WW2 Pre and Post Art Styles - Take Home Essay #3

Daniel Contreras
Professor Jim Entz
Modern Art History 6-9pm
May 11, 2011
A Shifting Society
The “Roaring 1920’s” was famous for its booming economic prosperity, new inventions, and laissez-faire environment. This flourishing era is captured in photographer James Van Der Zee’s image titled “Portrait of Couple, Man with a Walking Stick”



Works Cited
Adams, Laurie. "Mid-Century Abstraction." Art across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 897-903. Print.

















Interesting Links:

Regionalism:
http://layersofmeaning.org/archives/000246.html

Labels: Art History

ART Website URLS & Paintings

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/impressionism.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism
http://www.impressionniste.net/impressionism_history.htm
http://www.radford.edu/~rbarris/art216sumfall/Impressionism.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Selected paintings
Claude Monet's "Impression, Sunrise" & "Rouen Cathedral"
Edouard Manat's "Woman Reading"
Gustave Caillebotte's "Paris Street, Rainy Day"

Labels: Art History

ART Test 2 - Take Home Essay Question

REMEMBER
and italicize titles of artwork

Daniel Contreras
ART P112 CRN 32284
Professor James Entz
6 April 2011
Moving Forward
I firmly believe that Charles Baudelaire's statement describing modernity as "the transitory, the fugitive, and the contingent" is true. The world cannot achieve true modernity if it stays at a standstill, frozen and unchanging. Therefore the contingent, the fugitive and the transitory must be opposite. There is always more than one single way to achieve something. There usually are fall backs like Plan B, Plan C and on. In order to be considered as modern, the subject has to respond and adapt to change which is dependent upon something else. Everything that is novel is changeable, like a chameleon changing its skin into the same color of the mossy rock it is underneath. The chameleon camouflaging to match its surroundings is an example of the fugitive which is always "on the run." Modernity is constantly in motion, moving from one place to another like a city transit bus. This example of always moving forward demonstrates the transitory as modernity.
Nothing has captured modernity better than the impressionist styled paintings. In fact, impressionism is contingent all in its own. After several rejections from The Salon, who favored traditional styled paintings, these anti-establishment artists broke away from previous inveterate traditions to what now is known as impressionism. In 1874, this group of independent artists gathered together to present the first impressionist exhibit. These artists chose to depict the modernity of the world through a new and revolutionary means (Samu par.1). Louis Leroy coined the term "impressionist" inside his Le Charivari newspaper review after seeing Claude Monet's art piece Impression, Sunrise at the 1874 exhibit. Leroy wrote, "A preliminary drawing for a wallpaper pattern is more highly finished than this seascape” (Wikipedia). What Leroy meant in this quote was that Monet’s finished composition had an unrefined sketchy quality, which was odd and modern. The artwork contained pure colors, broken and loose brush strokes. In Monet's Impression, Sunrise, the new impressionist style is candidly showcased. Modernity is present in the picture in the way the colors are used. The dominance of color over subject was a characteristic that was absent in previous traditional paintings and present in many Impressionist paintings. However, instead of muted colors for shadows, Monet and other impressionists chose pure and bright colors. The transitory motions of the brush strokes reveal the artist’s hand, unlike Romanticism and Neoclassicism where the artist’s brush strokes were, for the most part, invisible. The brush strokes also give the picture a blurry characteristic. The dabs of color that represent the reflections from the sun and silhouetted boat create a rippling feeling on top of the water. Most scholarly artists painted in art studios. On the other hand, Monet chose to create his art pieces outdoors. The booming impact of the Industrial Revolution had made it possible for artists to bring paint outdoors in little tubes; so now they could choose to either work in the studio or not. Among many of Monet's subjects were nature, light, and leisure time for the working class.
Claude Monet's compositions were the result of transitioning into different atmospheres. In Monet's Rouen Cathedral, the Portal and the Tower of Alvane, the Morning, the dawn is the transitory and the form is the fugitive. This artwork captures the movement of light for a brief moment so beautifully that to ignore its modernity is to ignore the magic of the always changing world. That drawn scene will change soon. With his own eyes, Monet directly drew what he saw. He captured time or recovered a memory and preserved it on canvas. Monet painted a vast series of pictures pertaining to the Rouen Cathedral that are similarly beautiful and share some characteristics within themselves. Some difficulties that Monet faced while painting the series were: he had to hastily capture the image before the atmospheric and light conditions changed. Thus, the series of the Rouen Cathedral lacked the detailed manner that traditional paintings possessed. When viewed side by side, the canvases depict the passage of time; while the Rouen Cathedral is shown at the beginning (dawn) and gradually moving towards the end (dusk) (Art Factory par.6).
Paris Street, Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte captures a transitory impression of a Paris street just after a stormed has passed, from memory. It was so recent that the pedestrians still have their umbrellas up, and the brick street is still wet. Just like Monet, Caillebotte depicted events of everyday life and of nature portraying light and the subjects in the scene as they appeared to him in a fleeting moment of time. Paris Street, Rainy Day could also serve as a metaphor. It may suggest the initial period of civil calm that followed bloody fighting in the streets of Paris. Fighting took place in that very intersection, just before the painting was completed in 1877.
The painting also captures in vivid color the changes just implemented by Napoleon the 3rd of the Paris cityscape and street corners. However, Napoleon had more in mind than just civic pride and classical architectural taste. Police and soldiers under his charge could now form up and maneuver in such wide spaces; where as previously, enraged citizens could easily block a street for hours or even days (Samu par.5). The middle class Parisians shown here in this artwork are outdoors on a clean, safe street dressed lavishly. Though the presence of the umbrella leaves some uncertainty whether the storm has really passed or has just taken a brief resting.
In Paris Street, Rainy Day the modern urban street scene is transformed into something bustling, complicated and stunning. There is also a absence of interaction amongst many of the people on the street, suggesting more modern ideas of the alienation in urban life and the lack of communication between people, possibly neighbors, in larger cities.
The viewers have the choice to either follow the street on the left of the mammoth structure or voyage into the street to the right of the building. Notice that the path on the left seems to lead us deep into the horizon. Though the one on the right seems not as deep. Either way, we are still the modern man, wandering about possibly without a destination, like a flâneur. The foreground is dominated by the couple and the brand new brick street to the left combined with an approach to a modern sense of perspective. Caillebotte and other Impressionists often responded to photography, a new invention of the 19th century, in their paintings. Caillebotte made sure that art remained relevant by depicting life on canvas in ways that photography was not able. Impressionists did this especially when it came to capturing perspective, light, and color. In Paris Street, Rainy Day, Caillebotte gives photography a little jab. Not only can paintings portray life more richly and fully than a camera, but if a painter chooses to, he may crop human beings in half or cut off subjects at their knees.
All in all, I still agree with Charles Baudelaire that modernity is the contingent, the fugitive and the transitory. Deconstructionist literary critic and theorist Paul de Man said, “Modernity exists in the form of a desire to wipe out whatever came earlier, in the hope of reaching at least a point that could be called a true present, a point of origin that marks a new departure.”




 
Works Cited

Adams, Laurie. "Chapter 19 & 20." Art across Time. 4th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill College, 2010. 690-731. Print.
"Claude Monet - Rouen Cathedral in Full Sunlight." Art Factory. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. .
"Louis Leroy." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 Dec. 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.
Samu, Margaret. "Impressionism: Art and Modernity". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Web. Oct. 30 Mar. 2011. .

Labels: Art History

Vincent Van Gogh video questions

Daniel Contreras
ART P112 CRN 32284
Professor James Entz
16 March 2011
Van Gogh video questions
Who was Vincent Van Gogh?
Vincent Van Gogh considered himself as a prophet and thinker. Van Gogh pictured a revelation of heaven on Earth. He lived his most of life in his mind. Gogh's father was a pastor in South Netherlands and his uncle was a London art dealer, so Van Gogh was in between these two differently similar worlds. At first he wanted to be a preacher as he had rediscovered Jesus. His goal was to search for salvation in either choice. Unsuccessful as a pastor, Van Gogh was exiled from preaching in the slums of Belgium. Van Gogh began a new approach to spread his message. Nearly thirty years old with little to no experience, Van Gogh began to paint. His father did not take his decision too lightly as the parents began to feel shame that Van Gogh chose art over preaching. His younger brother Theo did aid Van Gogh financially and work-wise by putting his paintings up for sale. Day in and day out he poured his thoughts into pages of art. Despite the quantity, the quality of the art was considered as dreary, murky and unsellable. As time passed his mental illness became stronger. Van Gogh suffered from epilepsy and depression which later led him to cut off a chunk of his ear. It didn't matter because his greatest creation was a result of his madness. Before dying, Van Gogh shot himself in the abdomen and was left mortally wounded. He died from a fever shortly after. Van Gogh hoped that one day his paintings would showcase and he could share his paintings as he was the "the lowest of the low."
What was he trying to say with his paintings?
His paintings reflected on his frustration and anger. He used paintings to show the lives of lowest people living as shown in Potato Eaters which was his first remarkable piece. Van Gogh believed that the painting itself was like the labor shown in the image creating a union of artist and painting. His paintings were an "ejaculation of energy" that had boundless and universal qualities. They also show us what was in inside his head and every mark was a letter to us. Van Gogh wants to tell us that he is trying to recover from himself as his life was art vs. craziness. He put a mental upheaval onto a canvas. All he wanted is for people to know and understand his message by opening their eyes and hearts.
How did his paintings convey his message?
Fascinated with complementary colors, Van Gogh included them in a number of his works. He also used powerful and visible brushstrokes. The images convey their message through the color as it trembles, sways and pulses. His artworks are wild, deeply insane, but comforting.

Labels: Art History

Compare/Contrast David & Gericault

Daniel Contreras
Professor James Entz
ART P112 CRN 322842
2 March 2011
Sur l'étalon
Art is constantly changing. However, artists continue to construct compositions that are preservers of their time. Every new era brings along with it a change in style that reflects the evolving factors of the world. In addition to the shifting styles, forms and values replace previous ones in accordance to the role of art. The artworks' tones revolve around the technique used by an artist. Artists sought inspiration from ideas such as courage and honor (neoclassicism) to eras such as Baroque and Medieval (romanticism). Neoclassicism and romanticism were just two of the many prominent movements in Europe.
The movement that occurred first was Neoclassicism, which began in the 1780’s. The neoclassical movement did not just affect art. In fact architecture, literature, and music, among others, also transformed in the neoclassical era. Impressiveness and order were two of the main values within neoclassicism. A great inspiration of many works was Classical Rome and many subjects were based on Greek and Roman history. In neoclassical art, most figures were placed in the foreground of the image since their role was to morally lift and inspire the masses. The tone was rational and the artist’s brush strokes were removed, leaving a calm attitude within the painting. The most recognizable neoclassical painter was Jacques-Louis David who was born on 1748. David’s most famous paintings are the Oath of the Horatii and The Death of Marat. Both are true to the neoclassical era, as both contain emphasized lines, patriotism and a moral propaganda.
Jacques-Louis David was the creator of a commissioned painting drawn in 1800 titled Napoleon at Saint Bernard Pass. Napoleon Bonaparte relied on artists to spread his folklore and myth so he could appeal to all of Europe. He soon becomes the most powerful man in Europe. In the painting, Napoleon is given a heroic and God-like appearance, not because Napoleon was the emperor, but because he was the respective commissioner. As French Emperor, Napoleon was in control. In reality Napoleon rode a mule and not a horse across the Alps. Napoleon was not impressive in physical stature. David's painting is considered to be neoclassical because its style is the traditional Roman equestrian portrait (Adams 695). The light in the image heavily illuminates Napoleon and his stallion in the center of the piece. The light seems to come from one single direction up above, because it is strong in a single spot between the horse's legs. Napoleon's cloak blows simultaneously with the horse's mane towards their destination, showing us that he is in control. However, the cape is painted with a strong red while waving in the air, unrestrained like Romantic art which followed neoclassicism.
Romanticism began in the 1800's, overlapping the neoclassical period, and ended sometime in the 1840's. Like neoclassicism, romanticism set its foundation on antiquity and the nostalgic past. Romantics were inspired by exotic worlds such as the Far and Middle East. The Baroque and Medieval eras also inspired romantics. The role of art during this movement was to carry the viewer away by its dramatic depictions. Romantic artists did not hide the brush strokes, while neoclassical artists did. Romantics also used unrestrained and rich color in their paintings. However, romanticism brought new ideas that challenged neoclassical beliefs. Instead of monarch power of a select few, ideas such as individual power and rule by the people started to come forth. Romanticism was their return to nature and dive into the supernatural realm. Romantics were fascinated by the sublime, the unknown and unknowable. They expressed individual imagination in their art works. The pieces also exuded subjectivity, dramatic depictions and wild emotion. One of romanticism's well known painters was Theodore Gericault.
Theodore Gericault was a young painter who left a big mark in art history. He was responsible for the art piece titled Mounted Officer of the Imperial Guard which was painted in 1812, twelve years after David's Napoleon at Saint Bernard Pass. In Gericault's painting, the horse appears to be untamed, whereas David's the horse is idealistically posed and contained. The background is unclear yet the presence of battle is apparent with its dramatic scenery. The officer is confronted with by violent nature of battle. This emotion is conveyed through the use of energetic textures. By closely examining the details of the horse, the "artist's hand" is much more visible in this painting than in David's painting. In this piece, the subject makes no eye contact with the viewer, making it more subjective. The use of diagonal lines is also present within the rearing horse; the line begins at the lower left of the image. It then shoots diagonally across the spontaneous stallion (Adams 714).
In comparison, Gericault's Mounted Officer of the Imperial Guard is much more dramatic than David's Napoleon at Saint Bernard Pass. However, both paintings do share a taste for classical antiquity. David's image is much more clear and idealized than Gericault's. David leaves no sign of brush strokes. Contrastingly, Gericault has visible brush strokes in his painting. In addition, the lighting is significantly different in both drawings. A source of light seems to hit the subject from behind in Gericault's painting, while David's painting has a light hitting the subject directly from above. Both paintings also had different purposes. The role of David's image was to inspire and morally uplift the masses. On the other hand, Gericault's painting was made to carry the viewer into a mysterious reality. Romanticism valued imagination and emotion while neoclassicism valued order and rationality. Exotica, nature and violence were common subjects in romantic art. The romantic paintings were non-conformist and filled with subjectivity. David's painting was neither crowded nor violent, but it was more calm and honorable than Gericault's.
All in all, Jacques-Louis David and Theodore Gericault were both mavens in their own respective fields. David's Napoleon at Saint Bernard Pass will forever continue to preserve the antiquity of the past. This painting is a highlight of the neoclassical era that stands proud alongside other great neoclassical creations. In comparison, Gericault's Mounted Officer of the Imperial Guard allowed us to explore the majesty and unknown quantity of the human imagination. To this day, surviving hundreds of years, the artworks are available for the entire world to observe.
 
 
Works Cited
Adams, Laurie. "Chapter 19 & 20." Art across Time. 4th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill College, 2010. 690-731. Print.

Labels: Art History

Sublime in my Life

The sublime in my life is my reflection in the mirror. I see what I am very clearly. All you see is all you get. But I cannot change the reality. It is the ugly truth in the world. No flaws are hidden underneath. Yet, at the same time, it is so pure. The being on the other side looks at me with such tender sadness. So sometimes I feel like I am on the wrong side. The reflection can wander off into a vast world with no worries. I, however, can not do the same. In our world we have responsibilities from the day of birth. Grow, work, live and then die. In my reflection, none of that occurs. Time is at a stand-still as I look into this reverse universe. The reflection brings me ascending joy on the days of sunlight. Our reflections may not seem important to us at most times, but could you imagine a world in which it's sublime presence was gone?

Labels: Art History

Art History Terms

Formalism - The doctrine or practice of strict adherence to stylized shapes or other external forms.
Iconography - The analysis of works of art through the study of the meanings of symbols and images in the context of the contemporary culture.
Iconology - The study of the meaning or content of a larger program to which individual works of art belong.
Marxism - The process of making art and its exploitation by the ruling classes.
Feminism - Before 1970s art textbooks did not include female artists. Feminism was to stop discriminating women from being discriminated against.
Biography/Autobiography - Biographical method that emphasizes authorship using the author's life as an underlying text.
Semiology - The study of signs.
Deconstruction - To interpret an artwork by the method of deconstruction.
Psychoanalysis - The imagery examined found in dreams, waking fantasies, jokes, etc and reveals the unconscious mind.

Labels: Art History

Jacques-Louis David questions

Daniel Contreras
Professor James Entz
ART P112 CRN 32284
9 February 2011

Jacques-Louis David was born on the 30th of August, 1748 in France. As a child he was self contained. David searched for virtue in life up until he reached the age of seven, when his father was killed. Afterwards he moved in with his uncle who at the time happened to be the town's most famous painter. David's family urged him to pursuit being an architect or a lawyer but he knew that those weren't the right careers for him. David's life drastically changed after a fencing accident. His face was slashed by a sword which later on caused him to have a tumor like figure on his cheek. Afterwards he had trouble with his speech so many mocked and teased the way he sounded when he spoke. Like the narrator in the film said, both David's mind and face were marked by the blade.

Jacques-Louis David's composition Oath of the Horatti has remained renown amongst art critics and average art viewers alike for many decades. This piece contains a balance between two conflicting ideas: Stoicism and Grief. The focal point is the father (center of the image) standing in an erect stature. David's style in this work of art resembles the Roman Fighting class with the bold color of red. The figures to the right of the plane are cast in a smaller space. In proportion with the right, the left does not share as much light and space thus leading the directional forces away. The content this piece could be used as moral propaganda with its clear patriotism.

The most tragic yet beautiful piece by Jacques-Louis David is The Death of Marat. This composition is David's tribute to fallen friend Marat, whom was assassinated in his bathtub. The space and vast darkness beyond the dead Marat is apparent. You can almost feel the directional forces pulling your attention to the dead figure. One fascinating feature is the pose which is similar to that of the dead Christ. The image's content is a projection of the deep conflicting ideas that David struggled with.

Labels: Art History

Art Language

Composition - Overall plan
Plane - Flat surface
Balance - Blending of elements
Contrast - An abrupt change
Unity - harmonious whole
Emphasis - A focal point
Scale - Size relation
Proportion - Size relationships
Directional Forces - "Paths" to follow
Repetition - Regular recurrence
Line - Moving point
Shape - 2-D area
Mass - physical bulk
Volume - space enclosed
Space - general receptacle
Light - value
Color - Hue, value, & intensity
Texture - Tactile quality
Form - Total effect
Content - The meaning
Style - characteristic handling

Labels: Art History

Modern Art History Assignments

Labels: Art History, Classes