mjhardwig

I am so happy that we have this unit to look at Non-Western art. There are so many different art forms and periods from Non-Western countries that are just beautiful, but I am semi-partial to Japanese art. My grandfather was stationed in Okinawa for a few years in his military career, and him and my grandmother brought some of the culture to the states. While Okinawa does not like to be recognized as Japanese, everything flows between the two. My grandparents brought back tapestries, paintings, and even some of the porcelain figures (those of which are my favorite), and they all interested me so much.

The Edo Period is a very long period spanning from 1603 to 1868. In that period, so many pieces and styles arose, and they are all so gorgeous. I chose a few of my favorites to analyze.

The first painting I chose is The Great Wave Off Kanagawa (1829) by Katsushika Hokusai (The Met Museum). The exact region of Japan is not known, but it is in a place where Hokusai could observe Mount Fuji. The wave is said to portray a sea monster that represents the inexplicable “force of nature and the weakness of human beings” (Culture Trip, 2012). 

The painting contains cyclical lines, in the body of the wave and also in the foam on the top of the waves. The continuous motion seen in this painting is representative of the continuing nature of nature. The minimal color against the blue of the ocean is calming and while it can be unsettling the damage nature can cause, Hokusai is saying everything will be alright. The comfort is also seen in the curved lines, both the shape and linework Hokusai facilitates are invoking ease and comfortability. 

I love this painting. I actually have a copy of it hanging in my apartment. The emotion behind the painting, and the message of nature being all enduring and an unmatched force is amazing. One of my favorite parts of this piece is the fact that it is off-centered almost as if the wave is going to continue to sweep across the canvas. I am a little partial, but I believe this is a painting that fits well into a home or really anywhere. It’s made of elements that make it a cohesive piece wherever it is placed.

Great Wave Off of Kanagawa (1829) by Katsushika Hokusai

The next piece I found is referred to as Landscapes with the Chinese Literati Su Shi and Tao Qian (1795) by Nagasawa Rosetsu, made in Japan. I was unable to find the true name of the piece, but it is apart of a collection playing homage to Chinese literature. This piece is only one half of the painting, as it is a serial panel piece, this particular half alludes to Su Shi’s (or Dongpo’s) “Ode on the Red Cliff” (The Met Museum). Rosetsu is credited with frequently using a “turbulent” brush style in his paintings to portray a more unforgiving nature.

Much like The Great Wave Off Kanagawa the painting is unbalanced and facilitates cyclical movement, like where the cliff reconnects to the earth. Organic shapes seem to be a common theme in Japanese art, at least in the Edo Period. Rosetsu facilitates color heavily in this piece, which is ironic considering the piece is in two tones. However, Rosetsu uses color for the movement along the cliff(s), as well as for light. The color for movement helps aid in the message that nature is continuous and ever renewing. The color as light is used to create definition in the painting and add depth to the piece. 

This is another painting that I enjoy and would display. The lack of color makes it a good fit aesthetically, really anywhere. Somewhere with a lot of light to enhance the color contrast. 

Landscapes with the Chinese Literari Su Shi and Tao Qian (1795) by Nagasawa Rosetu

This painting is a triptych, and is titled Princess Takiyasha and the Skeleton-specter from the Story of Uto Yasutaka by Utagawa Kuniyoski (1843-1847), the piece is also referred to as Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton-specter from the Story of Uto Yasutaka. Kuniyoski liked to blend native art with Western art, as well as legend and history. You can see the American influence in the macabre nature of the piece. This piece is his interpretation of Princess Takiyasha gaining magical powers, her powers being embodied in the skeleton (Honolulu Museum of Art). 

There are a lot of components in this piece that try to convey the story and its emotions. This is the first piece I analyzed that doesn’t have an obvious presence of nature. Princess Takiyasha is combating and figuring out how to maneuver life with these new powers, and that fight is seen via the contrast with the multitude of colors in the left and lower part of the triptych versus the binary color relationship in the upper right hand of the piece. The more morose colors are trying to seep into the colorful aspects of Princess Takiyasha’s life. Kuniyoski’s use of the colors represents the struggle and the emotions on either side (The Arty Factory). Kuniyoski also uses various different forms of linework, the curvature in the skeleton’s ribs, the straightness in the floorboards, to trigger all psychological responses that could be felt. The event isn’t inheritably bad nor is it inheritably good. The last element in Kuniyoski’s piece is the pattern as contrast. It’s not facilitated in the way MC Escher does it, but he creates a pattern in the familiar part of Princess Takiyasha’s life to draw contrast of the unknown in the powers she gains.

I like this piece, but I also like nearly anything with skeletons. I think the contrast of Japanese influences to the Western influences are refreshing. The story of Princess Takiyasha really helps aid in the message of the piece, and the understanding of how all the elements work together to convey that message. 

Princess Takiyasha and the Skeleton-specter from the Story of Uto Yasutaka (1843-1847) by Utagawa Kuniyoski

The last piece I will be analyzing is called Dish With Three Jars (1680s) by an unknown artist. The plate is made of porcelain “with underglaze blue and overglaze polychrome enamels” (The Met Museum). I think it’s hard to find a backstory to pottery pieces, at least harder than paintings, so it’s difficult to associate emotions to it. In my mind, pottery is a friendly, comfortable form of expression that tangibilizes the feeling of family. 

Most of the plate is colored blue, inciting a melancholic emotion while observing it. The bracketing of the reds on either side of the blue vase in the middle show me that while there is sadness in life, it is encompassed by joy and happiness (The ArtyFactory). The potter facilitates patterns in the vase painted on the plate as decorative and a way to enhance the piece. The last element is the linework and how light it is, the thin lines help perpetuate the delicacy already found in porcelain. 

This piece is something that I don’t particularly enjoy, as the simplicity is a little too much for me. It is beautiful though and would look good in a cafe or something of the like operating as a decoration. 

Dish With Three Jars (1680s) by Unknown

Works Cited

The Met Museum. “Under the Wave of Kanagawa.” Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45434. 

Culture Trip. “A Brief History Of ‘The Great Wave’: Japan’s Most Famous Artwork.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 6 Jan. 2012, https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/hokusai-s-great-wave/. 

The Met Museum. “Landscapes of the Chinese Literati Su Shi and Tao Qain.” Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39658.

Honolulu Museum of Art. “Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton-Spectar from the Story of Uto Yasutaka.” Honolulu Museum of Art, http://honolulumuseum.org/art/10270-takiyasha-the-witch-and-the-skeleton-specter-from-the-story-of-uta-yasutakaa_z

The Met Museum. “Dish With Three Jars.” Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1975.268.563/.

“The Visual Elements.” The Visual Elements of Art, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/visual-elements.html.

Modernism gave artist freedom to explore and do wild things with their art. They could experiment with vibrant colors and create wild combinations of art elements. What I most enjoyed from looking for Mid Modern art pieces is that most of them clearly opposed or challenged a huge event. For this particular blog, I looked at the influence of the Vietnam War of Modern artists and I don’t think I found a piece that could even be argued that it supported the war. Everyone was discussing how detrimental it was and art was one of the best ways to voice an opinion. 

The first piece I will be analyzing is Untitled (1967) by William Copley. This piece deviates greatly from what he normally did, which were works that were more sexually charged. No one knows where this was painted as it’s not super famous, but it does go to say something about the war. 

There are very few elements in this piece, but what stands out is the use of black and white colors. The black and white can be used to symbolize that that is how officials are trying to make the issue seem, so very black and white and it should be clear to the American public which is the right side. The lack of color also means that whatever meaning the American Flag did have, it’s devoid of it now. There is almost no patriotism that should be associated with the war. The last element is using text inlays. He writes “think” where the stars should be, trying to entice the viewer to question an action that may otherwise be left alone or not thought about as intensely as it should be. The lines are also not super clean, suggest turmoil or anxiety with what is happening. It creates a sense of urgency to this piece (The Arty Factory).

While I think this piece is very effective in questioning the purpose of the Vietnam War and how it urges the viewer to question its government actions, this piece is not something that belongs in a home or a cafe. This needs to be someone that is explicitly for war discourse over the years, because that is its soul purpose. I do not believe Copley expected to see this displayed in people’s homes; it’s an indirect message to officials on what their doing.

William Copley, Untitled (1967)

The next piece is American the Beautiful (1968) by David Hammons.  Hammons made this print early in his career, when he was in Los Angeles in 1968, right at the beginning of the Black Power movement. He made the print by covering his upper body with oil, pressing it against a sheet of paper, and then covering that impression with pigment; he later went in with a lithograph to add the American flag. Hammons included the flag encasing the body of a black man to underscore “the heightened racial tensions in the United States during this period” (Hammer Museum, 2016).

Just like the last piece, I feel like there are few elements to analyze, but the ones in this particular piece stand out a little stronger. The first thing I noticed was the lack of definition in the figure’s shape, altering the behavioral aspect of the figure. The fact that it doesn’t stand out distinctly makes the figure start to disappear as if Blacks in America are slowly disappearing in what seems like blatant disdain and perhaps apathy that is developing during this time. The lack of color in the figure also goes to support the lack of depth the American public applies to Blacks. The line work would be the last notable thing, as the lack of defined lines on the figure shows the delicacy of the topic (The Arty Factory)  and how the fate of African Americans can so easily dissolve under careless acts like some viewed the Vietnam War as.

I really like this piece, and I think it honestly could go anywhere. I think it offers a more personable response than the previous piece, so it would fit better in a home setting. However, something with a discourse like this should be in an area where the conversation can be directed. 

David Hammons, America the Beautiful (1968) – Los Angeles, California

Non-War Memorial (1970) by Edward Keinholz was originally supposed to comprise of 50,000 surplus uniforms scattered in a field in Idaho to display the needless killing that came out of the Vietnam War (Lalouver, 2017). He instead minimized it to a book that contained 50,000 photographs of dirt filled uniforms surrounded by five dirt filled uniforms. 

The problem with analyzing something that is three dimensional and not just a painting, is that you don’t always have purposeful things acting on the installation or sculpture. There’s sometimes shadowing that occurs or the object can get moved. In Non-War Memorial, Keinholz uses three dimensional figures for the soldiers’ bodies to create a more emotional response with seeing uniforms on the floor. He wants the viewer to be upset about a body just laying there, he wants them to think “what is the purpose”; he also relies on the volume the shapes create as well to give the illusion of corpses (Jardin, 2017).  The last element Keinholz uses is the shape that the uniforms take on and the silhouette they create (The Arty Factory). He simulates actual corpses to fear and/or dread and pain in the viewer, they look like they just fell in battle and that’s the point. 

This is not at all supposed to be in a home or anywhere else than a museum. It’s not supposed to be pretty or enjoyable. I would love to see how it would have looked if Keinholz could have done the 50,000 uniforms in that field, it would have definitely created a stronger message, but this piece is already fantastic.

Edward Keinholz, Non-War Memorial (1970)

The next piece is from a series House Beautiful: Bringing Home the War, the piece is Cleaning the Drapes (1967) by Martha Rosler. In this series, she paired pictures from the war published in Life Magazine with pictures of upper class households from House Beautiful Magazine. She tried to create a literal experience of “living room war” (MoMA, 2017).

The main purpose for Rosler’s piece is to show the “collective experience of war shaped by media images”. The compost of the war image and the everyday American life image is supposed to express the intrusion the war had on the American public, and it was really the first war that had extensive media coverage. It was like pulling back the drapes on the severity of the war. Color was heavily facilitated in this piece; the use of muted colors and blacks and whites are to mimic the way media was at the time and show the black and white portrayal of the war. The colors can also represent the mood we are supposed to associate with it, the feeling of desperation and loss that was previously sheltered by the sterile color of the drapes (The Arty Factory).

This piece is very interesting to me, and I really enjoyed the composite of different medias that really helped to illustrate Rosler’s purpose of this series. The war is supposed to feel injected into the sanctity of people’s homes and that really comes across. Yet again, this is another piece best suited for a museum.

Martha Rosler, Cleaning the Drapes (1968), from the series House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home

Jesse Trevino’s Mi Vida (1972) is referred to as a time capsule mural where he illustrates his life influenced by the war. His is a more personal piece because it’s almost as if he illustrated a post-traumatic experience. Trevino had lost an arm in the war and had to retrain himself on the skill of artistry, and this was his first public piece after the event. It was his first mural ever (Frank, 2019).

Each component in this painting contributes to the pain and anguish you’re supposed to experience while viewing it. It all culminates into an homage to his amputation, the purple heart being right in the center. The specific placement of that medal makes the viewer acknowledge that without the event of the war, and subsequently the loss of his arm, he would not have created this mural, it would not exist. The placement of everything is such an important element. The color adds to the directionality of the piece as well, almost everything other than the medal is orange, an anxious or unsettling color, it pushes attention to the middle where there is the most contrast. The last element is the representational shapes, everything looks fairly realistic which intensifies the emotion in incites (The Arty Factory).

I like this work, I think it’s really personal and consuming a message from someone that experienced the war gives you a more credible opinion to associate with the war. The pill is dropping down, the prosthetic is holding the purple heart, all elements that can be associated with pain caused from the war. This is a piece I believe belongs on a building wall and not in a museum. A museum setting feels almost too sterile for something that’s supposed to be relatable in a sense. It’s a visual retelling of a man’s story, it’s not necessarily a critic on the black and whiteness of the war or anything else. 

Jesse Treviño’s “Mi Vida,” a time-capsule mural by the Mexican-American artist who lost an arm in the Vietnam War and had to retrain himself.

The last piece is Judy Chicago’s Immolation (1972). She learned how to do the smoke bombs and manipulate fireworks while working at a pyrotechnics company, and she facilitated that skill in this piece. Chicago stated that this piece was supposed to reference a ritual in India, where widows would be pushed into the bonfires that cremated their husbands. She used her art to critique toxic masculinity, and she saw that most evident in the Vietnam War.

Color is the most evident element in Immolation because of the heavy contrast Chicago uses. The intensity of the orange clashing with the calming of the green is supposed to be representative of the two cultures conflicting (The Arty Factory), but how one covers the other that will still be there when the smoke clears. It’s almost stating that the war is purposeless and the “threat” will still exist long after the war is over. The intense colors are also isolated in the piece meaning that this alters the world in a very specific area, and then it’s gone. The use of proportions also shows that Chicago is putting more importance on the nature itself instead of the conflict because it is not centered and it doesn’t take up the majority of the piece. 

I really like this piece and I think this is the only one I have discussed that would look cohesive in a home. I think it is removed enough from the topic of the Vietnam War that people would just observe it as pretty. That being said, I don’t think it was the most effective piece when addressing the Vietnam War. It took some research for me to understand what it was trying to say, while the others you could have just deduced. 

Judy Chicago, Immolation (1972)

Works Cited

Hammer Museum. “America the Beautifu…: David Hammons: Now Dig This! Digital Archive.” Hammer Museum, 15 Aug. 2016, https://hammer.ucla.edu/now-dig-this/art/america-the-beautiful/ 

Smithsonian American Art Museum. “Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965-1975.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/vietnam

Cotter, Holland. “Vietnam, Through the Eyes of Artists.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Apr. 2019,https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/arts/design/vietnam-war-american-art-review-smithsonian.html.

Frank, Nicholas. “Jesse Treviño and Mi Vida: A Parallel Journey of Survival and Restoration.” Rivard Report, 15 Mar. 2019, https://therivardreport.com/jesse-trevino-and-mi-vida-a-parallel-journey-of-survival-and-restoration/.

Jardin, R. “Elements and Principles of the Three Dimensional Design.” Sculptures,https://rjardin.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/elements-and-principles-of-sculpture.pdf-and-restoration/.

“Judy Chicago, Immolation from the Women & Smoke Series, 1971-72.” ELEPHANT, https://elephant.art/iotd/judy-chicago-immolation-women-smoke-series-1971-72/.

Kienholz, Edward. “The Non-War Memorial.” The Non-War Memorial | Whitney Museum of American Art,.https://whitney.org/collection/works/18206

Lalouver. “Ed Keinholz.” L.A. Louver Journal, 21 July 2017,https://blog.lalouver.com/post/163231531154/ed-kienholz-initially-conceived-the-non-war#.XT-w9-tKhQJ.

MoMA. “Martha Rosler. Cleaning the Drapes from the Series House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home. c. 1967-72: MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art,https://www.moma.org/collection/works/150123war#.XT-w9-tKhQJ.“The Visual Elements.” The Visual Elements of Art, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/visual-elements.html.

The Early Modern art period heavily focused on interpretations and reactions to modern problems and experiences. One influence that impacted artists was the Great Depression starting in the 30s. Most of the works I was coming across wanted to create an idealized version of life during this time, how life was supposed to be. It was probably easier to cope with the pain that was and is associated with the Great Depression if they had something to be nostalgic of or looking forward to. 

The first piece I will be analyzing is Young Corn (1931) by Grant Wood. This painting is a little obscure, and I was unable to find the exact place it was painted. However, Young Corn is a Midwest landscape and represents the idealized farm life; “in painting small town and rural life, Wood gave the American public an idealized vision of itself at a time during the Great Depression when most common, working Americans faced great hardship” (The Art Story). While Young Corn is not his most popular work, Wood did paint American Gothic, another famous interpretation of life removed from the Great Depression. 

One of the most identifiable aspects of this painting are the trees. The trees are round and bulbous to resemble cotton balls, cotton being a primary industry of rural America (Rickard, 2017). The whimsy of the trees is suppose to juxtapose the rigidity in rows. The use of the circle shapes in the trees can allude to continuous movement (The ArtyFactory), almost as the boom and bust of the economy is cyclical.  Wood heavily relies on the sloping of the hills to create high perspective, the perspective element gives the piece movement and motion (The ArtyFactory). The contradiction of stillness in some aspects of the painting versus movement in others could allude to the fact that the land is entirely vast and could apply to most any rural families (“Young Corn by Grant Wood: History, Analysis & Facts” )The last element that is very evident, is how the piece is almost entirely in green tones, meaning that even though all this turmoil is happening, people should find peace in what they are doing and how they exist (The ArtyFactory). 

This painting is very beautiful. I love the movement in it and the rolling hills, and Wood, in my opinion, was very successful in created this “idealized vision” he was going for. Not to be too cliche, but I think this painting would be so perfect to have in a little farmhouse in a living room or something contrasted on a blue wall. This painting is something that should be enjoyed on a personal level because while the Great Depression was felt on a national level, it’s a personal thing. These families struggled, and this piece doesn’t belong solely in a museum. 

Young Corn (1931) by Grant Wood; an idealized version of Midwestern rural life. 

The next piece I found that I think offered a really unique perspective was Home Life (1934) by Jane Berlandina. She painted this mural in the second floor of the Coit Tower in San Francisco, California. Berlandina was originally France, but moved to California where she started Depression-influenced artworks. The painting is just supposed to illustrate the comfort of home life and how people found solace in everyday things while the rest of their world was basically crumbling. 

Berlandina used transparent shapes to entice people and illustrate creativity (The ArtyFactory). She is unique in her painting technique, because she uses egg to bind with her paint pigments and it creates this “transparent, seemingly unfinished figures a light touch that contrasts with scenes of Depression-era street life and labor strife” (“Jane Berlandina”). Through this element, she created hope, instead of just focusing on the pain. The next element Berlandina uses is color: the warm colors, browns and reds, evoke a welcoming feeling and it’s warm and cozy (Cousins, 2019). What better combination of emotions to evoke after such a hard time? The last element is the use of line work. The entirety of the work is just linework, “their hollow quality give[s] this…room a charming light spirit” (“Home Life”). The lines are thick and pronounced symbolizing strength through this hardship (The ArtyFactory). 

I do like this painting, though not as much as Wood’s piece. Also, this painting, while still evoking the same personal feelings as Young Corn, belongs in a museum or in the Coit Tower. This is a 9 x 34 ft mural, there is no way even to have this in a house. This piece is important for people to observe and internalize the feelings displayed, even though they can’t have it in their homes. 

Home Life (1934) by Jane Berlandina; painted in Coit Tower in San Francisco, California. 

The last piece I will be analyzing is by Georgia O’Keeffe and it is Cow’s Skull: Red, White and Blue (1931) painted in New Mexico. The piece alludes to the Dust Bowl and the Depression to represent “the relationship between the American landscape and national identity” (Fox, 2018). The bones, in their bleached state, are supposed to represent the “desert’s enduring beauty and the strength of the American spirit” (“Cow’s Skull: Red, White and Blue). The American spirit being alluded to via the background color(s). Unlike the other two paintings, this piece has a different way of addressing the effects of the Great Depression. The bones, to me, represent the barren nature of the nation after the Depression, but nothing can endure longer than the American spirit. 

As aforementioned, O’Keeffe relies on colors to illustrate her message of American spirit. In any other use, the blue and the red would represent calmness (or sadness) and then anger, respectively (The ArtyFactory). However, O’Keeffe combines these two contrasting colors to provide a heartwarming message of an enduring spirit and patriotism. Next, O’Keeffe uses representational shapes for the cow skull to give it a stronger message of naturalism. O’Keeffe doesn’t use a lot of strong elements in her painting, but the last one I will talk about is the use of lines. The lack of lines remove definition and structure, meaning that no one is restricted nor held in by barriers (The ArtyFactory).

This painting is very unique, especially in its discussion of the Great Depression and how it affected people. That being said, it falls into this niche group of New Mexican decor that I think only really stays in New Mexico. I don’t particularly care for this type of simplicity, though I respect the purpose. I think this would better serve the public in a museum to actually create a dialogue about what people were feeling at that time.  

Cow Skull: Red, White and Blue (1931) by Georgia O’Keeffe; painted in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Works Cited

The Art Story. “Grant Wood Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story: Modern Art Insight, www.theartstory.org/artist-wood-grant.htm.

Rickard, Logan. 2017. “Young Corn Formal Analysis by Logan Rickard.” ThingLink, www.thinglink.com/scene/883749853610377216. 

“Young Corn by Grant Wood: History, Analysis & Facts.” Arthive, https://arthive.com/grantwood/works/379302~Young_corn

“Jane Berlandina.” The Living New Deal, https://livingnewdeal.org/tag/jane-berlandina/. 

“Home Life.” Coit Tower,http://coittower.org/Home-Lifer.html. 

Cousins, Carrie. “Color and Emotion: What Does Each Hue Mean?” Codrops, 30 Mar. 2019, https://tympanus.net/codrops/2012/04/03/color-and-emotion-what-does-each-hue-mean/. 

“Cow’s Skull: Red, White, and Blue.” The Met, www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/52.203/. 

“Fox, David. “How Georgia O’Keeffe Changed The World.” David Charles Fox, 9 Sept. 2018, https://davidcharlesfox.com/how-georgia-okeeffe-changed-the-world/. 
“The Visual Elements.” The Visual Elements of Art, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/visual-elements.html.

The two styles of the Romantic Era that I will be discussing are the Art Nouveau and the Post-Impressionism styles. While I do enjoy some Van Gogh paintings, as I’m sure most do, Post-Impressionism is a movement that I associated heavily with emotion, especially that of melancholy. Post-Impressionism is always about something deeper, the symbolic reasoning for something (Voorhies, 2004). While this is in theory good and enjoyable, sometimes a painting doesn’t have to be about existentialism or things of the sort. It some paintings as well, I have observed that they can be muddy and not as sharp as some other styles.  Art Nouveau style to me is like new age Renaissance. It’s different, it’s softer, it’s like that rebellious child. 

Art Nouveau

The first painting I would like to discuss is titled L’Art Nouveau (1900) by Elisabeth Sonrel. Not much is written about this piece, but it was painted in the Bretons, a region in France. She was greatly inspired by “Arthurian romance, biblical subjects, archaic legends and medieval love” (Renoir, 2015), and tried to show at least one of these in her pieces. Arthurian romance and archaic legends can be seen in the L’Art Nouveau and the delicacy that Sonrel uses to illustrate these themes. Art nouveau is a movement negating the rigid learning and practical approach that most artists used, and its supposed to be delicate and an example of freethinking. 

The first element that I noticed was the use of muted colors and the colors we do see the most of which are yellows and greens. The yellows represent joy and the green pair with it a sense of peace. They create a very soft presentation of the piece. The next element that Sonrel facilitates is line work (“The Visual Elements”); the thin lines represent delicacy and the curved lines of her hair and the flowers show comfort and ease. The last evident element is tone. Sonrel uses the muted tone of her painting to show a “tranquil atmosphere” (“The Visual Elements”). All these elements really contribute to the definition of art nouveau and the delicacy and intricacy of this piece. 

I do like this piece and I think that is mostly due to the fact that it reminds me of Norse mythological paintings. It’s very soft and I enjoy how ethereal it looks. It reminds me of Lilith paintings. I would probably put this in my bathroom or something because it’s s dainty and mystical.

L’Art Nouveau, 1900 by Elisabeth Sonrel in Bretons, France.

The next piece for my analysis of Art Nouveau is Gustav Klimt’s Water Serpents II (1907), painted in Vienna, Austria. The backstory to this piece is that Klimt had an interest in women’s sensuality (https://www.gustav-klimt.com/Serpents.jsp) and that is apparent in this piece. This piece is representative of a lesbian embrace, but in order to show it in Vienna, he made it allegorical and that it stood for basically mermaids just being temptresses. Klimt tried to include all forms of humans in his interpretation of Art Nouveau. 

I was unable to find anything that said explicitly what Klimt was trying to say about society in his paintings, but it is thought that he tried to challenge authority and subvert expectations on what art is supposed to be. 

Most of the elements present in Klimt’s piece are the same as those in Sonrel’s piece, supporting the mutual theme expressed by the Art Nouveau movement and eliciting the same emotions that Sonrel’s does. Art Nouveau is used to highlight the beauty and comfort in a peaceful style. The colors are the most noticeable; yellow incites joy and the green exhibits peace. The thin, soft lines represent delicacy and calmness. The last element is shape. Klimt uses a mixture of 2D shapes and abstract shapes to create a more spiritual level response (“The Visual Elements”).  Art Nouveau is supposed to be almost ethereal and mildly grandiose.

I do like this painting, but I’m not sure it would fit well with anything in my house. There is a lot of yellow in it, which is not my favorite. 

Water Serpents II, 1907 by Gustav Klimt in Vienna, Austria.

Post-Impressionism

The first Post-Impressionism painting I will be analyzing is The Goldfish (1912) by Henri Matisse. I was unable to find a specific location, but he spent most of his time in France (“The Goldfish, 1912”). Goldfish were not a normal thing in Europe until the 17th century, but Matisse became fascinated with them starting in 1912. He became fascinated with them when visiting Morocco. Matisse noticed that the Moroccans were relaxed and easy-going people, and he believed that the goldfish were representative of their calming lifestyle (“The Goldfish, 1912”). 

The first thing you notice in Matisse’s painting is the color contrast. The contrast shows all the struggles in life and how everything is balanced. The next element is the use of texture, and how you can observe brush strokes and the build up of paint, but also the ephemeral texture of the water in the glass and the tension at the surface. Matisse also tries to use representational shape but in an abstract way of not being super precise and clean. This element creates a more whimsical appearance to the painting (“The Visual Elements”). 

I do not like this painting. I find that a lot of Post-Impressionist works look like something a middle schoolers could create in an art class; while I do enjoy the opinion that it takes a lifetime to paint like a child, it leaves something to be desired for me. I do, however, enjoy the backstory and I like how Matisse took something so simple and put so much importance on it. 

The Goldfish, 1912 by Henri Matisse in France.

The last piece I will be analyzing is The Blue Room (1923) by Suzanne Valadon, painted in France. It is a self-portrait by Valadon to just show the true nature of a woman. I found a very interesting criticism about male artists painting larger women, and that they were almost incapable of painting “voluptuous figures” realistically and always making them appear “light as air” (Stecyk, 2019). Valadon was a common muse for other artists, but was never painted realistically and she wanted to represent “heft and volume”.

What I noticed most obviously, is the blue encasing Valadon. The blue makes me think sadness is encasing her, but to her core, she is self-loving (Cherry, 2019), her bosom covered in a light pink. The green in her pants support that she is still at peace even when sadness is closing in. Besides just using color as mood, Valadon also uses color as form, the darker colors she uses created the shades and the higher concentrations of those colors. The deep concentrations of the blues are on the peripherals of the painting almost as if the worst of the sadness has yet to reach her. The last evident element to me is the breaking up of different line types. Around her, as in her body outline, the lines are thicker than anything else in the painting, exhibiting the fact that she is stronger than what is coming to test her (“The Visual Elements”). This might be a too metaphoric interpretation, but I like it.

I was unable to find a historical context to this painting or hint as to what she was supposedly criticizing other than the misrepresentation of some muses by famous artists. I do actually, like this painting. It’s one of the few Post-Impressionism pieces I like, and I think it has to do with the backstory and my interpretation. If I didn’t perceive it as being a personal overcoming of something, I don’t think I would enjoy it so much. 

The Blue Room, 1923 by Suzanne Valadon in Paris, France.

Works Cited

Voorhies, James. “Post-Impressionism.” Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/poim/hd_poim.htm.

Renoir, Catherine, and Catherine Renoir. “Elisabeth Sonrel.” Elisabeth Sonrel Biography – Renoir Fine Art, www.renoirinc.com/biography/artists/sonrel.htm .

“The Visual Elements.” The Visual Elements of Art, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/visual-elements.html.

Stecyk, Griff. “The Blue Room [Suzanne Valadon].” Sartle, 3 July 2018, www.sartle.com/artwork/the-blue-room-suzanne-valadon. 

“The Goldfish, 1912 by Henri Matisse.” Henri Matisse, www.henrimatisse.org/goldfish.jsp. 
Cherry, Kendra. “The Color Psychology of Pink.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 10 Apr. 2019, www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-pink-2795819.

The Classical Era in art comprised many themes and events in order to pull inspiration. It contained the Enlightenment period, expansion of humanism, and the emergence of personal thought and growth. In my analysis of this period, I will be looking at how three works aid in strengthening the theme of art and scientific discovery in the 1700s. Art, of course, was important in this era because it created a medium for artists to communicate their opinions on things like the Enlightenment, and how scientific advances benefitted them. 

The first piece I will be analyzing is Weeping Rachel (circa 1772-1776) by Charles Willson Peale. Peale painting this piece in Philadelphia as a way to deal with the infectious environment that took his daughter’s life (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2016). He painted this to cope with his loss, a loss that was experienced by many of the public during this period. This painting is an example of the importance of scientific discovery and development; around twenty years later, the smallpox vaccine was developed and started to reduce the numbers of the sick.  

The art elements in this piece all contribute to the somber and hopeless feeling of this painting. The tone of the painting is dark in the background and dark surrounding Peale’s wife, Rachel. The use of color help illustrate his wife’s emotions and also his. There is also the constrast of Rachel and the child. The child is white, facilitating the pure notion one thinks of when observing the color white. The color could also symbolize the lack of life from the child, and loss experienced by her mother. The last prominent element observable in this painting is the shape of the figures. Peale uses representational shapes to reproduce what he may have observed during the time of his daughter’s death. He facilitates this particular shape method to recreate and instill in others the emotions he may have felt. 

I believe the presentation of this piece is efficient in making the observer feel somber and melancholy, and perhaps empathetic to how the loss of a child could feel like. I do not like this piece, personally, because I think it is very one noted. There is not really a convoluted idea to it, nor is it grandiose and awe inspiring. I believe that it was more for Peale to illustrate his feelings in response to the disease ridden era he was living in. I would not own a copy of it. It’s not pretty to me, and I think in order to allow for the piece to speak on what is was intended, it should be displayed in either an art museum or a science museum (to show the importance of scientific discovery). 

Weeping Rachel (1772-1776) by Charles Willson Peale: his wife weeping over the body of their daughter who died of smallpox 

The next piece I will be looking at is Hogarth Painting the Comic Muse (1758) by William Hogarth, painted in London, England. A self potrait of sorts of him painting the Muse of Comedy played homage to artistic inspiration (“A Brief Biography of William Hogarth”). Hogarth wanted to illustrate the importance of art and advancements, doing so by printing this piece and then later, engraving it. He facilitated many different mediums to make this as accessable as possible. Hogarth had spent most of his life in trade shops, arguably the first areas to experience any sort of advancements. He created this piece to provide discourse on the art and scientific discoveries of the 1700s, and almost give thanks to what that theme has down for him.

The element that Hogarth relies heavily on would be the use of lines. He uses lines to create texture and a little depth in his painting. The crosshatching effect that he does on his clothes makes it look like you’re actually observing wool. He also has some freehand lines in the canvas and surrounding components, and that illustrates the calm mood of the artist and his patient personal energy (“The Visual Elements”). To return quickly to the topic of texturing with his line work, Hogarth uses the texture element to create the optical illusion that certain components of his piece stand out from one another and they are not just flat on the canvas. Hogarth also uses tone as form; the light color being the highlight, and the darker colors and the building of layers creating the shadows.

This painting I do like. I like the almost sepia tone in the piece; the whole thing, the lines, the color, the focal points, all create a very calm and pleasant tone and presentation. I wouldn’t own a copy of this, though. I think it is almost a personal homage that it would be hard to display it in a home without clashing with other pieces or elements in the home. I do, however, think this would be a perfect piece to display in the foyer of an art institute or something like that. This piece is an homage to artistic inspiration, so I think nothing else would be as fitting as displaying it in an environment dedicated to that. 

I was unable to find a backstory on this piece. 

William Hogarth (1697–1764). Hogarth Painting the Comic Muse, 1758. Etching and engraving. Graphic Arts Collection, Firestone Library.

The last piece I will be discussing is Two Boys with a Bladder (1769) by Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool, England. The painting illustrates two boys experimenting and exhibiting curiousity, and it “reflects the experimental interests of artists and scientists of the Enlightenment” (Singh, 2019). The whole purpose of this era was to experiment and support development and discoveries.

The element that I noticed immediately is color, and color as a light source. To me, the light seems to be coming from the bladder, lighting up the boys’ faces. The experimentation is enlightening, hence Enlightenment. That might be a stretch, but it’s what I immediately thought of when I started to analyze the piece. Wright also uses representational shapes just like Peale. It really brings the painting to life and seems like a snapshot directly out of the Enlightenment period. Wright also uses tone to elicite the thought of enlightenment. The dark colors around everything but the boys and the bladder let the observer know that through experimentation, through curiousity, do we get brought out of the dark ages. Wright’s piece is a very strong example for the theme of scientific discovery in the Classical period of art. 

I very much like the presentation of this piece. It’s very clean, very purposeful in its message. I would not own it, because I would rather not have an image with a blown up bladder on my wall. It’s a lovely piece, but I think just like the aforementioned pieces, there are other places it would serve better. A science institute or museum would be perfec for this. The shared ideal of curiousity would make it seem out of place anywhere else. 

I did not find a backstory for this image. 

Two Boys with a Bladder is one of Joseph Wright of Derby’s early candlelight paintings

Works Cited

Murphy, Arthur. “Rachel Weeping.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/medicine-colonial-era/rachel-weeping-charles-willson-peale-1772/.

“The Visual Elements.” The Visual Elements of Art, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/visual-elements.html.

“A Brief Biography of William Hogarth.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, https://rbsc.princeton.edu/hogarth/biography 

Singh, Anita. “Fight to Keep Forgotten Joseph Wright of Derby Masterpiece in the UK after It Was Bought by Getty Museum .” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 5 June 2019, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/05/forgotten-joseph-wright-derby-masterpiece-heading-getty-museum/.

Honestly, I chose this painting because I thought it bizare and a very eclectic piece. I was unable to find concrete evidence for why Rosa painted this piece or any back story to it, as many sources give credit to Salvador Dali for his reinterpretation of Rosa’s painting.

Rosa really heavily relies on color as a mood and for a light source (“Color as a Visual Element of Art”, Arty Factory). There is contrast in the painting from opposite ends of the color spectrum, and while not being as severe as some Munch paintings, the contrast makes you anxious and uneasy while looking at this painting. I read the muted colors as the dark or evil side is winning in this stand off and that observation works in tandem with St.Anthony being on the ground on his back, completely at the mercy of the demons coming into the frame. The brightness of color on the left side works as a light source to further emphasis the relationship of good versus evil. Rosa also uses representational shapes to create most of the image; with the primary demon being a conglomerate of accurate figures, it makes something that could be settling via the accuracy, something creepy and concerning. The more it looks real, the more it can be percieved as an actual threat. We’re not scared by something that can be easily dismissable due to its caricature state. These aforementioned elements do not exactly inspire awe, but they definitely entice an emotional response. It’s not something that you want to be taking in a lot of.

This piece may not be blatant with how it is characteristic of the Baroque era, but we can see that it does create the expected tension and grandiose feeling of this period. This piece by Rosa also alludes to the Council of Trent; this may appear a stretch, but Rosa heavily criticed the human fragility founded in spiritual strength (“Portraits of a Desert Father: Surrealist Contributions to the St. Anthony Tradition”, Brady), and found inspiration and guidance from one of the Medicis (“Salvator Rosa”, Tikkanen). The Medicis being responsible for creating the Council of Trent as a response to Reformation. Rosa basically wanted to be a useful object for Cardinal Giovanni Carlo de’ Medici to voice his religious opinions through. Hence, why Rosa paitned this piece in Italy in 1645.

I am not sure if I would own a copy of this work, which is ironic for me because it appears to me something that I would sketch. I find that this work is so heavily criticing of it’s intended world and period that it almost feels out of place being anywhere else in any different context. I love the imagery and the imagination it took to create it, but I think it is best suited for a gallery.

Figure 1. The Temptation of St. Anthony by Salvator Rosa (1645)

Works Cited

“Color as a Visual Element of Art.” The Visual Elements – Color, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/color.html.

Brady, Lucy. “Portraits of a Desert Father: Surrealist Contributions to the St. Anthony Tradition.” Lapsus Lima, 23 May 2019, www.lapsuslima.com/portraits-of-a-desert-father-surrealist-contributions-to-the-saint-anthony-tradition/.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Salvator Rosa.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 June 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Salvator-Rosa.

Milos. “The Temptation of St. Anthony by Salvator Rosa and Salvador Dali’s Vision of It.” The Temptation of St. Anthony by Salvator Rosa and Salvador Dali’s Vision of It, 1 Jan. 1970,http://art-lighthouse.blogspot.com/2012/04/temptation-of-st-anthony-by-salvator.html.

The piece I have chosen for this week’s analysis is Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus (1483) painted in Florence, Italy. It has been on my mind lately since one of my favorite environmentalists and drag queens wore a stunning gown inspired by Botticelli’s painting to the Tony Awards. What I like about this painting, is while it’s still amazingly intricate, your eye is drawn immediately to the center to actually admire Venus herself, no distractions, no obstacles, only Venus existing in all her glory and beauty.  

There are a few reasons why Botticelli’s piece can be associated with the Italian Renaissance and the humanism movement encased with it, but the first is Venus existing as the perfect emblace of the ideal renaissance woman. She has pale skin hinting that she is pure and elegant, and she has a curvy figure that represent the beauty ideals of that time further. The next reason “Birth of Venus” is a symbol of renaissance ideals, is the representation of life and rebirth. She is devoid of any sign of life’s struggles with her pale skin, and her nudity lets the observer know that she new and bare. The painting has been cited with being a comment on life itself (Stanton, 2011) . There’s heaven and earth on the left and the Hours on the right trying to cover her up. The humanism of the Renaissance period is seen by Botticelli’s “incorporat[ion] [of] the idea of human consciousness into his mythological themed work by using the nude form with respect to antiquity” (Ronghao, 2015); she is being marvelled for her beauty and purity, an observation we can make by looking at the three figures around her. She is meant to be observed.

I think this piece is very awe- inspiring due to the fact that your eyes are immediately drawn to Venus, like I said above, everything about this piece is so intricate, but you would be hardpressed to miss Venus herself. Botticelli ensures this happens by exaggerating some of her features, her neck primarily (Button, 2012). Only after a moment or two do you take time to look at the other figures in the painting. Botticelli uses color to also help support Venus being this rebirthed character; he surrounds the painting with green tones, and other various earth tones, to represent calmness and allow the observer to feel a sense of peace. There’s little to no noise coming from this painting, it’s quiet and serene, just like Venus. Botticelli also uses very organic and natural lines and movement in this painting, the only area he diverges from that is with the water, which makes me think that it’s only an afterthought, something that is not even worth noticing. The lines used to create the robes provide movement to draw any distraction away from Venus. The robe the woman on the right is holding is drawn away from Venus, and the two figures on the left have their clothing in the opposite direction, making Venus the focal point. The last element that is prominent in this piece is the use of color as light. The color is brighter and softer on the left side, bringing happiness.

This is a painting I would love to own a copy of. I think the message and the emotions triggered by the colors and movement are exquisit, and I believe it is the embodiment of the majesty of a woman. She is pure, she is striking, and you can’t help but notice her. I was unable to find Botticelli’s inspiration or reasoning for this paiting, besides the tight relationship he has created between her and human consciousness.

Works Cited

C, Stanton. “‘The Birth of Venus’ – Sandro Botticelli 1483.” “The Birth of Venus” – Sandro Botticelli 1483, 1 Jan. 1970, perceptionoffemalebeauty.blogspot.com/2011/05/birth-of-venus-sandro-botticelli-1483_08.html.

Ronghao, X. “How Does Botticelli’s Work Reflect the Values of the Early Renaissance?– Humanism in Botticelli’s Work.” Amazingly Life, 23 Mar. 2019, xuronghao.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/how-does-botticellis-work-reflect-the-values-of-the-early-renaissance-humanism-in-botticellis-work/.

Button, Georgia. “Formal Analysis of The Birth of Venus.” Formal Analysis of The Birth of Venus, 1 Jan. 1970, buttonartfundamentals.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-birth-of-venus.html.

The piece that I will be analyzing and commenting on its creative elements is Almond Blossoms (1890) by Vincent Van Gogh; one piece in a series painted in Arles and Saint-Remy, France (Van Gogh Museum). I have tried to identify, previously, what it is about this piece that draws me to it, and through the education of various art elemnts, I believe I have pinpointed the causes.

The primary element that I notice is the lack of straight lines. Everything is curved, and somewhat fluid which suggest a more “calm” or at “ease” feeling (Arty Factory). The branches have circular notches or knobs which allow for this curvature. This also leads into the next element: shape. There are a lot of circles in this piece, hinting at continuousness. While I had not previously caught this, I do like how it adds to the piece.

The next element is the color. Post-impressionists, like Van Gogh, used color to facilitate symbolism (J H Wang Color), and for me, the color is symbolizing an emotion. The blue in the background creates a melancholy aura, as does the addition of other muted or soft colors. The pale pink in the flowers adds a touch of happiness or hope. Everything coming together to create a soft interpretation or message.

Van Gogh also relied heavily on the use of texture in the pieces I am most familiar with. He facilitates texture of his brush strokes while also the illusion of texture, as can be seen in Figure 1. I noticed that in this particular piece, we can observe more texture in the “closer” branches, and it fades as we get farther away. This gives the observer depth and while it is post-impressionism, we get a taste of realism.

I think this piece is very lovely and so soft. The colors are muted, yet for me, it creates a strong evocation of emotion. Granted, that emotion is calmness, but there is still an emotional response. I would love to own a copy of this painting or a print. I think it would be lovely right above a couch in a living room, or anywhere else it could be a centerpiece.  

I was unable to find a distinct backstory, but there is mention that Van Gogh loved large blossoms against a blue sky and that these almond trees represent new life (Van Gogh Museum) . Van Gogh also gifted this painting to his brother who just had a son; very fitting for the new life symbolized in these pink flowers. I do not relate to this message or relation, but I like the thought of new life. This painting is more somber in my eyes, but that’s just the beauty of the subjectivity of art.

Figure 1

Van Gogh, Vincent. “Almond Blossoms.” Van Gogh Museum, https://vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0176V1962?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7pPd19XC4gIVCP5kCh1UngKWEAAYASAAEgKTa_D_BwE&v=1.

Works Cited

“Almond Blossom – Van Gogh Museum.” Vincent Van Gogh – Almond Blossom – Van Gogh Museum, https://vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0176V1962?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7pPd19XC4gIVCP5kCh1UngKWEAAYASAAEgKTa_D_BwE&v=1

“Line as a Visual Element of Art.” The Visual Elements – Line, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/line.html.

“Impressionism and Post Impressionism.” Color Throughout Art,

https://jhwangcolor.weebly.com/impressionism-and-post-impressionism.html