Class Overview

I feel like taking Art History I was very beneficial to me. I had taken the Art Experience last year which helped with some of the material, but for the most part it was new to me and I think we were taught very thoroughly of each time period and about its culture. I really enjoyed learning about the art associated with each era and how it changed from place to place.

I do think at first the class was a bit overwhelming because there was a lot of difficult readings and questions to do in a short period of time along with the weekly blogs. However Professor Waldon was really helpful and listened to our feedback and adjusted the workload accordingly. It then became much more manageable and I actually enjoyed doing it more once I knew I could finish. I also really liked having a project instead of taking a test. I feel like this was much more effective in showing what we learned and presenting it in a creative way. I think if we had tests I would have just been cramming information into my head to remember it for the test and once it was written down it would be erased from my memory. I really think that doing hands on projects helped to cement this knowledge more permanently into my brain because I was actually applying the information that I learned.

If I could change something about the class I would have to say I wish it was a little more discussion based instead of just a lecture. I think that would help engage the students more not only to keep everyone focused, but also to retain the knowledge a bit better. It also might have been good since it was such an early class. Overall all though I think between the slides and information taught in class with the textbook information and images, the material was taught very clearly and effectively. It made for an enjoyable semester. 

Roman Art Vs. Christian Art

The Gemma Augustea was created in the first century CE which was largely defined by the extreme skill of art and architecture. It is a large onyx cameo with two registers that glorify the emperor, Augustus, after he defeated the barbarians. It also portrays Tiberius, who was the adopted son of Augustus, as a strong and powerful new ruler who was heir to the throne. The Roman’s style was largely inspired by the Greeks and they looked back for inspiration to create their own works. For example, the idealized and perfectly proportioned figures stems from the Greeks own artistic principles. They also possess the action of the classical Greek period. However the Roman aspect of their famous portraiture is also very prominent in this piece. The faces of the figures are not flawless, but show their true character and evoke emotion from their expression. Much of the Romans artwork glorifies the rulers so much that they have a godlike appearance. In this particular piece, the top register shows that Augustus even assumes the position of Jupiter who is the king of the gods and has an eagle at his feet, also symbolic of Jupiter. The rounded circle by his head shows the symbol for Capricorn, which was his zodiac. Tiberius is placed at the far left, stepping off the chariot after defeating the Germans. On the bottom register it shows Roman soldiers raising their enemy’s armor to show their triumph and the barbarians are tied up and sitting on the ground.

The marble sculpted Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus is an early Christian artwork dating back to 359 CE. Like the Gemme Augustea, it is packed with many elaborate figural scenes. The columns and entablatures that separate the registers and frames are very similar to classic Roman art and architecture. Each frame tells a story from the Hebrew Bible of a teaching or historical event of Christ and the Lord. On the top left Abraham is pictured after passing a test of faith and escaping the fate of having to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Another famous story is depicted on the bottom register, second to the left. An ashamed Adam and Eve stand next to each other with their heads turned away after they have just sinned by taking and eating the fruit from the tree in the middle of them. The conniving serpent is wrapped around it. Both the top and the bottom also have central focuses of Christ. At the top center there is Christ serving as the Roman Emperor and giving out scrolls of his word to Peter and Paul who stand on either side of him. It is shown in this image that he is the ruler of the cosmos. On the bottom it shows Jesus entering the sacred land of Jerusalem like an emperor would enter his own land. Comparing the skill of early Christian art to the Roman art that preceded it, it is quite clear that the artists lost the skill set that had before been mastered. Although this piece is very detailed and intricate, the figures do not appear as idealized or perfectly proportioned as they did before. It is also much less expressive when compared to the action filled classical art and emotional Roman portraits.

            It is clear when studying Christian artwork that they had much influence from their earlier Roman ancestors. However the Romans were often said to have taken their inspiration from the even earlier Greeks. New cultures that emerge are always founded upon the past and without that inspiration to create new works of art, there would be a constant cycle of beginning from nothing. The biggest differences in the works of the Romans and Christians were the subject matter. The Romans most often centered their works on glorifying a victorious emperor just as the Gemma Augustea does to rulers Augustus and Tiberius. They looked to their historical past to create works of art that accredited certain individuals for paving the way for them. While before the only real religious references in works of art were the many mythological gods, the Christian brought upon this new idea of religion and incorporated it much more into their work. Most of the stories in Christian art are from the Hebrew Bible and show Christ as the ruler instead of glorifying an emperor. The Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus shows many Biblical stories including Abraham and his test of faith, Daniel being saved by God from the lions, and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Christian artists used the Roman’s pagan past and applied it to Christian principles using the Bible as their focus instead of rulers. They also set up their pieces very similarly by having multiple registers to depict different scenes. Although there were much more marble and stone sculptures in the Roman days, some did exist in the Christian era like the sarcophagus. There are several from the Roman period that were elaborately decorated and the Christians carried this out. 

Our Parthenon Project

Greek Pottery: Neck-amphora

This amphora was created by the artist Exekias in around 540 BCE and used as an all-purpose storage jar. It is a black figure piece, which means that glaze was applied to the people and shapes and when fired, the glazed areas would turn black and the unfinished areas would be reddish orange. They would later finish the piece by detailing the objects and people and adding white and red glaze in certain areas over the figures. This really brings out the contrast of color and draws the eye in to the picture on the belly of the vase.

This particular piece is very detailed and decorated in almost every inch of the pot. It portrays a wedding scene with two people in the carriage that are being pulled by two horses. There are also three more figures in the picture; a woman facing the chariot, a man walking behind the horses, and a small scaled man leading the horses. The reverse side is very similar to this. It is unknown if this is a depiction of a marriage of gods or just regular people. It seems so divine and ornate that it could easily be applied to a union of gods.

Pattern and repetition are also used on the top and bottom of the amphora. On the top there is a repeated floral pattern on the neck and a battle scene surrounding the top of the vase. On the bottom there are repeated images of lotus flowers and the Greek keys. The work as a whole is very symmetrical and balanced by color and visual weight of the figures versus ground. 

The Modern Egyptian

The Modern Egyptian Link

The Dying Warrior

              The work I chose to write about this week is the Dying Warrior that we studied in class. The warriors are wounded on the ground and it appears that they are struggling to get up even though their wounds are beyond repair. Even though they are hurt so badly they still seem to appear to balance gracefully on their sides. On their faces there is a small smile known as the archaic smile that makes them look content even in near death. The texture of the skin is so much more realistic than ever before. It almost looks like silk because it’s so smooth. Also, the facial features and body types are much more proportional to real life. The materials used were a hard stone or marble. There are also many strong diagonal lines in these pieces that represent motion and movement.

            The sculptures come from Athena in around 490 BCE. They were made to be put on the west pediment of the Temple of Aphaia. It represents the struggles of ancient Greek and a tribute to the men lost in war. Since then they were taken down and are now seen as sculptures on their own. However at the time they were used to decorate architecture and to communicate a message of war and history to the people.

           

             

Art Brings Hope to Haiti

The article I read was about how art is being used in Haiti to bring up the spirits of those affected by the earthquake at the beginning of the year. It’s being used as a healing power and a therapy to convey emotions to express themselves. People of all ages are taking part in this process to take the focus off the devastation and put their energy into something hopeful and uplifting. Right now they are in between receiving help and financial aid so it’s a difficult time and art therapy is needed even more because of this.

            Personally, I really love the idea that they are using art as a form of healing and bringing it into a situation where so much as been lost. I think it sends across a powerful message. It also gives the people of Haiti a chance to respond and react to this natural disaster and get their feelings out in a beautiful format. The point is proven by giving many examples of people and colleges that are currently practicing this technique. In class we have studied art that was made for all kinds of purposes. The theme for these pieces of work seems to be hope and inspiration in an otherwise dark time.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/1013/Art-lifts-hope-in-Haiti

Egypt in the Most Unusual Places!

From the outside of the church I thought very little of how it differed from any other church, especially since it is so tightly squeezed onto a city block, it is almost hard to even notice. The site was very cramped because it is located in the heart of downtown in a pretty big city. However as soon as we walked in I was immediately taken by surprise. When I think of a Protestant church, I think of a wide open space, with wooden pews, stained class windows, and statues by the alter. The Downtown Presbyterian Church had all of that, just not at all as how I would have imaged it. Every aspect of the church was so engulfed in ancient Egyptian art and culture and thought out so carefully. The stained glass windows at this church were represented by the sandy grounds of Egypt and the papyrus plants, which symbolized their culture. The colors and designs on every corner were consistent with the Egyptian theme. It was very well thought out and executed to get a certain message across.

            

The walls were so brightly colored and intricately decorated with Egyptian symbols and inspired art. The main colors were deep reds, browns and teal. Even the cross at the front of the church was themed Egyptian in pattern and in color.

            The space in it felt massive and open like I’m used to feeling in churches, but the walls and how they were painted made me perceive it differently. The walls were decorated just like the Great Temple at Karnak with the many massive columns decorated with papyrus leaves at the top. In the church however, there was one row of columns and then the rest were just painted on to make it look like there was much more depth in the room then there really was. The space seemed so massive and made me feel so small in comparison. The ceiling imitated light and the sky. It was just you were looking up in a temple and could see the clouds rolling over and the bright sky which was much lighter than the rest of the church. 

 

     

    The materials that I mainly saw used were wood for the pews and concrete for the exterior. The interior was created to look as if it was made of stone and decorated to impersonate what the actual walls of an Egyptian temple. There was a definite rhythm as well throughout the church. The designs created a constant pattern all around the walls. Also the repeated images of the stained glass windows also gave the church some rhythm. A couple of distinctive features I noticed were the use of the symbol of Ra, the Egyptian sun god and the Egyptian crosses.

            I didn’t really talk to my group as a whole, but I did talk to members of it here and there. I think everyone generally had a similar reaction and were taken aback by the extensive theme and decoration of Egypt in a modern day Presbyterian Church.

           

Individual Blog- Part 1: Votive Figures

The art that I choose to analyze is the votive figures of the Sumerian culture. They all appear very similar to one another as far as shape goes. They are all very cylinder-like and positioned in the same way. The women and men all look very similar. However the scale of each figure is different. There are some that are very large and others smaller. Their proportions all appear to pretty normal with the exception of the eyes. The eyes in all of the votive figures are extremely large in comparison with the rest of their features. They almost take on a cartoonish look. They are all textured to create depth in the sculpture. For example their hair and clothes are all sculpted to create lines and texture. The detail of each work is created with straight vertical lines on the skirts and horizontal ones on the beards and hair. The general lines of all of these figures are on a vertical axis. The hands however, create a horizontal line that almost looks like an intersection with their bodies. They are all created of the same material, limestone, so they have the same color of gray although when the light hits them it creates shadowed areas of light and dark.

            The original purposes of these figures were for religious worship. They were created about 2900- 2600 BCE. Their eyes suggest a strong connected gaze with God. It was even said that the Sumerians were supposed to approach the gods with an attentive gaze, which explains the oversized staring eyes of the statues. They are also all standing in the same position, which tells us that may have been a stance of worship that they took when partaking in religious traditions. They are supposed to represent themselves as “one who offers prayers” and may have been set up in shrine to show their admiration to the gods. 

Individual Blog- Part 2: Restoring Da Vinci

The article I read was titled “Leonardo in a new light” and written by Emily Sharpe. It was about famous works of daVinci’s being cleaned and restored to what it would have looked like at the time of creation. Since then they have aged greatly and a yellow fog has plastered over the surface. Art officials feel it is distracting and takes away from the aesthetic experience of those viewing these greatly famous works. The first piece that was restored was “The Virgin On the Rocks” which is located in the National Gallery in London. They are now researching and trying to figure out the best way to do the same to the world renowned the “Mona Lisa”.

I have mixed feelings about this process being applied to these paintings. On one hand the results are beautiful and really pleasing to the eye. I understand how the aged effects were detracting from the image itself and its beauty. The way that “The Virgin On the Rocks” came out was stunning and added so much to its aesthetic value. However, I almost feel that this takes away from the authentic worth of the piece and the work shouldn’t have been touched because then it becomes more of other people’s work and less of da Vinci’s. Also, with the “Mona Lisa” it was determined that the paint layers were thinner than a hair and there was over thirty of them. Taking off the top varnish could easily remove some of the paint. I know that they have the top researchers and other authorities performing the cleaning, it just makes me a little nervous when we’re interfering with something so valuable that we will never have again.






 http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Leonardo+in+a+new+light/21415

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Leah McKenna

The overall theme of my piece is going off of my one of my favorite childhood movies, The Wizard of Oz. The focal point is the yellow brick road and it serves as a path of my life. In the distance you can see where the road fades into the distance. This is closer to the beginning of the path so I pictures and memories from the beginning of my life. I have a family picture and many with my younger sister, Lindsey. To the upper left I have my dad and I in an old car at what I portrayed as the car shows we used to attend when I was younger. My dad played in a 50’s themed band and had a few antique cars so that was always a part of my childhood. To the right of the road I put a picture of Hampton Beach and my best friend, Jessica and I as children (eating cake). We spent every summer at that beach together for about fifteen years so that was a huge part of my life. I also have a few pictures showing where my roots are and where I’m from. I wanted to portray that Providence, RI and the lit city at night is a part of my state, Rhode Island. That’s a part of my country and my world. It just makes me feel so small, but at the same time that I’m a part of something so much bigger. Later I show my four schools I’ve attended and memories and people associated with them. At elementary school I have my sister and I since that was the only time we went to school together and a lot of my memories there include her. Next I have junior high school when I got my dog, Simba and met many new friends. High school came next where I was surrounded by my friends (pictured at prom) and family (mom and grandmother). Last I have Belmont. I have a picture of my school and city that I am in now. I also have me with my roommates who are a big part of my life now. One last thing included was Disney Word. I have been many times with my family, but this past year was significant in my life and family’s so I wanted to include just one memory in there.

Decisions- I tried to choose elements that represent each part of my life and things and people I value most. It was hard to include so much content on one little board, but I had to think about what made me who I am and tried my best to capture that with all the picture on there. I wanted it also to be like a timeline so it could be read like a story.

Color- The main colors I used here are yellow and green. This goes along with my theme because I wanted road to represent the yellow brick road amidst this sea of green grass. The pictures give it more bursts of color.

Light- As the image seemed to come closer to you I wanted it to be lighter than where it faded into the distance. To do this I used lighter greens and then darker colors at the back of the work.

Texture- I created texture with the background. I ripped up many shades and prints of green papers and overlapped them when I glued them down. This creates a visually appealing texture.

Volume- Without the pictures I added, the piece would probably to appear a lot more flat. I think the different sizes and intensities of each picture give it volume and weight. I tried to balance it evenly between each side.

Line- The major line in this composition is the yellow road. Your eye follows it back and looks at everything along the way. The axis is pretty vertical even though the road curves. I organized everything around this. The pictures on the sides kind of guide your eye around each image.

Space- The depth I created in my image was by the way I drew the lines. The road looks bigger as it is closer and then gets smaller the further back it gets. The background is the green paper and the foreground is the images I pasted on the board.

Scale- I didn’t organize the size of my images based on importance, but rather by time. The small-scale pictures are from my past and therefore at the back of the road. As time goes on they get bigger as does the road, because they are closer to the present.

Symbolism- 1. The yellow brick road is a symbol for my life. It’s like the path I’ve been on and where I’m going. Towards the back of the road you have my past and as it appears to get closer to the viewer we move up in time closer to the present. 2. The cowardly lion represents times in my life where I’ve had to overcome personal obstacles to achieve something I wanted or needed. It’s for every time I had to face a fear or worked hard to get what I wanted. 3. The witch represents the difficult, dark times in life we’ve all had to get through. Many times there’s something standing in your way that you have to defeat to move on. Part of this also represents myself because I can be my own worse enemy. 4. The last image of Emerald City was a good place to leave off my collage. This doesn’t represent an end, but I feel I have finally gotten to a place where I am happy and that I have worked towards. There’s so much more after this point, I just haven’t gotten there yet. 5. The last symbol I have is the chaos of my image and how it parallels the business of my life. Sometimes you just need to take a closer look to get a clear vision of what’s going on.

You- This collage obviously focuses on my life, but it really is like a foundation for who I am. This includes my childhood, my family, friends, and schooling. All of those have played a part in who I am and what makes me, me.

Friends and Family- Because this is such an important part of who I am, I have included a lot of images of both family and friends. I have many of my sister and I pretty much because we’ve spent our whole lives together and feed off each other. I have a lot of my parents and memories I have with them. My friends stemmed from school because that was where I met most of them so that’s where I tended to include them.

Town, Community, School- I show that I’m from Rhode Island and I have a picture of one of the things that Rhode Island is known for. During the summer they light up downtown Providence and have fires over the river. It’s really a beautiful and peaceful experience so I wanted to include that. I also have all my schools I have attended from Elementary school to college and memories I associate with them.

Country- I have a picture of the United States because going outside my state it’s what’s made me who I am. I wouldn’t have all of the opportunities and experiences that I included if I had lived anywhere else.

World Today- I think this more focuses on the world today from my perspective, but much of my collage is how I perceive the world around me. It’s what I see and live in every day.

Art- My art foundation has led me to compose my work as I did. My background and schooling in art allows me to be able to not only discuss and analyze it, but create my own. To me art is an expression of the artist and a feeling or emotion they are trying to convey.

History- History has shaped every event in my life to lead me where I am today. My state, country, and even world have all been shaped by historical events. Without any one of those happenings the entire future could have been completely different. Art has been a part of history for as far back as we know. Art has always served a purpose whether it be religious, entertainment, pleasure, or anything else and always will be a part of our lives.

Blog 2 (Part 2): Is "Bad Art" Art??

The article that I read was called “Loving the Lowbrow (It Has Its Own Hall of Fame)” by Erik Piepenburg on the New York Times website. The article was quite controversial and had parts that I agreed with and disagreed with depending on the viewpoints. The author, I feel, stayed pretty neutral for the most part and others that were interviewed made claims that I found I either agreed with or not.

The article talked about works of art that were referred to as “bad art” yet is still valued by some people and exhibited in three locations in Boston, MA. These works were usually found or donated by collectors or even the artists themselves. By using the term bad the author was talking about art that was crafted poorly or whose content was unusual and slightly explicit. I disagreed with it being categorized as bad art however. Just because a person is inexperienced or does not possess the talent of a skilled artist doesn’t mean they shouldn’t paint. Whatever was painted was done so with intention and purpose and I don’t think anyone has the right to refer to it as bad. The composition was thought out and some were even said to have the style Braque or Picasso. It may be many other adjectives, but I don’t think it would be fair to judge someone’s work or profile as an artist this way. I agreed with comedian Judah Friedlander and designer Todd Oldham when they said how they “dismiss the ‘bad art’ label” because it “unfairly and incompletely describes a powerfully personal genre that would be better known as ‘found’ or something similar neutral.

Art affects everyone differently and everyone reacts differently to it. I like that they have an art show that will inevitably evoke different reactions then the typical museum experience. I like to think of it as testing both viewers and artists by coming into contact with pieces that we wouldn’t normally hang in our living room. I think it goes back to the old saying of one man’s trash is another’s treasure. Friedlander says, “If a painting, whether it’s at the Met or it’s something somebody threw away, gets a reaction out of me and gets me thinking, and gets me mentally and emotionally, I like it.” I completely agreed with his statement. I also think that an amateur artist is just as capable of doing this as someone who has been skilled and practicing for years.  

This also makes me wonder where the line is drawn for what is considered “good” and “bad” art. In the article it talked about how it was not called outsider art because it wasn’t good enough…but who decides where something crosses the fields and enters into the “good” category. Who and what decide this. I’ve always thought the definition of outsider art was a piece of work created by an artist with no formal training and were usually not well known. It seems to me that these art works would fit that category instead of being belittled into a group titled “bad art”. I just don’t understand where the line falls I suppose.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/arts/design/03badart.html?_r=1

Blog 2 (Part 1): Discussing a Work of Art

The painting I chose to analyze is The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame by Georges de La Tour. There is many elements and principles of design used in this painting. The first element I notice is line. There is a definite implied line between the woman’s eyes and the candle. Her body also serves as a line to guide your eye around the composition. The curves from her foot lead your eyes all the way up to her head and then to the candle. Light and darkness is also a huge element of the painting. It appears that she is in a room completely dark and the only source comes from the candlelight. Obviously, the light is only imaginary and the artist needed to create this illusion by shedding light onto her face, chest, and wall area. The colors used are mostly dark with shades of gray, blacks, and reds. Most of the space is occupied, but there is a good combination between the figure and ground so that it is not too busy. The composition is therefore well balanced and organized.

The subject matter plays a big role in determining the context of this painting. This woman painted here is Mary Magdalene who is known as one of Jesus’ closest followers and witnesses of his crucifixion. She is one of the most prominent women of Biblical History. She is most commonly thought of as a sinner that contrasts greatly with the Virgin Mary. The painting also represents a vanitas painting, which brings awareness to the fragility of life and certainty of death. In her lap she holds a skull, which is a symbol for death. The candle that is burning represents life and how it could go out at any time. There is definitely iconography in this painting concerning mortality. 

            After taking an Art Experience class last year, I’ve seen and became very familiar with many paintings over the course of history. One that stands out in my memory of all the works that I have seen is Death and Life by Gustave Klimt that was done before 1911. I’ve never seen it in person, but I’ve studied it in class. At first glance the painting looks dark and gloomy. Now before you all think I’m a morbid person, allow me to explain myself. This painting is clearly divided into two sections, life (right) and death (left). The people on the right hand side appear to be at peace and oblivious to any impending death. The left however is like a dark cloud over them. Instead of focusing on the coming storm I like to look at this painting as it is captured in this moment. I think of it as an appreciation for life and the present instead of the inescapable death. No matter what is to come, the people pictured have no idea of their fate at this time and are not thinking about it. I like how the piece is a snapshot of the living instead of worrying about inevitable death.

            One element that Klimt uses is color to portray a certain message to his audience. He uses light and dark colors to make a contrast. In the section of death he demonstrates what we, as humans would most likely see when we think of death and the grim reaper. This section mostly contains shades of blues, greens, and reds that convey a sad and dark feeling. This contrasts greatly to the section of life where bright colors are used and a wide variety of them are used. The variety of shapes and colors used in this section make your eye bounce around livening it up much more. It is much more uplifting and happy.

Another element used in this work is surface pattern. In the section about death the image of crosses are used repeatedly giving it a rhythm throughout. However since there is so much unity to this section it gives it a dry and boring feel. Your eye stays still instead of traveling around because there isn’t as much to look at. This is consistent with the symbol of death that the artist is trying to portray. On the contrary, the life portion is completely the opposite. There is a surface pattern in this section, but there are many different patterns and colors used to make the painting feel alive. Also going with surface pattern is the balance of the work. The size of each cluster is very different. The size of death is very small compared to that of life. However, the weight of the colors even it out. The dark colors give more visual weight to the left side than the light colors on the right. Therefore the composition is pretty well balanced.

            Line is another element that is used very much throughout the work. The lines are very curvy, but smooth at the same time. There are no really jagged edges that leave the audience feeling an abrupt change. The lines just guide your eyes around the outside of the sections and then all throughout the insides. Many more lines are used in the life portion because it’s such a busy part of the painting. Both sides are standing up vertically suggesting stability and straightforwardness as if the message is jumping straight out towards its viewers. Finally, there is an implied line connecting the two sides to one another. The grim reaper is looking towards the other side and makes eye contact with one girl whose hands are pointing to herself as if to ask if she was the one he was seeking. This line connects the two sides together and unifies the piece as one work of art.