Composition
One lesson all artists need to learn from is how to take criticism well. Often, it’s hard to separate criticism on your art from criticism on you. Jackson Pollock is an excellent example of someone who took criticism very well, even saying once that “there was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn’t have any beginning or any end. He didn’t mean it as a compliment, it was.” Taking criticism and turning it into something to be proud of is an incredible power move on his part, though in Pollock’s case it was objectively true as well. With his focus on abstract art, there wasn’t a need for either. We are used to art telling a story or conveying information, which of course needs a beginning and an end. Pollock’s work focuses instead on converting emotions.
Composition, by Lee Krasner, Pollock’s own wife, is an excellent example of a piece with no beginning or end. It is chaotic, like getting lost in a labyrinth, with the white lines leading the viewer anywhere and everywhere on the page. Despite the chaos, though, Composition is a very cohesive piece, with most of the colors on the cooler end of the spectrum, enough so that the brighter, warmer colors, draw the eye. The leading things, too, are incredibly varied but work well to link everything together.
Though often overshadowed by Pollock, Krasner was an accomplished artist in her own right. She stepped back to promote her husband, but, like him, she enjoyed large paintings with rapid, gestural drawings that went from edge to edge. It is less obvious in Composition, though. Behind the white lines, the colors of the piece are splattered and disorganized, with no cohesive color palette. Instead, Composition is united through the foreground of white lines and white shapes. The white forms both organic and geometric shapes, with boxes and spirals complementing each other. The line width varies as well, with some lines being incredibly thin, barely visible, while others are incredibly thick. This just gives the painting even more character.
It’s hard to pick what I like best about this painting. It’s a fun piece, with the lines leading you around so you can take it all in, but busy enough that it’s pretty much impossible to notice everything Krasner included. If I had to pick my favorite part, it would have to be how every time you look at it again, you can find something new within the shapes. Not only that but what one person might see, another might not. That’s one of the best things about abstract art, in my opinion- you can interpret it all you like, but everyone will interpret it differently.
Krasner’s piece is hard to categorize, beyond “abstract.” Like Pollock, her work has no beginning or end- you get what you see. But the more I look, the more I see. At first, I was drawn in by the fun shapes of the work. Now, after studying it more, I can see an urban influence, with its bright colors and lines that look like graffiti lettering. What you see can change, and abstract art plays on that in such a way that keeps viewers interested.
Danielle Thompson
Prof – Robert Tracy
Class – ART 434 and 473
09/17/2020
1st writing assignment
The quote, “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people…and there is the visual that is understood by everybody” (Yaacov Agam). Is represented in Picasso’s oil painting Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, Fall-Winter 1910, demonstrates this quote. The image caught my eye because of its lack of color. It is very natural and calming yet appears to have many complex and different shapes delineated in the work. The reason why I feel this painting demonstrates the quote above is because every individual can see Picasso’s work in their own way. Although knowing that it is a portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, I could not tell you what the original portrait appearance was. Picasso’s lines and shading are defined enough to let one know there is a face, hair, and hands folded in the bottom center, but not enough to block the viewer from developing their own ideas, interpretation, and understanding of what the painting symbolizes.
This portrait demonstrates how the breakdown of solid forms can lead to different interpterion in viewership. The angular three-dimensional structures add a pixelated sight, almost like the painting is a flickering photo on a computer. Kahnweiler’s face, hair, and hands appear as though they are slowly rendering his original portrait. At the same time, others may see his figure as dematerializing or fading into the work. Because there are so many different ways in which one can interrupt this painting, it can speak to anyone. The use of line is outstanding, and taking a closer look at the face, one can see how Picasso used simplistic shapes, lines, and shading to make the form of Kahnweiler’s complexion. The center of the painting appears to have what resembles a suit or formal attire of some kind. An intriguing part of the painting is in the bottom left corner area. It is compacted with jumbled shapes, and it is not apparent what it could be. Most of the time, it appears to be a sword floating on a miniature cloud, while other times, my eyes see the resemblance of a table or chair. Along with the bottom object, different faces sometimes appear beside Kahnweiler’s. Although less defined and possibly on accident, my eye interprets lines in the shape of lips and straight noses, and shading that gives off the appearance of an eye socket.
Although two completely different types of art, Picasso’s oil painting and the photo of the Neon Gas Station on page 13 of James Steele’s book, both exhibit the use in shapes and lines. The gas station has a round-triangular look. Using curving lines that are light up by a baby blue neon gives off the appearance of a leaf-like texture to the ceiling. The Supporting structure to the ceiling has a thick base that curves out and becomes thinner the farther out it stretches on the ceiling, appear as an almost root/vein-like structure to a plant or tree. Atop around the edges are giant squares evenly spaced apart, although alone, they may look like sound barriers or just squares. Combined with the rest of the composition, just like the oil painting, it creates a design that, to me, looks like a cell wall. While to another, it could appear as doors, windows, or even resemble something like the dotted lines on the road. Although we all know driving a car is not the most environmentally friendly, the plant-like structure to the gas station creates an oar that could be perceived as environmentally friendly or healthy.
Both these pieces use geometric planes that create an ambiguous concept. In the oil painting, the use of light, shading, and shape creates an illusion of space, pattern, and texture. While the functional art, gas station, creates an ambiguous structure that, in today’s world, is not commonly recognized as a gas station. Learning about Charles-Edouard Jeanneret or Le Corbusier’s use of light, order, and space, I would say that the gas station did achieve this. Although both pieces share similar attributes, I don’t believe Le Corbusier’s thoughts or visions can be applied the same way to artwork, such as Picasso’s paintings. Architecture is a functional piece of art that needs order and space to be appreciated to its full capacity. While other sources of artwork, such as sculpture, painting, drawing, sewing/fashion, and computer design, don’t necessarily need to be functional to be appreciated. However, all visual artwork, even with different functions, can see be interpreted by all in their own way, allowing them to speak and be understood by all.
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.”(Chris DeRubeis)
Looking through a lot of Vincent Van Gogh’s works now have a lot more meaning behind every stroke and every motion in each painting. The trials and hardships that Vincent had been through. The failures that prompted him to question his worth. The inspiration and the desperation between each passing piece. The paintings themselves mostly force your eyes to move with the flow of the painting almost like water, or a calm river (The Starry Night 1889). Art being something that you can feel, can be felt not just through touch, but through all your senses as well. It takes on many forms, and from many places. Whether the work is an intentional piece or not, that which moves a person and can also stop them in their tracks, can be the something that creates a moment where the spirit and body connect. I agree with the quote above that art should inspire and evoke emotion.
To show people an emotion they may not have encountered before. Art should be something you can feel. When the body begins to move with the piece. When one can be immersed with their own mind and the reactions that come from the influence of the piece that is set in front of you.
Art can be a piece that inflicts anger upon your heart. It can be a piece that delivers peace to your mind. It can bring shame or silence. Or even perhaps leaving you with even more questions that you had started. They can remind us of the past and give us hope for the future (The Potato eaters 1885, Café Terrace at Night 1888). Or find a piece that speaks to your heart. Art can be inspiring, it can be loving, it can be threatening. It can show a point in time when feelings poured out of a place and convey something that can sometimes tell more than a photograph.
There has been the question if some forms of art, should be considered less of art than others. When we look at the foundation of what art should be, this quote would be the simplest answer. Music, literature, film, sculptures, and paintings, anything that can evoke that emotion inside, could inspire you. Relationships, hardships, courage, and even decisions could be used in a way to convey these feelings. When put together with what we can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel, tells us about the things around us and how any of these senses could help us discover new experiences and emotions.
Sometimes we take these things for granted. And other times we forget that there are those who lack these very senses we take for granted. But behold, that even with limited senses, people can still use what they have to create something beautiful. (Water Lilies and Reflections of a Willow, 1919, Claude Monet) Claude Monet near the time of his death became partially color blind and started to paint with darker blues. Beethoven became mostly deaf but still created desperate pieces from the memory of sound and his wanting to listen again, to the point where sometimes he would use a special stick pressed against an instrument to feel its vibrations. With what we have, I can say to be grateful that we can experience art, since it works in such an impactful and moving way.
“A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” – Joan Miro
This quote is a great way to describe The Why Factory at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands. They are finding power from new materials in order to create the masterpiece that they desired. Traditionally, they would use more expensive forms of power like electricity. They are using their intelligence as a brush and painting lines leading to freedom and happiness just as Joseph Maria Olbrich, designed the Vienna Secession Building in Vienna during the late 1800’s. By taking away unnecessary decorations and gallery style layouts within, The Vienna Secession Building gave a free thinking environment to some of the greatest minds in history and this inspired so much evolution not just within its walls, but the entire world as well. Even now, with this current pandemic crisis, there is a need to keep expanding toward healthy cohesion of technology and nature. We have to all work together and design spaces for growth, even in Los Angeles, where outward growth is limited.
Growing up in San Diego allowed me to have easy access to Los Angeles as it was only two hours away during non rush hour times. However, my friends and I often drove up there even through the traffic. The drive there was very scenic, especially the miles passing the ocean by Camp Pendleton. Each summer during high school I rode the train from San Diego to Santa Barbara in order to attend a week long church event where we stayed in the dorms at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While driving was possible, it was easier for us to travel as a group on the train.
Road trips have been a family tradition every summer as well, so when I got the chance to see the world through a different perspective, it was inspiring. I’ve always been inspired by the idea of creating connections with one another instead of being sealed off by cars when traveling on the roads.
Autopia symbolizes an ideal living setup for cohesion within the community. If I were to go to The Why Factory, I would propose a plan to restore Los Angeles and other large scale cities using art and design to help us grow out of our current global dilemma. For example, we can plant rows of trees/bamboo/plants next to major roads and highways to give people some outside time while they are driving around. Similar to the scenic drive at Red Rock park. Walkways to separate pedestrians from the cars with rows of high oxygen producing trees and plants such as bamboo in between the different directions to give privacy and scenery. Rows of solar panels on medians could be used to separate directions of traffic as well as provide power to nearby buildings as needed. Roads would be made out of recycled tires or other recyclables which in turn would also create more jobs for those entering the workforce.
Community transportation can be a massive obstacle when trying to balance a cities needs therefore instead of traditional busses or subways there could be individual pods that connect to each other via magnetism, in order to maintain six feet distance from the other passengers on the train. Each pod could have video chat screens built in on the inside that would cover the wall from top to bottom. This would allow riders to communicate with one another, if they so choose, similar to the times when passengers could experience conversation while on the Orient Express traveling through some of the most beautiful cities such as Vienna ever since 1883. Food could be served on the train as well, which would generate thousands more jobs in the farming community.
Utilizing the square footage on top of buildings to create rooftop community gardens and sunflower fields would give the bee population a chance to thrive as well as sustainably reliable food sources for the community. Bamboo gardens placed throughout the cities could be used to purify toxins in the air and then could be later harvested and used to produce structures or paper products. The earth is so plentiful and our minds are so determined, that there will be thousands of breakthroughs in regards to how to cohesively exist in the future.
Liam Donaldson
Art 473 Modern Art
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
“All Art Should Inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis). This quote is basically the written personification of art itself. Feeling something or seeing something beyond the physical realm is all about. And one piece of brilliant art that describes this almost perfectly is Henri de Roulouse Lautrec’s Portrait of Vincent Van Gough from 1888. I really like this piece because it evokes so much emotion in one simple portrait.
According to sources, Van Gough spent almost every day in a bar. Pretty much being an Alcoholic by the time he met Henri. So, from Henri’s perspective it only made sense to draw Van Gough at a table with a glass of absinthe. The piece is chalk on paper, approximately sized 54.2 cm x 46 cm. Lautrec was perfecting his impressionist technique when he made this. But in contrast to other Impressionists, Henri had complete mastery of the style, and the psychology with that style. Lautrec decided to portray Van Gough in a profile view when for most of the portraits and self-portraits of van Gogh show a full-face view, It allowed him to show an unknown side into Vincent Van Gough, he also allows a glimpse into his psyche. Plus, it was different from everyone else doing the exact same boring thing so that helps.
Van Gogh was impressed, and liked Henries work a lot, but unfortunately the artists were too different in personality to remain friends. It shows in this piece. Though it shows a very somber Van Gough in a profile view. You can see that it is evoking the emotion out previous quote stated. Everything you look at, especially when it comes to art, should evoke emotion. Whether its sadness or gloom. Happiness or joy. Or even nothing at all. Feeling nothing is an emotion in of itself. This portrait of Van Gough has an aggressive chalk drawing with very bright enthusiastic colors but with a very depressed gentleman as the subject. There is something for everyone in this scene. This piece is a great example, not all other pieces are like this. But every piece of art inspires something. If it does not, then it is not art. Getting in touch with your emotions can be very tough sometimes. Art can be a great outlet for that. Because no matter whether it is a painting or a sculpture or a drawing or even a literal piece of trash on the street, there is an emotion that comes from it. Art should be something you can actually feel, no one else can feel it. The best pieces of art can bring out the best and worst of your emotions at the same time. That is why this Portrait of Vincent Van Gough from Henri Roulouse Lautrec is one of the perfect examples of art inspiring emotion.
Gustav Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze is a perfect encapsulation of Tim Yanke’s idea that “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” It is the movement and placement of all the figures in this piece that help display a long and arduous human journey towards happiness.
Hanging up high on three walls in a room within the Vienna Secession building, the frieze shows a linear course of imagery that follows humanity’s longing for happiness. At the start of the frieze on the far left wall, genii figures float softly across the top of the composition, flying to the right. It is the genii who we are following across the frieze; their movement and venture through evil forces are what depicts the human journey towards fulfillment. The genii are interrupted by the gilded figure of a tall knight, with his helmet at his feet and his sword in his hand he is ready to take on the forces of evil at the urging of the human figures at his back who show their hope and pleading. The dark and evil forces are next, their ominous and overwhelming position at the center portion of the frieze presents an obstacle for the knight and the genii, who must overcome such forces if they wish to continue on their journey. The genii finally emerge, discovering joy through arts, music, and human fulfillment.
It is Klimt’s use of movement throughout the frieze that sells the idea of progression through this journey. Flowing from left to right, the story that is being told by the gestures and placement of all the figures within the frieze is the perfect way to depict this difficult trek through evil and the human condition. Each representation of evil within the center portion of the frieze, whether it is the startling figure of Typhoeus or the three gorgon sisters, stand perpendicular to the flow of the piece; evil and temptation disrupt and challenge the flow of the journey. Even the direction in which the figures are facing and their implied movement gives us an idea of what is going on. The genii float towards the right, their arms reaching towards their destination. The knight faces his enemies and temptations to the right. The figure with the lyre towards the end of the journey, representative of humanity’s connection to the arts, faces the right. The forces of darkness, on the other hand, oppose that direction of movement. Typhoeus looks to the left at our knight, as do the figures depicting grief and intemperance. Other figures within this realm face the viewer head-on, as if the viewer themselves are also part of this journey and must combat these enemies too. At the end of the frieze, the choir faces the viewers head-on as well, but not as a confrontation as it was with the figures of evil, but rather as a welcoming and final gesture of the journey’s end. The final two human figures embracing in a kiss have their back to the viewer, for human contentment has been reached and there are no more forces of evil to face.
As Yanke says, “There is life is in movement…”, depicted here by humanity and its ever-moving flow towards fulfillment, and “…death in stagnation”, depicted by the evil forces that stand imposing and alluring against that flow. Klimt takes us through that process of life and its perils, using movement as the perfect expression of humanity’s journey.
Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1889, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Oil on canvas.
“A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” – Joan Miro
I have seen most of Van Gogh’s self-portraits, if not all of them, and I chose this one because, to me, it is the most satisfying one. My first thought was to hastily call it “the best portrait” but then my mind wonders if there is actually the best one among all of them. Among the paintings of his own persona, there are ones that were done when Vincent had less experience, while others were done when he has been years practicing, whoever, what makes a portrait great? Usually, people love realistic portraits, and those one would be the ones that get the most “likes”, but portraits do not have to display what is real but represent the essence of the one being painted. I chose this self-portrait for I considered the best one of all of them, and coincidentally, it is one out of two that are considered his last self-portrait.
When I stare at this painting, instantly makes me feel like the selected quote was the most accurate one. Van Gogh has proven to me that lines were something more than that to him. We find thick lines mostly, but they vary on the way they lead our eyes. The Starry Night is probably the most relatable example, but the painting I chose can also serve as one. In this work, I see many types of lines: wavy lines in the background, short lines that build his face and serious expression, lines that place the beard on the character, and lines on the clothes that are a mixture of the previous ones. We can only see him, from elbows to head, in a cold yet warmish palette. Strange. Apparently, the painting was made with many different tones of blue, but by taking a closer look on his lines, I can detect hues that translate close to yellow or green; then, the colors that built his head complete the warm feeling in all the coldness surrounding the character. The lines are wavy and give me a sense of ascending or rising as smoke does. I find it fascinating how he pulled off a balance between background and clothes even when using very similar values. I did not notice before, but what makes the difference is not just a slight shading of the values in the clothes but the type of lines he applies to them, which subtly and effectively contrasts with the background. This way, my eyes focus on Vincent’s face and allows me to meet his eyes without feeling that I’m staring at a bodiless head.
Even if the portrait itself is the focus of the painting, I find myself trapped in the background. I like how the wavy lines guide my sight in a playful manner when I am supposed to focus on the figure in front of me. I wonder what made Vincent paint them like this. Is there a purpose to make them wavy or is it an abstract representation of something else? It is because of this type of line that I think Vincent felt free and happy when he painted. We’ve studied him already and we know he had a challenging life with no happy ending, but his time painting was a relief for him, and that was one of the reasons Art became an escape from life for him. Lines can create whatever we want and whatever we want them to be. Maybe he wanted to represent himself with a background in which visual movement is not natural. Dots and short lines would freeze the painting, so the wavy lines in a self-portrait invite the figure to be more alive than expected. Portraits usually come alive by their facial expressions, eyes, or maybe posture. On the other hand, in this artwork, the wavy lines in the background give the sense of movement which makes me feel like the figure is standing there, still and quiet, but vividly, without the need for an expressive facial representation.
As Miro said, lines can free the artists and gives them a feeling of happiness that they cannot find in another way, but in my opinion, those feelings end when we stop doing what makes us feel that way, and Vincent knew it.
Nicole Nitschke
Dr. Robert Tracy
September 22, 2020
ART 473-1001
Diminishing Movements
Taking a glimpse into the mind of an artist, a reflection of their true feelings can be seen through their art. The viewer can directly observe what is going on in an artist’s mind with every stroke of a paint on a canvas. An example of this transparency can be seen from the late mind set of Vincent Van Gogh in his paintings of the wheat fields outside Auvers-sur-Oise. In comparison to his more famous or earlier paintings, you can see his declining mental health reflected in the lack of movement felt within his pieces. As in “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move”, Tim Yanke captures the meaning of art being a reflection of the artist(Tim Yanke). In Vincent Van Gogh’s case, the audience can distinguish the decline in mental health in Van Gogh’s “Wheat Fields with Crows” from 1890 as there is a clear lack of movement in the piece. Let’s take a look into the content of Van Gogh’s final painting, the context around Van Gogh and Yanke, as well as how this idea of reflection can be seen in modern life(oneself).
In what is believed to be Vincent Van Gogh’s final painting, “Wheat Fields with Crows” depicts crows departing into the horizon from wheat fields. The painting feels distant as if the artist was disinterested or not full there. The brush strokes are there but depict little motion within the piece. Visualizing the scene is more difficult than Van Gogh’s famous Starry Night, where you can sense the emphasized star and moon light. The viewer can not place themselves within this moment, the colors blur together, nothing drawing you in. The perspective of the curved road is lost from the piece at first glance. It is lost within the piece as there is very little variance in colors as the eye follows farther in the painting.
These wheat fields outside Auvers-sur-Oise held a key point in Van Gogh’s life . They were the place where he attempted to take his own life. Van Gigh shot himself in the abdomen while in the wheat fields. His brother, Theo, found him here and later died in his arms. They held a deep bond for each other, as Theo supported Vincent most of his life. Tim Yankee also held a deep bond with his sister, who passed early in his life, inspiring his work. Both artists had a passion for color within landscapes, depicting them in the most beautiful of ways. Yanke’s quote, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move” could be an interpretation of how he viewed life after his sister’s passing. Van Gogh likely held a similar attitude towards his paintings as reflected through his final painting, when it felt as if life held still within the landscape. Movement diminished as Vincent Van Gogh felt the end of his life draw near.
The moral, that we can draw away from Van Gogh’s life, is even when the movement of life slows down, that does not mean the end of all time. Life will continue on forever. There may be struggles but there is also love and support to fall on in need of help. Theodore Van Gogh claimed “It is difficult to know what might have motivated his suicide”, not every struggle has an obvious cause. It hides in the dark. Reach out to those you love especially in times where life sits still. Even now in the middle of a global pandemic , life stands with limited movement. Every person struggles due to the strange reality we live. Take every small moment with grace and love those around you.
Continuously look forward towards a brighter future. Even bright colors can hold deep sadness.
Grigor Giandjian
Professor Tracy
ART 473–1001
24 September 2020
An Unpleasant Masterpiece: The Raw Beauty of Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters
As contemporary artist Chris DeRubeis once said, “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” Such has been true since art was conceived in its earliest forms, when early humans endeavored to immortalize the world around them, as well as their cultural practices and lifestyles, through whatever materials were available. Art has substantially evolved since the primitive days of our ancestors, but through the centuries, its ability to manifest metaphysical meanings has remained constant. An exquisite example of such an artwork is Vincent van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters, which encapsulates the woe of Dutch peasants in the late-nineteenth century through a resolute combination of compositional and stylistic choices.
In The Potato Eaters, Van Gogh depicts a family of agricultural laborers gathered around a table in a humble Amsterdam estate. With a single oil lamp above their heads serving as the only source of lighting, the men and women look to one another’s faces as they indulge in a modest feast of potatoes. Like the potatoes they farm and consume for nourishment, the individuals are coarse and full of imperfections; their rough, bumpy faces emulate the very crop around which their lives revolve. Their hands, which are no less rugged or knobby, demonstrate a family that has—quite literally—reaped what it sows. As their hands extend over the table, steam fills the air and encloses the silhouette of the figure in the foreground: a young girl, who—like her older contemporaries—must endure the bleak existence of peasant life.
Van Gogh’s execution of The Potato Eaters with such dark, earthy tones and broad brush strokes works to further communicate the dismal nature of the individuals’ lives. Nearly every element of the composition, from the peasants’ faces to the lumber that comprises the infrastructure of their cottage, alludes to the physical qualities of their subsistence crop. These stylistic choices are an unmistakable testament to Van Gogh’s true intention in creating the piece; rather than painting what plainly stood before his eyes, Van Gogh sought to express the story of this particular family, who—like so many others in their day—lived a somber life marked by poverty and despair. In this unorthodox masterpiece of his, the artist endeavors to provide his audience with a glimpse into the lives of the Netherlands’ proletariat families, as if extending an invitation to sit and dine with them. The individuals look upon one another’s faces not with enthusiasm or vigor, but with contempt for the circumstances in which they live; in other words, this is a family who merely endures life as opposed to living it. In appreciating Van Gogh’s masterful storytelling with The Potato Eaters, one cannot help but pity the souls gathered around the table. Van Gogh, who was no stranger to misery and hardship, dared to show the world just what it meant to suffer.
Vincent Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters exists to remind us just how powerful an emotion a work of art can exude. The piece invites its viewers to experience even a sliver of the privation wrought by the hardships of peasant life, as exemplified by the less-than-appealing family of potato farmers, whose consume the bittersweet fruits of their deprivation. Rather than paint an idealistic image of hope, Van Gogh grips our emotions with a solemn ode to reality’s tribulations.
Olivia Rodriguez
ART 473-1001
Professor Tracy
Fall 2020
I feel like the quote, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move,”(Tim Yanke) can be applied to many of Vincent Van Gogh’s works. Aside from his most popular work, Starry Night, one of his other paintings that immediately came to mind when reading this quote was Wheat Fields with Crows that he painted in 1890. Even though Van Gogh had a troubled past and many hardships in his life, I think he really put his all in bringing life to his paintings through his brush strokes and colors. Even though a painting isn’t literally “living,” Van Gogh managed to add a sense of movement and life with thick and thin, straight and wavy lines, and intense, vivid colors.
In the Wheat Fields with Crows paintings, Van Gogh guides the viewer through the painting. He illustrates a sense of wind blowing through the fields by illustrating the fields flowing in different directions. The way the roads are painted guides the eye across the fields and to the sky, and keeps the viewer’s eye moving continuously throughout the painting. Even the crows have movement, as they fly out of the wheat fields. I found an image of the wheat fields he painted, and in my opinion Van Gogh added more life to the fields in his paintings than how it looks in real life.
Even though Wheat Fields with Crows is considered to be Van Gogh’s last painting and has darker themes than some of his other paintings, I think he still managed to bring life and movement to his work. Especially after seeing what the fields looked like in reality, Van Gogh definitely created something with life an movement even though it was towards the end of his life and he probably didn’t feel the same way. I think Yanke’s quote can apply to this painting, if not most of Van Gogh’s other paintings.
Alex Panzer
Tracy, Robert
Sept. 24, 2020
Art History 473 + 477
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” – Chris DeRubeis
When it comes to art there are a million ways to capture emotion and evoke feeling within the viewer; most, if not all, artists have their own way of going about this, one specific to them. Vincent Van Gogh is no doubt a testament to such a skill. This skill, for a lack of better terms, is one of the many contributors to the great success the world would soon see after Van Gogh’s unfortunate death.
Upon viewing the catalog of an artists such as Vincent, you quickly see the use of emotion he both intentionally and unintentionally included into his work. Out of all these, there is one in particular that stands out amongst the rest; the black sheep of the heard so to speak. By all means, this is not to be taken in a negative connotation. This piece by Vincent has captivated me so much to the point where I feel as though my entire being has been drawn into the painting. A painting with a nature such as this can be no other than Van Gogh’s Potato Eaters.
Typically, when one thinks of Vincent Van Gogh, my assumption is that the first of his paintings that comes to mind are his various self-portraits, The Starry Night, and etc. I was one of these viewers as well. This has completely changed now that I’ve seen Potato Eaters. And not to get ahead of myself, I can only imagine the true effect of this painting if and when seen in person. At first glance, I was immediately drawn to the painting; might even say I did a double-take.
Before discussing the painting, itself I feel it necessary we talk about Van Gogh himself, his mental health and how he encapsulated himself within the painting; thus, in turn capturing true emotion.
For those unaware Vincent Van Gogh had a rather rough life while he was alive. He was known to spend most of his time inside his home where he painted and studied. When he did go outside it was with his canvases to paint more; here he would get bullied by others. Furthermore, he dealt with a string of disastrous love affairs resulting in a melancholy and withdrawn life and mental state. He was known to live a rather austerely simple life, abstaining from simple pleasures.
This rather, unfortunate, concoction resulted in a misunderstood person. It was no help to him, that at the time, views on mental health were typically and most often associated with being possessed. And this is exactly what he was deemed as by outsiders. Van Gogh’s mental state went as far as having been diagnosed with manic depression. However even then, it has been said this is not completely accurate; his mental health was not simple enough to place in one diagnosis.
In essence, it was these very traits held by Van Gogh and his life that bled directly into the very painting that would become Potato Eaters. The darkness that lived inside is the very thing that caught my attention; pulling me into another realm.
Subsequently, this sort of gloomy and dark tonality is the first thing you see. Much like those in the Baroque period and specifically artists such as Goya. The literal darkness of the painting is the initial attention grabber.
After being drawn in, you then begin to discover the people of the story; figuring out their story, while simultaneously learning about Van Gogh. The painting itself is a depiction of the harsh realities of country life and those deemed as peasants. Not only is this shown through the use of melancholy, but also in the physicality’s of the figures. They are portrayed with course, sullen faces and bony hands indicating their labor-intensive lifestyle.
Furthermore, Van Gogh continues to push these various themes with his technical abilities. This can be seen in his use of color; darker earthy tones to truly convey the rustic-ness and harshness of these people, as well as a way to reference dirty, beaten potatoes – hence the name. Gloominess is additionally portrayed within his play of light and shadow. The shadows almost consume the painting in some areas while the light is rather dim and stays central to the piece. Helping tie all of this together, is the mere roughness and rather, clumsiness in the way Van Gogh painted this piece.
All in all, there is no doubt that such a painting as Potato Eaters carried themes of loneliness, depression, gloom, and list of other saddening themes. Van Gogh’s impression of this is what launched his work to place it is currently at. The very reason he is considered a pioneer of expressionism and had so much to do with impressionism. Van Gogh managed to embody and evoke those before his time and long after (Goya, Rembrandt, and Krasner to name a few.)
One thing I will forever be moved and intrigued by is an artist that can take something so dark and “negative” and reach a positive outcome, just so happens this came after Van Gogh’s death.
Amanda Galvan
Robert Tracy
ART 473-1001
23 September 2020
First Writing Assignment
“A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” – (Joan Miro)
The quote “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness” by Joan Miro can be seen in many of Vincent van Gogh’s works, though I find it most prominent when looking at Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Theo van Gogh.” Before discussing the painting itself, it is important to recall the relationship Vincent and Theo had to fully understand the quote’s relevance in this piece. There was a mutual love despite its varying interpretation; While Theo truly loved and admired his brother, Vincent failed to see this because he instead focused on the struggle and difficulty Theo faced to support his family. Vincent van Gogh’s melancholic state of mind was reflective of the illness he struggled with, yet he found relief through the art he created. This relief could be seen as the “freedom and happiness” mentioned in Miro’s quote, since both freedom and happiness can come in many different forms depending on who the one seeking such things is. Vincent van Gogh is not historically considered a “happy” artist or person, yet it turns out his happiness was just expressed through his artwork rather than his physical emotions.
To me, Portrait of Theo van Gogh (1887) is a great example of Van Gogh’s escape towards freedom and happiness through his art. Vincent van Gogh suffered from a manic-depressive illness and noted that painting and drawing were two things that helped him cope: both his auditory hallucinations and paranoid symptoms would disappear. For Vincent van Gogh, painting was a literal path to freedom from his illness even if it were only a temporary relief. In one of his many letters to Theo, Vincent wrote “Happiness… it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort… How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?” This shows that Vincent was aware that as someone dedicated to his craft, his personal happiness could be found through the paintings he created. Created three years before Van Gogh’s death, Portrait of Theo van Gogh is simply a painting of Theo seen through Vincent’s eyes; the intense detail in such a small painting (roughly 7.5″ x 5.5″) shows the amount of care Van Gogh had for his brother. Knowing the importance of the brothers’ relationship with each other, I can only assume the combination of painting and a portrait of Theo was a significant source of freedom and happiness for Vincent.
Randall Quillopo
Art 473 Modern Art
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
Whether it be the grandiose or the most basic, art can be appreciated by most if the art is observed. In Egon Schiele’s Death and the Maiden, 1914, we can observe that Schiele has an understanding of the picture plane, line weight, and texture. “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” (Joan Miro) Schiele brilliantly uses his playfulness and suggestion when forming the figures and the environment they’re in. I feel as if the rigidity of the dimensional forms in the scene are indicative in how it sensually leads the eye around through a type of naturalism and abstraction. The high vantage point observed in the painting makes the viewer voyeur at the scene, which depicts the womanly figure locked and embracing a wide-eyed figure with a stoic gaze all huddled by chaotic sheetlike forms. The colors seen in this painting are hues of cyan, magenta, and touches of green layered beneath a scale of browns and neutrals. The browns and neutrals encapsulate the forms and his sensitive mark making. In my opinion, the hug between the two suggests an evocative death or a clinging goodbye due to the expression on the faces. By breaking down the picture we can imagine how the artist was personally by the content that was evoked. We can assume that Schiele was anxious, carnal, and vulnerable. In the quote, it displays that a mark made can be a way to expression. Judgment aside, we can tell Schiele was at his best by fighting through his apprehensions in his line work and finding his own version freedom in his content of suggestive forms and nude pictorials.
From the reading, I have understood Schiele to suffer from his traumas. Whether it be from his image on death, eroticism and nudity, and general grotesque, he was an artist that communicated expression to comment his feelings through the content. These are detailed through his twisted forms, line weight, and raw palettes observed in his drawings and paintings. In the age of art noveau and the height of his art cohort Klimt’s fame, Schiele trailed an alternative route by depicting different subjects in his personal way. In a time of turbulence pre-world war and range of art, Egon Schiele is observed as an artist that used expressionism through his simple self-portraits to his complex paintings such as Death and The Maiden. In his usage expression, there is a sense of discovery with himself shown and vulnerability evoked in his artwork.
Sohee Park
Professor Robert Tracy
ART 434 & 473
September 23, 2020
As for as no other communication method is created over generations, there is no doubt that verbal language will be the most accepted communication method in human society; however, its acceptance does not mean it configures any superiorly over another nor it holds the greatest power. The language itself holds power in that it intends humans to communicate or to be understood and if we were to separate language in two kinds, “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people…and there is the visual that is understood by everybody.” Subsequently, visual holds greater power over verbal in the context of language as a human communication method and also in that humans, in reality, tend to believe what they see rather than what they hear.
The power of visual communication can be proven by a painting entitled, “The Kiss,” by an Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. The word for its title, “Kiss,” alone defines signage of affection or love that can be expressed in two languages, verbal and visual. A Jewish proverb states that there are two things a man cannot hide: a sneeze and love. In verbal communication, however, the truth or verity for love can be hidden behind the language as one may decide to verbally express love with dishonesty for any reason; a man may decide to verbally state that he “loves” something, but indeed, does not. In contrast, visual communication of expressing love whatsoever cannot be hidden.
“The Kiss” unquestionably works as a strong visual element that convinces the public on how love should be understood. In other words, Klimt has used the painting as a medium to indirectly represent his separate language to the audience. A scene of a c kissing couple cannot simply portray how love should be understood nor their true intimacy, but the painting’s overall atmosphere aroused from its forms, colors, and patterns visually communicate to symbolize a couple’s affection and their unbreakable love.
Painted on canvas in oil, “The Kiss” illustrates a couple embracing each other as the man kisses the woman on her cheek. Looking from a distance, the couple looks as if they are one figure. The couples are tightly embracing to each other with a man’s hands are cradling the woman’s face as the woman’s one arm is wrapped around the man’s neck and the other hand resting on the man’s hands, receiving the kiss; the sense of distance that doesn’t exist between the man and woman illustrates strong their intimacy. Also, a robe covering that extends from one’s body to another visually communicates to describe their emotional connection as the robe’s curvilinear form and floral patterns bring softness and warmth into the painting.
The man’s face cannot be seen as his face is gently bent down kissing the woman, however, the man’s hidden face is not important for it effectively work to focus the audience’s eyes on the woman. With both eyes closed, the woman’s face emotions evoke a feeling of joy and comfort. One may argue that an act of kissing and even his or her gestures and facial expression can be practiced and can portray a false message of love. However, the couples in “The Kiss” is located on the center of the canvas and although the couples are embracing on a surface of flower fields, the couples are also embracing on the edge of a flower field as if they may fall to a place that is not depicted in the painting. Yet, the woman shows no fear, representing the immortality of the couple’s love.
The use of colors and repeating patterns in the painting also works as a visual language spoken from an artist to the audience. The color of the painting is dominated by the use of yellowish warm color palettes, which is a visual word symbolizing optimism, such as happiness, enlightenment, and remembrance. Likewise, a flat golden background surrounding the couple looks as if their love is protected by a golden halo and the use of different colors for the flower field brings joy without distracting the audience from focusing their attention on the kissing couple. Besides, the ornament used for the man’s clothing is decorated with a repeating pattern of black and white geometric shapes, symbolizing the man’s strength and masculinity whereas the woman’s clothing is decorated with flowers and circles, symbolizing femineity and maternity.
If a language is centered to intend a communication to the public or the audience using the either verbal or visual word, its power can be determined from its effectiveness, which will eventually be understood by everybody. Nevertheless, all principles and elements in the painting “The Kiss” are used as visual words. For instance, forms and colors work separately, but together they create a visual language that unites individuals’ different perceptions created from the painting.
The effectiveness of visual language is not limited in context nor time; it extends beyond a medium and time as it is also demonstrated from photography works of Dinh Q. Le, a Vietnamese artist. Using large-scale montages of different images, Le’s “Monuments and Memorials” recalls the artist’s memory of the Vietnamese War as it visually tells a story. In Le’s work, each image function as a word, which is then created as montages, collectively acting in one, as a form of language, to reveal the artist’s memory of war violence and his call for hope.
In conclusion, demonstrated by Klimt’s “The Kiss” and Le’s “Monuments and Memorials,” visual language differs from verbal language in that it has no reason to hide the artist’s true purpose for it mainly aims to be understood. Klimt’s visual words used in “The Kiss” derive a universal feeling of warmth and commitment whereas Le’s visual words bring loss and redemption of hope. For the reason that visual language is not limited to time, visual language also differs from verbal language that it waits to be understood whereas verbal language disappears after time.
Sohee Park
Professor Robert Tracy
ART 434 & 473
September 23, 2020
As for as no other communication method is created over generations, there is no doubt that verbal language will be the most accepted communication method in human society; however, its acceptance does not mean it configures any superiorly over another nor it holds the greatest power. The language itself holds power in that it intends humans to communicate or to be understood and if we were to separate language in two kinds, “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people…and there is the visual that is understood by everybody.” Subsequently, visual holds greater power over verbal in the context of language as a human communication method and also in that humans, in reality, tend to believe what they see rather than what they hear.
The power of visual communication can be proven by a painting entitled, “The Kiss,” by an Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. The word for its title, “Kiss,” alone defines signage of affection or love that can be expressed in two languages, verbal and visual. A Jewish proverb states that there are two things a man cannot hide: a sneeze and love. In verbal communication, however, the truth or verity for love can be hidden behind the language as one may decide to verbally express love with dishonesty for any reason; a man may decide to verbally state that he “loves” something, but indeed, does not. In contrast, visual communication of expressing love whatsoever cannot be hidden.
“The Kiss” unquestionably works as a strong visual element that convinces the public on how love should be understood. In other words, Klimt has used the painting as a medium to indirectly represent his separate language to the audience. A scene of a c kissing couple cannot simply portray how love should be understood nor their true intimacy, but the painting’s overall atmosphere aroused from its forms, colors, and patterns visually communicate to symbolize a couple’s affection and their unbreakable love.
Painted on canvas in oil, “The Kiss” illustrates a couple embracing each other as the man kisses the woman on her cheek. Looking from a distance, the couple looks as if they are one figure. The couples are tightly embracing to each other with a man’s hands are cradling the woman’s face as the woman’s one arm is wrapped around the man’s neck and the other hand resting on the man’s hands, receiving the kiss; the sense of distance that doesn’t exist between the man and woman illustrates strong their intimacy. Also, a robe covering that extends from one’s body to another visually communicates to describe their emotional connection as the robe’s curvilinear form and floral patterns bring softness and warmth into the painting.
The man’s face cannot be seen as his face is gently bent down kissing the woman, however, the man’s hidden face is not important for it effectively work to focus the audience’s eyes on the woman. With both eyes closed, the woman’s face emotions evoke a feeling of joy and comfort. One may argue that an act of kissing and even his or her gestures and facial expression can be practiced and can portray a false message of love. However, the couples in “The Kiss” is located on the center of the canvas and although the couples are embracing on a surface of flower fields, the couples are also embracing on the edge of a flower field as if they may fall to a place that is not depicted in the painting. Yet, the woman shows no fear, representing the immortality of the couple’s love.
The use of colors and repeating patterns in the painting also works as a visual language spoken from an artist to the audience. The color of the painting is dominated by the use of yellowish warm color palettes, which is a visual word symbolizing optimism, such as happiness, enlightenment, and remembrance. Likewise, a flat golden background surrounding the couple looks as if their love is protected by a golden halo and the use of different colors for the flower field brings joy without distracting the audience from focusing their attention on the kissing couple. Besides, the ornament used for the man’s clothing is decorated with a repeating pattern of black and white geometric shapes, symbolizing the man’s strength and masculinity whereas the woman’s clothing is decorated with flowers and circles, symbolizing femineity and maternity.
If a language is centered to intend a communication to the public or the audience using the either verbal or visual word, its power can be determined from its effectiveness, which will eventually be understood by everybody. Nevertheless, all principles and elements in the painting “The Kiss” are used as visual words. For instance, forms and colors work separately, but together they create a visual language that unites individuals’ different perceptions created from the painting.
The effectiveness of visual language is not limited in context nor time; it extends beyond a medium and time as it is also demonstrated from photography works of Dinh Q. Le, a Vietnamese artist. Using large-scale montages of different images, Le’s “Monuments and Memorials” recalls the artist’s memory of the Vietnamese War as it visually tells a story. In Le’s work, each image function as a word, which is then created as montages, collectively acting in one, as a form of language, to reveal the artist’s memory of war violence and his call for hope.
In conclusion, demonstrated by Klimt’s “The Kiss” and Le’s “Monuments and Memorials,” visual language differs from verbal language in that it has no reason to hide the artist’s true purpose for it mainly aims to be understood. Klimt’s visual words used in “The Kiss” derive a universal feeling of warmth and commitment whereas Le’s visual words bring loss and redemption of hope. For the reason that visual language is not limited to time, visual language also differs from verbal language that it waits to be understood whereas verbal language disappears after time.
v
Quote: “ I think the role of the artist is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.”
I distinctly remember the first time I saw Gustave Klimt’s work in high school. I was flipping through a short fat art book that I checked out from the library. I ended up landing on a page with an image of The Kiss by Gustave Klimt. The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, was created in 1907-8. It is an oil and gold leaf on canvas and measures 180 x 180 cm. To someone that didn’t know much about art history at the time it left me in awe by how beautiful it was. It stood out to me because it was so different from the paintings I’ve seen in my art class. Not until later I realized that his style during his gold period was inspired by the gold ornamental style of Byzantine art. It is also two dimensional in style like Byzantine art. It has a graphic cut and paste element to it and it includes a lot of shapes and patterns. This image is a great example of Art nouveau. Although this painting has some elements of byzantine art it also incorporates elements of naturalistic art in the models heads and limbs.
This painting in particular captures a sense of peace by the way the characters are posed and by their facial expressions. I automatically think of love when I look at this painting because the man is giving a passionate kiss to the woman and the woman looks at peace with her eyes closed. They are locked together in pose. The flowers that are blooming at the bottom are elegantly detailed and colorful and can be symbolic of youthful love. The colors inside the figures are warm. Klimt uses black, yellow, green, and red inside the figures shapes while the garden at the bottom of the painting has a mixture of cool colors . He uses The gold aura around the models creates a glowing effect in the painting. The illuminated aura can symbolize the bright feelings of love and how sacred relationships can be. It amazes me how he could capture those emotions with visual elements of color, space, and shape. The painting has a lot of symbolism for instance the geometric shapes inside the man’s figure could symbolize the masculine energy while the organic shapes in the woman’s figure could symbolize the feminine energy. I also admire how the figures don’t have a human body. The figures look spiritual and cosmic because they are forms of space with shapes inside them. The gold leaf was mainly used to symbolize the divine in most byzantine art as well.
This painting is spiritual because it conveys the emotions of love between two humans. From what I learned in class Gustave Klimt seemed like a person who was inspired by greek mythology and the female body. This is simply just my opinion but the way he dressed like a monk and how he opposed traditional art really makes me think he was spiritual and radical in nature. Klimt once said, “ought to look carefully at my pictures and try to see in them what I am and what I want to do.” I see love in Kiss and I think some of his work is inspired by love. He possibly wanted to convey that in his persona. I chose the quote by David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard ,“ I think the role of the artist, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.” I believe Klimt resisted the urges to draw what he wanted and once he stopped caring about what people thought he started to draw things people repressed in society. Nudes and sexual figures mixed with mythological symbols were things he was interested in painting. His art embodies artistic freedom and even though it was seen as radical at the time people can relate to it to this day. I appreciate the radical art he made because it pushed other artists to express themselves freely. Kiss is not his most radical painting he has made but it was his most famous and visually it was very different from naturalistic art and classicism. I get a sense of freedom when I look at his painting. Klimt believed in artistic freedom and expression and conveyed that in his work for other people to see whether they liked it or not. I think this quote best represents his artwork and his attitude towards his art.
Xiyuan Yu
Art 473 modern art
Robert Tracy
Sep 24 2020
The most special thing about Van Gogh’s work is that it can resonate with your emotions. I always feel this emotional resonance runs through his works. “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.”(Chris DeRubeis) The color matching is also very good, but his later works are separated from a gray tone, and emotional resonance is from the early works to the last one on his deathbed: The Wheatfield with Crows.
You can feel his mood at that time from the accumulation of brush strokes, colors, and pigments, and even the sound and light he could hear at that time. His painting conveys viewers everything that the eyes see and the heart feels through the canvas. His paintings are emotional, powerful, and infectious, and you can feel the vitality and the fluidity of time and space in still pictures. All of the muted primary colors and the thick layers of paint show the texture and the movement of the piece. The colors are dark and strong, the yellow of wheat fields form a contrast to the dark blue sky, and the paths in the fields are also contrasted with red and green, which has a strong sense of contradiction and conflict.
The gradation of the blue transit to the wheat field tan and yellow colors can make you feel. the wheat waves rolling in the wheat field, you can even hear the crow’s cry one after another on the top of your head, the clouds on the eve of the storm, and the three roads leading to the distance can’t see the end, all of which stop suddenly, making you fear and confused. The work is full of intense movement. The wheat field is empty and empty. Three paths pass through the bumpy wheat field and finally disappear into the horizon. In the sky, two pieces of dark clouds rolled and surged, like a storm is coming. A flock of crows skimming across the scene, scurrying away from the restless land. The empty field is restless, and the sky and the earth are like whirlwinds and waves. There is no peace in the picture, which shows his mental state exactly. After Van Gogh finished this work, he felt only tired and extremely empty.
His brushwork is his originality, so that color and light can dance, drag you into his world, let you see his thoughts and emotions. When you see these piles of paint, short and hard wires, and irregular crows, you feel the atmosphere of suffocation and his gloomy, excited, and collapsing mood at that time. Wheat Fields with Crows is his last piece, no one knows why Vincent chose to shoot himself in the abdomen while painting in the wheat fields outside Auvers-sur-oise. The painting is clearly full of agitation and uneasiness and can be clearly seen as Van Gogh’s last solo. The road in the picture is like a hand and foot, and it is indignant and reaches into the wheat field; a group of crows suddenly fly up, as if frightened by the sound of the gunshot. All of the black colors used in the painting are strong and pure black.
Art should be something you can actually feel. Especially when you understand and know some of Vincent’s background information. His depression and sadness reflect on his lonely painting. nothing in the field but dark muted colors and emptiness. This painting is full of horror and ominous feelings. Van Gogh seems to have gone beyond the realm of life and death in the soul, and is in the trial of a different world, and tries to put the world with his paint and paintbrush.
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something that you actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis)
Regardless of what you feel while looking at different art pieces, it is important to recognize the ones that made an impact on you. It does not matter what that feeling was, whether good or bad, happy, sad or mad, from that moment you will remember that art piece because it provoked something inside of you. Egon Schiele had that impact on people, even if it was negative at the time.
Looking at the Kneeling Girl, Resting on Both Elbows(1917), I can understand why his work was viewed very negatively. This was a century ago and many people today would probably have the same reaction still. Nude painting and sculptures were nothing new, though. It seems like it had nothing to do with the image of a nude person but it had everything to do with the position they are in. They do seem to be quite explicit but that sets him apart from other artists who would not want to discomfort their viewers.
The way that he works is very interesting to me. There seems to not be much color on many of his pieces but that does not make it boring. The lines that he creates are quite expressive and bold. The pressure that he applies throughout the figure makes the body seem like it has volume even without shading. He does not worry about giving a clean and perfect feel to the body. Another thing I find fascinating about his brushwork is the texture he likes to create. Even in a stoic position, the visual texture that he applies on the hair gives it this light feeling and movement.
The few blotches of color that he paints on the figure are deliberate and clear. On the knees and the elbows she is colored with brighter reds and pinks. Looking at the rest of the body lacking these descriptions, it seems like she has been in that position for a while. Emotion can always be captured on the image through the face. She seems to be staring into the space in front of her with no direction. It is difficult to get an accurate description of her personal emotions when her face is mostly covered. Even though the entangled hands are not perfectly shaped the way that they rest on her head gives her a tired look. Tying back to the pink knees and elbows, I would assume she is tired of modeling in that position. We do not have an accurate description of facial expressions and emotions but we do have the body language to come to this conclusion.
The way that Schiele paints her and focuses on the body figure instead of the face gives her that sexual appeal, too. The way that he explores human sexuality through his paintings is quite interesting. I think an important thing to keep in mind while looking at his work is that the models are nude, not naked. The girl, although in a sexual position, is not vulnerable and unprotected as this is a nude intended for art. The feelings that he evokes today and the ones that he evoked a century ago may differ, but the important part is that something was felt while looking at his work.
Lizbeth Ramirez | Submission for both Art 473 and Art 477
The quote “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” by Chris DeRubeis has much truth to it. I agree that art, no matter how detailed or not, always provoke some sort of emotion. The artwork creates feelings that the viewer can either relate to or at times gain an understanding of what the artist was feeling. Personally, the paintings Self Portrait 1887, by Vincent van Gogh and Lucifer 1947 by Jackson Pollock create a lot of emotion.
I’ve grown up hearing about Vincent van Gogh and how important his paintings were. I never took to the time to look at all his different paintings or his background. Out of all his paintings, his self-portrait from 1887 stands out to me the most. At first look, I noticed a lot about his painting. It feels so powerful. There’s something about his facial expression that really pulls me into the painting. I love that I can see so much texture and detail especially because I’m viewing it online. When I can see the texture in a work it adds more emotion in the sense of I am able to feel their brushstrokes. The longer I stare at it the more I become hypnotized by the brush strokes and the more elements I begin to notice.
One element that stands out to me is his use of complementary colors. He himself is nude ginger against a teal like a background. This color combination enhances the painting because the colors work well together and van Gogh is able to stand out. Compared to his other paintings he appears more vibrant, but that vibrancy of the colors is not screaming at your face. Although the color is lively, his expression is not and I think that’s what helps balance the colors out, so they’re not all in your face. He doesn’t blend in with the background but rather compliments it. This particular element of color is so satisfying to the eye that it creates a positive feeling for a viewer like myself.
Another element that stands out to me is texture. I feel like I could run my hands through every ridge and dip. You can see almost every brush stroke but it’s not overwhelming, it’s more mesmerizing. It is as if they guide me through the painting. The first thing I look at is his nose, then I move on to his eyes, and then his hair leads me to his ear, facial hair, coat, and then the background. If the brush strokes were not visible I wouldn’t be as drawn to the painting. It would create a different feeling for me. It would probably affect the painting overall.
When I combine all the elements together, van Gogh’s painting creates a mixture of emotions for me. It makes me happy in some sense because I just really like to look at it, but knowing a little bit about Van Gogh it makes me feel some sort of sympathy for him. I feel bad that he was so miserable and even in his painting his eyes just look tired. Not tired out of lack of sleep, but tired emotionally. The background of the painting creates a weight, It also feels like rain to me. The color helps balance the weight, so it is neither fully exciting nor depressing.
The painting by van Gogh creates a mixture of emotions of me, but the painting Lucifer by Jackson Pollock only creates negative emotions for me. Van Gogh’s painting has a visible subject, but Pollock’s subject is paint drippings and splatters yet it creates such a depressing feeling for me. From the title to the color and how the paint drippings are placed it is all so possessing.
At first glance, it’s so overwhelming. It is just too much to take in. I’m not sure what to look at other than the many trails of black paint. I am able to see the other colors, but the black seems to be consuming them. It reminds me of a negative entity, without a definite form, that just keeps spreading. It also reminds me of a virus and how it just spreads and manipulates everything in its path. I can see a light blue in the background, but it’s hard to make out. With a quick look, I see the blue forming numbers or letters, but the longer I stare at it, the figures go away. The painting seems like it started off light but then once the black paint was added it creates something horrific.
The first thing I notice about the painting is the color. Unlike van Gogh’s use of complementary colors, Pollock seemed to start off using some blue and beige but then splattered some orange and green and dripped a bunch of blacks. The black paint is the center of attention, and all the other colors are just background. The longer I stare at it the more the other colors begin to fade away. I start to see only black.
When I think of the texture of Pollock’s painting It helps add to the dark emotions it inspires. All the black paint reminds me of slime or spider webs. If I was to touch it, I feel like my hand would just go through it and come out slimy and sticky. That thought just makes me cringe and feel uncomfortable.
Overall Vincent van Gogh’s Self Portrait, 1887, and Jackson Pollock’s painting Lucifer, 1947, create a lot of emotion. They can inspire both positive and negative feelings for the viewer. So I agree with the quote that “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” by Chris DeRubeis. It’s better to experience art through emotions rather than being numb towards it.
Mikaela Nettlow
Dr. Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
ART 473 1001
First Writing Assignment
“I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.” This quote by David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard perfectly encapsulates Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s painting Medicine in my opinion. The reason why I believe that this quote makes the most sense with this painting was due to Klimt making it just so he can convey the ambiguity to life and death despite the many criticisms it got during the artwork and Klimt’s lifetime. The piece also showed his willingness to show the public his ideas and thoughts and he wanted the public to know about them.
This painting immediately caught my eye when I first saw it due to its, frankly haunting, beauty and macabre nature. The columns of nude figures (plus some skeletons in the mix) with the glowing mythological daughter of God and medicine, Hygeia located at the bottom. The floating woman with a newborn at her feet detached from the “river of life” but also seemingly connected with her arm reaching towards it. The composition and movement of this painting was so daunting but, you can’t just stop looking at it. Almost exactly like the concept of life and death in a sense.
However, not everyone is comfortable with the concept and more particularly his thoughts about it as the painting was among the three Vienna Secession paintings that caused a lot of controversy due to its subject matter, radical themes, and it being even seen as “pornography” at the time it was unveiled from 1900 to 1907. It was also a commissioned piece from the University of Vienna as they expected the piece to be a tribute to medicine and the doctors that pushed for it thus leaving them to go even more heavy with the criticisms as they felt that the painting ignored the university’s achievements of prevention and cure. This painting even caused a public prosecutor to come in and a cultural debate in Parliament.
However, it did not seem that Klimt himself cared about these criticisms. By looking at not only Medicine but many of his other works, it felt like he was truly expressing his views and just went on to the beat of his own drum when his views did not match the public. These among his other Vienna Secession paintings were created during a time of a personal crisis, went through a transformation of his work, and faced criticism for that transformation. But, he didn’t stop on what he was creating. Arguably, it accelerated his newfound identity within his work and thus cemented his status as an artist even more than before.
Though art can be reserved only for the private self, I believe that in order to be considered a professional artist, you have to take in whatever you believe in, or what makes you you, and share it among the public. And that was what I think Klimt did with Medicine. Although I do not recommend just completely going your own way with a commission without consulting the patron first, Klimt showcased his feelings with life and death through this haunting painting. Even though it got an unfavorable reaction, I think he was still satisfied with the work.
Jonathan Quinones
ART 473
Professor Taylor
Opinion paper #1
Morte e Vita
“Whoever wants to know something about me- as an artist which alone is significant, they should look attentively at my pictures and there seek to recognize what I am and what I want.” (Gustav Klimt). This modern painting references a group of people that face an encounter with death. Klim was obsessed with women and their sensuality, and most of his paintings represent large detailed decorative patterns that combine depictions of faces making them widely contemporary and modern. The “Death and Life” painting describes the style and the fictional story that Klim tells about the three stages of life; beginning, middle, and end. Klim uses oils on canvas to reflect the segments of life and death . He painted something extravagant and chaotic that was not related to the legendary Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ at that time.
There is a balance of forms and elements from left to right. Klim describes life and death in his artwork as the infinite, eternal, divided, and formless reality. Klim studied portraits and human anatomy for a long time, and he developed a passion for capturing an accurate likeness of people in his drawings and paintings. Klim blends some grey, green, and black oils, creating a smooth transition from one color to the next in the background. There is a chromatic contrast between the dark values of the Grim Reaper and the group of people on the right side, creating an impression that death lingers in the dark and life and youth is surrounded by light and brightness. The oil in the canvas looks smooth. There is no sense of gravity in this painting. Most of this composition has organic shapes and curvy lines.
Klim’s allegorical painting describes emotions such as peace represented by the people that keep their eyes closed while they are asleep or dead. This group of people represents brotherhood from different ethnicity, social classes, ages, and they are sharing the gift of life by hugging each other. This group of people is nude, they are overlapping their bodies, and they all share a blanket; this blanket is adorned with particular flowers and squares that are scattered. The painter utilizes warm values such as yellow, orange, and red within the blanket and complementary colors between the left and right side of the composition. The blanket represents protection from danger. The painter portrays the cycle of life by showing different stages in life. There is affection between the mother and her child; she is delicately carrying her baby while she stares at him with sweetness in her eyes and a bright smile; The baby embodies the beginning of life. There is an older woman that has detailed wrinkles in her face which symbolize wisdom. Sensuality is represented by the woman on the left side who is touching her breast. Curiosity from the woman on the right side who wants to keep her eyes open; it seems that she is not afraid of staring at the Grim Reaper.The most dramatic scene is the hug between the man and the woman in the lowers side of the painting, this is an example of what unconditional and eternal love represents; It seems that neither of the lovers wants to die ; this woman’s pose shows that she does not know give up on life and she is not ready to be taken away by the Grim Reaper.
The second part of the painting represents a Grim Reaper that holds a cup. He is wearing a long rope adorned with crosses of different sizes;the crosses relate to religion, resurrection, death, or the afterlife. There is a sequence of squares and circles with cold values such as purple, blue, and green. Klim wanted to represent death as a verb but also as a noun by adding a Reaper. The skull looks three dimensional , the painter adds volume to the skull by adding shadows to it. Every single structure of the hands bones of Grim Reaper’s hands is visible .The Grim Reaper knows that everyone is unaware about his coming.The painting exemplifies a time where humans become materialistic, and the Grim Reaper is the punishment to those that did not find the right meaning of life.
Every single person has different perceptions and beliefs about life and death. Klim did a great job of painting how humans experience DMT during birth and death. This mythological painting is a collage of stories and connections among every single human that faces life and death under different circumstances by experiencing emotions . It took seven years for Klim to develop a narrative and a combination of drawings and oil painting techniques to win his first prize in Italy for this painting.This painting is currently exhibited at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, Austria.
Art today is what I would describe as “open to each person’s opinion.” Art is so versatile and there are hundreds of different styles and mediums. It’s something that has been around for centuries and is something that I think will never die out. With that being said, I think that the following quote by Chris DeRubeis is very interesting, “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” Personally, I would agree with what this person has to say. Growing up, I feel that I’ve always had a special and personal relationship to art. Specifically, I feel like I found art and the process of making art to be very therapeutic. It’s weird to think what kind of person I would be without art being a part of my life. For me, art evokes emotions of happiness, relaxation and satisfaction. It’s different for everyone and I think that’s another aspect of art that makes it so much fun to see, analyze and create.
When I first read the quote by DeRubeis, I thought of Van Gogh and how he used art to physically embody the way that he felt. Art, especially in modern times, has been said by many artists to be a form of expression. It can be used to express one’s emotions or life story. I think that Van Gogh is a good example of this. One piece that I wanted to focus on is Van Gogh’s Pine Trees with Figure in the Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital (1889) from his Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint Remy series. During the time he painted this series, Van Gogh was in an asylum where he was voluntarily admitted. One of the doctors there encouraged Van Gogh to make art during his stay at the asylum. Painting and drawing were said to have helped Van Gogh as it gave relief from some of his symptoms. It made him lucid and it allowed him to fill his time with something productive. Essentially, Van Gogh used art as a form of therapy. For him, I would say that his art invoked emotions of calmness and comfort.
From Van Gogh’s perspective, as the creator of the work itself, he’s able to directly feel emotions from the process of creation. From the perspective of some who has looked at his art, you are also able to feel emotions as well. For me, I am entranced by his use of color and his stylistic choice. I am appreciative with his commitment to keeping a style that was avant-garde despite the rejection he faced. There is an even deeper perception when you look at the work Van Gogh did in his youth. I had no idea he was a child prodigy. When you realize his artistic ability, it can give one a deeper sense of appreciation for what art meant to Van Gogh. For example, looking at the drawing Van Gogh did at age eleven of the Corinthian Capital (1864), you can see the skillset that he had at such a young age. To be able to draw with precision and produce symmetry like in that drawing, shows that Van Gogh did have the ability to draw and paint with more realism. And yet, from his work in the later years of his work, you can see that he didn’t necessarily choose to focus on the technical aspects in making his art. I think that gives me a better understanding of him, especially when you look at the series of paintings he did when he was in the asylum. He did that when he was in the confines of that asylum and as he is being treated. He used it as a comfort, as something to help convey his perspective of his life experience.
Another artist that I thought of when I read DeRubeis’ quote, was Oskar Kokoschka. When I specifically read, “Art should be something that you can actually feel,” I immediately thought of Kokoschka’s Alma Mahler doll. To Oskar Kokoschka, Alma Mahler was his muse. She was the centerpiece of a lot of Kokoschka’s artworks. In the late 1910s, Kokoschka commissioned Hermine Moos, a Munich doll-maker, to create a life-size doll. This doll was meant to be a fetishized copy of Alma Mahler. Through this doll, which is considered a piece of art, Oskar was able to fuel another part of his endless passion and obsession with his muse. Alma Mahler was the love of Kokoschka’s life and he wanted to eternalize her through this doll. He even sought to dress her up, which he was unable to do due to the material Hermine Moos used for the outer portion of the doll.
I mentioned Kokoschka’s doll because I find it almost ironic that this doll and his own art were pieces that helped Kokoschka evoke his own emotions. He used his art to express the deep, fetishized love he felt for Alma Mahler, a woman who surely made him feel a variety of emotions. Another example of this is Kokoschka’s painting, Self Portrait with Doll (1920-21). In this painting, Kokoschka is representing his emotions of pain, anger and dismay that he feels as a result his beloved Alma’s action. She had aborted their child without telling Oskar Kokoschka of it and this caused his to feel a lot of pain. His painting shows this pain as he portrays his self with a sullen look. He has an accusatory finger pointed at Alma’s womb, which directly represents the saddening events that took place.
To restate, “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” I think that Vincent Van Gogh and Oskar Kokoschka are great examples of what I interpret this quote to mean. Art can be meant to serve as a device for the artist and those that see the art themselves. Modern art, especially, has moved beyond the focus of technicalities and has an importance on what the art represents. Both artists mentioned have a different approach to this, but still hold true to the idea that art is always an expression of something. It’s something that you can see/interpret whether that is meant in a physical or visual way.
Isabel Valadez
DR. Robert Tracy
09/24/2020
ART 473 1001
Movement in A Painting
The painting I chose to write on was The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh and the quote I chose to keep in mind when analyzing is “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” by Tim Yanke. Even though I am familiar with Van Gogh and enjoy a lot of his work, I’ve never seen The Potato Eaters before. It was interesting to see him depict this scene of a group of people, crowded in a small dark space, especially when many of his most loved works are open landscapes created with vibrant colors. If a viewer wasn’t told this was a work by Van Gogh, there is a chance they might not even guess it was his as it diverges slightly from his characteristic, tactile brush strokes, flowing figures and lines. However, learning about this piece as a Van Gogh, it is easier to make the connection between this piece and Van Gogh’s developing style over his painting years.
In regards to the movement Yanke mentions, it seems that this work does capture movement, however it isn’t the big, energetic movement of trees in the wind or a raging sea, but the smaller, quieter range of motion of people around a kitchen table, which arguably might be harder to capture. Van Gogh depicts these seated figures in the middle of small acts of movement, offering a piece of food, pouring tea, cutting into a dish. He demonstrates basic anatomical function as the man’s arm and shoulder come forward a bit to serve himself and the woman pouring the tea looks on carefully as he hand grips the tea pot. The scene also takes place in a very cramped space, which translates into these figures and how they hold and compose themselves. Their limbs are close in and their postures are bent over the table trying to make the most of the space. Another form of movement in the painting is what we see from each of these figures’ gaze and how it directs the viewer’s attention. The woman on the left, holding a knife looks to the man next to her, almost with concern. The man doesn’t return her gaze and instead looks across the table or perhaps off into space. The woman holding a potato looks at the other woman next to her, it’s unclear whether she is offering this woman food or simply trying to feed herself, though either way her arm hangs in mid-motion. The movement continues with the more solitary figure of a girl who has her back to us. She completes the circle the small group creates and helps end the circumference around the scene as she draws the viewer’s eye back around the table. Her figure is outlined slightly by the light making her stand out and create depth in the small crowd. For me these smaller acts of movement seem harder to capture than a big burst of momentum. A painter would really have to pay attention to the controlled, simple changes in how a person conducts and holds themselves.
The piece appealed to me because out of all of Van Gogh’s work, the subject and style seems novel when you compare this to his colorful portraits of people from Arles or his plein air paintings by the sea in the South of France. There don’t seem to be many other works from him like this in which he captures the fine details of people’s faces, illuminated by a single light source that isn’t very bright. He captures expressions, wrinkles, dirt, bags under their eyes and the bones in their faces. Though this isn’t a piece we might immediately think of when we think of Van Gogh, we can still see his fleshed out style beginning to emerge. It’s the most visible in the way he depicts the figure’s skin and clothes. With the woman pouring the tea, he adds a variety of tones in her dark dress that make the garment pop and come to life. There are lines he creates to show the texture and movement of clothes being actively worn by a person. The skirt crumpled up a bit in her lap and the sleeves are wrinkled slightly perhaps from the excess fabric on her small frame.
This painting demonstrates that no matter what the scale of movement, what source of light on a subject or what space he has to with, Van Gogh could create on canvas what his mind saw in reality and even begin to add his own flourish to it.
Isabel Valadez
Dr. Robert Tracy
ART 473 -1001
09/24/2020
Movement Within A Painting
The painting I chose to write on was The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh and the quote I chose to keep in mind when analyzing is “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” by Tim Yanke. Even though I am familiar with Van Gogh and enjoy a lot of his work, I’ve never seen The Potato Eaters before. It was interesting to see him depict this scene of a group of people, crowded in a small dark space, especially when many of his most loved works are open landscapes created with vibrant colors. If a viewer wasn’t told this was a work by Van Gogh, there is a chance they might not even guess it was his as it diverges slightly from his characteristic, tactile brush strokes, flowing figures and lines. However, learning about this piece as a Van Gogh, it is easier to make the connection between this piece and Van Gogh’s developing style over his painting years.
In regards to the movement Yanke mentions, it seems that this work does capture movement, however it isn’t the big, energetic movement of trees in the wind or a raging sea, but the smaller, quieter range of motion of people around a kitchen table, which arguably might be harder to capture. Van Gogh depicts these seated figures in the middle of small acts of movement, offering a piece of food, pouring tea, cutting into a dish. He demonstrates basic anatomical function as the man’s arm and shoulder come forward a bit to serve himself and the woman pouring the tea looks on carefully as he hand grips the tea pot. The scene also takes place in a very cramped space, which translates into these figures and how they hold and compose themselves. Their limbs are close in and their postures are bent over the table trying to make the most of the space. Another form of movement in the painting is what we see from each of these figures’ gaze and how it directs the viewer’s attention. The woman on the left, holding a knife looks to the man next to her, almost with concern. The man doesn’t return her gaze and instead looks across the table or perhaps off into space. The woman holding a potato looks at the other woman next to her, it’s unclear whether she is offering this woman food or simply trying to feed herself, though either way her arm hangs in mid-motion. The movement continues with the more solitary figure of a girl who has her back to us. She completes the circle the small group creates and helps end the circumference around the scene as she draws the viewer’s eye back around the table. Her figure is outlined slightly by the light making her stand out and create depth in the small crowd. For me these smaller acts of movement seem harder to capture than a big burst of momentum. A painter would really have to pay attention to the controlled, simple changes in how a person conducts and holds themselves.
The piece appealed to me because out of all of Van Gogh’s work, the subject and style seems novel when you compare this to his colorful portraits of people from Arles or his plein air paintings by the sea in the South of France. There don’t seem to be many other works from him like this in which he captures the fine details of people’s faces, illuminated by a single light source that isn’t very bright. He captures expressions, wrinkles, dirt, bags under their eyes and the bones in their faces. Though this isn’t a piece we might immediately think of when we think of Van Gogh, we can still see his fleshed out style beginning to emerge. It’s the most visible in the way he depicts the figure’s skin and clothes. With the woman pouring the tea, he adds a variety of tones in her dark dress that make the garment pop and come to life. There are lines he creates to show the texture and movement of clothes being actively worn by a person. The skirt crumpled up a bit in her lap and the sleeves are wrinkled slightly perhaps from the excess fabric on her small frame.
This painting demonstrates that no matter what the scale of movement, what source of light on a subject or what space he has to with, Van Gogh could create on canvas what his mind saw in reality and even begin to add his own flourish to it.
“There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” This quote by artist Tim Yanke is the perfect mindset to have whilst approaching an impressionistic art piece. Impressionism is a movement where artists strive to depict moments, feelings, or experiences over visually accurate depictions. In doing so they easily depict the movement and life in a scene by employing sweeping strokes of color on their canvas. A beautiful painting that exemplifies this quote is a work by Vincent Van Gogh, a post impressionist artist who’s art movement was reacting to the readiness of line work and color of the impressionists. The work Café Terrace at Night.
Café Terrace at Night was completed by Vincent in 1888 while he was in Arles, France. It was painted while Van Gogh was sitting in a café at night, wanting to capture the feeling of the moment. The textured Prussian blue sky with familiar looking luminous stars is very reminiscent of Starry Night. A precursor to that piece, as Starry Night was completed a year later. The orange light emanating from the café creates a strong focal point against the complimentary background. The orange hue also makes us feel the warmth and the life of the café, decently filled with patrons despite the hour. The playfulness in color palette helps bring the viewer into the world inside the picture plane. The thick strokes of paint on the canvas give the piece a sculptural quality, and helps the viewer become even more immersed in Van Gogh’s world as we now can feel the different texture in the tree on the right side of the picture plane versus the sky with the stars popping off of the night sky toward us.
Movement is everywhere in this artwork. The sweeping lines of the awning over the café meet the lines of the tree, converging onto buildings further down the street whom are almost in silhouette. The dark lines and vertical paint strokes bring your eye down onto the street in the mid ground where people walk enjoying the night air. From there the relatively simple street brings you closer to the foreground, where you see the incredible detail put into the cobblestone. Reminiscent of orange koi fish in astounding blue water, short free strokes of orange and blue lay on top of a a gray background. Each individual stone in the ground brought into relief by strokes of black.
However, there is more to the movement in this piece other than the texture and composition. The complimentary color palette of vibrant oranges and blues, chosen by Van Gogh, keeps the viewer’s eye roaming over the canvas. The eye is drawn to the bright orange windows in the shadowed, blue buildings. Or perhaps drawn to the bright starts, pinpointed in the center with orange over a brilliant blue sky. Despite the abundance of orange highlights over blue, there are some thin blue highlights to bring the eye back into the center of the warm café. The are slivers of blue in the doorframe of the nearest door to the viewer, and blue hidden in some of the chairs. This masterful use of color keeps the viewer engaged with the piece and constantly finding a new part of the painting to get lost in.
Lastly, the movement of the piece is found in the subject matter and the style used to portray the scene. As stated previously, the impressionists and post impressionists devoted themselves so much to the moment and conveying feeling through their work, that no other art movement could depict this scene with as much success. It is a scene that most, if not all, who view the piece could recall similar places, and therefore feel the piece as if it were a living entity. We can all imagine the sounds of silverware clinking against porcelain, or the chatter of patrons as they meet with their family or friends over a meal. We have all looked up into the night sky and have seen the start twinkling and dancing. This simple scene, so lovingly portrayed, is a scene we are all familiar with even if we haven’t seen this particular café.
So what can we take from this piece and this idea of movement bringing life to a piece of art? Perhaps a sense of tranquility as we gaze upon this experience of something beyond ourselves? As we look upon these universal truths and experiences that bind us all together. Or maybe just an appreciation for beauty? This is determinate on the viewer, but that is the true beauty and life of art. It is what we make of it.
Ana Charvet
ART 473
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
Philosophy: An Excercise in Momentum
In viewing Gustav Klimt’s Faculty Paintings (1894) and their cultural impact, it is easy to associate these pieces with the following quote by contemporary artist Tim Yanke “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” In both a literal and figurative sense, this musing is evocative of a turning point within Klimt’s career, where his work began to evolve past what others expected of him thus making his art a point of contention. It was here – convicted in his work– where Klimt pushed to create for himself and no longer deny himself the pleasure of full creative exploration and expression. Though heavily criticized for being ‘pornographic’ and divergent from traditional painting practices, the Faculty Paintings represent Klimt’s desire to avoid fatal stagnation, as it was the last public commission done by the artist.
In 1894, Klimt was commissioned by the Ministry of Education’s art committee to create three paintings for the University of Vienna’s ceiling in the Great Hall. Each painting was to represent the different departments of the University– philosophy, medicine, and jurisprudence– and center them around the Enlightenment theme of the triumph of light over dark. The first painting, Philosophy, was presented at the 6th Secession in 1900. It presents a grand, rising composition overtaken by dark sweeping shadows and figures melting together. On the left, bodies change shape as they descend, growing older and more decrepit by the time they reach the bottom of the painting. In Klimt’s words, these figures are “the beginning of life, fruition and decay.” On the right, a sphinx is subtly imposed and barely legible, representing mystery. Finally, the peeking head of a woman, clearer than the rest, emerges from below to represent knowledge. At the time, this painting was criticized for being nonsensical and mysterious, devoid of the rationality that academics often held themselves to. However, Klimt’s depiction of philosophy couldn’t be a truer testament to the human condition and pursuit of knowledge. The dreamlike and tumultuous imagery of the painting, combined with its sensuous lines and rising momentum, captures humanity’s submission to the forces of nature. Philosophy demonstrates how learning becomes the vehicle for making sense of the “viscous void” that surrounds us.
Despite the scathing criticism that Philosophy received and the excessive pleas to change the paintings’ motifs by the University, Klimt continued to work on the rest of the pieces, maintaining his momentum and releasing Medicine at the 10th Secession exhibition in 1901 and Jurisprudence in 1903. These two pieces received the same disapproval for being explicitly sexual and radical. In April 1905, after the university refused to exhibit his work, Klimt withdrew from the project and paid back his fee of 30,000 Crowns and swore that this would be his last public commission. He would go on to produce some of his most famous work and begin his “Golden Phase,” creating paintings such as The Kiss (1907) and Adele Block-Bauer I (1907).
“There is life in movement, death in stagnation” – Had Klimt bent to the will of the University of Vienna at the time of Philosophy, he may have not evolved into the iconic artist that we know him today. In his work, both in the period of the Faculty Paintings and afterward, we see this fascination with movement as well; Klimt captured the human figure in motion and depicted their triumphs and tribulations through heavy symbolism, sensuous lines, and dynamic compositions. By being steadfast in his own vision, Klimt emboldened himself as an artist that constantly moved forward.
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
Christian Cruz
ART 473 – 1001
24 September 2020
Robert Tracy
First Opinion/Position Writing Assignment
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” -Chris DeRubeis
This is the quote that resonates with me the most when I look at Oskar Kokoschka’s work: “The Bride of the Wind”. The painting is oil on canvas and was made in between 1913 and 1914. The painting features a man and a woman, the man being Oskar himself and the woman being Oskar’s muse or love, Alma Mahler.
When I first laid my eyes upon Oskar’s work, I could not help but think how unsettling, violent, and rough it looks for the most part. Just from the first glance, I was visually disturbed. The turbulent brush strokes of the foreboding waves, the tense and skeletal look of the man, and a strong focus on the dark color palettes only reinforced my initial feelings. Upon closer inspection of the work however, my feelings and thoughts of the work are expanded upon, though visually disturbed still remains among them. I think it shows how much Oskar was obsessed with Alma and how he idealized her too much despite her history and nature with men.
The Bride of the Wind has a large focus on Oskar and Alma, who are the focal point of the painting. The two are shipwrecked being carried along by the waves of the sea. There is a stark contrast between Oskar and Alma. Alma is depicted with smoother paint strokes that make her stand out from the rest of the painting. Not only that, but Alma seems serene, comfortably sleeping in peace despite the situation she is in. The painting depicts her drawing great comfort from Oskar himself, who she is resting against. Oskar on the other hand is painted with more rough and tense paint strokes, to the point where he almost looks like a skeleton. His skin outlines his bones and his face stares up into the sky, eyes wide open, his expression unpleasant. He looks nowhere as serene as Alma does. The scene showcases Oskar as Alma’s protector, staying awake and vigilant of the dangers around them. This allows Alma to rest comfortably and without worry. Seeing this allows me to understand the extent of how much Oskar loved his muse. While I certainly do see the romantic aspect of the painting, it also shows me the strain and struggle the relationship put Oskar through. Knowing Alma’s promiscuous nature, I do not doubt how the relationship would go through many rough phases. Despite this, I think Oskar’s suffering is partially his own fault. He knew of Alma’s “femme fatale” nature and still chose to be completely absorbed by her. His obsession with her is arguably unhealthy, indulging Alma’s behavior by always placing her on a pedestal.
In contrast to Alma’s peaceful sleep and her bright skin, the rest of the painting around her is dark and foreboding. The waves of the sea are dark and looks to be made with violent or turbulent brush strokes. There is also a dark cliff and a faint trace of the moon in the background. The dark cliff adds to the dangerous feeling of the environment around Oskar and Alma because at the bottom of the cliff plunges into darkness. Darkness often portrayed as the void, danger, or even death itself. As for the moon, normally it would provide a source of light to guide and protect. In this case though, the moon is obscured by the dark clouds, leaving a faint trace of the moon. In other words, the moon and its guiding, protecting light has disappeared. The nature of environment creates a sense of unease, as if something dangerous is lurking in the shadows all around the painting. It is this factor that majorly contributes to my feelings of being uncomfortable and visually disturbed. Alma’s bright coloring in comparison to the rest of the painting makes her act as a source of comfort in place of the moon’s light. A viewer’s eyes are drawn to her because she radiates an inviting, comforting warmth with her peaceful look that contrasts greatly with the cold, dangerous, and uninviting nature of the waves, the dark sky, the dark cliff, and the dark sea.
There is much you can infer from Oskar’s point of view of Alma through this painting alone. It is clear how much Oskar loved Alma, his painting being a way of allowing the two to be together for eternity. While I think his painting is creative and emotionally impacting, it showcases his unhealthy obsession with Alma.
Brad Pozdol
Robert Tracy
Art 473 1001
24 September 2020
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.”(Chris DeRubeis)
The Potato Eaters, 1885 by Vincent Van Gogh is one of his most famous works to this day. Van Gogh used dark earth colors and his human figures were full of mistakes so this piece was also one of his most criticized works back then. It is understandable because it was his first attempt to make a large composition for the public to view. He wanted to make an impression on people and to get off to a good start in his career. He studied art and painting for five years and he wanted to prove himself as a young artist. He was proud of his own work and felt like it had a certain “life” to it. It was an accurate and faithful representation of real life experiences he had witnessed growing up around poor people who had to work extremely hard just to survive. Vincent wanted to illustrate what peasants had to go through on a daily basis. He had a deep affinity and solidarity with poor people, whose lives, like his own, were burdened with care.
Looking past all the weird spacing and odd human figures, Van Gogh’s painting evokes emotion and makes you feel awful and pitiful towards the obstacles that these kinds of people had to go through each and every day. The people in the painting are seated around only one source of light above their heads, the oil lamp. It contrasts sharply with the very dark background of the rest of their home. To me, it represents family and purity. It is the purity of familial souls in whom care for one another and the hard struggle with the earth and weather leave little place for self-motivation and success. This piece is very powerful and makes me want to do all I can to help people like this out because they definitely need it. Van Gogh makes you feel the way he felt about livelihoods of the working poor with little opportunity to change vocation.
Vincent Van Gogh had an interest to serve and help others throughout his life, especially manual workers. He held them up to the highest standards of dedication and all his works make me support him and his opinion. They are the foundation of this country and the world. Without them, we will not be where we are today. Someone needs to do the “dirty” work, but they have to make so many sacrifices in their lives. This painting reminds me of the harsh reality that these people who work countless hours are doing it just to feed their families and themselves. It is right to apply DeRubeis’s quote about art being something you can actually feel to Van Gogh’s “The Potato Eaters” because it has had a huge impact on how these kinds of people are portrayed and it makes people feel a certain sympathy towards them. There will always be controversy about this piece, but people should focus on the deeper meaning and purpose for it to be fully appreciated.
Qitian Xie
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
ART 473 1001
“I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.”
(David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard)
This question was raised in my mind as soon as I see Braque’s cubism pieces: ”Is this what Braque believes to be real when he painted the piece?“ And I was fascinated when I began taking a deeper dive to observe the piece. Cubism seems to me to be “controlled chaos”, and Georges Braque’s “Violin and Palette” stands out to me as the most impactful, eye-catching piece in the PowerPoint. As my eyes land on the piece, my mind registers the piece as a painting of the violin. But when I took a second look, everything was chaotic, breaking up in terms of forms, and shape. The mind is suddenly conflicted as a debate between whether the shape is barely put together or seamlessly connected begins. In the end, both sides were right. As cubism challenges the mind to be thinking in multiple directions; Anything could be right, because there is no wrong. Further diving into the composition, I see dimensions clashing, challenging the mind to register in the way that fits into our reality. Color and contrast were used to help push the dimensions in and out, the violin’s strings were used to guide the senses. Along with the decorative elements to hold the truth that “it is a violin”. Below the violin is where shapes begin folding into each other, extruding the violin with a brute force. The piece suddenly becomes alive, dynamic in the way that everything becomes infuriated as if shapes were trying to consume each other.
Driving away from the chaos at the bottom, the top composition of the piece seems flattened. It gives a sense of settlement, and I noticed the second object mentioned in the title: the palette. Although painted in two completely different ways, the painting still connects seamlessly and is united with the aspect of texture and color. And a sense of flow was established to the eye, as the essence of Cubism became more obvious: it is the combination of disorder and conciseness that defines the style of Cubism. Piecing together shapes to define it in a new sense, thus creating endless possibilities and perspectives. Cubism masters such as Braque and Picasso break up and piece reality back together in a unique way, and that would be the most innovative way to think in the field of creatives.
Qitian Xie
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
ART 473 1001
“I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.”
(David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard)
This question was raised in my mind as soon as I see Braque’s cubism pieces: ”Is this what Braque believes to be real when he painted the piece?“ And I was fascinated when I began taking a deeper dive to observe the piece. Cubism seems to me to be “controlled chaos”, and Georges Braque’s “Violin and Palette” stands out to me as the most impactful, eye-catching piece in the PowerPoint. As my eyes land on the piece, my mind registers the piece as a painting of the violin. But when I took a second look, everything was chaotic, breaking up in terms of forms, and shape. The mind is suddenly conflicted as a debate between whether the shape is barely put together or seamlessly connected begins. In the end, both sides were right. As cubism challenges the mind to be thinking in multiple directions; Anything could be right, because there is no wrong. Further diving into the composition, I see dimensions clashing, challenging the mind to register in the way that fits into our reality. Color and contrast were used to help push the dimensions in and out, the violin’s strings were used to guide the senses. Along with the decorative elements to hold the truth that “it is a violin”. Below the violin is where shapes begin folding into each other, extruding the violin with a brute force. The piece suddenly becomes alive, dynamic in the way that everything becomes infuriated as if shapes were trying to consume each other.
Driving away from the chaos at the bottom, the top composition of the piece seems flattened. It gives a sense of settlement, and I noticed the second object mentioned in the title: the palette. Although painted in two completely different ways, the painting still connects seamlessly and is united with the aspect of texture and color. And a sense of flow was established to the eye, as the essence of Cubism became more obvious: it is the combination of disorder and conciseness that defines the style of Cubism. Piecing together shapes to define it in a new sense, thus creating endless possibilities and perspectives. Cubism masters such as Braque and Picasso break up and piece reality back together in a unique way, and that would be the most innovative way to think in the field of creatives.
Not too sure if I successfully posted and I can’t see my first post so I am posting the same content 2nd time.
Brandon Azar
Robert Tracy
ART 473-1001
24 September 2020
First Writing Assignment
“There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” (Tim Yanke)
I am very fond of this quote, as it implies a continuously moving painting has a feeling of life to it. The painting that caught my eye the most was Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1 by Gustav Klimt. As it is a portrait of someone, the idea of painting life into it seems rather important to capture the muse’s character. I think this is done very well just off pattern and texture alone. There almost feels like all these patterns should be conflicting or fighting with each other, but due to most of it being in gold they still mesh well. Because there are so many patterns as well, it keeps the eye moving, which in turn creates a painting that feels as if it is continuously moving.
The patterns are very effective in guiding the eye through the painting as well; the abundance of varying patterns around her face as well as the contrast to her pale skin draws one’s eyes immediately to it. And from there, one follows downward, guided by the triangles on her chest. The eye pattern is a little unsettling, but it makes you stare back at it to understand her form. The downward strokes in what I believe to be her sleeves, or a cape of some sort also guide the eye down to the bottom, finally letting us grasp the whole portrait of her.
The purpose of portraits often is to immortalize the life of someone in the form of a painting. Giving this sense of continuous movement in a painting further adds to capturing the life of this woman. I feel like most portraits I can think of are rather static, and truly feel like that person is no longer alive and speaks to the “death in stagnation.” But in Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1, her expression paired with all this movement captures her essence and it makes me feel like I could talk to her–as if the painting could animate itself and have a conversation with me, and I find that fascinating.
There is a certain something about her expression that evokes a specific emotion that is hard for me to describe. The slightly open lips with a hint of a smile, and these downward turned eyes that create such a soft expression. She looks very friendly and almost inviting with a dreamy gaze, but that also contrasts with the intense stare of the eyes on her dress. It is almost like there are two messages being sent. If the patterns did not contrast so well, her body’s form would nearly be lost. Once your eyes acknowledge that form, it is as if the patterned eyes staring back no longer want you to see her body.
Regardless, this piece does a great job in eliciting an emotional response and capturing the life of Adele Bloch-Bauer. The visual hierarchy of the patterns takes us on a trip around the details of the portrait, and makes every aspect feel cohesive yet with just enough contrast to make out the finest details. It feels as if she is still alive and encased in gold to be immortalized forever, surrounded by these intricate patterns that act as her life force. Truly, there is life in movement and death in stagnation, and this portrait is a wonderful example of such.
Klimt was commissioned to create three paintings for the University of Vienna in 1894. The commissioners made it clear to Klimt that they were expecting a similar composition to Raphael’s School of Athens. However, what Klimt produced completely brushed their expectations and suggestions to the side; instead he produced three paintings entitled Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence. Ironically, these pieces were more philosophically based than a painting of a group of philosophers themselves. Klimt instead expressed his somewhat unpopular opinions of philosophy, medicine, and jurisprudence.
During the period in which Klimt was creating these three paintings, he had a shift in perspective. He told his friends “pleasing his clients was not his priority anymore,” and eventually rejected all state support as well. Instead, he put his personal opinions and grapplings about life and death into his work. This shift in the way Klimt began to approach his art embodies David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard’s quote, “I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it” quite well. Klimt wanted to express what he believed in, rather than creating art to appease clients. With such an approach, it is unclear whether Klimt was very concerned with the public seeing his art; it seems like at that point, he was making art purely for his own sake, in an effort to understand and present his ideas about philosophy and life itself. Of course, I personally believe that all artists want their work to be seen in some capacity, but it does not seem like this was at the forefront of Klimt’s mind as he was creating these works.
Focusing on the first of these three, Philosophy expresses Klimt’s questioning of rational philosophy, which explains why it is quite a lot more ambiguous and vague compared to typical philosophical paintings of the time. He depicts the beginning of life, fruition, and decay on the left hand side of the painting, while the right side represents the globe as a “mystery,” as he called it. Then, at the very bottom, a small figure appears out of its surrounding darkness, representing knowledge. The original proposal called for the theme of “Victory of Light over Darkness.” Critics however, saw this painting as more aimless rather than a victory.
This is a perfect example of Klimt depicting his beliefs and inner crises, rather than conveying specific themes for the sake of what others wanted. Klimt saw his family meet their deaths – his father, borther, younger sister and eldest sister – and also watched as his mother eventually lost her sanity. At this point, Klimt was grappling with his own personal crises and questioned life’s meaning, as well as how to navigate the chaos and cruelty the world subjects us to. It is not difficult to see how he views the world as somewhat of a mystery while we go through the cycle of life. Criticized for seemingly depicting darkness’ triumph over light, Klimt’s version of “light” is the small bit of knowledge represented at the bottom of the painting. Philosophy represents Klimt’s mindset at the time; to him, it seems that knowledge is the only way he could find meaning in life and try to unwrap his head around and understand it. Seeing as this painting was made right at the turn of his perspective, it seems as if he is at the very tip of knowledge in the vast pool of the world’s mysterious ways.
Next, Medicine and Jurisprudence convey subjects of anxiety and hopelessness. Medicine criticizes the medical field itself, and instead of portraying the great progress being made at the University in terms of medicine, showed a cryptic, chaotic representation of a state hospital, a collection of decrepit bodies, while Hygieia holds the cup of Lethe below them. Klimt’s view of medicine as hopeless and helpless most likely came from the aforementioned deaths of his family members, as he clearly grapples with and confronts themes of life and death in this series particularly.
Klimt expresses more anxieties in his final piece of the series, Jurisprudence. Goddesses of Truth, Justice, and Law watch as a condemned man, surrounded by three females, is pushed into an octopus’s arms. Another ambiguous painting, Klimt again depicts aspects of death and suffering as the condemned man meets his death. This might allude to harsh and life ruining sentences given to criminals, as one mistake or bad choice often destroys one’s future completely due to a bad record or extensive jail time without an opportunity to rehabilitate and succeed. Once again, this is quite the opposite of what the University was looking to display at their school, but Klimt ignored their expectations and pushed his own narrative and his own opinions on the matter into his art.
These three pieces, and his shift in perspective during this particular commission, allowed Klimt to take on the role of the artist that David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard refers to. Klimt painted the inner workings of his mind, his confusions, his opinions, and his anxieties, regardless of what others clearly wanted to see from him.
Kelsey Neill
Art 473 1001
Robert Tracy
17 September 2020
Opinion Paper 1
“There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people…and there is
the visual that is understood by everybody.” – Yaacov Agam
Artwork Referenced: Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear,
1889 Oil on canvas
It’s akin to speaking a foreign language that no one can understand. Alienated, and fearful because you can understand them with their sharp words, their brows furrowed in disgust, spitting that you’re a “lunatic”, and how that echoes relentlessly through the night. But you’re used to it, and you’ve grown up with it, being misunderstood. It’s second nature, and you have accepted that you’re just a defect from the rest of them, your mortality fully-aware, and happiness never welcomingly cradling you. You’ve admitted yourself to an asylum because of this, and you think to yourself, at long last, in your seclusion there is the solitude that the normal people don’t have to suffer through your despair, suffer through watching you suffer. You hate being a burden to the happier ones. The air whistles and the void above swirls with blues as you dip your paint brush in the murky glass of water.
A week has passed after that incident. Your consciousness is blurry, and there’s a dull pain on the right side of your head that throbs every so often. Your ear is bandaged. Thinking that you lost a part of yourself, thinking that you may have lost everything that you’ve got going for yourself to finally heal, you begin to paint. Straight vertical lines of bright cadmium yellow appear on canvas in a controlled manner. It calms you, and for a second you think you’re finally at peace as you smooth the bristles with ease. More layers are applied, more yellows and more blues side by side, to express your melancholy more forcefully. Then you begin to paint over your face, clashing strokes of chrome orange, zinc yellow, zinc white, cobalt blue, and emerald. That’s when the strokes start to bend and swirl, and suddenly, it’s like you’re face to face with a mirror image of yourself. That’s right, you did cut off part of your right ear, and you did make a fool out of yourself. Feeling as though you’ve failed as an artist, the sadness consumes you even further. The shrieks and whispers of revulsion echo in your head.
Years of painting, and having only sold one of them, you ask yourself if people can truly see you through your brush strokes. Does that mean they can see my turmoil? Do people appreciate the expression of myself and want to actively purchase and display it proudly? Is all this some sick joke to them? You stare at the stacks of opened letters scattered on the floor, and wonder if everything would turn out alright, if Gauguin saw you as the monster you see yourself as, and if dear Theo would continue reaching out to you.
Skyler Rockey
Writing Assignment 1
Art 473 Section 1001
20 September 2020
Quote used
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis)
Artist – Lee Krasner
Work – “Cool White”
Into
The philosophy behind art and the feelings it provokes has always been something that has fascinated me. Why are we so emotionally attached to art? Is it because it is beautiful? Perhaps it emits sadness or creates a feeling of sorrow. Maybe it reminds us of something we lost or once knew. Art is all around us and is always playing with our emotions in good ways or bad. For my writing assignment, I have chosen Lee Krasner’s famous painting, “Cool White.” Specifically, I want to focus on the painting, and how the death of, Jackson Pollock, and the struggles that surrounded Krasner influenced her to create a work of art with so much emotion. Throughout my writing, I will be reflecting on Chris DeRubei’s quote and how Krasner was able to create art that one can truly feel.
Initial thoughts of the work
The first time I looked at the painting “Cool White”, it gave me the chills. What do I feel when I look at this painting? Mystery, sorrow, maybe even anger. I would imagine these are similar emotions that Krasner was feeling during the creation of this work. At first glance, one can instantly tell that there is so much life, emotion, and feeling circulating throughout the image. One has to wonder which emotion did she want us to experience? When she made this painting and the other pieces she associated with this series, she underwent much trauma. The most glaring one being the recent loss of her husband as well as her mother. This must have had a great effect on the outcome of the painting since it really is like no other work in her portfolio.
Examination of the painting
Next, I want to look deeper into some of the physical elements of the image. Look at the brushstrokes. She almost seems like she is enraged. The linework seems violent and thrown on messily to the canvas. The black spots / dark areas that she creates are intriguing. They almost seem like voids or places of emptiness. As my eyes work their way across the image, the light and dark spots generate artwork of its own. The lack of color in the painting is a design choice that we regularly did not see from Krasner. For “Cool White”, she has chosen an off-white color as well as the presence of black. In a lot of her other works, colors were always present. During the creation of this artwork, she struggled with insomnia and depression which is something that no one should have to go through. She used painting as a way to help her when she couldn’t sleep as well as give her a sense of joy in tough times. Perhaps this time of sadness filled her with gloom and sorrow, which ultimately lead her to stray away from color.
Contemplation
The last thing I want to contemplate is the true meaning of the painting. Does the work even have a subject matter, or is it completely abstract? The only thing we have to go off of is the name, and even that is relatively abstract. While it may not be specific in what the work is trying to tell us, it represents the idea of the culmination of sorrow, anger, and the struggle she felt during this time period. I believe this work’s purpose was to help us remember Jackson Pollock and express her sorrows. I would imagine this was difficult for her to work on, but she created it to help evoke a feeling not only in herself but also for the viewers.
Conclusion
I think many individuals become artists because they want to evoke or spark emotion within themselves or those around them. Lee Krasner is an icon to the artist community that genuinely devoted her life to creating pieces that emitted real feelings. Making her work abstract forces us, as the viewer, to look at the painting and imagine what she wanted us to feel. Chris DeRubeis’ quote is something that all aspiring artists should implement into their artwork.
The Painting: Vincent Van Gogh, Self Portrait, 1887
Quote: “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.”
(Joan Miro)
When I think about the limitations that a person may have in expressing themselves verbally, the common thought is to turn to Art as an escape or to express one’s self without any limitations. But when I think about the quote by Joan Miro which says “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness”, I feel that this quote actually portrays the opposite of famed artist, Vincent Van Vogh.
As we’ve come to know both in our readings and the past power points, Van Gogh was a artist that struggled all throughout his life to be accepted. No one fully understood Vincent nor could understand his actions, only his brother Theo was truly able to understand him. Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork were never simple lines. They were abstract and did not follow the general census on how paintings were viewed and looked at during his era. He was misunderstood and was never truly happy and in turn, he had taken his own life just because he felt he was a burden to others.
Even though Van Vogh did not necessarily had the perfect lifestyle, his paintings, as many have come to realize past his death, were filled with so many different layers and he truly had his own vision that sadly was not reciprocated. In a letter to his brother Theo in 1888, Van Gogh said “In painting I want to say something comforting in the way music is comforting.” This quote tells me that Van Gogh did have a purpose in his paintings. He wanted to experience that freedom of expression and happiness, but unfortunately because of his mannerisms, his disabilities which no one could understand at the time, he was shunned and rejected and his art was never fully realized.
That’s why I had chosen to take an in depth look at his self portrait. You can see the emotions that Van Vogh was trying to emote. It’s melancholy, it’s a person that was stuck in a traumatic state, but it was also someone that was different. When I look through the painting, I see the labor and thought that was put into the painting and it also feels as if the painting is a call for help for someone to understand Van Vogh and to truly understand him.
A simple line painted can lead to freedom and happiness, but for Van Vogh, life wasn’t just a simple line. It’s complicated and twisted world sometimes and when I saw Van Vogh’s self portrait, this quote stood out to me because life isn’t just a simple line.
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
KePatriot Simpson
An experimental artist named, Yaacov Agam, once said “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people… and there is the visual that is understood by everybody.” With this being said, which kind of learner are you? Depending upon how one person learns, is all the more difference in how that person understands things in the world. Oftentimes, outside of a learning institution, I think most people prefer to see things visually to percieve it however they choose. For example, when a lesson is being taught, the technicality of how or why something is the way it is, is written out or said in a way the ‘teacher’ believes we should comprehend it. However, this should not be the case for art. When it comes to art, the artist chooses how they feel or want to express themselves in their artwork.
Artist Oskar Kokoschka had no problem doing exactly that. He chose to make his artwork with contorting shapes and angles to express human emotions deeper. At an early point in his life, he was dismissed from his art institution for displaying an array of “…works considered disturbing in both content and technique”. Kokoschka did not show disturbing works, he rather was showing his own personal techniques in expressing emotions that we humans feel. At first glance, I did not favor his 1913 portrait of himself because I felt the lines and shading of it, made it too blurry, and not so clear. However, when I really delved into his type of artwork and continued looking on, he was not disturbed, but rather putting his own personal feelings about himself. Whether his art was not technical enough or reached a certain expectation for his schooling, he was appreciated later in his life for his style. He may have been verbally written off as an artist but visually he developed himself to stand out among other artists. As more of his portraits came out a few years apart, they developed in color, and liveliness.
His exaggeration of body parts and colors were much more appreciated. And so were his version of showing the psychological stuff that goes on inside of our heads outside of it. If we all were to look at his artwork now, he would be praised for his thinking outside of the box and creating artwork that is so different from perfect looking portraits and inanimate objects. We visually understand him, versus verbally being told by his opinionators what he was trying to become. He created an art that no one would understand in early days, but his ideas grew better with time, and became widely appreciated. Although you may not recognize all of his work, he has about three to four major artworks that are shown in museums nationally. Unfortunately those few that are well known do not thoroughly help the viewer gain a personal aspect of the artist himself.
James Ellroy, once said “L.A. is epidemically everywhere and discernible only in glimpses.” I believe that this relates to Kokoschka because although you may not know his artwork personally, you can tell his artwork style if you were not an avid follower of his. The range of artforms that he used to express himself are so different that it is hard to notice that the same mind developed those. The same mind that had once “disturbing” content, now has nationally recognized works of art. A lot of things happened in the life of Kokoschka, he lived until almost the end of the 1980’s, which by that point we were in an entirely different world that he was born into. That is to say he has seen the development of cars from horses. No one in the early 1900’s probably imagined what an automobile would look like or offer us in the long run. In today’s life, cars are not as much of a luxury as they once were. They were purchased by the rich and expedited all over America in a short amount of time. Now places like New York and L.A. are buried in hour long traffic. The result from the large amount of use of cars, has our planet suffocating from the pollution released every day. We see lots of developments in the social stature that stands today with cars. You can see who may be financially stable, those who are able to live more luxurious lives, and those who are trying to get by in someone’s car. The Autopia period is growing all over the world, it has completely changed how fast paced life is. No matter where one may live, quite literally to relate to the quote by James Ellroy, everyone happens to know where L.A. is. We see that L.A. has sceneries near the beach are the new “art form,” watching the ocean, the amount of people filling up a space, and daily life happening is art. We live day to day differently from the person who may live next to us. Some cities may appear to be completely erratic and disturbed like Kokoschka to his professors when he was young, but some lived to enjoy the craziness that can happen. It may seem like a far stretch to relate the two, but the developmental times of both things are so far from each other, the most you can relate is what people find beauty and art in now.
Mustafa Diallo
ART 473
Robert Tracy
First Writing Assignment
Marc Chagal was an early modernist artist who practiced in Russia, and later France. He’s touted as the great Jewish artist of the 20th century, and an important pillar of early modernism. His work explored many mediums, including drawings, stained glass, illustrations, stage sets, fine art prints, and ceramic tapestries. This range of work gave him an incredible understanding of the relationship between art and the emerging 20th century cultures. To this point, he said, “Great art picks up where nature ends.”
This is a very profound quote. Upon reading it, it caused me to reflect on my favorite art pieces across different mediums and the relationship they have with nature or the natural world. It was an interesting perspective, as it made me realize just how much my favorite art is inspired by nature in a literal figurative sense. In the literal sense, there are many artists who regardless of their medium or style, take a look around them and simply just delineate what’s around them. In styles that are more realistic, one sits in awe of the detail evoked and makes an effort to not just look, but to actually see what’s there. In styles less realistic, the viewer makes an effort to understand what the artist is trying to make them feel in depicting an often familiar subject in such a subjective way.
One example of this is Georges Braques’ Large Nude. In this painting, Braques tackles the ever so familiar subject of the nude in his newly found style that was inspired by a Cezanne retrospective, he saw the year earlier. Braques had come to Paris and initially ran with Les Fauves, who had a semi-realistic style but used vivid and unrealistic colors to represent their flaring emotions. Upon seeing Cezanne’s work, Braques began to make the move towards more geometric works, and eventually pioneer the advent of Cubism.
Braques’ Large Nude is a rigid depiction of naked woman whose features are drawn sparingly, with her face being a few lines. On painting this nude, Braques said,”I couldn’t portray a woman in all her natural loveliness, I haven’t skill. No one has.” He goes on to speak about how for him to depict a woman, he must create something new. Something that is from his language, something that comes from his perspective. He also says,”Nature is a mere pretext for a decorative composition, plus sentiment.” This is parallel to what Chagall has stated.
I also happen to agree with both of them. Nature is such a pure source of beauty and emotion and passion, but to capture the essence of all those things that make up the natural world, be it the smells or the aura or the feeling in the air is nigh-impossible. But I think it’s the difficulty that makes us as human beings so intent on trying to capture all those things that we can share the experience with someone. As JFK famously said,”We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too”. This quote by JFK very much summarizes the human spirit in regards to its ambition. We love to do things that challenge us, and push our society further.
Phichapa Tippawang (Crystal)
Art 473: First Writing Assignment
When people think of Vincent Van Gogh, they imagine colorful, vivid paintings
that are so dreamlike. But at the same time, they never fail to mention his ear. Van Gogh has experienced so much pain and so much sadness but he also believes in nature, beauty, and goodness. While Van Gogh lived alone in his world, he painted his self portrait (1889-1890). If the quote “I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it” by David “Lebo” Le Batard rings true, then this self portrait gives us viewers a glimpse into how he saw and believed about himself.
With Van Gogh’s mental and neurological conditions, I think it’s accurate to say that none of us will truly know what his inner turmoil was like. Since Vincent was reliant on Theodore for financial support, it’s hard to imagine the amount of stress and pressure Vincent was under. From what we can see about his relationship with his brother, Theodore seems to love and care for Vincent, but it must have still been very difficult for Vincent to feel free and happy. During the time when mental health and neurological health were not understood, how lonely and alienating must he have felt? As a child prodigy, he was able to accurately depict what he saw and translate it to paper and canvas. But as he got older, his paintings became less realistic and more Expressionistic. Many called Van Gogh too passionate and said that he was miserable to be around, were his passions and his feelings become too much for him to even bear it by himself? But that pain and intensity that he had nowhere else or no one else to
listen to came pouring out onto his canvas to be the reason that everyone knows him to be the tortured artist.
While Van Gogh lived alone in that house while his brother lived in the vibrant city, sending him money, no one recognized his talents and the children harassed him. This Self Portrait painted in 1889 stands out particularly because this drew so near to the time of his death. The dark blue surrounding him is different from other Self Portraits from other years with patterns of different lighter blues and greens swimming around him. However, in this painting, the shades of light blues are dimming, and the dark blues are looming in. As how pained he portrays himself in other portraits, why was this one so dark in particular? Did Van Gogh feel the darkness getting closer, consuming him? If he was translating his beliefs to the public, there was so much beauty and beautiful vivid colors bursting onto the canvas to portray how he saw the world. So many different shades of blues and yellows. But when it comes to this Self Portrait, the colors that he’s showing his skin and hair are dulled and grayed out.
While Van Gogh states “I experience a period of frightening clarity in those when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream.” It begs the question of if that’s how he saw the world. That nature deserves to be shown in its full beauty, full of life and hope. But for himself, he believed that he believed himself to be stuck in the dark, because his talents were not recognized and his mental illness misunderstood. He saw the darkness in his future, not wanting to be a burden to his brother and not wanting to feel so alone and alienated anymore. Maybe he believed in the world that was a little bit dreamier, a little bit kinder, a little bit brighter.
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” This quote by Chris DeRubeis inspired me to look at the paintings “The Bride of the Wind” by Oskar Kokoschka and “Mural” by Jackson Pollock and analyze how the paintings affect my emotions.
“The Bride of the Wind” was a self portrait created between 1913 and 1914 to depict himself and his lover at the time, Alma Mahler, lying together in what seems like a turbulent body of water. The lovers laying together in the raging water show a sort of conflicting emotion between peace and chaos, where the lovers are surrounded by all this chaos, while they are peaceful in each other’s arms. There is also a depiction of mystery behind the artstyle and why it was depicted as such. The painting is shown with many wild brush strokes and over characterized elements of the human skin color that make the subjects harder to see, but not nearly impossible. We also see Kokoschka looking into the sky with a look of sadness in his eyes and tears flowing down his face. The break up with his lover in 1914 makes this painting more of a story rather than a seal of love. I love this painting for the expressionism he expresses through the raw emotion of the two subjects and the landscape he uses to further this idea of a short term romance that had such potential. The painting makes me feel more saddened that a relationship was so intense, only to fail in the end
“Mural” was created in 1943 as a commission for the new entryway of Peggy Guggenheim’s townhouse. His objective was to create a piece that celebrated the new American art Guggenheim was showing off in her more recent shows at the time. The piece shows many examples of chaotic linework throughout that symbolize animals running as a stampede and leaving prints on the canvas. Many of Pollock’s works have chaotic, abstract elements to it that attract so many eyes to how it was even conceived, and this is a perfect example of this. I love this painting because this set a new motion for modern American art. It let other artists express themselves through more of a creative, abstract way rather than the simple shapes and portraits that were so mainstream at that time. Also, it made me feel overwhelmed by the amount of animals and the variety that could have been in this stampede, and every mark is able to tell a story.
I chose to express my emotions about these two paintings because they both have a very similar aspect of expressionism and abstraction to them that caused me to feel curiosity when looking at them. At the time, both paintings were considered more degenerative art styles and mostly frowned upon by other artists, or simply misunderstood. Kokoschka’s painting was removed from the public in the 1940’s by the Nazis, as they felt the art style was degenerative. While Pollock’s painting was more widely accepted, there were still those that heavily misunderstood the message the work was trying to get across. Both have very desaturated, faded colors to them that give it a sort of depressing, yet intensive feel to them. Their messages may be different, but both share levels of intensity that describe themselves perfectly.
These two paintings inspire a lot of conflicting emotions within me. It makes me appreciate the works in a new way that forces me to think in a new way. Both have abstract messages that connect in a personal way not only to the artists, but to the viewer, as well.
Shannen Calio
Robert Tracy
Art 473 – 1001
24 September 2020
Opinion Paper 1
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis)
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh
Piece: “Self-Portrait” 1889
I agree with the quote above that “Art should be something you can actually feel” and that viewers should be able to detect the emotions of the artist or the feelings that are conveyed in the work. I believe that art portrays certain emotions which either impacts viewers to experience them or causes the viewer to remember a time when they felt that same emotion. For example, art should cause us to feel nostalgic about a time where we had that similar feeling or experience. Additionally, I believe that art can cause the viewer to feel like they are actually in that environment, whether it is warm and you can feel the sun on your skin, or even feel cold and isolated. In the many works of
Vincent Van Gogh, he successfully inspires emotions out of any and all viewers.
During his career, Vincent Van Gogh had painted many self-portraits which essentially recorded his physical and mental state on each canvas. In almost every one of his self-portraits, he has an intense stare that would either look directly at the viewer or gaze off into the distance past them. Both experiences could make the viewer feel as if he is actually there, with the different emotions surrounding your entire body. When I look at this painting, I immediately feel his eyes pierce into me and I am enveloped in an intense feeling of mutual sadness. I think that the swirls represent sadness and when I look at them I can see them move and it feels like they are seeping out of the frame and flowing all around the room.
Although the warm colors of his skin and hair contrast the cool blue background and clothes, his face and body sort of blend into the blue because of the similar like and brush strokes. This makes me believe that the blue swirls that are surrounding him are not just there in a physical sense, but also emotionally. This is because in my experience depression or sadness can feel like a thick blanket of air that completely surrounds your body which slowly invades and affects your thoughts. The swirls that represent the fold of Vincent’s clothing makes me believe that the emotions surrounding him are not only there but woven into and becoming a part of himself. Similar to the feeling of sadness, the swirls not only distorts our view of our environment, but it also distorts the way we view ourselves and how we feel. I think that in this self-portrait the viewer can not only experience the emotions of Vincent Van Gogh but also make the viewer feel an emotion that they experienced themselves in the past.
Overall, I completely agree with the quote “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel” by Chris DeRubeis, depending on how intense these emotions are would determine the impact of the piece. I believe that the work of Vincent Van Gogh has a great impact on viewers through feelings and emotions.
Shannen Calio
Robert Tracy
Art 473 – 1001
24 September 2020
Opinion Paper 1
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis)
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh
Piece: “Self-Portrait” 1889
I agree with the quote above that “Art should be something you can actually feel” and that viewers should be able to detect the emotions of the artist or the feelings that are conveyed in the work. I believe that art portrays certain emotions which either impacts viewers to experience them or causes the viewer to remember a time when they felt that same emotion. For example, art should cause us to feel nostalgic about a time where we had that similar feeling or experience. Additionally, I believe that art can cause the viewer to feel like they are actually in that environment, whether it is warm and you can feel the sun on your skin, or even feel cold and isolated. In the many works of Vincent Van Gogh, he successfully inspires emotions out of any and all viewers.
During his career, Vincent Van Gogh had painted many self-portraits which essentially recorded his physical and mental state on each canvas. In almost every one of his self-portraits, he has an intense stare that would either look directly at the viewer or gaze off into the distance past them. Both experiences could make the viewer feel as if he is actually there, with the different emotions surrounding your entire body. When I look at this painting, I immediately feel his eyes pierce into me and I am enveloped in an intense feeling of mutual sadness. I think that the swirls represent sadness and when I look at them I can see them move and it feels like they are seeping out of the frame and flowing all around the room.
Although the warm colors of his skin and hair contrast the cool blue background and clothes, his face and body sort of blend into the blue because of the similar like and brush strokes. This makes me believe that the blue swirls that are surrounding him are not just there in a physical sense, but also emotionally. This is because in my experience depression or sadness can feel like a thick blanket of air that completely surrounds your body which slowly invades and affects your thoughts. The swirls that represent the fold of Vincent’s clothing makes me believe that the emotions surrounding him are not only there but woven into and becoming a part of himself. Similar to the feeling of sadness, the swirls not only distorts our view of our environment, but it also distorts the way we view ourselves and how we feel. I think that in this self-portrait the viewer can not only experience the emotions of Vincent Van Gogh but also make the viewer feel an emotion that they experienced themselves in the past.
Overall, I completely agree with the quote “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel” by Chris DeRubeis, depending on how intense these emotions are would determine the impact of the piece. I believe that the work of Vincent Van Gogh has a great impact on viewers through feelings and emotions.
I had posted a few minutes earlier but it disappeared so this is my second post. I am not sure if there will be two postings.
The art work I have chosen to represent as my topic in this paper is The potato eaters by Vincent Van Gough. I chose this image because I feel it resonates with the quote I have chosen written by Yaacov Agam. “ There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people… and there is the visual that is understood by everyone”
The potato eaters I feel is a very strong image and represents the poverty that Vincent was around during a certain point in his life. This image is very powerful to me because even though you see the people worn down and dirty they don’t seem uncontent with their meal. They are gathered around each other enjoying a dinner conversation with one another. This is where I believe the quote by Yaacov Agam resonates with this painting. I definitely agree that visuals and Verbal are two different languages. An Image can represent a hundred different things but a sentence’s lead directly to whatever it is said which can politically separate us from the meaning behind the painting.
I feel that Vincent was criticized for The potato eaters and wasn’t appreciated for its true beauty and nature of the image. The title just makes it seem like its people eating potatoes. What is so interesting about that many might have asked. If you look into the image you can see more than just people eating potatoes. You can feel the aching pain of the older people’s bones from a long day at work. You can feel the sigh of relief from the lady sitting waiting to eat her food. You wonder of the curiosity that the man is speaking to the lady next to him to have such a wide expression on her face over their conversation. So much can be read in this image. One of my favorite parts of this painting is the environment of the image. You can really depict the poorness of the family from the old rustic feeling and location of the painting. I love how Vincent expresses the emotions of the people and how he pays really close attention to the detail of their faces, clothes and surroundings. It gives you this chill feeling of winter. You can practically feel the steam of the potatoes hitting your skin and dropping warm inside your belly as they eat them.
Art is definitely like a second language. For a lot of people they can’t see past the name of the image. For many it can divide them by seeing people eating potatoes or poor people eating potatoes. It’s incredible to be able to open your mind and see, think, and wonder why this artist painted this. What captured his interest to draw and paint this image. Words can easily cloud our judgement and block us from appreciating a beautiful work of art. I also feel that for most artists the name of the title in their artwork has very little meaning in the actual representation of the work. It only captures the basic essence of the image. The title doesn’t tell the whole narrative of the story behind the image just what you think you should be seeing.
Vincent definitely had a strong judgement of visuals which is why I believe makes his art so recognizable and well known. His artwork has the visual language that makes you wonder and ask what is that made him create such an image. One of my favorite paintings of Vincent and well known around the world is the starry sky. The image itself pulls you in with all the colors and swirls but it does make you wonder how can this image just be of a starry sky. You wonder of the location and why it is that he painted in such a manner. I feel Vincent was really good at expressing the voice of the visuals he created. He is actually one of my favorite artists of his time because of how visually expressive his work was.
Overall we come to the conclusion that visuals bring people together by telling a story. We can be easily clouded and divided by verbal confrontations. All we have to do is look at the image and feel and connect with the artist.
Art 473 Modern Art I 
Composition
One lesson all artists need to learn from is how to take criticism well. Often, it’s hard to separate criticism on your art from criticism on you. Jackson Pollock is an excellent example of someone who took criticism very well, even saying once that “there was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn’t have any beginning or any end. He didn’t mean it as a compliment, it was.” Taking criticism and turning it into something to be proud of is an incredible power move on his part, though in Pollock’s case it was objectively true as well. With his focus on abstract art, there wasn’t a need for either. We are used to art telling a story or conveying information, which of course needs a beginning and an end. Pollock’s work focuses instead on converting emotions.
Composition, by Lee Krasner, Pollock’s own wife, is an excellent example of a piece with no beginning or end. It is chaotic, like getting lost in a labyrinth, with the white lines leading the viewer anywhere and everywhere on the page. Despite the chaos, though, Composition is a very cohesive piece, with most of the colors on the cooler end of the spectrum, enough so that the brighter, warmer colors, draw the eye. The leading things, too, are incredibly varied but work well to link everything together.
Though often overshadowed by Pollock, Krasner was an accomplished artist in her own right. She stepped back to promote her husband, but, like him, she enjoyed large paintings with rapid, gestural drawings that went from edge to edge. It is less obvious in Composition, though. Behind the white lines, the colors of the piece are splattered and disorganized, with no cohesive color palette. Instead, Composition is united through the foreground of white lines and white shapes. The white forms both organic and geometric shapes, with boxes and spirals complementing each other. The line width varies as well, with some lines being incredibly thin, barely visible, while others are incredibly thick. This just gives the painting even more character.
It’s hard to pick what I like best about this painting. It’s a fun piece, with the lines leading you around so you can take it all in, but busy enough that it’s pretty much impossible to notice everything Krasner included. If I had to pick my favorite part, it would have to be how every time you look at it again, you can find something new within the shapes. Not only that but what one person might see, another might not. That’s one of the best things about abstract art, in my opinion- you can interpret it all you like, but everyone will interpret it differently.
Krasner’s piece is hard to categorize, beyond “abstract.” Like Pollock, her work has no beginning or end- you get what you see. But the more I look, the more I see. At first, I was drawn in by the fun shapes of the work. Now, after studying it more, I can see an urban influence, with its bright colors and lines that look like graffiti lettering. What you see can change, and abstract art plays on that in such a way that keeps viewers interested.
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Danielle Thompson
Prof – Robert Tracy
Class – ART 434 and 473
09/17/2020
1st writing assignment
The quote, “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people…and there is the visual that is understood by everybody” (Yaacov Agam). Is represented in Picasso’s oil painting Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, Fall-Winter 1910, demonstrates this quote. The image caught my eye because of its lack of color. It is very natural and calming yet appears to have many complex and different shapes delineated in the work. The reason why I feel this painting demonstrates the quote above is because every individual can see Picasso’s work in their own way. Although knowing that it is a portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, I could not tell you what the original portrait appearance was. Picasso’s lines and shading are defined enough to let one know there is a face, hair, and hands folded in the bottom center, but not enough to block the viewer from developing their own ideas, interpretation, and understanding of what the painting symbolizes.
This portrait demonstrates how the breakdown of solid forms can lead to different interpterion in viewership. The angular three-dimensional structures add a pixelated sight, almost like the painting is a flickering photo on a computer. Kahnweiler’s face, hair, and hands appear as though they are slowly rendering his original portrait. At the same time, others may see his figure as dematerializing or fading into the work. Because there are so many different ways in which one can interrupt this painting, it can speak to anyone. The use of line is outstanding, and taking a closer look at the face, one can see how Picasso used simplistic shapes, lines, and shading to make the form of Kahnweiler’s complexion. The center of the painting appears to have what resembles a suit or formal attire of some kind. An intriguing part of the painting is in the bottom left corner area. It is compacted with jumbled shapes, and it is not apparent what it could be. Most of the time, it appears to be a sword floating on a miniature cloud, while other times, my eyes see the resemblance of a table or chair. Along with the bottom object, different faces sometimes appear beside Kahnweiler’s. Although less defined and possibly on accident, my eye interprets lines in the shape of lips and straight noses, and shading that gives off the appearance of an eye socket.
Although two completely different types of art, Picasso’s oil painting and the photo of the Neon Gas Station on page 13 of James Steele’s book, both exhibit the use in shapes and lines. The gas station has a round-triangular look. Using curving lines that are light up by a baby blue neon gives off the appearance of a leaf-like texture to the ceiling. The Supporting structure to the ceiling has a thick base that curves out and becomes thinner the farther out it stretches on the ceiling, appear as an almost root/vein-like structure to a plant or tree. Atop around the edges are giant squares evenly spaced apart, although alone, they may look like sound barriers or just squares. Combined with the rest of the composition, just like the oil painting, it creates a design that, to me, looks like a cell wall. While to another, it could appear as doors, windows, or even resemble something like the dotted lines on the road. Although we all know driving a car is not the most environmentally friendly, the plant-like structure to the gas station creates an oar that could be perceived as environmentally friendly or healthy.
Both these pieces use geometric planes that create an ambiguous concept. In the oil painting, the use of light, shading, and shape creates an illusion of space, pattern, and texture. While the functional art, gas station, creates an ambiguous structure that, in today’s world, is not commonly recognized as a gas station. Learning about Charles-Edouard Jeanneret or Le Corbusier’s use of light, order, and space, I would say that the gas station did achieve this. Although both pieces share similar attributes, I don’t believe Le Corbusier’s thoughts or visions can be applied the same way to artwork, such as Picasso’s paintings. Architecture is a functional piece of art that needs order and space to be appreciated to its full capacity. While other sources of artwork, such as sculpture, painting, drawing, sewing/fashion, and computer design, don’t necessarily need to be functional to be appreciated. However, all visual artwork, even with different functions, can see be interpreted by all in their own way, allowing them to speak and be understood by all.
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“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.”(Chris DeRubeis)
Looking through a lot of Vincent Van Gogh’s works now have a lot more meaning behind every stroke and every motion in each painting. The trials and hardships that Vincent had been through. The failures that prompted him to question his worth. The inspiration and the desperation between each passing piece. The paintings themselves mostly force your eyes to move with the flow of the painting almost like water, or a calm river (The Starry Night 1889). Art being something that you can feel, can be felt not just through touch, but through all your senses as well. It takes on many forms, and from many places. Whether the work is an intentional piece or not, that which moves a person and can also stop them in their tracks, can be the something that creates a moment where the spirit and body connect. I agree with the quote above that art should inspire and evoke emotion.
To show people an emotion they may not have encountered before. Art should be something you can feel. When the body begins to move with the piece. When one can be immersed with their own mind and the reactions that come from the influence of the piece that is set in front of you.
Art can be a piece that inflicts anger upon your heart. It can be a piece that delivers peace to your mind. It can bring shame or silence. Or even perhaps leaving you with even more questions that you had started. They can remind us of the past and give us hope for the future (The Potato eaters 1885, Café Terrace at Night 1888). Or find a piece that speaks to your heart. Art can be inspiring, it can be loving, it can be threatening. It can show a point in time when feelings poured out of a place and convey something that can sometimes tell more than a photograph.
There has been the question if some forms of art, should be considered less of art than others. When we look at the foundation of what art should be, this quote would be the simplest answer. Music, literature, film, sculptures, and paintings, anything that can evoke that emotion inside, could inspire you. Relationships, hardships, courage, and even decisions could be used in a way to convey these feelings. When put together with what we can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel, tells us about the things around us and how any of these senses could help us discover new experiences and emotions.
Sometimes we take these things for granted. And other times we forget that there are those who lack these very senses we take for granted. But behold, that even with limited senses, people can still use what they have to create something beautiful. (Water Lilies and Reflections of a Willow, 1919, Claude Monet) Claude Monet near the time of his death became partially color blind and started to paint with darker blues. Beethoven became mostly deaf but still created desperate pieces from the memory of sound and his wanting to listen again, to the point where sometimes he would use a special stick pressed against an instrument to feel its vibrations. With what we have, I can say to be grateful that we can experience art, since it works in such an impactful and moving way.
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The Future of Freedom and Happiness
“A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” – Joan Miro
This quote is a great way to describe The Why Factory at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands. They are finding power from new materials in order to create the masterpiece that they desired. Traditionally, they would use more expensive forms of power like electricity. They are using their intelligence as a brush and painting lines leading to freedom and happiness just as Joseph Maria Olbrich, designed the Vienna Secession Building in Vienna during the late 1800’s. By taking away unnecessary decorations and gallery style layouts within, The Vienna Secession Building gave a free thinking environment to some of the greatest minds in history and this inspired so much evolution not just within its walls, but the entire world as well. Even now, with this current pandemic crisis, there is a need to keep expanding toward healthy cohesion of technology and nature. We have to all work together and design spaces for growth, even in Los Angeles, where outward growth is limited.
Growing up in San Diego allowed me to have easy access to Los Angeles as it was only two hours away during non rush hour times. However, my friends and I often drove up there even through the traffic. The drive there was very scenic, especially the miles passing the ocean by Camp Pendleton. Each summer during high school I rode the train from San Diego to Santa Barbara in order to attend a week long church event where we stayed in the dorms at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While driving was possible, it was easier for us to travel as a group on the train.
Road trips have been a family tradition every summer as well, so when I got the chance to see the world through a different perspective, it was inspiring. I’ve always been inspired by the idea of creating connections with one another instead of being sealed off by cars when traveling on the roads.
Autopia symbolizes an ideal living setup for cohesion within the community. If I were to go to The Why Factory, I would propose a plan to restore Los Angeles and other large scale cities using art and design to help us grow out of our current global dilemma. For example, we can plant rows of trees/bamboo/plants next to major roads and highways to give people some outside time while they are driving around. Similar to the scenic drive at Red Rock park. Walkways to separate pedestrians from the cars with rows of high oxygen producing trees and plants such as bamboo in between the different directions to give privacy and scenery. Rows of solar panels on medians could be used to separate directions of traffic as well as provide power to nearby buildings as needed. Roads would be made out of recycled tires or other recyclables which in turn would also create more jobs for those entering the workforce.
Community transportation can be a massive obstacle when trying to balance a cities needs therefore instead of traditional busses or subways there could be individual pods that connect to each other via magnetism, in order to maintain six feet distance from the other passengers on the train. Each pod could have video chat screens built in on the inside that would cover the wall from top to bottom. This would allow riders to communicate with one another, if they so choose, similar to the times when passengers could experience conversation while on the Orient Express traveling through some of the most beautiful cities such as Vienna ever since 1883. Food could be served on the train as well, which would generate thousands more jobs in the farming community.
Utilizing the square footage on top of buildings to create rooftop community gardens and sunflower fields would give the bee population a chance to thrive as well as sustainably reliable food sources for the community. Bamboo gardens placed throughout the cities could be used to purify toxins in the air and then could be later harvested and used to produce structures or paper products. The earth is so plentiful and our minds are so determined, that there will be thousands of breakthroughs in regards to how to cohesively exist in the future.
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Liam Donaldson
Art 473 Modern Art
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
“All Art Should Inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis). This quote is basically the written personification of art itself. Feeling something or seeing something beyond the physical realm is all about. And one piece of brilliant art that describes this almost perfectly is Henri de Roulouse Lautrec’s Portrait of Vincent Van Gough from 1888. I really like this piece because it evokes so much emotion in one simple portrait.
According to sources, Van Gough spent almost every day in a bar. Pretty much being an Alcoholic by the time he met Henri. So, from Henri’s perspective it only made sense to draw Van Gough at a table with a glass of absinthe. The piece is chalk on paper, approximately sized 54.2 cm x 46 cm. Lautrec was perfecting his impressionist technique when he made this. But in contrast to other Impressionists, Henri had complete mastery of the style, and the psychology with that style. Lautrec decided to portray Van Gough in a profile view when for most of the portraits and self-portraits of van Gogh show a full-face view, It allowed him to show an unknown side into Vincent Van Gough, he also allows a glimpse into his psyche. Plus, it was different from everyone else doing the exact same boring thing so that helps.
Van Gogh was impressed, and liked Henries work a lot, but unfortunately the artists were too different in personality to remain friends. It shows in this piece. Though it shows a very somber Van Gough in a profile view. You can see that it is evoking the emotion out previous quote stated. Everything you look at, especially when it comes to art, should evoke emotion. Whether its sadness or gloom. Happiness or joy. Or even nothing at all. Feeling nothing is an emotion in of itself. This portrait of Van Gough has an aggressive chalk drawing with very bright enthusiastic colors but with a very depressed gentleman as the subject. There is something for everyone in this scene. This piece is a great example, not all other pieces are like this. But every piece of art inspires something. If it does not, then it is not art. Getting in touch with your emotions can be very tough sometimes. Art can be a great outlet for that. Because no matter whether it is a painting or a sculpture or a drawing or even a literal piece of trash on the street, there is an emotion that comes from it. Art should be something you can actually feel, no one else can feel it. The best pieces of art can bring out the best and worst of your emotions at the same time. That is why this Portrait of Vincent Van Gough from Henri Roulouse Lautrec is one of the perfect examples of art inspiring emotion.
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ART 473 1001
Fall 2020
Gustav Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze is a perfect encapsulation of Tim Yanke’s idea that “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” It is the movement and placement of all the figures in this piece that help display a long and arduous human journey towards happiness.
Hanging up high on three walls in a room within the Vienna Secession building, the frieze shows a linear course of imagery that follows humanity’s longing for happiness. At the start of the frieze on the far left wall, genii figures float softly across the top of the composition, flying to the right. It is the genii who we are following across the frieze; their movement and venture through evil forces are what depicts the human journey towards fulfillment. The genii are interrupted by the gilded figure of a tall knight, with his helmet at his feet and his sword in his hand he is ready to take on the forces of evil at the urging of the human figures at his back who show their hope and pleading. The dark and evil forces are next, their ominous and overwhelming position at the center portion of the frieze presents an obstacle for the knight and the genii, who must overcome such forces if they wish to continue on their journey. The genii finally emerge, discovering joy through arts, music, and human fulfillment.
It is Klimt’s use of movement throughout the frieze that sells the idea of progression through this journey. Flowing from left to right, the story that is being told by the gestures and placement of all the figures within the frieze is the perfect way to depict this difficult trek through evil and the human condition. Each representation of evil within the center portion of the frieze, whether it is the startling figure of Typhoeus or the three gorgon sisters, stand perpendicular to the flow of the piece; evil and temptation disrupt and challenge the flow of the journey. Even the direction in which the figures are facing and their implied movement gives us an idea of what is going on. The genii float towards the right, their arms reaching towards their destination. The knight faces his enemies and temptations to the right. The figure with the lyre towards the end of the journey, representative of humanity’s connection to the arts, faces the right. The forces of darkness, on the other hand, oppose that direction of movement. Typhoeus looks to the left at our knight, as do the figures depicting grief and intemperance. Other figures within this realm face the viewer head-on, as if the viewer themselves are also part of this journey and must combat these enemies too. At the end of the frieze, the choir faces the viewers head-on as well, but not as a confrontation as it was with the figures of evil, but rather as a welcoming and final gesture of the journey’s end. The final two human figures embracing in a kiss have their back to the viewer, for human contentment has been reached and there are no more forces of evil to face.
As Yanke says, “There is life is in movement…”, depicted here by humanity and its ever-moving flow towards fulfillment, and “…death in stagnation”, depicted by the evil forces that stand imposing and alluring against that flow. Klimt takes us through that process of life and its perils, using movement as the perfect expression of humanity’s journey.
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Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1889, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Oil on canvas.
“A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” – Joan Miro
I have seen most of Van Gogh’s self-portraits, if not all of them, and I chose this one because, to me, it is the most satisfying one. My first thought was to hastily call it “the best portrait” but then my mind wonders if there is actually the best one among all of them. Among the paintings of his own persona, there are ones that were done when Vincent had less experience, while others were done when he has been years practicing, whoever, what makes a portrait great? Usually, people love realistic portraits, and those one would be the ones that get the most “likes”, but portraits do not have to display what is real but represent the essence of the one being painted. I chose this self-portrait for I considered the best one of all of them, and coincidentally, it is one out of two that are considered his last self-portrait.
When I stare at this painting, instantly makes me feel like the selected quote was the most accurate one. Van Gogh has proven to me that lines were something more than that to him. We find thick lines mostly, but they vary on the way they lead our eyes. The Starry Night is probably the most relatable example, but the painting I chose can also serve as one. In this work, I see many types of lines: wavy lines in the background, short lines that build his face and serious expression, lines that place the beard on the character, and lines on the clothes that are a mixture of the previous ones. We can only see him, from elbows to head, in a cold yet warmish palette. Strange. Apparently, the painting was made with many different tones of blue, but by taking a closer look on his lines, I can detect hues that translate close to yellow or green; then, the colors that built his head complete the warm feeling in all the coldness surrounding the character. The lines are wavy and give me a sense of ascending or rising as smoke does. I find it fascinating how he pulled off a balance between background and clothes even when using very similar values. I did not notice before, but what makes the difference is not just a slight shading of the values in the clothes but the type of lines he applies to them, which subtly and effectively contrasts with the background. This way, my eyes focus on Vincent’s face and allows me to meet his eyes without feeling that I’m staring at a bodiless head.
Even if the portrait itself is the focus of the painting, I find myself trapped in the background. I like how the wavy lines guide my sight in a playful manner when I am supposed to focus on the figure in front of me. I wonder what made Vincent paint them like this. Is there a purpose to make them wavy or is it an abstract representation of something else? It is because of this type of line that I think Vincent felt free and happy when he painted. We’ve studied him already and we know he had a challenging life with no happy ending, but his time painting was a relief for him, and that was one of the reasons Art became an escape from life for him. Lines can create whatever we want and whatever we want them to be. Maybe he wanted to represent himself with a background in which visual movement is not natural. Dots and short lines would freeze the painting, so the wavy lines in a self-portrait invite the figure to be more alive than expected. Portraits usually come alive by their facial expressions, eyes, or maybe posture. On the other hand, in this artwork, the wavy lines in the background give the sense of movement which makes me feel like the figure is standing there, still and quiet, but vividly, without the need for an expressive facial representation.
As Miro said, lines can free the artists and gives them a feeling of happiness that they cannot find in another way, but in my opinion, those feelings end when we stop doing what makes us feel that way, and Vincent knew it.
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Nicole Nitschke
Dr. Robert Tracy
September 22, 2020
ART 473-1001
Diminishing Movements
Taking a glimpse into the mind of an artist, a reflection of their true feelings can be seen through their art. The viewer can directly observe what is going on in an artist’s mind with every stroke of a paint on a canvas. An example of this transparency can be seen from the late mind set of Vincent Van Gogh in his paintings of the wheat fields outside Auvers-sur-Oise. In comparison to his more famous or earlier paintings, you can see his declining mental health reflected in the lack of movement felt within his pieces. As in “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move”, Tim Yanke captures the meaning of art being a reflection of the artist(Tim Yanke). In Vincent Van Gogh’s case, the audience can distinguish the decline in mental health in Van Gogh’s “Wheat Fields with Crows” from 1890 as there is a clear lack of movement in the piece. Let’s take a look into the content of Van Gogh’s final painting, the context around Van Gogh and Yanke, as well as how this idea of reflection can be seen in modern life(oneself).
In what is believed to be Vincent Van Gogh’s final painting, “Wheat Fields with Crows” depicts crows departing into the horizon from wheat fields. The painting feels distant as if the artist was disinterested or not full there. The brush strokes are there but depict little motion within the piece. Visualizing the scene is more difficult than Van Gogh’s famous Starry Night, where you can sense the emphasized star and moon light. The viewer can not place themselves within this moment, the colors blur together, nothing drawing you in. The perspective of the curved road is lost from the piece at first glance. It is lost within the piece as there is very little variance in colors as the eye follows farther in the painting.
These wheat fields outside Auvers-sur-Oise held a key point in Van Gogh’s life . They were the place where he attempted to take his own life. Van Gigh shot himself in the abdomen while in the wheat fields. His brother, Theo, found him here and later died in his arms. They held a deep bond for each other, as Theo supported Vincent most of his life. Tim Yankee also held a deep bond with his sister, who passed early in his life, inspiring his work. Both artists had a passion for color within landscapes, depicting them in the most beautiful of ways. Yanke’s quote, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move” could be an interpretation of how he viewed life after his sister’s passing. Van Gogh likely held a similar attitude towards his paintings as reflected through his final painting, when it felt as if life held still within the landscape. Movement diminished as Vincent Van Gogh felt the end of his life draw near.
The moral, that we can draw away from Van Gogh’s life, is even when the movement of life slows down, that does not mean the end of all time. Life will continue on forever. There may be struggles but there is also love and support to fall on in need of help. Theodore Van Gogh claimed “It is difficult to know what might have motivated his suicide”, not every struggle has an obvious cause. It hides in the dark. Reach out to those you love especially in times where life sits still. Even now in the middle of a global pandemic , life stands with limited movement. Every person struggles due to the strange reality we live. Take every small moment with grace and love those around you.
Continuously look forward towards a brighter future. Even bright colors can hold deep sadness.
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Grigor Giandjian
Professor Tracy
ART 473–1001
24 September 2020
An Unpleasant Masterpiece: The Raw Beauty of Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters
As contemporary artist Chris DeRubeis once said, “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” Such has been true since art was conceived in its earliest forms, when early humans endeavored to immortalize the world around them, as well as their cultural practices and lifestyles, through whatever materials were available. Art has substantially evolved since the primitive days of our ancestors, but through the centuries, its ability to manifest metaphysical meanings has remained constant. An exquisite example of such an artwork is Vincent van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters, which encapsulates the woe of Dutch peasants in the late-nineteenth century through a resolute combination of compositional and stylistic choices.
In The Potato Eaters, Van Gogh depicts a family of agricultural laborers gathered around a table in a humble Amsterdam estate. With a single oil lamp above their heads serving as the only source of lighting, the men and women look to one another’s faces as they indulge in a modest feast of potatoes. Like the potatoes they farm and consume for nourishment, the individuals are coarse and full of imperfections; their rough, bumpy faces emulate the very crop around which their lives revolve. Their hands, which are no less rugged or knobby, demonstrate a family that has—quite literally—reaped what it sows. As their hands extend over the table, steam fills the air and encloses the silhouette of the figure in the foreground: a young girl, who—like her older contemporaries—must endure the bleak existence of peasant life.
Van Gogh’s execution of The Potato Eaters with such dark, earthy tones and broad brush strokes works to further communicate the dismal nature of the individuals’ lives. Nearly every element of the composition, from the peasants’ faces to the lumber that comprises the infrastructure of their cottage, alludes to the physical qualities of their subsistence crop. These stylistic choices are an unmistakable testament to Van Gogh’s true intention in creating the piece; rather than painting what plainly stood before his eyes, Van Gogh sought to express the story of this particular family, who—like so many others in their day—lived a somber life marked by poverty and despair. In this unorthodox masterpiece of his, the artist endeavors to provide his audience with a glimpse into the lives of the Netherlands’ proletariat families, as if extending an invitation to sit and dine with them. The individuals look upon one another’s faces not with enthusiasm or vigor, but with contempt for the circumstances in which they live; in other words, this is a family who merely endures life as opposed to living it. In appreciating Van Gogh’s masterful storytelling with The Potato Eaters, one cannot help but pity the souls gathered around the table. Van Gogh, who was no stranger to misery and hardship, dared to show the world just what it meant to suffer.
Vincent Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters exists to remind us just how powerful an emotion a work of art can exude. The piece invites its viewers to experience even a sliver of the privation wrought by the hardships of peasant life, as exemplified by the less-than-appealing family of potato farmers, whose consume the bittersweet fruits of their deprivation. Rather than paint an idealistic image of hope, Van Gogh grips our emotions with a solemn ode to reality’s tribulations.
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Olivia Rodriguez
ART 473-1001
Professor Tracy
Fall 2020
I feel like the quote, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move,”(Tim Yanke) can be applied to many of Vincent Van Gogh’s works. Aside from his most popular work, Starry Night, one of his other paintings that immediately came to mind when reading this quote was Wheat Fields with Crows that he painted in 1890. Even though Van Gogh had a troubled past and many hardships in his life, I think he really put his all in bringing life to his paintings through his brush strokes and colors. Even though a painting isn’t literally “living,” Van Gogh managed to add a sense of movement and life with thick and thin, straight and wavy lines, and intense, vivid colors.
In the Wheat Fields with Crows paintings, Van Gogh guides the viewer through the painting. He illustrates a sense of wind blowing through the fields by illustrating the fields flowing in different directions. The way the roads are painted guides the eye across the fields and to the sky, and keeps the viewer’s eye moving continuously throughout the painting. Even the crows have movement, as they fly out of the wheat fields. I found an image of the wheat fields he painted, and in my opinion Van Gogh added more life to the fields in his paintings than how it looks in real life.
Even though Wheat Fields with Crows is considered to be Van Gogh’s last painting and has darker themes than some of his other paintings, I think he still managed to bring life and movement to his work. Especially after seeing what the fields looked like in reality, Van Gogh definitely created something with life an movement even though it was towards the end of his life and he probably didn’t feel the same way. I think Yanke’s quote can apply to this painting, if not most of Van Gogh’s other paintings.
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Alex Panzer
Tracy, Robert
Sept. 24, 2020
Art History 473 + 477
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” – Chris DeRubeis
When it comes to art there are a million ways to capture emotion and evoke feeling within the viewer; most, if not all, artists have their own way of going about this, one specific to them. Vincent Van Gogh is no doubt a testament to such a skill. This skill, for a lack of better terms, is one of the many contributors to the great success the world would soon see after Van Gogh’s unfortunate death.
Upon viewing the catalog of an artists such as Vincent, you quickly see the use of emotion he both intentionally and unintentionally included into his work. Out of all these, there is one in particular that stands out amongst the rest; the black sheep of the heard so to speak. By all means, this is not to be taken in a negative connotation. This piece by Vincent has captivated me so much to the point where I feel as though my entire being has been drawn into the painting. A painting with a nature such as this can be no other than Van Gogh’s Potato Eaters.
Typically, when one thinks of Vincent Van Gogh, my assumption is that the first of his paintings that comes to mind are his various self-portraits, The Starry Night, and etc. I was one of these viewers as well. This has completely changed now that I’ve seen Potato Eaters. And not to get ahead of myself, I can only imagine the true effect of this painting if and when seen in person. At first glance, I was immediately drawn to the painting; might even say I did a double-take.
Before discussing the painting, itself I feel it necessary we talk about Van Gogh himself, his mental health and how he encapsulated himself within the painting; thus, in turn capturing true emotion.
For those unaware Vincent Van Gogh had a rather rough life while he was alive. He was known to spend most of his time inside his home where he painted and studied. When he did go outside it was with his canvases to paint more; here he would get bullied by others. Furthermore, he dealt with a string of disastrous love affairs resulting in a melancholy and withdrawn life and mental state. He was known to live a rather austerely simple life, abstaining from simple pleasures.
This rather, unfortunate, concoction resulted in a misunderstood person. It was no help to him, that at the time, views on mental health were typically and most often associated with being possessed. And this is exactly what he was deemed as by outsiders. Van Gogh’s mental state went as far as having been diagnosed with manic depression. However even then, it has been said this is not completely accurate; his mental health was not simple enough to place in one diagnosis.
In essence, it was these very traits held by Van Gogh and his life that bled directly into the very painting that would become Potato Eaters. The darkness that lived inside is the very thing that caught my attention; pulling me into another realm.
Subsequently, this sort of gloomy and dark tonality is the first thing you see. Much like those in the Baroque period and specifically artists such as Goya. The literal darkness of the painting is the initial attention grabber.
After being drawn in, you then begin to discover the people of the story; figuring out their story, while simultaneously learning about Van Gogh. The painting itself is a depiction of the harsh realities of country life and those deemed as peasants. Not only is this shown through the use of melancholy, but also in the physicality’s of the figures. They are portrayed with course, sullen faces and bony hands indicating their labor-intensive lifestyle.
Furthermore, Van Gogh continues to push these various themes with his technical abilities. This can be seen in his use of color; darker earthy tones to truly convey the rustic-ness and harshness of these people, as well as a way to reference dirty, beaten potatoes – hence the name. Gloominess is additionally portrayed within his play of light and shadow. The shadows almost consume the painting in some areas while the light is rather dim and stays central to the piece. Helping tie all of this together, is the mere roughness and rather, clumsiness in the way Van Gogh painted this piece.
All in all, there is no doubt that such a painting as Potato Eaters carried themes of loneliness, depression, gloom, and list of other saddening themes. Van Gogh’s impression of this is what launched his work to place it is currently at. The very reason he is considered a pioneer of expressionism and had so much to do with impressionism. Van Gogh managed to embody and evoke those before his time and long after (Goya, Rembrandt, and Krasner to name a few.)
One thing I will forever be moved and intrigued by is an artist that can take something so dark and “negative” and reach a positive outcome, just so happens this came after Van Gogh’s death.
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Amanda Galvan
Robert Tracy
ART 473-1001
23 September 2020
First Writing Assignment
“A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” – (Joan Miro)
The quote “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness” by Joan Miro can be seen in many of Vincent van Gogh’s works, though I find it most prominent when looking at Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Theo van Gogh.” Before discussing the painting itself, it is important to recall the relationship Vincent and Theo had to fully understand the quote’s relevance in this piece. There was a mutual love despite its varying interpretation; While Theo truly loved and admired his brother, Vincent failed to see this because he instead focused on the struggle and difficulty Theo faced to support his family. Vincent van Gogh’s melancholic state of mind was reflective of the illness he struggled with, yet he found relief through the art he created. This relief could be seen as the “freedom and happiness” mentioned in Miro’s quote, since both freedom and happiness can come in many different forms depending on who the one seeking such things is. Vincent van Gogh is not historically considered a “happy” artist or person, yet it turns out his happiness was just expressed through his artwork rather than his physical emotions.
To me, Portrait of Theo van Gogh (1887) is a great example of Van Gogh’s escape towards freedom and happiness through his art. Vincent van Gogh suffered from a manic-depressive illness and noted that painting and drawing were two things that helped him cope: both his auditory hallucinations and paranoid symptoms would disappear. For Vincent van Gogh, painting was a literal path to freedom from his illness even if it were only a temporary relief. In one of his many letters to Theo, Vincent wrote “Happiness… it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort… How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?” This shows that Vincent was aware that as someone dedicated to his craft, his personal happiness could be found through the paintings he created. Created three years before Van Gogh’s death, Portrait of Theo van Gogh is simply a painting of Theo seen through Vincent’s eyes; the intense detail in such a small painting (roughly 7.5″ x 5.5″) shows the amount of care Van Gogh had for his brother. Knowing the importance of the brothers’ relationship with each other, I can only assume the combination of painting and a portrait of Theo was a significant source of freedom and happiness for Vincent.
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Randall Quillopo
Art 473 Modern Art
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
Whether it be the grandiose or the most basic, art can be appreciated by most if the art is observed. In Egon Schiele’s Death and the Maiden, 1914, we can observe that Schiele has an understanding of the picture plane, line weight, and texture. “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” (Joan Miro) Schiele brilliantly uses his playfulness and suggestion when forming the figures and the environment they’re in. I feel as if the rigidity of the dimensional forms in the scene are indicative in how it sensually leads the eye around through a type of naturalism and abstraction. The high vantage point observed in the painting makes the viewer voyeur at the scene, which depicts the womanly figure locked and embracing a wide-eyed figure with a stoic gaze all huddled by chaotic sheetlike forms. The colors seen in this painting are hues of cyan, magenta, and touches of green layered beneath a scale of browns and neutrals. The browns and neutrals encapsulate the forms and his sensitive mark making. In my opinion, the hug between the two suggests an evocative death or a clinging goodbye due to the expression on the faces. By breaking down the picture we can imagine how the artist was personally by the content that was evoked. We can assume that Schiele was anxious, carnal, and vulnerable. In the quote, it displays that a mark made can be a way to expression. Judgment aside, we can tell Schiele was at his best by fighting through his apprehensions in his line work and finding his own version freedom in his content of suggestive forms and nude pictorials.
From the reading, I have understood Schiele to suffer from his traumas. Whether it be from his image on death, eroticism and nudity, and general grotesque, he was an artist that communicated expression to comment his feelings through the content. These are detailed through his twisted forms, line weight, and raw palettes observed in his drawings and paintings. In the age of art noveau and the height of his art cohort Klimt’s fame, Schiele trailed an alternative route by depicting different subjects in his personal way. In a time of turbulence pre-world war and range of art, Egon Schiele is observed as an artist that used expressionism through his simple self-portraits to his complex paintings such as Death and The Maiden. In his usage expression, there is a sense of discovery with himself shown and vulnerability evoked in his artwork.
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Sohee Park
Professor Robert Tracy
ART 434 & 473
September 23, 2020
As for as no other communication method is created over generations, there is no doubt that verbal language will be the most accepted communication method in human society; however, its acceptance does not mean it configures any superiorly over another nor it holds the greatest power. The language itself holds power in that it intends humans to communicate or to be understood and if we were to separate language in two kinds, “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people…and there is the visual that is understood by everybody.” Subsequently, visual holds greater power over verbal in the context of language as a human communication method and also in that humans, in reality, tend to believe what they see rather than what they hear.
The power of visual communication can be proven by a painting entitled, “The Kiss,” by an Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. The word for its title, “Kiss,” alone defines signage of affection or love that can be expressed in two languages, verbal and visual. A Jewish proverb states that there are two things a man cannot hide: a sneeze and love. In verbal communication, however, the truth or verity for love can be hidden behind the language as one may decide to verbally express love with dishonesty for any reason; a man may decide to verbally state that he “loves” something, but indeed, does not. In contrast, visual communication of expressing love whatsoever cannot be hidden.
“The Kiss” unquestionably works as a strong visual element that convinces the public on how love should be understood. In other words, Klimt has used the painting as a medium to indirectly represent his separate language to the audience. A scene of a c kissing couple cannot simply portray how love should be understood nor their true intimacy, but the painting’s overall atmosphere aroused from its forms, colors, and patterns visually communicate to symbolize a couple’s affection and their unbreakable love.
Painted on canvas in oil, “The Kiss” illustrates a couple embracing each other as the man kisses the woman on her cheek. Looking from a distance, the couple looks as if they are one figure. The couples are tightly embracing to each other with a man’s hands are cradling the woman’s face as the woman’s one arm is wrapped around the man’s neck and the other hand resting on the man’s hands, receiving the kiss; the sense of distance that doesn’t exist between the man and woman illustrates strong their intimacy. Also, a robe covering that extends from one’s body to another visually communicates to describe their emotional connection as the robe’s curvilinear form and floral patterns bring softness and warmth into the painting.
The man’s face cannot be seen as his face is gently bent down kissing the woman, however, the man’s hidden face is not important for it effectively work to focus the audience’s eyes on the woman. With both eyes closed, the woman’s face emotions evoke a feeling of joy and comfort. One may argue that an act of kissing and even his or her gestures and facial expression can be practiced and can portray a false message of love. However, the couples in “The Kiss” is located on the center of the canvas and although the couples are embracing on a surface of flower fields, the couples are also embracing on the edge of a flower field as if they may fall to a place that is not depicted in the painting. Yet, the woman shows no fear, representing the immortality of the couple’s love.
The use of colors and repeating patterns in the painting also works as a visual language spoken from an artist to the audience. The color of the painting is dominated by the use of yellowish warm color palettes, which is a visual word symbolizing optimism, such as happiness, enlightenment, and remembrance. Likewise, a flat golden background surrounding the couple looks as if their love is protected by a golden halo and the use of different colors for the flower field brings joy without distracting the audience from focusing their attention on the kissing couple. Besides, the ornament used for the man’s clothing is decorated with a repeating pattern of black and white geometric shapes, symbolizing the man’s strength and masculinity whereas the woman’s clothing is decorated with flowers and circles, symbolizing femineity and maternity.
If a language is centered to intend a communication to the public or the audience using the either verbal or visual word, its power can be determined from its effectiveness, which will eventually be understood by everybody. Nevertheless, all principles and elements in the painting “The Kiss” are used as visual words. For instance, forms and colors work separately, but together they create a visual language that unites individuals’ different perceptions created from the painting.
The effectiveness of visual language is not limited in context nor time; it extends beyond a medium and time as it is also demonstrated from photography works of Dinh Q. Le, a Vietnamese artist. Using large-scale montages of different images, Le’s “Monuments and Memorials” recalls the artist’s memory of the Vietnamese War as it visually tells a story. In Le’s work, each image function as a word, which is then created as montages, collectively acting in one, as a form of language, to reveal the artist’s memory of war violence and his call for hope.
In conclusion, demonstrated by Klimt’s “The Kiss” and Le’s “Monuments and Memorials,” visual language differs from verbal language in that it has no reason to hide the artist’s true purpose for it mainly aims to be understood. Klimt’s visual words used in “The Kiss” derive a universal feeling of warmth and commitment whereas Le’s visual words bring loss and redemption of hope. For the reason that visual language is not limited to time, visual language also differs from verbal language that it waits to be understood whereas verbal language disappears after time.
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Sohee Park
Professor Robert Tracy
ART 434 & 473
September 23, 2020
As for as no other communication method is created over generations, there is no doubt that verbal language will be the most accepted communication method in human society; however, its acceptance does not mean it configures any superiorly over another nor it holds the greatest power. The language itself holds power in that it intends humans to communicate or to be understood and if we were to separate language in two kinds, “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people…and there is the visual that is understood by everybody.” Subsequently, visual holds greater power over verbal in the context of language as a human communication method and also in that humans, in reality, tend to believe what they see rather than what they hear.
The power of visual communication can be proven by a painting entitled, “The Kiss,” by an Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. The word for its title, “Kiss,” alone defines signage of affection or love that can be expressed in two languages, verbal and visual. A Jewish proverb states that there are two things a man cannot hide: a sneeze and love. In verbal communication, however, the truth or verity for love can be hidden behind the language as one may decide to verbally express love with dishonesty for any reason; a man may decide to verbally state that he “loves” something, but indeed, does not. In contrast, visual communication of expressing love whatsoever cannot be hidden.
“The Kiss” unquestionably works as a strong visual element that convinces the public on how love should be understood. In other words, Klimt has used the painting as a medium to indirectly represent his separate language to the audience. A scene of a c kissing couple cannot simply portray how love should be understood nor their true intimacy, but the painting’s overall atmosphere aroused from its forms, colors, and patterns visually communicate to symbolize a couple’s affection and their unbreakable love.
Painted on canvas in oil, “The Kiss” illustrates a couple embracing each other as the man kisses the woman on her cheek. Looking from a distance, the couple looks as if they are one figure. The couples are tightly embracing to each other with a man’s hands are cradling the woman’s face as the woman’s one arm is wrapped around the man’s neck and the other hand resting on the man’s hands, receiving the kiss; the sense of distance that doesn’t exist between the man and woman illustrates strong their intimacy. Also, a robe covering that extends from one’s body to another visually communicates to describe their emotional connection as the robe’s curvilinear form and floral patterns bring softness and warmth into the painting.
The man’s face cannot be seen as his face is gently bent down kissing the woman, however, the man’s hidden face is not important for it effectively work to focus the audience’s eyes on the woman. With both eyes closed, the woman’s face emotions evoke a feeling of joy and comfort. One may argue that an act of kissing and even his or her gestures and facial expression can be practiced and can portray a false message of love. However, the couples in “The Kiss” is located on the center of the canvas and although the couples are embracing on a surface of flower fields, the couples are also embracing on the edge of a flower field as if they may fall to a place that is not depicted in the painting. Yet, the woman shows no fear, representing the immortality of the couple’s love.
The use of colors and repeating patterns in the painting also works as a visual language spoken from an artist to the audience. The color of the painting is dominated by the use of yellowish warm color palettes, which is a visual word symbolizing optimism, such as happiness, enlightenment, and remembrance. Likewise, a flat golden background surrounding the couple looks as if their love is protected by a golden halo and the use of different colors for the flower field brings joy without distracting the audience from focusing their attention on the kissing couple. Besides, the ornament used for the man’s clothing is decorated with a repeating pattern of black and white geometric shapes, symbolizing the man’s strength and masculinity whereas the woman’s clothing is decorated with flowers and circles, symbolizing femineity and maternity.
If a language is centered to intend a communication to the public or the audience using the either verbal or visual word, its power can be determined from its effectiveness, which will eventually be understood by everybody. Nevertheless, all principles and elements in the painting “The Kiss” are used as visual words. For instance, forms and colors work separately, but together they create a visual language that unites individuals’ different perceptions created from the painting.
The effectiveness of visual language is not limited in context nor time; it extends beyond a medium and time as it is also demonstrated from photography works of Dinh Q. Le, a Vietnamese artist. Using large-scale montages of different images, Le’s “Monuments and Memorials” recalls the artist’s memory of the Vietnamese War as it visually tells a story. In Le’s work, each image function as a word, which is then created as montages, collectively acting in one, as a form of language, to reveal the artist’s memory of war violence and his call for hope.
In conclusion, demonstrated by Klimt’s “The Kiss” and Le’s “Monuments and Memorials,” visual language differs from verbal language in that it has no reason to hide the artist’s true purpose for it mainly aims to be understood. Klimt’s visual words used in “The Kiss” derive a universal feeling of warmth and commitment whereas Le’s visual words bring loss and redemption of hope. For the reason that visual language is not limited to time, visual language also differs from verbal language that it waits to be understood whereas verbal language disappears after time.
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Tammy Martinez
Art 473
The Painting : The Kiss By Gustave Klimt
Quote: “ I think the role of the artist is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.”
I distinctly remember the first time I saw Gustave Klimt’s work in high school. I was flipping through a short fat art book that I checked out from the library. I ended up landing on a page with an image of The Kiss by Gustave Klimt. The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, was created in 1907-8. It is an oil and gold leaf on canvas and measures 180 x 180 cm. To someone that didn’t know much about art history at the time it left me in awe by how beautiful it was. It stood out to me because it was so different from the paintings I’ve seen in my art class. Not until later I realized that his style during his gold period was inspired by the gold ornamental style of Byzantine art. It is also two dimensional in style like Byzantine art. It has a graphic cut and paste element to it and it includes a lot of shapes and patterns. This image is a great example of Art nouveau. Although this painting has some elements of byzantine art it also incorporates elements of naturalistic art in the models heads and limbs.
This painting in particular captures a sense of peace by the way the characters are posed and by their facial expressions. I automatically think of love when I look at this painting because the man is giving a passionate kiss to the woman and the woman looks at peace with her eyes closed. They are locked together in pose. The flowers that are blooming at the bottom are elegantly detailed and colorful and can be symbolic of youthful love. The colors inside the figures are warm. Klimt uses black, yellow, green, and red inside the figures shapes while the garden at the bottom of the painting has a mixture of cool colors . He uses The gold aura around the models creates a glowing effect in the painting. The illuminated aura can symbolize the bright feelings of love and how sacred relationships can be. It amazes me how he could capture those emotions with visual elements of color, space, and shape. The painting has a lot of symbolism for instance the geometric shapes inside the man’s figure could symbolize the masculine energy while the organic shapes in the woman’s figure could symbolize the feminine energy. I also admire how the figures don’t have a human body. The figures look spiritual and cosmic because they are forms of space with shapes inside them. The gold leaf was mainly used to symbolize the divine in most byzantine art as well.
This painting is spiritual because it conveys the emotions of love between two humans. From what I learned in class Gustave Klimt seemed like a person who was inspired by greek mythology and the female body. This is simply just my opinion but the way he dressed like a monk and how he opposed traditional art really makes me think he was spiritual and radical in nature. Klimt once said, “ought to look carefully at my pictures and try to see in them what I am and what I want to do.” I see love in Kiss and I think some of his work is inspired by love. He possibly wanted to convey that in his persona. I chose the quote by David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard ,“ I think the role of the artist, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.” I believe Klimt resisted the urges to draw what he wanted and once he stopped caring about what people thought he started to draw things people repressed in society. Nudes and sexual figures mixed with mythological symbols were things he was interested in painting. His art embodies artistic freedom and even though it was seen as radical at the time people can relate to it to this day. I appreciate the radical art he made because it pushed other artists to express themselves freely. Kiss is not his most radical painting he has made but it was his most famous and visually it was very different from naturalistic art and classicism. I get a sense of freedom when I look at his painting. Klimt believed in artistic freedom and expression and conveyed that in his work for other people to see whether they liked it or not. I think this quote best represents his artwork and his attitude towards his art.
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Xiyuan Yu
Art 473 modern art
Robert Tracy
Sep 24 2020
The most special thing about Van Gogh’s work is that it can resonate with your emotions. I always feel this emotional resonance runs through his works. “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.”(Chris DeRubeis) The color matching is also very good, but his later works are separated from a gray tone, and emotional resonance is from the early works to the last one on his deathbed: The Wheatfield with Crows.
You can feel his mood at that time from the accumulation of brush strokes, colors, and pigments, and even the sound and light he could hear at that time. His painting conveys viewers everything that the eyes see and the heart feels through the canvas. His paintings are emotional, powerful, and infectious, and you can feel the vitality and the fluidity of time and space in still pictures. All of the muted primary colors and the thick layers of paint show the texture and the movement of the piece. The colors are dark and strong, the yellow of wheat fields form a contrast to the dark blue sky, and the paths in the fields are also contrasted with red and green, which has a strong sense of contradiction and conflict.
The gradation of the blue transit to the wheat field tan and yellow colors can make you feel. the wheat waves rolling in the wheat field, you can even hear the crow’s cry one after another on the top of your head, the clouds on the eve of the storm, and the three roads leading to the distance can’t see the end, all of which stop suddenly, making you fear and confused. The work is full of intense movement. The wheat field is empty and empty. Three paths pass through the bumpy wheat field and finally disappear into the horizon. In the sky, two pieces of dark clouds rolled and surged, like a storm is coming. A flock of crows skimming across the scene, scurrying away from the restless land. The empty field is restless, and the sky and the earth are like whirlwinds and waves. There is no peace in the picture, which shows his mental state exactly. After Van Gogh finished this work, he felt only tired and extremely empty.
His brushwork is his originality, so that color and light can dance, drag you into his world, let you see his thoughts and emotions. When you see these piles of paint, short and hard wires, and irregular crows, you feel the atmosphere of suffocation and his gloomy, excited, and collapsing mood at that time. Wheat Fields with Crows is his last piece, no one knows why Vincent chose to shoot himself in the abdomen while painting in the wheat fields outside Auvers-sur-oise. The painting is clearly full of agitation and uneasiness and can be clearly seen as Van Gogh’s last solo. The road in the picture is like a hand and foot, and it is indignant and reaches into the wheat field; a group of crows suddenly fly up, as if frightened by the sound of the gunshot. All of the black colors used in the painting are strong and pure black.
Art should be something you can actually feel. Especially when you understand and know some of Vincent’s background information. His depression and sadness reflect on his lonely painting. nothing in the field but dark muted colors and emptiness. This painting is full of horror and ominous feelings. Van Gogh seems to have gone beyond the realm of life and death in the soul, and is in the trial of a different world, and tries to put the world with his paint and paintbrush.
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“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something that you actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis)
Regardless of what you feel while looking at different art pieces, it is important to recognize the ones that made an impact on you. It does not matter what that feeling was, whether good or bad, happy, sad or mad, from that moment you will remember that art piece because it provoked something inside of you. Egon Schiele had that impact on people, even if it was negative at the time.
Looking at the Kneeling Girl, Resting on Both Elbows(1917), I can understand why his work was viewed very negatively. This was a century ago and many people today would probably have the same reaction still. Nude painting and sculptures were nothing new, though. It seems like it had nothing to do with the image of a nude person but it had everything to do with the position they are in. They do seem to be quite explicit but that sets him apart from other artists who would not want to discomfort their viewers.
The way that he works is very interesting to me. There seems to not be much color on many of his pieces but that does not make it boring. The lines that he creates are quite expressive and bold. The pressure that he applies throughout the figure makes the body seem like it has volume even without shading. He does not worry about giving a clean and perfect feel to the body. Another thing I find fascinating about his brushwork is the texture he likes to create. Even in a stoic position, the visual texture that he applies on the hair gives it this light feeling and movement.
The few blotches of color that he paints on the figure are deliberate and clear. On the knees and the elbows she is colored with brighter reds and pinks. Looking at the rest of the body lacking these descriptions, it seems like she has been in that position for a while. Emotion can always be captured on the image through the face. She seems to be staring into the space in front of her with no direction. It is difficult to get an accurate description of her personal emotions when her face is mostly covered. Even though the entangled hands are not perfectly shaped the way that they rest on her head gives her a tired look. Tying back to the pink knees and elbows, I would assume she is tired of modeling in that position. We do not have an accurate description of facial expressions and emotions but we do have the body language to come to this conclusion.
The way that Schiele paints her and focuses on the body figure instead of the face gives her that sexual appeal, too. The way that he explores human sexuality through his paintings is quite interesting. I think an important thing to keep in mind while looking at his work is that the models are nude, not naked. The girl, although in a sexual position, is not vulnerable and unprotected as this is a nude intended for art. The feelings that he evokes today and the ones that he evoked a century ago may differ, but the important part is that something was felt while looking at his work.
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First Writing Assignment
Lizbeth Ramirez | Submission for both Art 473 and Art 477
The quote “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” by Chris DeRubeis has much truth to it. I agree that art, no matter how detailed or not, always provoke some sort of emotion. The artwork creates feelings that the viewer can either relate to or at times gain an understanding of what the artist was feeling. Personally, the paintings Self Portrait 1887, by Vincent van Gogh and Lucifer 1947 by Jackson Pollock create a lot of emotion.
I’ve grown up hearing about Vincent van Gogh and how important his paintings were. I never took to the time to look at all his different paintings or his background. Out of all his paintings, his self-portrait from 1887 stands out to me the most. At first look, I noticed a lot about his painting. It feels so powerful. There’s something about his facial expression that really pulls me into the painting. I love that I can see so much texture and detail especially because I’m viewing it online. When I can see the texture in a work it adds more emotion in the sense of I am able to feel their brushstrokes. The longer I stare at it the more I become hypnotized by the brush strokes and the more elements I begin to notice.
One element that stands out to me is his use of complementary colors. He himself is nude ginger against a teal like a background. This color combination enhances the painting because the colors work well together and van Gogh is able to stand out. Compared to his other paintings he appears more vibrant, but that vibrancy of the colors is not screaming at your face. Although the color is lively, his expression is not and I think that’s what helps balance the colors out, so they’re not all in your face. He doesn’t blend in with the background but rather compliments it. This particular element of color is so satisfying to the eye that it creates a positive feeling for a viewer like myself.
Another element that stands out to me is texture. I feel like I could run my hands through every ridge and dip. You can see almost every brush stroke but it’s not overwhelming, it’s more mesmerizing. It is as if they guide me through the painting. The first thing I look at is his nose, then I move on to his eyes, and then his hair leads me to his ear, facial hair, coat, and then the background. If the brush strokes were not visible I wouldn’t be as drawn to the painting. It would create a different feeling for me. It would probably affect the painting overall.
When I combine all the elements together, van Gogh’s painting creates a mixture of emotions for me. It makes me happy in some sense because I just really like to look at it, but knowing a little bit about Van Gogh it makes me feel some sort of sympathy for him. I feel bad that he was so miserable and even in his painting his eyes just look tired. Not tired out of lack of sleep, but tired emotionally. The background of the painting creates a weight, It also feels like rain to me. The color helps balance the weight, so it is neither fully exciting nor depressing.
The painting by van Gogh creates a mixture of emotions of me, but the painting Lucifer by Jackson Pollock only creates negative emotions for me. Van Gogh’s painting has a visible subject, but Pollock’s subject is paint drippings and splatters yet it creates such a depressing feeling for me. From the title to the color and how the paint drippings are placed it is all so possessing.
At first glance, it’s so overwhelming. It is just too much to take in. I’m not sure what to look at other than the many trails of black paint. I am able to see the other colors, but the black seems to be consuming them. It reminds me of a negative entity, without a definite form, that just keeps spreading. It also reminds me of a virus and how it just spreads and manipulates everything in its path. I can see a light blue in the background, but it’s hard to make out. With a quick look, I see the blue forming numbers or letters, but the longer I stare at it, the figures go away. The painting seems like it started off light but then once the black paint was added it creates something horrific.
The first thing I notice about the painting is the color. Unlike van Gogh’s use of complementary colors, Pollock seemed to start off using some blue and beige but then splattered some orange and green and dripped a bunch of blacks. The black paint is the center of attention, and all the other colors are just background. The longer I stare at it the more the other colors begin to fade away. I start to see only black.
When I think of the texture of Pollock’s painting It helps add to the dark emotions it inspires. All the black paint reminds me of slime or spider webs. If I was to touch it, I feel like my hand would just go through it and come out slimy and sticky. That thought just makes me cringe and feel uncomfortable.
Overall Vincent van Gogh’s Self Portrait, 1887, and Jackson Pollock’s painting Lucifer, 1947, create a lot of emotion. They can inspire both positive and negative feelings for the viewer. So I agree with the quote that “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” by Chris DeRubeis. It’s better to experience art through emotions rather than being numb towards it.
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Mikaela Nettlow
Dr. Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
ART 473 1001
First Writing Assignment
“I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.” This quote by David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard perfectly encapsulates Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s painting Medicine in my opinion. The reason why I believe that this quote makes the most sense with this painting was due to Klimt making it just so he can convey the ambiguity to life and death despite the many criticisms it got during the artwork and Klimt’s lifetime. The piece also showed his willingness to show the public his ideas and thoughts and he wanted the public to know about them.
This painting immediately caught my eye when I first saw it due to its, frankly haunting, beauty and macabre nature. The columns of nude figures (plus some skeletons in the mix) with the glowing mythological daughter of God and medicine, Hygeia located at the bottom. The floating woman with a newborn at her feet detached from the “river of life” but also seemingly connected with her arm reaching towards it. The composition and movement of this painting was so daunting but, you can’t just stop looking at it. Almost exactly like the concept of life and death in a sense.
However, not everyone is comfortable with the concept and more particularly his thoughts about it as the painting was among the three Vienna Secession paintings that caused a lot of controversy due to its subject matter, radical themes, and it being even seen as “pornography” at the time it was unveiled from 1900 to 1907. It was also a commissioned piece from the University of Vienna as they expected the piece to be a tribute to medicine and the doctors that pushed for it thus leaving them to go even more heavy with the criticisms as they felt that the painting ignored the university’s achievements of prevention and cure. This painting even caused a public prosecutor to come in and a cultural debate in Parliament.
However, it did not seem that Klimt himself cared about these criticisms. By looking at not only Medicine but many of his other works, it felt like he was truly expressing his views and just went on to the beat of his own drum when his views did not match the public. These among his other Vienna Secession paintings were created during a time of a personal crisis, went through a transformation of his work, and faced criticism for that transformation. But, he didn’t stop on what he was creating. Arguably, it accelerated his newfound identity within his work and thus cemented his status as an artist even more than before.
Though art can be reserved only for the private self, I believe that in order to be considered a professional artist, you have to take in whatever you believe in, or what makes you you, and share it among the public. And that was what I think Klimt did with Medicine. Although I do not recommend just completely going your own way with a commission without consulting the patron first, Klimt showcased his feelings with life and death through this haunting painting. Even though it got an unfavorable reaction, I think he was still satisfied with the work.
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Jonathan Quinones
ART 473
Professor Taylor
Opinion paper #1
Morte e Vita
“Whoever wants to know something about me- as an artist which alone is significant, they should look attentively at my pictures and there seek to recognize what I am and what I want.” (Gustav Klimt). This modern painting references a group of people that face an encounter with death. Klim was obsessed with women and their sensuality, and most of his paintings represent large detailed decorative patterns that combine depictions of faces making them widely contemporary and modern. The “Death and Life” painting describes the style and the fictional story that Klim tells about the three stages of life; beginning, middle, and end. Klim uses oils on canvas to reflect the segments of life and death . He painted something extravagant and chaotic that was not related to the legendary Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ at that time.
There is a balance of forms and elements from left to right. Klim describes life and death in his artwork as the infinite, eternal, divided, and formless reality. Klim studied portraits and human anatomy for a long time, and he developed a passion for capturing an accurate likeness of people in his drawings and paintings. Klim blends some grey, green, and black oils, creating a smooth transition from one color to the next in the background. There is a chromatic contrast between the dark values of the Grim Reaper and the group of people on the right side, creating an impression that death lingers in the dark and life and youth is surrounded by light and brightness. The oil in the canvas looks smooth. There is no sense of gravity in this painting. Most of this composition has organic shapes and curvy lines.
Klim’s allegorical painting describes emotions such as peace represented by the people that keep their eyes closed while they are asleep or dead. This group of people represents brotherhood from different ethnicity, social classes, ages, and they are sharing the gift of life by hugging each other. This group of people is nude, they are overlapping their bodies, and they all share a blanket; this blanket is adorned with particular flowers and squares that are scattered. The painter utilizes warm values such as yellow, orange, and red within the blanket and complementary colors between the left and right side of the composition. The blanket represents protection from danger. The painter portrays the cycle of life by showing different stages in life. There is affection between the mother and her child; she is delicately carrying her baby while she stares at him with sweetness in her eyes and a bright smile; The baby embodies the beginning of life. There is an older woman that has detailed wrinkles in her face which symbolize wisdom. Sensuality is represented by the woman on the left side who is touching her breast. Curiosity from the woman on the right side who wants to keep her eyes open; it seems that she is not afraid of staring at the Grim Reaper.The most dramatic scene is the hug between the man and the woman in the lowers side of the painting, this is an example of what unconditional and eternal love represents; It seems that neither of the lovers wants to die ; this woman’s pose shows that she does not know give up on life and she is not ready to be taken away by the Grim Reaper.
The second part of the painting represents a Grim Reaper that holds a cup. He is wearing a long rope adorned with crosses of different sizes;the crosses relate to religion, resurrection, death, or the afterlife. There is a sequence of squares and circles with cold values such as purple, blue, and green. Klim wanted to represent death as a verb but also as a noun by adding a Reaper. The skull looks three dimensional , the painter adds volume to the skull by adding shadows to it. Every single structure of the hands bones of Grim Reaper’s hands is visible .The Grim Reaper knows that everyone is unaware about his coming.The painting exemplifies a time where humans become materialistic, and the Grim Reaper is the punishment to those that did not find the right meaning of life.
Every single person has different perceptions and beliefs about life and death. Klim did a great job of painting how humans experience DMT during birth and death. This mythological painting is a collage of stories and connections among every single human that faces life and death under different circumstances by experiencing emotions . It took seven years for Klim to develop a narrative and a combination of drawings and oil painting techniques to win his first prize in Italy for this painting.This painting is currently exhibited at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, Austria.
Sources
“Visual analysis essay,” the writing center, University of North Carolina at the Chappel Hill, accessed in September 21 2020, https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/art-history/
“Death And Life , 1908 by Gustav Klim,” Gustav KlimtPaintings, Biography, and Quotes,accessed in September 23 2020, https://www.gustav-klimt.com/Death-And-Life.jsp
“Death and Life,” Gustav Klim, Arthive, Accessed September 23 2020, https://arthive.com/gustavklimt/works/3359~Death_and_Life
“Gustav Klimt, Death and Life Collection, Leopold museum, https://www.leopoldmuseum.org/en/collection/highlights/146
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Catherine Mariano
ART 473-1001
24 September 2020
Art today is what I would describe as “open to each person’s opinion.” Art is so versatile and there are hundreds of different styles and mediums. It’s something that has been around for centuries and is something that I think will never die out. With that being said, I think that the following quote by Chris DeRubeis is very interesting, “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” Personally, I would agree with what this person has to say. Growing up, I feel that I’ve always had a special and personal relationship to art. Specifically, I feel like I found art and the process of making art to be very therapeutic. It’s weird to think what kind of person I would be without art being a part of my life. For me, art evokes emotions of happiness, relaxation and satisfaction. It’s different for everyone and I think that’s another aspect of art that makes it so much fun to see, analyze and create.
When I first read the quote by DeRubeis, I thought of Van Gogh and how he used art to physically embody the way that he felt. Art, especially in modern times, has been said by many artists to be a form of expression. It can be used to express one’s emotions or life story. I think that Van Gogh is a good example of this. One piece that I wanted to focus on is Van Gogh’s Pine Trees with Figure in the Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital (1889) from his Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint Remy series. During the time he painted this series, Van Gogh was in an asylum where he was voluntarily admitted. One of the doctors there encouraged Van Gogh to make art during his stay at the asylum. Painting and drawing were said to have helped Van Gogh as it gave relief from some of his symptoms. It made him lucid and it allowed him to fill his time with something productive. Essentially, Van Gogh used art as a form of therapy. For him, I would say that his art invoked emotions of calmness and comfort.
From Van Gogh’s perspective, as the creator of the work itself, he’s able to directly feel emotions from the process of creation. From the perspective of some who has looked at his art, you are also able to feel emotions as well. For me, I am entranced by his use of color and his stylistic choice. I am appreciative with his commitment to keeping a style that was avant-garde despite the rejection he faced. There is an even deeper perception when you look at the work Van Gogh did in his youth. I had no idea he was a child prodigy. When you realize his artistic ability, it can give one a deeper sense of appreciation for what art meant to Van Gogh. For example, looking at the drawing Van Gogh did at age eleven of the Corinthian Capital (1864), you can see the skillset that he had at such a young age. To be able to draw with precision and produce symmetry like in that drawing, shows that Van Gogh did have the ability to draw and paint with more realism. And yet, from his work in the later years of his work, you can see that he didn’t necessarily choose to focus on the technical aspects in making his art. I think that gives me a better understanding of him, especially when you look at the series of paintings he did when he was in the asylum. He did that when he was in the confines of that asylum and as he is being treated. He used it as a comfort, as something to help convey his perspective of his life experience.
Another artist that I thought of when I read DeRubeis’ quote, was Oskar Kokoschka. When I specifically read, “Art should be something that you can actually feel,” I immediately thought of Kokoschka’s Alma Mahler doll. To Oskar Kokoschka, Alma Mahler was his muse. She was the centerpiece of a lot of Kokoschka’s artworks. In the late 1910s, Kokoschka commissioned Hermine Moos, a Munich doll-maker, to create a life-size doll. This doll was meant to be a fetishized copy of Alma Mahler. Through this doll, which is considered a piece of art, Oskar was able to fuel another part of his endless passion and obsession with his muse. Alma Mahler was the love of Kokoschka’s life and he wanted to eternalize her through this doll. He even sought to dress her up, which he was unable to do due to the material Hermine Moos used for the outer portion of the doll.
I mentioned Kokoschka’s doll because I find it almost ironic that this doll and his own art were pieces that helped Kokoschka evoke his own emotions. He used his art to express the deep, fetishized love he felt for Alma Mahler, a woman who surely made him feel a variety of emotions. Another example of this is Kokoschka’s painting, Self Portrait with Doll (1920-21). In this painting, Kokoschka is representing his emotions of pain, anger and dismay that he feels as a result his beloved Alma’s action. She had aborted their child without telling Oskar Kokoschka of it and this caused his to feel a lot of pain. His painting shows this pain as he portrays his self with a sullen look. He has an accusatory finger pointed at Alma’s womb, which directly represents the saddening events that took place.
To restate, “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” I think that Vincent Van Gogh and Oskar Kokoschka are great examples of what I interpret this quote to mean. Art can be meant to serve as a device for the artist and those that see the art themselves. Modern art, especially, has moved beyond the focus of technicalities and has an importance on what the art represents. Both artists mentioned have a different approach to this, but still hold true to the idea that art is always an expression of something. It’s something that you can see/interpret whether that is meant in a physical or visual way.
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Isabel Valadez
DR. Robert Tracy
09/24/2020
ART 473 1001
Movement in A Painting
The painting I chose to write on was The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh and the quote I chose to keep in mind when analyzing is “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” by Tim Yanke. Even though I am familiar with Van Gogh and enjoy a lot of his work, I’ve never seen The Potato Eaters before. It was interesting to see him depict this scene of a group of people, crowded in a small dark space, especially when many of his most loved works are open landscapes created with vibrant colors. If a viewer wasn’t told this was a work by Van Gogh, there is a chance they might not even guess it was his as it diverges slightly from his characteristic, tactile brush strokes, flowing figures and lines. However, learning about this piece as a Van Gogh, it is easier to make the connection between this piece and Van Gogh’s developing style over his painting years.
In regards to the movement Yanke mentions, it seems that this work does capture movement, however it isn’t the big, energetic movement of trees in the wind or a raging sea, but the smaller, quieter range of motion of people around a kitchen table, which arguably might be harder to capture. Van Gogh depicts these seated figures in the middle of small acts of movement, offering a piece of food, pouring tea, cutting into a dish. He demonstrates basic anatomical function as the man’s arm and shoulder come forward a bit to serve himself and the woman pouring the tea looks on carefully as he hand grips the tea pot. The scene also takes place in a very cramped space, which translates into these figures and how they hold and compose themselves. Their limbs are close in and their postures are bent over the table trying to make the most of the space. Another form of movement in the painting is what we see from each of these figures’ gaze and how it directs the viewer’s attention. The woman on the left, holding a knife looks to the man next to her, almost with concern. The man doesn’t return her gaze and instead looks across the table or perhaps off into space. The woman holding a potato looks at the other woman next to her, it’s unclear whether she is offering this woman food or simply trying to feed herself, though either way her arm hangs in mid-motion. The movement continues with the more solitary figure of a girl who has her back to us. She completes the circle the small group creates and helps end the circumference around the scene as she draws the viewer’s eye back around the table. Her figure is outlined slightly by the light making her stand out and create depth in the small crowd. For me these smaller acts of movement seem harder to capture than a big burst of momentum. A painter would really have to pay attention to the controlled, simple changes in how a person conducts and holds themselves.
The piece appealed to me because out of all of Van Gogh’s work, the subject and style seems novel when you compare this to his colorful portraits of people from Arles or his plein air paintings by the sea in the South of France. There don’t seem to be many other works from him like this in which he captures the fine details of people’s faces, illuminated by a single light source that isn’t very bright. He captures expressions, wrinkles, dirt, bags under their eyes and the bones in their faces. Though this isn’t a piece we might immediately think of when we think of Van Gogh, we can still see his fleshed out style beginning to emerge. It’s the most visible in the way he depicts the figure’s skin and clothes. With the woman pouring the tea, he adds a variety of tones in her dark dress that make the garment pop and come to life. There are lines he creates to show the texture and movement of clothes being actively worn by a person. The skirt crumpled up a bit in her lap and the sleeves are wrinkled slightly perhaps from the excess fabric on her small frame.
This painting demonstrates that no matter what the scale of movement, what source of light on a subject or what space he has to with, Van Gogh could create on canvas what his mind saw in reality and even begin to add his own flourish to it.
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Isabel Valadez
Dr. Robert Tracy
ART 473 -1001
09/24/2020
Movement Within A Painting
The painting I chose to write on was The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh and the quote I chose to keep in mind when analyzing is “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” by Tim Yanke. Even though I am familiar with Van Gogh and enjoy a lot of his work, I’ve never seen The Potato Eaters before. It was interesting to see him depict this scene of a group of people, crowded in a small dark space, especially when many of his most loved works are open landscapes created with vibrant colors. If a viewer wasn’t told this was a work by Van Gogh, there is a chance they might not even guess it was his as it diverges slightly from his characteristic, tactile brush strokes, flowing figures and lines. However, learning about this piece as a Van Gogh, it is easier to make the connection between this piece and Van Gogh’s developing style over his painting years.
In regards to the movement Yanke mentions, it seems that this work does capture movement, however it isn’t the big, energetic movement of trees in the wind or a raging sea, but the smaller, quieter range of motion of people around a kitchen table, which arguably might be harder to capture. Van Gogh depicts these seated figures in the middle of small acts of movement, offering a piece of food, pouring tea, cutting into a dish. He demonstrates basic anatomical function as the man’s arm and shoulder come forward a bit to serve himself and the woman pouring the tea looks on carefully as he hand grips the tea pot. The scene also takes place in a very cramped space, which translates into these figures and how they hold and compose themselves. Their limbs are close in and their postures are bent over the table trying to make the most of the space. Another form of movement in the painting is what we see from each of these figures’ gaze and how it directs the viewer’s attention. The woman on the left, holding a knife looks to the man next to her, almost with concern. The man doesn’t return her gaze and instead looks across the table or perhaps off into space. The woman holding a potato looks at the other woman next to her, it’s unclear whether she is offering this woman food or simply trying to feed herself, though either way her arm hangs in mid-motion. The movement continues with the more solitary figure of a girl who has her back to us. She completes the circle the small group creates and helps end the circumference around the scene as she draws the viewer’s eye back around the table. Her figure is outlined slightly by the light making her stand out and create depth in the small crowd. For me these smaller acts of movement seem harder to capture than a big burst of momentum. A painter would really have to pay attention to the controlled, simple changes in how a person conducts and holds themselves.
The piece appealed to me because out of all of Van Gogh’s work, the subject and style seems novel when you compare this to his colorful portraits of people from Arles or his plein air paintings by the sea in the South of France. There don’t seem to be many other works from him like this in which he captures the fine details of people’s faces, illuminated by a single light source that isn’t very bright. He captures expressions, wrinkles, dirt, bags under their eyes and the bones in their faces. Though this isn’t a piece we might immediately think of when we think of Van Gogh, we can still see his fleshed out style beginning to emerge. It’s the most visible in the way he depicts the figure’s skin and clothes. With the woman pouring the tea, he adds a variety of tones in her dark dress that make the garment pop and come to life. There are lines he creates to show the texture and movement of clothes being actively worn by a person. The skirt crumpled up a bit in her lap and the sleeves are wrinkled slightly perhaps from the excess fabric on her small frame.
This painting demonstrates that no matter what the scale of movement, what source of light on a subject or what space he has to with, Van Gogh could create on canvas what his mind saw in reality and even begin to add his own flourish to it.
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“There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” This quote by artist Tim Yanke is the perfect mindset to have whilst approaching an impressionistic art piece. Impressionism is a movement where artists strive to depict moments, feelings, or experiences over visually accurate depictions. In doing so they easily depict the movement and life in a scene by employing sweeping strokes of color on their canvas. A beautiful painting that exemplifies this quote is a work by Vincent Van Gogh, a post impressionist artist who’s art movement was reacting to the readiness of line work and color of the impressionists. The work Café Terrace at Night.
Café Terrace at Night was completed by Vincent in 1888 while he was in Arles, France. It was painted while Van Gogh was sitting in a café at night, wanting to capture the feeling of the moment. The textured Prussian blue sky with familiar looking luminous stars is very reminiscent of Starry Night. A precursor to that piece, as Starry Night was completed a year later. The orange light emanating from the café creates a strong focal point against the complimentary background. The orange hue also makes us feel the warmth and the life of the café, decently filled with patrons despite the hour. The playfulness in color palette helps bring the viewer into the world inside the picture plane. The thick strokes of paint on the canvas give the piece a sculptural quality, and helps the viewer become even more immersed in Van Gogh’s world as we now can feel the different texture in the tree on the right side of the picture plane versus the sky with the stars popping off of the night sky toward us.
Movement is everywhere in this artwork. The sweeping lines of the awning over the café meet the lines of the tree, converging onto buildings further down the street whom are almost in silhouette. The dark lines and vertical paint strokes bring your eye down onto the street in the mid ground where people walk enjoying the night air. From there the relatively simple street brings you closer to the foreground, where you see the incredible detail put into the cobblestone. Reminiscent of orange koi fish in astounding blue water, short free strokes of orange and blue lay on top of a a gray background. Each individual stone in the ground brought into relief by strokes of black.
However, there is more to the movement in this piece other than the texture and composition. The complimentary color palette of vibrant oranges and blues, chosen by Van Gogh, keeps the viewer’s eye roaming over the canvas. The eye is drawn to the bright orange windows in the shadowed, blue buildings. Or perhaps drawn to the bright starts, pinpointed in the center with orange over a brilliant blue sky. Despite the abundance of orange highlights over blue, there are some thin blue highlights to bring the eye back into the center of the warm café. The are slivers of blue in the doorframe of the nearest door to the viewer, and blue hidden in some of the chairs. This masterful use of color keeps the viewer engaged with the piece and constantly finding a new part of the painting to get lost in.
Lastly, the movement of the piece is found in the subject matter and the style used to portray the scene. As stated previously, the impressionists and post impressionists devoted themselves so much to the moment and conveying feeling through their work, that no other art movement could depict this scene with as much success. It is a scene that most, if not all, who view the piece could recall similar places, and therefore feel the piece as if it were a living entity. We can all imagine the sounds of silverware clinking against porcelain, or the chatter of patrons as they meet with their family or friends over a meal. We have all looked up into the night sky and have seen the start twinkling and dancing. This simple scene, so lovingly portrayed, is a scene we are all familiar with even if we haven’t seen this particular café.
So what can we take from this piece and this idea of movement bringing life to a piece of art? Perhaps a sense of tranquility as we gaze upon this experience of something beyond ourselves? As we look upon these universal truths and experiences that bind us all together. Or maybe just an appreciation for beauty? This is determinate on the viewer, but that is the true beauty and life of art. It is what we make of it.
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Ana Charvet
ART 473
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
Philosophy: An Excercise in Momentum
In viewing Gustav Klimt’s Faculty Paintings (1894) and their cultural impact, it is easy to associate these pieces with the following quote by contemporary artist Tim Yanke “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” In both a literal and figurative sense, this musing is evocative of a turning point within Klimt’s career, where his work began to evolve past what others expected of him thus making his art a point of contention. It was here – convicted in his work– where Klimt pushed to create for himself and no longer deny himself the pleasure of full creative exploration and expression. Though heavily criticized for being ‘pornographic’ and divergent from traditional painting practices, the Faculty Paintings represent Klimt’s desire to avoid fatal stagnation, as it was the last public commission done by the artist.
In 1894, Klimt was commissioned by the Ministry of Education’s art committee to create three paintings for the University of Vienna’s ceiling in the Great Hall. Each painting was to represent the different departments of the University– philosophy, medicine, and jurisprudence– and center them around the Enlightenment theme of the triumph of light over dark. The first painting, Philosophy, was presented at the 6th Secession in 1900. It presents a grand, rising composition overtaken by dark sweeping shadows and figures melting together. On the left, bodies change shape as they descend, growing older and more decrepit by the time they reach the bottom of the painting. In Klimt’s words, these figures are “the beginning of life, fruition and decay.” On the right, a sphinx is subtly imposed and barely legible, representing mystery. Finally, the peeking head of a woman, clearer than the rest, emerges from below to represent knowledge. At the time, this painting was criticized for being nonsensical and mysterious, devoid of the rationality that academics often held themselves to. However, Klimt’s depiction of philosophy couldn’t be a truer testament to the human condition and pursuit of knowledge. The dreamlike and tumultuous imagery of the painting, combined with its sensuous lines and rising momentum, captures humanity’s submission to the forces of nature. Philosophy demonstrates how learning becomes the vehicle for making sense of the “viscous void” that surrounds us.
Despite the scathing criticism that Philosophy received and the excessive pleas to change the paintings’ motifs by the University, Klimt continued to work on the rest of the pieces, maintaining his momentum and releasing Medicine at the 10th Secession exhibition in 1901 and Jurisprudence in 1903. These two pieces received the same disapproval for being explicitly sexual and radical. In April 1905, after the university refused to exhibit his work, Klimt withdrew from the project and paid back his fee of 30,000 Crowns and swore that this would be his last public commission. He would go on to produce some of his most famous work and begin his “Golden Phase,” creating paintings such as The Kiss (1907) and Adele Block-Bauer I (1907).
“There is life in movement, death in stagnation” – Had Klimt bent to the will of the University of Vienna at the time of Philosophy, he may have not evolved into the iconic artist that we know him today. In his work, both in the period of the Faculty Paintings and afterward, we see this fascination with movement as well; Klimt captured the human figure in motion and depicted their triumphs and tribulations through heavy symbolism, sensuous lines, and dynamic compositions. By being steadfast in his own vision, Klimt emboldened himself as an artist that constantly moved forward.
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Annie Lin
Art 473
1st Writing Assignment
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
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Annie Lin
Art 473
1st Writing Assignment
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
LikeLike
Annie Lin
Art 473
1st writing assignment
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
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Annie Lin
Art 473
1st writing assignment
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
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Christian Cruz
ART 473 – 1001
24 September 2020
Robert Tracy
First Opinion/Position Writing Assignment
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” -Chris DeRubeis
This is the quote that resonates with me the most when I look at Oskar Kokoschka’s work: “The Bride of the Wind”. The painting is oil on canvas and was made in between 1913 and 1914. The painting features a man and a woman, the man being Oskar himself and the woman being Oskar’s muse or love, Alma Mahler.
When I first laid my eyes upon Oskar’s work, I could not help but think how unsettling, violent, and rough it looks for the most part. Just from the first glance, I was visually disturbed. The turbulent brush strokes of the foreboding waves, the tense and skeletal look of the man, and a strong focus on the dark color palettes only reinforced my initial feelings. Upon closer inspection of the work however, my feelings and thoughts of the work are expanded upon, though visually disturbed still remains among them. I think it shows how much Oskar was obsessed with Alma and how he idealized her too much despite her history and nature with men.
The Bride of the Wind has a large focus on Oskar and Alma, who are the focal point of the painting. The two are shipwrecked being carried along by the waves of the sea. There is a stark contrast between Oskar and Alma. Alma is depicted with smoother paint strokes that make her stand out from the rest of the painting. Not only that, but Alma seems serene, comfortably sleeping in peace despite the situation she is in. The painting depicts her drawing great comfort from Oskar himself, who she is resting against. Oskar on the other hand is painted with more rough and tense paint strokes, to the point where he almost looks like a skeleton. His skin outlines his bones and his face stares up into the sky, eyes wide open, his expression unpleasant. He looks nowhere as serene as Alma does. The scene showcases Oskar as Alma’s protector, staying awake and vigilant of the dangers around them. This allows Alma to rest comfortably and without worry. Seeing this allows me to understand the extent of how much Oskar loved his muse. While I certainly do see the romantic aspect of the painting, it also shows me the strain and struggle the relationship put Oskar through. Knowing Alma’s promiscuous nature, I do not doubt how the relationship would go through many rough phases. Despite this, I think Oskar’s suffering is partially his own fault. He knew of Alma’s “femme fatale” nature and still chose to be completely absorbed by her. His obsession with her is arguably unhealthy, indulging Alma’s behavior by always placing her on a pedestal.
In contrast to Alma’s peaceful sleep and her bright skin, the rest of the painting around her is dark and foreboding. The waves of the sea are dark and looks to be made with violent or turbulent brush strokes. There is also a dark cliff and a faint trace of the moon in the background. The dark cliff adds to the dangerous feeling of the environment around Oskar and Alma because at the bottom of the cliff plunges into darkness. Darkness often portrayed as the void, danger, or even death itself. As for the moon, normally it would provide a source of light to guide and protect. In this case though, the moon is obscured by the dark clouds, leaving a faint trace of the moon. In other words, the moon and its guiding, protecting light has disappeared. The nature of environment creates a sense of unease, as if something dangerous is lurking in the shadows all around the painting. It is this factor that majorly contributes to my feelings of being uncomfortable and visually disturbed. Alma’s bright coloring in comparison to the rest of the painting makes her act as a source of comfort in place of the moon’s light. A viewer’s eyes are drawn to her because she radiates an inviting, comforting warmth with her peaceful look that contrasts greatly with the cold, dangerous, and uninviting nature of the waves, the dark sky, the dark cliff, and the dark sea.
There is much you can infer from Oskar’s point of view of Alma through this painting alone. It is clear how much Oskar loved Alma, his painting being a way of allowing the two to be together for eternity. While I think his painting is creative and emotionally impacting, it showcases his unhealthy obsession with Alma.
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Brad Pozdol
Robert Tracy
Art 473 1001
24 September 2020
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.”(Chris DeRubeis)
The Potato Eaters, 1885 by Vincent Van Gogh is one of his most famous works to this day. Van Gogh used dark earth colors and his human figures were full of mistakes so this piece was also one of his most criticized works back then. It is understandable because it was his first attempt to make a large composition for the public to view. He wanted to make an impression on people and to get off to a good start in his career. He studied art and painting for five years and he wanted to prove himself as a young artist. He was proud of his own work and felt like it had a certain “life” to it. It was an accurate and faithful representation of real life experiences he had witnessed growing up around poor people who had to work extremely hard just to survive. Vincent wanted to illustrate what peasants had to go through on a daily basis. He had a deep affinity and solidarity with poor people, whose lives, like his own, were burdened with care.
Looking past all the weird spacing and odd human figures, Van Gogh’s painting evokes emotion and makes you feel awful and pitiful towards the obstacles that these kinds of people had to go through each and every day. The people in the painting are seated around only one source of light above their heads, the oil lamp. It contrasts sharply with the very dark background of the rest of their home. To me, it represents family and purity. It is the purity of familial souls in whom care for one another and the hard struggle with the earth and weather leave little place for self-motivation and success. This piece is very powerful and makes me want to do all I can to help people like this out because they definitely need it. Van Gogh makes you feel the way he felt about livelihoods of the working poor with little opportunity to change vocation.
Vincent Van Gogh had an interest to serve and help others throughout his life, especially manual workers. He held them up to the highest standards of dedication and all his works make me support him and his opinion. They are the foundation of this country and the world. Without them, we will not be where we are today. Someone needs to do the “dirty” work, but they have to make so many sacrifices in their lives. This painting reminds me of the harsh reality that these people who work countless hours are doing it just to feed their families and themselves. It is right to apply DeRubeis’s quote about art being something you can actually feel to Van Gogh’s “The Potato Eaters” because it has had a huge impact on how these kinds of people are portrayed and it makes people feel a certain sympathy towards them. There will always be controversy about this piece, but people should focus on the deeper meaning and purpose for it to be fully appreciated.
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Qitian Xie
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
ART 473 1001
“I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.”
(David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard)
This question was raised in my mind as soon as I see Braque’s cubism pieces: ”Is this what Braque believes to be real when he painted the piece?“ And I was fascinated when I began taking a deeper dive to observe the piece. Cubism seems to me to be “controlled chaos”, and Georges Braque’s “Violin and Palette” stands out to me as the most impactful, eye-catching piece in the PowerPoint. As my eyes land on the piece, my mind registers the piece as a painting of the violin. But when I took a second look, everything was chaotic, breaking up in terms of forms, and shape. The mind is suddenly conflicted as a debate between whether the shape is barely put together or seamlessly connected begins. In the end, both sides were right. As cubism challenges the mind to be thinking in multiple directions; Anything could be right, because there is no wrong. Further diving into the composition, I see dimensions clashing, challenging the mind to register in the way that fits into our reality. Color and contrast were used to help push the dimensions in and out, the violin’s strings were used to guide the senses. Along with the decorative elements to hold the truth that “it is a violin”. Below the violin is where shapes begin folding into each other, extruding the violin with a brute force. The piece suddenly becomes alive, dynamic in the way that everything becomes infuriated as if shapes were trying to consume each other.
Driving away from the chaos at the bottom, the top composition of the piece seems flattened. It gives a sense of settlement, and I noticed the second object mentioned in the title: the palette. Although painted in two completely different ways, the painting still connects seamlessly and is united with the aspect of texture and color. And a sense of flow was established to the eye, as the essence of Cubism became more obvious: it is the combination of disorder and conciseness that defines the style of Cubism. Piecing together shapes to define it in a new sense, thus creating endless possibilities and perspectives. Cubism masters such as Braque and Picasso break up and piece reality back together in a unique way, and that would be the most innovative way to think in the field of creatives.
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Qitian Xie
Robert Tracy
September 24, 2020
ART 473 1001
“I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it.”
(David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard)
This question was raised in my mind as soon as I see Braque’s cubism pieces: ”Is this what Braque believes to be real when he painted the piece?“ And I was fascinated when I began taking a deeper dive to observe the piece. Cubism seems to me to be “controlled chaos”, and Georges Braque’s “Violin and Palette” stands out to me as the most impactful, eye-catching piece in the PowerPoint. As my eyes land on the piece, my mind registers the piece as a painting of the violin. But when I took a second look, everything was chaotic, breaking up in terms of forms, and shape. The mind is suddenly conflicted as a debate between whether the shape is barely put together or seamlessly connected begins. In the end, both sides were right. As cubism challenges the mind to be thinking in multiple directions; Anything could be right, because there is no wrong. Further diving into the composition, I see dimensions clashing, challenging the mind to register in the way that fits into our reality. Color and contrast were used to help push the dimensions in and out, the violin’s strings were used to guide the senses. Along with the decorative elements to hold the truth that “it is a violin”. Below the violin is where shapes begin folding into each other, extruding the violin with a brute force. The piece suddenly becomes alive, dynamic in the way that everything becomes infuriated as if shapes were trying to consume each other.
Driving away from the chaos at the bottom, the top composition of the piece seems flattened. It gives a sense of settlement, and I noticed the second object mentioned in the title: the palette. Although painted in two completely different ways, the painting still connects seamlessly and is united with the aspect of texture and color. And a sense of flow was established to the eye, as the essence of Cubism became more obvious: it is the combination of disorder and conciseness that defines the style of Cubism. Piecing together shapes to define it in a new sense, thus creating endless possibilities and perspectives. Cubism masters such as Braque and Picasso break up and piece reality back together in a unique way, and that would be the most innovative way to think in the field of creatives.
Not too sure if I successfully posted and I can’t see my first post so I am posting the same content 2nd time.
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Brandon Azar
Robert Tracy
ART 473-1001
24 September 2020
First Writing Assignment
“There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” (Tim Yanke)
I am very fond of this quote, as it implies a continuously moving painting has a feeling of life to it. The painting that caught my eye the most was Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1 by Gustav Klimt. As it is a portrait of someone, the idea of painting life into it seems rather important to capture the muse’s character. I think this is done very well just off pattern and texture alone. There almost feels like all these patterns should be conflicting or fighting with each other, but due to most of it being in gold they still mesh well. Because there are so many patterns as well, it keeps the eye moving, which in turn creates a painting that feels as if it is continuously moving.
The patterns are very effective in guiding the eye through the painting as well; the abundance of varying patterns around her face as well as the contrast to her pale skin draws one’s eyes immediately to it. And from there, one follows downward, guided by the triangles on her chest. The eye pattern is a little unsettling, but it makes you stare back at it to understand her form. The downward strokes in what I believe to be her sleeves, or a cape of some sort also guide the eye down to the bottom, finally letting us grasp the whole portrait of her.
The purpose of portraits often is to immortalize the life of someone in the form of a painting. Giving this sense of continuous movement in a painting further adds to capturing the life of this woman. I feel like most portraits I can think of are rather static, and truly feel like that person is no longer alive and speaks to the “death in stagnation.” But in Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1, her expression paired with all this movement captures her essence and it makes me feel like I could talk to her–as if the painting could animate itself and have a conversation with me, and I find that fascinating.
There is a certain something about her expression that evokes a specific emotion that is hard for me to describe. The slightly open lips with a hint of a smile, and these downward turned eyes that create such a soft expression. She looks very friendly and almost inviting with a dreamy gaze, but that also contrasts with the intense stare of the eyes on her dress. It is almost like there are two messages being sent. If the patterns did not contrast so well, her body’s form would nearly be lost. Once your eyes acknowledge that form, it is as if the patterned eyes staring back no longer want you to see her body.
Regardless, this piece does a great job in eliciting an emotional response and capturing the life of Adele Bloch-Bauer. The visual hierarchy of the patterns takes us on a trip around the details of the portrait, and makes every aspect feel cohesive yet with just enough contrast to make out the finest details. It feels as if she is still alive and encased in gold to be immortalized forever, surrounded by these intricate patterns that act as her life force. Truly, there is life in movement and death in stagnation, and this portrait is a wonderful example of such.
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Klimt was commissioned to create three paintings for the University of Vienna in 1894. The commissioners made it clear to Klimt that they were expecting a similar composition to Raphael’s School of Athens. However, what Klimt produced completely brushed their expectations and suggestions to the side; instead he produced three paintings entitled Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence. Ironically, these pieces were more philosophically based than a painting of a group of philosophers themselves. Klimt instead expressed his somewhat unpopular opinions of philosophy, medicine, and jurisprudence.
During the period in which Klimt was creating these three paintings, he had a shift in perspective. He told his friends “pleasing his clients was not his priority anymore,” and eventually rejected all state support as well. Instead, he put his personal opinions and grapplings about life and death into his work. This shift in the way Klimt began to approach his art embodies David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard’s quote, “I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it” quite well. Klimt wanted to express what he believed in, rather than creating art to appease clients. With such an approach, it is unclear whether Klimt was very concerned with the public seeing his art; it seems like at that point, he was making art purely for his own sake, in an effort to understand and present his ideas about philosophy and life itself. Of course, I personally believe that all artists want their work to be seen in some capacity, but it does not seem like this was at the forefront of Klimt’s mind as he was creating these works.
Focusing on the first of these three, Philosophy expresses Klimt’s questioning of rational philosophy, which explains why it is quite a lot more ambiguous and vague compared to typical philosophical paintings of the time. He depicts the beginning of life, fruition, and decay on the left hand side of the painting, while the right side represents the globe as a “mystery,” as he called it. Then, at the very bottom, a small figure appears out of its surrounding darkness, representing knowledge. The original proposal called for the theme of “Victory of Light over Darkness.” Critics however, saw this painting as more aimless rather than a victory.
This is a perfect example of Klimt depicting his beliefs and inner crises, rather than conveying specific themes for the sake of what others wanted. Klimt saw his family meet their deaths – his father, borther, younger sister and eldest sister – and also watched as his mother eventually lost her sanity. At this point, Klimt was grappling with his own personal crises and questioned life’s meaning, as well as how to navigate the chaos and cruelty the world subjects us to. It is not difficult to see how he views the world as somewhat of a mystery while we go through the cycle of life. Criticized for seemingly depicting darkness’ triumph over light, Klimt’s version of “light” is the small bit of knowledge represented at the bottom of the painting. Philosophy represents Klimt’s mindset at the time; to him, it seems that knowledge is the only way he could find meaning in life and try to unwrap his head around and understand it. Seeing as this painting was made right at the turn of his perspective, it seems as if he is at the very tip of knowledge in the vast pool of the world’s mysterious ways.
Next, Medicine and Jurisprudence convey subjects of anxiety and hopelessness. Medicine criticizes the medical field itself, and instead of portraying the great progress being made at the University in terms of medicine, showed a cryptic, chaotic representation of a state hospital, a collection of decrepit bodies, while Hygieia holds the cup of Lethe below them. Klimt’s view of medicine as hopeless and helpless most likely came from the aforementioned deaths of his family members, as he clearly grapples with and confronts themes of life and death in this series particularly.
Klimt expresses more anxieties in his final piece of the series, Jurisprudence. Goddesses of Truth, Justice, and Law watch as a condemned man, surrounded by three females, is pushed into an octopus’s arms. Another ambiguous painting, Klimt again depicts aspects of death and suffering as the condemned man meets his death. This might allude to harsh and life ruining sentences given to criminals, as one mistake or bad choice often destroys one’s future completely due to a bad record or extensive jail time without an opportunity to rehabilitate and succeed. Once again, this is quite the opposite of what the University was looking to display at their school, but Klimt ignored their expectations and pushed his own narrative and his own opinions on the matter into his art.
These three pieces, and his shift in perspective during this particular commission, allowed Klimt to take on the role of the artist that David ‘Lebo’ Le Batard refers to. Klimt painted the inner workings of his mind, his confusions, his opinions, and his anxieties, regardless of what others clearly wanted to see from him.
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Kelsey Neill
Art 473 1001
Robert Tracy
17 September 2020
Opinion Paper 1
“There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people…and there is
the visual that is understood by everybody.” – Yaacov Agam
Artwork Referenced: Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear,
1889 Oil on canvas
It’s akin to speaking a foreign language that no one can understand. Alienated, and fearful because you can understand them with their sharp words, their brows furrowed in disgust, spitting that you’re a “lunatic”, and how that echoes relentlessly through the night. But you’re used to it, and you’ve grown up with it, being misunderstood. It’s second nature, and you have accepted that you’re just a defect from the rest of them, your mortality fully-aware, and happiness never welcomingly cradling you. You’ve admitted yourself to an asylum because of this, and you think to yourself, at long last, in your seclusion there is the solitude that the normal people don’t have to suffer through your despair, suffer through watching you suffer. You hate being a burden to the happier ones. The air whistles and the void above swirls with blues as you dip your paint brush in the murky glass of water.
A week has passed after that incident. Your consciousness is blurry, and there’s a dull pain on the right side of your head that throbs every so often. Your ear is bandaged. Thinking that you lost a part of yourself, thinking that you may have lost everything that you’ve got going for yourself to finally heal, you begin to paint. Straight vertical lines of bright cadmium yellow appear on canvas in a controlled manner. It calms you, and for a second you think you’re finally at peace as you smooth the bristles with ease. More layers are applied, more yellows and more blues side by side, to express your melancholy more forcefully. Then you begin to paint over your face, clashing strokes of chrome orange, zinc yellow, zinc white, cobalt blue, and emerald. That’s when the strokes start to bend and swirl, and suddenly, it’s like you’re face to face with a mirror image of yourself. That’s right, you did cut off part of your right ear, and you did make a fool out of yourself. Feeling as though you’ve failed as an artist, the sadness consumes you even further. The shrieks and whispers of revulsion echo in your head.
Years of painting, and having only sold one of them, you ask yourself if people can truly see you through your brush strokes. Does that mean they can see my turmoil? Do people appreciate the expression of myself and want to actively purchase and display it proudly? Is all this some sick joke to them? You stare at the stacks of opened letters scattered on the floor, and wonder if everything would turn out alright, if Gauguin saw you as the monster you see yourself as, and if dear Theo would continue reaching out to you.
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Skyler Rockey
Writing Assignment 1
Art 473 Section 1001
20 September 2020
Quote used
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis)
Artist – Lee Krasner
Work – “Cool White”
Into
The philosophy behind art and the feelings it provokes has always been something that has fascinated me. Why are we so emotionally attached to art? Is it because it is beautiful? Perhaps it emits sadness or creates a feeling of sorrow. Maybe it reminds us of something we lost or once knew. Art is all around us and is always playing with our emotions in good ways or bad. For my writing assignment, I have chosen Lee Krasner’s famous painting, “Cool White.” Specifically, I want to focus on the painting, and how the death of, Jackson Pollock, and the struggles that surrounded Krasner influenced her to create a work of art with so much emotion. Throughout my writing, I will be reflecting on Chris DeRubei’s quote and how Krasner was able to create art that one can truly feel.
Initial thoughts of the work
The first time I looked at the painting “Cool White”, it gave me the chills. What do I feel when I look at this painting? Mystery, sorrow, maybe even anger. I would imagine these are similar emotions that Krasner was feeling during the creation of this work. At first glance, one can instantly tell that there is so much life, emotion, and feeling circulating throughout the image. One has to wonder which emotion did she want us to experience? When she made this painting and the other pieces she associated with this series, she underwent much trauma. The most glaring one being the recent loss of her husband as well as her mother. This must have had a great effect on the outcome of the painting since it really is like no other work in her portfolio.
Examination of the painting
Next, I want to look deeper into some of the physical elements of the image. Look at the brushstrokes. She almost seems like she is enraged. The linework seems violent and thrown on messily to the canvas. The black spots / dark areas that she creates are intriguing. They almost seem like voids or places of emptiness. As my eyes work their way across the image, the light and dark spots generate artwork of its own. The lack of color in the painting is a design choice that we regularly did not see from Krasner. For “Cool White”, she has chosen an off-white color as well as the presence of black. In a lot of her other works, colors were always present. During the creation of this artwork, she struggled with insomnia and depression which is something that no one should have to go through. She used painting as a way to help her when she couldn’t sleep as well as give her a sense of joy in tough times. Perhaps this time of sadness filled her with gloom and sorrow, which ultimately lead her to stray away from color.
Contemplation
The last thing I want to contemplate is the true meaning of the painting. Does the work even have a subject matter, or is it completely abstract? The only thing we have to go off of is the name, and even that is relatively abstract. While it may not be specific in what the work is trying to tell us, it represents the idea of the culmination of sorrow, anger, and the struggle she felt during this time period. I believe this work’s purpose was to help us remember Jackson Pollock and express her sorrows. I would imagine this was difficult for her to work on, but she created it to help evoke a feeling not only in herself but also for the viewers.
Conclusion
I think many individuals become artists because they want to evoke or spark emotion within themselves or those around them. Lee Krasner is an icon to the artist community that genuinely devoted her life to creating pieces that emitted real feelings. Making her work abstract forces us, as the viewer, to look at the painting and imagine what she wanted us to feel. Chris DeRubeis’ quote is something that all aspiring artists should implement into their artwork.
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Ralph Mallare
Art 473
The Painting: Vincent Van Gogh, Self Portrait, 1887
Quote: “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.”
(Joan Miro)
When I think about the limitations that a person may have in expressing themselves verbally, the common thought is to turn to Art as an escape or to express one’s self without any limitations. But when I think about the quote by Joan Miro which says “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness”, I feel that this quote actually portrays the opposite of famed artist, Vincent Van Vogh.
As we’ve come to know both in our readings and the past power points, Van Gogh was a artist that struggled all throughout his life to be accepted. No one fully understood Vincent nor could understand his actions, only his brother Theo was truly able to understand him. Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork were never simple lines. They were abstract and did not follow the general census on how paintings were viewed and looked at during his era. He was misunderstood and was never truly happy and in turn, he had taken his own life just because he felt he was a burden to others.
Even though Van Vogh did not necessarily had the perfect lifestyle, his paintings, as many have come to realize past his death, were filled with so many different layers and he truly had his own vision that sadly was not reciprocated. In a letter to his brother Theo in 1888, Van Gogh said “In painting I want to say something comforting in the way music is comforting.” This quote tells me that Van Gogh did have a purpose in his paintings. He wanted to experience that freedom of expression and happiness, but unfortunately because of his mannerisms, his disabilities which no one could understand at the time, he was shunned and rejected and his art was never fully realized.
That’s why I had chosen to take an in depth look at his self portrait. You can see the emotions that Van Vogh was trying to emote. It’s melancholy, it’s a person that was stuck in a traumatic state, but it was also someone that was different. When I look through the painting, I see the labor and thought that was put into the painting and it also feels as if the painting is a call for help for someone to understand Van Vogh and to truly understand him.
A simple line painted can lead to freedom and happiness, but for Van Vogh, life wasn’t just a simple line. It’s complicated and twisted world sometimes and when I saw Van Vogh’s self portrait, this quote stood out to me because life isn’t just a simple line.
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Annie Lin
Art 473
1st writing assignment
The Disquieting Muses is an oil painting on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico. It was completed in 1925, it’s dimension is 38 4/1by 26 2/1 in. de Chirico’s knowledge in philosophy reflects in the canvas of his painting, The Disquieting Muses is among the ones that transfer de Chirico’s theme with unexpected perspective, elements, and space arrangement. One contemporary artist, Tim Yanke, once said, “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” With de Chirico’s painting, we see a painting that continuously moves in perspective and forms.
When the viewer first looks at the image, the eyes instantly focus on the big red, balloon-like shape. There are two little cross symbols. If the eyes keep following at the horizontal plane of the red balloon, the contradiction between a middle century building and the modern factory will soon grab the viewer’s attention. What is de Chirico trying to say? The similarity of the reds could mean that the distinction between past and present are unrecognizable sometimes? Moving to the sky drop behind the two buildings, the lights shine on the factory side. Does this suggest the bright future of technology and production, and the past will soon be buried in the dark? These statements can be some parts of the answers. These hazy statements lead the viewer to look into de Chirico’s time. The particular castle in the painting is actually one landmark that is close to de Chirico’s home. The factories were probably built around that neighborhood, and de Chirico was using his own experience in the painting. Once these elements became noticed, the other historical elements in the painting suddenly have more meanings.
Moving the attention to the overall painting, the juxtaposition of past and present is prevalent. The two greek marble statues are meditating their own thoughts, next to them are abstract forms and cubes. Far away, a knight is overlooking the two statues. His hand seems to be waving, or making gestures at the two. It is sunken in the shadow, whereas the two statues are bathed in sun. The shadow’s perspective is vague. At the foreground, the shadow of the two muses are pointing at a slant angle. The shadow at the background is pointing at another angle. By using dramatic shadow and different perspective, de Chirico created an abstracted space that separates the picture in different planes.
After looking at the interesting layout of the painting, the viewers start to question the meanings behind each figure, because they seem to have the answer of the painting. The one statue with the red balloon head is the muse of comedy, and the one next to it represents the muse of tragedy. de Chirico used a mask and a serpent’s staff to indicate the identity of the two muses. In the background, the knight is the sun god, also the protector of the muse, Apollo. After deciphering the code, the message is still unknown to the viewer. What are these two muses doing here? Why is Apollo waving his hand? Why are the muses missing their heads?
Looking at the historical background, a movement called Futurism was in the stage of early 20th century Italy. The followers against tradition, they want to create a new future that embraces technology, machinery, and violence. Oftentimes, the style is abstract, filled with bold strokes and shapes. The painting would look expressive, violent. de Chirico’s style was introduced until Carrà, one of the leading figures of Futurism, met with de Chirico. Carrà was impressed with de Chirico’s plastic, rigid, realistic style. At the same time, the uneven perspective lays the elements in a familiar but unrecognizable place. de Chirico’s style steer Futurism’s direction toward another realm.
Now, going back to the painting, the viewer soon notices the value of The Disquieting Muses. de Chirico’s intention was to break the traditional barrier. The muses of tragedy and comedy are common, recurring representations in art. de Chirico deformed these muses, he gave the muse a balloon head, making it look like a mannequin. The hollow chest suggests the broken stage of the muse. Apollo is just another traditional figure that is being staged in this new, unrecognized place.
In the end, the background ties the value of the painting together. The factory, symbolized the new future, is charging it’s foot step to 20th century Italy. With de Chirico’s unique depiction of space, the realistic rendering of forms, also the setting of traditional and present symbols, de Chirico presents a painting that is continuously moving in front of the viewer. “There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.” If this quote can be used a little bit further into de Chirico’s painting, the viewer sees that de Chirico presents death and life together. The stagnation of the marble statues, and the moving shadow and perspective are shown in this painting. Together, they creep into the viewer’s mind, questioning what is stagnate and what is escaping away. The Disquieting Muses is truly a masterpiece that continues to move it’s audiences.
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KePatriot Simpson
An experimental artist named, Yaacov Agam, once said “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people… and there is the visual that is understood by everybody.” With this being said, which kind of learner are you? Depending upon how one person learns, is all the more difference in how that person understands things in the world. Oftentimes, outside of a learning institution, I think most people prefer to see things visually to percieve it however they choose. For example, when a lesson is being taught, the technicality of how or why something is the way it is, is written out or said in a way the ‘teacher’ believes we should comprehend it. However, this should not be the case for art. When it comes to art, the artist chooses how they feel or want to express themselves in their artwork.
Artist Oskar Kokoschka had no problem doing exactly that. He chose to make his artwork with contorting shapes and angles to express human emotions deeper. At an early point in his life, he was dismissed from his art institution for displaying an array of “…works considered disturbing in both content and technique”. Kokoschka did not show disturbing works, he rather was showing his own personal techniques in expressing emotions that we humans feel. At first glance, I did not favor his 1913 portrait of himself because I felt the lines and shading of it, made it too blurry, and not so clear. However, when I really delved into his type of artwork and continued looking on, he was not disturbed, but rather putting his own personal feelings about himself. Whether his art was not technical enough or reached a certain expectation for his schooling, he was appreciated later in his life for his style. He may have been verbally written off as an artist but visually he developed himself to stand out among other artists. As more of his portraits came out a few years apart, they developed in color, and liveliness.
His exaggeration of body parts and colors were much more appreciated. And so were his version of showing the psychological stuff that goes on inside of our heads outside of it. If we all were to look at his artwork now, he would be praised for his thinking outside of the box and creating artwork that is so different from perfect looking portraits and inanimate objects. We visually understand him, versus verbally being told by his opinionators what he was trying to become. He created an art that no one would understand in early days, but his ideas grew better with time, and became widely appreciated. Although you may not recognize all of his work, he has about three to four major artworks that are shown in museums nationally. Unfortunately those few that are well known do not thoroughly help the viewer gain a personal aspect of the artist himself.
James Ellroy, once said “L.A. is epidemically everywhere and discernible only in glimpses.” I believe that this relates to Kokoschka because although you may not know his artwork personally, you can tell his artwork style if you were not an avid follower of his. The range of artforms that he used to express himself are so different that it is hard to notice that the same mind developed those. The same mind that had once “disturbing” content, now has nationally recognized works of art. A lot of things happened in the life of Kokoschka, he lived until almost the end of the 1980’s, which by that point we were in an entirely different world that he was born into. That is to say he has seen the development of cars from horses. No one in the early 1900’s probably imagined what an automobile would look like or offer us in the long run. In today’s life, cars are not as much of a luxury as they once were. They were purchased by the rich and expedited all over America in a short amount of time. Now places like New York and L.A. are buried in hour long traffic. The result from the large amount of use of cars, has our planet suffocating from the pollution released every day. We see lots of developments in the social stature that stands today with cars. You can see who may be financially stable, those who are able to live more luxurious lives, and those who are trying to get by in someone’s car. The Autopia period is growing all over the world, it has completely changed how fast paced life is. No matter where one may live, quite literally to relate to the quote by James Ellroy, everyone happens to know where L.A. is. We see that L.A. has sceneries near the beach are the new “art form,” watching the ocean, the amount of people filling up a space, and daily life happening is art. We live day to day differently from the person who may live next to us. Some cities may appear to be completely erratic and disturbed like Kokoschka to his professors when he was young, but some lived to enjoy the craziness that can happen. It may seem like a far stretch to relate the two, but the developmental times of both things are so far from each other, the most you can relate is what people find beauty and art in now.
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Mustafa Diallo
ART 473
Robert Tracy
First Writing Assignment
Marc Chagal was an early modernist artist who practiced in Russia, and later France. He’s touted as the great Jewish artist of the 20th century, and an important pillar of early modernism. His work explored many mediums, including drawings, stained glass, illustrations, stage sets, fine art prints, and ceramic tapestries. This range of work gave him an incredible understanding of the relationship between art and the emerging 20th century cultures. To this point, he said, “Great art picks up where nature ends.”
This is a very profound quote. Upon reading it, it caused me to reflect on my favorite art pieces across different mediums and the relationship they have with nature or the natural world. It was an interesting perspective, as it made me realize just how much my favorite art is inspired by nature in a literal figurative sense. In the literal sense, there are many artists who regardless of their medium or style, take a look around them and simply just delineate what’s around them. In styles that are more realistic, one sits in awe of the detail evoked and makes an effort to not just look, but to actually see what’s there. In styles less realistic, the viewer makes an effort to understand what the artist is trying to make them feel in depicting an often familiar subject in such a subjective way.
One example of this is Georges Braques’ Large Nude. In this painting, Braques tackles the ever so familiar subject of the nude in his newly found style that was inspired by a Cezanne retrospective, he saw the year earlier. Braques had come to Paris and initially ran with Les Fauves, who had a semi-realistic style but used vivid and unrealistic colors to represent their flaring emotions. Upon seeing Cezanne’s work, Braques began to make the move towards more geometric works, and eventually pioneer the advent of Cubism.
Braques’ Large Nude is a rigid depiction of naked woman whose features are drawn sparingly, with her face being a few lines. On painting this nude, Braques said,”I couldn’t portray a woman in all her natural loveliness, I haven’t skill. No one has.” He goes on to speak about how for him to depict a woman, he must create something new. Something that is from his language, something that comes from his perspective. He also says,”Nature is a mere pretext for a decorative composition, plus sentiment.” This is parallel to what Chagall has stated.
I also happen to agree with both of them. Nature is such a pure source of beauty and emotion and passion, but to capture the essence of all those things that make up the natural world, be it the smells or the aura or the feeling in the air is nigh-impossible. But I think it’s the difficulty that makes us as human beings so intent on trying to capture all those things that we can share the experience with someone. As JFK famously said,”We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too”. This quote by JFK very much summarizes the human spirit in regards to its ambition. We love to do things that challenge us, and push our society further.
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Phichapa Tippawang (Crystal)
Art 473: First Writing Assignment
When people think of Vincent Van Gogh, they imagine colorful, vivid paintings
that are so dreamlike. But at the same time, they never fail to mention his ear. Van Gogh has experienced so much pain and so much sadness but he also believes in nature, beauty, and goodness. While Van Gogh lived alone in his world, he painted his self portrait (1889-1890). If the quote “I think the role of the artist is, is to take whatever it is they believe in and put it out there so the public can see it” by David “Lebo” Le Batard rings true, then this self portrait gives us viewers a glimpse into how he saw and believed about himself.
With Van Gogh’s mental and neurological conditions, I think it’s accurate to say that none of us will truly know what his inner turmoil was like. Since Vincent was reliant on Theodore for financial support, it’s hard to imagine the amount of stress and pressure Vincent was under. From what we can see about his relationship with his brother, Theodore seems to love and care for Vincent, but it must have still been very difficult for Vincent to feel free and happy. During the time when mental health and neurological health were not understood, how lonely and alienating must he have felt? As a child prodigy, he was able to accurately depict what he saw and translate it to paper and canvas. But as he got older, his paintings became less realistic and more Expressionistic. Many called Van Gogh too passionate and said that he was miserable to be around, were his passions and his feelings become too much for him to even bear it by himself? But that pain and intensity that he had nowhere else or no one else to
listen to came pouring out onto his canvas to be the reason that everyone knows him to be the tortured artist.
While Van Gogh lived alone in that house while his brother lived in the vibrant city, sending him money, no one recognized his talents and the children harassed him. This Self Portrait painted in 1889 stands out particularly because this drew so near to the time of his death. The dark blue surrounding him is different from other Self Portraits from other years with patterns of different lighter blues and greens swimming around him. However, in this painting, the shades of light blues are dimming, and the dark blues are looming in. As how pained he portrays himself in other portraits, why was this one so dark in particular? Did Van Gogh feel the darkness getting closer, consuming him? If he was translating his beliefs to the public, there was so much beauty and beautiful vivid colors bursting onto the canvas to portray how he saw the world. So many different shades of blues and yellows. But when it comes to this Self Portrait, the colors that he’s showing his skin and hair are dulled and grayed out.
While Van Gogh states “I experience a period of frightening clarity in those when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream.” It begs the question of if that’s how he saw the world. That nature deserves to be shown in its full beauty, full of life and hope. But for himself, he believed that he believed himself to be stuck in the dark, because his talents were not recognized and his mental illness misunderstood. He saw the darkness in his future, not wanting to be a burden to his brother and not wanting to feel so alone and alienated anymore. Maybe he believed in the world that was a little bit dreamier, a little bit kinder, a little bit brighter.
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Trace Hoffman
ART 473- 1001
September 24, 2020
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” This quote by Chris DeRubeis inspired me to look at the paintings “The Bride of the Wind” by Oskar Kokoschka and “Mural” by Jackson Pollock and analyze how the paintings affect my emotions.
“The Bride of the Wind” was a self portrait created between 1913 and 1914 to depict himself and his lover at the time, Alma Mahler, lying together in what seems like a turbulent body of water. The lovers laying together in the raging water show a sort of conflicting emotion between peace and chaos, where the lovers are surrounded by all this chaos, while they are peaceful in each other’s arms. There is also a depiction of mystery behind the artstyle and why it was depicted as such. The painting is shown with many wild brush strokes and over characterized elements of the human skin color that make the subjects harder to see, but not nearly impossible. We also see Kokoschka looking into the sky with a look of sadness in his eyes and tears flowing down his face. The break up with his lover in 1914 makes this painting more of a story rather than a seal of love. I love this painting for the expressionism he expresses through the raw emotion of the two subjects and the landscape he uses to further this idea of a short term romance that had such potential. The painting makes me feel more saddened that a relationship was so intense, only to fail in the end
“Mural” was created in 1943 as a commission for the new entryway of Peggy Guggenheim’s townhouse. His objective was to create a piece that celebrated the new American art Guggenheim was showing off in her more recent shows at the time. The piece shows many examples of chaotic linework throughout that symbolize animals running as a stampede and leaving prints on the canvas. Many of Pollock’s works have chaotic, abstract elements to it that attract so many eyes to how it was even conceived, and this is a perfect example of this. I love this painting because this set a new motion for modern American art. It let other artists express themselves through more of a creative, abstract way rather than the simple shapes and portraits that were so mainstream at that time. Also, it made me feel overwhelmed by the amount of animals and the variety that could have been in this stampede, and every mark is able to tell a story.
I chose to express my emotions about these two paintings because they both have a very similar aspect of expressionism and abstraction to them that caused me to feel curiosity when looking at them. At the time, both paintings were considered more degenerative art styles and mostly frowned upon by other artists, or simply misunderstood. Kokoschka’s painting was removed from the public in the 1940’s by the Nazis, as they felt the art style was degenerative. While Pollock’s painting was more widely accepted, there were still those that heavily misunderstood the message the work was trying to get across. Both have very desaturated, faded colors to them that give it a sort of depressing, yet intensive feel to them. Their messages may be different, but both share levels of intensity that describe themselves perfectly.
These two paintings inspire a lot of conflicting emotions within me. It makes me appreciate the works in a new way that forces me to think in a new way. Both have abstract messages that connect in a personal way not only to the artists, but to the viewer, as well.
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Shannen Calio
Robert Tracy
Art 473 – 1001
24 September 2020
Opinion Paper 1
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis)
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh
Piece: “Self-Portrait” 1889
I agree with the quote above that “Art should be something you can actually feel” and that viewers should be able to detect the emotions of the artist or the feelings that are conveyed in the work. I believe that art portrays certain emotions which either impacts viewers to experience them or causes the viewer to remember a time when they felt that same emotion. For example, art should cause us to feel nostalgic about a time where we had that similar feeling or experience. Additionally, I believe that art can cause the viewer to feel like they are actually in that environment, whether it is warm and you can feel the sun on your skin, or even feel cold and isolated. In the many works of
Vincent Van Gogh, he successfully inspires emotions out of any and all viewers.
During his career, Vincent Van Gogh had painted many self-portraits which essentially recorded his physical and mental state on each canvas. In almost every one of his self-portraits, he has an intense stare that would either look directly at the viewer or gaze off into the distance past them. Both experiences could make the viewer feel as if he is actually there, with the different emotions surrounding your entire body. When I look at this painting, I immediately feel his eyes pierce into me and I am enveloped in an intense feeling of mutual sadness. I think that the swirls represent sadness and when I look at them I can see them move and it feels like they are seeping out of the frame and flowing all around the room.
Although the warm colors of his skin and hair contrast the cool blue background and clothes, his face and body sort of blend into the blue because of the similar like and brush strokes. This makes me believe that the blue swirls that are surrounding him are not just there in a physical sense, but also emotionally. This is because in my experience depression or sadness can feel like a thick blanket of air that completely surrounds your body which slowly invades and affects your thoughts. The swirls that represent the fold of Vincent’s clothing makes me believe that the emotions surrounding him are not only there but woven into and becoming a part of himself. Similar to the feeling of sadness, the swirls not only distorts our view of our environment, but it also distorts the way we view ourselves and how we feel. I think that in this self-portrait the viewer can not only experience the emotions of Vincent Van Gogh but also make the viewer feel an emotion that they experienced themselves in the past.
Overall, I completely agree with the quote “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel” by Chris DeRubeis, depending on how intense these emotions are would determine the impact of the piece. I believe that the work of Vincent Van Gogh has a great impact on viewers through feelings and emotions.
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Shannen Calio
Robert Tracy
Art 473 – 1001
24 September 2020
Opinion Paper 1
“All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel.” (Chris DeRubeis)
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh
Piece: “Self-Portrait” 1889
I agree with the quote above that “Art should be something you can actually feel” and that viewers should be able to detect the emotions of the artist or the feelings that are conveyed in the work. I believe that art portrays certain emotions which either impacts viewers to experience them or causes the viewer to remember a time when they felt that same emotion. For example, art should cause us to feel nostalgic about a time where we had that similar feeling or experience. Additionally, I believe that art can cause the viewer to feel like they are actually in that environment, whether it is warm and you can feel the sun on your skin, or even feel cold and isolated. In the many works of Vincent Van Gogh, he successfully inspires emotions out of any and all viewers.
During his career, Vincent Van Gogh had painted many self-portraits which essentially recorded his physical and mental state on each canvas. In almost every one of his self-portraits, he has an intense stare that would either look directly at the viewer or gaze off into the distance past them. Both experiences could make the viewer feel as if he is actually there, with the different emotions surrounding your entire body. When I look at this painting, I immediately feel his eyes pierce into me and I am enveloped in an intense feeling of mutual sadness. I think that the swirls represent sadness and when I look at them I can see them move and it feels like they are seeping out of the frame and flowing all around the room.
Although the warm colors of his skin and hair contrast the cool blue background and clothes, his face and body sort of blend into the blue because of the similar like and brush strokes. This makes me believe that the blue swirls that are surrounding him are not just there in a physical sense, but also emotionally. This is because in my experience depression or sadness can feel like a thick blanket of air that completely surrounds your body which slowly invades and affects your thoughts. The swirls that represent the fold of Vincent’s clothing makes me believe that the emotions surrounding him are not only there but woven into and becoming a part of himself. Similar to the feeling of sadness, the swirls not only distorts our view of our environment, but it also distorts the way we view ourselves and how we feel. I think that in this self-portrait the viewer can not only experience the emotions of Vincent Van Gogh but also make the viewer feel an emotion that they experienced themselves in the past.
Overall, I completely agree with the quote “All art should inspire and evoke emotion. Art should be something you can actually feel” by Chris DeRubeis, depending on how intense these emotions are would determine the impact of the piece. I believe that the work of Vincent Van Gogh has a great impact on viewers through feelings and emotions.
I had posted a few minutes earlier but it disappeared so this is my second post. I am not sure if there will be two postings.
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The art work I have chosen to represent as my topic in this paper is The potato eaters by Vincent Van Gough. I chose this image because I feel it resonates with the quote I have chosen written by Yaacov Agam. “ There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people… and there is the visual that is understood by everyone”
The potato eaters I feel is a very strong image and represents the poverty that Vincent was around during a certain point in his life. This image is very powerful to me because even though you see the people worn down and dirty they don’t seem uncontent with their meal. They are gathered around each other enjoying a dinner conversation with one another. This is where I believe the quote by Yaacov Agam resonates with this painting. I definitely agree that visuals and Verbal are two different languages. An Image can represent a hundred different things but a sentence’s lead directly to whatever it is said which can politically separate us from the meaning behind the painting.
I feel that Vincent was criticized for The potato eaters and wasn’t appreciated for its true beauty and nature of the image. The title just makes it seem like its people eating potatoes. What is so interesting about that many might have asked. If you look into the image you can see more than just people eating potatoes. You can feel the aching pain of the older people’s bones from a long day at work. You can feel the sigh of relief from the lady sitting waiting to eat her food. You wonder of the curiosity that the man is speaking to the lady next to him to have such a wide expression on her face over their conversation. So much can be read in this image. One of my favorite parts of this painting is the environment of the image. You can really depict the poorness of the family from the old rustic feeling and location of the painting. I love how Vincent expresses the emotions of the people and how he pays really close attention to the detail of their faces, clothes and surroundings. It gives you this chill feeling of winter. You can practically feel the steam of the potatoes hitting your skin and dropping warm inside your belly as they eat them.
Art is definitely like a second language. For a lot of people they can’t see past the name of the image. For many it can divide them by seeing people eating potatoes or poor people eating potatoes. It’s incredible to be able to open your mind and see, think, and wonder why this artist painted this. What captured his interest to draw and paint this image. Words can easily cloud our judgement and block us from appreciating a beautiful work of art. I also feel that for most artists the name of the title in their artwork has very little meaning in the actual representation of the work. It only captures the basic essence of the image. The title doesn’t tell the whole narrative of the story behind the image just what you think you should be seeing.
Vincent definitely had a strong judgement of visuals which is why I believe makes his art so recognizable and well known. His artwork has the visual language that makes you wonder and ask what is that made him create such an image. One of my favorite paintings of Vincent and well known around the world is the starry sky. The image itself pulls you in with all the colors and swirls but it does make you wonder how can this image just be of a starry sky. You wonder of the location and why it is that he painted in such a manner. I feel Vincent was really good at expressing the voice of the visuals he created. He is actually one of my favorite artists of his time because of how visually expressive his work was.
Overall we come to the conclusion that visuals bring people together by telling a story. We can be easily clouded and divided by verbal confrontations. All we have to do is look at the image and feel and connect with the artist.
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