Tag: Final project

Themed Museum Tour – Final Project.

Good morning Ladies & Gentleman, I am Naomi and I will be your tour guide for today. If you are apart of this tour today it is because you have taken a special interest in emotions depicted in different forms of art. 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 MET is filled with so much history and beauty. I hope you all enjoy and appreciate the pieces I have selected for you. This tour will be about thirty to forty-five minutes long with an included bathroom break. The MET is a huge building, and it can also be crowded, be sure to stay close to not miss a thing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

For our first artwork, I want to introduce you to Giuseppe Gricci‘s, The Mourning Virgin and Saint John The Evangelist. This beauty is made of soft-paste porcelain and was made in Naples, Italy in 1744. They’re very small so I want you all to get close to closely see it. As you can tell from the name of this piece, this depicts the Virgin Mary after the death of her son, Christ, and Saint John right next to her. The way Giuseppe portrayed them in their mourning is just impressive and it’s almost like the material that they were made out of captures the mourning even better. We should first focus on the Virgin Mary’s face. Her head is tilted up with her mouth open and her eyes. Then, we also see her body language, she is then propped up on one knee as if her grief has taken over her. When we look over at Saint John, his body is turned away from the Virgin but his head is facing her. Almost as if he is in shock at what had happened and also feels shame. The drapery that is shown almost makes it look like as if they are in movement. The white porcelain makes them look so fragile from their grief. From the emotion on their face to the material that they are done out of, Giuseppe successfully shows the aftermath of Christ’s death that is filled with horror and sorrow from the ones who followed him. In this case, Giuseppe used his material to emphasize the pain St. John and the Virgin Mary felt. This is a perfect first demonstration of emotion and the emotion of a story being shown in art. The sadness is already apparent before you even know any context behind it, and that ladies and gentlemen is very powerful in itself.

This next masterpiece, is called “Ugolino and His Sons” created by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. It is made of Saint-beat Marble and was made in 1865-67, Paris. The name of this artwork is not as revealing as the first work of art that we looked at, so I want you analyze this statue deeply and try your best to look at every single detail. It is very obvious that the man in the front, Ugolino, is in extreme anguish. You can see his knotted body and the way he has his fingers in his mouth. On top of his anguish, it’s almost as if he is indecisive about something. If you focus on the kids around him, his sons, they all are around him either laying on him, hiding in his body, or clinging to him. We see three of them either asleep or maybe even dead and the one who seems to be the older one is the only one looking up at him in some sort of desperation. We see that they are suffering and it comes across very loud and clear. The story behind this statue comes from the epic poem, Dante’s Inferno.Dante encounters Ugolino and his sons locked in a tower after Count Ugolino betrayed his city, Pisa, by giving away fortresses to other towns. When locked away, his sons were complaining about being hungry. When mealtime came, he noticed the door was being nailed. That is when he realized that he would starve in that tower with his sons and other sinners. Driven insane from starvation and seeing his sons slowly die, Count Ugolino was faced with no other choice but to become a cannibal. In some stories, it is said he ate the bodies of his sons and in others it is said he continued to starve. I chose this to be apart of the tour because it is a piece of art that only intensifies the emotions you feel after you hear the story. You experience their emotions before knowing anything about it and pick up on their horror. You notice their facial expressions and their body language but do not know why. Once you find out, you can’t help but feel even more horrified. Carpeaux is just another artist that has managed to envelop you before and after you hear about his inspiration.

 

The last statue we will be looking at today is called “The Martyr.“This bronze piece was made by Auguste Rodin in 1898, France. This is another work of art that’s name really gives away the story behind it. However, I want you all to look at her body language and forget about her facial expression. Her body language really gives away her suffering. Whenever we see an artwork of death, we typically see them lied down flat, but here we have something different. We see her arms spread wide, her legs are at a weird angle, and her is almost hanging off the altar she is put on. We can safely conclude that she suffered a great deal of pain before her death. A martyr is someone who is killed for their religious believes and the deaths of the Apostles serve as a testimony that these deaths are very morbid and gruesome. Rodins, “The Martyr” shows that she comes a “symbolic martyr to humanity‘s shard fate. Her youth evokes death‘s universality, her nakedness its indifference, and her isolation the loneliness of the final struggle.“This artwork can compare to Carpeaux‘s “Ugolino and his Sons” because of the decision to express emotion through body language. We hear her tragic ending being told by the way she is positioned on this alter. Although her face does give off a lot of emotion, her body is the statement. The title of this work, her body language, and her bodies symbolism all come into one to tell her tragic tale. 

This painting is called “The Penitent Magdalen.” This oil on canvas was made by George de La Tour in 1593-1633, France. Mary Magdalene is known for being the personification of christian fidelity. It is said that Mary Magdalene was a Jewish women who followed Jesus to the death. When Jesus was set to die on the cross and his men abandoned him, Magdalene stayed by his side. She is said to be around him at his tomb and to be the first to announce his resurrection. As you can see, this is the first work of art that does not show a face. Her head is turned away, and we are left to only work with her body and the objects around her. We see a skull on her lap, her hands crossed, a mirror and a candlelight. It is said that Mary Magdalen “renounced the pleasures of the flesh for a life of penance and contemplation.“The mirror is a symbol of”vanity“, the skull on her lap is an “emblem of mortality“, and the candle light most likely stands for her “spiritual enlightenment.” If we moved on to focus on the colors of this painting, the only thing that is lighted from the candle light is the top of her robe. The rest of the painting is filled with shadows and dark colors. We look at this painting and keeping all in the information in mind, we pick up that this an hour of solemnity. This is contrasts from all the statue work we have seen today, but still falls in line, because although we don’t see a face, we are still giving enough objects to grasp the emotion of this painting. Her hands, the skull, the mirror, and the candlelight are enough to give us what we need to understand the sentiment of this painting. 

For the last artwork of this tour, This painting is called “The Rape of Tamar.“This oil on canvas was made by Eusatche Le Seur in 1614. This graphic scene tells the story of Tamar being raped by her half-brother Amnon. In the bible, II Samuel 13:1-22, Amnon was a son of David and fell inlove with Tamar. He convinced his friend to help set up a plan which consisted of Amnon faking a sickness and ordering that Tamar attend to him. When they were alone, he turned on her and raped her. After realizing what he had done, he sent her out of his chamber.When Tamar‘s brother, Absalom, realized what had happened, he had Amnon killed. Of course, the face of Tamar and Amnon really gives away the horror and chaos of the scene, but I want you to focus on what is going on in the rest of the painting. From behind them, we see a figure walking away, which we can guess is the friend. He could depict the betrayal that happened here. On the floor, we see objects fallen over. Notice also the movement that is in this picture. The robes of the man in the back are behind him. The white drape of Amnon is also all behind him, only covering his privates, the top of Tamar‘s dress has the same type of movement. Her hair is also in mid-air. Le Seur literally paints this scene in mid-moment right before the rape happens. By doing this, Le Seur accurately shows the chaos of this scene, and he does it in more than one way. He uses all of his canvas to his advantage to set this violent act in motion. The little things do matter in this painting. In taking in all of these things, we feel for Tamar because of the betrayal and the impulsiveness that comes from Amnon. With a painting like this, knowing the story is only the beginning in experiencing the horror of this act.  

Well ladies and gentleman, I really hoped you all enjoyed this short tour. It has been a pleasure taking you around the MET and showing you some of my favorites statues and paintings. I hope you were enammored by the different stories and emotions shown just as I was when I first learned of them. Feel free to roam around the rest of the museum and see what other stories you may find. Have a great day and enjoy the rest of your stay.

Final project Walking Tour

What I wanted to explore with this final project is the way that rulers were represented by their people through art more specifically sculptures. How differently they were carved, for example, I wanted to see how their facial features differed from region to region. I want to see if the body types are idealistic and unrealistic or if they are plausible and reasonable.

Roman

The Romans never really liked to hold back in their sculptures. They made sure they got the Rulers imperfections in their sculptures because they wanted to be realistic and make sure that people know exactly what their ruler looked like. An example is the piece above is a Bronze statue of the emperor Trebonianus Gallus they didn’t make him look as good as possible they gave him a gut and they made sure to carve in the wrinkles on the face of Trebonianus. Romans were influenced by Greek and Egyptian art when they took over their land. Roman art is usually seen as having less worth to the Greek pieces because the Greek art was first and it looks more ideal.

French

The French enjoyed making their leaders look strong in sculptures. Something that I have noticed when looking over the sculptures is that the leaders are always dressed up in a dignified way. This is a good example of how French leaders were represented. This is Louis XV and the king is shown wearing a suit of armor, a mantle thrown over his left shoulder, with the plaque and the ribbon of the Holy Spirit and the cordon of the Golden Fleece very high-class stuff. This sculpture is also made out of white marble a material that was used by the French in a lot of their early works where they later started to use bronze to sculpt.

Egypt

Ancient Egyptians had a very strong connection to religion they made their sculptures with deities from their times. They lived to please their gods so it made sense that they would add gods to their artwork. This has been identified as Sahure, the second ruler of Dynasty 5. Seated on a throne, the king is accompanied by a smaller male figure the local god of the Coptite nome. This deity offers the king an ankh (hieroglyph meaning “life”) with his left hand. This is a great example of Egyptian sculpting because the rulers of Egypt in these days were seen almost as gods. It would make sense that their rulers were Seen as higher than some gods and I think we don’t see a lot of sculptures like this because most other regions like to keep religion out of their sculptures and are more focused on making their leaders look good.

Greek

Greeks wanted to be perfect. The sculptures of emperors and royals from Greece usually have perfect figures. They give them 6 packs and a really lean and fit body they take away the imperfections from their faces so that they can look their best. The Greeks change everything that they can in order to make their leaders look perfect and give them this godlike aura they also used marble as it was popular to use. This example is a bit beaten up but you can see how she has no wrinkles unlike the Romans her skin is smooth and her face seems symmetrical and there is detail on her hair. This is showing the head of a Ptolemaic queen and she is really well made which sums up how Greek art is made.

Mayan

Mayan pieces of art are a lot different than anything else on this list because they weren’t really influenced by anyone else here because they were more isolated and didn’t really have contact with Europe. The material looks more like ceramics which is also unique as these other places use marble. Mayans also didn’t really care about looking good which is evident above the facial features aren’t even really even carved out with too much attention. What is shown in this sculpture is that the garments that they wear are important this is a king and his crown is fully carved out and attention to detail was very important as that is what showed dominance.

Conclusion

After looking at all these pieces It is evident that every generation influenced the next. Rulers were represented usually presented very powerful and a lot of these places tended to use marble as material to carve out of. What really connected all the early pieces is the fashion that they had. All the rulers were usually shirtless and wore nothing but their loincloth and their crowns or other pieces of importance. In conclusion, every work of art is unique however, you can see certain features being passed down from culture to culture and see the influence these cultures have had on each other.

Sources

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/318345

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2002.66/

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/543882

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/198766

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/247117

FINAL PROJECT: “The Art of Deceit”

“Art of Deceit” by Kristine Veras

In class before we spoke on the period of Roman Portraiture, and how Art wasn’t always accepted for reasons of it being viewed as deceitful or for allowing too much freedom of thought or expression, and eventually Verism, a form of realism art, started being incorporated into Art more. Art was looked down upon and instead, more realistic things such as government, philosophy etc were seen as ideal. If you look at the piece that I created, it’s a bunch of headlines surrounding some of the biggest political scandals in the background, each painted a different color to stand out not only as a whole but amongst one another so that the viewer can draw individual attention to each headline. In the foreground, here is an astronaut, the size of the entire canvas; therefore it’s relatively large compared to the headlines to also stand out. The purpose of the Astronaut being that one of the most relevant scandals, mysteries, “conspiracy theories” is surrounding whether the Moon landing was staged or not. When creating the piece I really wanted to capture the irony behind Art being unaccepted for being “Deceitful”, when really  one of the largest deceits, yet one of the most present and active ones in our lives, is the government. There’s also an irony in how Art itself can be a political statement about political statements and maybe that’s why it wasn’t accepted, it was seen as a potential danger. And that is the art of deceit.

Final Project Option #1- The Evolution of Realism in Art History

Juan Jose Hernandez

Art 1010

Prof. Gwendolyn Shaw

December 11th, 2018

Final Project- The Evolution of Realism in Art History

In art history, artists have developed and evolved over time, always bringing new styles of art. Although art can be interpreted and defined in many ways, in this case art is the way artist express themselves and apply certain skills in painting or sculpting in other to create a work of art. However, the way art is made has evolved over time as new artists have incorporated their innovative ideas into their work. One new movement of art is the incorporation of realism in art projects. Realism was developed by Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) who was a famous artist recognized and criticized for challenging the way painting had been made. He suggested that “‘painting is and essentially concrete art and can only consist in the representation of real and existing things’” (Finocchio, Ross, 2004) This means that the old method of exaggerating dimensions of the human body and making those look unnatural did not make art realistic. In art history realism has influenced the way art is perceived by people evolving to a more natural and realistic art rather than exaggerated dimensions and unnatural work of art.

Over time art has influenced the culture of many civilisations and usually artist paint or do sculptures in other to represent a period, or event or simply to express and idea. The way art was made in the 1400s was different from modern art.

Below is a painting of The Dead Christ, by Andrea Mantegna c.1480-

In the image above is illustrated Jesus Christ laying in a bed after he has been crucified on the cross. The wounds and wholes of his hands and feet are visible which and the portion of Jesus body is pulled down by gravity because all his muscles are stretched and loose. The rib-cage are also very stretched, however the body as a whole is very large and it seems unnatural. The feet are the first body part upfront and they look very small compared to the whole body of Jesus. Furthermore, the face of Virgin Mary and John illustrate agony as they mourn over the death of Jesus Christ. Virgin Mary is drying her tears but the proportions of her hands do not match how far her fingers can reach towards her eye because she has it covered. Although it seems as if it was very large. One more thing to be aware of is that the hands of John are very small as he holds them together into prayer. This painting is unrealistic and unnatural, although the event is very religious and accurate, Jesus is painted to be larger than Virgin Mary and John.

In the 1500s painting was being introduced with better and more realistic dimensions but artists were not quite there yet.

Below is an image of Plato, Aristotle and other ancient philosophers and mathematicians depicted in Raphael’s School of Athens painted by fresco in 1509-1511-

In this painting the period of the renaissance is being represented by the accommodation of various philosophers throughout the painting. In the 1500s there was a rebirth in the interest for Roman and Greek culture because humans were thought to be the center of the universe during the introduction of Humanism during the Renaissance. The concept is represented by the many philosophers and great thinkers coming together having papers (from the very first printing press invented by gutenberg) and showing exchange of ideas through conversations and thinking postures. However the painting is unnatural because was impossible for all ancient philosophers and mathematicians to come together before an artist to paint them. The thing to notice however is that landscape was being added to the methods of doing art. There is depth in the structure because the artist included clouds that can be seen through the windows. Furthermore, there is also a mirror’s reflection of the structure seen from the point of view of the men painted. Realism is intended here but not achieved.

Realism was finally introduced in the late 1840s after the French revolution, where the french population wanted democracy and later on artists drew their focus on everyday-life of men and woman of the working class. Here art became more realistic and natural. Natural things that everyday people do such as harvesting, or brushing hair, or having lunch at the park are some examples.

Below is a painting of The Gleaners (1857) by Jean Francois-Millet-

In the image above, three women are collecting the leftovers of the harvest, it required “hours of hunched-over labor would often be rewarded with a small amount of meal” (TheArtStory.org). This form of work was the lowest in the french society for peasant women. But he image is not altered. The artist saw a scene and decided to paint it. The body dimensions of the women are accurate and the landscape is also natural. The horse is well painted to a small size which makes it look far away. The colors of the painting make it look as late afternoon. Furthermore the trees and cattle are also well represented.

In all three images, changing from time to time, the artists have incorporated events in history in general. Artists began to focus on everyday life and working class people which gave art a natural aspect. The incorporation of realism is very important in art today. Art is defined in many ways by many individuals, but in order to express a natural event then realism must be used. Art might continue to evolve, and it should be exiting.

Final project

The Egyptian civilization is one of the most influential periods in human history. However the award for the most influential falls in the hands of the Greeks/Romans. The difference in Greek/Roman and Egyptian views of humanity in the world shows how humanity change overtime. Through more and more human discoveries, the more humanity moves into the center of the world. Humanism has changed how humans and other animals are depicted in Art.

Figure of a Cat, Saqqara, Egypt, 350 B.C.E. – 1st century C.E – Brooklyn Museum

This is a figure of a cat called Saqqara from Egypt 350 B.C.E. This cat would have been seen as a god or close to a god. Cats were handled with care and given the utmost respect from the people in Egypt. This cat was most likely treated better than the peasants and slaves. The reason for that was how people envisioned the world back then. There was nothing special about a human if they weren’t the Pharaoh. Cats, dogs and other animals were seen as high beings due to the fact that these gods were mixed with features of different animals. It is a great example for my theme because it shows how in Egyptian society, Humans were centered as much.

Statuette of Anubis, Egypt- 332–30 B.C.- Met

This figure is of the Egyptian god of embalming and death, Anubis. As I said before, certain animals had a certain importance because they had connections with gods. This is one example of an animal humanoid mixture. Anubis has a body of a human, but what anyone would recognize first would be head of a jackal. This is important to my theme because with the head of a jackal Anubis shows no real human emotions and is seen to be set apart from what a human being would be. The Egyptians made their gods so different from a human because they didn’t understand the world yet.

Roman statue of bearded Hercules- Met by Brandon Falls- Brooklyn Museum


This is statue is an image of Hercules. This is important because of what Hercules symbolizes. He symbolizes Humanism itself and how humanity has changed. He is the son of Zeus and Alcmene. This means his father was a god that mingled with human beings and had the same emotions of love and courtship as a regular human. This is a change from the past Egyptian beliefs of gods only having children with other gods. This shows that a god can come down and share the same emotional space as a human being. Obviously different from the past where gods showed no emotions to humans. Their best guest was that they angered the gods. This new system put humans in the center of the world along with the gods.

Sardonyx cameo fragment with Jupiter astride an eagle- 1st century B.C.–1st century A.D.- Met

For this figure i’ll be pointing out the animal representation in this piece from the Egyptian pieces. Unlike how animals were praised in the Egypt we see a change where animals are mere tools instead of worshipped. This has to do with Humanism. People believe themselves to be in the center of the world and more important than animals. Animals aren’t seen to be important until they are useful to be used by humans.

Latona and Her Children: Apollo and Diana- Met by William Henry Rinehart

This is the most important symbol that shows how Humanism changed the depiction of gods, people and animals. Here’s Lotana the mother of Apollo and Artemis, two powerful olympian gods. The reason this is important is because of the way it depicts these gods. This sculpture shows how humanism brings that gods down to a human level. This implies that gods came into existence through something like childbirth. Not only is Lotana caring for her children, if you look closer you can almost see the emotions in the picture. You can see her face admiring her children. Makes you feel as if those children were actual humans and not powerful gods.

Final Project Walking Tour

Walk in the Paths of Devotion

A Virtual Museum Tour Through Ancient Artworks

Divya Roy

Table of Contents

What is devotion…………………………………………… 1

Ancient Mesopotamia………………………………………………………………. 2

Ancient Egypt………………………………………………………………………… 3

Ancient Greece……………………………………………………………………….. 4

Ancient Rome………………………………………………………………………… 5

Renaissance…………………………………………………………………………… 6

What is Devotion

Devotion can be interpreted to mean a lot of different things. It is a form of “love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause” or in a religious perspective, devotion is to a deity, practiced through religious worship, prayers or religious observances. Art, especially ancient art, is a window through which one can see this psyche of people and the propensity of their devotion to a particular deity.

The art made by the artists is in fact a form of devotion, as the elements give so much depth about the subject and the artist.  Art is a form of devotion, such that when art changes so does devotion.

The MUSEUM TOUR

This museum tour will focus on multiple works of art from different eras and places in a journey to understand and get a grasp of the psychology behind devotion for the ancient peoples and its creators.

“True devotion is motivated by love alone and devoid of selfish entanglements.”

Indeed, there is no doubt that the works of art we will see today are made in devotion to the Gods of the time, a portion of love alone and devoid of selfish entanglements, as the art works speaks volumes through the intricate work about struggles and selflessness of the creators.

MESOPOTAMIA

Period: Neo-Sumerian

Date: ca. 2090 B.C.

Place: Mesopotamia

Classification: Stone-sculpture-inscribed

The work from a visual perspective tells of an important and revered subject. The subject in the statues is Gudea, a ruler of the state of Lagash. The statue demonstrates a very sophisticated level of craftsmanship for the time and even today. The inscription details the story of Gudea, and how the statue is dedicated to honor the Gods/goddesses by being placed in a temple. Each of the very fine detailing of stone, form the hat, to the fingers/toes and the inscription is telling of the value of this particular artwork. This is almost an offering to the Gods, as the art is sought to represent divinity and the craft something more than the natural.

EGYPT

For ancient Egyptians, the ideal pharaoh was a man in his young adulthood and in the prime of his life however, physical reality often tended to be less important as old men, women, or even babies who have the title of pharaoh could be viewed in this very ideal form. Therefore, the visual image especially portrayed in artworks becomes a relevant part of devotion. The representation of of the female Hatshepsut shows exactly that. The inscriptions for her depicted her with masculine and feminine grammar even though it states she is a woman.

This statue was one that stood in the grand doorway on the upper terrace of Hatshepsut’s temple.

Period: New Kingdom

Date: ca. 1479-1459 B.C.

Place: Upper Egypt

Greece

Ancient Greece was probably one of the more widely recognized civilizations for their devotion to the supernatural, as they worshipped multiple Gods, each with a distinct character and quality. The Hellenists, like many ancient civilizations used there Gods as a way for making sense of the chaos in the world, and form an origin for human life.

The most intriguing aspect of devotion in my perspective is that, the Greeks were able to form devotion through the mundane. In a sense incorporating religion and devotion into their everyday life, so much so that they are constantly reminded of it in every part of their day. Below is a simple vase depicting the story Perseus being sent to obtain the head of Medusa by King Polydektes.

 

Period: Classical

Date: 450-440 B.C.

Place: Attic Greece

Classification: Vases

ROME

The ancient Roman era gives a different portrayal in devotion. The deities become dramatically similar in physiology to human beings. The devotion though still to a deity, shifts to the ideal image of human beings. The musculature and bone structure become highly emphasized for the ancient Romans. In a sense, this marks the beginning of a human superiority complex, and devotion starts to become self-centered. Because artists were able to portray the human body so keenly, the devotion toward the “human” becomes even more stronger. The athlete’s body was highly idealized and emphasized during this time.

Name: Marble Statue of Bearded Hercules

Period: Early Imperial, Flavian

Date: 68-98 AD

Classification: Stone sculpture

RENAISSANCE

During the time of Renaissance, devotion becomes more focused and organized, as Christianity starts to take root among the people. People looked to a man named Jesus Christ as their savior. Because of Jesus’ narrative, paintings came of real value and emotion, like all other arts discussed. Jesus’ story became a center of focus, as it was so painful, touching and moving. Every aspect of Christ’s life was poured out into paintings. Especially, his climatic moments on Earth, were emphasized. The last supper became a symbolic element of the church to come together in communion and join the community in a union even after the leader’s death. The painting of the last supper became an emblem for community and worship.

Name: Last Supper

Date: 1325-30

Place: Italy

Classification: Painting

 

Annotated Bibliography 

Ziegler, Joanna E. “Michelangelo and the Medieval Pietà: The Sculpture of Devotion or the Art of Sculpture?” Jstor, 1995, www-jstor-org.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/stable/pdf/767122.pdf. 

This article focuses on how reacting to Flemish models Michelangelo remained consistent in his views of art. He radically redefined the enterprise of the sculpture and sculpture making and also art itself. He did so by making the sculptures inviolable (due to the change of material from wood to marble) and resistant to the physical transformations. I particularly took interest in this article because it was seen that the Flemish works have been associated with devotion and in ritualistic proceedings. This transformation in art as a consequence of Michelangelo explores how devotion becomes tested when art transforms.

“IWonder – Why Does the Art of Ancient Greece Still Shape Our World?” BBC News, BBC,2017www.bbc.com/timelines/z99tn39.

This research site goes into the specific of Greek art in chronological time while incorporating with its history. And we see, that Greek art often becomes a reminder for future generations about previous generations, it was a way of carrying down legacies. This is why art is important to the Greeks. Ancient art especially carries down the traditions of ancient Greek people, and allowing them to overwhelmingly present in everything gives a constant reminder to Greeks about who they are and who they were.

“Renaissance Art.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 1 Jan. 2018, www.history.com/topics/renaissance/renaissance-art.

This website really helped to give a full understanding of Renaissance art and especially why it was important in Christianity. This helps draw the importance of Christ in almost all of Renaissance paintings and other artworks. The role serves a bigger purpose to unite the Christian community.

“Hatshepsut.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, 2010, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544446.

This website explores why gender was not an issue in Egyptian art work as their idealized figure always remained universal in all of the artworks. This becomes an important aspect in devotion as the role or title of pharaoh was to be devoted to rather than the individual identity.

NĂSTĂSOIU, DRAGOŞ GH. .. “Patterns of Devotion and Traces of Art.” Umeni / Art, vol. 64, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 29–43. EBSCOhost,ezproxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aft&AN=114579735&site=ehost-live

The article provides an analysis of art history and patterns of devotion by referring to the pilgrimage of Queen Elizabeth Piast to Marburg, Cologne, and Aachen, Germany in 1357. Following the journey, the reader becomes convinced that there is infact a connection between art and devotion and two are inseparable.

 

 

Final Project: Shift of Focus in Ancient Egyptian, Greek, & Roman Art

Sharona Abramova

ARTD 1010 – 9:30 AM

Professor Shaw

Final Essay

Shift of Focus in Art History

Throughout history, art has been a way to understand what was going on during that era. It also has had an influence for the future generations. In civilizations such as Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia, the focus of their works of art were the gods. The focus in art shifted from Gods in Egyptian art to humans in Greek & Roman art. This is known as Humanism. The Greeks & Romans believed that humans should be celebrated equal to or even more so than the Gods in their artwork. The art of the Greeks and Romans is known as classical art.

The Brooklyn Museum

Meretseger

EGYPTIAN, CLASSICAL, ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ART Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty

ca. 1479–1400 B.C.E.

 

As seen here, there was an emphasis that was made on the Gods in Egyptian artwork. This goddess, whose name means “she who loves silence,” has a woman head and a cobra’s body. An animal with a human head is a common thing Egyptians did in art. Some background information is that as a local deity, Meretseger guarded the Valley of the Kings, where monarchs were placed in a tomb, and the village of craftsmen who worked there. Though a dangerous animal, her purpose was to protect the workers in the valley, and also sometimes those that did wrong things. Gods were the focus in the art pieces showing superiority over human beings. This is seen in the artwork because Meretseger is not portrayed as a human being.  This shows that the gods were special because they were portrayed in a different kind of appearance compared to humans because of their animal body and were the focus in Egyptian art. 

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)

Marble statue of a kouros (youth)

Ancient Greece, Attic

ca. 590–580 B.C

This sculpture shows how humans became the center in art. This is one of the earliest marble statues of a human figure carved in Attica. Ideas were still taken from history. For example, the rigid stance, with the left leg forward and arms at the side was from Egyptian art. The statue marked the grave of a young Athenian aristocrat. These sculptural types displayed nudity, highlighting their unique hairstyles and abstracted musculature. He is standing while being nude to depict equality & to represent that the physical structure of humans were the same regardless of their social hierarchy.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)

Marble statue of Hermes

Roman

1st or 2nd century A.D.

The Greeks had a major influence on Roman art. This sculpture depicts a built, muscular man standing in a more confident pose in nudity. Humans, like in Greek art, were the core in Roman art. It is a Roman replica of a statue attributed to Polykleitos. Romans tend to add a touch of humor to their artwork and that’s what made them unique.
The art of the Egyptians served a different purpose than the art of the later cultures. Egyptian art was meant to benefit a divine. However, it still did influence Greek & Roman artists. The art of the Egyptians was functional and created for a practical purpose. On the other hand, the later art was intended to be for aesthetic pleasure. The statues made by the Greeks held the spirit of the god or the deceased. The Egyptians thought of art as “functional above everyone else” (Mark, 2017). The idea of “art for art’s sake” was not familiar to them. If they saw how their art is displayed at museums nowadays, it would be incomprehensible to them. Egyptian art is still admired for its beauty and one of the reasons is that they placed a value in symmetry. Egyptian art is often criticized for being not refined because there was a lack of emotion/expression on the face, always 2D, & no light/shadow in the compositions. However, Egyptians did this on purpose. They thought that a spirit of the deity would need to represented the way they are in the pieces of art in order for the soul to continue its journey in the after life and had to survive in some form on earth.
Classical art by the Greeks & Romans owes its influence to the sheer beauty of humanity. Greece was conquered by Rome in 146 BC & that’s why Greek art had a major influence on Roman art. Romans even made copies of Greek art. They believed that a copy of an artwork doesn’t have less value than the original. The copies did often have variations to them. They often added a touch humor to some somber/serious elements portrayed in Greek artwork. They had an ability to adapt & uniquely combine their inspirations from previous centuries & that’s makes Roman art Roman.
Humanism is used in Greek & Roman art and it celebrates mankind by putting an emphasis on the human body. Humanism in different art sculptures evolved as it put more detailing on the body structures and face. They emphasized the body of man by making them have certain poses and different face expressions. Egyptian art focused more on deities & gods to honor them and put them at the center. On the other hand, Greek & Roman art focused on humans and how they’re the center of events.

 

Works Cited

Ancient Egyptian art

Introduction to ancient Greek art

Introduction to ancient Roman art

https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Art/

Gift Voucher Game 100K

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4178

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/253370

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/254925

 

Final Project Option 1

Zachary Troyano

Art 1010 Final Paper

Prof. Shaw

11/27/18

 

 

Both Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat explored the depths of American culture in their respective art work. Warhol ­­­­­­­first met Basquiat when out to dinner at a restaurant with curator Henry Geldzahler, when Basquiat approached Warhol to sell him postcards with his artwork on them.1 In their art, both artists represented and created a unique American identity they explored within the overarching themes of their work. Warhol, significantly older than Basquiat, started his career earlier, in the 1960’s. His art focused greatly on the rapidly changing and turbulent landscape of America during that time. Advertisements interested him greatly, he saw them every day as America was quickly evolving into a capitalist empire. His artwork reflected the changes he saw, often he would use corporate symbols and household objects and turn them or transfuse them into art. Along with his exploration of overwhelming advertisements, Warhol also focused his art on celebrity culture, another emerging staple of the time. America, and more specifically, American media, had a rapidly growing and intertwined relationship with celebrities. Warhol saw this obsession and chose to capture it and further develop that unique American identity. He would make large scale prints of the faces of celebrities and notable figures of the time. Often, he would distort the colors of their face and alter certain pigments to cast them in a different or unfamiliar light. After Warhol had cemented his name in art history, Basquiat entered the art world in the 1980’s as a street and graffiti artist. Basquiat gained instant notoriety in the art community and he soon found himself a major focus in the art scene. His work explored institutionalized racism in America and social hierarchies based on skin color. He also worked in themes of power structure dynamics and oppression. Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol created a unique American identity within their art, both individually and in their joint collaborations.

 

“Marilyn”, Andy Warhol 1967

 

This print of Marilyn Monroe is an example of Warhol creating an unique American identity within his art. Marilyn Monroe was arguably the most famous actress in the world during the 1950’s and 1960’s. She was featured on the cover of magazines, starred in movies, even allegedly had an affair with President John F. Kennedy. In every way, she was a staple of American culture during the time Warhol was making his art. In this print, Warhol chooses only to include Monroe’s head, almost like a celebrity headshot, and saturates and alters the color on her face to make her face slightly less familiar and different from what we are used to seeing her as. Often Warhol replicated the print several times and pasted them one after another, almost stacked on top of each other. On the repetitions of the faces Warhol once said, “The more you look at the same exact thing, the more the meaning goes away, and the better and emptier you feel.”2 It was America’s unhealthy obsession with Monroe that ultimately led to her downfall and death, and Warhol aimed to capture the emerging American celebrity culture with these prints of Monroe and other famous figures.

 

 

“Hollywood Africans” Jean-Michel Basquiat 1983

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This painting was inspired after Basquiat’s visit to California with a few other artist friends.3 It highlights many typical Basquiat features, such as written words, words crossed out, the crown and copyright logos. The painting is a reflection on America and Americans media’s unhealthy relationship with African Americans. It explores ideas of racism with the “GANGSTERISM” written near the bottom of the painting. It demonstrates the power structure dynamics and social hierarchies that exist in America that often misrepresent and oppress African Americans. The writings of, “sugarcane” and “tax free” is a commentary on slavery used for importing goods. Basquiat, in this painting, is building upon a unique American identity. He is highlighting injustices and institutionalized racism that exist in America and expressing them through his art.

 

 

 

“Bananas” Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol 1985

 

 

This painting is one of 140 collaborations between Basquiat and Warhol.4 It features many overarching themes present in their solo careers that represent the unique American identity they each created in their art. For Warhol, we see familiar the familiar themes of, “The social and commercial fever of the modern world– advertising, celebrity, hero wordship…”5 The large corporate “General Electric” logo is featured prominently and is also inverted. There are various price signs scattered throughout. Basquiat chooses to draw and paint inexpensive things like nickels and glasses of milk, representing the power structure dynamics and hierarchies built to oppress African Americans. This joint collaboration features some of the themes each artist used to create their unique American identity within their art.

 

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol both saw something in American culture that not many other artists could capture. What each artist saw and experienced were entirely different from the other, but both artists have created a uniquely American identity through the themes present in their art work. Warhol uses themes crude and overwhelming advertisements, a staple to American culture during the 1960’s, to create that identity, as well as themes celebrity culture and hero worship. His art featured prints of various celebrities and notable figures of the time, as well as corporate logos and symbols. Basquiat explores themes of institutionalized racism and social hierarchies that exist in America to oppress African Americans. His art also captures the power structure dynamics of American culture and its relationship with African Americans throughout history. Even their collaborations were a commentary on what they saw in American society during their lives. Both Basquiat and Warhol created an idiosyncratic American identity that existed within the recurring themes of their respective art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

1: “Warhol and Basquiat: The Art World’s Most Notorious Bromance.” Sleek Mag, www.sleek-mag.com/article/warhol-basquiat-bromance/.

2: Warhol, Andy. “Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe 1967.” Lee Bontecou. Untitled. 1959 | MoMA, www.moma.org/collection/works/61240.

3: “Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hollywood Africans, 1983.” Hopper Drawing | Whitney Museum of American Art, whitney.org/WatchAndListen/1326.

4: Laing, Olivia. “Race, Power, Money – the Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 Sept. 2017, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/sep/08/race-power-money-the-art-of-jean-michel-basquiat.

5: Teeman, Tim. “The Whitney Museum’s Andy Warhol Show Is More Than His Greatest Hits.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 7 Nov. 2018, www.thedailybeast.com/the-whitney-museums-andy-warhol-show-is-more-than-his-greatest-hits?ref=scroll.

 

 

 

ART 1010 – Final Project

Sadika Chowdhury

Art 1010 Final Paper

Prof. Shaw

12/10/18

The Role of Women in the Ancient World

Art is a huge part of ancient history. Ancient art provides insight from the past about many different civilizations. Ancient art displays the scenarios of society, cultures, and traditions of the ancient world. It reflects the life of people during that period as well as the role each plays, including, man, women, children, and God. In artworks from early civilizations such as Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Roman and Ancient Greek women were represented differently in each civilization. The way women were portrayed in art tells much about the status and roles of women in society and the place where men wanted them. Since prehistoric times women have been portrayed in art, giving an impression of the perception the artist and the culture they lived in, had of women. In ancient Greece, the main role of women in Greek society was as a wife bearing and raising children. The wives also performed women’s work which included spinning, weaving, baking bread, cooking, serving, cleaning, and fetching water. Women were not inferior to men in many ways. Men and women had different roles in ancient Greek society. Their role did not encourage women to excel in the areas that men took on. The men felt the women should be subservient to the men and men were head of the family. Similarly, in ancient Roman, women also seemed like someone in charged of taking care of family, children, and husband, they were in charge of taking care household, but the men were the head of the household. Women’s role can be seen in art as lower than man; women were not allowed to vote or rule. Since women did not usually have a public role, it emphasizes not actions she took in life but rather the characteristics which the Romans considered to be those of an ideal wife. For this reason in women in ancient Roman artworks seemed inferior socially. In ancient Egypt, although men and women had different roles in society. However, unlike in many ancient civilizations, women were much more free, although they were not equal with men, both men and women in ancient Egypt accepted that everyone had their roles in the natural order of the universe and that the roles of men and women were different. In the art, from the formal paintings on tombs, the Egyptian stereotype of a woman was that of wife and mother, the husband being the head of the household. She worked indoors (mostly), out of the Egyptian sun, so her skin was lighter than that of her male counterparts. When she died, she was painted red, as were the men, as this was the color of rebirth.

Shabty of Lady Sati

Artist: Unknown

Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Date:  ca. 1390-1352 B.C.E.

Museum: Brooklyn Museum

Civilization: Ancient Egypt

This is the tomb of a woman, who is in the process of gender transformation. The ancient Egyptians believed that for a deceased woman to rebirth, she had to turn into a man. The woman transforms into a man to conceive herself so she can be reborn into the afterlife and live out eternity as a woman. Then, they were believed to come to life in the afterlife and help the deceased, especially with agriculture and manual labor. In the eyes of ancient Egyptians, the woman in this tomb has become a man, since she has a male face and hands since they are colored red, the “male” color. This use of color magically transformed her into a male being. In ancient Egyptian art, the color separate the gender, women were usually shown with whitish-yellow skin and men were shown with reddish-orange skin. A red face and hands also identified the deceased with the sun-god, Re, who traveled in a boat across the sky by day and into the land of the dead at night. This woman’s “male” red skin gave her access to transportation to the next life in the god’s boat. According to the Brooklyn Museum’s exhibition some background information from “A Woman’s Afterlife: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt” states that “the ancient Egyptians believed that in human reproduction it was the man who created the fetus, transferring it to the woman during intercourse, rebirth was impossible for a woman alone.” This clearly demonstrates the role of women in ancient Egypt, they were viewed as weak, they have to be supported by the men, and the men get full credits for her rebirth and even for to reproduce and conceive a child.

Queen Nefertari being led by Isis

Artist: Charles K. Wilkinson

Date: ca.1279–1213 B.C.

Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Civilization: Ancient Egypt

This artwork displays queens Nefertari, who was the main wife of Pharaoh Ramses II. This watercolor depicts the queen being led by the goddess Isis. Note that it shows Nefertari without her husband, Ramses II, this indicating the queen’s high status that allowed her to interact with the deities without him directly. In the article “Women in Ancient Times” reveals a different aspect of women role in ancient Egypt, it talks about Cleopatra and Nefertiti. It states “she single-handedly controlled the most powerful throne at that time for 21 years (51– 12 August 30 BCE). She was the last active pharaoh of Egypt…Even during her exile and the Roman Civil War, she remained true to her title and held her own until her death at age 39.” this article also mentions that “Nefertiti reined Egypt with her husband Akhenaten until 1330 BCE, sometime before Cleopatra. She ruled briefly alone after her husband’s death. She changed the way women were viewed from a political and leadership standpoint.” Example of these two great women of ancient Egypt demonstrates that ancient Egypt was not entirely man-dominated, women role was also important, it did provide women with some rights, freedom, and control, unlike other civilizations.

Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure (“Hope Dionysos”)

Artist: Pacetti, Vincenzo

Date: 27 B.C.–A.D. 68

Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Civilization: Ancient Roman

This is a figure of Dionysos, god of wine and divine intoxication. He is wearing a panther skin over his short chiton and his high sandals with animal heads on the overhanging skin flaps. He is also standing beside and leaning on a female figure. The size of the man and the woman figure in this artwork tells a lot of the role each play in the ancient Roman Society. The man figure is tall, the woman in short even though she is standing on a high stone, this is portraying the fact that no matter how hard the woman try she will still be below the man, and never will be able to reach the same height as the man. Also, it illustrates that woman and man are not equal; man is more superior. The male figure is leaning on the female figure’s head as if he is resting his arm which indicates that in Roman society a woman’s role is to take care of the family, children, husband, and to make sure the man is satisfied. In the article “The Role of Women in the Roman World” states “Roman women had a very limited role in public life. They could not attend, speak in, or vote at political assemblies and they could not hold any position of political responsibility…women were closely identified with their perceived role in society the duty of looking after the home and nurture a family.” This explains the artwork “Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure,” which reflects the role of women in ancient Roman society as inferior to men. Women and man had very different levels of status, and women were under incharge of man, there in the statue, the man put his arm on the woman’s head as displaying that she is his property and under his control.

Terracotta lekythos (oil flask)

  

Artist: Unknown

Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1931

Date: ca. 550–530 B.C.

Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Civilization: Ancient Greece

The art in this vase represents the women’s role in ancient Greece society. It displays women are making woolen clothes. One of the most important responsibilities of women in Ancient Greek society was the preparation of wool and the weaving of cloth. In the center of the vase, two women work at an upright loom. To the right, three women weigh wool. Farther to the right, four women spin wool into yarn, while between them finished cloth is being folded. Similar to Roman society, Women in the ancient Greek world had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman’s place was in the home, taking care of the home, raising children, preparing food and cook, and weave cloth. They journeyed outside of the home to fetch water and to attend festivals. In the article “Women in Classical Greece” Hemingway states that “young girls between the ages of five and puberty were selected to serve the goddess Artemis in her sanctuary at Brauron. As “little bears,” they acted out the role of untamed animals that eventually would be domesticated through marriage.” This indicates that there were many rules, rituals, regulations, restrictions, and societal norms associated with women, and these apply from birth and late as the age of five. In ancient Greek culture, Women didn’t have any rights. The men had all the power over them. In fact, this system is called patriarchy, when the father of the oldest male figure is the head of the household. Women were not even allowed to eat and sleep in the same room with men. Therefore, many of the Greek artworks portraits women doing activities inside the house, and surrounded by women, just as displayed in the vase artwork.

Hence, art tells stories, and if we look deeper into ancient history, we can see that the depiction of women in art, which tells the story of women during that period. Throughout the ancient world, women were portrayed and treated differently in their society. They were bounded by the rules, regulations, norms, rituals, and expectations. Different civilizations have displayed the role of women differently. Although in ancient Egyptian culture, women were much freer compared to ancient Greece and ancient Rome, but not all the women in ancient Egypt had that same opportunity to live freely, only high-class women had that in favor. One societal perception which was common in all of these civilizations which is women’s role in the society was inferior, while men were the superior in all the cultures. And perhaps still today, we can often see around the world how people still fighting for gender equality, equal pay, and equal rights. It is important to acknowledge and visit the ancient history and compare the fact that it has been over centuries, but still today the role of women have remained the same in many countries in the world. Since in the world women are still fighting for their rights and seeking for their position in society, it indicates that the societal perception of men and women’s role have always remained the same as the ancient time; we have just moved on with the time, but our ancient attitude have stayed in our head.

 

Works Cited

Cartwright, Mark. “The Role of Women in the Roman World.” Ancient History    Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 22 Feb. 2014, www.ancient.eu/article/659/the-role-of-women-in-the-roman-world/.

Hemingway, Colette. “Women in Classical Greece.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wmna/hd_wmna.htm (October 2004)

Livermore, Melina. “Women in Ancient Times.” Art News Portal, 26 Oct. 2016, www.artnewsportal.com/art-news/women-in-ancient-times

“A Woman’s Afterlife: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt.” Organized by Edward Bleiberg, Brooklyn Museum: The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, 15 Dec. 2016, www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/womans_afterlife_ancient_egypt.

Artworks from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Brooklyn Museum