skill in it. I will admit that when I was younger, I was exactly the person that the video described. I always thought why is this artwork famous or I created drawings on my living room walls at the age of three that exhibited more details than this piece. I also use to devalue artwork if it did not display realistic qualities or technical skills. I remained with that thought process until I met a professor from Luther College. Through my internship at a local art studio in Decorah, Iowa, I was able to attend a field trip to the Minneapolis Institute of Art for the Luther College art majors. I talked to the professor about artworks that liked and did not like. The professor shared with me that it was wrong of me to devalue art because it does not display realistic qualities. Then the professor said this to me “Well you know … photography is not a real artistic medium because it requires no technical skills to push a button”. I quickly explained the in-depth process that goes into each photo, and the professor disclosed that the same process is used by all artists… perhaps even more so by abstract artists.“ Since then my thinking about art has evolved and I can appreciate artworks even more.

A large section of chapter twenty-seven focused on the work of Picasso. Cubism was my favorite style from all of the Picasso eras. I prefer Cubism because of its strong connection with geometry. I love to incorporate geometric designs into my drawings. Aside from the geometry aspect of cubism, I love the sense of energy that fills Cubism paintings. For example, when I view Georges Brague’s "Violin and Pitcher”, I picture a chaotic scene of people rushing around and somewhere in the background people can hear a violinist playing fast and higher pitched notes to emphasize the chaos.

Some of my favorite artists are mentioned in chapter twenty-eight. Dorthea Lange ranks in my favorite top ten photographers. A person may not recognize the name of Dorthea Lange, but almost everybody recognizes her photograph titled “Migrant Mother”. “Migrant Mother” is an iconic photograph that showcases the displaced and rural poor. I admire Lange’s work because it illuminates the people and their struggles that are constantly overlooked. She gave faces to these people and outsiders stop think about the problems that are currently happening, even though it might not affect them personally. Yet, she does not depict the rural poor as helpless or weak. Lange’s photographs documents peoples determination to survive despite the hardships.

Edward Hopper is another artist that I enjoy viewing his work. Whenever I view Hopper’s work I always think of silence. I think of quiet nights with no disturbances from machines. It temporarily makes me want to live in a Hopper painting to enjoy the absence of noise. Furthermore, my personal views about Hopper’s work echoes the textbook’s explanation of the feeling of “psychological isolation and loneliness” presented in his paintings.

Refrences

Adams, L. S. (2011). A history of western art (5th ed.), New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

[wand23-blog]

Hello,

I get where you are coming from by saying at an early age that you could create that.  I’m not an artist by any means, the only thing I can do alright is taking a picture from different angles with my phone.  That is very exciting to hear you have an internship with a local art studio.  

I really enjoyed the synthetic Cubism in chapter 27.  The bright colors and different shapes.  I really liked the painting “Violin and Pitcher”.  I could see more than those two objects.

[wand23-blog]

Blog post 9

           Painting can look different and mean something different from the way you’re looking at it.  A tall person may not see what a short person would see.  This brings us to the new style of the early twentieth century which is Cubism.  The artists painted how they saw the new age.  Cubism was the artist approach to space both on the flat surface of the picture and in sculpture.  There were two other types of Cubism.  The art with a lot of shapes and bright colors was Synthetic Cubism.  Analytic Cubism fragmented objects into abstract geometric forms. (484)  Futurism movement was a lot like Expressionism.  This was a new age with lots of energy from visual arts, music, literature, theater and film.  All of these ideas were created by a machine.  This chapter there is many great artists, architecture and sculptures.

           George Braque and Picasso became good friends and worked with one another and were primarily responsible for the growth of Cubism. George’s painting “Violin and pitcher” is very unique.  The violin and the pitcher are clearly visible from every angle.  For me, I see more than just cubes in the painting. I see a robot,  a pyramid, a crown, a face with one eye, and even a barn door.  Every time I tilt my head a different way, my mind sees a different image.

           Even though Kazimir Malevich lived in Russia and didn’t want to travel outside of his country, he studied European art at the Moscow School of Painting.  Malevich had a very different way for creating art.  He combines Cubism with Futurism.  He called this combined style “Suprematism”.  His painting “Black Square” was about feelings.  This piece was empty and people had to use their imagination. Just by looking at a blank black square for a few seconds, I see a few things popping out.  I see a face that looks like it belongs on the television show “The Walking Dead”, a cloud, two babies sitting up, and what it looks like a mask.  So this painting would have mixed feelings for everyone.

           Frank Lloyd Wright work is what I found the most interesting.  He had a very unique half concrete and brick style in his homes.  There were two styles of homes.  They were prairie and Cubism style.  All the different shapes were his cubism style.  The overhangs and the two different colors between brick and concrete really made the homes stand out from others.  His house named “Falling Water” in Bear Run; Pennsylvania would be my dream home.  Nothing is better than hearing the magical noise a waterfall makes.  Also, all the nature life that one would see from that concrete overhang. This home was a great example of Prairie style.

           Dada was an international artistic and literary movement that began after World War I.  Artists wanted to “start over” just like the people that were gassed in the war. I find that interesting because almost everyone can relate to wanting a fresh restart.  Surrealism was a technique of free association as a means of exploring the imagination and entering the world of myth, fear, fantasy, and dream. (502)  Rene Magritte did a great job with painting “Time Transfixed” Surrealism with dreaming a train is coming out of a fireplace.

           The “I Could Do That” video was a very good short video.  Art work is always changing every decade.  It’s fascinating how art doesn’t seem very hard to copy at first glance. After seeing all the different shapes, brushstrokes, and the way the colors are created, it would be very hard even for a professional artist to copy someone’s work.  The video had a great section pertaining to two clocks. It stated that  no two clocks will keep the same time and the batteries will die at different times.  I never say I could do that when looking at art because I can’t even draw to save my life.

Adams, Laurie. A history of Western Art 5th Ed.  McGraw-Hill 2011

[antonianaab-blog1]

Week 8

In chapter 25, it is about the Post Impressionism style of art. This style was during the late nineteenth century. This style of art shows bright colors and distinctive brushstrokes. The edges were also vibrant and defined by being sharp. I look at this art as being drawn out, distorted, and somewhat wispy. Vincent van Gogh is one of the most well-known artists. His most popular piece of art is The Starry Night. He painted this while he was in a mental asylum. This painting reflects a disturbed mind due to it being painted there. I had absolutely no clue that this was painted while has was in a mental asylum. I think that it makes the painting more unique and gave me a different perspective to look at it from. It’s crazy how perspectives can change due to a new way looking at it. I previously thought that the painting was calming because of the “starry sky” and the little town underneath. I absolutely love laying out underneath the stars, as well as looking at places from a view. Now, since I know that it represents a disturbed mind, I look at it like a confused way of painting. With all of the swirls, I feel like its spiraling out of control. Along with the dense lines of color, I think it has a deep emotion connected to it. I also liked his painting Self-Portrait. The waves and lines of the painting give it more depth and texture. He also has a gaze, but his eyes match the background and outfit color. This is not like a usual self-portrait because the main highlight is his face, rather than the whole body. But, the texturized look on the majority of the painting draws you into his eyes because they are the only solid part, in a different color face, then the rest of the painting. It’s really neat to look at. In chapter 26, Pablo Picasso was talked about as an artist for symbolism. Picasso is one of my favorite artists because of the way he shows his art. My favorite painting done by Picasso is The Weeping Woman because of the colors and shapes that are used. The woman is all colorful, but over her mouth is black and white with what looks to be a mouth and multiple fingers. It is not a realistic painting, but more complex. Many perspectives can come from it. The painting shown in the book is The Old Guitarist, from his “blue period”. The man’s head is looking down at the ground and he is strumming a brown guitar. The old man is supposedly blind, along with listening to how the music sounds. The rest of the painting is shades of blue. This shows the mood and state of mind in the painting. It shows that the subject is in a poor and unfortunate state. I really liked this painting because of the color of blue being on and around the man. It sets the tone of the blue period. Pablo Picasso, to me, was a very thoughtful artist that showed his emotions through his art. I love his style.

[wand23-blog]

Hello,

I agree with you that this art was like someone that didn’t put their glasses on before looking at the paintings.  It’s very interesting reading that Van Gogh never sold a painting until after he killed himself.  I really like looking at Pablo Picasso painting “The Old Guitarist”.  To me this looks like a homeless old man and the only thing he has left is his music.  The old man has the blues and looks to be blind.  The last artist I enjoyed for the early twentieth century was Nolde and his painting “Still Life with Mask”.  For me I thought that he was pointing out the different cultures in the world and by wearing a mask it doesn’t make you different than everyone else.

Great post,

Chris

[wand23-blog]

Week 8 Blog

           What is art?  I believe art is whatever someone imagines or sees while looking at the painting, sculpture, poem, or building.  A picture is worth a thousand words. Chapter 25 kind of had a way to create art.  Chapter 26 on the other hand was completely opposite because most of the artist did their own style.      

           Post-Impressionism had the work and styles of nineteenth century painters.  They used bright colors and noticeable brush strokes in their paintings.  It seemed that a lot of paintings were made up of dots. For me, a lot of paintings in chapter 25 were similar to before putting on glasses every morning.  There were a lot of great artists during this time period. The ones I liked the most were Georges Seurat, Vincent Van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin.

           Georges Seurat painting that I liked the most was “Sunday Afternoon.”  This painting name made me think about how people dress and spend their time back then and now on a normal Sunday.  Times have sure changed since then.  People hardly even dress up with the suit or dress with a hat anymore.  If lucky someone would wear a sundress or Dockers with polo. The painting made me think when I was a kid and what grandpa’s routine was throughout the day.  He would milk the cows and feed them really early in the morning.  Then, do whatever he needed to do in the fields.  He would then put on a nice suit and take whoever was at his house to late morning mass.  He would come back home and eat lunch, and then go back in the fields to bail hay or check on the crops.  By five or six o’clock he would then gather all the cattle to the barn and repeat what he did in the early morning.  There was always a late supper, but always meat and potatoes.

           Vincent Van Gogh was one of the painters that never sold anything in his career.  He eventually felt jealously or lost his mind because he cut part of his ear off and shot himself.  His painting “Bedroom at Arles” reminded me on something I would see at a play. There are many bedroom scenes that look like this setup with a person.  The person is usually writing in a journal, putting something in its spot, or just waking up for the day.  This painting had me think of the young boy in his bedroom dreaming about a BB gun in A Christmas Story play I’ve seen.

           Paul Gauguin paintings were very bright and you could see the detail to it.  He went from stockbroker to full-time painter later in his life.  His painting “Self-Portrait with Halo” made me think of a joker card. At least the old style deck of cards had the jokers very colorful and looked like clowns.

           In chapter 26, there were many great painters such as Henri Matisse, Emil Nolde, and Pablo Picasso. The early 20th century was about the increasing number of non-western art in Europe.  Fauvism was about color and different movement that almost looked like a jungle, but struck viewers.  Expressionism used color to create mood and emotion but differed from Fauvism in its greater concern for the emotional and spiritual properties of color and form.  

           Emil Nolde painting “Still Life with Masks” was very dark sided.  I know he painted different styles of masks to symbolize different cultures but it made me think of the movie “The Mask.”  I say this because I wonder if he felt like people act different with something covering their face.  Another though would be is this the way he saw people faces?  

           Creating art can be easy for a lot of people. There are some painters that sell lots of paintings and others that never sell any until they die.  Creating art is a special talent that takes a lot of patience and being very thoughtful.  I really enjoyed these two chapters, but I enjoyed chapter 25 more.

 Adams, Laurie. A history of Western Art 5th Ed.  McGraw-Hill 2011

[skempr-blog]

Chapters 23 +24 Week 7

The nineteenth century was a time of exponential growth in the world. Things were changing and developing faster than they ever had up to that point. The industrial revolution was a pivotal point in history that changed the way life was lived. As with a majority of other major events in humanity to this point, art was there to capture this change and present it in new and unique ways.

This new sense of social awareness gave us the art style known as realism. Jean Francois Millet was a well known Realism artist. His painting of The Gleaners, is an example of his ability to blend romanticism with realism. While still including the unity with nature that is prevalent in romanticism, he also uses new techniques of realism to give the painting more meaning. This paintings emphasis is on the different classes of society and how different they are from each other. He shows the poor during hard physical labor, while showing the comfortability of the wealthy. I think this painting is very special because it can still be applied to society today. Most wealthy people rarely have to experience some of the adversities that lower class citizens have to go through everyday. This causes a great disconnect in our society that leads to a lack of empathy and understanding for others. Even though many poor citizens in our society may not have to do such hard and physically demanding work, the point stands true. This also embodies the meaning of money is power. Especially in today’s society, the more money you have, the more control you have.

Another form of art that was beginning to break through at this time was photography. New advancements in the technology allowed for a more artistic approach that photographers could take to give their photos new meaning. One of the most famous photographers was Nadar. Nadar was a French photographer that opened new doors for the art form with his innovative methods. He even had a balloon for which he could take aerial pictures from. With Nadar’s popularity rising, the debate on if photography was art also arose. While both sides have great points, I believe that photography is an art form. I don’t think that all pictures taken should be considered art by any means, but many serious photographers have great artistic visions which provide us with many perspectives and meanings that are unique to that photo.

One painting that I found very interesting for this time was Henry Ossawa Tanner’s Annunciation. The detail he portrays in this painting is almost unmatched by all. Mary’s dress and the blanket next to her almost look real given the amount of detail and natural feel they provide. After reading about Tanner’s life, you realize how amazing it truly is. He had to fight through many adversities in his life and was still able to accomplish great things and leave his mark on art in America.

Around the 1860’s, the Impressionist style also began to arise. Unlike the realism style, impressionist style was more laid back and focused on activities that were more leisurely.  One of my favorite pieces shown in this chapter was Absinthe by Edgar Degas. I felt that although this painting wasn’t as lighthearted as the ones shown before it, it does a great job of capturing the emotion and atmosphere of the event. The woman in the painting has a look of loneliness or disappointment. It’s a feeling that is familiar to us all that is hard to describe in a painting. I feel that Degas does a great job in showing this emotion while also showing the scene in a unique way. Another artist from this time that was able to capture a scene was Claude Monet. He embodied the technical prinicals of Impressionism. My favorite piece from Monet was Terrace at Sainte-Adresse. This painting does a great job of capturing the scene especially. Everything from the people, to the flowers, to the water that surrounds the city, is covered in great detail and amazing colors. The thing that caught me the most was the way he was able to capture the atmosphere of the time with this painting. It’s very cool to see the steamboats on the horizon that were also given a lot of detail. Overall his work has a laid back approach while also capturing a scene through great detail and color. To me, this is why Impressionism is so unique and amazing.

[wand23-blog]

Skempr,

I really enjoyed reading chapter 23 this week.  It was very easy to understand and follow without reading a few sentences a couple of times.  You had some very valid points and summarized this week chapters very good.

I really enjoyed Gustave Courbet painting called “Stone Breakers” because it showed how real it was back then with hard labor.  Could you just imagine how long a road would take to complete if all we had was a hammer and buckets in today’s world?  Thank goodness there are heavy equipment that help with these big projects.  

I agree with you that photography is a form of art to a certain point.  It does take some talent to snap a picture.  There has to be the right amount of light, color, and the way the picture is taken to even make it look professional.  Like you said that every picture taken isn’t art by any means.

[wand23-blog]

Week 7 Chapters 23 and 24

           The nineteenth century had two different styles. There was the Realism and Impressionism. The nineteenth century for Realism was an age of revolution led by England.  Impressionism style was dealt with Paris.  Many things were invented and the United States started to boom.  There were a lot of great painters in these chapters such as Gustavc Courbet, Mathew Brady, and Claude Monet.  Also there were a few architects and sculptures.  The steam engine, telegraph, telephone, and very sturdy materials such as iron and steel were invented.  A man by the name of Honore de Balzac must have had a lot on his mind because he wrote eighty novels.  

           England had the first railroad powered by steam that was in service for passengers in 1825.  It’s really neat to watch on how a train takes off.  Railroads have always been something that I really enjoyed since a kid.  My dad still has a few train sets that he puts together around Thanksgiving so anyone can play around with them.  I also enjoy watching Polar Express with my wife and kids around Christmas each year.

           Gustave Courbet was a painter that had a lot to do with realism.  Even though he studied history of art, he didn’t want to paint things in the past. (418) His painting “Stone Breakers” was how real live was back then.  They had to bust up rock with a hammer while another person carried it away.  Could you just imagine how long a road would take today if it wasn’t for gas powered heavy duty equipment to lighten the load? I guess there wasn’t steel toe boots either to help if one of the big rocks would fall on the foot.

           Photography means drawing with light.  Many people since the eighteenth century have been trying to get the image on film.  By 1858, William Henry Fox Talbot created negative film.  It was bad enough waiting an hour in the 1990’s to have film developed from a camera.  Now, people can take pictures from your phone and upload them to a website, check which ones you want and check out.  Usually a few days later you have those photos in the mail.  There’s so much luxury from technology today.

           Mathew Brady had taken about thirty photographs of Abraham Lincoln.  Mathew’s photo, “Copper Union” was taken before Lincoln even became president. This is a very interesting photo. Just think how many more photos Mathew would have taken if Lincoln wasn’t assassinated.  Lincoln is one of the most well-known presidents.  I remember learning a lot about him in school. It could also be because you see his face daily on the five dollar bill and the penny.  

           Claude Monet really got my attention in Chapter 24 with his paintings.  His “Terrace at Sainte-Adresse” painting got my attention because I really like boats. For the past twenty years I have always water-skied from someone’s boat.  For a few years it was from my own boat.  I soon realized that “BOAT” really means “bust out another thousand.”

           Imagine if iron and steel weren’t invented.  We wouldn’t have bridges across bodies of water. With the amount of cars in today’s world, there wouldn’t be enough ferries to bring people in from Illinois and Wisconsin to work in Dubuque each day.  Big buildings such as the Empire State building and skyscrapers in large over crowded cities wouldn’t exist either.  I enjoyed chapter 23 more than chapter 24.

Adams, Laurie. A history of Western Art 5th ed.  McGraw-Hill 2011

[wand23-blog]

Blog 6 Chapters 21 and 22

           Chapters 21 and 22 were about Neoclassicism and Romanticism.  Both of these were in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Neoclassicism was with Paris that became the home of the western art world.  Romanticism was in Europe and the United States.  The American Revolution started in 1776.  Neoclassicism style derived from its associations with heroic subject matter, its formal clarity, and its impression of stability and sociality. (385)  Jacques-Louis David ran the show in the late eighteenth century with having the best know paintings at the time.  He later came to and worked for Napoleon.  The Romantic Movement dealt with art, music, politics, literature, and architecture.

           America was going and moving quite fast.  In 1776, the Declaration of Independence from England started.  Eleven years later The Constitution of the United States was signed. In 1789, George Washington became the first United States President.  Thomas Jefferson was the Vice President and later became the third President of the United States. (393)  He loved buildings and helped design them.  In the State of Virginia, he hated every building or home there.  Hus used some Roman and French designs to late come up with the State Capital Building in Richmond, and The University of Virginia. He started changing the way the United States map looked.

           Jacques-Louis David later came to and worked with an emperor, named Napoleon.  David had some great paintings.  I thought the Napoleon at Saint Bernard Pass was very creative.  I liked this painting the most because my cousin had a horse that she would let me ride when we were young.  Thank goodness I never had gotten the horse to go on just the hind legs.  Napoleon had a lot of painters and architects that he gotten advice from and put on his team.

           Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a French philosopher with writings that inspired the French Revolution and provided the Romantic Movement. (398)  The Gothic period started in the late eighteenth century. I really enjoyed seeing the building (Royal Pavilion) John Nash created for a prince.  I enjoy seeing the buildings created because building anything has always interested me since a young age.

           There were a lot of great people mentioned in each chapter.  There were a lot of paintings, poems, sculptures and buildings that I saw for the first time.  I thought chapter 22 was going to be about love, but I was completely wrong.  I couldn’t even imagine being one of the 149 passengers on a boat that had to get on wooden raft in the middle of the ocean. Only fifteen people made it after thirteen days out on the sea.

           This week I thought of the Black Rights Matters.  For the last five years, this has been a big topic all over the United States.  I came up with this after seeing Marie-Guillemine Benoist’s painting called, “Portrait of a Negress.”  I know chapter 21 even talked briefly about slavery.  The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is a leaderless movement that began after a young black man was killed in Missouri. The movement has become larger than just one person, which has been shown by the smaller organizations such as Dream Defenders and Hands Up United joining the movement. An important factor of BLM is that it is not focusing on anti-white protesting, it focuses on equality for all; no matter your race you should be able to attend good schools, not be poverty stricken, or be harassed by law enforcement for being the wrong color. This seems to be cyclical movement as it seems very similar to the Civil Rights movement. With leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, civil rights were won for people of color such as attended the same schools, voting, and ending segregation. Here we are half a century later and we are back to fighting for freedom of equality for all.

Works Cited: Adams, Laurie. A History of Western Art. 5th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2011.

https://blacklivesmatter.com/about/  

[jvaassenart-blog]

Chapter 21 & 22

Chapter 21 is about the Neoclassicism: The last Eighteenth and Early nineteenth Centuries. In these centuries, Paris and Rome were two of the most significant places for art. Something interesting I didn’t know was the Napoleon, “adopted the neoclassical style to enhance his political image.” (page 385) I have seen the painting of him on a horse before, but I guess I never really knew the backstory. I really like the painting of Marie- Guillemine Benoist, I like the way her dark skin contrasts with the yellow wall and white tapestry, as mentioned in the book. Napoleon bought in different sculptures to Paris from Rome, for different reasons. He brought Antonio Canova, to carve out a sculpture of herself as a life sized marble portrait, the picture of 390 is a good representation of how big it is. Before reading about the painting of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, I looked at the picture on page 392. It made me really wonder why the painter choose to paint such a vulnerable pose of a women. After reading more I found out it is because the painter had an exotic taste.

I’m currently doing this post in Rapid City, South Dakota, (where I also grew up); which if you did not know is where Mount Rushmore is, which has a huge sculpture of Thomas Jefferson. So it was pretty cool for me too see a statue of Jefferson’s head on page 393. It says that this sculpture was made in 1789, which is so took me by surprise because he was not president of the U.S until 1801!! But if you continue to read it says Jefferson was the Minister in France in 1785, which makes sense why a european made a sculpture of him.

Chapter 22 is about Romanticism: The late eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries. On page 401, you see a pretty interesting painting, which at first glance you would have no idea what it is. But it is “God creating the Universe” but William Blake. “There was a strong christian strain in Romanticism.” (page 401), which I already knew that religion was a huge then in that century. Blake did a lot of watercolor in this artwork, which is some of my favorite types of paintings. Watercolor is described as “powdered pigments mixed with water.”(P401) Some of my favorite watercolor is pastels shades. The painting of page 407 is very interesting… you see multiple people, I counted about 11, surrounding a tree type satan type animal. It is called The witches Sabbath and was painted by Francisco de Goya Y lucientes. This painting is done with oil on a canvas, and the colors go together nicely. The witches sabbath, “satirizes the irrational belief of witchcraft y exaggerating it.” (page 407) It’s more disturbing the more you read into it, in the painting the women (witches) are giving the devil a dead infants skeleton and I really didn’t notice that when I first looked at the picture.

Adams, Laurie. A History of Western Art. 5th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2011.

[wand23-blog]

Hello,

It’s very interesting that you’re born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota.  I have always wanted to go to Mount Rushmore.  But, the drive from Eastern Iowa to there is a hike with two kids.  I also liked the painting “Portrait of Negress.”  Napoleon was involved in a lot of things in Paris and Rome that I have never heard about before.  

Chapter 22 about Romanticism really threw in a curve ball on what I thought the chapter was going to be about.  It was a Gothic period.  I really enjoyed seeing the building (Royal Pavilion) John Nash created for a prince.

Great post,

Chris

[madisenahlstrom-blog]

Week Five

These two chapters were really interesting to read together. The Baroque and Rococo movements were very different so it was very fun to compare them throughout the chapters. First off, the Baroque movement started in the closing years of the sixteenth century and lasted until 1750 in some areas. The Baroque style was all about showing the study of nature directly. Baroque artists achieved new levels of naturalism that reflected some of the scientific advances in Western Europe at that time. I really enjoyed how the Baroque style lacked the linear perspective because all of the art was very interesting to look at and depict. On the other hand, the Rococo movement took place in the eighteenth century, from 1700 to 1775. The Rococo style was very witty and frivolous unlike the seriousness of the Baroque style. Most of the Rococo art depicts upper class aristocracy gathered together in parks or gardens.

I noticed that architecture played a large part during the Baroque period. New architecture was being built and remodeled in Italy, France, and England. In Italy, the Saint Peter’s building was finally being finished up from the 1500s. You can tell from the columns that the artist, Gianlorenzo Bernini, incorporated the Baroque style. Bernini also created the exterior of this amazing building. He knew that it had to be amazing because this is where the people gather during Christian festivals to hear the pope’s message and receive his blessing. This ties into the Baroque style by involving the audiences in a created space.  In France Louis XIV and Jean-Baptiste Colbert were in charge of completing the rebuilding of the Louvre in Paris. The town of Versailles was the next thing they took on. The architect for this design was Andre le Notre. He designed elaborate gardens with pools and fountains, which reflected the Baroque features. In England, Sir Christopher Wren was in charge of rebuilding all of the churches that had burned down in the Great Fire. His most impressive church was St. Paul’s Cathedral. It took forty years to complete St. Paul’s, but the result was amazing. He incorporated French and Italian Baroque, while adding in elements of Renaissance and Gothic style. I was amazed to learn about all of this architecture because before last week, I had not really realized how art was within architecture.

I really enjoyed the paintings from both the Baroque and Rococo periods. I liked the Baroque paintings because they were so blunt and a lot of them involved nature. These paintings were all very serious which I did not mind. My favorite painting of this period was the Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi. In this painting, Judith is plunging a blade through Holofernes’ neck. Even though this painting depicted violence, I thought it was incredible how Gentileschi was so detailed. The Rococo paintings were a nice get away from all of the seriousness in the Baroque paintings. I liked how free spirited and witty the Rococo paintings were. My favorite painting was The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard. I love how the mistress on the swing looks so happy. She seems like she does not have a care in the world.

[wand23-blog]

I absolutely agree with you that these two chapters went well together.  There was a lot of art to look at in both chapters.  I really liked chapter 19 more with the Baroque style.  I think it was because of all the buildings that were re-done or created by the architects.  I couldn’t imagine in today’s world on how people would react if a building took longer than five years to complete.  The “Judith Slaying Holofernes” painting really stuck out for me just because it’s a very violent painting.  The background on why so had those types of paintings was very sad to read.  This painting reminds me from scenes from the TV show “Walking Dead.

[wand23-blog]

Week 5 chapters 19 and 20

This week was about the Baroque and Rococo styles in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. There was still religious and political fighting going on in Europe.  Power was also going on between countries and eventually there was a divided nation.  Rococo style was very decorative European trend that was in the early eighteenth century.  There was a seven year war between Prussia, France and Austria.  Each chapter had their own different style of art, architects and paintings.  I found that I could relate more to the Baroque style.

           Baroque was a time with lots of bronze, marble and a lot of architects that created buildings or paintings with lots of detail. Artists and painters were involved a lot inside the buildings.  On page 335 and 336, the building and statue that caught my attention was The Gianlorenzo Bernini, baldachino, and the St. Peters basilica and piazza.  Anyone that can create a statue over nine stories high of bronze or a very unique building that could hold over 250,000 people put in a lot of time and a bunch of heart.

           The main highlights in the seventeenth century were the thirty year war, Netherlands separated, King Charles I was beheaded, Gravity was discovered, and people thought the devil existed.  The war lasted from 1618-1648 and was because of the power of the Holy Roman emperor.  Netherlands became two different nations, Protestant Holland and Catholic Flanders.  In 1649, England beheaded King Charles I for treason.  Isaac Newton discovered the laws of gravity after an apple fell on his head sitting under a tree.  People started thinking the devil exist and searched for witches.  I don’t know why but this makes me think of all the haunted places in Galena, Illinois.  

           There is art everywhere from every era.  People still create different types of art whether it is painting, drawing, taking photos, or designing a building.  Even though art is all over the world, I believe Europe is where all the best buildings or paintings are located. A lot of paintings in chapter 19 look like a photo taken from a phone.  To me they just look so real and in high definition with the different colors.

           Imagine taking the throne at the age of five like Louis XIV did.  I think at the age of five no one should be able to take the throne.  But, Louis later on improved the town of Versailes. He added a huge palace, lots of gardens with pools and fountains.  The palace could serve twenty thousand people.  I couldn’t imagine seeing that many people in a building that some people live in.  He had all this power and he didn’t create laws or anything people would just disobey. Normally people with all the power and authority would make or try to create laws to benefit their families.

           Could you imagine painting a master piece on a ceiling that was at least 25 feet in the air?  I don’t even like getting on a small ladder to paint a ceiling white in a house.  I definitely can’t make something look so real and 3D looking like Giovanni Tiepolo did. How do people come up with the creativity and paint something that will go well with the rest of the room?

           The further we read into this book, the more I’m learning. I really didn’t pay attention to many classes in school like I do now.  In the chapters we read this week, the rich and wealthy always had the inside and outside of their buildings very decorative.  To me art calms my brain down and I just think on what its meaning is and why.  I look forward to what next week brings.

Adams, Laurie. A History of Western Art. 5th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2011.

[brookeabrimeyer-blog]

Week 4 Blog Post

[wand23-blog]

Brooke,

While reading these two chapters, I found Chapter 17 more interesting than 18.  This could be because of the fact reading about how the Catholic churches were crooked and asking people for the money to make sure they go to heaven. Also the things Martin Luther did for women.

I found a couple of paintings to be quite awkward.  I say this because  Agnolo Bronzino’s painting called Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time had Cupid doing weird things to his mother.  I really liked how many people named their painting “The Last Supper.”  Good thing one was renamed to “Christ in the House of Levi.” A lot of great artist and architects were in these chapters.

Great job,

Chris

[wand23-blog]

Blog 4 chapter 17 and 18

I found chapter 17 more entertaining to read than chapter 18.  Maybe things just clicked better for me.  Both chapters did talk about some very good painters and architects.  Doing art with mannerism was described in chapter 17 and in chapter 18, humanism was discussed.  Mannerism and humanism meant something completely different 500 years ago than how we think of the meaning in the United States today. 

            The Catholic Church became challenged and people had to buy their way to heaven.  Parmigiaino painting of Madonna and child with angels is a great piece of art.  After looking at the painting for a few seconds, I was wondering why the boy didn’t have hair.  On page 308, was Agnolo Bronzino’s painting called Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time which I found a bit awkward.  I say this because why would a child of that age be doing those things to his mother?  Also is that other child going to be hitting someone in the head?  There was too many paintings named “The Last Supper” after Leonardo da Vinci’s.  From my eyes Paolo Veronese painting was the better panting just because of the colors and more fine detail.  It also could have been because of the two different era’s those two painters came from in the 75 years.  I’m just glad it was renamed to Christ in the House of Levi. 

            I find it a little odd that the father of the daughter chooses who she will marry.  This could be because women had no say for many years.  How could a father know which type of person his daughter is attracted to and have common interests with?  Good thing people date in today’s world however, now the divorce rate has increased a lot in the past 50 years.

            Andrea Palladio was one of the greatest architects of the late-sixteenth-century found on page 315.  He was involved with over 140 building projects and about 35 still are standing.  The San Giogio Maggiore began in 1565 and took 27 years to complete.  Today, people would be fired if a building that big would take over five short years.

            Chapter 18 was a bit confusing for me to understand.  It talked about Martin Luther that divided Europe and made people think twice about the Catholic Church.  Caterina van Hemessen had a very detailed painting of herself.  It showed how many brushes a painter could go through and how she held the paint.  I found this to be the best painting of the chapter, because it takes a lot of courage to paint a self portrait.  Pieter Bruegel the Elder Netherlandish Proverbs painting in 1559 was kind of odd, but made sense what 100 people in a village do to make everything come together and work. I first thought he was going insane or something along those lines.  Printmaking back then seemed like a lot of work.  I guess they couldn’t make thousands of prints or editions like today in a few short weeks.

I would love to be able to see all these great paintings, building and sculptures someday.  But, just to get to Europe is a small fortune.  Then, all the other cost of hotel, food, and going to the museums would break the bank.  Seeing all the interesting art pieces in a text book or on Google images doesn’t show how the originals would look in person.  It really would be a once in a lifetime experience.

Work cited : Schneider Adams, L. (2011). A history of Western Art. New York, New York. McGraw-Hill.

[carissamarie62119-blog]

Blog Post 3

I was very surprised how educated the boys and girls were during the renaissance, and I gained a better understanding of the why they called the renaissance the age of the enlightenment.  After reading chapters 15 and 16 I was amazed at the amount of paintings, sculptures, and statues done by the artists of this period. My fiancés dad is an artist, recently he started painting full time and still only completes a handful of paintings a year. The way that these artists put out piece after piece was unbelievable.

The Renaissance was from the 1300’s to 1600’s and during this time Humanism was on the rise. No place was this truer than in Florence Italy. During this time education was being established, the economy was on the rise, and art was thriving. It was not just art either, schools were being formed. I found it very interesting on page 242 it states that rich, poor, boys, and girls were all taught together. These schools even taught them martial arts. The boys and girls were educated in all matters of life, and upon graduating would be ready to engage in the all aspects of the world including politics.  According to the book in 1401 there was a competition to design the doors at the Florence Baptist church. Of the 7 artist that were in the ruining of the piece, only two really stood out Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1446) and Lorenzo Ghiberti. Brunelleschi lost the competition, and after losing he gave up sculptures to design buildings, which I believe was his true calling. His style of building was different from everyone else and made him stand out from the other architects. I would love to take an architecture class and be able to understand the real beauty of his work.  One of the most famous painters of the 1500 century was Masaccio, who took some of Giotto’s style and added to it. His painting of The Holy Trinitary really catches your attention. He uses lines and angles to make the illusion that there is really space behind Jesus. The artist of the 15th century used different styles, and bold colorful pieces to stand out and gain power and fame.

Leading to the end of the 15th into the 16th century, the High Renaissance in Italy was starting. This was a huge time for art especially in the western part of Italy according to the book on page 279. The amount of powerful artist shrunk down, and there were a handful that dominated this new generation. On 279 the book pointed out that they were Leonardo da Vinci, Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giorgione, and Titian. The most famous of these artists even today was Leonardo Da Vinci. Da Vinci drew to understand the world. His work with scientific ideas are very interesting. His most famous painting is The Mona Lisa, which really shows how his style had never been done before. I never understood what made this painting so unique until reading this chapter. The way that he gets the audience to seem like they are looking up at her is unbelievable. I would love to see this painting in person one day to truly understand what makes it so special. Another very important artist at during the High Renaissance was Michelangelo Buonarroti. Some of his sculptures are still around today. Including one of his most famous sculptures, The Statue of David. This is one of the most famous Statues in the world even today.

After reading chapter 15 and 16 I was amazed at the amount of art work that was made during the renaissances. I was also surprised at how many pieces were made in the High renaissance that are still around today. Some of the most famous art in the world was made during this period. I think that the way that these artists were able use different techniques and styles made them stand out. This is a great lesson that I can take into my career. When trying to solve a problem, and stand out it is important to think outside the box and try something new.

[wand23-blog]

Carissa,

Wow, it sounds very exciting about seeing a few paintings your future father-in-law does each year.  Is there a certain scheme he does?  I can barely draw a stick person.  I also found it very interesting that boys and girls both rich and poor kids went to the same school and were taught the same things.  I find it interesting that each artist had their own style and really didn’t copy one another.  The architecture brought forward to these ancient buildings was so thought out.  It’s kind of funny that I would find a better building built back in Renaissance that would outlive a building built today. I think that is because they took the time planning everything out back then and now it’s just seeing how fast you can have the builder put it up.  I would have to say that Leonardo da Vinci is probably my favorite artist from these three chapters we read this week.

Great blog,

Chris