blog #4

European Symbolism
I propose an exhibition were viewers could look at the image and take the knowledge of symbolism used to make their own perspective of what the images represents. We can start the exhibition by only showing European symbolism paintings with artist like Gustave Moreau, Odilon Rendon, James Ensor, and Edvard Munch. Will name the exhibition European Symbolism.

We first start the exhibition by letting the viewers know a little history of symbolism painting.

So will start with this information first.

In the late 1800’s European symbolists opposed the values of rationalism and material progress in the Western culture instead they explored nonmaterial realms of emotion, imagination, and spirituality. (Stokstad) Symbolists did not portrayed the traditional iconography but through ambiguous subject matter and formal stylization of hidden and exclusive meaning. Instead of giving an image a representation of the world they transformed appearances in order to give pictorial form to psychic experience. (p. 785)

Then well tell are viewers what are the four European Symbolists were going talk and view their images.

Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, James Ensor, and Edvard Munch

Will start the presentation with Gustave Moreau.

Gustave Moreau was an older academic artist who’s Symbolists recognized him as a precursor. The Symbolists admired Gustave renditions of the biblical Salome were a young Judaean princess in beginning of her mother, Herodias, Performs an erotic dance before her stepfather Herod, and demanded in return of the of John the Baptist head. (Stokstad) This peace he called The Apparition. Gustave draws the viewer’s attention by placing the saint’s head in midair with dripping blood and glowing holy light. Even though Gustave make beautiful and elaborate architecture, his styles of sensual beauty make Salome take the role of femme fatale “ the fatal woman” who attempts to destroy her male victim. This fantasy was in the imagination of Symbolists, because of feminism of the nineteenth century. (p. 786)

After the viewer knows a little information of the image, then we start asking questions about it for example if they agree with symbolists, or did they believe the picture represents something else or does the background fades away leaving the saint to be attention graver?

Then we continue with Odilon Redon.

Odilon Redon began his exhibition with the Impressionist in 1886; he departs from their artistic goals by using nature as a point of variation for fantastic visions suggestion loneliness and unhappy. Redon created black and white images he called Noirs, which is “Blacks” In his piece of The Marsh Flower, A Sad And Human Face. He has a sad face as part of flower. Making the sad face the attention point of the image. Just like in Moreau having the saint’s face in the middle of the image. Redon used black background and white to show the emotion of the sad face that is part of the flower. (p. 787)

After they this information we ask the same question what does the sad man represents, does it has to do anything with science, is he trying to combine nature and science?

Then we continue with James Ensor

James Ensor was Belgian painter and printmaker studied four years in the Brussels Academy. Like Rendor, his wired and anxious visions from observation of the real world made him create unusual images. Using his experienced he had when his family selling masks during the annual pre- Lenten carnival. Came the inspiration for his piece The Intrigue. In this image he made the people wearing the masks look comical. The sharp colors makes the image have a sense of sketching, the rough paint expressive the hardness of the people. (p. 787)

Again we ask the viewers the what was the purpose of making their faces look comical and Why did he uses such rough brush strokes in there faces does it meaning anything?

Are last artist will be Edvard Munch.

Edvard Munch most famous piece was The Scream. Which is” unforgettable image of modern alienation the merges.” Symbolists believe it was a picture of him expressing his feelings. Munch recorded the painting’s origin in his diary: “ One evening I was walking along a path; the city was on one side, and the fjord below. I was tired and ill…I sensed a shriek passing through nature…I painted this picture, painted the cloud as actual blood.” (p. 788)

Knowing this information we can tell viewer why they think used a skull to express a human person? , Why are the ears covers while the skull is screaming or is he trying to cover up something?

After completing this exhibition will have a better understanding of European symbolism and used their own imagination of what they think the image represents.

All these images have one thing in common it makes the viewer think of what the image may represent. Also the images have a non-real style to them. Making them imaginative with a sense of symbolism. Also the uses of lines and color this images used makes the viewer think of what colors used say different emotions and if thin lines are used for different gestures or decoration. All this artists used color as a big part of their image to show emotion of what they were felling. Like in Munch The Scream he used red clouds to represent blood. But question is why, all these images are asking the same question why did the artist did what he did.

I wanted to an exhibition were viewers can participate and learn and learn about the artist at the same time. Give them the chance to explore different cultures. Because there not really a wrong or right answer viewers can bring friends and families to discuss what they think the picture represents.

This is my proposal for a new exhibition project.



Sources
Stokstad, M. (2008). Art History: A view of the west, Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

Questions

1.Michelangelo Merisi is known as
a. Caravaggio
b. Shaq
c. Kobe
d. Leo

Correct Answer is Caravaggio

2.The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture began to have exhibitions of their members work. These exhibitions were known as
a. Salons
b. Peter Piper
c. Bookstores
d. Art

Correct Answer is Salons

3.Whose pastels earned her honorary membership in Rome’s Academy of Saint Luke in 1705?
a. Maria Notebook
b. Mary Kate Pencil
c. Jessica Eraser
d. Rosalba Carriera

Correct Answer is Rosalba Carriera

Blog #3

Madonna and Child, 1335 Tempera on poplar panel Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis J Ruskin
1967.55
Italian, C 1353-1349

In Jacopo Del Casentino 1335 representation of Madonna & Child featured in the Phoenix Art Museum. The large painting is presented to us with Madonna holding her child in the center of the painting with a golden background emphasizing all the attention to Madonna and Child also known as Mery and Jesus.
Even though from far away the portrait may look in perfect condition, as we get closer to portrait we can see the tempera breaking into little flakes. In the bottom half the painting the flakes start to increase. The painting was done in a polar panel. The texture of painting suggest the artist may have used oil in some parts of the painting because shinnies it bring out with the light. Which makes it easier for the viewer to observe up close than in a distance. By looking it up close you can see the smoothness of the painting.
The painting composition is asymmetrically with overlapping and diagonal perspectives. The size of Madonna and Child are asymmetrical with Madonna having a much larger body than baby Jesus. The halo of Madonna is much larger than baby Jesus with stunning decoration of leaves. The overlapping of Madonna and baby Jesus show the love of mother and child. The diagonal perspective is shown in the painting by the way Madonna and baby Jesus bodies are places an also the way their halos are place in opposite direction.
Jacopo Del Casentino used many details in this painting. But in the faces of Madonna and baby Jesus he did not put any details they pretty much look blank.
As we look closer to the painting we can see all the detail there is and iconography present in the painting. If we take a closer look to Madonna we see that she is wearing a black drapery that cover her entire body. Jacopo used of golden lines in her drapery to show her divinity instead of her body. She is also wearing a pink garment underneath the black drapery, which contrast colors making her the center of attention. The way she is holding baby Jesus symbolizes the nature and the caring she has for baby Jesus. Her eyes are gazing to the viewer with no emotion. Her halo is bigger than baby Jesus the golden and beautiful designs gives a sense of power also the flatness of the halo gives it a one dimensional look.
Baby Jesus is in a pink and orange garment with little flowers showing his bare feet. Symbolizing the kindness of a child. In one hand he is holding a scroll while in the other he is touching Madonna garment symbolizing the love for his mother. Baby Jesus halo is much smaller but you can see the detail put into the decoration of the halo he is wearing which is also one dimension. But he also has the same gaze that Madonna has no emotion just staring directly at you. Making them the center of attention.
The way Madonna and baby Jesus garments and drapery are place we can see that they are sitting on a golden throne with beautiful decoration symbolizing the strength and power they have in the world. The background has a golden color representing the gothic style, which makes Madonna, and baby Jesus the main focus.
Jacopo Del Casentino is one of many artists who painted Madonna and Child. Thought little information is known on this piece the same aspects of Madonna and Child are used in this image. The symbolizing and the geometric used suggest Madonna being a caring mother and the detail used of representing their power in the world. This painting suggests the gothic style and sense of love from mother and son.

Assignment 2

Cimabue, Giotto, and Duccio all share a different view of the Virgin with child painting. Cimabue, painted the Virgin and Child Enthroned. Cimabue used the traditional Byzantine iconography were the Virgin is pointing to the child while the child is sitting in her lap which represents a path to salvation. Angles, the Old Testament prophets, and the saints surround the Virgin and the child. He uses Byzantine style to determine the positions of saints and angles realistic style. This image is very symmetrical the angles and the saints have the same gestures of the opposite side. The Virgin is in the middle of the painting sitting in a gold throne putting all the attention to her. Her drapery is long which cover most of her body; the drapery has thin lines of gold to indicate divinity. Camabue, used dark colors for the Virgin and lights colors for the saints and angles. This elements Cimabue used the main focus in his painting of the Virgin and Child Enthroned.
Giotto, painted the same Virgin and Child Enthroned with his own unique style. Giotto also used a golden throne in the middle with Virgin and child. He uses some techniques like Camabue, having all the saints in symmetrical from each other. But in this painting Giotto has the Virgin holding the child instead pointing to the child like in Camabue painting. This makes Virgin look like a mother who is holding her child dearly. In his painting its look 3 dimensional instead of a flat surface, because of the colors and shadows he used, seems like a real space. The drapery of the Virgin makes her look larger and focuses the attention on her. These techniques made it different from the other painters. Duccio painted the Virgin and Child in Majesty. Duccio used art from the 13 century by having elongates angels piled up to each other, and the used of gold. In this painting the Virgin is holding her child while all the angles look at her. Instead of having everything symmetrical like Camabue and Giotto, he has the angles in different directions making the Virgin the main focus. Duccio uses black drapery to make her look slender. This elements help differential himself from the other painters.
Duccio also painted Nativity with prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, which represents the Nativity in the tradition of Byzantine. In this painting Duccio has Mary lying in a mattress in a cave near a mountain. In this painting Jesus appears twice lying in a table and below that with a midwife. Duccio followed the Western tradition, by placing a shed in the painting. The light and intense colors were details from the Gothic style.
All the painters had unique way drawing pictures by using different colors, textures and techniques.

Assignment 1

Hi, my name is Yesenia Salas. I am a sophomore at ASU West and currently I m pursuing a bachelor in Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance (IAP). With this degree I hope to get a career in graphic design.

I decided to take ARS 102 for the reason that my degree IAP requires you to take ARS 101 or 102 as a Humanity course, also because I really enjoyed art, and my brother took ARS 102 last year and he really enjoyed the course, he encouraged me take ARS 102. With this class I hope to gain the understanding of art from the past years and get familiar with artist from the past. Also I want to learn all the terminology of art, so when I m talking someone about art I can be talking properly.

The meaning of art to me is creativity within. By this I mean anyone can create art. There not a right way or wrong way to create art. Everyone see art in different ways. I look at art as a way an artist can show his or her emotions and reactions to what they see in the world around them. I also believed art show the personality of the artist.

One of my most memorable encounters with art was in my junior year in High School. My computer design class was studying art all around the country, every student had a different country to study and create a poster of what they had learned. My country was Japan I learned how they incorporate writing with there art. My computer design teacher decided to put all the designs into a quilt. When the quilt was finished it look so beautiful with all the different designs from all the countries. The quilt was put in the capital for everyone to see. That was my most memorable encounter with art because I learned about art from another country and all my classmate help each other to create piece of art work.