Author: Maxine Park (Page 1 of 3)

For our last day of class, we took a final trip to the museum. Three works particularly stuck out to me in discussion.

Jackson Pollock’s Composition with Masked Forms was another of Pollock’s studies of archetypes, similar to Male and Female. Although it is not fully abstract expressionism, there are some features of the style that emerge: the non-central composition and the control of paint placement, to name a few. I myself chose this piece in my list of works particularly because of the impasto. The use of texture in this painting makes the piece seem more frenzied, implying revisal with the mass amounts of paint build-up. I found interesting Prof’s point of the layers of paint being literally “masked” by the existing, surface image.

Richard Pousette-Dart’s Shadow of the Unknown Bird’s canvas is not covered uniformly; the layering of paint used to define shapes sculpturally, applied with a palette knife in some areas. Although the painting seems monochromatic at first, color begins to reveal itself with time. While conversing about the painting, Prof asked the question, “how do we know the correct orientation?” which is both a funny and concerning concept to think about.

Finally, Romare Bearden’s The Payment of Judas (although the title is inaccurate, as Prof pointed out, as the scene depicted is the kiss shared by Jesus and Judas), is a painting with cubist composition, but almost fauvist, arbitrary colors. The distortion of space in this painting particularly called out to me, the background was clearly painted after the main figures, and is bicolored, playing with figure-ground, which we also talked about when analyzing Al Held’s The Big D. Prof mentioned that Bearden had a jazz career, and pointed out the splatters of paint on the canvas, suggesting a fast completion, and also improvisation.

We opened with some works by Picasso, and my favorite was debatably his most well-known: “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”. There’s something almost eerie about the work; it’s confrontational, with the subjects in full frontal. Picasso’s works were not representational (in the sense that they were not a reproduction of reality, not “mimetic”, as Prof. put it.) Instead they are free from “real-world” restraints of line color, and plane.

I found interesting Prof’s comment on the usage of stenciled text in analytic cubist works. As with newspaper clippings and bits of wallpaper, text serves as an element of reality snuck into the abstraction. We talked a bit about how this reflected Henri Bergson’s philosophy regarding the multi-faceted-ness of the experience. Cubism is painted from a multiplicity of vantage points, allowing the viewer to simultaneously experience individual perceptions of reality.

We moved onto Dadaism, and talked a bit about its upcomings. Following the first industrial war came the death of the ideal of progress through technological innovation, and the positive perception of industrialization in general. With this came an overall mistrust of human civilization and a retreat into the nonsensical.

Duchamp’s “Fountain” has been my favorite ever since I was little, but now even moreso. The way Duchamp took reduction to the extreme, reducing the role of the artist to pointing at a urinal and calling it art is incredulous and iconic.

Lots of -isms today! We opened with three Gauguin pieces… a continuation of last class’ lecture. Personally, I really liked The Vision after the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel). Gauguin’s works consist of color applied flatly and strongly. I found interesting Prof’s anecdote about the contents inside the parentheses of the title is the content of the sermon witnessed in the painting, something that is not objectively there, and only seen by the women subjects in the foreground. The blood red background conveys the inner mind, symbolizing that this is not an actual event in the flesh, but a vision. It is arbitrary, and is chosen to convey the intensity of the experience. Many of Gauguin’s works stem from his personal opinions and emotions towards society and civilization.

I didn’t care much for Moreau so I’d like to skip to Munch instead. >:)

I did NOT know the historical context for The Scream, and I feel incredibly betrayed! Today I learned that the background references volcanic eruptions in Krakatoa, Indonesia, resulting in loud explosions and colorful skies seen from miles away. Prof. Plesch commented about how, although also a depiction of an emotion, this painting serves as a depiction of “the scream of nature”. Mind blown.

We then shifted to some Expressionistic works, specifically some Fauvism, through the works of Matisse and Derain. Matisse’s Le Bonheur de Vivre remains to be one of my favorite works of art, ever since I saw it as a child (much to my mother’s dismay, who does not care for Fauvism in general…)! Although the piece has a traditional subject (* a pastoral scene of subjects frolicking in an idealized landscape), it deviates from the norm through its abandoned sense of space, lack of depth, and heavy, linear outlines. The empty space is brightly colored, and serves the function of energizing the canvas. Unlike Romantic works we’ve covered, this work is not about emotion, but for the sheer enjoyment of color.

We covered two Kirchner pieces, but I preferred Peter Schlemihl: Tribulations of Love. I loved how Kirchner put a modern spin on an older medium, executing int in a purposefully clumsy way, conveying the rawness of emotion through the roughness of his technique.

We then covered two Marc works, but again, I had a favorite: Animal Destinies (The Trees Showed Their Rings, The Animals Their Arteries). Very long title by the way. I loved how linear and abstract this painting was. The rays of light convey the dynamism of a “force in nature”, as Prof. put it. I found it interesting how Marc would later refuse to paint human subjects, portraying animals instead, due to his distrust of modern societies.

We covered four Kandinsky works. What really stood out to me was the luminosity of the colors he used, influenced by glass painting. Here, we really see art becoming abstract, or “non-objective expressionism”– we are unsure as to what is being portrayed, as even Kandinsky’s titles refuse to define their subjects.

We concluded with a sneak peek into Cubism with Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. I really loved how I could see Cezanne’s influence here — through the reduction of color scheme and simplification of volumes into crystalline/fractal-like shapes.

Totally forgot to write this entry, whoops! Better late than never, I suppose…

We opened class with Goya’s The Third of May, 1808, which served as a transitional piece for this course, portraying a shift towards a different, more realistic mode from Romanticism through its depiction of a serious, political subject.

We then covered Corot’s View of Rome: The Bridge and Castel S. Angelo with the Cupola of St. Peter’s, which the textbook cited as romantic but Prof. strongly disagreed. Corot’s painting is a reproduction of reality with a soft color scheme. Corot is clearly interested in well-defined forms through his depictions of the geometrical shapes of the circular copula and of the Castel S. Angelo. I particularly like the usage of atmospheric perspective in this painting, the faraway topographical elements are blurrier and more blue.

We then talked about Millet’s The Sower, a depiction of a everyday subject (a peasant), engaged in a basic, universal activity, clothed in a timeless outfit. Millet was sympathetic towards peasants due to his own background growing up as one, and he clearly tries to convey the importance and dignity of the peasant class through this painting. The subject takes up the majority of the large canvas, conveying his importance in an almost monumental representation. The viewer looks up towards the subject, further elevating him. It is clear that the subject is supposed to represent the peasant class as a whole, the backbone of society, through his obscured face, rendering him anonymous and therefore universal.

We covered three Courbet paintings, but my favorite one was The Stone-Breakers. There is painstaking amounts of detail in this painting, from the old-fashioned rags that the laborers wear to the straw used as a cushion under the father figure’s knee as he works, and the pots in the background, presumably what they use for cooking.

Next, we examined Bonheur’s Plowing in the Nivernais: The Dressing of Vines, which was commissioned by the second Republic of France. Unlike other paintings we’ve studied, the subject of this work is not an exotic or powerful animal, but a domesticated, common, and tame one (cows), pictured in labor. The painting encapsulated the idealized charm and appeal of the countryside present during the rapid industrialization of European society at the time.

We covered two Daumier works, but I preferred The Third-Class Carriage. I loved the gritty, dull colors, and how the viewer is placed in the carriage amongst the people. It made me uneasy… in a good way.

To conclude, we covered two American artists: Homer and Eakins, but I particularly liked Homer’s Snap the Whip. I loved the dynamism of this painting and the nostalgia factor. In a time of such rapid industrialization, it is no wonder artists tended to draw more rural scenes.

Today’s lecture was recorded and on Impressionism. I found it interesting that impressionism (the interest in capturing the essence, or “impression” of something), essentially stemmed from the ability of technology to perfectly capture images (via photography).

The cat in Manet’s Olympia remains to be my favorite animal depicted in art. Ever. I really enjoyed the interesting perspective of Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergères, and how he utilized the composition of having a large mirror in the background to showcase to the viewer what lies beyond the frame of the canvas.

Degas and Cassatt are two of my favorites, and I never knew they were friends! I absolutely adore Cassatt’s use of perspective, growing up a lot around East Asian art, I could definitely see the inspiration she took from artprints in her works.

The beginning of lecture focused on wrapping up some works from the Neoclassical period, as well as looking at some architectural works that paved the way from Neoclassicism towards Romanticism. Etienne-Louis Boullee’s Project for a Tomb of Isaac Newton, for me, serves as the epitome of this shifting of artistic ideals: from rational to abstract, awe-inspiring, and grandiose.

I found it interesting that the majority of the pieces covered in this Romanticism unit are of historical events that were contemporary at their time of conception– a contrast to Neoclassicism, where the majority of the works seemed to be historical paintings or paintings with classical subjects. A lot of these Romantic works are propaganda– pieces that are supposed to make you feel, not thought pieces.

A piece that particularly stood out to me was Delacroix’s Scenes from the Massacre of Chios. The themes of death and dying are accentuated by the stark contrasts of light and shadow. The baby attempting to feed on his mother’s corpse feels like a punch in the gut. Not to mention that the majority of the victims in the piece are women, being attacked (and violated) by men. I found Prof’s comment on the painting being a product of European saviorism fascinating. The Greeks were associated with ideas upheld by European society; they were descended from antiquity, the creators of democracy, whereas the Turks were foreign, anti-Christian, and “barbaric”.

During the Baroque period in the Netherlands, panoramic views of recognizable landscapes became popular. In Jacob van Ruisdael’s View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds, the city is identifiable through the steeples of distant churches, particularly the famous Grote Kerk. Although the sky takes up about three-fourths of the painting, the view of the distant city is still a large element of the piece, as well as the more pastoral setting in the foreground. To me, this scene seemed almost patriotic, showcasing the grandiose scale of Grote Kerk, as well as taking pride in Haarlem’s linen-bleaching, of both foreign and local textiles.

The powerpoint also included Willem Claesz Heda’s Still Life with Oysters, a Roemer, a Lemon, and a Silver Bowl. I absolutely loved how the monochromatic color scheme of this piece allows for the reflections to truly shine. Heda was particularly fascinated with textures, and this can clearly be seen through the variety of surfaces in this painting– the roughness of the lemon peel, the shininess of metal and glass, the water. The unbalanced composition of this still life, as well as the implications of a hasty departure (the half-peeled lemon and the toppled glasses) solidify this piece as a vanitas.

The Rococo period is primarily defined via the reign of Louis XV. As opposed to the grandiose and theatrical settings of the Baroque, Rococo works were set on a smaller stage, with patrons sponsoring domestic art for their residencies. Many of these works are referred to as “fete gallants”, usually consisting of romantic subjects, the idealization of nature, and a celebration of love and other emotions.

Hotel Particuliers, or what later became salons, were intimate townhouses serving as residencies of the French aristocracy. Artworks made for these salons were lighthearted in nature. Two of these fete gallantes particularly stood out to me.

Jean-Antoine Watteau’s A Pilgrimage to Cythera is based in a classical setting, the island of Cythera being the location of the Birth of Venus, and therefore recognized as the island of love in classical mythology. I particularly enjoyed the delicate, pale colors and gentle gradations of this work that add a relaxed, nonchalant feel to the painting.

Francois Boucher’s Portrait of Madame de Pompadour is an example of a portrait of a femme savant, showcasing her elegance, status, opulence, and intellect as Lady-in-Waiting. The sheer scale of her dress, the light blue and the shimmering fabric demonstrates her grandeur, while the library setting, the book, and the stationary convey her intellectual achievements. Additionally, the subject is associated with Venus in the portrait, through the inclusion of cupid, and the donning of pearls (from the sea, from which Venus was born). She is draped over a chaise longue, her relaxed posture further adding to her elegance and nonchalant nature.

We opened class by dissecting what exactly Neoclassicism is, and how it diverts from the previous periods of art that we’ve discussed so far. This is the first “movement” that we’ve studied– with artists collaborating and moving towards an idea. We discussed the Encyclopedie, and how it signified the change of ideas that occurred during the Enlightenment (how seeing the world through reason became an ideal, and how the importance of knowledge was stressed). We also talked about the Grand Tour, and how cultural norms of the study of Greco-Roman antiquitous works on morality, politics, and philosophy influenced works of art during this period.

Prof. Plesch covered works in lecture that showed the transitional period into Neoclassicism, one of these being Anton Raphael Mengs’ Parnassus, which was painted for the villa of Cardinal Albani in 1761. Mengs was the contemporary of German art historian Winckelmann, who also worked for Albani. He often wrote about the artistic ideal of showcasing “noble simplicity” and “calm grandeur”– in other words, an ideal of a stately nobility. This “calm grandeur” can be seen in Mengs’ work, and becomes a widespread characteristic amongst Neoclassicist art. Mengs was clearly inspired by Raphael’s fresco of the same title; both artworks have symmetrical, structured, and organized compositions, with Apollo serving as a focal point. The structural integrity of the composition is stressed through the use of primary color, which is spread evenly throughout the work. The subject of Parnassus is an antiquitous subject: Mt. Parnasus being the home of the gods in Roman mythology. Mengs’ portrayal of Apollo references the Apollo Belvedere through his garb, hair, and contrapposto.

Another work we covered in class today that I found particularly interesting was Benjamin West’s The Death of General Wolfe, which was a depiction of a contemporary event at the time. General Wolfe was the leader of British troupes in the French and Indian War. Although he perished in battle, he lead his troupes to victory, making him a war hero. For me, the depiction of General Wolfe seemed to be a clear illusion to the death of Christ, and the many works surrounding The Lamentation that we’ve studied in class. One detail that stands out to me is the witnesses’ expressions– they are completely stoic, and react calmly, embodying the “calm grandeur” expressed by Winckelmann in his commentaries. This stoicism is an ideal stemming from ancient philosophy, playing within the framework of rationalism popularized during the Enlightenment.

I was not here for this class due to illness, but here are my thoughts on some of the works included in the Powerpoint.

Rubens seems to seamlessly blend northern realism and Baroque dynamism in The Raising of the Cross. You can clearly see his Baroque inspirations from just the subject matter — the act of raising something– a movement that he highlights via muscular figures that resemble the heroic nudes we’ve observed in Hellenistic sculptures. The poses of the figures reminded me of Giotto’s Lamentation from the Arena Chapel, in the way that the postures of the figures hold such strong emotion. The unstable, non-pyramidal composition of this piece (also like the Lamentation), further convey movement. Beyond the heroic muscularity of the subject, this piece just screams heroism via its Caravaggio-esque lighting, life-size scale, and color. Furthermore, Rubens seems to reference works from the Renaissance in the background of one of the wings. It looks almost identical to Titian’s Bacchanal. Rubens’ northern roots are not erased, however, and are seen through his detail-orientation: the textures of the foliage, the lighting of the armor, and the fur of the dog particularly stand out as realist elements of this painting.

I really enjoyed how Rubens’ Marie de Medici Landing in Marseilles blended a historical event and mythology — it really adds to the untouchable-ness of the Royal Family. It reminds me how, in ancient art (ex. The Hammurabi’s Code Stele), people in power would often depict themselves associating with supernatural beings to stress the divine right to rule.

I really liked how Frans Hals combined portraiture with genre painting in Banquet of the Officers of the St. George Civic Guard. Although it is not believed to be a depiction of an actual historical event, it seems to be, due to its intense realism (the candid posing, life-size scale, and 3-D effect created by the usage of strokes of varied width and length). Additionally, the Baroque color palette really compliments the depiction of prosperity in the painting– the red of the uniforms provides a stark contrast to the black and white.