In our last class of the semester, I noticed the recurring theme of the movement / replacement of artworks and how that also alters the purpose and meaning of the artwork. I was interested particularly in how the meaning of the Medici sculpture changed after it was removed from the private palace and positioned in the public center. This reminded me of our brief discussion of the spatial organization of a museum, specifically how the setting of a museum is set up to showcase the artworks on display (this is done typically from blank walls and clear / minimal lighting to not draw any attention away from artwork). The theme of mastery in art was also explored in our class today when we were talking about how artists began to create artwork just for the sake of creating artwork and showing off their abilities. This is an important shift from previous lectures, as other renaissance artwork had the purpose of conveying a moral message relating to Christianity. Overall, it was interesting to see how the purpose of artwork can deviate significantly within the same time period.
Author: Julia Lagomarsino (Page 1 of 2)
In the first part of our class today, we focused our discussion on the spatial organization of Colby’s campus and then extended to spatial organization colleges in general. It was interesting to think about how much spatial organization influences the overall feeling of the college. I would have never thought about the idea that MIT’s modern campus reflects their values. I also thought it was interesting to talk about how Colby’s new art center and the new athletic center are placed on the outskirts of campus and are accessible to the general public. Though this could be because it is easier for parking, I believe placing these impressive buildings near the college’s entrance provides a first impression for visitors of Colby’s wealth and commitment to improvement.
In our class discussion today, we focused on 16th century art. It was interesting to discuss how in the 16th century there was a transition to an open market of art and the implications this shift had on the content of the artwork of the time period. I like the artworks we saw with “moral messages”, and the wide variety of moral agendas that can be addressed through artwork. The motif of the scale and the looming future of the last judgment in connection to material greed was an interesting concept to me. It’s interesting how religious ideals / ideas were adapted to the changing time periods in relation to economic gain and economic opportunities.
In our discussion today, we talked about the reoccurring theme in our course of citizens consuming luxury objects with the purpose of putting them on display to showcase their wealth and their taste for fine art. This reminded me of when we dissected the double portrait artwork that commemorated a marriage, since this artwork had symbols within the painting that showcased the couple’s wealth. This is also seen in the portrait of the female artist we examined as there were many symbols to point that she is wealthy and points to her artistic value. I also thought it was interesting to talk about the purpose of marriage at the time period because it adds a level of context that is vital to know while analyzing Renaissance artworks.
I thought it was interesting the practice in manuscripts of leaving well – lit areas blank. Though these works lacked a background, I thought this feature added a new layer of analysis as the lack of background made the artwork “float” in space and float in light. I also liked how in the manuscript made for Anne of Brittany that there was varying degrees of naturalism that served specific purposes. While the sacred depictions were idealized, I thought it was interesting how the still life / life depictions of nature and insects were naturalistic to appeal to Anne as she was interested in gardening. I’ve never thought about how there could be a combination of different levels of naturalism in 1 artwork to serve different purposes and convey different ideas.
In the recorded lecture, I was really interested in the theme of disguised symbolism. I thought all of the examples were clever. I wouldn’t necessarily comprehend the intended symbolism at first glance, but I like how the objects display a certain meaning that adds a level of significance and meaning behind the painting. I liked the double portrait regarding the marriage ceremony because I thought it highlighted ideals / expectations at the time, specifically in marriages. With the placement of certain objects on the distinct sides, I thought it really showed the expectations of the gender roles within a marriage and what is expected of a couple in the 15th century.
In our class today, we focused on dissecting the choices behind our selfies. I thought it was interesting to see how everyone interpreted the assignment differently, either by providing a selfie of themselves or a selfie from pop culture. I also noticed that everyone had a different interpretation of the composition and it provided a lot of ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of by myself. Specifically, I thought it was interesting that people innately had natural lines (line from the arm taking the photo is aligned with the line of someone’s head, as an example). Although renaissance art was very thought out, it’s interesting the choices the artists make happen naturally in nature.
In our class today, we focused our discussion on the topic of the depiction of depth in renaissance art. We used the Last Supper painting as an example of a painting with a fantastic use of depth. I thought it was really interesting how Leonardo connected the patterns of numbers (3 and 4) with christian dogma (virtues, apostles, etc). Furthermore, I thought it was interesting how the biggest opening in the back is behind Christ and how this serves as a form of a halo. I knew that as time progressed artists abandoned the halo, but I thought it was interesting how though this artistic tradition was abandoned, artists still replicated the purpose in a different way (the focus on Christ and his holiness). I also thought it was interesting how we began to talk about the strict rules of suggesting depth in artwork, specifically with vanishing points. Our discussion about how this is done differently depending on where the artist is located / trained was interesting, as I’ve never thought about how the location could mean so much on how artists suggest illusionistic depth in their artwork.
I was really interested in our class today about how we talked about the concept of “linear progression” of art and how this idea can be problematic. I liked how we first started with Vasari, who set up this idea that artists will always do better (truer to life) than the artist previous to them. This idea is problematic because it doesn’t take into account the context from the time. I liked how we returned back to Ancient Greek art with the 3 male sculptures and discussed how through time the representations of these men changed. Though throughout time in Ancient Greek artists became more focused on created naturalistic art and emulating the human body in an accurate and beautiful way, but this doesn’t mean that the archaic sculptures were not sufficient in their own period and that they lacked skill. For example, the archaic sculptures could fulfill the artistic needs of the time and was idealized in more of an abstract way. I thought this discussion was important because I always have to remind myself of this idea of how the degree of naturalism is not related to a sort of “linear progression” instead it could be just the artistic needs of the time period as well as reactive to the time periods surrounding it.
In our class on Tuesday, I really liked our discussion focused on the Limbour Brothers take on the Original Sin. I liked the symbolism between the stark difference of colors between the garden of Eden and then the pure white perimeter, showing that the world is stark and empty compared to the paradise of God. I also thought it was interesting that Eve was portrayed as the “bad guy”, with pressuring Adam to eat the fruit. This could relate to any conceptions at the time that women are temptresses. Speaking of Eve, I thought it was interesting that her body was depicted similar to the Canon at the time. I like how through art we can learn about the ideals in the past and what was considered beautiful, as it changes so much through distinct time periods.