Non Western Art Exhibit

 Here it is, the last blog of this class. I have definitely enjoyed all the research and the look into art in general and it opened my eyes to many forms of thinking, art, and even in the realm of art history, which I generally am not interested in. 

I will be focusing today on Native Alaskan artwork. I am what you call a "transplant" to Alaska, however I have decided this is my home and will never leave. One of the things I appreciate most about Alaska is the welcoming diversity of the Native Alaskan tribes and its peoples. While I know that they have suffered their own trials and tribulations, Alaska would not be the place it is without the influence of the tribes of the First Peoples.

Tlingit Totem Pole, artist and year unknown, USA

    There are many tribes in our great state of Alaska. While a lot of Native Alaskan art will be similar, they cover a large amount of land and if you pay attention, you can start to notice differences and differences in content and influence. The Tlingit is primarily in the southeastern handle of Alaska. Much of their artwork is in the form of woodcarving, such as the totem I posted above. Totems have many different reasons.

Untitled Bead Work, Brenda Mahan, 2017, USA

    Here we have bead work from an Athabascan Woman. It is stitched onto hide. Possibly moose or caribou. It is colorful and seems to be more for decoration that to commemorate something. The time it took to make the piece must have been insane. I honestly love this type of work because it is both simple and intense due to amount of beads and color coordination.

Unknown Inupiaq Art

    Inupiaq artwork also leans more towards carvings, as they make their work out of available material, which may be walrus tusk, whale bone, or even fossils washed up on the shore. I have noticed a lot of the created figurines are more based around the people which I believe shows a large sense of community and love for their culture and people in their community. 

SOURCE:

 Waterbury, Barbara. “Tlingit.” Stonington Gallery, 7 Nov. 2016, stoningtongallery.com/tribe/tlingit/#:~:text=On%20Tlingit%20Art%3A,healing%20conducted%20by%20the%20shaman.

Post Modern Art Exhibit

 In today's blog, I will be focusing on Postmodern Art, our generation of art. While I do enjoy modernism more than Postmodern, I wanted to analyze three artists from our era in an attempt to appreciate it more than I currently do. The three I will be observing is Ahmed Mater, a Saudi artist, Han Sai Por, a sculptor from Singapore, and Barbara Kruger, and American Conceptual Artist.

Ahmed Mater

"Talisman - X-Ray Blue"
by Ahmed Mater, 2009, UAE 

    Ahmed Mater was born in 1979 in Saudi Arabia and grew up in an area a little more isolated from the strict religious thoughts on the more populated areas in Saudi Arabia. He is a Doctor and has medical training and you will often see this in the two pieces I bring you today. Both involve an x-ray, however they are both created differently and have a different tone. Talisman - X-Ray Blue is a mixed media piece that includes a chest x ray as well as a thick border that represents something more traditionally Arabic. While I have no clue what it says, I think it is beautiful. I've always enjoyed the cultural arts of the Middle East from my few "trips," to the area. Here the focal point is the x ray in the center, and the primary color used throughout this piece is a tan. Around more of the letters or designs, there is a fade of blue making it look like an ink stain or smudged ink to me. It would resemble the doodles and notes of a doctor, maybe. My wife seems to really enjoy this piece of work, and I think it would look good in our bedroom. 

    The second piece I will be looking at is Evolution of Man. It is no surprise to me that Ahmed would have at least one piece of work that revolves around gas. The middle East, most notably Saudi Arabia, has a huge economy based around the sale and export of oil, and on top of that, we use it in the manufacture of everything. In this piece we see a blue x ray transform into a gas pump. It appears that the person in the x ray may be holding a gun to his head, further signifying the notion that people are killing themselves for the resource. It's all black and blue in the piece making it fairly simple to look at, however the contrast from the black and blue is beautiful. This would definitely be used as a political/economic gesture.

Evolution of Man by Ahmed Mater, 2010, Saudi Arabia

Han Sai Por

Art Tree by Han Sai Por, 2006, Singapore

Han Sai Por is a talented sculptor who does a lot of work for public spaces. While I feel there are many works of art in public that make no sense, I see immense beauty in the work of Por. Art Tree, which resides outside of the Luxe Museum in Singapore is appropriately located. It seems like the kind of piece that would welcome you into a museum or place of learning. The trees resemble something like frog legs to me, which I find interesting, or maybe even an exaggerated version of palm trees. There are perfect lines going around the diameter of the "trunk" area then at the top each sculpture curves and has four fingers reaching out. The granite is smooth, other than the lines, which offers a physical contrast in the texture.

Seed by Han Sai Por, 1995, Singapore

 Por has a series of sculptures called Seed. Her installments in this series are all over, and have spanned over decades. They are all modeled after some sort of plant seed, or appear as if they should be. They are all immaculate and smooth, and normally made with marble. I do personally love this series, as I believe plants are important to our world and seeds are quite literally the beginning. They are a wonderful three dimensional portrait of the beginning of plant life. I would love to see this whole series around a garden.

Barbara Kruger

Untitled (Know Nothing, Believe Anything, Forget Everything)
by Barbara Kruger 2014, USA

You Are Not Yourself 
by Barbara Kruger 1981, USA

    My last analysis is of the artwork of Barbara Kruger, a US born feminist artist. Her artwork is not what I would call normal, even for post modern standards. They look a lot like some kind of newpaper or magazine ad, however they usually have some sort of dark tone. You Are Not Yourself features a broken mirror with a sad reflection in it. I do not know the circumstances that inspired this piece, however it can be said that the person in the photo did not like their reflection, or hated something about themselves. Maybe they had been acting against their personality and beliefs, or a traumatic event changed them. In the Untitled work, we can assume that this has to do with the information consumption of the current era. What is pictured looks like a woman undergoing some sort of treatment with a device pointed at her eye. Perhaps she is being forced to look at some possibly false information. I honestly am not sure how I feel about both of these pieces. They feel to me to be some sort of cover from a mid 2000's young adult novel cover. Some I would probably read.

SOURCES:

Unknown. “Biography.” Ahmed Mater, www.ahmedmater.com/biography.

Unknown. “Artist Profile.” Han Sai Por, 13 July 2018, hansaipor.com/artist_bio/.

"Barbara Kruger Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2021. TheArtStory.org

Content compiled and written by Justin Wolf

Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors

Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kruger-barbara/

First published on 01 Oct 2012. Updated and modified regularly

[Accessed 15 Apr 2021]

Early Modern Artwork

 Today, my blog will focus on the artwork of three different African American artists of the Early Modern era of artwork. The three artists I will be looking at are Horace Pippin, a WW1 veteran who sought to show his experiences through art, Aaron Douglas, who was one of the most prominent Harlem Renaissance artists, and Lois Jones, an artist and teacher whose career lasted about 70 years. All three can be considered pioneers of art in a time where segregation was alive and well in the United States. All three artists made a name for themselves and paved the way for many young Americans.

The Ending of the War, Starting Home by Horace Pippin 1930-1933, USA

Horace Pippin was a self taught artist from Pennsylvania, who also fought in WWI. His above painting, The Ending of the War, Starting Home, depicts a time from the war where he got shot and injured. While the overall painting is much more simplistic in nature than much of the artwork we have looked at in the previous weeks, it does not detract from the delivery of this piece of work. It has a lot going on, ultimately chaotic in nature. It depicts a trench with Soldiers engaged in battle, with explosions all around. To me, this does display his vivid memory of the event. The explosions and chaos of the piece can invoke some sort of fear or confusion. To me, it does invoke this feeling. The pallet used creates a feeling of foreboding. Dark grays and browns in the forest, and the light grays of the potential storm clouds above. I enjoy this piece a lot. I would love to see it in a museum dedicated to WW1. I believe it captures the tone well. It does not over embellish war as much of the art of the past has.

Let My People Go by Aaron Douglas c. 1935-1939, USA

The title alone describes the entire tone of the piece in itself. While slavery was not around in the 30's, racism and segregation was very much alive at the time. The piece seems to picture a storm, tsunami, and a man being attacked by men on horses. The people in the painting are shapes, silhouettes instead of detailed human figures. This allows the story to be told through the actions and flow of the figures instead of small details. Layering of colors is used to distinguish between near and far, the darker the image, the nearer the subject. I do personally enjoy this piece and see it as something that would be seen on a mural in a city downtown. The use of purples and yellows is something I enjoy, as I am a fan of these two colors working together. 

Les Fetiches by Lois Mailou Jones 1938, France

The last piece I will be looking at is a piece by Lois Mailou Jones, who created art from the early 1900's to her death in 1998. The work uses contrast and shapes heavily to make this piece come together. It has a solid black background and has many exotic masks, which Lois became familiar with while she was working with a costume designer in high school. This piece definitely showed the potential of the artist who would end up lecturing in many countries around the world. I do believe that the distinct style of this piece would be great to be shown in a school to show students a different way of producing paintings.

SOURCES:

Sailsman, Kaycia. “7 Prominent Artists Of The Harlem Renaissance In NYC.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 11 Feb. 2016, theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/new-york/articles/7-prominent-artists-of-the-harlem-renaissance-in-nyc/.

Yau, John. “Seeing American History Through the Art of a Black WWI Soldier.” Hyperallergic, 23 Aug. 2019, hyperallergic.com/514440/seeing-american-history-through-the-art-of-a-black-wwi-soldier/.

 

Preferences and Perspectives - The Romantic Era

     Welcome back to RS4 Art Blog. Today's topic revolves around the Romantic Era of artwork from roughly 1800 to 1900 C.E. I will be comparing two styles of artwork, namely from The Black Series of paintings from Francisco Goya, who seemed tormented in his later life and displayed a harsher take on reality than many artists of the time period, and John William Waterhouse. Both artists have magnificent art styles, with Goya's being considered Impressionism and Waterhouse's being under the umbrella of Pre-Raphaelite. I will add in others falling under these styles, however those two are my personal favorites from the time period

IMPRESSIONISM

"The Magpie" - Claude Monet
c. 1868-1869, France 

"Viejos comiendo sopa" - Francisco Goya
c. 1819-1823, Spain

    Impressionistic art tends to provoke emotion over rationality. While it may stir up feelings in the viewer that the artist could have been feeling at the time, it is up to the viewers interpretation. You can view this type of artwork without feeling like there's a hidden agenda, which I feel is why it makes it my favorite of all the art styles I have studied thus far. There's no obvious religion or politics behind it, which is seen so much in the past. Instead of commenting on the sins of the Church, the love of a deity, or a rise or fall of a monarch, it is primal in its delivery. I have given two examples that can be used to provoke opposite feelings. At least, they did in me. Francisco Goya's piece, from his Black Paintings era, trailed from his original style of realistic paintings to the morbid, dark and almost scary paintings depicting his decline in mental health near the end of his life. In all of his paintings in that time period, you will see a lot of use of black, muted tans and browns, and hardly any bright colors. I believe this to be that he found himself in a dark mindset that he ultimately could not escape. He put these feelings onto canvas and we have what I consider to be a series of masterpieces that remind me, in a creative way, of the worst points in my life. But I love them. I almost want to hang every single one of the Black Paintings in my home, were it not for the fact that it may stress my now five year old daughter.

    On the lighter side of things, both subject matter and color use wise, we have a piece by the famous Claude Monet, who is arguably the most notable impressionist of the time period. I chose The Magpie because of my preference to snowy areas and landscapes. The use of whites, light blues, and grays invoke a peaceful feeling and the detail of what looks like a cottage behind the trees makes almost a homey feeling about the work. It gives the feeling of walking back into your home after trekking out with the family for maybe a walk or to go build a snowman. While this piece is generally more detailed than a lot of impressionistic work, it is still simplistic and shows no political or religious agenda and is there for viewing pleasure. It is another example of why impressionism is my favorite style of artwork thus far.

PRE-RAPHAELITE

"Ophelia" - John Everett Millais
c. 1852, England

"Gone but not Forgotten" - John William Waterhouse
1873, England

   
    The Raphaelite works are dominated by bright colors, filled with detail, and does not shy away from the womanly figure. It promoted top-tier realism, and was a tribute to the Renaissance artists, Raphael as the name would suggest. Unlike expressionism, most of the works in this style tell a defined story, even if you don't know the context behind it. For example, Ophelia by Millais depicts a scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet. I did not know this before the bulk of my research, however you can tell from the overarching tone of the piece that the woman is accepting death. There is a sadness about is, and while the woman is clearly alive during the events of the paining, she most certainly resembles a corpse floating in the water. I believe that the purpose of this art style WAS to bring intense storytelling to art.

    Storytelling can be also seen above in Gone but not Forgotten. With the title aside, you can see what looks like a Greek or Roman woman near a grave mourning someone. Unlike a majority of Pre-Raphaelite works, the colors of this work is mostly monotoned, but it does not take away from the overall story or mood. While I enjoy this style, I do prefer the more open interpretation of Impressionism. I will say that John William Waterhouse tends to be my favorite artist in this field, especially if you look at the way he improved and perfected his style into the 1900's.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I do

SOURCES:

Lewandowsk, Hervé. "Claude Monet The Magpie." Musée D'Orsay: Claude Monet The Magpie. RMN-Grand Palais, 04 Feb. 2009. Web.

Takac, Balasz. "The Mystery and Terror of Francisco Goya's Black Paintings." Widewalls. Web. 23 Mar. 2021.

Unknown. "Pre-Raphaelite – Art Term." Tate. Web. 23 Mar. 2021.

White, Katie. "The Tragic 'Ophelia' Epitomized Pre-Raphaelite Beauty. Here Are 3 Facts You Might Not Know About the Mesmerizing Painting." Artnet News. 07 Oct. 2020. Web. 23 Mar. 2021.

The French Revolution and Neo-Classicism

 

The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard c. 1767 in London

    My blog today will mostly be aligned to the French Revolution and Neo-Classicism as well as Rococo. Both styles were prevalent in France during the era of their revolution. The first artist I want to look at is, Jean-Honore Fragonard. He was an extremely prolific French painter who painted more than 500 paintings during his time. Unfortunately, after the Revolution seemed to have ended his career by sending his major clientele under the guillotine causing him to fade out of the public eye until his death in 1806.

    Fragonard's artwork has a lot of color, as we can see in The Swing, pictured above. Like most of his work, his piece is very aesthetically pleasing. There are a lot of tiny details littered across the page, but it doesn't feel cluttered. The focus of the painting is the woman on the swing, who unlike the rest of the painting isn't draped in greens. She is covered in pinks and whites, and even the area around her is done in brighter colors with a break in the trees with the brighter colors directing attention to her. It is said that The Swing is lightheartedly sexual in its nature. I don't necessarily interpret it as this. I do sense a desire for the woman from the men, but I do not find it overtly sexual. This may just be from the standards of today being different. I do like the piece, but I'm not sure that I would necessarily keep it. It doesn't fit with other styles of artwork that I have.

    Another influential artist, who was also a revolutionary activist during the French Revolution is Jacques-Louis David. Fragonard was considered more Rococo style art, however David focused on Neo-Classicism. David did not want to focus on aesthetic the way that Rococo artists did. He, instead decided to paint pictures that displayed moralism. Right and wrong. He wanted to send a message with his artwork. Notably, he even worked on propaganda for the revolution itself.

Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David c. 1805 painted in France

    I choose to analyze Napoleon crossing the Alps because it is interesting to me that David would disagree ultimately with Napoleon's regime, but would regularly be commissioned by him. The entire painting works on a diagonal plane, everything moving upwards to the left. It paints Napoleon as he was, a heroic conqueror. His facial features are made angular, which is seen as a common practice when making someone look heroic or powerful in demeanor. Napoleon is calm while his horse's front is raised to signify how poised and collect he is. Most of he detail and color is front and center, on Napoleon. The red catches the eye and forces you then to look a his stoic face. Along with this, a majority of the rest of the painting is sparsely detailed and bland in color, to not distract from the focus. I do love the care in his piece, but it's simply not for me. Especially with what Napoleon represented. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful piece of work. 

Marble Bust of King Louie XVI by Jean-Antoine Houdon c. 1890, France 

    The last work I will analyze is a marble bust of King Louis XVI. This is out of my comfort zone because I am not necessarily familiar with sculpting. The level of care and detail I find remarkable. It's almost as if Houdon took a mold of King Louis XVI himself and cast it. The clothing is rumpled in a realistic way, other details are etched in carefully, and even an inspection of the hair is done well. I do really love the detail. I would love to own a piece by Houdon, but maybe not specifically King Louis XVI.

WORKS CITED:

Unknown Author. “Jean-Honore Fragonard.” Artble, 19 July 2017, www.artble.com/artists/jean-honore_fragonard.

"Jacques-Louis David Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2021. TheArtStory.org

Content compiled and written by Jessica DiPalma

Edited and revised, with Summary and Accomplishments added by Sarah Archino

Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/david-jacques-louis/

First published on 25 Jul 2017. Updated and modified regularly

[Accessed 15 Mar 2021]

Baroque Art

The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio (ca.1599)

         The baroque period features artwork that is very similar to Renaissance artwork, however it is darker in both colors and themes depicted. In various examples, such as the one above, you will see that people seem a little more distraught in the face, or the overall piece will have a feel of melancholy. It has a theme around people, not unlike the Renaissance period, but this time around I feel it revolves more around the darkness in the individual instead of the general humanism and power of people. It has an aura of mortality.

    In Baroque artwork, you will see a lot of biblical references, such as the work from Caravaggio. After the reformation, the Counsel of Trent (also known as the counter-reformation) started encouraging artwork that depicted religion as kind of a propaganda for the Catholic church. Caravaggio, himself, was actually commissioned by a Catholic cardinal. Caravaggio used a style called chiaroscuro, which uses very deep contrasts.  

    

works cited:

Pioch, Nicolas. “Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi Da.” WebMuseum Paris. BMW Foundation, 19 Sept. 2002. Web. 25 Feb. 2021.

“Art and Theory in Baroque Europe.” Art and Theory in Baroque Europe: Anti-Mannerism and the Council of Trent. Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, 24 Oct. 1995. Web. 25 Feb. 2021.

Humanism and Renaissance Art

    Humanism is the resurgence of thinking of people as individuals who can have a personal understanding of ethics, and science without religion fully dictating the way of life and thought. The world could no longer be defined by the church. In my own understanding of the time period, it was truly when free thought was able to emerge and the common man would be able to flourish as the Greek ideals resurged through Italy. But how did this affect art?

School of Athens by Raphael 1509-1511

    The word "Renaissance" translates to the English word "Rebirth." While from a simple standpoint, it can seem like arts and literature had resurfaced after a long time of it not being as culturally prevalent, it also brought back ancient classical era schools of thought, which influenced artwork of the time. In some artworks, it is fairly obvious, such as School of Athens by Raphael. It is a fresco that incorporates linear perspective, incredible detail, and a plethora of alliteration. It features Greek Philosophers such as Socrates, Pythagoras, Euclid, and Ptolemy. The whole painting is slightly chaotic, however the figures in the center are calm and relaxed. On each side of the painting are statues: One of Apollo, the god of music and art, and on the other is Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

    To understand the artwork in itself, one has to understand the figures and ideas behind the people and figures. To me, it signifies an appreciation of both art and knowledge, combining the two into something that can work harmoniously. I believe that to be a successful artist, you do have to be knowledgeable in many things. In order to be the best at figures, you must have an understanding of human anatomy, and you need to know proportions, lighting, and so many other things in order to bring something so delicate to life. If I were to have an office, I would more than likely have a copy of School of Athens hanging in it, in appreciation that art and education can have with one another.

SOURCES:

 "Renaissance Humanism Definition Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2021. TheArtStory.org

Content compiled and written by Rebecca Seiferle

Edited and revised, with Summary and Accomplishments added by Kimberly Nichols

Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/definition/renaissance-humanism/

First published on 19 Oct 2019. Updated and modified regularly

[Accessed 15 Feb 2021]