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I have also been infatuated with photography since I was in the 7th grade with my first flip phone with a camera! There is just something about capturing a moment in time, a close up of an object that really shows the detail of the object, and the feeling you get when you yourself take a perfect photograph. I also had an experience with dropping a brand new camera in water. Junior year of high school I went to Costa Rica with my school. My father had bought me a brand new camera that could be used in the water just for the trip. On the second day I dropped it in the ocean and who knows where it went from there. We were both devastated so I definitely feel your pain there!

Chapter 31: Continuity, Innovation, and Globalization:

Chapter 31: Continuity, Innovation, and Globalization:

           I personally dislike most contemporary artwork, simply because the culture portrayed in it is so familiar to me already, that I don’t find it very interesting. It’s also more difficult to analyze the history and circumstances in which the composition was created, and as Adams points out on pg. 550 of the textbook, “As we respond to contemporary art, our sense of historical perspective inevitably diminishes.” Despite my general prejudice against contemporary work, I did enjoy many aspects of this chapter; specifically, the incorporation of photography and cinematography. Most of the artwork in this chapter seemed to be centered around photography, and the colored photograph brought many new and creative possibilities into the art world. For example; artists like Chuck Close were able to use photos and image processors to begin their compositions, and Richard Estes’ oil paintings were heavily representative of crisp, color photography. Lauri Anderson also used the newly available technology of photography, film, and music, to convey both social and political sentiment. It is because of this artful, photographic incorporation that I enjoyed these artists’ work so much, and I can personally relate to their medial preferences in many ways. From a young age, I have been infatuated with photography, and for a few years, I even experienced a feverish obsession with cinematography and filmmaking. I received my first camera when I was seven years old, and I spent every spare minute taking photos. That is every spare minute until the day I dropped it into a swimming pool, at which point my parents’ faith in my responsibility would effectively suppress their benevolent urge to purchase for me a new camera, of which I promised to take far better care. I saved money for years in order to buy a GoPro camera and eventually upgraded to a Canon T5i, which I currently use for both photos, and cinematography. One of the emerging art forms that I found particularly interesting was the Super-Realist sculptures of Duane Hanson. His polyester and fiberglass figurines seem surprisingly realistic, and they remind me of many wax sculptures that I’ve seen while touring historical museums. In this sense, Hanson’s sculptures could have a practical use, besides visual aesthetic enjoyment, and the art form of sculpting could be used to educate, as well as entertain.

I think that over the course of this semester, I’ve learned to accept multiple artistic styles, and I’ve grown to be more appreciative of even the most bland, contemporary artwork.

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Blog Post Chapter 31

In chapter 31 of the book, “A History of Western Art,” by Laurie Schneider Adams, it all about art and its many forms from about the 1980’s to the present. With new and improved technologies, historical art is being revamped and modernized. Cindy Sherman, who was born in 1954, is an artist doing just this! Her photo (which is untitled but can be found on page 578 of the book) resembles the painting titled, “The Fornarina” by Raphael which was painted in 1518. In both pieces, the subject is sitting with a cloth draped over their lap and a sheer fabric on their stomachs. Both models are naked from the top up with their arms in the same exact position, on resting on their lap and the other holding up the sheer cloth over their stomachs. They have the same serious look on their face and similar hair color as well. Their hair is wrapped in cloth and placed on top of their head with their hair parted in the middle and an arm band. The main difference is Sherman’s is a photograph and Raphael’s is a painting, but there are more. Sherman’s back ground is black, all you can see is the model, which happens to be Sherman herself! Her cloth is a white lace you can see through and her arm band is a mauve pink. She is also pictured looking directly into the camera lens. In Raphael’s painting, you can see a touch of blue in the top corners representing the sky and lots of leaves painted in shades of darker greens. The model’s cloth over her lap is red, her head cloth is tan and brown plaid, and her arm band is dark brown with gold writing. Instead of looking directly at the viewer, she is looking to the side.

Architecture is really modernized, with new machines able to help build extravagant buildings with lots of shapes, lights, colors and more. A really beautiful building Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which is located in Bilbao, Spain. It was designed by Frank Gehry who was born in Canada but moved the Los Angeles, California later in life. The building’s main structural support is limestone, but titanium is used to make the building so unique. There are many shapes and details to the building which makes it very pretty to look at and even has what many people are calling, a “metal flower” design for its layout.

Human sculptures are another example of art that has been completely modernized. Instead of carving sculptures from stone, metal, etc., artists are now able to use more modern materials like polyester resin to create sculptures that are so incredibly life like that you would never know they weren’t alive until you realized they are literally not moving whatsoever. The examples in the book are, “The Cowboy,” by Duane Hanson and, “Mask II,” by Ron Mueck. I literally stared at the photos of the sculptures in the book for about 20 minutes because of how real they look!

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We have a lot in common when it comes to this chapter! As we progress and get to the more modern stuff it has been easier and more interesting for me as well. I also love the pop art movement and the op art movement. Your description of op art was perfect (and made me laugh a bit) when you referenced teens and how they would call this style “trippy” and “psychedelic,” because I have heard these words many times to describe it!

Chapter 30

As I talked about at the beginning of the class, I have always been admired by pop art, so this chapter was interesting to read more into depth about it. It also related very well to the latest chapter on abstract so it was easier to connect to it. Pop art originally began in London, but it also became very popular in the United States. Andy Warhol is one of the most well-known pop artist in the United States. He created the famous “Campbell’s Soup” piece and I have always enjoyed that one. Not only because tomato soup is my favorite type of soup, but the pop art was clearly represented through and shows the “commercial images.” A lot of his work looked similar, just with different objects or different focuses. I mainly enjoy the colors in his work, especially in the “Elvis” one. You can see the bold colors that make the picture pop out. His colors are so ambitious which makes it so lively, and that is my favorite part of his work.

Another type of movement that I admired was Op Art. Nowadays teens would usually call these pieces “trippy” because of how they mess with your head. It was interesting to read into depth on how it all began. The small lines creating different types of patters, along with different shades of multiple colors or the same create these psychedelic pieces of art. Bridget Riley’s “Aubade” represents what most of these paintings looked like in the late 1900’s. As I read about her work it mentioned the pink, green, and blue colors used to represent the curves surrounding around the painting. When I first glanced at the painting, I only noticed the pink shades until I read about it. She used these colors and this design to show movement in her work.

One of my favorite paintings in this chapter was the “Untiled,” designed by Dan Flavin. He used green, pink, blue, and yellow fluorescent lights to make it a very bright and noticeable piece. He mixes the yellow and pink on these tubes that are set in front of a blue and green background. The yellow and pink colors are set upon these tubes that create a geometric pattern. Mixing geometric shapes with bright neon colors can always make a piece more out there and I always have admired these pieces, probably because they stuck out to me so much and that is what most of them do.

This chapter was very interesting because as we keep moving on in this book, most of these movements or styles seem to be connecting. Lately I have noticed that with the cubism, abstract, and now pop art. It has been easier to read about these for that reason as well. Not only easier, but a lot more interesting. This was my favorite chapter because it brought attention to my favorite artist, Andy Warhol, who created some very famous paintings. I enjoy his work so much because he makes the focus so simple, yet so demanding.

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Blog Post Chapter 30

Chapter 30 of the book, “A History of Western Art,” by Laurie Schneider Adams the first topic discussed is referred to as “pop art.” This style originated in the 1950s and continued to be popular through the 60’s as well. It is defined as, “an art movement who’s subject matter is the anonymous, every day, standardized, and banal iconography in American life, as comic strips, billboards, commercial products, and celebrity images; and dealt with them typically in such forms as outsize commercially smooth paintings, mechanically reproduced silkscreens, large-scale facsimiles, and soft sculptures.” This style or art really catches my eye personally. It is not quite my favorite but it is definitely one of them. The piece, “Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?” by Richard Hamilton completed in 1956 is a collage of different pictures organized together to make a whole new scene of a living room. The setting is a living room of a 1950’s home all in color with two people positioned and pictured in black and white, making them stand out.

Another popular style of art discussed in this chapter is called “op art.” It is defined as, “a style of abstract art chiefly concerned with the exploitation of optical effects such as the illusion of movement.” Artist completely eliminated subject matter and instead constructed geometrical figures to create optical illusions. “Aubade,” by Bridget Riley was done in 1975. It is made up of red and white ombre lines in different spiraling directions which gives the optical illusion that the lines are moving. In my opinion, this style of art would be incredibly hard to do without getting dizzy or going cross eyed in the process more than once, if not the whole time!

“Minimalism” is defined as, “design or style in which the simplest and fewest elements are used to create the maximum effect.” It blew up in the 1960s during the “objectless movement” and was very similar to op art in that way. Different shapes are organized in a way that creates a whole new pattern, whether it be a sculpture or architectural piece. I have seen this used in many buildings all of my life and it is a very modernized look!

The last topic discussed is called, “Conceptualism.” It is a newer form of minimalism, except artists completely eliminated the materials which expressed the only the “concept” or idea of the piece. Joseph Kosuth created, “Wall Drawing No. 681 C,” which is a gorgeous array lines and color. There are four different squares with a black border separating and surrounding each of them. In each square there are different lined sections that are filled in with different colors. Each square’s lines are extending different ways and each square has their own unique colors and color stories. The first square’s lines are vertical with natural colors like brown, green, and yellow. The second has horizontal lines and each line is its own color of the rainbow, just not in its usual order. The third square has lines that are diagonal with reds, oranges, and purples. The last square has lines that are also diagonal, just facing the opposite direction of the one before it. Its colors are blues, greens, and a brownish/yellow stripe!

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I also talked about the painting, “Persistence of Time,” by Salvador Dali. I found this painting creepy and eerie, almost like a nightmare and after reading your description, it made me feel that way even more! I did notice that there were shadows and no source of light, the sun not pictured at all. The coloration was mostly dark, “sad” colors like blue and brown. I also really liked the American Abstraction style. Good post!

Ch 28

Although unfortunate to me, I believe we have hit a divisive point in the timeline of art history. During the 19th and 20th centuries, classical art lost its footing to the movements of Abstraction, Surrealism, Dadaism, and Pop Art. Many like me, who were much more appreciative of the more intricate, beautiful works of the Renaissance, were put off by many of the pieces created during this period, for a number of reasons. Many called the paintings purposeless, ambitionless, and simply unappealing. However, this style clearly was darling to the artistic community, as these styles have carried on their popularity to this day.

The most prominent artist of this period was surely Salvador Dali, whose piece, The Persistence of Time, has become timeless. The painting, displaying melting clocks in a barren landscape, embodies the quality of dreams and the oddities that they contain. The use of lighting in this painting is very peculiar, as the focal point of the painting looks to be being consumed by darkness. However, while this looks to possibly be a sunset or sunrise, there is no sun in the painting, creating an impossible source of light. Small, provocative details like this were key to Dali and many other Surrealist artists.

My favorite artist from this chapter was surely Edward Hopper, whose Realist paintings were much more of my style of art. Most famous for his work Nighthawks, Hopper uses simplicity to create scenery in which the viewer can tell a tale. For instance, in Nighthawks, the individuals could be anything; a detective listening to suspects, three friends out for a midnight snack, or anything-this painting and many of Hopper’s others leave their meaning entirely up to the viewer, much like a blank canvas.

American Abstraction, my favorite style of the chapter, combined history, simplicity, and photorealism into one to create a very unique genre. Paintings like Equivalent by Stieglitz and The Blest by Pelton use images of the sky to create beautiful black and white paintings, both feeling nearly transcendental. They both struck me as nearly philosophic, simply due to the relaxing nature of the paintings. Many of the more historical paintings from this period would display the American lifestyle of the time. Houses, plantations, and commonplaces were some of the scenes depicted in this subgenre.

In my opinion, the most creative artist this chapter was Man Ray. His usage of light-sensitive paper helped him create a photoshop-like effect on his photographs. In Le Violin d’Ingres, he adds sound holes into a woman’s back, shaping it into a violin. Creativity like this helped him create ambiguous works which allowed viewers to dissect them in different ways.

Although the art displayed in this chapter didn’t amaze me quite as much as a few paintings did the last chapter, it was still very interesting overall. The artists’ ability to create provocative, creative, and interesting work was clear throughout the whole thing. Although not my cup of tea, the artists really interested me due to the complexities exerted by the simplicity of their works.

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Blog Post Week 12

Chapter 28 of the book, “A History of Western Art,” by Laurie Schneider Adams had many topics about art after World War I, the first being about the term “dada.” This term refers to an international artistic and literary movement started by a group of artists, writers, etc., of the early 20th century who exploited accidental and incongruous effects in their work and who programmatically challenged established canons of art, thought, morality, etc. It was not an artistic style in the sense of formal qualities that are equally recognized, but an idea and sort of “antiart,” where artists liked to “start over.” Because of this, “dada” challenged traditional assumptions about art and had a great impact on later twentieth century “conceptual art,” which is art in which the idea behind a particular work, and the means of producing it, are more important than the finished work.

Another style popular during this time was “surrealism,” which is a style of art and literature developed principally in the twentieth century, stressing the subconscious or non-rational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc. It was based on Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and explored the world of myth, fear, fantasy and dreams. One painting that really stuck out to me was the painting, “The Persistence of Memory,” by Salvador Dali. It really shows the element of dreams and alternate reality in the way the artist painted the everyday objects but not in the original form like they would be in the real world. For example, multiple clocks are painted with unnatural curves, leaving them look like deflated balloons on a tree, wooden platform and another object that looks almost deflated. These are painted with on a beach, with most of the painting being on the brown sand and a blue ocean at the top of the painting, making it look far away. It almost reminds me of a nightmare, one in which time never ends and you are the only person alive feeling completely lost and alone. It kind of freaks me out in that way.

During this time in America, a famous painting that almost everyone has seen somewhere, whether it be on television, in a magazine, or hanging in someone’s’ home or office was created. “American Gothic” was painted by artist Grant Wood which reflects Regionalists interests in provincial America as well as their isolation from European influences. A lot of people would know this painting by this simple statement, “the one with the old couple and a pitchfork.” And that is exactly what it is! A man and woman are pictured side by side, the man holding a pitchfork. Both of them have a very serious look on their face with the woman looking away from the audience. They are painted wearing mostly black, the woman wearing a dark maroon apron and the man in denim overalls with a black overcoat on. A white farmhouse with beautiful windows are behind them, as well as a light blue sky.

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I also found Pablo Picasso’s blue period interesting and it took me back to my “blue” stage in high school as well! (I hope you’re not so blue anymore!) I did more research of his art work during that period and found a painting that my grandmother actually had in her house when I was a kid!

After reading your post I was curious about the artist, Vassily Kandinsky and his painting, “Several Circles.” His work is great and that specific piece of art reminded me of planets and stars circling around in space!

Blog 10

Chapter 26 and individual research.

In the turn of the twenty-first century, there were many changes and many new gains made.  Technological advances in many areas made it much easier to view art and communicate amongst other artists. There was one particular spanish artist by the name Pablo Picasso who was amongst the most popular during this the early 1900′s.  Picasso had a “blue period” from 1901-1904 in which he stated he had the “blues” or depression as he was in a transitional state in his life.  On the bottom of page 468, one of Picasso’s most famous blue period paintings is displayed.  It’s an overly skinny guy with a guitar in his hand. His head is looking down and he is sitting cross legged.  He looks like he hasn’t taken care of himself and just looks super down and out.  This painting is colored steel blue and it indicates that the guitarist is probably blind judged off of his body language.  

This photo connect me to the end of my highschool days  when i went through a bit of a blues phase myself.  I was just finishing up my senior year of high school and really didn’t know what i wanted to do with my life while it seems like most of my classmates did at the time.  Even in reality, they didn’t either.  I had a sucky perspective on life and i grew accustomed to the same old routine of high school.  Back at the time, I would always complain of having classes and the same after school routine with exercise and family time but it wasn’t until after i completed highs school that I was able to appreciate the monday through friday routine of school, work, exercise, and eat dinner with family then homework.  So when I ended that routine I was accustomed to for quite a few years, I didn’t really have any time management skills.

There was a Russian artist in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s that I really enjoyed reading up on by the name of vassily kandinksy.  His paintings were super futuristic and just all around wild.  A type of painting I would like to have in my house someday.  One of his most famous is known as “Several Circles.”  This painting is at the bottom of page 473 in our textbooks.  There is a big purple circle and tons of smaller circles all around and inside of the purple one.  These smaller circles were of many different colors and sizes but they were all perfectly round circles.  If I would have to describe this painting in one word it would be “wild.”  The outer color surrounding the circles in just black, making it kind of spacey.  

Afghanistan 1900′s

In 1919, Britain grants Afghanistan independence.  In 1979, Moscow attacks Afghanistan and the leader seeks help from the soviet union and united states.  This wars lasts almost a full decade.  This was a very hectic time for Afghanistan. Many afghans move to pakistan and Iran when Osama Bin Laden begins causing major issues and it wasn’t until the 2000′s when Osama was killed and the war slowly comes to a stop with the help of the US.

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Blog Post Week 10

In chapter 26 of the book, “A History of Western Art,” by Laurie Schneider Adams, it discussed the happenings of the early 20th century. During this time, technology definitely took off. Radios, televisions, and computers were introduced. Cars were invented to make travel much easier. The first plane was invented and some years later the United States sent someone to the moon. The Russian Revolution was in place which ultimately eliminated the Soviet Union. World War 1, The Great Depression, the rise and fall of Hitler in Germany and World War 2 also occurred during this era. Because of World War 2, many artists were forced to flee Paris which was the main area for art and art schools. Later on in the century, artists discovered “japonisme” which was influenced from Japanese wood block prints.

Fauvism was introduced during this century. It is defined as, “a style of art in the early 20th century whose works are characterized chiefly by the use of vivid colors in immediate juxtaposition and contours usually in marked contrast to the color of the area defined.” These paintings were very colorful and often used color combinations that were not typical, which really made the paintings stand out. “Woman with the Hat,” by Henri Matisse, who was one of the most popular artists of this time, is a great example of this style. The woman is outlined in shades of blue, and colored on with lighter blues, whites, and pinks. Her hat uses the same colors, but the background is color blocked with shades of greens, yellows, and oranges which really makes the painting catch the viewers’ eye.

Expressionism was another style that was popular during this time. It is defined as, “a manner of painting, drawing, sculpting, etc., in which forms derived from nature are distorted or exaggerated and colors are intensified for emotive or expressive purposes; a style of art developed in the 20th century, characterized chiefly by heavy, often black lines that define forms, sharply contrasting, often vivid colors, and subjective or symbolic treatment of thematic material.” This style was similar to fauvism in the way that artists used color to create mood and emotion but it differed in the way expressionists cared more about the emotional and spiritual properties of color and form and did not care as much for the formal and structural composition of color. Henri Matisse was also popular for his expressionism art, but he now used fluid lines and intense, bright colors. This is expressed in the painting, “Harmony in Red.” A blue flowers, decorations, and a woman in blue stand out against a red background as she is setting the dinner table with light yellow and green foods. Two brown chairs are also pictured, as well as a window with an outside setting.

For my additional research I decided to look up Australian art during this time period. In Australia, abstract painting was extremely popular and an artist named Ian Fairweather, who lived from 1891 to 1974 was mentioned. Although he was born in Scotland and traveled the world for much of his life, his works were very popular in Australia. I looked up some of his work and I really loved it. His work was mostly landscapes of places he had traveled and different scenarios where humans were his subjects. He used a lot of natural tones, such as browns, blues, greens, etc. as well as the technique in which his paintings look like they are done by his finger. I actually thought a lot of his work was similar to some home décor I have seen that was considered “African Tribal,” which I thought was interesting.

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When I was reading your post, I went and looked back at the painting, “Absinthe,” by Edgar Degas. To me the woman looks very sad and perhaps that is why she is drinking and he man just looks plain drunk. I learned a lot about this alcohol from your post, so thank you for that, but I am sorry to hear you saw your father this way growing up! I hope he grew out of that stage of his life. I also talked about the painting, “The Dream,” by Henri Rousseau because it stood out from all of the other paintings that had a more similar style. I agree it really looked like a dream!

Chapter 24+25

Chapter twenty-four is the Impressionist style which evolved in Paris. Impressionist artists prefer genre subjects, such as, activities, entertainment, landscape, and cityscape. As I was looking through the art on chapter twenty-four, Edgar Degas’s oil painting, Absinthe, stood out to me. Edgar was a founder of Impressionism, even though he preferred to called a realist. Half of his work depicted of dancers. He was a master in the depiction of movement, however, Absinthe was the complete opposite of this. You see a woman sitting at a table looking haggard with a glass of absinthe sitting on front of her. The man sitting by her side has bloodshot eyes and unruly hair. To me it looks like they have haven’t slept at all only to start the day all over again with a stiff drink. Absinthe had a green hue and has a very high alcohol content. It was Poured over ice and served with water and a cube of sugar to soften the bitter taste. It was highly addictive and caused hallucinations. It was painted with darker shades. I am assuming Degas purposefully chose these colors to create a moody scene based on the looks of these two peoples faces, and it works so well. I can really relate to this painting. I grew up with an alcoholic father and he often had that look on his face. He always looked exhausted and reeked of liquor, which is how I picture these two characters smelling as well.

The Japanese wood block prints are so cool. I recognized Katushika Hokusia, The Great Wave. I have seen it many times over the years. Hokusia got his artistic abilities from his father whom crafted mirrors. His work is so pretty, bright, and colorful. It is peaceful and makes me happy. I would recommend looking up more of his art, if you haven’t already. I also really enjoyed Keisei Eisen, Oiran on Parade. Oiran were courtesans in Japan, they were entertainers and some were women of pleasure. I love everything about this print. The headdress and kimono are so pretty. The blue with pops of orange really compliment one another.

Chapter twenty-five brings us Post-Impressionism. I was excited to see Edvard Munch was in this chapter. The Scream is one of my favorite iconic paintings. Munch was born in Norway in 1863. He was related to other famous artists, Jacob Munch and Peter Munch. When Edvard’s mother died, his father, whom suffered from mental illnesses, raised him and his brothers, which is the reason his work was a bit dark. Much of Edvard’s work depicted of life and death, love, and loneliness. The Scream is one of this pieces of art that we have all seen. There are also so many funny parody’s of it. I have yet to meet someone who does not like it. Such a classic!

My final artist is Henri Rousseau. I am a huge animal lover and The Dream really stood out. The colors are incredible. The woman is Yadwigha, Rousseau’s mistress. Yadwigha reaches out to the lions. It reminded me of Artemis, the goddess of wild animals. In the foreground you see shadowed figure playing a flute. This is such an interesting and strange piece. This really does look like something out of a dream.

There were so many interesting pieces in these two chapters, but it was not hard to narrow down what I was going to write about. The pieces written about above really stood out to me. I cannot wait until chapter twenty-six, I have my eye on a few pieces.

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Blog Post Week 9

In chapter 24 of the book, “A History of Western Art,” by Laurie Schneider Adams, Impressionism was introduced. Impressionism is defined as, “a style of painting developed in the last third of the 19th century, characterized chiefly by short brush strokes of bright colors in immediate juxtaposition to represent the effect of light on objects; a manner of sculpture in which volumes are partially modeled and surfaces roughened to reflect light unevenly.” It evolved in Paris in the 1860’s and was actually influenced by Japanese prints and new developments in photography. Subject matter included such as leisurely activities, entertainment, landscapes, and cityscapes. Impressionist painters studied natural properties of light, changes in light and color caused by many different things (time of day, weather conditions, and seasons,) and effects of artificial lighting (theatre spotlights, café lanterns, and streetlights.)

Although this style used very rapid and unique brushstrokes, in my opinion, most of the paintings look like they have been done by the artists’ fingers, just because of how almost chunky and/or blurry each stroke looks depending on the painting. An example of a “chunky” and “blurry” painting is painting, “Bassin des Nympheas,” which means “water lily pond,” by Claude Monet. He used thick brush strokes and many tones of greens and some greenish blues to picture the water, which strokes were vertical like. He pictured the lily pads in tones of green, which were painted horizontally over the water and dots of pinks and whites portray flowers on these lily pads in the water. At the top of the painting, bushes are pictured in more tones of green in thicker, vertical, and more slanted brushstrokes. It is a beautiful painting, but I feel like I could have painted it with my fingers!

Chapter 25 of the book was about “Post Impressionism,” which means “after impressionism.” This style was influenced by the Impressionism style (bright colors, shadows, and very distinctive brushstrokes) but the major difference was that they did not “dissolve” their edges which were outlined or defined by sharp color separations and were very clear. In my opinion, most of them still looked like they were done by finger painting, so they still looked pretty “chunky,” but they no longer seemed blurry. I think it is because the outlines were there instead of “blurred” together in the painting. Although a lot of the paintings were similar in this way, I noticed a couple that were not that were displayed in the book. “A Sunday Afternoon,” by Georges Seurat was a painting of a park landscape with many attendants at the park. It was not painted in chunky strokes, but rather softer ones. Lots of color, shadows under trees and people are shown, as well as reflections in the water of the lake in the left hand corner. Light was greatly displayed in this painting. Another that was not “chunky” to me was “The Dream,” by Henri Rousseau. It pictured a naked woman in the middle of the jungle surrounded by lots of green plants that were separated by different tones of green, animals hidden in the middle of these plants (almost like a seek and find,) and an almost hard to see woman painted in a greenish black playing an instrument. It reminded me of a childhood book I used to read, the styles are so similar, but I do not remember what it is called, I wish I did!

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I also really enjoyed, The Horse Fair, by Rosa Bonheur and I really loved how you said the artist downplayed the value of humans in this painting and didn’t realize it until reading your post! She painted the horses with lots of muscle and the men almost looking scrawny and skinny which definitely backs up your statement. I also loved how the artist added motion to the picture, making the horses seem even more powerful as they are running and getting on their back legs while the men try and tame them.

Realism and the Nineteenth Century

Communist author, Karl Marx, made an important argument when he articulated that art shouldn’t be intended merely for aesthetics, but that it is capable of defining or repealing social boundaries and issues. We are often so focused on the visually appealing aspects of compositions, that we fail to realize the message that the artist may have intended, and how the specific piece of artwork may have influenced history.

Rosa Bonheur’s The Horse Fair, was a strikingly majestic oil painting, and it’s obvious that the artist had thoroughly studied the behavior and anatomy of the animals that she was painting, resulting in an extremely realistic and life-like painting. She used the illusion of motion to convey the strength and beauty of the untamed horses, and she seems to downplay the value of humans, compared to the glory of the horses in her painting. The men in the painting are wearing simple, humble garments, while the horses have neatly groomed and brightly colored coats.

Another oddly unique piece of artwork was Louis Philippe as Gargantua, by Honoré Daumier. This composition reminds me of many politically comical drawings that we used to search for and analyze in history classes, and it too obviously has political meaning. Gargantua represents the prince, (Prince Louis) and the greedy politicians beneath him represent the rest of the French government, who are all grasping for the little money left in the lower class pockets.

Gaspard Tournachon is the first artist in this textbook, whose featured work is a photograph. The composition of the photo itself is impressive, and Tournachon used lighting to his advantage, bringing out the subject’s facial features, and emphasizing the wrinkles and folds in her drapery.

Joseph Paxton skillfully used the aspect of space in his engraving, Crystal Palace, London. Usually, humans seem to be the center of realist compositions, but the people pictured in his engraving, only occupy a small portion of the scene, as the rest is occupied by the incredible architecture of the crystal palace, in order to exemplify its majesty and grandeur.

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Blog Post Week 8

Chapter 23 of the book, “A History of Western Art,” by Laurie Schneider Adams was about nineteenth century “Realism.” Realism is defined as: treatment of forms, colors, space, etc., in such a manner as to emphasize their correspondence to actuality or to ordinary visual experience;  a style of painting and sculpture developed about the mid-19th century in which figures and scenes are depicted as they are experienced or might be experienced in everyday life.” During this time period, the Industrial Revolution had begun with England taking the lead and other countries such as the United States following along with them. The introduction of iron and steel helped make mass manufacturing possible. The invention of the steam engine made for faster transportation and factories with many employees also helped make this possible. This lead to many changes in society. Cities got bigger with more job openings and social classes divided between the factory workers and business owners. In 1848 Karl Marc and Friedrich Engels published, “The Communist Manifesto,” which went along with the workers’ demands for individual freedom and citizens’ rights, and the very first women’s rights convention was also held this year.

My favorite form of art, photography, also took off during this time period. Although the art of photography’s basic principles may have been known by the Chinese as early as the fifteenth century, it wasn’t until the nineteenth century when advances in photography made the style take off. In the early nineteenth century, Joseph-Nicephore Niepce found a way to make an image remain on the surface of a paper, which was called fixing. Although this process was a huge step forward in photography, the time needed for exposure was eight hours, making it impractical. In the late 1830’s, photographer Louis Daguerre discovered a new way to reduce this exposure time to only fifteen minutes. These images were called “daguerreotypes” and could not be reproduced in newspapers, which made each image unique to their own. Even though this was also a huge success and step forward, this process did have its flaws. The objects in the images were reversed and contained a glare from reflected light. Then along came the English photographer, William Henry Fox Talbot who invented the negative film. This process solved the “reversed image” problem and was also able to produce multiple prints. By 1858 exposure time was so fast that photographers had the ability to capture motion on light sensitive paper. Many photographers were also painters, and these process reduced the time it took to make portraits by many hours.

One of the most famous structures in the world, which I really hope to see someday, was also built during this time period, the Eiffel Tower. It was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel and was created as a landmark for the Universal Exposition of 1889 which celebrated the centenary of the French Revolution. The tower was so controversial that a petition was actually created demanding that it be demolished, but was saved because it had value as a radio antenna.

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I really liked that you pointed out the painting, “Liberty Leading the People,” by Eugene Delacroix and that it was a male who artistically portrayed the fact that a woman, not a man, lead many men into battle. I was also surprised that a man would paint this, especially because it was not common at all for women to lead men into battle due to the gender roles between men and women that were placed in the past and that are still, for the most part, still in place today.

Chapter 22

For week seven we are discussing chapter twenty two. Chapter twenty two covers the romantic movement which came to Western Europe and the United States in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The first art work I would like to discuss is, Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People. Eugene Delacroix was a painter and muralist. He used expressive brushstrokes and studied optical effects of color. Liberty Leading the People commemorated the July Revolution of 1830. The Goddess of Liberty leads the people forward over a pile of dead bodies. I thought this painting was really powerful. A women leading men fourth into battle. Something we never saw in these early ages. You only ever see a man leading men. I am actually quite surprised that a man from this era painting this piece, nice to see non the less. This painting really ties in with last couple blogs I have written. I just love reading and seeing images with powerful women, especially with what is going on the America lately.

The next painting I would like to discuss is Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, los caprichos series. These are a set of 80 prints. In Goya’s later years his work became darker. His subject matter become more grim. He got inspiration from the different characters of Spain. Some people say his work became darker because he was battling inner demons. I think these are some of the most interesting works of art I have seen yet since I first started this class. These prints are hard to describe, something you must see for yourself. They are weird and freaky. All things I love. When you look at these pieces they look like something nightmares are made of. This is something I am drawn to. I love all things horror and these are right up my ally. If you are a horror buff, I recommend checking these pieces out. I also really love Goya’s The Witches Sabbath. The Witches surround the Devil offering his skeletal infant. I really love reading about Witches. So many fun stories and movies I remember from when I was a kid.

Another painting that really caught my eye mainly because of the beautiful colors is Burning of the Houses of Lord and Commons by Joseph Mallord William Turner. October 1834, a fire broke out in England’s Houses of Parliament. Turner grabbed his pencil and watercolors and started to capture what he saw. This fire was caused by the burning of small wooden sticks. These sticks were disposed of poorly in a furnace under the House of the Lords, thus causing a chimney fire. Interesting story behind this piece, hopefully no one was hurt.

I really liked this chapter. I think there were so many different pieces and stories to write about. I liked the last few chapters but I feel they were so similar that I started losing interest. I am glad this one had more selection, at least for my liking. I am so excited to start reading about the nineteenth century for our next blog. Can’t wait!

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Blog Post Week 7

The Romantic Movements of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries is one of my favorites. It was inspired by the “romantic” languages of French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian and from many medieval tales of chivalry and adventure. The term, “far, far away” and “a long, long time ago” that is used in many fairy tales may have become popular from this time, considering the movement had a haunting nostalgia for the past. This movement was also popular for the mindset of the mysterious, unexplained, and dangerous phenomenon. Dreams and nightmares were portrayed in art after Freud’s theory changed peoples’ beliefs that they occurred internally instead of supernaturally. This also gained artists’ interests in the different states of mind, which included insanity which were portrayed in some artists work. My favorite of all of the new interests happens to be the interest in nature. French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was inspired by the beliefs of “return to nature” and “noble savage,” which to him meant that that humanity was born to live harmoniously with nature, free from vice, but had been corrupted b civilization and progress. This way of thinking also inspired others in different areas of life, such as music, literature, and even philosophy and politics. People started to believe that instead of one king ruling, everyone should rule.

A new way to create artistic masterpieces was invented and given the name of “aquatint.” This technique combined the principles of engraving with the effects of a water color painting or wash drawing. It was also a form of etching, which was not new to this era. The artist uses what is called rosin, which is a powdered form of resin. The artist would cover spaces between etched lines with this powder which partially protected against effects of an acid bath. Rosin is porous which can cause the acid to penetrate to the metal while being made, but the artist controlled the acid’s effect on the metal plate by treating the plate with varnish. This would expand the range of grainy tones in finished prints. An example of this technique is on page 407 of the book, “A History of Western Art” by Laurie Schneider Adams. It is called Los Caprichos and was made by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. The etching pictures a mother holding her two children, who are looking up at a hooded figure in terror who’s body is only shown with his back to the viewer. At the bottom, the words “Lue viene el Coco” are written in cursive, which translates to “The Boogeyman is coming.” The meaning of the etching is political, warning viewers not to put fearful things that do not actually exist into their children’s’ minds so they do not grow up corrupted.

In America, it became popular to paint landscapes of the beautiful and newly discovered country. My favorite painting of the chapter was “Sunrise, Yosemite Valley,” (page 413) which was painted with an oil on canvas by Albert Bierstadt. He used “luminism” which is an emphasis of on light portraying the difference between night and day. This effect almost makes the painting glow as the sun is either rising or setting in the distance. This was done with bright yellows which faded out into the background of the landscape, which has trees, mountains, a light blue sky with fluffy clouds, and even some animals in the grass.

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As I scrolled down my home page I laughed out loud when I read that you also wrote about choker necklaces! Unlike you though, I love this trend and I am guilty of having a few of these myself, especially since I also loved and wore them as a kid! However, I do agree that chokers can sometimes be defined as a bit more naughty than some other accessories and add an almost sexier look to a style. I have heard them being called the “hoochie” necklaces by some, but that doesn’t stop girls of all ages from wearing them, especially when favorite celebrities are wearing them as well!

Blog 6

Chapter 21 gives us an overview of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.  In Western Europe, many styles of art were under competition.  Paris was the center place for the best well known art but Rome was still within reach and just as popular.  In France, there was a certain style of art that was referred to as “true style,” or Neoclassical style.  This style of art was mostly associated with the revolutionary movements in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  This chapter has many awesome portraits of this revolutionary time period that I will go over more in depth in a couple paragraphs. 

There were a few pieces of art from this chapter that I really enjoyed.  Jacques-Louis David painted an oil canvas of Napoleon on horse.  This painting was known as “Napoleon at St. Bernard Pass.”  David painted this photo in 1800′s and it was very popular in the country of France.  This picture is depicting Napoleon in full body armor crossing the Alps.  What I love about this portrait is the horses position, He has his front legs up and mouth open.  It looks like there is wind as well which is pretty cool because his maine and Napoleon’s clothing are all to one side.  This is a very dramatic portrait with awesome colors and textures.

There was one more painting that really stuck out to me and it was John Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence oil painting.  John Trumbell created this painting in 1817-1818 after President James Madison asked him to create multiple paintings that showed off American independence. This is a painting featuring all of the guys that signed the paper.  I really like the colors and composition of this painting and Trumbell said that Thomas Jefferson even gave him some feedback on the painting! What a historical moment captured.  I believe I read that this painting can be found hung up in a big museum somewhere in Washington D.C.

There is a fashion trend that I feel is making it’s way back and getting bigger again each month and that is the “choker necklace.” This necklace was made popular in the ‘90s but now thanks to celebrities, it’s coming back.  I feel that this is targeted to young teens who are more in to the punk culture.  I read that this trend that is coming back is effecting females a bit younger than in the 90′s.  I believe this is an innocent trend but at the same time some people take it in a different way and when you see a middle schooler wearing one, it can be alarming to some.  This movement is being revived because of celebrities are starting to wear it again so teens and young adults are seeing it in their favorite magazines, movies etc.  I don’t think this trend is a very big deal per say, but it is interesting to me why people wear the clothes that they were and accessories as well.  

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Blog Post Week 6

In chapter 21 of the textbook, we learned about “Neoclassicism.” This is defined as, “the trend or movement prevailing in the architecture of Europe, America, and various European colonies at various periods during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, characterized by the introduction and widespread use of Greek orders and decorative motifs, the subordination of detail to simple, strongly geometric overall compositions, the presence of light colors or shades, frequent shallowness of relief in ornamental treatment of façades, and the absence of textural effects,” by dictionary.com. The style derived from its associations with heroic subject matter, its impression of stability and solidity, and its formal clarity.

Napoleon Bonaparte used the neoclassical style to enhance his political image. This was shown in the painting, “Napoleon at Saint Bernard Pass,” which was painted in 1800 by the artist Jacques-Louis David. The painting shows Napoleon on a muscular, white horse with a blonde mane and tail, raising his hand with his finger pointed up. Napoleon is painted in blue, tan, and white clothes with a red cape on, making him look heroic. The background, both the rocks and sky, are painted in tones of gray with hints of blue and soldiers are pictured in the background moving cannons. Napoleon also used the neoclassical style in architecture. After becoming emperor in 1804, he decided to construct an arch of triumph based on his military successes that was based on the arches of ancient Rome. The similarities are very close, both having relief sculptures on the upper piers, the decorative cornices, and the row of metopes and triglyphs that are below the upper cornices. Napoleon added sculptures to the sides of the sculpture of scenes of the war which made the arch look more like its own.

During this era, America was making historical changes. They became independent from England by signing the Declaration of Independence which marked the beginning of the American Revolution, The Constitution of the United States was signed, Washington DC was founded as the nations’ capitol, and finally Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as the 3rd president of the United States, after George Washington and John Adams. Thomas Jefferson was responsible for the construction of two of the most beautiful buildings in America. The State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia and the Rotunda at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. These are both buildings I would love to see someday!

A trend in fashion that I really love that came back from when I was a child was the “choker” necklace. In elementary school, almost every girl had a necklace that was made of plastic string that was weaved together which made the necklace look like it had circles and ovals all around your neckline. They were usually black but sometimes you would see a colored one and even some rainbow! More recently, I have seen some of the same exact style of choker necklaces, but now they are more fashionable, depending on what style you want to bring out. I have lace ones that look a little fancier, velvet ones for when I want to look a little more sassy, and some even come with studded diamonds the make them a bit more classy!

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I really loved your description of the Baroque period, not understanding it very well myself until reading your post. “…not trying to make everything perfect, but it wants to find something by using imperfection.” I feel like this saying can actually relate to a lot of people and situations in everyday life, or should at least. Most things are not considered perfect, but a lot of people want that “perfection,” whether it be a feeling or a thing. If people were to look at life like the quote I just typed from you, I feel like there would be a lot more happy people in the world!

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Individual Research + Chapter 19 & 20

Individual Research: For my individual research, I researched Korea during 1600-1800 A.D. During this time in Korea, the Joseon was in power, this dynasty had ruled since 1392, so there was not a large political change which can be observed in other areas of the world during this time.

During the early 1600’s there were Manchu and Japanese invasions, and Korea was also affected  by the establishment of the Qing dynasty in China. This shift made scholars and officials more interested in Korea’s art, literature, and more. This research, now called practical learning, was very popular during the 1600’s to the 1800’s in Korea. Because of this interest, the government and leading officials pursued improvement of government processes and the lives of the people.

I think that the Korean people during this time were having a lot of change around them. They saw the change in China, with their new rulers, and they had to defend from invasions.  Koreans saw the people around them accomplish great things, so they wanted to do that for themselves. They spend this time working on how they can improve their own system of government and move on as a culture to advance in a practical way.

During this time, there was also an increase in book written in han’gûl  (the common Korean language), which was popular with the common people. These books sought themes that were uncommon in traditional writings, and were often written by peasants and regular people. During this time, the Koreans were beginning to improve their ceramic production. These were achieved because of the practical increases that were brought about due to large changes in the government and the people.

Chapter 19:

I found this chapter very interesting, especially the way that baroque was created and what influenced it. During the time baroque was popular, it was a time of scientific development, Isaac Newton discovered the laws of gravity, astronomers proved the heliocentric theory. There was a lot of upheaval and changes to things people previously thought were true. This is not the same as what happened during the mannerist movement, instead of their ideas being completely false, there was just a large amount of new theories and changes to previous theories.  Baroque is a French variant of the Portuguese barroco. It means, an irregular pearl, which is thereby imperfect. Baroque is mostly unrestrained, very energetic, and full of emotions. This means that Baroque is not trying to make everything perfect, but it wants to find something by using imperfection.

One my favorite pieces in this chapter is the Raising of the cross. This painting has an obvious religious meaning, with many people raising Jesus on the cross into the air. Jesus is looking towards heaven, while all of the others are using all of their strength to pull him up on the cross.  This piece shows of baroque meanings, the blood running down his body, with a touch of realism in the dog barking in the corner.

Chapter 20:

The Rococo style is one of the focuses of this chapter, and before reading it, I had no idea it was a type of art. Rococo shows wit and sometimes uses sad and satirical meanings. The world that Rococo shows is one of fantasy and dignity. I think this style is interesting, because there can be a picture showing a wonderful celebration, but it really means the opposite, nothing like it seems at first glance.

One painting in this chapter surprised me. This painting was Paul Revere, painted by John Singleton Copley. This is the first time in the book that I have seen a painting that was created in America. John Copley grew up in Boston, and he became a portrait painter. Copley was going to move to England, but before he left, he painted his Paul Revere. This painting combined Baroque and Rococo, and I found it interesting how it seemed to draw in with his gaze, but his clothes and his body are not stylized, but realistic. I found it very interesting overall, and I was surprised something that was painted in America during this time had influences from across the sea.