Posts

Final Project Outline

Theme: Comparing Ancient artwork

Thesis: Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Roman and Ancient Greek artwork symbolize the different roles played in society during the coinciding time periods. Ancient Greek artwork is significant in articulating human like statues. They used human forms to display god like statues and display the traits of a dominating human. Ancient Egyptian artwork is significant in portraying the image of gods. Ancient Egyptian artwork was surrounded by religion and the afterlife. Ancient Roman artwork is significant for displaying different forms of art using marble, stone, glass, metal, etc.

Statue of Aphrodite

Artist: Unknown/ Purchase, 1952

Date: 1st or 2nd Century A.D

Museum: Metropolitan Museum

Statue of Dionysos 

Artist: Pacetti, Vincenzo

Date:27 B.C.–A.D. 68

Museum: Metropolitan Museum

Terracotta Column- Krater

Artist: Group of Boston

Date: 360–350 B.C.

Museum: Metropolitan Museum

The Seated Statue of Hatshepsut

Artist: Unknown/ Rogers Fund, 1929

Date: 1479–1458 B.C.

Museum: Metropolitan Museum

Marble Statue of a Wounded Amazon

Artist: Unknown/ Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1932

Date: 1st–2nd century A.D.

Museum: Metropolitan Museum

Outline/Background

Topic= I would love to explore the way nature and technology mix in art. Sort of how technology is overtaking nature and there are some (very few) art works that show that.

Thesis= No matter how much we try to ignore it. Technology is overtaking nature and its about time art is showing that.

  1. Defunct by Roxy Paine, 2004, Aspen Art Museum. 
  2. Volklingen by ludo, 2015, World Cultural Heritage Site.
  3.  Noname, by ludo, 2013, Amsterdam
  4. Enjoy the Violence, by ludo, 2012

5. Conjoined, Roxy Paine, 2007, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

 

Project Outline – Thesis

Topic – Emotions depicted in different forms of art

Thesis statement : Throughout history, forms of art have successfully represented emotions and stories in different ways. We see emotions and stories further deepened in details like body language, facial expressions, and symbolism.

The mourning Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist

Soft paste porcelain 

Giuseppe Gricci (ca. 1700- 1770)

Italian (Naples), ca. 1744 

This artwork can support and relate to my thesis statement because of not only the facial expression that we see on The Virgin Mary and Saint John but also their poses. Both of these figures seem to be in a position where their own grief and shock has taken over and affected their bodies. I also feel as though that the porcelain and drapery gives them a movement and fragileness that makes the emotions and the story be much more affective to audiences

Ugolino and His Sons

Saint-beane Marble

Jean-Baptitse Carpeaux (1827-1875)

French (Paris), 1865-67

When you first see this artwork, you are immediate capture by what you see. I think this supports my theme and topic because we see the emotion all over. Analazying this can make you notice the obvious which is Ugolino (front) and his sons (around him) tortured and sad facial expressions. However, there is so many other details that add to the intensity of their torture. When we find out the story behind it, the intensity of the situation is deepened.

Georges de La Tour

French, Vic-sur Seille 1593-1653 Luneville 

The Penitent Magdalen 

ca. 1640 

Oil on Canvas

Along with Ugolino and His Sons, The Penitent Magdalen is one of my favorites. When first looking upon this painting, the first thing that is obvious is that we do not see the womans face. But, there is a lot of symbolism and the colors used that make it obvious that this is a solemn moment. It brings about a sense of wonder. It differs from so many because we do not see emotion in the face but we receive it from the symbols around her.

Eustache Le Seur 

French, Paris 1616-1655 Paris

The Rape of Tamar 

probably ca. 1640

Oil on canvas

The Rape of Tamar holds a lot of emotion. The name of this title gives away a lot and it shows a lot of fear and a spectator can sense that and also feel angers towards the situation and sadness because of the horrible thing happening to Tamar. The smallest details can add more to the story and the emotion generated from the painting and the emotion in it. Its another effective way in telling a story and invoking emotions. It’s a great piece of art for my thesis

 

final outline

Van Gogh and expressionism

 

Expressionism is an art movement that seeks to express emotional experience through painting and other art forms. It originally started in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century and was mainly focused around poetry and  painting, but eventually expanded. it’s characteristics are to distort and stylistically capture a subjective outlook on the outside world to evoke emotion on its viewers. This movement allowed each artist to have their own unique way to capture their emotions of the world and of themselves.

Even though Van Gogh is apart of the post-impressionism movement he is known for being the biggest influence of the 20th century expressionism movement. His use of color, texture, and composition were what drew plenty of artist into furthering their experimentation with art which would feed this movement in its early stages.

      Olive trees, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

     Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh, 1887

    Roses, Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

 

 

The starry night, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

 

 

 oleanders, Vincent Van Gogh, 1888

Final Project Outline

Topic: The Significance and Differences of Female and Male Nude  Sculptures

Thesis: When examining sculptures throughout various eras of art, it is evident that many are are nude. The nude is a significant part of art and it’s implications are just as significant. However, it appears that more often than not, there are more male nude figures than the female figures, which poses the question of why this is. Further exploration of nude sculptures from the time periods prove that there are in fact many differences between the nude sculptures of men and women.

The artworks are related to my topic because they can all be used to compare the similarities and differences in the design of the statues based on gender.

(All the art I will be using is from The MET)

The Marble Statue of Diadoumenos: youth tying a fillet around his head (69-96 A.D); Roman; Attributed to Polykleitos 
Marble Statue of a Seated Muse (1st or 2nd Century AD); Roman copy of a Greek of a 3rd century statue
Marble Statue of a Wounded Amazon; (1st or 2nd Cetury AD); Roman copy of a Greek bronze statue of ca. 420-425 B.C 
Marble Statue of Aphrodite (3rd–2nd century B.C.); Greek; Artist Unknown
Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1804-6); Italian, Rome; Artist: Antonio Canova

 

 

The MET Visit

The MET has always been one of my favorite places to visit despite the long lines and large groups of tourist. Its size makes it is easy to get lost in, however, you still find something to look at and admire even if you can’t seem to figure out which part of the museum you are in. I have been there numerous times yet still find many things I have never seen before. The art from various cultures and eras makes it so that every corner of the museum has something that will pique someone’s interest, even those who aren’t fans of museums and find them boring. This visit was particularly fun because I saw many pieces that we actually studied in class, such as the sculpture of the Roman man’s portrait.

When examining the differences in Renaissance and Baroque art I focused mainly on paintings. At first it was difficult to tell the difference between the two eras because there are so many similarities. For example, in both Renaissance and Baroque art there was an emphasis on religion and religious figures. However, after looking for a while, it became more apparent that Baroque art was more dramatized and depicted scenes of chaotic emotions and actions. Meanwhile, Renaissance art, mainly from Italian origins, was much more natural with clear linear perspective and a focus on still life.

For the Renaissance era I used Fra Angelico’s “The Crucifixion,” dated to the 1420s. This is a great example of Renaissance art because it focuses on a violent religious event, however, the artist manages to make the scene appear delicate. The picture depicts Christ crucified on the cross with people surrounding him and angels in the background. Some of the men appear to be holding spears that have caused the wounds on Christ. There is blood coming out Christ’s chest, but true to Renaissance qualities even that appears still and light, like the other hues of red in the painting that are also light. Even the Virgin Mary passed out on the floor lacks the dramatic chaos of what would be seen if this were to be a Baroque painting. 

 

“The Rape of Tamar,” by Estauche Le Seur from the 1640s, is the Baroque painting that caught my attention because of what was being shown. Although there are only three people in the painting, it seems like there is a lot happening. At the forefront is a man with a dagger held high, aimed at a woman with her breasts peeking out of her disheveled dress. Both of their faces show fear, which adds to the mayhem surrounding them. True to Baroque era qualities, there is real sense of dramatic disorder, especially upon looking into the context of the story which is one of a man named Amnom- the son of David- raping his half-sister. This action in the painting is illustrated through the running maid in the background, the vases scattered on the floor, and the flying sheets and clothes. Despite being a painting, there is no stillness to the painting and the audience can practically feel the urgent emotions that are being shown.

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

Metropolitan Museum of Art Project

    I got to the museum after a 30 min walk and had to go through the usually trouble of getting the ticket, which is waiting among a mass of tourists. It’s pretty clear that many museum goers are not New Yorkers. I have been to the Met many times in my childhood, but I really never cared for it because the museum is not relevant to my life. This apply to the present me because I don’t have any personal reasons to go the museum unless it is for an assignment. I’ll skip all the things in between and get to the exhibit. I walk through the door, and I am greeted by a large room with paintings. Being very familiar with this scene, I start looking for art pieces to use. I can obviously see the skilled artistry behind these paintings. They are beautifully painted and show dedication to the arts. But at the same time, I am annoyed by the amount of tourist here. It makes me want to leave as quickly as possible. Even with the large amount of paintings here, I have trouble see the painting unless I walk past the crowds of people here in this large room. But when I think about it, the museum really has a lot of these old historical and influential painting; I realize that many tourist come here because if this. Some of these may be from the where the painting was painted and have never seen it. I find my two pieces and start typing on a bench. In the middle of the many rooms in the gallery. I choose Joos van Cleve, The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor from 1520 for renaissance art. Charles Joseph Natoire, The Rebuke of Adam and Eve from 1740 for Baroque art.

 

The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor is an altarpiece made in the 1520. It depicts a group of people at the site where Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross. My eyes first focus on Christ himself and then I notice the masterful depictions of greenery in the background. Hills and rock formations covered in grass looks beautiful in the building. Then I notice the people at the feet of Christ. The ones to the far left and right seem uncaring and not really in pain. The ones in the middle are however interacting with Christ’s dead body. A nun is praying, a man is setting the cross, a women seems distressed, a priest is on his knees praying. This scene represents humans in a very calm state of mind, showing the mental strength of human beings. It also has people seemingly having individual thoughts on the situation, showing individualism. These traits reflect humanist values.

The Rebuke of Adam and Eve from 1740 show Adam and Eve begging for forgiveness for eating the golden fruit of the tree and God accompanied by angels looks furious and with a finger pointed up, looks ready to curse the pair. The first thing I recognize is the somewhat exaggerated poses of the characters compared to the altarpiece. These poses tell a clear story of drama due to the eating of the forbidden fruit. I also see the clear contrast of light and dark to create a dramatic tone. This is seen from the light that God is surrounded by versus the real world that had greenery from the trees and plants that are darker in comparison. These are typical traits of baroque art.

Final Project Proposal

Theme: Women have been devalued from Ancient Art, demonstrating how low women are from men.

For the pictures I plan to use I will be using art that demonstrate a hierarchy of men only.  I will include art showing humanism because even when regular people were the focus it was just men sculptures and now as much women.  I am still looking for other art work.

 

Met visit: The Renaissance vs. Baroque

The Renaissance began approximately in the 14 century in Florence, Italy. The era ushered in a period in which Artists rediscovered Greek and Roman technology and incorporated the concept of humanism to their pieces. This era included famous pieces such as David, The Last Supper, The Sistin Chapel, Gatamelatta, and The School of Athens whose qualities distinguished them from the darker and less realistic art of the medieval ages. The Boroque period began in the early 17 century and lasted until the mid 18 century. This period succeed the Renaissance, and like the Renaissance it had specific and unique characteristics that made more interesting and different from other art periods. While visiting the European art exhibit at the Met, I was able to compare art pieces from both the Renaissance and the Baroque. From the Renaissance period I was intrigued by Andrea Solario’s Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist, and from the Baroque period I was also intrigued by Eustache Le Sueur‘s The Rape of Tamar. Comparing and contrasting both of these clear and beautiful pieces made it easier to identify the distinguishable qualities of the these pieces respective periods. For example, despite the subject matter in the Renaissance painting and the depiction of a severed head, the Rape of Tamar seems to be more dramatized and successful in capturing not just a moment but  the emotions that each person in that moment might feel. Another difference between both paintings is that although Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist and the Rape of Tamar  are capturing a specific moment, the Rape of Tamar actually feels like a snapshot of the moment as demonstrated by the mid-action depictions. Finally, another main difference is the use of diagonals in The Rape of Tamar, every single person portrayed in the painting is at positioned diagonally as well as their view. This use of diagonal allows for the artist capture a  more realistic portrayal of events.

The Rape of Tamar

Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist.