Blog #8 – Non Western #2

This piece of art was created by Wisdom Edinam Kudowor, aka “Wiz”, of Ghana and is titled Fired. It is acrylic on canvas and just touches some part of me unseen. The image of a woman who is possibly pregnant can be seen in the flames which adds to the mystery of the piece. Who is this woman, why is she on fire, why does her face look so lost and forlorn? The contrast between the red/yellow colors with the blues/grays is very pleasing to the eye for me. Also, the shapes of the flames seem to produce other less obvious images that I can only speculate at, which is something I really enjoy in art: a hidden and not-so-obvious message or image that the observer must find for themselves.

There is a quote from Wiz that outlines his expectations for his works: ”I don`t expect anything from the viewer. I work to satisfy my own whims and caprices – to free myself from the stresses and strains of daily life. If the end product appeals positively or negatively, this is a bonus.” So therefore, Wiz does not provide what he was imagining when he finishes a piece of art. He graduated from Ghana’s College of Art at the University of Science and Technology in 1981 with first class honours in Arts and has sold his paintings around the world. The topics and styles of his works have a wide range and each one is better than the last. I encourage anyone to follow the link below to view some more of Wiz’s works and learn more about the painter. He truely is a wonderful artist.

http://www.african-encounters.com/artist_overview.aspx?aid=3 

Blog #7 Non-Western

Shaded Dwellings among Streams and Mountains
Dong Qichang (Chinese, 1555–1636)
Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Source: Dong Qichang: Shaded Dwellings among Streams and Mountains (1979.75.2) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This piece is such a wonderful work of art! I love how the artist was ablt to create such an elaborate picture usuing only ink and paper. The brush stokes are done in caligraphy style which just make this piece stand out as a work of art in my mind. The detail and shading are amazing and it looks extremely realistic.

With this piece, Dong sought to return to the literati tradition of ancient artists because he thought that the styles of his time were “decadent” and “perverse.” This work is based on work done by another Dong, this time Dong Yuan. The work as a whole is considered a blending of “abstract, cubic, and dynamically expressive masses” which all add to the total vivality of this piece.

Blog #6 – Art Exhibit

The theme for my art exhibit is “A Call for Change: Political Art in Our Times.” I chose this theme because throughout modern history at least art has played a significant role is politics. It is often used as a median in which the general public is informed about certain topics that they otherwise may not know about. It can be used to sway the public in the direction the artist wants. This was seen heavily in the propaganda of World War II which was used to keep public opinion high and influence them to do what the government needed at that time. Today, art is still a huge player in politics. I am sure most people have seen political cartoons aimed at showing faults in political figures’ through humor. But here I am going to focus more so on political paintings and the like.

John Robertson is the first artist I would like to talk about. He is a self-taught artist who creates art in many different styles and genres, one of which is political art. John’s art career began in 1991 when he quit his 23 year job as a senior executive for a large retail cooperation and decided to pursue his interest in art full-time.

The first work I would like to present by Robertson is called Type Fifty – Pisoner on Flag. With regards to the title Robertson said “I have no idea what the type fifty means. It just seemed the right words for the image.” He also includes this quote by Abraham Lincoln “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” This painting shows a very strong image because ther normal collors of the American flag are replaced with the blakc and white typical of jumpsuits worn by prisoners and the prisoner on the flag is whereing the red, white, and blue from the flag. This symbolism to me exemplifies Lincoln’s quote and shows to me that Robertson is warning us in America to protect our freedoms and not let the government get powerful enough to take it away.

The next piece by Robertson I would like  to share is Now Cough which in Robertson’s own words has a meaning that is pretty self explanitory. It is a work against smoking and uses words as well as dripping red color to display what smoking does to a person. I personally like how the red paint looks like dripping blood and drives home the point that smoking kills lives. I know first hand this fact having lost a grandfather to it.

Due to content discretion is advised is perhaps one of my favorite pieces of social commentary that Robertson has done because it reflects the dire times this world is facing right now. The words in the painting illustrate that what is going on around the world is “not suitable for all ages” so to speak and I think that it reminds the person viewing this work of that fact. I find this work kind of humorous but at the same time I want to do something to make the world better than what it is and to someday have the “discretion advised” taken off.

This final painting by Robertson is a portrait of Barack Obama with the words “move on” written in red by his face. Robertson submitted this portrait to an art show in Denver for the Democratic National Convention and was not accepted. Robertson says “the artwork was not accepted – probably for one of two reasons – either they understood the art or they didn’t. Either way they didn’t select the portrait for showing. There are at least three meanings to the words on the painting – for your interpretation.” I think I will keep my interpretation to myself and hope you can come up with your own.

Barack Obama Portrait

Pierre Riche is the next artist I would like to showcase in my exhibit. He has been producing metal sculpture since 1992 after he taught himself how to arc-weld while attending the Art Institute in Chicago. He says that his landlord at that time asked his to do some welding repairs and that during that process he almost burnt down his building twice (I thought that was quite funny, he also caught his pants on fire lol).

Melting Flag is Riche’s first piece of political art and seems to scream that the American way is melting away. While this piece of art does show trouble for America, Riche has this to say “I will first say that as messed up as America is that i love this country and what it is intended to represent from our founding forefathers who designed our constitution. God bless America.” In his blog Riche talks about how our constitutional rights are melting away. I encourage you to read more at http://richeart.com/blog/index.php/category/political-art/.

 Jennifer Herrman is the artist for these next three paintings. I was unable to get any biological information for her or anything but the titles of the pieces. I personally think they make a great statement concerning the treatment of animals but they are just added works because of the lack of information on the artist and individual pieces. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

What’s for Dinner? Animals sitting at the table

 The Farm: Factory Farming

The Ear Mouse:The ear mouse is a real experiment. Great minds think alike.

 

http://www.streetcredart.com/index.html

http://www.jenniferherrman.com/gallery/25182/Turning%20The%20Tables

Blog #5 Early Modern

Rhapsody In Blue by George Gershwin is perhaps my favorite piece of music out of this era. It was written in 1924 and combines classical sounds and styles with that of jazz. Jazz was one of the great innovations in music to come out of the Harlem Renaissance and it was based on the rhythms of western Africa. This piece offers many of the characteristics of jazz like syncopated and swing rhythms and bent notes. I personally love the sounds the instruments can acheive in this style of music and the way this piece makes me think about busy city life with people all bustling about. Jazz, at least in my opinion, is one of the most magnificent advances that music saw in the 20th century. I can’t imagine music without it. The different rhythms and improvizations are so fun to play and hear.

References

http://www.last.fm/music/George+Gershwin/_/Rhapsody+in+Blue

Blog #4 Impressionism

I must say that I am a complete fan of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. I love the subject matter, the different styles and looks that painting came out with for these styles. There are many examples of wonderful art from these two styles but I will choose a select few to share.

This painting is called Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and is an excellant example of the use of colors to create a form which is one of the conventions of Impressionistic and Post-Impressionistic paintings. It just captures the imagination and although the houses and such look a little crude it still produces a wonderment and a rather unconventional feeling of awe. This work was made in Saint-Rémy, France: June, 1889, and is still one of the most memorable and well-known paintings in the world. This style of this painting is unlike any previous styles in that it is a little crude with less attention to what perfection meant back in the classical era. The lines and colors aren’t as smooth and lifelike as then, which adds to the mystery of the piece in my opinion.

The Bath, 1885-6

The Tub, 1886

 After the Bath, 1886

These three paintings by Edgar Degas offers a study of natural movement through a series of almost an almost intrusive nature. Each painting of this women is done in a vantage point that gives the impression that the women does not know that anyone can see her. These three paintings are very beautiful and offer a glimpse at the natural beauty of the female body while capturing the impression of that one instance. Impressionist paintings often sought to capture the fleeting moment and while this is a rather ordinary subject matter–a person taking a bath–it still offers a timeless moment and an impression on that moment.

Impressionism and Post-Impressionism offer so much more than their previous styles in that the subject matter is entirely open and the interpretation of the art is almost completely up to the viewer. These styles, in my opinion, are better able to elicit some type of reaction out of the viewer simply because everybody’s reaction is different and their views are completely individualistic.

Mozart’s Symphony 40

Mozart Symphony 40 movement 1 (they are a little quiet so turning up the volume would not be such a bad idea)

Mozart Symphony 40 movement 2

Mozart Symphony 40 movement 3

Mozart Symphony 40 movement 4

Mozart’s Symphony 40 is one of my favorite pieces of music from the classical era. Mozart wrote it in the summer of 1788. It captures the basic structure of a symphony and is such a delight to listen to. The differences in tempo, the variations on the melody and the wonderful dynamics just makes one become almost catatonic listening to it. I find the music so spellbinding and wonderful.

I think the structure of the symphony and the lyricism within the piece are definitely some of the allure this symphony had to the public. Even though when Mozart wrote this he was facing dire circumstances with a decline in popularity and marital troubles, this piece is still one of his better known works. This is probably due to the fact that people know very little about it. All that is known is that it is one of two or perhaps maybe three symphonies that he wrote in a minor key (which adds a much more dark, gloomy, or sinister sound at times). Some speculate that what he was dealing with when he wrote this piece probably was showing through with the darker tone.

Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos that are each named after a season. He composed these works in 1723 and published them in 1725. They are most likely were in direct response to four sonnets written earlier by an unknown author (most people believe that it was Vivaldi himself that wrote them) which is entirely plausible because the sonnets are broken up into three pieces corresponding to the three movements in the concertos. When he wrote these concertos he was employed by Pio Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, a home for orphaned children. The Pietà focused on teacher young girls who showed promise music and they paid for Vivaldi to write concertos. When these were performed nobles attended which increased the popularity of his music and most likely influenced what kind of music he wrote. The support of the nobles definitely allowed and encouraged the creation of music at this establishment. Because Vivaldi wrote his music after the Council of Trent, and because Vivaldi was a member of the priesthood for a time, one can surmise that its influence on music might have carried over to his work. The Council decided music should be accessible and easily understood. Well this is exactly what Vivaldi did with his four concertos. Each one is named after a season and is accompanied by a sonnet so that the meaning and feeling of the music could be grasped by the masses.

What I found most appealing about the work was the interesting lyricism the instruments had in there parts, the different sounds, tempos, and feelings each movement of every concerto brought. They are so masterfully written that every moment is accompanied by blissful harmony or artistic and entrancing discord. It will always be one of the most well known pieces from the Baroque era for its incredible sound.

1. Concerto No.1 in D Major RV 269 :SPRING: – Allegro (3:21)

2. Concerto No.1 in D Major RV 269 :SPRING: – Largo (2:09)

3. Concerto No.1 in D Major RV 269 :SPRING: – Allegro (3:39)

4. Concerto No.2 in g minor RV 315 :SUMMER: – Allegro non molto (5:14)

5. Concerto No.2 in g minor RV 315 :SUMMER: – Allegro : Adagio – Presto – Adagio (1:52)

6. Concerto No.2 in g minor RV 315 :SUMMER: – Presto (2:38)

7. Concerto No.3 in F Major RV 293 :AUTUMN: – Allegro (5:06)

8. Concerto No.3 in F Major RV 293 :AUTUMN: – Adagio molto (1:51)

9. Concerto No.3 in F Major RV 293 :AUTUMN: – Allegro (3:10)

10. Concerto No.4 in g minor RV 297 :WINTER: – Allegro non molto (3:10)

11. Concerto No.4 in g minor RV 297 :WINTER: – Largo (1:28)

12. Concerto No.4 in g minor RV 297 :WINTER: – Allegro (2:58)

Venus Anadyomene (Venus Rising From the Sea): Titian 1520

Venus Anadyomene is an exceptional piece created by Titian in about 1520 to prove “that he could rival the art of antiquity and that he could make the ideal appear real” (National Galleries of Scotland).  It was a direct response to an account of a lost work done by Apelles, a famous ancient Greek artist. Titian chose the same pose described and created a masterpiece. With this piece he epitomized the idea of humanism and directly reinvented art from antiquity.

According to the Greek poet Hesiod, Venus was born from the sea completely grown and was washed to shore on a scallop shell. In this painting by Titian, the shell is miniature and probably serves only as a way to show that the painting is of Venus’s birth. The female form depicted by Titian is one of real human beauty and by making it so he is celebrating what it means to be human and showing that the perfect beauty of Venus is mirrored in the human female. Venus is not very reserved or modest in this painting but she is also not overly bold or suggestive either. In a way she is showing those that view here that she is confident about her appearance and the splendor it holds by simply calmly wringing her hair of water. She is composed and shows what humanism is all about—the beauty and celebration of the human form.

I find this piece rather beautiful because it is masterfully created and artfully drawn. The figure of Venus is pleasing to the eye and there is something about her expression that is rather alluring. She is thinking about something but I have no idea what it could be. The colors are subtle, yet capture the full presence of this goddess. The fact that she is not portrayed as beyond human is something I really like (and yes I do know that that is partially the whole point of humanism in the Renaissance).

The link to the National Galleries of Scotland is http://www.nationalgalleries.org/index.php/collection/online_search/4:324/results/0/8687/

Hello, I am Justin Cannon

Hey Everyone,

This is my first blog ever so the course I am taking will definitely help familiarize me with the whole blogging movement. Hope to have great interactions with all of you and hope you like what I have to say.

Justin