Author: Amani Tran (Page 1 of 3)

In our discussion on Pop Art, we talked about Andy Warhol. He used the silkscreen process, which involves projecting an image onto a screen and then using that screen to make prints, on images from popular culture. These remarked on different aspects of society. Cambles Soup Cans comments on mass production. It is a series of prints of very similar Cambles soup cans of different types of soup. It goes beyond the simplification and worsened health benefits to the deterioration of culture.

In the Post Modern Era which started in 1980, Judy Chicago created The Dinner Party. It is comprised of a triangle of tables set will places for specific people. The names for each setting is on a tapistry in front of it. On the floor which the table is raised on there are even more names. All of the names are of successful women which this work celebrates.

The changes in architecture reflected a rejection of the simple international style. Robert Venturi wrote a manifesto of this new architecture. His quote, “Less is a Bore” sums up this architecture. It was meant to be exciting and interesting while also drawing form traditional architectural elements, as seen in the Gugenheim Museaum. There are some elements which persist through this drastic change in architecture. Modern advances in architecture such as metal skeletal structure are still utilized.

Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas delves into the conflict within the cultural portions of her life coming from her Hungarian Jewish father and Indigenous mother. She also draws from the cultural artwork of her mother. She is inspired by retablos and Ex-Votos

The building Bahaus was made to house the elements of a school. This workshop like school embraced modernity. The building reflects this in its utilitarian elements combining both art and technology. One element of this is the metal infrastructure. This allows for the glass curtains which wrap around the walls.

During the Postwar movement, the capital of art moved from Paris to America. In America artists such as Jackson Pollock practiced action painting. This process involved a physical movement which the artwork records. In his work, Autumn Rythm he uses the drip technique in almost a dance like movement.

Cubism went through three phases. The first was Analytic cubism. This is shown in Pablo Picasso and George Braque’s work, Ma Jolie and The Portuguese. Both are very similar as these two artists worked together closely. Both works showcase reduction. The colors are simplified only showing a small range. Also, there is no depth within the work. Lastly the things and people depicted in the works are broken down into geometric shapes.

The next phase was Synthetic Cubism. Guitar, Sheet Music and Glass was representative of this phase. Each of the three objects for which this work was named are shown through a collage with some representing the item literally like the sheet music while some are of an abstract form which represent the object.

In continuing post-impressionism, we learned about the life of Gauguin. He was a wealthy and successful collector of art. In the middle of his life, he left his career and family to pursue art. This path led him to pursue simplicity away from civilization. This was reflected in his art where he strayed away from the teachings of art schools. His work The Vision after the Sermon depicted women and a priest having a vision of Jacob wrestling with an angel. It was made flat by the thick outlines. It also represents synthetism in which the work comes from emotion.

Next, we learned about Fauvism and Expressionism. Le Bonjeur de Vive was a good example. The changes in the way color is used is most indicative of this time period. In this work the colors are arbitrary yet impactful. They cover the entire work where even empty space is covered and expressive. The colors convey the feeling of happiness. This style can also invoke negative emotions like uncomfortability like in Street, Dresden. This work utilizes a similar color pallet but does so with an imbalance and uncomfortable style.

In the Post- Impressionism Movement, there were two categories of styles, form and personal expression. Form was displayed by Cezanne and Seurat and personal expression was displayed by Van Gogh and Gauguin. Above these things was the use of color which was ubiquitous in this movement. It was used to capture moments. Paul Cezanne does this in his multiple versions of Mont Sainte-Victoire. Each of the version is of a similar location however the differences lie in the time of day and lighting. This was similar throughout all of them as the South of France doesn’t change much. The brushstrokes create the impression of a flat image.

An example of personal expression was Van Gogh’s Night Cafe. He goes against typical norms of having reds in the foreground and greens in the background and switches them. The red walls and green floor work to flatten the work as well as the brushstrokes.

Another popular type of work was still lives. They held a lot of the same qualities as other types of works. The items’ shapes were simplified into geometric forms. Also, the colors and brushstrokes flattened the image.

The first picture created was done through a lengthy process in which pewter hardens to create an image. Americans liked photography because of its ability to replicate things from the real world. One picture from American photography is a photo of John Brown. He was a famous American abolitionist. He is shown holding a flag and making a vowing gesture with his right hand.

Moving on to impressionism, paintings were characterized through their use of light and brushstrokes. It attempted to show the transitory nature of life. This can be seen in Claude Monet’s, The Gare Saint-Lazare. Here he is attempting to capture the impression of a moment in this train stating including aspects like the way the light was, as well as shadows. This was done through using a multitude of brushstrokes, each with its own color.

Another work by Monet, Impression, Sunrise, was the basis for the name of the Impressionism movement. It shows a port during sunrise. Many elements such as form and composition are not there. The shapes of the objects as well as the colors were not painted to encapsulate the things painted. I do wonder what the actual scene looked like as the actual colors and buildings are sort of imagined by the viewer filled in with knowledge of what the world looked like at this time.

Moving to Realism we looked at the work The Sower, which exudes many of the qualities synonymous with Realism. It depicts a simple nameless person whose face is covered by shadows. He is in the action of sowing seeds which was a job of the working class. Many of the colors are earth tones. One which is not is the sun at dawn signifying the beginning of a new form of government. Another similar work is The Stonebreakers. A man and a boy are in the process of breaking stones, another working-class job. It leans into more political themes of the working class being exploited including child labor. It also is made up of earth tones.

Another type of art that was prevalent was works of political cartoons. These were featured in newspaper. It’s Safe to Release this one depicts a handcuffed man with two people talking above him deciding he is safe to be released because he is determined to be dead. Another cartoon is Les Poires. It depicts a man’s face turning into a pear making negative remarks about his character.

The architectural creations of Claude-Nicolas Ledoux have pronounced geometric forms such as The House of the River Authority, where a rectangular base encompasses a cylinder. This type of building conveys the idea of a utopian society.

Moving to Romanticism, Grande Odalisque, depicts a harem woman which is not distinctly of an individual, but to express the idea of this exotic persona to the French population. It has a connection to 16th century painting, specifically Venus of Urbino, and Madonna with the Long Neck, referencing the subject matter and gracefulness respectfully. The girls features are perfect, having porcelain skin unblemished and small feet. The body is positioned gracefully.

The Raft of the Medusa was a work that achieved much fame as the embodiment of Romanticism. This work shows a boat passing through the equator where there is a party on the boat. This distraction coupled with an incompetent captain led to hitting a coral reef. The officers and captain left the shift on life rafts while the rest attempted to make a raft to survive. This group of 150 people diminished to only 15 12 days later when they were found. This ordeal was traumatic and even forced cannibalism to survive. This moment is where they see a ship off in the distance. It isn’t a hopeful sight but creates more tension. There were many sketches made as well as painting made off of bodies from the morgue to portray death accurately. This work was inspired by Rubens Elevation of the Cross seen in the diagonals and contrast in color. It is a commentary against slavery. This work was used in the intro drawing class to practice shading which makes sense as a powerful part of the work comes from the extensive contrasts between light and dark

The Neoclassicism movment is the first real movement we have talked about as it is the first in which a large group of people decided together on the future of art. This time period was focused on logic and morallity with on intergral part being the grand tour. A trip around europe that promoted learning.

The celling painting Parnassus shows a structures and organized group of figures as opposed to past works such as A Pilgrimage to Cytheria. It gets inspiration from ancient Greek works such as Apollo Belvidere. It’s also inspired by Rafiel in its simplicity and use of lines. Both the classical inspiration and use of lines are distinct qualities of art from this movement. This work accurately reflects the Neoclassical movement through the many ways it can be contrasted to previous works.

Another work which takes its inspiration from ancient works is the Chiswick House. This house takes many of its elements from ancient Roman architecture such as the columns and dome. More specifically being inspired by the Pantheon. This piece of architecture represents the Neoclassical idea that the government needs to be responsible.

History paintings were another distinct type of work. They oftentimes but not necessarily showing an event from the past. The Death of General Wolfe depicts the death of a general similarly to the way Christ is shown dying. This combined with the stoic imagery of the onlooks express the underlying principles of the culture during the Neoclassical movement.

The movement into Rococo art un the Eighteenth Century was pushed forward by the Death of Louis the 14th. Nobility then moves into the city causing a shift from architectures focus from the outside to inside of buildings. The Hotel Particulier is a good example of this housing many detailed decorations in its interior, many of which are naturalistic. In comparison to the Hall of Mirrors this space is lighter, homier, and airier. It is a space made for private living. This is a great example of the Rococo style. This style seems to be dominant today in modern living where decorations of modern architecture are often kept inside the house where the outside structure is mainly utilitarian.

Another example of the Rococo style as well as Rubenist philosophy which held a greater importance for color and emotions was A Pilgrimage to Cytheria. It lacked the lines of the opposing Pousinist perspective and instead had softer splotchy colors. This work shows a multitude of couples leaving Cytheria during a sunset. Pouties are flying around them. They are disappointed and are longing for their time there as shown by the lady in the middle of the work. She is glancing back longingly showing the escapist movement which was pervasive at the time. It is the idea of leaving reality.

The Swing is a good example of Bouduour painting. It shows a man looking up at his mistress on a swing with a Biship pushing her. The suggestive angle at which he is looking is representative of Bouduor painting. A boudoir was a private room for woman in which things like this would be hung. The girl seems to be the focal point as she is the brightest point in a warmly colored work.