Author: Christos Tzoumakas (Page 1 of 3)

Today, we discussed Pop art, a term first used in England. We began by talking about Andy Warhol. Warhol started as a commercial artist and in the 60’s he started making work based on mass media. We see Elvis, Jackie Kennedy, the Electric Chair, and a car crash. These subjects appear to have a sort of dark meaning behind them. Warhol would play with the colors in his work to remind you it is not a direct representation. We also see multiple images of the same figures to show it is from mass media. It is clear Warhol is commenting on fame/ celebrities. This is his way of saying everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame at some point.

We also talked about Richard Serra and “process art”. We looked at his Corner Prop. This is a confrontational element. Something that weighs a ton is just simply propped up. It gives off a fearful element as there is uncertainty about its stability. It also explores what it means to have a mass of something.

Next, we talked about Sol Lewitt, which I particularly enjoyed. We looked at his Seven Walls and Wall Drawing #559, both at the Colby Museum of Art. His Wall Drawing was installed in 2013 using clothes and blending to make the colors/work. It is important to note Sol himself did not install these works at the museum. Instead, multiple artists did as we have bought the rights to reproduce his work. This is with the saying that “the idea or concept is more important than the work”.

We talked about the Post-Modern Era of Art since 1980. In this Era, art has shifted to a greater focus on themes and subjects. Modernism is the master narrative. We see linear and connected notions. I found Robert Venturi’s Vann Venturi House interesting as it rejected the international style. This is against the saying “Less is more” by Ludwig Mies Van Dev Rohe. Comically, in Venturi’s book, he states, “Less is a bore”. This is a playful jab at Mies as he states he wants to have fun. The Venturi house is not symmetrical, but it does reference traditional elements. In a sense he “plays” with it. I also found Jean-Michel Basquiat’s graffiti work very intriguing as well. He utilized the symbol SAMO@ for his works. He also collaborated with Warhol prior to his passing.

Today, we began class by looking at Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas. This is not really a surrealist work as it is depicting reality. We know that Frida was in an awful accident and was disabled most of her life as a result. She struggled with miscarriages and repercussions as well. We also know she is a Westerner and indigenous Mexican. In this work, we see a representation of both. On one side, she is dressed in a long skirt. We also see differences in skin tones, her unibrow, and her mustaches, which are accusations of Western culture. This work is similar to religious folk painting and of the Mexican retablo.

Next, we began discussing De Stijl, or the style and Neo-Plasticism. We first looked at Piet Mondrian’s composition en Rogue, Bleu et Jaune. This is a reduction as we only see horizontals and verticals. The colors are primary as well, and the work is asymmetrical. Next, we looked at another aspect of De Stijl: architecture. We looked at Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus. This was an art school and a workshop-like school that embraced modernity. This was also during the machine age; we see a large glass curtain. We then looked at Charles Demuth’s My Egypt. This was an interesting title as he refers to his Egypt as grain elevators. This is basically saying what is more American that grain elevators. These are sort of like big monuments for America, just like the pyramids in Egypt. We then looked at Arshile Gorky’s The Liver is the Cock’s Comb. We know that Gorky immigrated to the States and was a surrealist at first. He was fleeing Europe, and most were members of the communist party. In this work, we see violent shapes and gestural abstraction. It is evident this was not painted calmly. It is also difficult to identify what the subject is. We see possibly an egg? The work has a slightly organic feel, and it resembles an automatic painting. Or letting your pencil simply wander. By 1950, Abstract Expressionism had two tendencies: the action of painting or gestural abstraction and the color field or chromatic abstraction. Mark Rothko’s No 61 (Rust and Blue) is the best example. This work is completely abstract and the figure/ground is irrelevant. It resembles what you feel when you lay in the grass and look at the sky. It sort of sucks you in as it is very large and vibrating.

Today we began class by comparing Pablo Picassos’ Ma Jolie and Georgeo Braque’s The Portuguese. They are remarkably similar and both cover analytic cubism. This is through the analysis of form. The rule of reduction is also at play and we see lots of brown tones. There is also the depth of light and shadow displayed and the brush strokes are large and repetitive. We then looked at Pablo Picasso’s, Guitar, Sheet Music and Glass. This is an example of synthetic cubism. The act of synthesizing or joining things together. We also see Picasso borrowing from reality as we see newspaper and a music sheet. The newspaper appears to have yellowed overtime as well. The act of patching things together is referred to as papie colle or glued paper. It is better than a collage. We then took a look at Umberto Boccioni’s, States of Mind 1: Farewells. This is an example of plastic dynamism or something that is created. We see a train station in milan. We also are able to make out what appears to be steam and people rushing. An interestng work we looked at was Duchamp’s Foutain. This is not exactly a “fountain”. It’s not beautifiul or grand. It’s meant to shock the viewers. And it makes you feel as if anyone could “do it”. This is a form of contempory art. It displays elements of reduction, he also barely changed it. It reduced the intervention of the artist to the choice. We concluding class by looking at Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory. This is an example of surrealism. It is stated as “hand photographs of the unconcious”. Dali is known for blood excrement and putrefaction as well. All very unpleasent and uncommon topics. The display of the clocks gives off a bit of a dreamy feel as well. It is not reality.

Today we discussed Symbolism. We began by briefly discussing the Manifesto which was comprised of a group of artists getting together. We used the term Le Figaro Litteraire. We then looked at Gustave Moreav’s, The Apparition. Gustave was a symbolist paper and used the theme of the figure Salome in this work. We see the head of St. John the Baptist radiating off-center in the work. This is depicted by a bright area, and the head is dripping blood. It is clear some sort of exchange is happening.

We then shifted to Eduard Munch, The Scream. We see that symbolism presents a large range of works. In this work, in particular, fear and anxiety are accurately conveyed. These are very intense and strong emotions. We dove into the context of this work and noticed the background has to do with the Indonesian Island Krakatoa. Which was a volcano that erupted and caused two-thirds of the island to collapse. The sound traveled 1500 miles, and sunsets were covered for 6 months. Munch states, “I sense a great infinitive scream pass through nature.” We then looked at Henri Matisse’s Femme Au Chapeau or Woman With a Hat. In this work we see very bright colors and the impact of Van Gogh at play. 1901-03 was also the retrospective exhibition in Paris. It was an artworld that influenced many young artists.

We then talked about German Expressionism and Ernst Ludwig’s Kirchner, Street, Dresden. This is not realistic as it is more naturalistic. It makes you uncomfortable and the sexual tension is explored. It is also a very imbalanced composition. There is a lot of unused space in the bottom left, but the rest of the work is very chaotic. There are also very vibrant colors used, which reminds me of Van Gogh’s Night Cafe.

We concluded our discussion by introducing Cubism and Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Auignon. This work is very abstract, like some of Cezanne’s work. The color scheme is very similar, and reduction is used. The work is primitive art and nonmodern or Western culture. We also see African masks covering the individual’s faces and they almost appear cut out.

Today, we began class by discussing Post-Impressionism. We talked about two different aspects of it; the first is form, as seen with Cezanne and Seurat. The second is personal expression, as seen with Van Gogh and Gauguin. We began by comparing Paul Cezanne’s Mont Sainte-Victoire and Mont Sainte-Victoire and the viaduct of the Arc River Valley. We can appreciate the depth of the field within these works. They also appear to capture different light effects as they are different moments with different conditions. Additionally, there is not much difference between the two; for example, the color scheme is the same. We also know that the seasons do not change that much in the South of France. We see beautiful weather with evergreen trees. Furthermore, the work is flat, and the brush strokes are hard to forget. It is less illusionistic. We then discussed what Cezanne declared, “I want to do Poussin over again from Nature”. This refers to him wanting to do work orderly and harmonious. He also wishes to illustrate timeless pictures. Cezanne also states that he wishes to “treat nature by the cylinder, the sphere, the cone”. We then looked at some of Cezanne’s still lives: Basket of Apples, Still Life with Apples in a Bowl, and Still Life with Peppermint Bottle. It was interesting to know that because apples spoiled fast, Cezanne actually used fake fruit to keep the form and composition of the work he was painting together. His approach was very time-consuming, and in the works, we see this cloth that falls off the table. This evokes a sort of three-dimensional point of view. There are also many commonalities between the works; the cloth is falling off the table, warm and cool colors are used, blue is in the background, which is cold and distinct from the eye, and the work is flat. This strongly contrasts with Van Goghs work, the Night Cafe. This work was created when he was a post-impressionist. Strong diagonals are used, and they convey emotion. Unlike a blue, cold background, Van Gogh chooses red, which projects the wall forward. It also flattens the space overall as the depth is not accurately converted. This is due to Van Gogh’s belief that “a cafe is a place one can ruin oneself.” We also talked about his famous Starry Night, where we see Cyprus trees, which were commonly planted in cemeteries. It is evident Van Gogh is thinking about death, and this coincides with his mental health problems at the time. There is a sense of freedom and liberation when reaching to the stars.

In today’s online lecture, we wrapped up our discussion on Realism by discussing photography. This is important in the mid-19th century. It took multiple hours, about 8, to take the first photos. The material hardened when exposed to light, initially known as Heliography. The Parisians loved pictures as they were real-life versions of still-life paintings. Photo refers to light and graphy relates to writing. We looked at the Photo of John Brown, a famous American abolitionist. He is in a confrontational pose vowing and holding a flag. There is symbolism present in photos as well as paintings. Next, we looked at the Harvest of Death. This was a photo of Gettysburg after the battle. Photos had to be exhibited at this time, just as paintings, because they could not be mass-produced.

We then began our discussion on Impressionism. Light and visible brushstrokes were fundamental to this style. The goal was to capture the transitory feel of modern life, a continuation of a form of realism. We then talked about Eduard Manet, an artist who acted as a hinge between Realism and Impressionism. He painted Falneur, a man of a new attitude and intelligence. We then looked at his Luncheon on the Grass. This painting has no depth, and it concentrates on the foreground. The subject alludes to previous paintings by Titian and Giorgione but is more modernized. There is a white naked woman that contrasts sharply against the black clothes of men. Despite rejections, it supported modern art and the visible brushwork and irregularities in the representations. We then looked at his work Olympia, which depicts a more contemporary subject, a prostitute in Paris. This is a scandalous theme, yet it is again a modern representation of Titian’s work. It directly engages the viewer in her view, flat composition and modern reality. We then talked about Claude Monet, who enjoyed painting outside straight on a canvas or en plein air. The works of Claude captured contemporary life outside. Claude utilized divided brushstrokes, each using an individual color. The eye blends them instead of blending them on the canvas. His painting gave off impressions of scenes such as Impression and Sunrise. The public initially mocked him for its shapelessness; there were no real forms, and the work was flat, with colors blending. He is also known for his Haystack series.

In today’s class, we began our discussion on Realism by observing Francisco de Goya’s work, The Third of May, 1808. This work marked the shift towards Realism. It depicts the execution of Spanish civilians and is a very powerful work. Next, we discussed Jean-Francois Millet’s work, The Sower, 1850. This work is of a peasant working in a field. This work relates to a different class of people, the working class. During this time, it was desirable to have many children, as many were dying, and it also provided more workers. Peasantry was the backbone to France. This work expresses the importance of peasants and their dignity. We also notice the lack of light, highlighting their long working days as the start at dawn and likely finish at sunset. We also cannot see the face of this worker; this allows for the universality and relatability of all peasants to be explored. The work consists of many earth tones depicting the gritty coarseness; it is also not very neat. Another work we explored was Gustave Courbert’s, A Burial at Ornans. This is referred to as the most critical work in this period. There is a desire to tell us this is a generic burial. The individuals are dressed in an old manner and arranged in a fueze. They are entirely horizontally parallel. There is a cliff to emphasize this. This work also has a feel of art from the past; Piero della Francesca has a staged feel. This work also exemplifies that history is essentially contemporary. The public poorly deceived this work as it feels very flat and lacks depth. There is also a lack of subject matter. This is precisely what Gustave Courbert wanted, something that was generic. Next, we discussed Rosa Bonheur’s Ploughing in the Nivernais: The Dressing of Vines. Her father was a painter and a socialist and believed women should be treated equally. She challenged traditional societal norms by painting nontraditional subjects for women. She paints exotic cows in this work, highlighting that these are work animals, not pets. She took time to study the animals and the peasant life. This allowed her work to be accurate and very relatable. This is a little different from Courbert. I found this work very intriguing as I almost looks as if a camera takes it.

In today’s class, we visited the Landay room in the art museum to choose a Baroque work to write on for our second take-home exam. I found it very helpful to see these works upclose and notice the actual textures within the works. I ended up using Bourguignon’s Battle Scene (With Riderless Horse), which I found very interesting.

Today’s class was the recorded lecture, which included a bit of Neoclassicism before transitioning to Romanticism. The Romantic period began a shift in subject matter, displaying more exotic like works that were aimed at appealing to the senses of the viewer thus causing a reaction to your emotions. We looked at Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s, Grande Odalisque. In this work, the odalisque woman, which is a woman from a Turkish harem, appears a bit distorted and unproportional. Her limbs appear elongated and an extended torso gives her a bit of an unnaturally appearance. She also appears to gaze over her shoulder in a mysterious fashion further contributing to the exotic feel of the work. The background is dull causing all the attention to be place on her. Furthermore, she is holding a feathered fan in her right hand, which contrasts with the luxurious fabrics that surround her. This work is certainly a great representation of the Romantic period.

Today, we talked about Neoclassicism. Logic and morality are two important/ fundamental ideas for enlightenment thought and 18th-century art. We began by discussing Anton Raphael Mengs, a critical figure in the Neoclassical style. He was German and worked in Rome. Winckelmann recommended him for his work. The work we discussed was Parnassus, a Greek mountain where all the gods reside. Apollo is surrounded by 7 musses. This is very similar to Raphael’s take on Parnassus, which is displayed in the Vatican. Even though these works are 200 years apart, they are remarkably similar. Both are very structured and organized. The color scheme is also very similar to their use of primary colors. Anton clearly looks at ancient art and wants the viewers to recognize the source. We then talked about Lord Burlington and William Kent’s Chiswick House. This house appears a little out of place in Britain. This is because the architectural styles in Italy do not seem to work so well in Britain due primarily to the weather. We then discussed Robert Adam’s Library Kenwood House. This is a great example of a neoclassical interior. It is all based on classical forms. And everything is clearly defined with colors to separate. We get a sense of Raphael’s color scheme and some Rococo as well. Towards the end of our discussion we were introduced to Benjamin West, the first American artist in our discussion. He came from Penn and had no art schools. His work, The Death of General Wolfe, is a history painting. General Wolfe is the leader of the British troops in the Battle of Quebec. The General’s death is a reminder of Christ from his position in his body. The scene is tragic, and obviously, there is great respect for the General. We concluded the lecture with Jacques-Louis David and his work, The Oath of the Horatii. The King of France commissioned this before the French Revolution. Things are less clear-cut as the three brothers declare to fight. The men are straight and erect. There is also an apparent gender separation as women are depicted as emotional and weak. There are three arches and three brothers forming triangles, a nod to the Holy Trinity. The painting is about control/ purpose.