Art: A Connection to Sociopolitical Climate

Art seems to be a good window into the social and political movements going on at that given moment. Art is meant to be expressive, communicative, and when it is excellent, it is able to communicate lots of information. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and as far as well known art goes the words usually communicate a relevant message or subject.

Past

Archibald Motley, Gettin’ Religion, 1948

Among the Early Modern popular styles of art was the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was primarily between 1920 and 1930, and it was a time in which African Americans particularly flourished and became well known in all forms of art. That being said, “Gettin’ Religion” came in to being  a bit after the wave. I think that, because of that, this picture is able to capture the full gamut of possibilities that had become more accessibly to African Americans at the time – or as Dr. Davarian Baldwin said, “This piece gets at the full gamut of what I consider to be Black democratic possibility, from the sacred to the profane, offering visual cues for what Langston Hughes says happened on the Stroll: [Thirty-Fifth and State was crowded with] “theaters, restaurants and cabarets. And excitement from noon to noon. Midnight was like day. The street was full of workers and gamblers, prostitutes and pimps, church folks and sinners.” Langston Hughes’s writing about the Stroll is powerfully reflected and somehow surpassed by the visual expression that we see in a piece like Gettin’ Religion.” (Whitney)

I really enjoy this piece because, while it is a fairly busy scene, it is still a neutral and calm color pallet. The cool tones would help this image fit in most places, I think.

Daughters of Revolution, Grant Wood, 1932

During the same Early Modern time period Grant Wood was in the Midwest painting, typically, daily life on a farm. This piece, however, is noted as his only piece of satire. Upset that a local chapter of the “Daughters of the American Revolution” had snubbed a large scale stained glass window that Wood went through years of hardship to create and caused it to not gain notable recognition, Wood deliberately placed these three women in front of the well known scene of Washington crossing the Delaware, allowing their positions relative to the painting to denote which character they are meant to represent.

While not a direct reference to the daily life Wood experienced and saw every day, this image still draws a direct link to the sociopolitical climate at the time. Wood’s local chapter of “Daughters of the American Revolution” had snubbed his stain glass piece – why? Because Wood had traveled to Germany and employed German methods and workers to produce the piece, while Germany had been an enemy to the United States in World War 1, only a decade previously. This lingering hostility is a good example of the political climate and relationships that were the norm. (University of Iowa)

Little Money, Dorothea Lange, 1934-1937

This piece is part of the “Little Money” series by Dorothea Lange, showing several young men from Vermont around their automobile at their squatter camp in Nipomo, California. The men moved west as a result of the Great Depression & the Dust Bowl that was being experienced nation wide & in the Mid-West, respectively. They made their way to California in order to make a living picking peas. Their bounty after 6 weeks? $7.

Dorothea Lange had a natural talent & eye for photography and communicating the harsh and dreary conditions workers were enduring. She did an exceptionally good job at communicating the social climate in particular; times were hard and people were scraping by, doing what they had to do to make it from one day to the next. There is no question what the people are Lange were going through, as she did an exceptional job at explaining that with her art.

Present

Scampi Wellington, 2016, New Zealand

A bit of an odd first choice – but in an age where an entire generation can communicate in hyperbolical memes and phrases, the cynical wit is all too fitting for this point in age. An artist putting a literal twist on a feel good quote sums up, at the very least, the millennial generation in America. There’s also an ode to the retro vibe with the stencil of the girl – her poofy hair, flats with straps, and trench coat remind me of “Annie,” and I feel that our generation tends to pay a homage to styles past.

Being that street art can also still be considered vandalism if the artist is caught, I feel that the popularity of this style is also indicative of the current general attitude of personal revolutions, as well as entitlement. While these attitudes can be clashing, I feel that both are at the forefront of many political issues.

Your Waste of Time, Olafur Eliasson, 2013.

Chunks from Iceland’s largest glacier kept in a refrigerated gallery space made up Eliasson’s installation art exhibit, “Your Waste of Time.” An apt and straight to the point message that global warming is wreaking havoc on our environment. The piece “represented 800 years of Earthly existence, putting human’s physical experience in perspective.” (HuffPost) (the oldest chunk of ice is estimated to have originated 1200AD)

Seeing that global warming and climate change are at the forefront of our social and political buzz in the past few years, I think that this is a great example of artists using their platform to bring attention to the current sociopolitical climate that is being experienced.

While there are always artists that are doing their own thing, whether they be unaffected by, oblivious to, or simply unengaged with their surroundings, there are also always going to be artists making waves by using their platform to voice their opinions on the events around them. Whether they disagree with their ruling classes behavior and policies, think an important issue is flying under the radar, or simply want to spread the message of their ideologies, there is always a message to be sent.

Works Cited

Brooks, Katherine. “18 Green Artists Who Are Making Climate Change And Conservation A Priority.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 July 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/15/environmental-art_n_5585288.html.

“Beyond Documentation: Davarian Baldwin on Archibald Motley’s Gettin’ ReligionMar 11, 2016.” Beyond Documentation: Davarian Baldwin on Archibald Motley’s Gettin’ Religion | Whitney Museum of American Art, whitney.org/WhitneyStories/ArchibaldMotleyInTheWhitneysCollection.

“Grant Wood Colony.” ‘Daughters of Revolution’ Grant Wood Took Masterly Revenge for DAR Snub | Grant Wood Colony, grantwood.uiowa.edu/news/daughters-revolution-grant-wood-took-masterly-revenge-dar-snub.

Mexican Muralism

“Gods of the Modern World,” Jose Orozco, 1932. Residing at Dartmouth College.

Beginning in the 1920’s Mexican Muralism began to come back into popularity. With strong social potential, muralism emerged in public places with vivid colors and strong messages of cultural identity, progress, resistance, and politics. It was a useful tool to educate the common man, especially in areas where literacy rates were low. After a decade of civil war, it was a channel of communication that quickly became popular and highly enjoyed. (The Art Story)

Jose Clemente Orozco

“Maternity,” Jose Clemente Orozco 1923. 

Orozco was a part of what was called, “Los Tres Grandes,” or “The Great Three.” David Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and Orozco were considered the three great muralist painters during this style’s popularity. Orozco was likely considered to be the least highly revered between the three, mainly due to his open criticism of the Mexican Revolution as well as the Post-Revolution government, as well as his dark and ominous color palettes.

This particular image was one of his more famous murals. His homage to European culture is dominant in this mural; first and foremost, the women in the image appeal to European standards of beauty, rather than an indigenous ideal of beauty with blond hair and blue eyes. Some think that this is a subtle jab at the Mexican Government, whom commissioned the piece, as they were promoting a message of unity and oneness to their people, and Orozco believed that the government was becoming too authoritarian to truly champion that message. (The Art Story)

One of his earliest and one of his only surviving frescoes, Orozco’s interpretation of The Virgin Mary, like many of his other pieces, provoked lots of reactions – not always good, hence why many of his pieces are no more. This one in particular had provoked an outburst of anger from a group of Catholic women whom thought it sacrilegious. (The Art Story)

I personally enjoy Orozco’s use of a more dark palette of colors and his lack of aversion to the nude human form. I’m not particularly religious and likely wouldn’t contain any prints of this piece in my home, but I think that an educational institute is a great home for a piece with this rarity, considering the sparseness of surviving original pieces from Orozco.

Diego Rivera

“Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park,” Diego Rivera 1947.

The second of three leaders of the Mexican Muralist movement, Diego Rivera, was widely regarded as one of the most influential Mexican artists of the 20th century. Using murals as his main art form, Rivera used the large scale buildings of the United States and his native Mexico to promote public accessibility, the opposite of what he felt art galleries and museums did.

Rivera, like Orozco, was very outspoken about his strong, left-wing political beliefs, which were not uncommon to cause strife between himself and his commissioners.

Drawing on a favorite subject of his – history – Rivera’s “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park” depicts a visual autobiographical image, of Rivera depicted as a young man, surrounded by both his own experiences and the historical events that took place at Alameda Park. This mixture of events from different points in time was a deliberate rejection of Western arts tendency towards linear timelines. Within the image you should be able to find references to the US Army’s encampment in 1848 and political demonstrations held in the park, as well as his wife, Frida Kahlo, and the skeletal figure “Calavera Catrina.” (The Art Story)

David Siqueiros

“Tropical America,” David Siqueiros 1932, Plaza Art Center, Los Angeles, CA

 

The third and final of The Great Three, David Siqueros, was also a staunch left-wing political supporter, and it showed in his work. Raised by a working class family & finding his niche for student strikes at the start of the Mexican Revolution, Siqueros worked his way to Captain in the Mexican Revolution Army, and later joined the Communist party in order to undermine the new Mexican dictator. That being said – his political beliefs and art were very much intertwined. (Biography.com)

This piece in particular, “Tropical America,” was an opportunity for Siqueros to make a statement about his views on American imperialism, in America. Originally meant to showcase the abundance of tropical America, Siqueros took it in a very different direction. The object in the middle of the painting is an Indian being crucified, with an Eagle, the symbol of America, perched at the top. There is also a Mayan pyramid in the background engulfed in flames and two Mexican natives ready to fight and defend their heritage in the upper right hand side. Unsurprisingly, the piece was not very well received and was removed within two years. (The Art Story)

I think that this piece was quite a bold divergence from what Siqueros was commissioned to create, and that level of freedom that artists displayed is quite astonishing. While I cannot blame Siqueros for his point of view or the means in which he used to communicate them, I can’t say that this is a piece I would want in my home. I think that it’s temporary art as a large mural was a perfectly appropriate platform for it to reside during it’s short duration. It got it’s message out to a large audience for a large chunk of time.

Works Cited

“David Alfaro Siqueiros Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, http://www.theartstory.org/artist-siqueiros-david-alfaro-artworks.htm#pnt_1.

“David Alfaro Siqueiros.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Apr. 2014, http://www.biography.com/people/david-alfaro-siqueiros-9485144.

“Diego Rivera Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, http://www.theartstory.org/artist-rivera-diego-artworks.htm#pnt_5.

“José Clemente Orozco Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, http://www.theartstory.org/artist-orozco-jose-clemente-artworks.htm#pnt_1.

“Mexican Muralism Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story, http://www.theartstory.org/movement-mexican-muralism.htm.

Post Modern Art and the Interaction Aspect

One of the traits that I notice about Post Modern Art, meaning art ranging from the 1980’s clear to the present day, is that the art forms gaining popularity seem to be much more interactive than in eras past. Deconstruction Art, Installment Art, Street Art, Performance Art, and Public Sculptures are all much more inviting to be interacted with than the typical painting or photograph, which is displayed in an exhibit, often in a glass display case, with an expected viewing distance between you and the piece.

“Nobody Likes Me,” by artist iHeart (Feb. 2014) and made popular largely thanks to the shout out that Banksy gave the Vancouver artist, was named the second most popular street art of 2014 in Canada. (Metronews Canada) What I like about this piece in particular is not only the simplicity of the piece, it takes up a very small portion of it’s canvas and emphasis the empty space surrounding it, but the homage it pays to today’s society. The statement the piece makes is very simple – people are driven by their social media perception rather than by real, tangible life around them.

These modern street art pieces by artists like Banksy and iHeart use their large audience to make very poignant, well-timed, and often political statements. Unlike popular artists of the past, artists like this often work very hard to maintain their anonymity rather than signing their name to their piece – or coming up with an alias, so that your pieces are still recognizable.

Banksy’s “Graffiti is a Crime,” from October of 2013, while sassy as can be, plainly illustrates why these artists may choose to hide their identity. Street art, as appreciated as it may be by the masses and especially by the internet, is still considered vandalism and is liable to be punished by the law.

Both Banksy and iHeart not only share the fact that they prefer street art to more traditional styles, they also both stick to stencils for these pieces. Also like iHeart’s piece, “Nobody Likes me,” Banksy’s pieces makes masterful use of it’s shading and shadows as well as the blank space around it. Due to Banksy’s tendency to make pointed, argumentative statements with his art that challenge the status quo, I would venture to guess that this is his response to his art being considered illegal.

 

Though illegal, Banksy’s art pieces are interactive not only via modern politics, but also directly with his fans and audience. Created in October of 2013, this piece was Banksy’s first in Queens, New York, and was supposedly in direct response to being asked to inspire an instagram follower’s son. (Untapped Cities)

I’d also like to think that the man tasked with cleaning the writing off of the wall that is pictured on the right hand side of this installment is a bit of a jab in itself. Possibly once more drawing attention the futility and asinine nature of outlawing art?

Artist Scampi Wellington from New Zealand put this piece up in January of last year, 2016. This is one of my very favorite pieces of street art that I’ve seen floating around the internet over the past almost two years. Taking a simple saying and giving it a very literal twist is both witty and a bit sassy, and I like the tone that it gives the piece.

The little girl also has a very retro vibe – a large button up shirt, what look to be cute strappy shoes with long tights or socks, something I picture from back in the 90’s. The simple black and white shading of the stencil also add to the aged feeling that the piece exudes. Lastly, his signature in the corner – the bubble letters remind me of the classic style of graffiti that you used to see, before more artistic interpretations and a wider range of subjects began appearing.

One of the more publicized pieces of performance art that has happened in the past decade, and honestly the only one I had heard of before looking into them, is Shia LaBeouf’s “#IAMSORRY,” from back in February 2014. The piece has been widely criticized and frequently questioned for purpose.

In this exhibit LaBeouf had people patted down, allowed in one at a time, and shown a table full of a fairly random assortment of items, though they all somehow related to and pointed towards his past. They were asked to choose one and then allowed into a room filled with only a simple wooden table, two wooden chairs, and LaBeouf clad in a suit and his paper bag, with “I am not famous anymore” written across it in marker. This piece has garnered LaBeouf a lot of backlash, as many people and most news articles simply credit it to a mental breakdown or childhood stardom catching up with the young LaBeouf. However, others, such as Meta Modernism believe that the piece is a part of a much bigger performance piece.

Either way, you can’t get much more interactive than literally being allowed into a room with the artist and subject of the art piece, and being allowed to do whatever you want.

Possibly one of my favorite forms of modern art is drag! This is Bob the Drag Queen, and while I don’t watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, this is his season 8 “The Signs as Season 8 Queens” look circa 2013.

I feel that drag is an important style of performance art to note because it correlates very directly to the shift in the cultural norm and what is openly and popularly accepted. The 2000’s have been a time for a lot of change, public awareness, and struggles for acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community. I believe the fact that drag became so wildly popular has played, perhaps not a large part, but a notable part, in removing the stigma attached to individuals whom are not cisgender or even those whom simply enjoy exploring their feminine/masculine side in opposite to their typical looks.

 

Works Cited

“Banksy in NYC Day 14: What We Do In Life Echoes in Eternity (Queens).” Untapped Cities, 15 Oct. 2013, untappedcities.com/2013/10/14/banksy-in-nyc-day-14-what-we-do-in-life-echoes-in-eternity-queens/.

Jackson, Emily. “Vancouver Graffiti Ranked Second Best Street Art in 2014 after Banksy.” Metronews.ca, MetroNews Canada, 6 Jan. 2015, http://www.metronews.ca/news/vancouver/2015/01/06/vancouver-street-art-piece-ranked-second-best-in-2014-after-banksy.html.

“On LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner’s Metamodern Performance Art.” Notes on Metamodernism, http://www.metamodernism.com/2014/04/08/on-shia-labeoufs-metamodern-performance-art/.

Sneakhype October 2, 2013 8:00 am, and By: Sneakhype | October 2, 2013 8:00 am. “Banksy – New ‘Graffiti Is A Crime’ Piece in New York City.” Sneakhype, 2 Oct. 2013, sneakhype.com/art/2013/10/banksy-graffiti-crime-piece-new-york-city.html.

Early Modern Blog

The time period during and after World War One was one that came with lots of changes, one after another. The Great Depression, the advances in the medical world, and the introduction to modern day weapons. With so much going on in the world, the art world shifted in order to capture all that was going on and changing all around it.

This piece is a part of the “Little Money” series, by Dorothea Lange, shows several young men from Vermont around their automobile at their squatter camp in Nipomo, California. The men moved west – all the way from the East Coast – as a result of the Great Depression & Dust Bowl that was being experienced all over the country & in the Mid-West, respectively. They made their way to California in order to make their living as pea pickers. Their earnings after six weeks? $7.

“Sometimes I Tell My Husband We Couldn’t be Worse Off if we Tried,” by Margaret Bourke-White is another extraordinary Great Depression photographer. Unlike Lange, Bourke-White does not shy away from capturing the real rawness of the families making it through these troublesome times. Unlike Lange’s image, which is framed very nicely around the automobile and the young men sporting smiles on their faces, Bourke-White really captures the rough life that these families are enduring.

I especially enjoy this image because of it’s simplicity. You see an infant and it’s mother – typical baby, oblivious to it’s surroundings and happy as can be, though in the mother’s expression you can just see the exhaustion, the hours of hard work she’s likely been putting in day in and day out. And then within the “bedding” area you can see how dirty the linens are, and what appears to be torn wraps or linens spread throughout the vicinity.

The title of the photo, the rigid edges on this hardworking woman, the dated black and white texture of the image – they all add to the (very accurate) impression of hardiness and struggle. Bourke-White captured the essence of the struggle that people were experiencing during this time.

Walker Evans, like Margaret Bourke-White, was able to capture some really powerful, raw images. While I can’t find a title for this image, it seems that Evans was prone to leaving his photographs untitled.

Also like Bourke-White, Evans was not afraid to really capture the hardness his subjects displayed, or the hard times that they were living through. You can tell by their worn out clothes that they are getting last minute of wear and tear that they can muscle through, much like the family itself was likely working to do.

I think another aspect to the photos  that Bourke-White & Evans captured is the sense of family. While you can tell that they are physically exhausted and making the most of what they do have, they stick together as a family.

While I likely would not have this photography style hung in my home, I absolutely think it would be appropriate and a benefit to any art gallery or museum dedicated to the Great Depression.

Works Cited

CHÉROUX, CLÉMENT. “An American Eye.” SFMOMA, s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sfmomamedia/media/t/uploads/images/5pwGbYCO3CEY.jpg.

“Little Money.” The History Place – Dorothea Lange Photo Gallery: Little Money: Pea Pickers from Vermont, http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/dor12-122.htm.

Women. xroads.virginia.edu/~class/am485_98/coe/women.html.

The Romantic Era

While the Romantic Era was home to quite a few varying styles of art, my most and least favorite styles were impressionistic and realistic, respectively.

Claude Monet has always been one of the few artists that I’ve known about and enjoyed, though that may have more to do with the book, “Linnea in Monet’s Garden,” than anything else.

This piece is called, “Meadow with the Poplars,” painted in 1875. Monet does a fantastic job of capturing the defining features of an impressionistic painting – loose brush strokes, lots of dabs of color that blend together well, and the essence of a whimsical, fleeting moment. The use of short, loose brush strokes and the lack of strong, defined lines helps to add to the whimsical, idealized feel of the piece. He also uses contrasting colors to bring a distinct highlight to the colors in the foreground of the painting, using red and green, and purple and yellow. (Museum of Fine Arts)

The bright colors and warm feel that this piece, and most of Monet’s pieces, contain make it one piece that I would actually enjoy having in my home. I think that the impressionistic style brings a lightheartedness and genuinely innocent feel to the medium they’re created on, and they are a sure fire way to brighten a room.

On the other hand, we have Winslow Homer, the Realist painter. This piece, “Prisoners from the Front,” painted in 1866. Where impressionistic pieces are colorful and bright, realistic pieces are very nontheatrical and ordinary in subject matter. Drawing his inspiration from real events that occurred during his time as an artist-correspondent during the Civil War. (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Going along with the absence of the theatricality within the piece, the background is meant to depict the battlefield of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where the subject, Brigadier General Francis Channing Barlow captured several Confederate soldiers. While this is a real event taking place during wartime, the neutral color scheme adds to the non-idealized depiction of what took place. The art has not been embellished with excessive colors or eye grabbing action, it is a simple retelling of what took place. (Winslow Homer)

I feel like the Realist style is about as close as you can get to an exact opposite style of  the Impressionist style. Where the Impressionist style brings bright, colorful, idealistic scenery, the Realist style brings drab, neutral-colored, pizzazz-less images. Where the Impressionistic style brightens a room and makes it more enjoyable, the Realist style works to keep the mood much more somber. I don’t think that a Realist piece such as this is one that I would ever have in my home.

Works Cited

“Meadow with Poplars.” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 16 May 2017, http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/meadow-with-poplars-32061.

“Prisoner’s from the Front.” Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11133.

“Prisoner’s from the Front.” Winslow Homer, http://www.winslowhomer.org/prisoners-from-the-front.jsp.

Classical Blog

The 1700’s were a century that came with many changes; namely the French and American revolutions, for this discussion. Classical Art also emerged from the 1700’s, and while American history was being made, their artistic community was not as prevalent as the artistic force that had been long since growing in Europe. Nevertheless, the happenings in America, and later France, inspired many new pieces of art that are still prominent today.

While this particular piece, “The Emperor Napoleon in his Study at the Tuileries,” was actually created in 1812, Jacques-Louise David was a prominent artist from the mid 1700’s to the early 1800’s, and gained a reputation that would tie him to the French Revolution at the end of his life. David and Napoleon had met briefly in 1798, and when Napoleon appointed himself emperor of France in 1804, David was named the “First Painter to the Emperor.” (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This work has incorporated many subtle features that point to Napoleon’s courageousness and readiness for actions. We see a rolled up sheet up paper marked, “COD” on his chair – this is supposed to be the French Civil Code, also known as Code Napoleon. There is also a half unraveled map off to the side, a sword waiting at the ready next to him, and a lion finial (decorative bit of carving in the desk), which are meant to display Napoleon as the “fearless leader.” (National Gallery of Art)

David and his several pupils that were employed by Napoleon produced many pieces of work, and many pieces of propaganda, while he was in power. However, when the French monarchy regained power in 1815, David and many others were exiled to Brussels. David died in Brussels in 1825.

Jean Antoine Houdon was another artist who found inspiration aplenty from the revolutions going on around him. This, Houdon’s “George Washington” sculpture, was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, being a dependable liaison for America in Europe in 1784 and there being very few art choices in America, in order to commemorate the successful conclusion of the American Revolutionary War. (Khan Academy)

This sculpture was a big milestone to Houdon – as well as the other portraits that he produced for well respected and reputable Americans such as Benjamin Franklin, John Paul Jones, and Thomas Jefferson. These works, in the midst of a time when the States were eager to celebrate their victory and commemorate the import figures that contributed to that victory, brought Houdon quite a bit of fame in America. (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Houdon traveled to Virginia in order to take measurements for his sculpture of Washington, though he had also hoped to produce a larger than life size monument of Washington on horseback; unfortunately this never came to fruition. However, while he remained in America he continued to find work and produce busts of notables within society. When he returned to Europe from America, he was able to wed a well-educated and well-connected woman, and continue to take commissions for busts of notable Revolutionaries, including Napoleon in 1806. (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

“The Death of General Wolfe,” 1770 by Benjamin West was another important detour from the norm. On one hand, most previous historical  paintings were based off of Biblical stories or classic stories from the past, and on another hand West was strongly urged to draw Wolfe and company in classical garb, to add to the “timeless heroism” that was to be captured. West however stated, “the same truth that guides the pen of the historian should govern the pencil [paintbrush] of the artist.” (Khan Academy)

This is, arguably, the painting that set the stage for the many “contemporary historic” paintings that would follow during this period. Artists John Singleton Copley and John Trumbull followed suit and composed numerous paintings of the same style throughout the rest of the 18th century.

Works Cited

“Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, http://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-americas/british-colonies/colonial-period/a/benjamin-wests-the-death-of-general-wolfe.

“Houdon, George Washington.” Khan Academy, http://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/enlightenment-revolution/a/houdon-george-washington.

“Jean Antoine Houdon (1741–1828).” Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jahd/hd_jahd.htm.

The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries. http://www.nga.gov/Collection/highlights/highlight46114.html.

“The Legacy of Jacques Louis David (1748–1825).” Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jldv/hd_jldv.htm.

Baroque Blog

As soon as I saw Caravaggio’s image, “The Head of Medusa,” I knew that this was what I needed to do my blog on this week. I’ve always been a fan of Greek mythology and Medusa has always been one of my favorite characters from their lore. Caravaggio was commissioned, by Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte (the Medici family’s agent) in 1958 after he saw the artists first rendition in his home, to recreate his image on a shield in order to be a present for the Grand Duke of Tuscany. (Caravaggio.org)

The shield was meant to be a symbol of the Duke’s courageousness while facing enemies and to celebrate a recent victory. The Duke, being a part of the Medici family, saw the gorgon (Medusa) as a symbol they held close, seeing it as “an allegory of truth and wisdom.” (Uffizi)

Caravaggio really excels at using a darker theme in this image, and he uses the contrast between the light and dark to make Medusa look extremely realistic and practically three dimensional. Expanding upon that dark theme, Medusa has a look of horror on her face – this is supposed to be the moment that she realizes that her head and body are no longer connect, and worse, she still has her consciousness. (Totallyhistory.com)

As dark and macabre as this piece is, I think it is one of the few that I have seen during this class so far that I may actually own in my own home.

Works Cited

“Medusa by Caravaggio – Facts & History of the Painting.” Totally History Medusa Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. TotallyHistory.com.

“Medusa.” Medusa, 1597 by Caravaggio. N.p., n.d. Web. Caravaggio.org.

“Medusa.” Uffizi Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. Uffizi.com.

Renaissance Analysis

For the Renaissance period I chose to focus on Albrecht Durer, and his engraving of “Adam and Eve,” created in Nuremburg at the end of Durer’s life in 1504.

The story of Adam and Eve is fairly well known, even to those who are not very familiar with religious texts and teachings (like myself). Durer’s depiction has several attention grabbing features; next to Eve’s face is the serpent, with what looks to be the apple from the tree of knowledge. Eve and Adam are also posed in a symmetrical manner; their weight on one foot, one arm down and one arm grabbing an object, as well as their bodies being turned slightly towards each other.

My reaction to the piece centered on its religious message. It was easy to place the story of Adam and Eve, and just as easy to identify and remember the significance of the snake and the apple. The black and white theme of the piece seemed to invoke a very serious tone, accentuating the importance of the scene – almost as if it was light and dark in the same image, Adam on one side trying to uphold virtue with Eve on the other side about to succumb to the serpent and the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The animals and the deep forest setting illustrating the Garden of Eden as the background.

According to Khan Academy, all six of the animals that make an appearance have a symbolic meaning. The parrot, thanks to its call being interpreted as “Eve-Ave,” is supposed to be a word play for “Eve and Ave Maria,” or the Hail Mary, characterizing the Virgin Mary and the antidote for Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. The snake symbolizing Eve’s sin. The other four, the elk, ox, rabbit, and cat are supposed to represent the four human personality types – melancholic, phlegmatic, sanguine, and choleric, respectfully. The Khan Academy goes on to explain that after the fall, due to Eve’s sin, one personality type reigned over each person, and that this representation of all four personality types coupled with Adam and Eve’s balanced posing is meant to illustrate a moment of complete harmony in the Garden. “The cat is not yet chasing the mouse.” (Khan Academy)

Durer’s portrayal of Adam and Eve in his portrait of the same title are was also very humanistic. “Adam and Eve are examples of a humanist conception of the body. They are endowed with autonomy and dignity, and their forms reflect Dürer’s ideal of beauty.” (NYU School of Medicine) The prime importance of the piece lies in the human features, rather than a divine appearance to portray the religious aspects. “Albrecht Durer was, in effect, the first non-Italian artist to associate the humanistic disciplines with the esthetic pursuits of art.” (New World Encyclopedia)

Works Cited

“Albrecht Durer.” Albrecht Durer – New World Encyclopedia, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Albrecht_Durer.

“Durer, Adam, & Eve.” Khan Academy, http://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/a/drer-adam-and-eve.

“The Fall of Man (Adam and Eve).” The Fall of Man (Adam and Eve), medhum.med.nyu.edu/view/10314.

Elements of Art

For this assignment, MC Esher was an artist that came to mind as a good choice. His works stick out in my mind, and probably for a reason that a lot of others can relate to – I was constantly seeing his works in my childhood spaces, such as doctors’ offices, my teachers’ classrooms, and various other locations.

This particular piece is called, “Drawing Hands,” from 1948 (mcesher.com). It is a lithograph that was completed in Holland (aaronartprints.com). I think that, in this work, the optical texture is a very important aspect. Because it is a drawing of human hands, evolving from two dimensional to three dimensional, it doesn’t seem as though the drawings feeling would be conveyed nearly as well if the texture didn’t also express the change from two dimensional to three dimensional.

For the same reason, the continuous lines seem equally as important. Without the seamlessly flowing line work, we would not be able to follow the graduation as smoothly. I believe that the lines also mirror the graduation in their strength – while they’re a bit more thin while the hands are two dimensional, the lines seem much more strong once it reaches the three dimensional area.

Escher’s ability to play with two and three dimensional parts in the same drawing also calls attention to his ability to force perspective in this image.

All in all, I think that this piece is meant to be a statement about the potential to create held within our hands, just as much as it is supposed to be a piece that forces you to really look at it and get your own perspective on where the beginning and ending really are.

Works Cited

“Drawing Hands.” Drawing Hands by Escher, http://www.aaronartprints.org/escher-drawinghands.php.

Pixelday. “M.C. Escher.” M.C. Escher – Drawing Hands, http://www.mcescher.com/gallery/back-in-holland/drawing-hands/.

 

Introductory Blog Post

Hello there! My name is Linnea Greer – in addition to being a student at UAF pursuing my BA in Accounting, I am also a full time AP/AR Manager at Greer Tank & Welding. In my free time I like to work and play with my 6 year old German Shepherd Dog, Cedra. I also get to enjoy the company of my two cats, Sebastian and Skorpion, whether I’m in the middle of homework or not.

I’ve never been much of an art person – I tried my hand at pottery and I enjoyed it, but I never pursued it past a summer of lessons. Occasionally I will go out to a first Friday event, but the extent of my art collection consists of the few paintings that my girlfriend brought when she moved into my house.

This was one good online collection of classical art that I was able to find for online viewing, Classic Art Gallery. My favorite piece from this gallery would have to be “I Sailed the Darkened Seas,” by Roger Budney.