Post #9

Throughout the quarter we have studied a number of different artistic styles and movements. This quarter also brought the largest variety and change between those movements. Starting with the realists and moving all the way up into the Abstract Expressionists, there were a number of radical and revolutionary changes happened to art and what is considered art. One artist that really helped jump start the Avant Garde movement was Edourad Manet. I very much enjoyed learning about Manet and his deliberate rejection of Academic and popular artistic values. His showing of Luncheon on the Grass caught a number of people off guard and was surrounded by controversy. The way that Manet embraced modernity and applied it to a new "modern nude" was his way of taking something common to to the Academy and presenting it in a way that they did no approve. He also chose to have his technique be much more painterly and not as attentive to perspective as Academic paintings. I also like how Manet himself continued to challenge himself as an artist throughout his career. In his later works like The Rue Mosnier With Flags you can see how he has changed and adopted some of the more radical painting techniques of the impressionists but also stays true to his Avant  Garde roots and continues to push political and social messages in his art.

The second artist I really enjoyed learning about Gustave Caillebotte. Caillebotte's paintings are so gentle and visually engaging but also carry an element of something beneath the surface. He too very much embraced modern life and used it as much of the subject of his art. I like how he treats perspective, sometimes skewing the floor at dramatic angels to create a dynamic to his paintings, or by having strong angles like the bridge in Le Pont de l'Europe recede quickly into the distance. What really drew me to Caillebotte was learning a little more of his personal biography and what he went through. After learning how quickly close members of his family passed away in succession and what deep effects it had on him his art begins to reveal more. There was always a sub theme to his paintings, one of isolation and distance. It never really becomes the focus or distracts from the piece itself but like I mentioned before you pick up on something. Knowing how sad and alone Caillebotte felt and how he as an artist let those emotions subtly bleed into his art is impressive to me. None of his paintings are explicitly depressing or sad, just carry lingering emotion within them. To me, that is such a fine line to walk and one that Caillebotte walked very skillfully. And that, combined with his technical skill, is very impressive.

The third artist that stood out to me this quarter was Pablo Picasso. His name get thrown about in the conversation of art quite a bit but I learned some facts about him and his approach that really made me think and helped me understand him more as an artist. The first thing that shocked me about Picasso was to learn that he was Academically trained and to see some of his paintings done in that style. It really shed light on his true abilities as an artist and that all of his bizarre and radical paintings that he was known for came from choice and experimentation, not lack of technical skill. The second enlightenment I experienced in regards to Picasso was his idea of simultaneity. Basically Picasso attempted to paint things like faces as if the viewer was seeing them from two perspectives at once, which helps to explain the unique appearance to the way Picasso paints figures. This is interesting because it shows how far and experimental Picasso was in thinking about the craft of painting. To know that he has the ability to paint in a way we see the world but he wants to show us something in a way we could not experience in real life is incredible. He wants to take painting to a level only it can go.

Post #8 Late 20th Century Art

For today's post I have chosen to do my research on American artist Jackson Pollock and more specifically his piece titled Greyed Rainbow. This painting was created by Pollock in 1953 and is of his signature and radical painting style. He is known for his techniques of dripping, pouring, and freely flinging paint on his canvas. He also had a unique painting setup, where he would work with large scale canvas flat on the floor so the paint could fall on to it. Pollock would even have to step out onto his canvas to reach areas during the painting process. Greyed Rainbow measures 72 x 96 1/8 in. and, as the title implies, has a muted, grey scale color palate. Near the bottom half there are moments of yellow, blue and red that show through the grey majority. The painting is completely abstract and is only limited by the edges of the canvas. There is no illusionism to the piece, but one can get a sense of depth created by the overlapping and intertwining lines. The gestural quality of the sweeping lines come from the physical interaction between paint, Pollock and canvas. Pollock once said, " I want to express my feelings, not illustrate them", and express he does. There is such an energy and action communicated visually by the way that the lines move and form. Research into Pollock's painting process prove that what may appear to be chaos, chance or unconscious decision creating the forms of Greyed Rainbow, is not entirely the case. He had a very keen understanding of his materials and the paints he used, and how they behaved on the canvas. This knowledge of their interaction allowed him to paint as freely as he did and still have a good sense of what the result would be. Time magazine once described a Pollock painting as "chaotic", which led the artist to retort with "no chaos, dammit." Though his paintings were free of form, active and expressive, he did not want them deemed chaotic or random. He wanted to reinforce that there was indeed a process to his art. At a point in is career Pollock also got fed up with people searching for representational images in his artwork that were associated with or implied by titles. People approaching his art with these preconceived ideas lead Pollock to give up titling his paintings at all and he went to just numbering them.

Jackson Pollock was revolutionary in the art world. His techniques of "action painting" were original, unconventional, and exciting. He helped spearhead an art movement known as Abstract Expressionism and his influence and impact is immeasurable. Pollock was "also one of the first American painters to be recognized during his lifetime and after as a peer of 20th-century European masters of Modern Art" (Encyclopedia Britannica). I know for me, at first glance it can feel like anyone could fling paint onto a blank canvas and create something similar to a Pollock. Possible, but not probable. There is definitely something special to Jackson Pollock and his abilities. They way he can visualize what he wants but release such control over it. The more you look at one piece, the more you get sucked into the depth and simple complexity of it. The more you look at a collection of Pollocks,  the more you can see the variety and change from piece to piece, all within the same signature style. 

 Image Location: http://bthumme.tripod.com/P5/abstract.jpg

Sources: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/83642?search_id=1
               http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/Modern/Greyed-Rainbow
               http://www.moma.org/explore/conservation/pollock/interview1.html
               http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/468051/Jackson-Pollock

Post #7 The Effect of War on Art

The beginning of World War I in 1914 brought about change in thought about politics and society. The tension between nations boiled to the point of all out war and the world saw death and destruction on a scale and level that had never been seen before. All of this change, destruction and chaos also made its impact on art. The thoughts about what is art and how it is created were once again shifted in a radical way. The first being the Dada art movement, who wanted to challenge and critique art itself. The second movement, Surrealism, came later and was very interested in social, sexual and cultural revolution, as well as the subconscious and dreams. What both movements shared was a question and desire to challenge the artist's role in creating art.

When looking at pieces from the Dada art movement it would be easy to conclude that anything goes. The only "rule" might be to break all the rules that already exist. But art from the Dada movement is still contrived, making clear commentary about politics and society through art. The use of humor and meaninglessness in these pieces at such a time of war and turmoil is where Dada gets its hold. The ironies and conflicts between where the world stands and what is presented in Dada art makes it attention grabbing. One prominent Dada artist, Marcel Duchamp, challenged all things art, even to the core of what it means to be an artist. He went as far as to question whether it was required to touch, manipulate or create for one to consider themselves an artist. Duchamp would "create" his art by coming across ready made or found objects and submitting them as finished pieces with little or no alteration to them. One such piece is titled Fountain and is simply a urinal fountain with a name marked on it. This goes back to the earlier point of challenging the artist's role in creating art. Duchamp felt that as an artist he need not handle material to make art but could find his sculptures and was then responsible for presenting them as art. I personally think that Duchamp's ready made sculptures do exist as art. At the time he started to do these, no one had thought of art in this way. This change in thinking about art can contribute as much to art as a collection of physical pieces. You can see in history that Duchamp had a large influence on other artists using found objects within their own work such as photo montages and sculpture.

The Surrealist art movement came about at the end of the first world war and latched onto Marxist and Freudian influence. Marxist in its strive for social revolution and Freudian in its interest in sexuality, subconscious and dreams. Surrealist artists wanted to convey their dreams through paint on canvas. To do this, many pieces maintain elements or realism and recognizable imagery but then radically distort them from how they exist in real life. Painter Salvador Dali and his piece titled Persistence are famous examples of Surrealist art. In the painting we see clocks with true to life colors, sheen, and appearance but are distorted to look melting, dripping or floppy as well. Blending elements of what we see in real life and how they may exist in a dream space is what Surrealist art is about. Surrealists also challenged the artist's role in creating art as well. They are interested in taking away some of the subjective control of creating art and to have more of their subconscious and dream existence come through.  

Post #6 Gauguin and Primitivism

For today's blog I am going to examine a piece by painter Henri Matisse titled Blue Nude: Souvenir at Biskra. The subject of this painting is very direct, a nude woman with a blue skin tone, lounging in nature. This representation of such a nude makes this painting Avant-Garde. This is a deliberate move away from the depiction of traditional classic nudes that were upheld by the Academy of Art. This particular woman does not show the modesty about her body that we have seen in nudes of the past, and the erotic connections are apparent as well. There is little attention to realism or naturalism in Matisse's painting, both in the human proportion and anatomy but most obviously in his choices of color. He painted his woman blue. Instead he breaks the human body down into much simpler geometric shapes that still form a recognizable human figure. I would like to argue that this is Matisse's attempt at an even more modern nude. When looking at the modern nude depicted in Manet's Olympia, we see a woman shown in modern fashion and surroundings painted in modern, flattened technique. But there are still elements of proportions and realism, especially in use of color, that are present. What Matisse has done in his piece to further modernize his nude is paint her in a new radical technique and style that comes from this idea of Primitivism.

At its core we could say that this piece is primitive just for its separation from western culture and its call back to the past. A woman, totally nude, surrounded by nothing but nature is anything but a depiction of modern time. Primitivism is a simplification. It is a simplification of life as an artist, whose work often shows a simple life from the past, but most importantly it is a simplification of artistic style, technique and appearance. Looking at Blue Nude, the woman is created using simple curved shapes with heavy outline. There is no real attempt at muscle definition or skin folds or fine detail of any kind. Her facial expression is hard to read and even her hair has been reduced to a circle shape on top of her head. All that is shown is enough to communicate a human figure, and more specifically a woman figure. Matisse simplifies his use of color as well, using it to fill space and give the impression of plant life but little more. He does not seem interested in using color to create detail or illusions of light and space. The colors seem to merge more than blend when transitioning from one to the next, making them look more like large shapes of color than shapes seen in nature. He uses the same heavy outline in some places to show what should be seen as ferns or flowers. When seeing this piece as a whole however, all the liberties Mattise took with color, style and technique look intentional and deliberate. The way the woman spans the entire canvas, and the slight angle she is set at bring interest and draw the eye across the whole painting. Even with all of its simplicities, it is very engaging and interesting piece.

The last aspect of Primitivism I would like to mention in regards to this piece is the idea of women shown in nature and the connotations that are associated with them. There are primitive connections to women, especially nude, and the creation of life. Sexuality, fertility and the ability to create new life have been associated with the depiction of women forever. It is simply fact that it is exclusive to the female gender to be able to produce offspring. That particular fact and all the feelings connected to it are almost as primitive and primal as humans get. Depictions of women carry those associations and emit them one way or another, though the artist can subdue or amplify this effect. I would say Gauguin's Manao Tupapau or Manet's Olympia are much more sexually charged than Blue Nude, but Blue Nude is not sexuality free.

Post #5 Modernity and Masculinity in 19th Century France

Gustave Caillebott was a 19th century French painter of the post impressionist movement. Caillebott was very interested in the renovation and modernization of France, especially in the changes Haussmann was making, and the city is often the subject of his paintings. Scenes of city streets, modern bridges and updated buildings, populated by people of the modern time are seen all throughout Caillebott's work. He uses a looser and more painterly brush stroke than seen in academic painting but does not adapt the extreme of the impressionists. His plays with perspective, something he was criticized for, give his paintings a unique appearance stylistically, but also emit various emotions and feelings, often melancholy. His use of illusionism and creating depth in his paintings also separates him from what was popular with the impressionists. Caillebott will often have a strong man made receding element, such as a street, bridge or bannister that gives his work a realistic space.

When looking at a collection of paintings by Gustave Caillebott, there is a delicate balance maintained between celebration and criticism of the France that he depicts. It seems he favors the celebration slightly because he consistently returns to it as the subjects of his paintings and in those paintings it is the buildings and city structure that create the beauty and compositional interest. Even in Paris Street in Rainy Weather, the weather is bad, but it does not read as a critique. Instead as an emotion given to the city, with its still beautiful shiny stone street. It is with the modern society, the changes in people's behavior, that the side of criticism begins to come through. There is a talked about sub-theme to Caillebott's paintings, feelings and depictions of isolation. Looking through his work, you notice that when he depicts figures, rarely, if ever are they interacting with one another. Often he will have a central figure with his back to either the viewer or the other figures in the piece. Like in PontdeL'Europe-Geneva, the man is gazing off in the distance or the far right edge of the piece, back turned. In other pieces like Portraits à la campagne or the floor scrapers(side version), he puts groups of people in social situations, at close proximity, but clearly shows no eye contact or interaction. Just isolation and introversion. This could be a result of modern life distancing people from one another due to occupations, daily schedule or mass production and machinery. But could also be a reflection of Caillebott's own feelings of isolation and sadness.

 It is the mixture of all of these feelings and emotions that give Caillebott's paintings their melancholy flavor, because the majority of his work is neither outright sad, nor overjoyed. I feel like he saw genuine beauty and inspiration in France but was also a very sad individual and saw changes in the modern life that he did not approve of. It makes his paintings very real in the sense that life is a mix of celebration and critique, beauty and sadness and credit to him as an artist that he can make all of those show through in some way.

Post #4 The Political Side of Impressionism

The French government declared June 30, 1878 a national holiday. The day was a celebration of peace and a marker of France's recovery from the Fanco-Prussian war. For others it was also a reminder of the violent and bloody Paris commune that followed. Artistically, the interest in this particular day is that two prominent artists painted the festivities as they saw them. Both Claude Monet and Edouard Manet created pieces of the same holiday but each with different perspective,style, subject and tone to them. As a viewer it is interesting to see what each artist chooses to incorporate, leave out or put emphasis on, knowing that they are depicting the same moment in time.

Looking at The Rue Montorgueil painted by Claude Monet, the first thing that jumps out to me is the gathering masses. Monet takes a vantage point high above the streets and we see the gathering of people in the street but more in your face is the gathering of French flags waving all throughout the painting. There is an energy to the piece, created by the swift brush strokes and the contrasting colors of the red, white and blue flags against the more earthy tones of the town and its people. Monet and his impressionist style of liberal paint application and loose, but sufficient detail help this effect. There is an uplifting, celebratory tone to the piece that comes from the energy of the paint but also from the subject that is shown being all things France. The number of flags that are being flown and the mobs of people filling the streets give the sense that there is large pride in France. That they people are proud of France, to be in France and are celebrating France's survival and cheering its future. This makes sense because Claude Monet is an impressionist artist and impressionism has been known as a "forgetful" art form. This is associated to all the chaos, war and pain that helped give rise to the impressionist movement, but the artists attempting to forget those times and not explicitly portray it in their artwork. Instead they strongly focus on the present, modern day, and look fondly toward the future. This particular painting is a great example of capturing that impressionist sentiment.

Edouard Manet painted his piece and titled it Rue Mosnier with Flags. Manet chooses a a lower to the street perspective for his painting and after looking at the one by Monet, a far less busy street as well. There are still a number of French flags waving all down the distance, but they appear much more subdued and less energetic. Instead, the eye is drawn to the foreground, to the man with his back to the viewer. It takes no more than a glance to see that the man has lost a leg and is using crutches to get around. While this is later in his career, and his style appears closer to those of the impressionists, Manet still maintains a political aspect to his Avant-Garde art. This man is a grim reminder of what came before this celebration. What people lost and sacrificed for France to embrace this holiday. Though I am not sure if it was intentional or if connected, the figures across the street appear very ghostlike and transparent, especially in comparison to the man near the buggy at the same distance. The figures appear to be a family, and may serve as another reminder of all those families that were lost, broken up and devastated throughout both the war and Commune. The way that the details get much looser and blurred in the distance, it is pretty clear that Manet puts his message and emphasis on what is happening in the foreground. Where Monet chooses to try and depict feeling and emotion to communicate through his work, Manet is much more direct and explicit about what he wants the viewer to recall.

Formal Ananlysis: Impressionist Painting

The piece I have chosen for this formal analysis is titled On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt by French painter and father of Impressionist painting, Claude Monet. The overall feeling I get from this painting is a peaceful calm. The colors are very cool and subtle. Monet uses colors that you would see in nature if you were actually sitting next to the lady at the shore of the water. The way he employs the darker shades on the side of the water closest to the viewer and the lighter ones on the opposite side really gives the sense of light and where the sun is at. The slight change between the dark and light also clues the viewer into the sun being low, just rising in the morning. The early morning feeling created by the effects of the color choices also gives a sense of freshness as though the entire painting is waking up. A large part of impressionism was an extreme Realism where the artist attempts to capture a split second in time and Monet does a good job of capturing the appearance and the feelings of waking up to a new morning.

Impressionism is most famously known for its loose brush strokes and the very painterly appearance to the final painting. This all relates to the capture of that quick moment in time and painters painting as quickly as they can. On the Bank is a good example of impressionist style qualities. The way this painting changes depending on the distance the viewer sees it is incredible. From far away the eye blends the colors and smooths the stroke so the details really come out. Closer viewing does not make these details disappear but reveals how they were created. The brush strokes that make up the grass and trees next to the woman on the bank, when looked at close, look so inexact and like nothing more than paint on canvas. When viewed as a whole painting however, you see that those brown streaks of paint create highlights on the tree trunk and make the whole piece more lifelike and harmonious. If we were to see this painting on display, they way that the paint is left and built up in spots would leave a distinctive physical texture that the viewer could pick up on visually, adding to the illusion of naturalism. There are two areas where the strokes look like nothing more than paint regardless of the view and they are the light green patch directly behind the woman, and in the mountains behind the houses on the right. These areas do not detract from the overall piece however, and are probably the result of the fast pace that the painting was made.The woman's gaze is directed toward the water and really draws the viewer's eye there as well. It looks as though Monet intentionally smoothed up his brushstrokes and the blend of colors in the water. The water is not choppy and rough, it feels so peaceful and serene and because he chose to have the water be in the middle of his format, those calm feelings bleed into the whole painting. 

The level of depth that Monet is able to achieve in this painting is impressive as well. There are very defined foreground, middle and background areas. Because painting outdoors was important to impressionist painters, being able to capture the depth and distance of what they were viewing really helps make the piece successful. He accomplishes this depth in a couple of different ways and by combining them all. The most effective one is the way he scales the figures and structures in the background compared to the woman in the very front. The size of the figures across the lake really help the viewer to understand how far it is to the other side of this lake and how big the buildings in the town are. Another way he helps add depth is through his use of detail. Though impressionist paintings are not particularly known for their high attention to detail, Monet gives enough to the clothing of the woman and structure of the boat in the foreground that the viewer can pick up on the dulling of detail in things like the figures and buildings in the distance. There re no recognizable clothing details on the people across the water and things like shingles do not appear on the roofs of the buildings. This is the way that details would fade and blur in the distance in real life, or as Monet was seeing it.

Post #2 Realism and the Early Avant-Garde

The early stages of Avant-Garde art, artists were interested in challenging and defying the established values of the Academy of Art. There was also a strong desire to make a commentary or influence on politics and humanity. One of the more successful ways to accomplish both of these goals gave rise to Realist painting. Realism is a movement where the artist tries to capture and portray the world as it is seen around him. The invention and growing use of photography played a large part in the rise and interest in this style of painting. Some techniques, inherent to taking a photo, were even picked up and incorporated by artists. Just as a camera lens can only  capture so much in its view, artists began to crop the edges off of objects on the boarders of their paintings.

As mentioned earlier, Realist painting was an effective tool for both challenging the establishment and social commentary, and one artist in particular was very good at using this tool to stir the pot. Gustave Courbet was a French realist painter who gained much notoriety for how and what he chose to paint. Two specific examples of this type of painting are first, The Stone Breakers, and second A Burial at Ornans. Looking at Stone Breakers we can see that two males are hard at work. They are dressed in modern clothing and the figures are scaled large, taking up much of the canvas. They are clearly what Courbet wants the viewer to focus on. This painting is of the Realist movement because it shows modern people as you would see them at the time of its creation. This is contradictory to what the Academy would prefer, but also is very unsettling to the bourgeoisie viewers who might view it as well. Both of these groups find it offensive to dedicate a painting to the much lower class stone breakers. To compound it, Courbet chooses a very large canvas to paint this piece on, an 5ft X 8ft. This size of painting was traditionally reserved for Academy style history paintings but it also makes the figures in the piece very large as well. They are unavoidable and force the viewer to see them as they are. Another issue many people had with this piece is that the figures are either turned away or have their face covered. There is no eye contact with the viewer and no other implied narrative other than these two men at work.

The second piece, A Burial at Ornans, is an interesting painting all its own. Stone Breakers was large but this painting is an enormous 10ft X 21ft and shows a group of people gathered at a funeral procession. This is not to be any specific funeral but is based on the burial of Courbet's grandfather. This painting does not seem to carry the photographic Realist qualities that Courbet shows in Stone Breakers because he does take some artistic liberties and does some blending of time periods. The figures to the right of the grave are said to be representatives of the 1789 French revolution and that Courbet was attempting to make a connection between that revolution and the more recent socialist revolution of 1848. This does however, does put a charge in his Avant-Garde political statement, since both revolutions tried to advance democracy in France. The painting itself is very somber and also awkward in ways. By doing a scan of faces in this funeral group you can see a wide range of emotions. Some appear sad and grieving, like the men on the right of the grave. Others seem bored or uninterested, like the clergy to the left. While others still, look away or appear to caught up in thought. The awkward tension create by the whole scene is very real, and is something one might experience at a real funeral, everyone experiencing and feeling something different. He was criticized for all of these facial expressions and the misplace dog, distracting from the real activity of the scene, a funeral. Courbet was also heavily criticized for the placement of the grave itself in this painting. He placed the large hole right in the center of his piece with all the figures huddled around it, as well as disrespecting the traditional use of such a large canvas to depict the burial of a heroic figure. 

Post #1 Introduction to the Avant-Garde

The term Avant-Garde has changed and morphed throughout history, starting as a military term but is now much more known as an art term. I have heard this used as way to describe art a number of times, but was never quite sure about its actual meaning. Though I still have much to learn, this weeks introduction has shed some needed light on what it means for art to be Avant-Garde. To my understanding, Avant-Garde at its core is to challenge what is established. In its early stages, this meant art that challenged and went outside of what was established and valued by the Academy of Art, who put high regard on paintings of history scenes, accurate anatomy, strong illusionism and smooth brush strokes. In modern times this could be a rejection of styles and elements found in early Avant-Garde work in attempt to push art into further uncharted areas and expression. The irony of this whole relationship is that artists who take up the fight of the Avant-Garde in any time, past or present, are completely reliant on the establishment they are trying to move away from. If there were never an Academy of Art and they had never put such emphasis specific elements of art, there would be no establishment for Avant-Garde artists to directly discard in their new direction. The establishment creates the contrast and interest in breaking these rules. To further the irony, those who were considered to be Avant-Garde at one time then have the potential to become the new establishment that a new generation of Avant-Garde artists may one day reject.

When art challenges what has long been established, it will then no doubt challenge the viewers who have been viewing this long established way of creating art. With a piece like Manet's Luncheon on the Grass, those who were used to seeing clear narratives were now being exposed to scenes that showed no obvious story. The riddle of what they were now looking at could be both what initially turned people and critics off from this new way of art but could also be what ultimately kept them intrigued. This was not the only new element introduced by this particular painting. Manet had left his piece with very visible brush strokes and application of paint. Where before paintings were to be done with a smooth brush stroke and finished with a varnish, he chose to show his process in the piece and leave it looking very painterly. He also shrinks the perspective and creates the surrounding with a much more flat quality than was popular. This can also be seen by the size of the woman in the water, how she is much larger than she should be depicted if the viewer is supposed to see that pond as further in the distance. Most obvious however, is Manet's inclusion of modern people in his painting. This is a direct contradiction to the Academy and their emphasis on scenes being depicted historically and is a move toward a type of realism in which the artist tries to depict the world around him. He does this by dressing the men in contemporary clothing and by giving obvious and definite clues that though the nude woman is in reference to a classical nude, she too is very much a modern and contemporary person as well.

Post #9

Throughout the quarter we have looked at a number of artistic periods. Of those periods the one that stood out the most to me was the Renaissance. This maybe be one of the most known and talked about periods in art, or even history,  but in this class I learned a number of new details about the the art created that reassured me it has deserved such fame.  The rise of humanism, an idea that celebrates all human achievement, lead to advancements in art as well as the social status of artists. They were able to separate themselves into the liberal arts and show that their profession had a theoretical background that had to be taught, learned and expanded on. Artists began to keep notes and form theories and methodologies in creating art. This also helped artists to gain recognition for their individual achievements and accomplishments, a big difference from the common anonymity of the past. This coupled with the writings of people like Georgio Vasari, said to be the father of art history, gave artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo the ability to reach the historical fame they have.

Through humanism and this new scholarly approach to creating art, various new and groundbreaking techniques were developed. During the Renaissance, a focus on naturalism, realism and illusionism really forced artists to further push the envelope in all areas. Things like human anatomy and proportion were revisited and reemployed from the classical period. To create a more realistic illusion of space however, Renaissance artists created a few new tricks. Sfumato was a way for a painter to create a smoky, haze that appears on details deep in the distance in real life. It gave them a new tool for creating a realistic atmospheric perspective. But no tool gave them more realism than the development of linear or calculated perspective. Before then, we had seen a number of artists try to capture the way objects are oriented as they fade in the distance, or implied perspective. Filipo Brunelleschi developed linear perspective, having all lines fade to a common vanishing point and it changed art and its ability to portray realism and depth in a two dimensional medium. Paintings like Delivery of the Keys to Saint Peter by Pietro Perugino and School of Athens by Raphael are examples of what was possible in Renaissance art after learning linear perspective.

The Renaissance was also very interested in composition and how it not only filled the piece but effected the viewer. Their goal was to create a peaceful and harmonious composition that put the viewer at ease. To do this they started with a popular triangle composition that would have the important objects or figures in a loosely triangular layout within the format. This created a strong and balanced shape that also lead the eye all throughout the piece. As the interest in illusion and depth began to grow the triangle became a pyramid that could also fill space, but still created such balance and harmony. Portraits also bean to grow in popularity and it was Leonardo da Vinci who popularized the three quarter turn pose that has been popular and used in portraits and photos since.  

Post #8 Early 18th Century Art

Francois Boucher was an 18th century painter known for painting in the Rococo style. Boucher was born in Paris, and around the age of 24 had the opportunity to travel and study in Italy. Upon his return to France in 1731, he was accepted into the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as a historical painter. His talents as a painter included more than just historical scenes, he was able to paint mythological, genre, and portrait scenes as well, advancing his status to First Painter of the King. Much Francois Boucher's work was influenced by the paintings of Peter Paul Rubens, a 17th century painter who gathered a stylistic following, emphasizing the importance of color and Jean-Antoine Watteau, a more contemporary painter who fathered the Rococo style.

The piece by Francois Boucher I have chosen to look at in depth is titled An Autumn Pastoral (1749) and is a companion piece to A Summer Pastoral, both commissioned by the patron Trudaine for his home. This piece is a great example of Boucher's work and the Rococo style that he was known for. The word pastoral means of or relating to shepherds and herdsman or country people seen in a rural setting. This painting is a very simple scene, showing two figures, a man and woman, who appear to be in love. They are resting near a fountain, surrounded by a flock of sheep and their keeper. Pastorals in art often show how humans and nature can coexist within a landscape. As with much of Rococo art, the scene is set outside, and the figures are flanked by the organic shapes of nature. Trees that twist and grow in every direction and plant life that has overgrown the fountain. There are images of sheep and and a dog all resting together with the people in harmony.  There is a looseness to the brush stroke in the depiction of the vegetation and sky, another characteristic of Rococo painting, and the varying shades of green are contrasted by the light blue sky, highlighted by tinges of gold in the clouds.

Themes of love and eroticism were also a significant part if the Rococo style and can be clearly seen in this piece. The couple gazes into each others eyes while the man feeds the woman grapes from the basket, another connection between humans and nature. The couple also is shown to have no shoes on which could be carrying that theme further but were also known to have a symbolic connection to eroticism. According to lecture the inclusion of a dog was a popular symbol of loyalty and fidelity. Boucher includes a small dog next to the woman who appears at ease, perhaps suggesting that the two really are in love and are calmly submissive and loyal to each other. The inclusion of the shepherd boy to the right could be just in connection to the piece being a pastoral, but he could function as a symbol of love as well. The boy's eye is clearly looking at the couple while he is surrounded by a few tranquil sheep from his flock. Perhaps just as he leads, guides and cares for his herd, the man in the couple is mirroring those ideals. The other symbol of love that stands out is the relief sculpture depicted on the fountain. It appears that two cherubs are holding each other in a closeness that resembles the couple. Rococo art often would incorporate symbols that hinted at mythological parallels in their artwork.

Image: http://hoocher.com/Francois_Boucher/An_Autumn_Pastoral_1749.jpg
Works Cited:
http://www.francoisboucher.org/
http://hoocher.com/Francois_Boucher/Francois_Boucher.htm
Webster's Dictionary

Post #7 Baroque Art

The art that was created during the Baroque period in the seventeenth century deliberately chose to step away from styles and techniques that were popular throughout the Renaissance. However, there were some elements of Renaissance art that can still be seen within the Baroque period. Set side by side for comparison, Michelangelo's David (1501-04) and Bernini’s David (1623) show many of these similarities and differences. At first look it is clear that both artists were striving for a degree of naturalism. In both pieces, the David figures appear to be humanly proportionate and posed in very natural ways. Michelangelo choosing the classical contrapposto stance, showing how the weight is shifted to one leg. Bernini too shows this transfer of weight but does so by freezing his David in action, as he prepares to sling his stone. Both artists also chose the same medium, marble stone, for which to carve their pieces, making many of the difference more noticeable when in comparison. Neither artist chooses to incorporate paint, or color to the final statue, opting to stay with the color of the stone.The use of pure marble statues goes back to the classical period, an artistic period that has had a large influence on both the Renaissance and Baroque art as well. Michelangelo's David shows more influence of humanism, than Bernini's. In Michelangelo's David we can see that first he is nude, showing the human form freely. He has also been idealized, showing him in a "perfect" human from, in strength and youth, with fully toned and sculpted musculature. Baroque artists were not as heavily influenced by the ideas of humanism. As one can see, Bernini's David, along with much of Baroque art, has some way of covering figures so that they are not nude. Also his David is not idealized, there is a realism to his muscles, body age, and facial features. The art of the Renaissance is known for its focus on visual harmony and calming to the viewer. Michelangelo's David shows this in his very relaxed pose and the serene gaze. The styles of Baroque art rejected this ideal and instead chose to make art that was full of drama and emotion and tried to force viewer involvement when looking at a piece. Bernini does this in his David in a couple of ways. As mentioned before, the figure is frozen in motion, but like in much of Baroque art, Bernini chose to freeze his David at the utmost climax of activity. In this case right before David slings his stone at the giant Goliath. Bernini also is able to incorporate a sense of drama by  the facial expression he chooses to give the figure. By the look on his face the viewer can see the range of emotions David might have felt at that moment, from fear,or anger, or concentration, even faith. This kind of emotion and manipulation of the viewer into a similar emotional response is an element that is not present in the Michelangelo version of David.

Post #6 16th Century Art in Northern Europe

Albrect Durer was a true original. He was from Germany, where there was no artists guild system, allowing Durer to be less restrained as an artist than others who had to work their way up the ladder. He traveled and trained in Italy and when influenced by what he saw and learned there was able to mix the two different cultures in his life to do the most for him artistically. It is said that Durer was the first humanist artist in the north and even more impressive, that he is the first "artist" by modern definition. The level of personal fame he was able to achieve, the geographical reach his name had was a first of its kind. Durer was one of the first to utilize and take advantage of print making. Where an artist would make one piece to be viewed at one place, Durer could make a woodcut and print copy after copy to be seen all around. He was also mindful of making prints that were popular with people of the time, in order to help circulation. Some of the these, as seen in lecture, were the pre-protestant Adam and Eve and then the image of the rhinoceros. The rhinoceros is interesting because it was made from just a sketch Durer had and he, and most all of Germany, had never really seen one in real life. The result is still a decent representation of a real rhino. In the Adam and Eve, the Italian influences on Durer's art are much more apparent. First by seeing that the two figures are nude, with a large focus on the human body and anatomy. They are carefully proportioned, with a naturalism to the muscle definition and a realism to shadow and depth. The figures even stand in the contrapposto stance that was popular in the classical and southern Renaissance periods. Durer also did a number of self portraits and the earlier ones had very southern influence. They were set with him at a three quarter pose, very realistic use of color and strong attention to detail in areas of hair clothing and shadow.

The piece I would like to specifically look at is called Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and was created around 1519 by Albrecht Durer. The subject of this painting is direct and obvious, the three figures done in portrait fashion. They are composed in a triangle style similar to what was once popular in the south and the piece is very balanced and calm. All of the figures are naturally portrayed and there is a realism to the way there bodies are proportioned and interacting within the painting. There is strong attention to detail, common in the north, in things like the detail of the clothing, how it folds and interacts with the body, especially around Saint Anne's chin. There is also a visible change in textures between one garb to the next, another interest of northern renaissance artists. The subject matter of the piece retains its religious quality but is much more subdued than earlier religious pieces. There are no crucifixion scenes, obvious symbols, foreshadowing or stylized glows or halos added to either the mother or child, like we have seen in other paintings. There is the inclusion of a saint, and the virgin appears to be praying over the baby  is the way Durer chooses to communicate its religious context. They even look to be wearing more modern clothing than would be worn at biblical times, another popular style technique. Durer is sure to add his signature "AD" logo that he signs his work with. This is part of his way of elevating his status as an artist, something artists have been trying to do since the early renaissance, but he is the first to do it this way. Early renaissance artists wanted to show that there was theory, teaching and special skill within their profession. Durer believed this too, as he kept notes and wrote theories of his own, but he was also able to elevate himself personally, as an individual, to the point of fame. He not only signs his work, but has created a recognizable trademark that allows the viewer to know who made the piece they are looking at.

Post #5 Late Renaissance/Mannerism

Toward the later parts of the renaissance there was a shift from the ideals of the art that was created during the high renaissance. The importance of things like accurate human anatomy, harmony, balance and color were now purposefully ignored and skewed in favor of pieces that created tension in their composition and figures that became elongated and contorted. Just as humanism described the ways of old,  art historians would later call this new movement mannerism. Two paintings that really show the change from the high renaissance are Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck and Pontormo’s Entombment. The first thing I notice about these paintings are the figures and how they are composed. In the Madonna, her figure is stretched and elongated in an unnatural way, something that conflicts the high renaissance. You can see this in her neck and hands, and also the long leg on the figure to her left. Another thing that is interesting is just the sheer size of the Madonna figure. Looking at her legs and lap, if she were to stand, she would be a very tall, stretched and her proportions would not be one of a human. Finding a way to compact very large figures in a smaller space is use of the mannerist style. I have to talk about this Christ child that she holds in her lap because it is so noticeably bizarre. To start his size and the way his limbs have been elongated make him look like a toddler but with the head of an infant. He also appears lifeless, and I can very much appreciate the foreshadowing of the death of Christ in this way, but out of context, it is a very strange image to see the Madonna so serene, looking down at her giant lifeless baby. The way the emotions clash and the overall dark colors make the piece visually heavy. In the Entombment, there is not such a profound elongation to the figures, if any at all. However, it is still a very tense composition, mostly due to how the figures are posed. First person I notice in this painting is the individual in the squat position supporting Christ. Being on his tip toes, it gives the viewer a sense of unease, that he could fall at any time. The other two figures that are unsoundly posed are the lady in green at the top of the painting and the one with the pink cloth on her head. Both are so out stretched to the viewer to get a look at Christ that it seems like they could topple out of the painting and on the the floor. In all honesty I can't tell if they are supposed to be on the same ground as the foreground or if they are to be standing on something but the way that teeter is very unsettling, a big shift from the strive for harmony. What also really stands out about this painting is the use of color. During the high renaissance color was used to show things as naturally and realistic as they could. In this painting it appears that color is used more for the sake of color. As seen by the individual in the squat position who has a a strangely pink back, highlighted by his blue belly. There is an olive green hue to the skin of Christ that somewhat matches the cloth draped across his body that but does not appear to be a natural skin tone. It is interesting that there are splashes of green both top and bottom and then deep red flanking both sides of Christ, while pink swirls throughout. These two paintings show elements of mannerism in their use of elongated and over sized figures, unstable and unnatural poses, constricting large subject matter in smaller space and by giving the viewer an overall sense of tension, unease and melancholy.

Post #4

Humanism is an idea that was at the core of most all renaissance creation. It makes sense, considering humans were the ones creating, that a philosophy celebrating and pushing all things human would be a driving force for these artists of the time. This drive brought more importance to other ideas and philosophies as well, a few being illusionism, naturalism, and realism, that show themselves clearly in the artwork created. This was not the first time these thoughts had been important in art, instead the rise of the renaissance was a revisit, refining and furthering of the classical period. One piece that I feel includes a majority of these ideas and influences well is Raphael's School of Athens. Starting with the composition of this piece, you can see the depth very realistically. There is a very set foreground, middle ground, and background. This illusion is furthered by the linear perspective, seen mostly in the arches, and the the use of atmospheric haze throughout. As the eye moves to what should be further back , the colors and details tend to fade and gray. The lines showing the folds and drape of the clothing are much crisper and defined in the figures and the bottom of the steps than those shown at the top. the same can be said for the decorative sculptures shown as they move further in the distance. This successful attempt to depict a scene with the illusion of depth and space the way it is seen in real life is humanism. The style of this piece is done in naturally, showing these figures as humanly proportionate individuals. As you scan the crowd one can decipher if the figure is male or female, old or young, and a number of other features included because of the detail. The way that the bodies interact with the surroundings is very natural, such as the man leaning on the steps, of the fellow slumped over the block, the viewer can see that there is weight where his head is resting. One of the largest changes during the renaissance was how the artist viewed himself and his craft. Their status began to change as they continued to stress that they were part of the liberal arts and that their work was theoretical  and scholarly. This is especially important to this particular piece because of its setting and who Raphael has chosen to depict. The scene is a school for the philosophical teachings of both Aristotle and Plato, both of whom are shown at the top of the steps.Just as there is a school, theory, and teaching to sciences like philosophy, there is a shift toward viewing art in the same respect. Showing both Aristotle and Plato is an homage to their individual schools of thought and how they had influenced art in a number of ways. Raphael also chooses to show other influential humans, this time more contemporary. Portraits of Leonardo da Vinci (the face of Aristotle), Michaelangelo, and other famous renaissance men, including himself, are shown in the painting. Humanism is the center of a web of different interests, philosophies, and sciences that pushed art and artists to go further in the way they show the world through their art. 

Post #3 Formal Analysis

The piece I have chosen for my formal analysis is titled The Delivery of Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino. The overall feeling I get from this piece is a sense of space and depth and there are a number of formal elements that contribute to this illusion. The largest being the way that the piece is composed. There are really two different parts to this piece of art, the front scene with the key exchange and then the courtyard and buildings created by linear perspective in the background. It is strange but when I look at this group gathered up front they look oddly two dimensional and flat, but only in connection with the receding courtyard. If I were to guess, I would think that this is a result of this form of calculated perspective being relatively new, and not that the artist did not know how to use this perspective (because the piece is incredibly successful), but more that it did not entirely blend with the current style. It looks like the front gathering was done first and comfortably within the artist's style and then the perspective and space was filled in to finish the piece. Perhaps it is the way that they are shown so tightly rowed across the whole front, when there is a vast space all around that makes me see this too. I am interested to know if anyone else feels this too.

 But as I said the overall feeling I get is depth, and that the figures only seem flat in connection with the courtyard because they are wonderfully rendered with a realism that was popular at the time. Each person has individual features and expressions, as well as different clothing. The use of line and highlight to show the drape and hang of cloth is very natural and as a viewer you can tell which parts are coming out toward you and which are receding, a real sense of space. The colors chosen for the clothing help in a couple of ways, first by having the figures stand out amongst each other but also to have them stand out in the piece against the white floor of the courtyard and the cooler colors of the background. The stark uses of red, yellow and even black draws the eye of the viewer. The figure that stands out to me is the man on his knee offering the key. The way that his body is positioned, his head is tilted and his hand touches his chest is all very natural and helps to show further depth. As the eye moves past this group the illusion only becomes stronger as the scale of the figures move gradually smaller and smaller as the move toward the buildings and beyond. Not only do they change in size but the intensity of their color is dulled and the details of their bodies blurred as it does in real life. This same effect is used on the landscape in the background, where the hill on the right closest to the viewer is lush and green, while the ones further and further back start blue and gradually move toward gray.  

There is a very central and symmetrical composition to this piece. Everything seems to expand outward from the doorway (vanishing point) of the central building. There is a noticeable "V" shape created by the sky from this point, as well as a reverse created by the lines of the courtyard. A number of lines lead the eye to this doorway, yet there is not much depicted at this area in the scene, instead it seems more of the artists intentions with this piece lie in the very foreground. The buildings and their placement is very vertically symmetrical, with each side getting an arch off the domed structure, as well as the free standing decorative arches. This gives a nice balance to the piece and a sense of harmony to it that was of important to artists of the time. The vertical symmetry carries rigidly from top to bottom of this piece as it splits the front most group into two, and may even run through the key that is being offered, bringing emphasis to where the two sides of everything in this piece meet.    

Post #2

The documentary Northern Renaissance: The Supreme Art was very interesting and informative in its description of the rise and progression of renaissance art. The most important artistic idea the video conveyed was one of extreme naturalism. This was first introduced through the Ghent alter piece and more specifically the image of Adam. Jan van Eyck, the head creator of the piece, was able to use paint to make the figures look as though their flesh was warm, their skin was tanned and they were people that one could touch if they tried. Detail on the smallest scale such as hair, veins, and wrinkles on the body, as well as light and shadow, are crucial in depicting such realism. He was able to paint in such a manner that the highlights and shadows he created with paint, glint in an eye or shine from a jewel, were the same as would occur naturally with the actual light source on the piece. He was able to make simple oil paint appear clear, translucent, and gleaming. According to the video, it was his consistent use of only oil paint that allowed him to create such convincing illusions of the natural world. Where earlier art might have incorporated gold leaf or included precious stones, van Eyck used paint to convey gold and jewels in an equally realistic way.

Painting was not the only art form to see a strive for naturalism. Sculpture was also moving to achieve this extreme. Much like van Eyck did for painting, a sculptor named Claus Sluter helped to move sculpture beyond its more common uses as an embellishment or decorative part of a building or structure.In his piece, The Well of Moses, Sluter was able to capture the natural and realistic qualities that were becoming popular in paint, except this time in stone. He was able to show muscle strain, the flow and hang of clothing as it would naturally drape on the body. The individuality of each figure is impressive, each in different body positions and wearing different facial expressions. Subtle and even drastic differences between mouths and eyes on the different figures separate them as individuals that could stand alone.

Culturally, there are two ideas that stand out as important during the renaissance. The first is the use of religious content throughout art. Many, if not most of the pieces created are the telling of biblical stories and interpretations. Much of the artwork decorated and was displayed inside of churches and cathedrals. The focus of naturalism lends itself to this subject because of the ability to portray holy figures as you might have seen them in life, a realistic visual image to go along with the stories of the faith. Also as a way to show the divinity of miraculous work in a natural way, such as the painting showing heaven come to earth that was highlighted in the video. After paintings had begun to grow, the second cultural idea that became popular was the ability of more modest families to have a portrait done. Having a portrait was a way for people to hold onto and pass down a likeness of people important to them. It was a way of preserving family history and legacy through generations. It is interesting that these images become popular because of their nonreligious motives and the ability for a more common person to desire and acquire them.

Post #1

The Renaissance is an amazing period in human history. I think that it is still held in such high regard today because of large and noticeable steps taken in all parts of life and how we understand it. The artwork is nearly unbelievable and stands as a high point of human achievement but is only a portion of all that was going on at that time. These men, as artists, were also very interested in biology, anatomy, architecture, astronomy, mechanics and made large headway on a number of now specific areas of knowledge. That is why I feel that the true masters, especially Leonardo Da Vinci, are held in such high regard still today. Because when you look at only at the art work he created, he would have still made his impact on history but then take into account all the other fields he covered and intellectual contributions he made throughout and after his life, it is amazing. Its genius. The artwork that survives from this period shows a glimpse in time when mankind started to figure "it" out, the fringe of modern and enlightened society. It shows in all things related to the time but nothing hits as fast or hard as viewing the art of the period. When you look at the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel, then compare it to other earlier art the gap between becomes obvious. Maybe not "better" but impressive none the less and that makes the Renaissance special.