Blog#8-NonWestern

This art work, Odori Keiyō Edo-e no sakae, was created by Utagawa Kunisada, also known as Toyokuni Utagawa lll. It was created in July of 1858. Kunisada was the most popular successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in the 19^th century in Japan. There isn’t a lot of information about the artist. I know that he was born in 1786 in Honjo. Kunisada was a leader in the art of the Japanese woodblock print. This art work was in the production of Shibaraku at Edo Ichimura-za Theater. This piece of art work is from Kabuki. Kabuki is a traditional form of Japanese theater. This is a classical Japanese dance-drama. The stage tradition began in Elizabethan England. It was performed completely by men. In the 17^th century, Kabuki was founded in the 17^th which was created by Okuni, a female shrine attendant. Okuni was a shrine maiden who brought her unique and animated dance style to the dry river beds of the ancient capital of Kyoto. Over the next 300 year, it expanded into a sophisticated form of theater. Even though Kabuki was created by a woman, the roles were mainly performed by men. The men who played the roles of the women were called “onnagata” or “oyama”. Many of the actors built their reputations on their roles. Kabuki was performed on a large stage which has scenic backdrops and trapdoors for surprise entrances. The Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the detailed make-up worn by most of the performers. In 1600-1868, known as the Edo period, Kabuki played and danced about the great historical events or the everyday life of the people in the Edo period. What created the world of Kabuki was the combination of the sets, music, costumes, and many other factors. In the art work I chose, the hanamichi is shown on the left. The hanamichi is an extra stage section used in Japanese Kabuki Theater. It’s a long platform that runs, left of center, from the back of the theater, through the audience, to connect with the main stage. The hanamichi is mainly used for the characters’ entrances and exists. Below is a woodblock print portrait of the artist Utagawa Kunisada at the age of eighty.

I really enjoyed researching and learning about art in a different country. I chose this art work because it gives an actual image to imagine the theater of Kabuki. I have always loved Japanese art work. My favorite part is the make-up that the actors wear. When I was going through the art work in the Japanese Theater, I admired all the work. It is something completely different than what we are use to. I hope you enjoyed it as well. I’m sorry my blog is in big letters and font, my computer was acting up and didn’t let me change it back to regular font. I have no idea how it changed and was kinda upset I couldn’t figure out how to make it normal. I hope you enjoyed reading about the Japanese theater.

REFERENCES:

http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/kabuki.shtml

http://park.org/Japan/Kabuki/kabuki.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanamichi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunisada

1 comment April 26, 2010

Blog 7-NonWestern

The art work I choose to do is “Casa de Marta Pintuco” by Fernando Botero. This art work was created in 2001 and is currently in San Antonio Museum of Art. Fernando Botero is believed to be the world’s most famous living artist. He was born in Medellin, Colombia in South America on April 19, 1932. He is a painter and a sculptor. He is a Colombian figurative artist. In 1953, Botero studied the work of Renaissance masters. In 1958, Botero won his first prize at the Salon de Artistas Colombianos, which translates to the School of Colombian Artists. Many of Botero’s work consist of still-lifes and landscapes. Botero mainly concentrates on situational portraiture. The paintings and sculptures are combined by their proportionally exaggerated or “fat” figures, as he once said. Botero tends to use “large people” in many of his art works. I selected this art work because it caught my eye the first time I looked at it. I’m pretty sure, it got yours as well. This is a different kind of art work we are use to studying and looking at. The artist, Fernando Botero, took a different and more interesting direction with his work. He focused on “large people”. On his website, (I encourage you to look into), there was a quote on the home page. “I believe that it is important to create something in which the painting functions within free, imaginative, innovative parameters. It is not a matter of creating the kind of beauty that fits into the classical canons. The purpose, rather, is to reach a stage at which it has become possible to surprise and be surprised. It is a matter of finding something that, in the midst of exuberance and distortion, conveys peace and equilibrium.” –Fernando Botero. After I read this quote, I began to look at his art work and it made sense to me. I could relate to the artist. He tries to challenge the dimensions of our hearts and minds through his artwork.

References:

http://www.oil-painting-shop.com/botero/casa-de-marta-pintuco.html

http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/MYSA052007_1P_botero_overview_214047c_html2373.html

http://www.boterosa.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Botero

2 comments April 22, 2010

Blog #6-Virtual Exhibit

The theme I choose for my first exhibit was pop art. Pop art was something that caught my attention as I was learning about it. The coolest thing is that it still exists today and many of the artists are still alive. I’m going to begin with a short introduction of pop art. “Pop Art” was first used by Lawrence Alloway in 1958 issue of Architectural Digest to explain the paintings that celebrate post-war consumerism and be devoted the god of materialism. It was the first Post-Modernist movement as well as the first school of art to reflect the power of film and television. In some way, pop-art was a response against the status quo. It arose from a rebellion against an accepted style. For example, pop artists rebelled against Abstract Expressionists because they thought it was ostentatious and too powerful. Pop art brought art back to the material realities of everyday life. The artists wanted their art to be more inclusive than traditional styles, so they used non-art materials and concentrated on common and everyday recognizable subjects that stated the popular culture of the day. People received most of their visual enjoyment from television, magazines, or comics. The impression of pop art refers not as much to the art itself but to the attitudes that led to it. There are many pop artists. Some examples are Billy Apple, Robert Indiana, Mel Ramos, Julian Opie, Peter Blake, Aya Takano, Larry Rivers, William Eggleston, Jasper Johns, and numerous more. One of the most famous of the pop artists is Andy Warhol and one of his famous works is Campbell’s Soup. There are three artists I choose to talk about.

The first one I will begin with is Roy Lichtenstein. Roy Lichtenstein was born on October 27, 1923 in Manhattan, New York and died on September 29, 1997 in Manhattan, New York. His nationality was American and studied at The Ohio State University. He served in the army during and after World War II. He was a famous American pop artist. He received several awards for his work and many museums still show his work. His work greatly influenced by both popular advertising and the comic book style. Lichtenstein’s work presented two kinds of comics: war comics, and romance comics. He imitated comic strips on a large scale.

One of his famous works is Drowning Girl (1963).

Below is the piece of art work is The Violin. It was created by Roy Lichtenstein in 1976 and is currently in Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado.

Below is the art work Interior with Mobile. It was created by Roy Lichtenstein in 1992 and it is currently in Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York.

As I was looking at a lot of Roy Lichtenstein’s work, I noticed that a lot of his work was very plain and direct. If it was a painting titled “Vase”, well it was just that. It was just a vase with different colors and different lines on the vase. Then I realized these works of art, “The Violin and Interior with Mobile”, are examples of pop art work. “The Violin” was a musical instrument. It was something that musicians would use to practice or to perform. “Interior with Mobile” was an everyday room. It does not focus on imagination, religion, or war, like many others do, but simply on things that we would see every day. Since people spend most of their time watching televisions, or surfing the net, the artists tried to connect with the viewer and give them something the viewers could relate to. I think that they could add a little something more to make it more interesting, but hey every artist is different!

The next artist is Wayne Thiebaud. Wayne was born on November 15, 1920. He was born to Mormon parents in Mesa, Arizona. Later, his family moved to Long Beach, California. Just like Lichtenstein, Thiebaud served in the military. Thiebaud served in the Air Force as an artist. He studied at Sacramento State College and later became an assistant professor at the University of California. Wayne Thiebaud is an American painter whose famous works on based on cakes, pastries, toilets, toys, etc. He is best known for his painting of production line objects found in public restaurants, such as diners and cafeterias. In addition, Thiebaud painted landscapes and popular characters such as Mickey Mouse. He is associated with pop art because of his interest in objects in mass culture. Thiebaud uses heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects.

The first painting is “Apartment View” by Wayne Thiebaud created in 1993. This painting relates to pop art because it is something that we see every day. Thiebaud focus on a commonplace.

The second painting is “Flatland River” by Wayne Thiebaud and created in 1997. This painting also relates to pop art because it’s a scenery that we could drive or by live in. It’s not something that it’s impossible to find. It’s a commonplace that we could see every day.

The third artists are actually husband and wife, Claes Oldenburgh and Coosje Van Bruggen. Oldenburgh was born on January 28, 1929 in Stockholm, Sweden. His family later moved to the United States. Oldenburg studied at Yale University. Oldenburg is known for his large sculptures. For example, “Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks” is a giant lipstick being placed vertically atop tank treads. Since 1976, Oldenburg collaborated with pop sculptor Coosje van Bruggen and then in 1977, they were married. Coosje van Bruggen was born on June 6, 1942 and died on January 10, 2009. Van Bruggen studied history of art at the University of Groningen. In the early 1980s, Van Bruggen worked as an independent critic and curator. Together Van Bruggen and Oldenburg designed many large sculptures. Their works were sculptural works of everyday items. They are known for museum sized sculptures of everyday objects shown in strange materials, like a cheeseburger made of plaster, and a typewriter sculpted from soft foam.

The first sculpture is”Typewriter Eraser, Scale X” created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in 1999. It is currently in National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

The second sculpture is one of my favorites. It is “Spoonbridge and Cherry”. It was commissioned for the Walker Art Center in 1985 and installed in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden in 1988. This connects to pop art because it contains common objects. The spoon was Oldenburg’s idea and the cherry was van Bruggen’s idea. This sculpture has been a landmark in Minneapolis.

References:

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/pop-art.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/tl/20th/pop-art.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_art

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/t/thiebaud/thiebaud_apartment.jpg.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Thiebaud

http://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/22032

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/t/thiebaud/thiebaud_apartment.jpg.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Lichtenstein

http://www.lichtensteinfoundation.org/frames.htm

http://www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/whatsart/oldenb.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coosje_van_Bruggen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claes_Oldenburg

5 comments April 15, 2010

Blog#5-Early Modern

This amazing painting, “Going to Church” by William H. Johnson was painted around 1940-1941. William Johnson was an African American painter. Johnson painted country scenes inspired by his memories of growing up in South Carolina. In this painting, a family of four traveled on an oxcart headed for a far hill. The family’s final destination is where three crosses, a church, are showed. This is also their spiritual home on Calvary within the painting. The flat piece of art includes conflicting hues positioned in stripes and color blocks, which brings to mind the quilts made of scraps pieced together by African American women. Johnson used the African American community of both Harlem and South Carolina as well as the “folk” style of painting which made it easier to demonstrate how the concept of “self” was connected to the tradition and change in Harlem. By using a city scene in a country style of painting, Johnson addresses the sense of the new, urban, African American community, which is structured from the relocated elements of past communities. William H. Johnson is an example from the Harlem Renaissance. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Harlem Renaissance was the African American academic life, in a Harlem neighborhood in New York City. It was known as the “New Negro Movement”. Many French-speaking black writers from African colonies, as well as Caribbean colonies were affected by the Harlem Renaissance. The impact that the Harlem Renaissance had was immense. It was victorious in which it carried the Black experience clearly within the quantity of American cultural history. The inheritance of the Harlem Renaissance reclassified how America’s as well as the rest of the world’s outlook on the African-American population. During this period, the actual and symbolic development turned into a point of reference from which the African-American community increased with the strength of self determination. With the city setting of fast expansion of Harlem, this offered a place for all African-Americans to be grateful for the assortment of Black existence and culture. The political and social nervousness that many African American were feeling, after the World War, was eased when cities offered a break from the cruel attitudes. Many cities worked together in order to help generate the cultural phenomenon. Harlem Renaissance was recognized by a mix of American movers and shakers, social reformers, cultural elites, progressives in public policy and, of course, artists.

I liked this piece of art in particular because it reminds me of the old days; the old days when we were not even born yet. There were not any cars to take people to work or in this case to church. This family was on their way to church. I really like this piece of work because it emphasis the importance in the African America. The African Americans went through so much to get where they are now. I enjoyed reading all the information and learning throughout the way.

Resources:

http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=11718

http://northbysouth.kenyon.edu/1998/art/pages/whjohnson.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Renaissance

http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/a/african_american_4.html

4 comments April 4, 2010

Blog #4-Impressionism

Throughout this semester, we have read and learned about several styles of art during different eras. We have seen the many changes, such as in the content of the paintings or in the intentions of the artists. In my opinion, Impressionism was the missing piece of an art puzzle. Let me explain. Think of the different styles during the different eras. Well, we have northern renaissance, baroque, neoclassical, realist, and many more. These styles, together, can be thought of as a puzzle. Even though some of these were similar, they differ in numerous ways which allows us to have an assortment to choose from. For example, there are people who like detailed paintings and want to understand what is going on in the painting. On the other hand, there are creative individuals who want to invent their personal stories of the art piece. Because we have a variety to choose from, we can do this. Impressionism was a different kind of style. To me, impressionism is fascinating; I love it. But, I can see why this style was criticized. Some people do not like change, especially something they are not fond of. Impressionism was a response against customary art and its harsh rules. Impressionism wanted to symbolize something new, open, exciting, and imaginative. So, once people grasped the concept of impressionism, of course it was accepted! There were many great pieces of art before, don’t get me wrong, but impressionism brought something extra. The artists wanted to seize an impression, something that was “in the moment”. The artists didn’t care about historical settings or religious meanings. Instead, artists captured reality and focused on everyday life as their theme. And that’s exactly what I see when I look at impressionism paintings. To take the time and really look at each piece of work individually, one can see the astonishing image. Impressionism is described by sketchy lines, loose brush strokes, dabs of color combined together. Some people envision this as a piece of mess, but it’s really a piece of art. To me, impressionism is what art is about. It is a unique style that describes the point of view of the artists. Let me compare impressionism to different style, so you can see exactly what I mean.

Let’s begin with Baroque style. This painting is “The calling of Saint Matthew” by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

The baroque style was more involved with the Catholic Church and members of the ruling class patronized the arts. Like impressionism, baroque era involved landscape paintings including common people.

Northern Renaissance: This marvelous piece of work is by Jan van Eyck and titled “The Annunciation” It was created around 1434-1436 and is in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

This painting is the Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the son of God. Unlike with impressionism, we know exactly what is happening in this piece of art. The northern renaissance was the renaissance in northern Europe.

Italian Renaissance: This beautiful art work is “Madonna of the Meadows” by the famous Raffaello Sanzio, also known as Raphael. This art work was created in 1506 and is at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

In this wonderful artwork, the two children, one being Christ child and the other Saint John the Baptist, are the Virgin Mary. Both the Northern and Italian Renaissance are religious. That’s exactly what impressionism was trying to get away from. Not all art works have to be religious; they wanted to bring something different into the eyes of the viewers.

Romantic Era: Francisco de Goya “Marquesa de Pontejos” is an example of a piece of art work from the Romantic Era.  It was created in France.

It was Queen Marie Antoinette of France. She was an important person in France. Even though Goya used a outdoors background, the person he choose to paint was not an average person, like the artists in impressionism would choose.

Impressionism: A great and successful painter from this era was John Singer Sargent. One of his works was “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose”.

It was painting around 1885. It’s in Tate Gallery, London, England. This painting is a perfect example of impressionism. It is just two average little girls lighting lanterns in a garden. It’s not a “mess” like many people think of when they think about impressionism. Of course, there are paintings that are colors blended together. but work an art piece. For example, this one is “Impression” by Claude Monet.

At first, you may think, what is that? But if you take time and look at it carefully, you can admire the artist. Even though the colors mixed together, Claude Monet still created magnificent piece of work.

When you think of art, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Well, art gives us a way to be creative and express ourselves. These artists from different eras found ways to express themselves. Everyone is different and expresses themselves differently. As time has passed, I have noticed the freedom within artists that allowed them to express their personal feelings and devotions onto their works. Their pieces of works have much more value and reason behind it. It’s not just something they drew; it’s their intention on why they drew it.

REFERENCES:

http://artandcritique.com/raphael-madonna-of-the-meadow/

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/caravaggio/calling/

http://www.allpaintings.org/v/Northern+Renaissance/Jan+van+Eyck/?g2_page=2

http://www.2artgallery.com/gallery/the-marquesa-de-pontejos-by-goya-francisco-de-p-5434.html

http://www.johnsingersargent.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism

http://www.impressionism.info/info.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation_(van_Eyck,_Washington)

5 comments March 25, 2010

Blog#3-Classical

This beautiful piece of music Eine kleine Nachtmusik, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was completed in Vienna on August 10, 1787. It was not published until after Mozart’s death. This piece of music was written for a chamber ensemble of two violins, viola, and cello with an option of double bass. It is something performed by a string orchestras.  Mozart was an example and talented artist. As a child he began his journey; he was five years old when he began composing. Throughout his time, Mozart wrote over 600 works including symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and choral works. I really admire this piece of music. I love classical music and this is one of my favorites. The sound of the music is relaxing and enjoyable. I can feel the exictment of the music as I sit down and listen to it. It’s amazing to actually see all the instrument combined together and listen how on beauitful and fantasic it sounds. If I had to describe it in one word, that word would be WOW! Moreover, the middle class demanded music that was accessible and recognizable as well as serious. The middle class wanted to enjoy and understand what they were listening to. The classical music was more simple than the music in the Baroque era.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eine_kleine_Nachtmusik

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart

4 comments March 5, 2010

Blog #2- Baroque

This is beautiful painting from the Baroque Era. It’s “Venus and Adonis 1614” by Hendrick Goltzius. It’s location is in Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It connects to the Council of Trent because it’s a mannerism painting. Mannerism was a period of European art that  began the late years of the Italian High Renaissance and lasted until the Baroque style replaced it. Northern mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout a lot of Europe. The actual definition of Mannerism is still in debate now between the art historians. Mannerism is part of the Council of Trent. The Catholic Church was trying to reinvent Rome. Between 1545-1563, three sessions were created which is the Council of Trent. They had charged with a stragedy to counter the protestant reformation. They wanted to to ensure that people understood art easily. Mannerism paintings were more for the educated because it was very decorative and hard to understand. “Venus and Adonis” was a story of Venus, the goddess of love, and Adonis. Venus fell in love with the beautiful young huntsman, Adonis. The boy, in the background with the arrow, is a young Cupid. Cupid and Venus were trying to keep Adonis from going hunting. She had a bad feeling about him going hunting and indeed Adonis was killed by a wild boar hunting. I enjoyed this piece of art because it just seem as that the couple, Venus and Adonis, were in love. They would gaze in each other’s eyes. She loved him so much and didn’t want him to go hunting because she didn’t want anything to happen to him. To me, by Adonis holding the stick means that he would protect Venus no matter what. Also, I know that a lot of the art work was paintings of people nude, but this one, someway, hides the nudeness but it doesn’t take anything away from the meaning of the picture.

References:

http://www.mannerism-in-art.org/

http://www.mannerism-in-art.org/Venus-and-Adonis-1614.html

http://mb-soft.com/believe/txs/trent.htm

http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/g/goltzius/venus_ad.html

3 comments February 12, 2010

Blog #1-Bacchus and Ariadne

This beautiful painting is “Bacchus and Ariadne” by Titian. The painting was created in 1520-1523 and it’s currently located in the National Gallery, London.

Tiziano Vecellio but known as “Titian”. No one was really sure the exact date when Titian was born. Titian was an Italian painter. He was the most famous painter in the 16th century  in Venice, Italy. He was trained by Giovanni Bellini. During the last years of his life, Titian worked for Philip II as a portrait painter. This helped him become more of a perfectionist. He had kept many of his pictures in his studio for many years and had planned retouching them. This piece, “Bacchus and Ariadne” was an oil painting.

The painting was a subject that derived from Roman poets Catullus and Ovid. This painting was one of Titian’s greatest works. The painting has an interesting story behind it. Ariadne was left on the island of Naxos and was deserted by her lover Theseus. The god Bacchus discovered Ariadne on the shore. The chariot was lead by two cheetahs. Bacchus jumps out of the chariot to protect Ariadne from the beasts. Bacchus struggles with a snake. Bacchus was a god of wine. He felled in love with Ariadne as soon as he saw her. The ship that had abandoned Ariadne can still be shown in the distance.

This piece of work connects to humanism. Though this piece of art involves god, it’s also centered on humans and their values. This was taking place in Europe. It was a cultural movement of the Renaissance that was focused on art of the ancient Greece and Rome. Bacchus and Ariadne was derived from Roman poets. I really liked it because as soon as I saw it, I noticed that there was many things going on in the picture. It was very detailed and it had a lot of meaning behind it. This was related to the Italian Renaissance.

SOURCES:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/titian-bacchus-and-ariadne

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacchus_and_Ariadne

5 comments February 9, 2010

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Add a comment January 24, 2010

TO ALL MILITARY WIVES!!

You know you are an Army wife when…..

…When someone asks when your spouse will be home, you say July or August instead of 5 or 6pm

…You live on your own and by yourself more after you’re married than before you were married.

…Most of the married women you know or meet are under 21 and if they are over they have kids, sometimes even under 21.

…You know all of your husband’s coworkers by their last name, and rarely know their first name.

…When you say “I’m going to the commissary” instead of “grocery store”.

…When you need I.D. to buy groceries

…You are called “Ma’am” at the age of 18 by every MP or SF that comes into contact with you.

…When you forget you have a driver’s license and take your military ID everywhere with you.

…When you hear of another death or injury of a US Military and weep inside for that wife or mother that loved that Marine, Soldier, Airman, or Seaman.

…You read everything you can get your hands on to learn more about your husband’s job.

…When you’ve never given a haircut in your life but you’ve perfected the medium fade, 6-8, skin.

…You really want something but you say “damn, well I’m going to have to wait for the 1st… or 15th for it “.

…You ask someone “what’s your rank?” instead of “what’s your job?!”

…When half of your wardrobe has some kind of Military insignia on it and once belonged to your spouse.

…When the sounds of helicopters, and Jets flying over your house shaking your windows, surprisingly soothes you!

…When you classify people by what phase, class, or rollback they are.

…Your husband’s work and dress clothes cost more than yours do.

…You only write in pencil because EVERYTHING is subject to change.

…You know that a 2 month separation IS short, no matter what your civilian friends say.

…You know better than to go to the Px/Bx or commissary between 11:30 and 1:30 unless it’s a life or death emergency.

…You show your military ID to the greeter at Wal-Mart.

…You know that any reference to “sand box” describes a deployment to Iraq/Kuwait, not your kid’s backyard toys.

…You have enough camouflage in your house to wallpaper the White House.

…You don’t have to think about what time 21:30 is.

…You can’t remember the last time you saw a doctor who wasn’t wearing BDUs.

…You pick apart uniforms on TV and in the movies for being inaccurate with your spouse.

…You are asked to stop talking in acronyms and translate it all to English.

…You have multiple copies of P.O.A.’s to throw at the credit card people and the banks.

1 comment January 24, 2010