charlottearthistory

[charlottearthistory]

Hi all! Sorry to have been gone for so long, university work had to take priority and I’ve had the chance to learn a lot about the practice of art history in that time and grow my skills in research. I’m graduating soon and am really excited to start posting on here once more to and rejoin a lovely community of art lovers.

I have had the pleasure to complete a dissertation on an artist called Fong Chung-Ray and will share some of his work here - he is a pioneer of abstract Chinese art and so if you have any interest in either abstract expressionism or Chinese art I would highly recommend you look into his work, and that will be my next post (though rest assured that I’ll cover a variety of artwork in my future posts if that’s not your cup of tea). It’s great to be back!

#1964 - Fong Chung-Ray. Ink on paper, 47x23 in.

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‘The Sea is Mine’ (2016) - Sliman Mansour

‘A woman, a girl, and a boy raise their hands high and march along a beach. They hold a pen, a paintbrush, a rifle, an olive branch, and the Key of Return, while a white dove soars above them. The backdrop captures a beach scene where people are engrossed in relaxation and leisure, seemingly oblivious to this determined small demonstration. Mansour ensures the inclusion of fundamental elements of the Palestinian struggle within the painting. While the pen and paintbrush symbolize creativity, the rifle signifies resistance, and the olive branch and white dove represent peace. The key stands as a symbol in the Palestinian struggle for the right of return for refugees. Through this painting, Mansour conveys a steadfast commitment to carry forward the Palestinian resistance in all its manifestations, even amidst the world's self-absorption and inattentiveness to the Palestinian plight.��

- words by Rana Anani

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‘the hay wain’ - john constable (1821)

today i visited the scene of this iconic english painting and wanted to share it with you all! remarkably the house looks exactly as it did all those centuries ago, though the landscape has grown wild due to years of being untouched.

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two prints from ‘the war’ series (1924) - otto dix

otto dix served in the war of 1914-18 as an artillery gunner in the trenches. the german expressionist recreated the images that he saw in his nightmares in this series of prints, titled ‘the war’. for dix, prints like this were an exorcism of the horrors he saw.

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‘nudes playing under a tree’ (1910) & ‘moonrise; soldier and maiden’ (1905) - ernst ludwig kirchner

german expressionism is a movement that i really love. i’m drawn in by the freedom of the bodies in nature, as well as the spontaneity and authenticity of the style. these two pieces reflect the brighter side of the movement before the war.

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‘pot pourri’ - herbert james draper (1897)

roses have long been associated with feminine beauty and passion. here, a brunette woman dips the dried flowers in fragrance to create pot pourri, a method used to preserve and enhance the smell of the roses.

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‘the mandolin player’ -édouard bisson (1890)

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‘angel’ - abbott thayer (1887)

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‘helen of troy’ - anthony frederick augustus sandys (1867)

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‘pierrot and the cat’ - théophile steinlen (1889)

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‘prussian love and happiness’ - emil doerstling (1880)

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‘girl from dalecarlia knitting’ - anders zorn (1901)

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‘adieu!’ - alfred guillou (1892)

with a title meaning ‘goodbye’, this piece depicts the final moments of a fisherman and his loved one before they are overwhelmed by the force of the sea. a strong sense of urgency is created due to the towering waves and already-sunken mast in the background of the piece. this is a contrast to the stillness of the foreground; in this we see the person slipping into the water, their body already limp as the fisherman desperately clings on.

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‘an illicit letter’ - vittorio reggianini (1858-1938)

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‘ghismonda with the heart of guiscardo’ (detail) - bernardino mei (1655)

the daughter of prince tancredi of salerno, ghismonda, fell in love with a butler named guiscardo. upon finding out about this romance, the prince killed guiscardo and presented his heart in a golden bowl to ghismonda. this piece captures the intricate emotion of ghismonda as she grasps her lovers heart in her hand.

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‘the seashell’ - william adolphe bouguereau (1840)