Blog #8

This the first Sculpture that I have seen in the book that the people are happy. The Ladies that are dancing around the man are all smiling. The piece was carved by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. Within it, Carpeaux used mythical symbolism to show the theme of uninhabited Dionysian revelry. 

The most important thing about the sculpture is that Carpeaux refused to idealize the figure's physical structure. This went against the Neoclassical way of creating sculptures. So the French academic art moved more towards the realistic side. 

I think that this sculpture is a good example of why we do not have as many sculptures of people in public areas. Artists have moved more towards the realistic idea of art, which brings a problem for those people who are having a sculpture created after them. People do not like to see the real view of themselves because it can show their flaws. 

Blog #7

Delacroix painted this art work to recreate the revolt against the reinstated press censorship, returned education to Catholic church control, and limited voting rights. The woman in the middle of the canvas is a representation of liberty. It almost brings the idea of "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." I don't think that Delacroix was trying to show that there were women in the revolt but to show the idea of liberty helping the men to move forward. She has an almost god complex from the clouds around her, how high she is in the canvas, and the man down below looking up at her. We all have that sense of feeling that we all need to push on to get ahead in life. Just like what this painting does for the French, the Statue of Liberty does for us. It is a reminder of what we all have worked and suffered for to us have faith in ourselves.

blog #6

I this is late....I was very sick this last week.

The role of art in society is very different now then it was in the 18th century. I think the art is more used publicly. You can find it in office buildings and at airports. There are even art installations on hill sides like the one done by Christo and Jeanne Claude. People are trying to invent new ways to create art and place them in different parts of the world to have a different reaction from viewers. There are pieces of art along building sides in San Francisco and even the tragedy of the twin towers is now becoming a work of art. They are creating a memorial for the  people who died through architecture and sculpture. Art is not used as politically as it once was. Since we have other ways like advertisement with the use of television, billboards, and so on people are able to over look art in a political statement. In the 18th century, people used art for propaganda and other political ways because there was no other technology more advanced then paintings or sculpture. 

What I am trying to say really is that since society has advanced with technology so has art and its uses. I think its good that we can see art more as beautiful pieces then just was a way to get a point across. But politics in this country do not use art as a way to get a point across, and they should. People do create pieces to convey a message but if they were used in a campaign it would have a bigger impact on society. 

Blog #5

Many Artists paint the image of Mary Magdalen. This one on the left was created by George de La Tour. This artist usually uses a single light source in the image. The light sources are so intense that you would think that it is the subject. The use of negative space brings the eye towards Mary and the flame. The version of Mary Magdalen is emotionally dark. I feel as if the artist is creating a story with the skull and flame. She holds the skull which could mean that someone close to her died or she is close to death. The flame could represent her looking on the positive side of things, or looking forward to her bright future. This piece reminds me of a photo project that I had. We had to create an image with the littlest about of information in it. We had to use negative space as our main subject. The use of light in a piece of art makes the it so strong. 

Blog #4

Venus Urania is part of the mannerist style in 1573. The most influential sculptors, Giovanni Bologna, was inspired by Michelangelo. He used graceful poses and forms to create pieces just like this one. She is a classical prototype of Venus, but has a newer feel to her. He body is posed in a way that makes her twist around. You get the feeling of a very dramatic pose and it almost is a little sexual. The sculpture is can be viewed in all angles. The smoothness of the body also brings in the idea of Venus as a sexual being. Out of the whole book, I think this is the first piece of art that shows women as strong and sexual. It shows women for what they are. Women my not pose like this all the time, but each woman has a sexual, strong, and intelligent side to her.This pieces represents that. 

Blog #3

The Battle of the Nudes by Antonio del Pollaiuolo was created to depict muscles of the male body reacting under tension. This is an engraving of men fighting. The artist took one model and put that model into different positions. This piece reminds me of how men fight. Although I do not think that men now a days would be fighting nude. They are trying to show how strong they are both physically and mentally. In the piece the artist shows just that. You can see all the muscles in their body flexing to show their strength. Also the piece shows how hard it is to deal with stress or tension. Every form in the image fights with great intent to live. It is all a competition. 

Blog #2

Martin Schongauer engraved this piece, Demons Tormenting Saint Anthony, in the 1470s. It is an illustration of the biblical meaning of temptation. Instead of portraying temptation as just inducement, the artist made it into a physical attack. The demons lifted Anthony up off the ground to torment him in mid air. Schongauer intensified the piece by having the demons in a swirling vortex of them beating, scratching, and shrieking at Saint Anthony. Anthony however stays calm. His faith made him impervious to all dangers. 

This piece reminds me of my friend's tattoo. I don't have a picture of it though. It is of a Geisha with three demons pulling at her. The same concept with this one to left is the same as my friend's tattoo. A lot of Japanese tattoo artists pick the art for the person. My friend's tattoo artist picked the concept which was perfect for him. 

In both pieces shows that temptation is always testing you or bringing you down. This is a very good idea to keep in mind.

Blog #1

In art, I believe that expressionism is one of the most important concepts. It is the whole reason to why people feel so close to a work of art no matter what it is. This piece is one of my favorite expressionistic pieces. The values in the image and the facial expression on the girl's face evoke a lonely and sad feeling. I view this piece when I am at my lowest point so that I know that I am not the only one who feels sad or lonely. She is in a world of darkness almost. What I relate to in this image is the feeling of a young girl in a grown up world or being a grown up that hides her worries. This piece is so widely open to interpretations, that it why it is an expressionistic piece. The artist brought all this imagery together to evoke emotions for the viewer.



This piece is inspired by the Disney story Beauty and the Beast. Annie Leibovitz, photographed this picture with the help of her patron, Disney. They both collaborated to bring a more real and humanistic feel to the story. This was an article in vogue which then turned into a whole project with almost all the Disney Classical stories.
In the image there are some words that say, "The beast looked as if he had died of a broken heart. Beauty swept and threw herself upon him." Love is a daring thing. I think everyone can see a little bit of themselves in this piece. Relationships usually end with someone hurting another person. That is why we should all have our own Beauty, to pick us up when we are down.







Richard Avadon, created this piece to symbolize the male view of beauty. Beauty to men is sexual, like this piece. The naked bodies are formed together with the shoes in an abstract way that produces the idea of sex. The bodies are twisted and turned to show a little glimpse of the body parts that men are attracted to. It is almost as if Avadon is making fun of this view.
Shoes are a wonderful way to express yourself. They can be sexy, funky, or what ever you like. I do have to agree with these images, in that men can take beauty to an awful level.

Museum Visit

I went to the Rosicrucian Egyptian museum last Saturday. I originally went to get back ground information for my essay, but it ended up to be more fun than I thought. They had so many pieces and information. My favorite thing was the great information about the gods. I was impressed with two pieces that are below the text. The first piece is a coffin of a young woman. It was very detailed and rich in color. The coffin's design was to show her family's wealth. The second piece or pieces are these tools that were made to help hairdressers. You can see the comb is very complex in its design. These also honor the Goddess Hathor. I loved the visit. These two pieces are in our every day lives, but just a little more development. The only complaint that I would have is that the museum has a very certain smell to it. I think it is because all the pieces in there have to be specially preserved. All in all, I would totally recommend this museum to people. I love Egyptian culture now.

Undirected Blog #3

A Young Flavian Woman is an example of Roman portrait sculpture. Her strong features contrast with her more subtle or womanly features. She has a strong chin and nose with a long neck. Those clash with her soft looking skin and lips with her dramatic/detailed hair. The technique the sculptors used to create the look of the curls was a combination of chiseling and drill work. This was done to get the holes in the center of the curls. Even though this type of hair style was the latest court fashion, we can still see it today. You can see in the pictures below that we, like the Romans, like to pile hair to alarming heights. There is one major thing that differs between the two. That is the fact that hair styling has been crafted into an art form. People around the world come together to show new extremes to the hair industry. Women have always had amazing hair.

Undirected Blog #2

Everyone has gone to a concert, sports event or play. We have them in these huge theaters. These theaters date back to the 4th century BCE and later. In this picture of the Epidauros theater, it shows that still to this day we have the same constructive layout. However, back then the theater was used for more that just entertainment. It was a way to bring religious beliefs into plays, music, and dance. The theaters consisted of elevated seating for the audience. If the theater was permanent, the tiers of seats were cut into the side of a hill and then later on they were made of stone.

Here is the HP Pavilion. It has the same form but just more advanced. It is used for all sorts of things like for example hockey games. Like the Epidauros theater, it has the same seating style. However, the HP Pavilion is a complete circle or oval. The Epidauros was only a semicircle with a two tiered structure made up of vertical skene that blocked the back stage. This is normal for theaters. I wanted to compare these two because they are made up of almost the same material. The Pavilion is made of concrete and the Epidauros is made of stone or dirt.

Undirected Blog #1

The Woman From Willendorf dates back to about 22,000 to 21,000 BCE in Austria. This 4 3/8 inch figurine was carved from limestone and colored with red ocher. This representation of a women is fairly different than the ones in our society. She has a large belly with short legs and droopy breasts. Many believe that this figure was supposed to bring the survival of the clan by producing strong children. Back then carving a woman in a non-slim state was to represent health and fertility. 

Now if we look at this mannequin, we can see the total opposite. This figure is thin and has long legs. Her breasts are more perky. Just like the above figure, this is the ideal state a woman should be in to be an ideal partner. 

The Two of these figures are both beautiful. The Woman from Willendorf looks as if she is pregnant. Her belly and breasts are both swollen. The Mannequin is fit and posed in an elegant way. From what I can tell is that the views of women have changed dramatically.

About Me

This photograph sums me up pretty well. I love fashion. I used to be a visual merchandiser for Diesel. Fashion has become an expanded art form. I was going to major in fashion photography, but I realized that my style of photography is more documentary. Annie Leibovitz, who is the photographer of this photo, is the kind of photographer I strive to become. She has a style that no one can copy. I am still trying to find my unique style.

Also, this photo, like myself, is very romantic. I can't help but love all the romance that comes with relationships. Loving someone is like nothing else.

To show the other side of myself, I decided to choose Marilyn Monroe lifting weights in this classic photograph. I am a very strong person. Maybe not physically but definitely mentally. When push comes to shove, I am the person that will be strong enough to stay in the end. I am a competitor. Another thing is that I'm not a girly-girl. I can run with the boys. Marilyn is depicted as being more of a tomboy, just like me.

In all, I would have to say that I love photography. It keeps my passion alive.

1

This blog is for my art history class.