#8. NON WESTERN : 2

 

Chinese ceramic ware shows a continuous development since the pre-dynastic periods, and is one of the most significant forms of Chinese art.  Chinese Ceramics range from construction materials such as bricks and tiles, to hand-built pottery vessels fired in bonfires or kilns.  Porcelain is so identified with China that it is still called “china” in everyday English usage [1].

 

I chose “Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration”.  I really like this plate because the artist well expressed a fish in the center looks like swimming in a pond.  It was created in Yuna dynasty (1279 – 1368), mid 14^th century.  This splendid plate is an especially strong example of a distinctive group of heavily potted mid-fourteenth-century Chinese blue-and-white porcelains.  It is charged with vitality with unerring strokes of his cobalt-tipped brush, the artist had managed to portray a fish swimming with great exuberance among aquatic plants. The base of the plate is unglazed, and the unglazed body had burned typical reddish brown [3].

 

The first Chinese blue and white wares were as early as the ninth century in Henan province, China [2].  The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) is a key period for the development of the firing techniques of the Blue and White Porcelain in China.  The Blue and White Porcelain had become major porcelain product of china by the Ming (1368-16644) and Quing Dynsties (1368-1911) [4]. 

 

 

 

 

References

 

[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_ceramics

[2]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_and_white_porcelain

[3]. http://arts.cultural-china.com/en/31Arts4332.html

[4].http://202.194.48.102/englishonline/culture/chinaculture/ChinaCulture/en_madeinchina/2005-06/09/content_69512.htm

 

 

#7. Non Western : 1

 

Spring Morning in the Han Palace was painted by Qiu Ying.  I could not find exact date of painting was done.  Qiu Ying (1494? – 1552) was a Chinese painter who specialized in the gongbi brush technique.  He was born to a peasant family in Taicang and studied painting under Zhou Chen in Suzhou.  He painted with the support of wealthy patrons, creating images of flowers, gardens, religious subjects, and landscapes in the fashions of the Ming Dynasty, and acquired a few wealthy patrons [1].

 

I really like Spring Morning in the Han Palace because Qiu Ying used Gongbi technique.  Gongbi is a careful realist technique in Chinese painting, the opposite of the interpretive and freely expressive xieyi style.  The gongbi style had its beginnings approximately 2000 years ago during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD).  The gongbi technique uses highly detailed brushstrokes that delimits details very precisely and without independent or expressive variation [2].

 

In Spring Morning in the Han Palace, Qiu’s use of the brush was meticulous and refined, and his depictions of landscapes and figures were orderly and well-proportioned.  In addition to his paintings being elegant and refined, they are also quite decorative.  There are 115 characters in the painting, most of them concubines.  There are also imperial children, eunuchs and painters.  This hand scroll work is a representation of various daily activities in the palace in the early spring [3].

 

 

References

[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qiu_Ying

[2]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongbi

[3]. http://www.china.org.cn/top10/2011-11/08/content_23854076_2.htm

 

 

 

 

#6. Post Modern

Rx Art works by Jeff Koons at Advocate Hope children’s Hospital 2010.

Jeff Koons is an American artist known for his reproductions of banal objects such as Balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces [1].  Jeff Koons worked on ambitious projects at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois [2].  To create the installation, the Philips CT Scanner was painted, and decals featuring Koons’ Monkeys were applied to the machine.  His iconic Balloon Dog, Hanging Heart, and Donkey imagery were also installed to brighten the room as wallscapes [3].  This project was made possible through the generosity of Kiehl’s since 1851 and Jeff Koons, who generously took no artist fee for his participation in this project. I think Jeff koons did a great work on this CT Scanner project at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital.  This room is filled with bright colors, monkey heads, and a huge dog balloon.  I think anything that could make a child, and their worried parents, feel less scared in a situation like this absolutely inspirational.

A Closer Winter Tunnel, 2006 by David Hockney

Interior with Lamp, 2003 by David Hockney

Saturday Rain I, 2003 by David Hockney

David Hockney is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer.  An important contributor to the Pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the twentieth century [4].  A closer winter tunnel, February-March 2006 was the first of his multiple canvas paintings.  This 6 part painting was painted not in the studio but entirely on the spot with Hockney moving from one canvas to another, assembling the units together to see the overall effect as a very large picture [5].  Interior With Lamp is watercolor on paper on 6 sheets, and Saturday Rain I was painted in two panel with watercolor.  I like his contemporary art because his delicate painting showing a mastery of both detail and perspective.  I also like the technique that he uses different sheets of papers put together to make paintings instead of one big paper.

 

References

[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Koons

[2]. http://www.highsnobiety.com/2010/07/01/rxart-x-jeff-koons-art-at-advocate-hope-childrens-hospital/

[3].http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=39063#.UKSkfhy6OsY

[4]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hockney

[5]. http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/239.2007.a-f/

#5. Early Modern Art and The Great Depression

Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II.  It was the longest, most widespread, and deepest depression of the 20^th century [1].  The economic collapse, and the political instability caused by World War I led the rise of fascism in Europe to World War II.  It had devastating effects on all sectors of the economy for over a decade.  Hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, businesses failed and financial institutions collapsed [2].

I chose the “American Farm” painted in 1936 by Joe Jones.  He made this painting of an American Farm while the United States was suffering from the Great Depression.  Winds swept across the plains and dust storms darkened the sky, leaving layers of dust everywhere, even inside the buildings.  The farmhouse sits on a little patch of green grass overlooking the desolate landscape.  The barn on the left looks as though it has been blown sideways by the wind, and there is not a single person in sight [3].  This painting truly influenced by The Great Depression and I can see that the artist expressed his feelings and thoughts how devastating period to the American people.

 

 

References:

 

[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression

[2]. http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/causeww2.html

[3]. http://whitney.org/ForKids/Collection/JoeJones

#4. Impressionism

The Impressionist style of painting was a new look at visual art in the late 19^th Century.  A group of painters began to focus on the sensationalism of a scene.  The result was one of the most unique art movements in history [1].

Manet influenced the development of impressionism.  He painted everyday objects.  Pissaro and Sisley painted the French countryside and river scenes.  Degas enjoyed painting ballet dancers and horse races.  Morisot painted women doing everyday things.  Renoir loved to show the effect of sunlight on flowers and figures.  Monet was interested in subtle changes in the atmosphere [2].

Impressionist works are sometimes described as ‘captured moments’ and are characterized by short quick brushstrokes of color which, when viewed up close looks quite messy and unreal.  If you step back from and Impressionist painting, however, the colors are blended together by our eyes and we are able to see the painter’s subject [3].  Impressionist technique challenged the smooth finish demanded by the Academie des Beaux-Arts.  However, the sketchiness or patchiness found in many Impressionist paintings is not the result of carelessness or incompetence, as was implied by critics.  It was as intentional device used by these painters to convey something of the experience of the rapid movement or variety in a scene [4].

“The Morning on the Seine near Giverny” painted by Claude Monet in 1897. The painting was begun in 1896 but not completed until 1897 because of inclement weather.  For nearly 2 years, Claude Monet left his Giverny house well before dawn to travel a few miles to the Seine River where he could paint from his floating studio.  He routinely left his house at 3:30 AM to make sure that he was at the river to capture the early morning light through the fog that often covered the Seine.  He painted quickly to capture the atmospheric effects before the fog evaporated.  By late morning, he normally returned home as the effect had disappeared at the point [5].

This painting is one of art that I like among Impressionist paints.  Its colors of pinkish mauve, cool blues, and greens are matched with large, simple, rounded shapes and the technique that he used for the fog is amazing.  I do not hate Impressionist arts, however I personally like paintings from Baroque Era much better than the Impressionist arts.  One of my favorite painting  is “The Loves of the Gods” painted by the Bolognese artist Annibale Carracci in the Farnese Gallery.  It is more naturalistic, being straightforward, clear, legible.

References

[1] http://www.ehow.com/how_2052429_paint-impressionism-style.html

[2] http://www.cs.ucf.edu/~MidLink/Impress.html

[3] http://www.theartgallery.com.au/kidsart/learn/impressionism/

[4]http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/insight/virag_imptechniques/virag_imptechniques01.html

[5] http://www.squidoo.com/claude-monet-landscapes-giverny?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster

#3. Classical Era

Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata 3rd Movement

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was a German composer and pianist.  A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic ears in Western art music.  He remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers [1].  His grandfather Ludwig and his father Johann were both musicians [2]. His father was a musician at the court of Bonn, with a definite weakness for alcohol.  His mother was always described as a gentle, retiring woman, with a warm heart.  At an early age, Van Beethoven, took an interest in music and his father taught him day and night, on returning to the house from music practice, At the age of 7 1/2 , Ludwig Van Beethoven gave his first public performance at Cologne [3]. By the age of 26, Beethoven began to lose his hearing.

I really like Ludwig Van Beethoven.  He had an amazing gift for music.  His best known compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 concertos for piano, 32 piano sonatas, and 16 string quartets.  He also composed other chamber music, choral works, and songs [1].  I chose Sonata No. 17, “Tempest” 3^rd Movement.  Ludwing Van Beethoven worte his 32 piano sonatoa between 1795 and 1822.  The sonata consists of three movements including Adagio sostenuto, allegretto and presto agitato [4].  Sonata No. 17, Tempest 3^rd Movement is one of my favorite sonatas.  Tempest is dramatic in the sense that it has a somewhat romantic feel to it and more passionate than other sonata pieces.  I feel Beethoven revealed his inner self by this piece of music.

The Classical period known as the “age of enlightenment” as the power shifted from the aristocracy and church to the middle class.  During this period, the appreciation of music belonging to the middle class became patrons of music as well [5].  I think that Beethoven’s music is a lot simpler and less intense than the Mozart’s music and this is the main reason the music was demanded by the middle class during the Classical Era.  Composers catered not only to the needs of the listening public but for those in the middle class who wanted to become musicians as well.  Thus, composers wrote pieces that were easy to play [5].  Ludwig Van Beethoven is a brilliant pianist who composed many of his music being deaf and his music has been played all over the world for over 180 years.

References

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven

[2] http://home.swipnet.se/zabonk/cultur/ludwig/beetbio.htm

[3] http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._14_(Beethoven)

[5] http://musiced.about.com/od/medievalto20thcentury/a/The-Role-Of-Music-And-Composers.htm

#2 Baroque Blog

The Loves of the Gods

The Council of Trent was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church.  It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods [1].  The Council made many decisions for the church during its years in session in an effort to establish the traditions and doctrines of the church, as well as to correct the corruption within it [2].  The one of the issue that discussed was decrees concerning sacred music and religious art, though inexplicit, were subsequently amplified by theologians and writers to condemn many types of Renaissance and medieval styles and iconographies, impacting heavily on the development of these art forms [1].

The Loves of the Gods is a monumental fresco cycle, completed by the Bolognese artist Annibale Carracci in the Farnese Gallery, now the French Embassy in Rome, Italy.  Work was started in 1597 and was not entirely finished until 1608, one year before Annibales’s death.  The frescoes were greatly admired at the time, and were later considered to reflect a significant change in painting style away from sixteenth centry Mannersim to anticipation of the development of Baroque and Classicism    in Rome during the seventeenth centrury [3].

The piece is a visual display of love in Greek mythology.  The ceiling is notable because of the new style “quadro riportato” were employed.  In Loves of the Gods, there appear to be numerous framed oil paintings on the ceiling, but the ceiling is actually fresco [4].

This new style of painting truly was a Baroque style.  It is more naturalistic, being straightforward, clear, legible and rejection of mannerism [5]. I really like The Loves of the Gods made in Baroque period because The Loves of the Gods expresses importance of morality and appropriate love.  This art portrayed eternal love. I can also feel the pure love of God when viewing from a religious standpoint.

References

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Trent

[2] http://www.thenagain.info/Webchron/westeurope/CouncilTrent.html

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loves_of_the_Gods_(Carracci)

[4] http://artontap.blogspot.com/2010/02/loves-of-gods.html

[5] http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/carracci-farnese-ceiling.html

#1 Northern Renaissance Blog

 

The Merode Altarpiece

The Merode Altarpiece is one of the great masterpieces of Northern Renaissance art by the Early Netherlandish painter Robert Campin (1375 – 26 April 1444).  He is well known as the Master of Flemalle and he is the founders of the art of oil painting in the Netherlands.  Robert Campin was born in 1375 and became a citizen of Tournai in 1410.  He made a living from painting banners and receiving commissions from the city government, churches and from rich citizens.

Campin’s major work, The Merode Altarpiece is not one painting.  It is three paintings connected by hinges so that triptychs could open and close. This is great example of Northern Renaissance.  This art piece is relatively small and portable object.  This was made for someone’s private home.

This beautiful Altarpiece illustrates the moment when the Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Christ.  I was fascinated by this piece how Campin transfer a supernatural event from a symbolic setting to an everyday environment through paintings.  This painting is incredibly beautiful, with marvelous colors, textures and technique of oil painting.

The left panel the donors who commissioned the altarpiece kneeling as he witnessed the annunciation in the central panel.  Central panel of Campin’s Merode triptych, there is much symbolism in this panel.  The flame is a symbol of God.  A new shape of God is already on its way.  The lily on the table has three flowers, two open, one about to bloom. This represents The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There are so many detail on this piece although there are couple of detail I want to point out and this is one that caught my eyes.  There is a little tiny image of CHRIST surfing down on the little golden sunrays wears cross on his back heading right to Mary.  This truly appears that Christ Jesus is heading to virgin Mary’s womb.  A new shape of God is already on its way to the world. The two books represent the old and new testaments.  The panel on the right, Joseph is shown in his carpenter’s shop.  He is making a mousetraps with the tools.  This tools have a religious symbol of the Passion of Christ.  It is very interesting that the way the window shutters are put away above the Joseph’s ceiling and whole Flemealle city is showing behind the Joseph’s back.

I have notice that there is a structure problem.  In Italy by this time linear perspective was understood but There is no linear perspective.  The figures are too large for the room and it is packed with objects.  The information conveys that Northern Renaissance has different realism that based on a discovery of the world and of the self.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/Campin.html

http://www.wga.hu/tours/flemish/flemalle/index.html

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