Author: Rafsan Chowdhury

Annotated Bibliography; (Extracted from another post, I forgot to post the bib as a separate post)

(I forgot to post the annotated bibliography as a separate post and left it in my previous post which combined both the final project and the annotated bibliography, I’m very sorry!)

Bibliography: Museum Sites 

  1. “The Lamentation.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2008.72/; accessed December 17, 2018, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2008.72/

This link is coming directly from The Met website and gives a brief catalogue description of The Lamentation. I will incorporate this into my final project by paraphrasing their descriptional analyses and keywords so I can easily distinguish features between Renaissance and Baroque art.

  1. “Saint Maurice.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/cranach-saint-maurice.

This link is also taken directly from The Met website. In the site, the author explains the significance of the exhibition which involved other works of art that were painted/made during the same time period and location. This allowed me to analyze the distinguishing features of the time and apply it to Saint Maurice. The website also had a YouTube video which helped me analyze the portrait even more.

  1. “Departure of the Amazons.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1976.100.6/; accessed December 16, 2018.

There was no specific museum site that helped me understand this painting. Instead, I used the generic Met catalogue description of the painting. It gave me the basic information I needed, such as the dimensions, the medium, the historical and political background, and the artist who painted it. It also listed some features I incorporated into my final project and used it to compare and contrast styles between this painting and other paintings.

Bibliography: Magazines/Journals/Articles

  1. https://www.metmuseum.org/pubs/bulletins/1/pdf/3257799.pdf.bannered.pdf

This is an extensive pdf article of The Merry Company on a Terrace. It was a really helpful addition to my final project because it nicely explained the background/history of the painter (Jan Steen) and why he incorporated himself into his own painting. In addition to that, the article also analyzes every single character in the painting in depth. One theme the author of the article focused on was the emotional intensity of the painting. This is one feature I incorporated into my final project and it was also a useful addition to the list of differences between Renaissance and Baroque art.

  1. http://www.artmuseums.com/giotto.htm#.XBw-Dy2ZN0s

This article layed out a detailed formal analysis of The Lamentation. Although the painting was different from the one in The Met, it provided me with more background historical details I did not comprehend at first. I only payed attention to the theme of the entire painting because there are many different alterations of this painting and most of them share a similar theme.

My MET Visit

Visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art was a surreal experience. I have to say, I had a fun time doing this assignment. First, I will be describing and comparing two different sculptures from different time periods. The first sculpture, Adam (Tullio Lombardo), is an example of Renaissance art. This sculpture was created in 1495. The other sculpture is Marsyas (Balthasar Permoser) is an example of Baroque art. This was created in 1685. Both of these sculptures caught my eye because each sculpture represents a different tone and meaning. The first thing that came to my mind was the facial expression in the Baroque art. According to the background of the sculpture, Marsyas was a martyr that was burned alive after losing a contest with Apollo. This explains the absurd facial expression it makes. This sculpture is a perfect example of the dramatic tone that is present in Baroque art. Marsyas has a dramatic and emotional tone to it while Adam is more calm, soothing, straight, and serene. Another important thing I noted is Marsyas has more diagonal lines, unlike Adam which has straight/horizontal lines. This emphasizes the artistic and thematic difference between Renaissance and Baroque art. 

Final Outline of Project

In my final project, I will be discussing the highlights of Renaissance and Baroque art and also discussing the similarities and differences between the two artistic styles. I picked this topic because both of these styles are very unique and display a vast amount of fine details. In addition to talking about the different art styles, I will also discuss the differences architectural styles because their differences also parallel to those between artworks. In my project, I will be utilizing the following 5 artworks:

Thesis Statement: Both Renaissance and Baroque paintings pay attention to fine details, expression, scenery, color, and theme. Although both styles share a vast amount of similarities, there are also differences between both styles. Baroque art in 1500-1600 Europe focuses on dramatic expressions, non-idealism, dynamism, and physical movement. Renaissance paintings resemble serenity, stillness, calmness, and are idealized.

  1. The Lamentation

Domenichino (1603)

Metropolitan Museum of Art

2. Departure of the Amazons

Claude Déruet

1620s

Metropolitan Museum of Art

3. Merry Company on a Terrace 

Jan Steen

1670

Metropolitan Museum of Art

4. Everhard Jabach

Charles Le Brun

1660

Metropolitan Museum of Art

5. Boy with a Greyhound 

Paulo Veronese

1570s

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art 1010 Unit II Summary

The art of the ancient world, such as Ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome, and Mesopotamia, share similar and vastly different aspects in terms of culture, religion, economy, and political beliefs. Each ancient civilization depicted their artwork in a unique type of way that distinguished their social aspects/culture and religion differently from other civilizations. Through formal analyses of each artwork from the different civilizations I previously mentioned, we can learn about the religious beliefs and in general, the atmosphere of the society at the time. In this summary, I will be comparing artwork from ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and Egypt.

First, ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and Egypt did not share the exact time periods but they all share similar characteristics in their art works. Mesopotamia is recorded to be the first ancient civilization, then Egypt, then Greece/Rome in terms of time. A vast majority of Egyptian culture, hierarchy, and religion is borrowed from the ancient Mesopotamians. For example, most of their artworks portray religious figures/divine beings and concepts such as the underworld/afterlife and God/king/pharaoh. Also, both ancient civilizations built special temples for their divine rulers and Gods. A specific example that depicts this religious aspect on ancient Egypt is the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony Painting. In the ceremony, Anubis, a powerful figure for this process, weighed the heart of the passerby and the feather of Ma’at. This drawing also depicts several other divine figures and creatures such as a croco-hippo-leopard creature, Ammut, who devours the impure hearts, Osiris, God of the underworld, a jackal-headed figure, Anubis, and others. This drawing shows how important the afterlife process/religion was to the ancient Egyptians. Also, The Palette of Narmer depicts the importance and devotion towards divine leaders (pharaohs). King Narmer is depicted much larger than the nearby figures of animals which qualitatively makes him physically more powerful and God-like. Similarly, in The Standard of Ur, from ancient Mesopotamia, there are several workers and one ruler who is physically larger than the others. The devotion towards size of the divine rule emphasizes the importance of these kings and Pharaohs of their respective ancient societies/hierarchies, hence why specialized temples (ziggurats in Mesopotamia and pyramids in ancient Egypt) were built to preserve the bodies of their kings.

When transitioning into the Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, we see a vast majority of differences in terms of style of art, culture, economy, and religion from Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. However, ancient Greek and Roman art share a plethora of similarities in terms of style. One of the many differences that distinguishes Ancient Greek art and ancient Egypt/Mesopotamia is the style/approach of art. The ancient Greeks based their artwork on a humanistic approach, which Humanism in Ancient Greece states that every thing in the universe revolves and focuses on mankind rather than Gods and Goddesses. This is the opposite approach followed in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia; they heavily focused their artwork on religion. One prominent example of humanism in Ancient Greek art is the Doryphoros by Polykleitos. We see a very realistic/life-like sculpture of a ripped man. This is also different from the very still figures such as the figure of Kouros in ancient Mesopotamia. Furthermore, both Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures depicted very realistic and life-like figures of males and females who were naked. This was frowned upon in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations and regarded nudity as an embarrassment. The Greeks and Romans had no problem sexualizing males and females.

These three ancient civilizations share a lot of differences and similarities in their artworks. These differences and similarities can help art historians analyze the religious, cultures, and economical aspects of each ancient society.

 

 

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism was a flourishing theme in Ancient Greek and Roman times. The Greeks and Romans focused on humanism and most of their artworks (sculptures, paintings, etc) represent it. In definition, humanism is a specific type of perspective that places humans at the center of everything rather that focusing on divine beings such as Gods and Goddesses. This was a main theme portrayed in a multitude of Ancient Greek paintings and sculptures. Unlike ancient Greek and Roman art and literature, Mesopotamian and ancient Egyptian art does not solely focus on humanism. Instead, the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians placed their respective Gods and other divine deities at the top of the social hierarchy.

For example, in this post, I will be comparing two popular artworks done by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians: The standard of Ur (ancient Mesopotamia), the Standing Male Worshipper (also ancient Mesopotamia), and the Doryphoros by Polykleitos (Ancient Greek). One critical comparison can be made between ancient Egyptian artwork and Ancient Greek and that is the view of nudity. The ancient Egyptians frowned upon nudity and thought it was embarrassing to showcase a nude male or female. On the other hand, the ancient Greeks portrayed a lot of their artwork with nude males and females via a humanistic approach. Speaking about humanism, in the Standard of Ur and the Standing Male Worshipper, both artworks show a lack of humanism and leans towards divinity. In the standing male worshipper, the male is seen to be in a praying position and has huge eyes indicating the notion that he is openly praying to his God. This doesn’t show humanism, but rather shows how in ancient Mesopotamia, religion is important and God is in the center. Also, the in the Standard of Ur, there are multiple levels/ranks of hierarchy shown. The artwork shows all men kneeling towards one person, the King. The King, unlike the rest of the other men, is shown sitting on a throne and is physically larger in size than the rest of the men. This also shows a lack of humanism and leans towards the notion that divinity is the center of mankind. In the Doryphoros by Polykleitos, the sculpture is life-sized and shows a lot more fine details that the Standing Male Worshipper and the Standard of Ur. The Doryphoros portrays a nude male in a bent position and can be thought of as humanistic because it represents the ideal strong male in Ancient Greek society.

Museum Assignment I and II

Part I: Ancient World Exhibit

This is a pair statue of Nebsen and Nebet-ta. In the statue, I see two individuals that are are linked together by their left and right arms, hence why it is called a “pair statue.” I don’t exactly know if the two individuals in the sculpture are, but I am assuming it can be a man and woman of high power sitting holding hands. It can also be a husband and wife, two siblings, mother and son, or father and daughter. My assumptions are based on the distinct gender difference between the two individuals. The one on the right has pronounced breasts and larger eyes and the left person has a more structured jaw. Also, the person on the right has a black outlining around her eyes and is more indication the right individual is a female. Some other things I have seen is that the man has a different headset than the person on his right. Actually, the women has no headset and only has visible hair and only a necklace. Looking at the larger picture, both individuals are sat on top of a throne or maybe just a regular chair. The linking of arms indicate the two individuals are very close to each other, both physically and spiritually. The physical dimensions of the sculpture according to the catalogue description is: 15 7/8 x 8 9/16 x 9 1/4 in. (40.4 x 21.8 x 23.5 cm). The medium seems to be limestone. There are engravings on the “skirts” of each individual. On the sides and back of the throne/chair, there are more hieroglyphs.

Part II Museum Assignment: Soul of a Nation Exhibit

One Soul of a Nation art piece has particularly grabbed my attention and it is Wadsworth Jarrell’s Black Prince. What caught my eye is the myriad of colors used, but the colors that caught my attention first were red, blue, and yellow. A bulk of the artwork is red and white. Half of Malcolm’s face is mostly red and the other half is white with a few other colors such as yellow, red, and green.  The overall theme of Soul of a Nation is Black excellence. The words painted on this piece are: “To correct unjust conditions,” “I Believe in Anything and Everything,” “As long as it get results,” and “Political, Economical, Social, Physical, Anything Necessary.” This painting is similar to the other paintings in the Soul of a Nation exhibit in that the paintings sheds light on Black power and Black artists in the 1960s to 1980s. It brings a large population of black artists to collaborate and share their ideas. As for the formal properties, the painting is acrylic on canvas, measures 44 cm by 64 cm. The artist painted this in 1971 which is, as mentioned before, a prominent and flourishing time for black power and black excellence. This was also a time of the Civils Rights movements which is why Malcolm X is present in this painting. The emergence of black leaders and movements during this time period inspired these paintings. 

 

 

Unit One Art Summary

In unit one, we dived deep into the concept of formal analysis of pieces of work and critical pedagogies. This was a great way to start an art history course because formal analysis provides the necessary tools to correctly examine a piece of artwork. The most important concepts I have learned during this unit is the practicality of formal analysis and how helpful it us to distinguish minute details in any piece of work, regardless of the genre. This taught me that there is a unifying theme behind formal analysis and it has a wide scope of practical uses when describing historical events, color, quality, social status, politics, etc. It’s an amazing tool to debunk all types of works into their minute details.

Another important theme we discussed in unit 1 was Paulo Freire’s, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” In this work, Freire discusses the banking model and how it is a common theme throughout education. Also, he discusses the relationship between student and teacher and student and society. Through his “Banking Model Proposal,” he criticizes the education system by stating that students are essentially sponges who soak in information into their minds through rote memorization and through other impractical ways. Freire discusses how knowledge is a gift that is granted upon students and that students should be taught efficient ways on how to analyze and digest information rather than memorizing random facts. Also, Freire explains how bad it is for students to depend on their teachers to spoon-feed them valuable information. This will end up hindering their adult-skills in the future. In overall, I enjoyed reading his paper because it relates to a lot of students throughout the world. Paulo Freire is an advocate for critical thinking and the art of analysis. This best relates to the concept of formal analysis that we also discussed in unit 1. Formal analysis is used to analyze and comprehend small and big details that are found in pieces of work. There is correlation between Freire’s banking model and formal analysis in that he supports critical thinking and comprehension through analysis which is what formal analysis is meant to do.

Now that I mentioned formal analysis, I will talk about its practicality/versatility. Formal analysis is a step-by-step assessment/procedure that art historians (or almost anyone, this can be translated into the scientific method for scientists actually) use to understand the significance behind a piece of work. It is essentially putting yourself in the shoes/mind of the artist to have a better understanding of why certain things were used and not used. These can be the physical dimensions of the artwork, the type of canvas used, the quality of the paint, the colors used, the historical significance/context, the social political scheme, the types of lines, etc. There’s a plethora of analyses one can make when analyzing a piece of work. For example, when we were analyzing the formal properties of, Venus of Urbino, we discussed the overall theme of the painting, such as infidelity. We also discussed the motive of the painting. I believe we said it was a gift for a newly-wed couple. Then we discussed the basic formal properties such as colors used, size of the canvas, type of brush used, etc. In overall, I learned to efficiently analyze a piece of work. If I was not introduced to formal analysis, I would have had just said random strings of information without understanding the overall theme of the work, just like Freire was discussing.

 

What is Formal Analysis?

Formal Analysis is a method of evaluating a piece of work. The work can be literally anything. The formal analysis of an art piece for example can be a way to evaluate the piece’s central theme or focus. Through formal analysis of an art piece, we can describe multiple characteristics of the art work such as the colors used, the type of canvas used, contrast, the historical context of the art work, and also the scale and size of the art piece. Another important feature of formal analysis is that we are supposed to ask ourselves important questions. For example, “what was the artist going through at time of painting this piece?” Another question might be: “Is this painting for another person at the time or was it painted by the artist to convey a certain message or theme?” You can also dive deep into the historical context of the painting and learn about the politics, culture, religion, or the economics during the time of the artist’s life. The Formal Properties of art work as discusses in class and the text include the lines used in work. The motive behind the size and scale of the work. The type of material of the canvas as mentioned before is another formal property. Other formal properties can be the illusions used (Mimesis). And lastly, the historical overview of the piece of work as mentioned before. For example, the formal properties of the featured art work, “The Starry Night,” by Vincent van Gogh would involve: Colors are mostly blue, black, and yellow, it is an oil on canvas, the time of drawing is 1889 which inspired him to pursue a post-Impressionism-type painting.

tHe BAnKing MOdel and the Education System

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire describes and evaluates the educational system and explores the teacher, student relationship, and societal relationship. Through his “Banking Model Proposal,” he criticizes the education system by explaining that students are essentially sponges who “deposit” information into their minds through rote memorization and through other impractical ways. Freire explains how knowledge is a “gift” that is bestowed upon students and that students should be taught effective ways on how to analyze and comprehend information rather than memorizing random strings of information. Also, Freire explains how destructive it is for students to passively rely on their teachers to feed them information as it will destroy their sense of reality as they become adults.

In all honestly, I have not experienced this lack of ownership in the educational setting. My high school teachers focused heavily on the concept of analysis. My English teachers would assign a novel every month and the homework assignments were analytical papers that focused on specific themes. Although I am a really bad writer and I dislike essays, I am grateful for my teachers’ efforts. If there is one class that heavily relied on memorization, it would be my high school Immunology class. Every lesson required rote memorization and the success of memorization reflected upon the tests and quizzes. I remember for one test, I had to memorize more than 30 different types of immune cells and their special properties and functions! The worst part was that their names were devastatingly long. Aside from my personal anecdote, I agree with Freire and his critiques on the education system. Hopefully, more teachers will understand the value and efficacy of analytical-styled teaching.