Fine Arts Lesson 7 Assignments - Essay Example

Fine Arts Lesson # 7 Assignments INTRODUCTION Renaissance is the period in Europe during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries when people became interested in the ideas and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome and used these influences in their own art and literature. During the renaissance most of the attention was given to the male gender since they were considered the great artists and creative geniuses. This clearly shows that renaissance Europe was not really the kind of environment that would nature the talents of women artists to emerge. The role of women as seen in the eyes of majority of the men during this time was to be primarily bearers of children, take care of them, and be good wives and to be subordinate inferiors of men. They were not welcomed in the male dominated professions. With time renaissance humanism opened up and a few women transcended gender role expectations. History has record of women who emerged during the renaissance period and it is said that despite the lack of gender equality during this time zone their work was magnificent. These renaissance women include: LevinaTeerlinc (1510-1576), Catharina van Hemessen (1527-1576), SofonisbaAnguissola (1531-1626), Lucia Anguissola (1540-1565), Diana ScultoriGhisi (1547-1612), Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614), Barbara Longhi (1552-1638), EstherInglis (1571-1624) Properzia de Rossi (1490-1530). It is seen that these women artists of the time tended, in regards to their male counterparts, focused on portraits of still life paintings, individuals and religious themes. We are going to look at one woman in particular from the renaissance women and this is Anguissola. 1. Reflection Assignment: Women Artists during the Renaissance Sofonisba Anguissola was the most successful of these minor female aristocrats. She benefited from humanist education and later on was privileged to gain recognition as a painter. She was born in the year 1528 at a place known as Cremona. It should be noted that Anguissola’s father was not an artist since female artists who came up during the renaissance were mostly taught by their fathers who were in turn painters. Sofonisba was the oldest of seven children in an aristocratic family and she was an apprentice of Bernardino Gatti. At the age of twenty two Sofonisba went to Rome to undertake more studies on top of the four formal years she had undergone before she came to Rome. While at Rome she met the famous Michelangelo who became her mentor. The last two decades of her life were spent in the Spanish court of Philip1 painting. The fact that Sofonisba’s father encouraged and ensured that she got education in the fine arts was an advantage that enabled her to succeed within this structured society because it is clear she had the support of her family behind her. Another aspect that enabled her to succeed was that her father consulted Michelangelo about her talent in 1557 who in turn commended her and went an extra mile and gave one of her sketches to a friend of his as a gift. This shows that her painting was good and by her painting being given out was meant to gain her exposure. The fact that she studied under BernadinoCampi together with her sibling Elena was an added advantage. She later became the apprentice to Bernadino Gatti, this shows she had exposure hence enhancing her artistic abilities to another level. The specialization of Anguissola was portraits but she also painted objects of religious matter. The subjects of her paintings were often unique since a large number of her paintings and that is portraits to be particular had several figures. They were also unique in the sense that the expressions in the figures portrayed emotions were detailed and thoughtful. A good example of a paint that portrayed these features is “The sisters of the artist and their governess”, this painting entails her siblings having a little fun by playing chess while their governess looked on. The subjects of her paintings all have expressive eyes which results to them giving the painting depth and emotion even if the setting is simple. She paid great attention to detail and it is because of this detail that gave insight to the characters of the sitters, for example, in “portrait of Sister Minerva” she included a medallion of the Roman Goddess Minerva, her sister’s counterpart and namesake. Another exquisite example is “Bernardino Campi painting sofonisbaAnguissola” in which she paints herself being painted by a man; it is considered a marvelous concept because it had not been seen before. To add to the reasons depicted above as to why her work varied to her male counterparts was the fact that her work was more lifelike compared to that of her art teacher Campi. In her paintings, Anguissola is a woman fully clothed demanding the viewer to look at the work of art she is putting forth and not her nude body, which is a sharp and important contrast in the sense that her male counterparts portraits had nude photos of women who caught your attention whether you liked it or not but in Anguissolas case it is the sad look on her face and the direct look at the viewer that catches the eye of the viewer and gets the attention of the painting. Without a doubt the renaissance was limiting to the female artists because of the simple fact that they were seen as the weaker sex before the male and they were expected to do household chores and take care of the children, in short all they were expected to do was submit to the men. For example Paolo da Certaldo, 1320 said that, “if the child a girl she should be put to sew and not to read, for it is not good for that a woman should know how to read, unless you wish her to become a nun.” This clearly shows the mentality that was carried around during that period. The upper class women placed crippling limitations on one developing artistic or even intellectual skills a woman might possess. It is a fact that women had less freedom of movement in the lower classes; they were constantly weighed down by the dangers of constant child bearing, physical strains and endless hard labor to provide for family. Another reason why renaissance was limiting is because together with the rise to humanism, a shift occurred where craftsmen shifted to artists and they were now expected to possess knowledge of the human body, ancient art, mathematics and to have knowledge of perspective. This resulted to a long struggle for women because there was a shift from the master’s workshop to the academy. The study of the human body required working from male nudes and corpses and women were generally barred from training from male nudes. 3. Reflection Assignment: The Language of Fashion It is clearly evident that the paintings in Northern renaissance have a heightened sense of realism, as well as the interest and influence of its middle class patrons, style and fashion is particularly evident, this can be seen in the portrait of “The Arnolfini wedding” which is full of symbolic imagery which is not quite evident to the normal person who doesn’t understand art. The pregnancy of the woman is a symbolic fact of the holy matrimony of bringing children into this world. Which brings us to the choice of the color of her dress which is green and it represents fertility. She pulls her dress to the front showing her willingness to bear children. Other specifically symbolic imagery is the dog that stands between them symbolizing fidelity to each other and loyalty to God. The sandals symbolize the holy ground they are standing on and the single candle they in the candelabra signifies the presence of Christ in their union. It is evident in the portrait that the two figures are richly dressed, without taking into consideration the season, both their outer garments that is her dress and his tabard and fully fined with fur. Wearing far is considered to be prestigious and is very well expensive. An assumption is that the fur for Giovanni may be expensive sable and miniver or ermine for the lady in green. Giovanni di NicolaoArfolini dons a hat dyed black and is of plaited straw which is considerably worn in summer at that time. The pigments of his tabard have faded and itmost probably was purple. Underneath he puts on doublet of patterned material, probably silk damask. Arnolfini’s wife’s dress contains elaborate dagging which is cloth folded and sewn together, then cut and frayed decoratively. The blue under dress she wears is also trimmed and with white fur. The only visible jewelryis the woman’s plain gold necklace and the plain rings. Despite of the minimal jewelry in the portrait it, should noted that both their outfits are very expensive. A brass chandelier which is large can be seen as an element of wealth. 4. Writing Assignment: Analysis of ‘The Adoration of the Shepherds’ In the portrait of Van der Goes “The Adoration of the shepherds’’ realism, symbolism and emotionalism have all been used in order to bring out the message effectively. The title is effective as it has portrays events that transpired during the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem in a shed of cattle in a pictorial manner. Many chapters in the bible describe events surrounding and after the birth of Jesus, but, the painter has effectively outlined these events in one picture. It is said in the bible that God’s angels, upon Jesus’ birth, reveal themselves to shepherds who were grazing their flock nearby and tell them the news that Jesus had been born. The shepherds become curious after the lord had reveals himself to them through angels, and, they, therefore, decide to go to Bethlehem to witness for themselves the birth of the biblical messiah. The shepherds find Mary and Joseph and the newborn Jesus lying in a manger. The shepherds later go away glorifying God for all they had seen. From the painting, aspects of symbolism, realism and emotionalism of all the characters have all been outlined by Hugo. The painting was made by Hugo van der Goes in 1475 for Tommaso Portinari who at that time was a representative of the Florentine Medici bank in Bruges. The painting is a simple one but on second sight, it reveals noteworthy artistic impressions. Not only does it have a good composition, but it also exhibits meticulous and detailed content upon observation. Actually, ever since the painting was transferred to Florence in 1483, many master painters like Domenico Ghirlandaio admired it due to its artistic genius. Looking at the painting closely, the first thing that attracts you is the newborn who is lying at the center of the picture. Surrounding the tiny baby are many people including the parents, Joseph and Mary, two angels and other people. Amongst these people, there are the shepherds whom the angels had revealed themselves to and possibly neighbors and passersby. The manner in which the painter has portrayed the baby is symbolic in that, the baby is out of proportion and small in order to bring out the aspect of frailness and vulnerability. These attributes have further been enhanced by the child’s nudity and the way it has been placed on a harsh and cold ground. Baby Jesus, like all newborns is helpless and vulnerable to environmental agents. Therefore, in order to portray the baby as being frail, helpless and vulnerable, the painter had to paint the baby smaller than normal. This is symbolic. There are two groups of angels in the portrait, there are those who are magnificently dressed with gold-brocaded cloaks, cheerful hats with red feathers and color of their wings and contrasting with these angels is the other group which is completely dressed in white. The difference in the dressing code of these two parties of angels symbolizes the difference in world hierarchy: cardinals and bishops versus priests. On the other side of the frame are two angels dressed in blue and they represent the religious orders. Thus the three groups can refer to the combined clergy of the Catholic Church. The angels are painted smaller to show that they are dream figures and are still fresh in the minds of the shepherds. Next to the baby is the Virgin Mary, who is shown to be in a standing posture praying. From her expression, it is clear that Mary cherishes and adores the newborn. The painter has used Mary to bring out the themes of realism and emotionalism. Realism in the sense that, Mary just like any mother was loving and caring towards the baby, and emotionalism in the sense that, through her expression, she seemed marveled by the news that the shepherds had brought. Mary is symbolic of protection and security to the frail and helpless newborn. The same applies to Joseph. These two parents of Jesus stand next to the baby, guarding the baby from any harm that would face it. Mary seems to be pondering about all these issues. The shepherds are rough peasants, who look naive and simple with rustic faces. This is realism in representation. The first announcement of Christ’s birth was made to shepherds, and this is symbolic in that the Christian religion was addressed to poor people in Jewish traditions. Therefore, the painting portrays this fact by showing the shepherds being realistically rough and poor. The message here is that religion only appealed to destitute masses of the Roman Empire. Van der Goes has used symbolism even in his colors and this is evident when he painted Joseph wearing a red cloak showing that he gave his love and understanding to Mary even if she gave birth to a child whom he did not father. Mary is wearing blue and blue is a color for the heavens. By using this color the artist was symbolizing that Mary was a holy, belonging to the heavens and spiritual world. However, Mary’s light blue color contrasts a bit to the deep blue of the angels at the background. This was just to show that even though Mary was holy and heavenly like the angels, she still belonged to the earth. At the downright corner the artist added a splendid scene of richly clad angels and this was to symbolize the royal descent of Jesus and the magnificence of God of which Jesus was the realization on earth. We cannot also fail to notice angels who are dressed in blue at the opposite side of the angels in white. These angels are symbolic of religious orders. To the right of the picture, there is another group of angels who are dressed magnificently. They are clad in gold-brocaded garments and cheerful hats which had red feathers. Their wings are also colored. The artist’s use of three groups of angels is symbolic in the sense that they represent the clergy in the church. However, in the bible, the angels had departed long before the shepherds arrived, but the artist includes them in the picture just for their symbolic value. Furthermore, the angels have been painted smaller than the other figures as a way of showing that these were dream figures that only existed in the memories of the angels, having met them moments ago. Beneath the child there is a bushel of wheat, which represented the bread of the host, and thus the Eucharist and the waiting death of Jesus. There are lilies in a vase, sword lilies or irises, symbolizes the sorrow that will pierce her heart. Present in the portrait are also blue flowers which are herbs and are used to wield off evil spirits, thus they are symbols of Christ who will have victory over evil. Through the characters, we also learn that Hugo van der Goes was passing across principles of emotionalism. The faces of all the characters have been painted meticulously, depicting their emotions. Probably, the other figures in the painting are Saint Thomas, Saint Margaret and Anthony. Saint Thomas appears naive while Anthony seems mild and pensive. On the other hand, Saint Margaret is interested and alert while Mary Magdalene has a melancholic mood. Even the peasant shepherds all portray different moods. 5. Writing Assignment: Renaissance vs. Mannerist Styles Mannerism is regarded as a period European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian high renaissance around 1520. History has it that it lasted until about 1580 in Italy when a more baroque style began to replace it but northern mannerism continued into the early 17th century. Renaissance basically dealt with illusionistic and naturalistic characteristics. The artist’s main purpose was to present what they had observed without putting exaggeration. The artists used the ideas of optics in order to create illusions that would put across realistic works. For example Michelangelo sculptured David’s hands larger so that when viewed from the ground the image it presents is of proportion to the rest of the body. Mannerism is less realistic because the people are more slender and their body parts are not in proportion. In this setting the artist is creating work based on the way they want them portrayed which seems to be dramatic. For example the drama can be seen in painting the Madonna of the long neck, just as the name implies the woman has a long neck and the baby is as well out of proportion. Michelangelo has had an influence over this works. Due to the love of the human anatomy he has been making sculptures as well as painted humans in contorted, uncomfortable positions as we see in the sculptures on the Medici tomb. The body parts are elongated and exaggerated. Mannerist artists bring more light and brightness into their works. As renaissance progresses into mannerism it shows that the artist is beginning to gain control over their own works. For example, as exemplified as Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine chapel. 6. Writing Assignment: Space and Movement in Baroque Art Baroque is a term in fine art that was widely used in the time between 1590 and 1720 AD. Derived from the Portuguese term “barocco”, its literal meaning is an irregular stone. This term embraced architecture, painting and sculpture during this time period. Baroque art was a representation of religious tensions that existed during this time period. Notably was the Catholic Church’s desire in Rome as it was trying to reassert itself in a period when Protestant reformation was on the rise. Across Europe, Catholic Monarchs and Emperors had massive stake in the manner in which the Catholic Church operated. As a result of this, Baroque art in the form of paintings, sculptures and architectural designs were commissioned by Royal Courts of France, Spain and many more countries. This was done as a way of strengthening the political position of these Royal Courts. On the other hand, Baroque Art in Protestant regions like Holland had little or no religious content whatsoever. In these protestant regions, the aim of Baroque art was to appeal to middle class people. Furthermore, the aim of the Baroque art was to appeal to the ever increasing financial strength of the middle classes and merchants. Apart from this, Baroque architecture was designed so as to create illusion and spectacle. As a result of this, aspects of the renaissance period were replaced in a great deal. Dramatization and the suggestion of movement have been generally accepted as characteristics of the baroque style since the publication of Heinrich Wolflin’s renaissance and baroque half a century ago. Numerous authors have developed this concept further and applied it to painting, sculpture and architecture as against the more static concinnitas of the renaissance. The meaning of the term baroque is two-fold. Historically, the baroque era stretches from about Michelangelo’s death in 1564 to the middle of the 18th century, when the period called either neo-classiscm or classical revival sets in. However, the aesthetic development does not coincide with the historical evolution. What is historically called baroque divides aesthetically into two tendencies. On the other hand, during the same centuries there exists classicist approach, based on palladio and the vitruvian academy, leaning heavily on ancient examples, regular, reticent in expression, sometimes of a certain dryness, which often leads to the reproach of “academisicm”. This latter trend prevailed in France, but in Italy the baroque dramatized the more formal schemes of the renaissance, thus relinquishing the basic idea of coincinitas. This ideal, which implied organized regularity as the governing factor, faded and there developed an unlimited variety of freer solutions on a larger scale. Because of the handling of light in German, Spanish or Mexican churches of this period expresses the climax of baroque interiors, so “arrested movement” represents the climax of baroque ideas in city planning. To define the meaning of “arrested movement” one does to compare works of the late 16th century, the early baroque e.g. Michelangelo’s Campidoglio and the original piazza delpopolo in Rome- with creations of the 17th century. 7. Reflection Assignment: Debating Rococo’s Role in the French Revolution The term rococo style, or the rococo, refers to a style of decoration current in Europe, particularly France, during the 18th century. It applies both to interior decoration and to ornaments. By extension it may also be applied to some sculpture, paintings, furniture, and architectural details, although hardly to architecture as such. It was a style of high fashion and had few popular forms.The revival of the rococo occurred gradually during the 19th century, beginning as a vogue for collecting French 18th-century pictures and furniture and for imitation rococo interiors. The earliest rococo forms appeared around 1700 at Versailles and its surrounding chateaux as a reaction against the oppressive formality of French classical-baroque in those buildings. In 1701 a suite of rooms at Versailles, including the king's bedroom was redecorated in a new, lighter, and more graceful style by the royal designer, Pierre Lepautre (1648-1716). Versailles remained the creative center of the rococo until Louis XIV's death, in 1715, after which the initiative passed to Paris. Successive waves of the style during the Regency (1715-23) and the long reign of Louis XV (1723-74) may be seen in such Parisian interiors as the Hotel de Toulouse - GalerieDoree, 1718-19, by Francois Antoine Vasse (1681-1736); the Hotel de Lassay -- late 1720s, by Jean Aubert (d. 1741); and the Hotel de Soubise - 1736-39, by GermainBoffrand (1667-1754). The essence of rococo interior decoration is twofold; first, the forms are almost flat instead of being, as in baroque schemes, in high relief; second, architectural and sculptural features are eliminated so that the designer is confronted with a smooth surface, interrupted only by the window recesses and the chimneypiece. In a typical rococo decorative scheme, series of tall wooden panels, decorated with brilliantly inventive carved and gilded motifs in low relief, are arranged around the room. After 1720 the panels were usually painted ivory white and the motifs tended to be concentrated at the tops, bottoms, and centers with straight moldings down the sides. Further motifs appeared on the dadoes and along the coving, which replaced the cornice, at the tops of the walls. The forms were fine and were originally based on ribbons; later forms consisted mainly of elongated C- and S-shapes; plant tendrils, leaves, blossoms, and sometimes shells and small birds were also introduced. In rococo painting, the powerful rhythms, dark colors, and heroic subjects characteristic of baroque painting gave way to quick, delicate movements, pale colors, and subjects illustrating the varieties of love: romantic love, as in the Antoine Watteau Pilgrimage to Cythera (1717; Louvre, Paris); erotic love, as in the Francois Boucher Cupid a Captive (1754; Wallace Collection, London); or mother love, as in the Jean Baptiste ChardinThe Morning Toilet (c.1740; National museum, Stockholm). Sculpture was equally lively and unheroic, but its most typical manifestation was portrait busts, the outstanding quality of which was realism, as is evident in the Jean Baptiste Lemoyne Reaumur (1751; Louvre). During the second quarter of the century the rococo style spread from France to other countries, and above all to Germany. The rococo style began to decline in the 1760s, denounced by critics who condemned it as tasteless, frivolous, and symbolic of a corrupt society. Within 20 years it was supplanted, together with the baroque, by neoclassicism. .8.Writing Assignment: Work of William Hogarth William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English printmaker and painter who commented about the English society with utmost satire through his works. Born to a shopkeeper mother and schoolmaster father, his youth was faced with the financial difficulties that the parents faced. These financial difficulties really affected his youth years, and they shaped his later years. These also affected his schooling greatly. In fact at one time, the father was taken to prison because of being extremely indebted. It is this humiliation that shaped Hogarth for the rest of his life. Also, as a result of his frustrations, it also shaped his painting career in the sense that he became a very critical and controversial figure. He tried different careers, but he did not experience much success, however, through his painting styles, he received widespread fame and recognition. Despite this, his paintings were also a source of criticism and enmity from many quarters. This is because Hogarth did not shy from criticizing some figures in society. In 1917, Hogarth began an apprenticeship as a silversmith, but he did not manage to finish. Later, he tried luck in engraving copper plates. He later enrolled at the John Vanderbank Art Academy in 1720 where he was taught painting by one James Thornhill, whose daughter he would later marry. It is at this place that he earned a reputation for decoration paintings. This also catapulted his painting career. Hogarth’s first success in painting came with A Harlot’s Progress, which were a series of paintings. Hogarth would later produce engravings for these paintings in 1732. Unfortunately, these paintings were lost in a fire in 1955 but the engravings survived. A Harlot’s progress is a set of six prints concerning the life of a prostitute. These prints enjoyed considerable success because Hogarth was depicted the real life of prostitutes in society at that time. After this, Hogarth then produced its male counterpart, A Rake’s Progress a story that outlines the decline of a young man from a promising life into a life of moral decadence and habitual drinking. Such behavior was common at this time, and this further illustrates the fact that Hogarth used his paintings to bring out issues that the common man faced in society. In 1743, Hogarth painted the six pictures of Marriage a la Mode, a pointed skewering of upper class 18th century society. This moralistic warning shows the miserable tragedy of an ill-considered marriage for money. This is regarded by many as his finest project, certainly the best piece of his serially planned story cycles. This painting by Hogarth satirized upper classes in English society by discussing the theme of marriage for money. Although other paintings by Hogarth sold well, this painting did not sell well. As a result of this, the other paintings designed after these time periods were created in the form of print designs with no print counterparts. Marital ethics were the topic of much debate in 18th century Britain. Frequent marriages of convenience and their attendant unhappiness came in for particular criticism, with a variety of authors taking the view that love was a much sounder basis for marriage. Hogarth here painted a satire – a genre that by definition has a moral point to convey – of a conventional marriage within the English upper class. All the paintings were engraved and the series achieved wide circulation in print form. The series, which are set in a Classical interior, shows the story of the fashionable marriage of the son of bankrupt Earl Squanderfield to the daughter of a wealthy but miserly city merchant, starting with the signing of a marriage contract at the Earl's mansion and ending with the murder of the son by his wife's lover and the suicide of the daughter after her lover is hanged at Tyburn for murdering her husband. In 1747, Hogarth followed with the series, Industry and Idleness, a story about morality depicting an industrious yet idle apprentice in 12 plates. Later in 1753, Hogarth published his book, The Analysis of beauty, a book which summarized his esthetic and artistic principles. All in all, Hogarth was a very controversial yet talented painter. He was motivated by justice in society and he did not hesitate to be in quagmire with any of his contemporaries. For example, he really hated British politician, John Wilkes. The genesis of their enmity was after Hogarth had ridiculed Wilkes in one of his engravings. Therefore, Hogarth left a legacy that many have found difficult to match. For years, people especially the British will remember the art of Hogarth. Works Cited Marco Bussagli, M. R. (2009). Baroque & Rococo. New york: Sterling Publishing Company. Print Read More