Last Post #9

I started this quarter knowing a little bit like some artists and some different time period, but not too much. Each section we learned about had things I liked and didn't like. As a whole there was no section I liked more it was more of just different artists or paintings. For example, one artist I enjoyed studying this quarter was Albrecht Durer, he had so many different self portraits and each one was completely different than the others. This made me very curious as to why he would portray himself so different and so many times, I really didn't get that answer. Though the idea that he saw himself being many different people is entertaining because it's like a child with their imagination they can be anyone they want and in his paintings so can he.

I really enjoy specific paintings the most and I have a lot more I really like then I thought I would. There are a couple I like more though, which the first one is Jan van Eyck's "Double Portrait of a Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife"(560). At first I did not think much of it, but the more I looked and learned about it the more I liked it. He used a good mix of colors that gives the painting the natural look, then on her he puts a bright green that makes her stand out and draws your eye to her. The main reason I love this painting is for the details he has in it, the details brings my mind to think I'm looking at a photo even if I know I am not. I enjoy the fabrics because his paintings show the stitching and the fur trimmed bottom with some on the inside. It is amazing to me every time, I know I can say that a lot though every time it surprises me that that can be done even though I've seen it before. The greatest detail he has is the mirror in the background that shows the entire painting from the back including Jan van Eyck painting it. I also find this painting to be interesting because of the hidden messages he has like the candles over him being lit and the candles over her not. Which brought art historians to think of the painting in a different way with a different meaning then they originally had.

When I first looked at this prompt I had a different painting in mind but after reading the book and watching the lecture I found Joseph Mallord William Turner's "Slavers throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying..."(954) to be one of my new favorites! At first I just saw the colors which made this painting stand out to me. I didn't even see the ship or the people because I was in awe with the colors. I feel the title describes this well because the colors show the waves in different looks that make them look like a storm. Even though this painting doesn't have detailed work, it makes you live in that moment. The warm colors make you feel the emotions of the situation happening and the anger of the storm with the yellows and blues of the distress their having. This is a really strong painting even if it doesn't look like all the other paintings.

All in all, we studied a lot of different of art eras, and styles and I liked a lot of different works but there was never one specific time period or style it was different works from each of them. Also I enjoyed learning about the different art works this quarter.

Early 18th Century

While listening to this weeks lecture I learned that back in the early 18th century Jean-Antoine Watteau is compared to the modern day Thomas Kinkade, this fact got my attention since I have family that love him. So, even though I saw and read about many artist, then saw their amazing works of art the main name that stuck with me was Jean-Antoine Watteau, that is why I choose to pick one of his works of art. The piece I picked is Pierrot formerly known as Gilles, made in 1719.
There are few art works by Watteau that are well know, while he has painted a lot more then just a few. I found great difficulties finding research on his works of art besides the few works of art found in the text book. There was one main website I found that gave me info on all different aspects of this art work (http://www.artble.com/artists/antoine_watteau/paintings/pierrot_formerly_known_as_gilles).The painting main subject,the boy in the white clothes, Pierrot meaning a few different things like actor, or masquerader is also a type of character in Commedia dell'Arte know to be the fool. This type of character is common in many different types of stories from all different time periods because he is the character that is meant to be left heartbroken. "Traditionally, the Pierrot's love interest, Columbine, leaves him for Harlequin", but even after that has happened he is still the trustworthy guy. Some people believe that Watteau painted this work to represent himself, though it hasn't been proven. This work of art has a hidden story the doesn't really show right away. It wasn't until I looked up information on in till I realized the story, but once I figured it out it became a lot more interesting on the back story of the painting because its link to theatre. This is also not his only painting to revolve around the theatre which is really interesting.

There are other characters portrayed in this work of art the other's being "the doctor on his donkey, the lovers Leander and Isabella, and the captain".

This painting composition is very interesting to look at because you have the main figure that draws the attention of the eye for many reason one being his clothes are bigger and the white makes them pop. When you look at the figures face you see sadness in his eyes, he even seems slightly lonely. This work of art has shadows from a light source that shapes the figures face and his form, while also shining a light on the people below.

At first I didn't know what to think of this painting. By just looking at it I knew it had a good composition and a good ton, but I wasn't sure what it showing. Though after I did research I found this painting to mean so much more and I kept wanting to learn more.

Baroque Art post #7

I chose option one.

Michelangelo's "David", on page 642 of the textbook, shows many different characteristics of the Renaissance time period. The main one being naturalism in the form of the body and also in the expression on his face. these features are the ones that make you relate to the sculpture because it looks like its a guy somewhere off the street. When looking at it would see a young man in a relaxed but strength position. This position looks staged like its super fake, which to me sort of kills the idea of naturalism is a way. Though by it not being a natural position it shows us some signs of idealism to make him seem strong, prefect and flawless. By "Davids" body weight being put on his right foot and his left arm holding what looks to be a small bag over his shoulder, with his head in portrait style it shows a strong sense of harmony and balance in the sculpture. When all the aspects of common characteristics of its time this sculpture is appealing and that's why it draws attention.
While Bernini's "David" has some off the same characteristics of the Renaissance "David" it is Baroque Style. Baroque art has Incorporated parts of Renaissance art into there style but has also rejected aspects too. Bernini "David" shows naturalism in the position of the body, like it is action. It also shows it naturalism in David's facial expression like he has something to do and he will get it done. There really isn't idealism in this sculpture but you could see it in some Baroque artworks. When you first look its hard to see harmony but the longer you look the more visible it becomes, Like even though his body is almost all to one side him having the side bag and the fabric on the opposite side give it a balanced feel. This "David" looks show him to be a strong working man like he is on or is about to get off the battlefield.
Though both Sculptures are of the same man they are completely different from one another. they both are made of marble but the marble used by Bernini emphyisis the dirty, hardworking feel by having it infused with brown and black spots and lines. While to me David was always described to be a child or teenager I find the Baroque statue more realistic to the story because of his being in action even if he looks like he is a lot older. Both statues hit the key point of the muscles and the small pouches that make you realize that it is David. These works of art have some of the same qualitys and some very different quailtys that show they are from two different time periods, but can come together to show the same things in different ways.

16th Century art in Northern Europe

I chose option one.
Albrecht Durer was a German artist in the 15th and 16th Centuries. He lived in Nuremberg, during there golden age. Though out his life he was the first to do many things which changed the look of art to the modern styles. He creates many self portraits in many different settings and styles. Durer was also the first artist to use the printing press to make multiple copies of of his work so many people could own the same art work. This impacted the way things were made and used though out Europe. His works of arts were sent all over at that point he became international noticed and were famous for for his monogram that was his signature. Durer ego was built on by his trip to Italy where his outlook on artist changed to them being "noble intellectuals, participants in humanistic discourse, purveyors of ideas as well as pictures".
Though out his years he had many self portraits. Each painting was different and had him looking different then the one before.
The 1500 self portrait (page 676) is the one that is most famous of himself. It was created in a time that had used the three quarter view, but his is straight on because he made him self resemble Christ. When you look at it, it looks like he's starting right into your soul when really he's staring at himself making him feel himself through his eyes. For this painting he even painted his hair a different color to match Christ's hair. His self Portraits always showed great depth hidden within the painting. Normally you would think something like this would be blasphemous, but during that time the Christian devotion was to imitate Christ in the believer's own life. Durer had Italianate feature in his works of art from his time in Italy. For example, he uses a triangular composition which fit in with the harmony and balance. Then he draws on early Northern Europe art by the surface texture emphasised the most in the fur collar of his clothes.
All in all, his works of art has made art the modern type it is today. He changed the way people think of different types art.

Mannerism/ Late Renaissance post #5

I picked option number one.
Pontormo's Entombment shows Mannerism in many areas and ways. First off the figures are elongated, like the torso of the person holding the body of Christ from behind it is a lot longer than the rest of the body parts. Second it has a definite lack of balance in most of the figures in this painting, especially with the person at the very bottom there is no way possible they would be able to hold up the weight of Christ's body while squatting on their tip toes. Third there are twisted compositions of the body. For example, Christ lower body is nicely sitting on the shoulders of the guy holding him up, but the upper body is twisted so that it looks like he is trying to face forward. There is also a girl at the top that is leaning slightly forward and to the side in a position that looks very uncomfortable and maybe even slightly painful. Last the composition as a whole is very uncomfortable looking, like they couldn't actually stand like that for a very long time.
The second paint I used Parmigianino's Madonna with the long neck is also a very visibly Mannerist painting. First the main figure or Madonna has a very stretched neck with long hands and larger thighs for the actual size of her body. There is also the baby that looks a lot older because of how it is stretched out and elongated. This painting has a lot of out stretched figures and body parts. Second I was going to say that there wasn't a lack of balance, but then I could see what she was sitting on so it made me believe that she might not be sitting on a chair so it gives it a slight lack of balance. Third, there is some twisted figures in this painting the main on is the baby the Madonna is holding his lower body lays out straight across her legs while as it goes to where her hand and skin meet the baby begins to twist. Then at his head it is twisted the other way as if she is not supporting his head. This painting has almost all the characteristics of a Mannerism painting.
Both of these works of art have some similarities and a couple differences. They both defiantly have a strong usage of unrealistic body proportion that makes them seem as if it was deformed or different then you would think it was. Also they both have many twisted figures even with the differences in the amount of people in each one. They do have some differnces. For exmaple, I don't think that the Madonna painting has an unconfortable composition, but I do this the Entombment does. Also while the Entombment painting has a lot of lack in balance, I don't feel the Madonna one does.
All in all, while these two art works from Pontormo and Parmigianino have similarities and differences they both visually look like they are from the Mannerist time period.

High Italian Renaissance Art post #4

I chose to do option number one.
From the early Renaissance period I picked Masaccio's "The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise". This painting was painted in 1427 and is a fresco which is very common in that day and age. While it is very faded from its original look, it has so aspects of naturalism from Adam and Eve with the way there body's are in motion to the curves of the body parts. For example, Adams stomach curves to indicate the abs and shading around parts of the knee to give it depth. The expressions on their face really show how they were feeling as this was happening. The whole painting has a light source that looks like it's angled from the front left of them because the shadows are more toward the front of the painting. The painting has a good sense of balance from top to bottom highlighting the main parts while drawing your attention to different parts. The angel gives the illusion that she is behind them pushing them out and not just flying on top of them. This painting as a whole has almost all the characteristics of its time period.
From the High Renaissance period I picked Leonardo da Vinci's "The Virgin of the Rocks". This was painted in 1485 and is a oil painting which is the medium that was becoming popular. It has a sort of cloudy effect that gives it a mystic illusion ism feeling. The cloudy look comes from sfumato (a smoky effect). Leonardo's painting has realism all through it with the virgin looking innocent with what looks like she's watching the children in front of beautiful rock formation with a waterfall. If it was brighter it would look like a photograph and not just a painting because it's that realistic. The painting has a strong light source that looks to be coming from the left side or the figures right side as you can see by the shadows on the faces of the figures. You can also see light from the plants on the bottom left hand corner. Both paintings have some of the same aspects.
As you can see, both artwork's from the High Renaissance and from the Early Renaissance they have a majority of the same quality's. They also follow their time periods characteristics very well. They both have qualities that make them real looking making them natural or realistic. they also both have shadows that give the painting definition like the figures and the scenery. Masaccio's painting has more raw emotion in its details then Da Vinci's who's has a slight emotional effect, but really just silent. Even with their differences and similarities they both tell a story and speak a message.

Early Italian Renasissance art Blog # 3

For my formal analysis post I chose to do David, created by Donatello, is a statue of David after his defeat of Goliath. This statue was constructed between 1446 and 1460, it is made from bronze. The statue is approximately five feet two and one fourth inches tall. This piece of art work has many of the characteristics of that time period, the main one being naturalism and with a strong sense of balance and harmony.
Donatello really brings idealism and naturalism to life right in front of our eyes right down to the height of the sculpture. The height of the David statue is about the size of a teenage boy, he even has the baby looking face that shows innocence's. The body of the figure has slight muscles around the arms and abs, but nothing like the soldiers of older males who have six pack abs and rippling muscles all over their bodies. David's body show youth all over like he's just hitting puberty, so he's not really strong. Actually when I first look at the statue I think of a boy filled with imagination and a lot of adventure, mainly because the hat with leafs that form a head band. The upper half of the body has a lot of details that bring it to live especially in the head area with each individual leaf matted to the metal looking war hat. The hat also has a few leafs at the top around the point at the top. As you travel down the body you can see his weapons for fighting the stone in one hand and the sword that's too big for him in the other. At the very bottom is where Donatello does the most details. For example, the shields on his calves have engraved designs and symbols. Also it looks like he is stepping on feather with one foot on the head of Goliath. Goliaths head has details on the helmet that looks like it shows a story, and his eyes are closed with his beard hair sticking straight out. The many details in this amazing work of art bring it to life and give it the naturalism with idealism that Donatello was going for. I for one think he did a great job of naturalism with every part of the work.
While this sculpture shows naturalism it also is asymmetrical though it still has balance. David's left arm bent with his hand on his hip balances out the fact the right arm is out holding a sword to the ground. Though the sword is longer than the arm you would think that it would still be off balance, but then you see at the bottom opposite of the sword you see the head of Goliath that gives the final touches to the asymmetrical balance of the David statue. The Harmony that the statue has I feel has to do with the emotions that can see from the statue like the playful emotion of youth, the happiness from winning the battle, the mature feeling of growing up and become a man. There are so many emotions in this statue from all different parts of it that you would think that it would be crazy and not one statue but from many. It's not true though what you would think all of these emotion work to together to give it the sense of harmony.
Overall, this sculpture Donatello made tells a story, that was common in the time period, and physically fits the style and characteristics of the early Italian Renaissance art as I explained some of them earlier. This work of art is amazing in all its aspects. David is one of the art works that really proves that Donatello was just as amazing as most people have said though out the years since his time.

Northern Renaissance documentary blog #2

In the Northern Renaissance I feel that one of their main ideas that they value is naturalism. Every piece of work whether it be a sculptor or a painting has naturalism. People wanted more art around this time so portraits were a big thing that people wanted so they could be passed down from generation to generation. The paintings were magnificent with such details that made it look like you were just staring at the person in front of them and not just a painting.
Paintings were very popular during this time, a common work that was made was altarpieces that could be found in churches and even hospitals. People from all over came to see these works of art because they were amazing and had so much detail that you probably would even notice it all until you looked at in multiple times. Even when they were explaining the works to me in the the documentary I noticed new thing after staring at them in the lecture and the book especially with the Ghent Altarpiece.
The value of the painting was important. They went to great lengths to make there painting the best they could do. They made each pigment for the oil paints to be the richest it could be, the colors would be vibrant and stand out. They would even have to import minerals from different countries to get the colors they wanted or the could crush dried Beatles and other things found in nature. They just didn't have the stores where they could go by there paints. Having to make the paint pigments themselves made it a lot more expensive so the best quality were made for the rich because they could afford it.
One work of art that was mentioned in the documentary was really fascinating was the Double Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife. This work of art had so many values and stylistic characteristics that was very popular in that time. There are a lot of hidden messages deep within the painting that unless you looked up close would not even be able to notice them. There also a bunch of different meaning that many people have come up with over the years. For example, some people believe its a wedding portrait, but the most recent idea is that she is already dead and he is like taking an oath. There are historical document that show when the painting came out his wife had been gone a year.
Thought out this whole period you will not see a painting that doesn't have one of the main stylistic characteristics. Which there are about four or five main characteristics. Whether they be interest in naturalism, extreme attention to detail, thin layers of oil paint or observed perspective some could even have all of them. They had a lot of pride in the work they did so it was always the best it could be.
Over all, the documentary was very informative and really kept my attention. It also made me appreciate this periods art a lot more than I did before.

Intro to Renaissance art

First off my name is Jennifer Groce. I feel that Renaissance period is held in high regards to us is because there way of life is still around in some ways just with more technology. They had kingdoms, higher archery's and different classes of people. Just like today we have a ruler with people that do all his bidding's. We also have higher class people to middle class and lower classes just like with them but not exactly the same. Even in different countries we still have kings and queens like England. I feel some of the reasons we focus on art from the 15th and 16th centuries is because they tell stories or capture moments in time that are of important. We also have a lot more work persevered better and in better condition from this time. For example if you hit certain museums you can see the actual art work from that time and it looks like it could have been painted last week. It is truly amazing the condition of those pieces of art since there over five hundred years old!!!! I think that the reason people like Renaissance art is better because its relate able and people like being about to see something that reminds them of themselves or people they know. Plus they have the most portraits then I have ever seen they more about landscapes or abstract arts instead of people because photography deals more with people now. I also think it was just one of those things that everyone grew up with because it was a part of an area from where most of us from our family history so it was carried down and then over to America. I think our culture hasn't got out of the big name importance factor like your name has to be known by many in ordered to be remembered. It is a big thing in our culture cause big names are everywhere like Stephanie Meyers, J.K. Rowling when there are many authors that write just a good books that won't be remembered because there name isn't popular. The most remembered painting to most of America is done by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael. For example, when I looked though the pictures the ones that I knew of were painted or sculpted by them. Even if I didn't know which one did what till I read the captions, but I did know the paintings like The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, or The Small Cowper Madonna and I have defiantly heard of their artist. It most likely doesn't help that our culture named characters from a cartoon after them i.e. Ninja Turtles. Our cultures have given us the examples they wanted us to see unless you go more in depth like by studying art.