A Chinese Canvas

I know of no person who, when talking about art, can go without mentioning Asia’s artistic contributions. These mentions are not simply arbitrary, but rather they are rightfully attributed to a country which was impressively innovative in numerous ways. One area which Asia made a large contribution is in art. But one, particular work of the Chinese Ming Dynasty continues to catch my eye.

Planting Chrysanthemums, Ming dynasty Lu Zhi (Chinese, 1496–1576) Hanging scroll; ink and pale color on paper

This particular work was done by Lu Zhi, who was an artist of many occupations. Some of theses occupations included his love for poetry, and his expertise with crafting ink into masterful works. This particular work was named Planting Chrysanthemums and was made as a gift to Zhi’s close friend and fellow poet, Tao. Zhi also included a cleaver poem which parallels one of Tao’s poems.  Zhi’s poem is translated as saying:

I hear you have opened up a “Dao path” near the ocean,
Where clouds of leaves and frost-covered flowers vie in wondrous splendor.
I too have built a new residence at Zhixing Mountain,
May I share some of your autumn colors on my eastern hedge? (qtd in Metmusem.com)

but far more impressive than Zhi’s poetry was his mastery of visual art. In a time where third dimensional art was only just starting to surface in the west, Zhi and many other Asian artists, were using their own traditional elongated canvases to create the illusion of a third dimension. Unlike the Western artists who used canvases that were wider horizontally than they were tall, Asian artists used canvases that were very tall. Instead of giving the viewer the feeling of being wrapped in the canvas like the western art, works like Zhi’s could make viewers feel the same splendor that is experienced in standing at the foot of a mountain, and admiring it’s stature.

But with such a large work, one has to look quite closely to appreciate the extent to which Zhi focused on combining tradition with detail.

Planting Chrysanthemums (close-up), Ming dynasty Lu Zhi (Chinese, 1496–1576) Hanging scroll; ink and pale color on paper

From this ancient example we can see how artists like Zhi were able to start experimenting with, not only the illusion of a third dimension  but also, they begin to gain insight into the affect that the canvas itself has on the piece of art.

Works Cited

Metropolitan Museum of art. Metmusem.com, 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1986.266.3

Zhi, Lu. Planting Chrysanthemums, Ming Dynasty. Ink and pale color on canvas.

African Intricacies

Not many people think of African artists when the topic of art comes up. I too, am guilty of being ignorant to the beauties that have been crafted within the borders of Africa. One such beauty, was created by an artist by the name of Gedewon who, using ink, crafted what at first glance looks like a mess, but once the viewer looks closer deep layers of detail and intricate patterns begin to come into focus.

Gedewon. Untitled. Ethiopia, 1996. Ink.

This is one of Gedewon’s intricate works, which is done with multiple shades of ink on paper. It is composed of very tight designs and thousands of little pen strokes that when put together create aesthetically appealing patterns. I love this piece, first because of its uniqueness, and second because of the amount of color and the intricacy in the patterns.

Gedewon himself is just as unique as his art. Growing up in Ethiopia, Gedewon became a christian at a very young age and by the time he was an adult he was known as “one of the finest practitioners of poetry and rhetoric in the Ethiopian Catholic Church” (Caacart.com). His proficiency for poetry and rhetoric can be seen in his designs; with the tightness of his lines which conceal the true depth of his art from a distance.

Gedewon, like his artistic works, are together, a treasure which is commonly overlooked; but both should be valued for their artistic contribution and unique style.

Works Cited

Gedewon. Untitled. Ethiopia, 1996. Ink.

Contemporary African Art Collection. N.S. Pigozzi, Jean. 12 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. http://www.caacart.com/pigozzi-artist.php?i=Gedewon-&bio=en&m=54

Creating Masterpieces with a Childhood Novelty

In the present Post-Modern era art most people consider art to be the use of “fancy” paints or works of incredible architecture but vary rarely do people think of childhood novelties becoming the artistic medium for masterpieces. The first of two people whose works amaze me is American and former NASA scientist Kurt Wenner. Wenner left NASA to pursue his life long love of art, his own artistic mastery spanned past his beloved classical medium and subject matter (Kurtwenner.com). Believe it or not, the pieces of art done by Wenner, which I consider to be his most impressive are done with the childhood novelty, chalk (of all things).

This first piece, completed in 2011 was done with chalk, both on the concrete and a vertical back drop.

Wenner, Kurt. Herald Square Celebration. New York (2011). Chalk.

This work is mind boggling and gives the illusion of a third dimension when in reality it is simply composed of two perpendicular flat surfaces. The piece depicts the very celebration that Wenner created it for and gives the viewer a birds-eye-view of the very thing that they were participating in.

This next piece the same method of using two perpendicular flat surfaces to create a 3D illusion.

Wenner, Kurt. Armchair Traveler. London (2011). Chalk.

Personally, I enjoy the whimsical nature of this particular piece. It depicts Wenner’s experience with three dimensional media; how it feels and seems. The drawn viewer is watching a 3D television and beneath the television a jeep is plunging through the wall and the animals are filling the room. All of this is an Imaginative representation of the experience of seeing 3D media.

This last piece done by Wenner is really fun, and at the same time kind of creepy. Unlike the earlier works this one is on a single flat surface and still gives the Illusion that there is a hole in the ground.

Wenner, Kurt. Crash Site. California (2011). Chalk.

This piece was created during the California ComiCon and per the theme of the festival, depicts a hole created by an alien crash landing, There is even an alien hand reaching out of the abyssal hole.

But Americans are certainly not the only ones who can blow the minds of viewers, utilizing a novelty that can be be taken for granted. The English have their “Picasso of Street Art,” Julian Beever who took his life long love of street art and successfully turned it into an artistic business, much like the local Alaskan Ice carvers (Julianbeever.net). Beever’s work is mostly happy and whimsical and along with the philosophy of Deconstruction his art is often just for fun and void of proposed meaning. Like Wenner, Beever prefers to use chalk as his main medium when crafting his masterful works of art.

This very recent work is a great example of Beever’s whimsical nature as well as his amazing ability to fool the mind.

Beever, Julian. Leaning Slice of Pizza. Zurich (2012). Chalk.

Due to this piece’s complete ridiculousness I can not help but love it. Its innocence, detail and dimension all make it not only appealing but amusing as well.

Beever holds fast to his whimsical nature making the majority of his illusions depict either ridiculous things or well known subjects that simply make people smile.

This next one is complexly amazing and large.

Beever, Julian. Idea Festival. Louisville (2009). Chalk.

By far the most amazing thing about this piece is the fact that these are all made of chalk which is a trait shared in both Beever and Wenner’s street art. But what would be more incredible than seeing the finished product would be seeing how such a mind-boggling piece could be made from what is commonly considered a novelty.  Below is a video of Julian Beever creating yet another magnificent work of art, titled Construction.

Who would have known that something which most people consider a child’s novelty would be the means to create such fun and wonderful masterpieces around the world.

Works Cited

Beever, Julian. Construction. Vienna (2009). Chalk.

Beever, Julian. Idea Festival. Louisville (2009). Chalk.

Beever, Julian.  Leaning Slice of Pizza. Zurich (2012). Chalk.

“Julian Bever in Vienna June 2009.” Beevervienna. Youtube.com. 3 Jul. 2009. Web. 9 Aug. 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKakTPiLpxI

Julianbever.net. 2012. Web. 8 Aug. 2013. http://www.julianbeever.net

Kurtwenner.com. 2013. Web. 8 Aug 2013. http://kurtwenner.com/

Wenner, Kurt. Armchair Traveler. London (2011). Chalk.

Wenner, Kurt. Crash Site. California (2011). Chalk.

Wenner, Kurt. Herald Square Celebration. New York (2011). Chalk.

“Black” Gold

In an era of history when Caucasians were still considered to be superior, even with the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, segregation against men and women “of color” persisted. Segregation was still rampant even after two World Wars and the Great Depression; only certain stores sold to “colored” people, there were separate forms of transportation for different races and the music industry was no exception. It was almost impossible for one who had a different shade of skin to get their name recognized out side of their own race.  This made the recognition of people like Louis Armstrong, in that era, truly miraculous.

Despite the fact that Armstrong was an African American he was able to perform along side people and in front of crowds that might have viewed the African American’s as inferior. But almost no one could resist Armstrong’s general charming manner and his revolutionary form of music. Armstrong had a unique, gravely voice and was incredibly proficient at the trumpet; so with his voice, his trumpet and a mind full of joyous lyrics, Armstrong found his way into hearts of many.

In spite of the oppression on his race during his life, Armstrong succeeded in achieving a well deserved Grammy Award for his song “Hello Dolly” and a permanent place in the Grammy hall of fame (Wikipedia). He secured his timeless legacy and influence on western music despite the unjust view of many and proved that there was such a thing as “black” gold.

Works Cited

Jazz Icons: Louis Armstrong Live in 59′ Perf. Louis Armstrong, Peanuts Hucko, Trummy Young, Billy Kyle, Mort Herbert, Danny Barcelona and Velma Middleton. Reelin’ In The Years Productions, 2006. Videocassette. YouTube.com. Acdc1973acdc2010, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2013.

Wikipedia.org. “Louis Armstrong.” Web. 28 Mar. 2013.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong

Impressionism: “Where Art Really Begins”

Impressionism truly is where art begins; it is where artists used techniques of light that were learned in the past and perfected them, adding their own modern and colorful flare. But unlike past eras such as the Neoclassical era, Impressionism did not strive to produce mythical or historical morals, or portray the perfect woman. In the Neoclassical era all art focused on morals and often used roman history or mythology to express it; even the everyday things such as dressers and tables had to have some form of incredibly ornate artwork in order to be considered beautiful.

Pair of Vases, ca. 1784–95. Spanish; Buen Retiro. Soft-paste porcelain.

The vases above, which were made in the Buen Retiro factory during the Neoclassical period, display an excessively ornate emphasis on glorifying the morals, people and items of the past (Metmuseum.org). This focus on the past seems to imply that only the times which have passed are truly beautiful. The Impressionist artist set out to recant these implications, focusing all their art on showing the world how beautiful the everyday could be, and that art did not necessarily need to have morals to be inspiring.

Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1867. Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Oil on canvas.

What better way to show Impressionism’s beauty than to cite the man whose works defined the style of Impressionism. Above is one of Claude Monet’s works, Garden at Sainte-Adresse. It portrays what was a gorgeous modern morning with ships sailing in the light waves, bright flowers and couples in a small park enjoying the beauty of the everyday. Monet’s painting – like all impressionist works of art – has no moral meaning and did not glorify any past age or portray perfection; yet it is splendorous: With its bright colors, positive attitude and realistic lighting it showed that beauty  could be experienced in everyday life. Impressionism’s uniqueness sadly, was not met with open arms, it was greatly ridiculed for its new technique of combining colors and rough strokes to create a magnificent work art. But luckily as time has passed Impressionism’s contribution to today’s modern art has been made clear, and the Impressionists and their works are looked upon with great admiration.

Works Cited

Buen Retiro. Pair of Vases, ca. 1784–95. Spanish; Buen Retiro. Soft-paste porcelain.

Kljaich, Lisa. Impressionism. amtf200.community.uaf.edu. October 18, 2012. Web. March 21, 2013. (Note: Quoted in title).

Monet, Claude. Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1867. French. Oil on canvas.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, the. “Pair of vases [Spanish; Buen Retiro] (42.30.17ab,.18ab)”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. Web. March 21, 2013. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/42.30.17ab,.18ab (October 2006)

Morals in Classical Art

In the Artistic eras that preceded the Classical era, Immorality in contemporary art was quite common and often involved subjects such as vengeful beheading, rape and sexual frivolity. Although the art of the Classical era was not void of these subjects, it did strive to live-up-to the morals that were formed by the Enlightenment.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters: Plate 43 of The Caprices (Los Caprichos), 1799 Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746–1828) Etching, aquatint, drypoint, and burin

This first piece of art is an etching by Lucientes, named (in English) The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, which was finished at the end of the 18th century. It’s title is etched into the desk and the rest of the piece depicts Lucientes himself in a deep sleep on top of his work with all manner of of creatures of the night haunting his dreams. Analysts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art believe that, “The artist’s nightmare reflected his view of Spanish society, which he portrayed as demented, corrupt, and ripe for ridicule.” Meaning that this piece of art could have been made as a way of telling the Spanish people “look at the nightmare you’ve become” probably in hopes that the Spanish people would change.

Cornelia Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures (1785). Angelica Kauffmann (Swiss). Unknown location.

This painting: Cornelia Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures, was painted by Angelica Kauffmann in 1785. In this picture two women catch the immediate attention of the viewer: One is dressed in a vibrant red and is wearing a valuable gold head band; the other is plainly dressed and her hair is wrapped in cloth. This painting has a wonderful message of the true value of family. You can see this by looking at the woman on the right and imagine what she is saying to the other as she holds out her large pearl necklace and displays the rest of her treasures on her lap: “Look at my wonderful treasures.” But the plainly dressed woman’s reply is “here are mine” grasping her daughter and pointing to her children as a treasure that is more valuable than any amount of silver, gold or pearls.

The Death of General Wolfe (1770). Benjamin West. American, British (1738-1820). Oil on canvas.

In this painting The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West, the viewer can see a crowd of men all dressed in their appropriate uniforms and garb surrounding their dying general. Multiple moral meanings can be pulled from this painting; some of the men have their hands folded in prayer for the general which could be expanded upon or the fact that the death of the general is almost Christ like in its portrayal and distribution. But what I want to draw on is something that still has meaning today and that is the vital recognition of the ultimate sacrifice that soldiers pay for their country. In this painting all of the soldiers are somber and heartbroken, praying desperately for their general, displaying the true value in the life of one man. This is something that still is relevant to us today because we need to appreciate and realize every individual soldiers sacrifice for our country.

All of these pieces of art have an emphasis on the moral ideals that originated from the Enlightenment period. Each one teaching lessons and implanting important morals into each viewer’s mind with the intention of spreading good morality to as many as possible.

Works Cited

Kauffmann, Angelica. Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to her Children as Her Treasures.

Lucientes, Francisco de Goya. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters: Plate 43 of The Caprices (Los Caprichos) (18.64.43). In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org. March 7,2013. Web. March 5, 2013.

West, Benjamin. The Death of General Wolfe. In the National Gallery of Canada (No. 8007). http://www.gallery.ca. Web. March 4, 2013.

 

A Baroque David

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, David, marble, 1623-24 (Galleria Borghes) 

Above is Bernini’s famous statue of the Biblical character David in the midst of defeating the giant, Goliath. Unlike most Davids that preceded Bernini’s, which depicted the battle as being finished, Bernini depicts David as the battle is just beginning. David is tense, readying his sling and biting his lip in anticipation of the battle which is about to commence. Although one of Bernini’s predecessors, Michelangelo also carved David preparing for battle, Bernini was able to capture an intensity and pure anticipation of battle that Michelangelo, in my opinion, was lacking.

The statue of Bernini’s David, that we see above, is drenched with symbolism. The armor is thrown to the ground beside David, as is mentioned in the Bible. The partially buried harp, although it is not in the Biblical story of David, does have many personal and religious meanings. One possible meaning could be, “Sometimes you have to set aside the things that you’ve become familiar with in order to step into a place where you are truly needed.” These symbolic references I believe are due to the influence of the Council of Trent which believed that art should give spiritual and biblical reference and that the references should be visible to all manner of people. Analysts and critics of Khan academy agree saying that some of the symbolism behind Bernini’s David expressed “the way the church itself felt as they were battling against Luther.”

My purpose for choosing this piece is not because of its popularity, but because I feel that Bernini far surpassed his predecessor’s attempts at creating a David that the world could see by creating a David that the world could relate to. Bernini captured the intensity of battle, which I had not seen in any other before and he was able to keep the entire statue very real and masterfully balanced within the form of realism. But by far my favorite thing about this piece is the amount of skillfully placed symbolism, that not only briefly summarizes the story of David, but also has relevant and personal meanings for every individual viewer.

I am honestly interested in what you – the other viewers – translate the meanings of the symbolism in this piece. Please leave a comment of your own interpretation if you feel comfortable.

Works Cited:

Bernini,Gian Lorenzo, David, marble, 1623-24 (Galleria Borghese, Rome). Web. February 19, 2013.

Khanacademy.org. Web. February 20, 2013.

Reformation Influence

Christ and the Adulteress, mid-1540s
Lucas Cranach the Elder (Germany, 1472–1553)
Oil on wood

Above is a painting by Lucas Cranach of Christ and the Adulteress, which is a famous story from the Bible. I chose this painting because although it is inspired by a famous story from the Bible the theme which Cranach gave the painting is set in a different time than when the actual story took place. Also my professor posted a link to his work. Cranach gave the characters in the picture (except Jesus) the appearance of being from the same era as the himself; painting them in suits of armor and European clothing. However Jesus is wearing a robe connecting him to the correct time and culture, but Cranach is somehow able to maintain an overall European appearance. This piece could have been very controversial in its day due to the fact that it portrayed Jesus as being the savior of the woman without having any obvious catholic reference, showing that the catholic church had nothing to do with salvation. This point comes in alignment with Martin Luther’s findings in the Bible and the beliefs of the protestants; and it is translated into European characters relating it to the time which it was created. Also in the top edge of the painting the words in German saying, “He who is with out sin among you, let him cast the first stone,” (John 8:7).  All of this would have possibly made it a very controversial piece during the Reformation.

In the art itself the people’s faces are all varied in expression and compressed into a crowd around Jesus, giving the piece a lively feeling. I like this piece because it seems completely void of mannerism’s influence; it is balanced in its portrayal of its characters and geometric in design, having Jesus in a central position, leaning towards Cranach’s largely humanist style. I also love the choice of colors in the piece; the colors that Cranach chose give a modern feel and a brightness that is visible even in the deeper shades of colors. But by far my favorite part of this piece, besides its controversial nature is the expressions of the two knights on the right-hand side. I love the almost comical feel they have which also adds to the light of the piece, taking it from the stoning of the woman to the joy that comes from the thought of being rescued.

Something I found interesting was that was Cranach was a close friend of Luther (Cranach.org), which would have made this particular piece very controversial not only because of it’s content but Cranach’s relation to Luther.

Works Cited

Metmuseum.org. February 8, 2013. (Web). February 11, 2013.

Cranach, Lucas. Christ and the Adulteress, ~1540 (Web). February 11, 2013.

Cranach.org. Fort Wayne, Indiana. February 8, 2013. (Web). February 11, 2013.

I Love Drawing

Ever since I was about three I’ve been drawing things almost constantly but after years of crayons I started drawing with pencils and now that is the only thing I will use. This picture was done with a number 2 pencil only. The reason for me only using pencils is because I am absolutely horrid at colors particularly the detailed balance in shading with colors, but that doesn’t stop me from trying occasionally.

First Post

Hi, my name is Nathanael and I have lived in Alaska all my life, I love it here, as crazy as it sounds I even love the cold weather. I’m a freshman year college student studying for a degree in petroleum engineering. I decided to take this course not only because it’s required for my degree but also because I enjoy all different kinds of art and I wanted to further my understanding about art itself. I am taking my classes distance ed. for two reasons: 1. I found it to be cheaper 2. I recently went through a major knee surgery which rendered me immobile for over six months. But on a hood note i am recovering rapidly and should be fine within the next year. I am honestly looking forward to hearing from the other students in my class and looking forward to experiencing art in new ways.