Paintings in art history - Essay Example

Art History Topics Under Discussion The stylistic characteristics of the Florentine Renaissance can be summed up as idealistic and romantic with paintings of this time showing mannerist style and personal aesthetic expression. This rebirth of art in Italy was brought about by increased awareness and different interpretations of classical knowledge, and a new repertoire of subjects for art was based on Greek and Roman history and mythology (Pioch). The Birth of Venus Fifteenth-century artist Sandro Botticelli is noted for his lyrical, flowing style, often decorative and showing a certain elegance. The Florentine Renaissance became a cult of beauty, love and gratification of the senses, and Botticelli in both The Birth of Venus and Spring (Primavera) reflected this delicate and romantic Renaissance style, with Venus rising from the sea on an open shell, unclothed but demure, and later clothed at her coronation. Because these two paintings are different sizes, it was thought they did not belong together, but further analysis shows enough similarities to make them a set ("Analysis;" "Allegory") At a time in Italian history when Florentine artists were enamored of mythology, Botticelli captured the essence of the myth. Sistine Chapel Ceiling The elements in any composition are line, shape, color, pattern, value, form, texture, space. Those specifically attributed to the Sistine Chapel are 1) lines - direction of lines leads eye to specific area of painting; 2) shape - height and width of shape creates an illusion on the ceiling panels; 3) space - the relationship of positive and negative space affects impact and unity; 4) color - bright, dark, intense-implies texture through color, line, shading, repetition and pattern. Michelangelo began painting the Sistine Chapel in 1508 and completed it in 1512, almost single-handedly. The four main elements that define the vaulted ceiling of the Chapel are, as noted, line, shape, color, and pattern. The ceiling is painted in panels, with circles, squares, and triangles framing the different panels. Colors, bright and dark, lead the eye to the focus in each panel. The technique is fresco. There are nine central panels illustrating and interpreting stories from Genesis in a specific pattern ("Michelangelo"). Albrecht Drer Albrecht Drer was a painter and engraver who was best known for his woodcuts and prints. His etching work was meticulous with special focus on color in his paintings. He was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci's studies of the human figure and applied Leonardo's proportions to his own figures. Finished form and richness of conception, as well as perspective and proportion are characteristics of his work along with color and energy (Ponich). Rembrandt Rembrandt van Rijin is noted for his transfiguration of experience into art. It is his inner emotions as represented in his art that makes him unique. He was highly influenced by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titan in their depiction of the human form, but he is a multi-faceted artist, excelling as a painter and an inspired graphic artist and etcher. He painted, drew and etched portraits, landscapes, figures, and animals, but above all scenes of biblical and secular history and mythology. Although also known for his self-portraits, his most famous works show his ability to expand his subject matter. One of his best known paintings is called "Night Watch" although it has since been found to be a daytime scene. His art symbolizes a whole period of art history rightfully known as "Holland's Golden Age" ("Rembrandt"). Romanticism Romanticism (1800-1850) unlike its opposite, classicism, has a storytelling, epic quality that extends to music, painting, and literature. Richard Wagner's music evokes feelings of power and dread, with its emphasis on emotion and great freedom of form. It was his aim to offer a complete synthesis of the arts in his music. According to Alfred Einstein in "Music in the Romantic Era, A History of Musical Thought in the 19th Century (New York, 1947), "[Wagner] was the first to use music as a means of influencing, of entrancing, of intoxicating, of conquering." Grand opera was perhaps the greatest legacy of the Late Romantic period, and Wagner represents its revolutionary side in 19th century Romanticism ("Romanticism"). The Romantic Movement spread from music to art to literature, and one famed piece of romantic art emphasizing color and spirit is the ethereal Massacre at Chios (1824) by Eugne Delacroix, which shows the topical and heroic subject of the Greek struggle for independence. The painting is "all but a manifesto in its liberated expression of light and atmosphere through color" ("Delacroix"). In art, William Black represents a mystical and fantastic trend, while Delacroix is often cited as the true Romantic artist. Edgar Allan Poe represents romanticism in literature, creating a supernatural aspect in his Ligeia (1838) in which he dismisses classical beauty and describes true beauty as a "strange mystery." This becomes Poe's method of rejecting the "ordinary" as reflected in past classical literature. He describes Rowena as typical-fair-haired and blue-eyed-while Ligeia is considered "not of that regular mould." She almost seems ghostly and ethereal. Poe's originality, specifically the use of the supernatural, "is a consistent example of the innovation projected throughout Romantic literature" (Deter). Rodin Auguste Rodin was inspired by the human body and spent many hours studying Michelangelo's human figures. He preferred sculpture because it allowed him to more realistically create the human form. He never gave up in his efforts at becoming a sculptor although he did try for a time to follow his sister's devotion to religion after she died. His bold, rugged, life-like work showed his individualism and was finally recognized, and at age 41 he was accepted by the public as a famous sculptor. His attention to detail, especially on hands, gave life to his work (Payne & Sutherland). Modernist Temper In the 1910s and 1920s, people wanted to go back to the comfort of Victorian beliefs. The modern temper was similar to an adult looking nostalgically back to a simple childhood, the world of poetry, mythology and religion, and being upset by the world of science and realism. It was a dark time in American culture, where old myths-religion, dramatic tragedy, devotion to family-no longer worked and only objective knowledge was offered (Krutch). The Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance consisted of a group of men committed in the 1920s and 1930s to educating whites about African-American culture. Arna Bontemps, a black writer, chose to write for children because of the lack of black history in his school textbooks. Poet Langston Hughes and Bontemps wrote Popo and Fifina: Children of Haiti (1932) to show how the poor people of Haiti lived. Even so, the story was written without directly contrasting rich and poor. As much as they wanted to educate the people, they knew that children's books avoided controversy (Allen). These men were instrumental in opening the way for future non-white writers and illustrators who might otherwise have been ignored. In the early decades of the 20th century in American culture, white Anglo-Saxons considered themselves superior to anyone of color and believed in "manifest destiny" with blacks considered less than human. The Harlem Renaissance offered a new viewpoint and did much to create a whole new branch of literature. Seagram Building and TWA Flight Center The Seagram Building designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe presents an ornamental facade that hints at patterns through amber tinted glass and bronze exterior "columns." It is absorbed into the city of New York, blending with buildings behind it. As van der Rohe noted, "we can see the new structural principles most clearly when we use glass in place of outer walls" (Pawley 12). The TWA Terminal designed by Eero Saarinen is intended as a symbol of flight with expressive, sweeping curves and purple tinted glazing on the windows. The structure appears to be made of sculptural concrete but is braced within by an invisible web of reinforcing steel. The shapes were chosen to emphasize an upward-soaring quality (TWA). Organic Architecture The best known proponent of organic architecture is Frank Lloyd Wright. In his approach to architectural design, he argued that "form and function are one" (Craven). The idea of this type of architecture is to allow a structure to develop from the environment in which it is intended to exist. Modern organic buildings are not linear or rigidly geometric. Wavy lines and curved shapes are used to suggest natural forms. In organic architecture, the idea is to allow the buildings to become part of the environment with no structures rising above the natural sight line. Materials and lumber are used as if they were rising from the earth and spreading over the property. Abstract Expressionism There are three major approaches to abstract expressionism. Overall, it offers complete freedom in art from all traditional aesthetic and social values and favors spontaneous, free personal expression. One approach is reminiscent of the Surrealists, and Jackson Pollock was best known for this with large-scale, loud color, and a free-flowing style. Another approach as used by Philip Guston is less spontaneous and more manipulated towards a preconceived notion. A third approach as can be seen in Robert Motherwell's work uses well-defined abstract images and pure color ("What Is Abstract"). Conclusion The Renaissance from the 15th century through the 20th century transformed the classical and created a new way of seeing in music, art and literature ("Renaissance"). Throughout the centuries, mythical themes were reinterpreted and the important factor in the development of these themes was and continues to be the freedom to create changing forms. Works Cited "Allegory of Spring" (La Primavera). Galleria degli Uffizi Florence. (1477-78). 19 February 2008. http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/b/botticel/allegory/primaver.html Allen, M. N. 100 Years of Children's Books in America: Decade by Decade. 1996. Facts On File, New York. "Analysis: The Birth of Venus." 2008. The Berger Foundation. 18 February 2008. http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Home/Ahigh_botticelli.html Delacroix, Eugne (1798-1863). The Massacre at Chios. 1824. Muse du Louvre, Paris. 20 February 2008. http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html/html/d/delacroi/1/107delac.html Deter, F. "Romanticism & the Supernatural in Edgar Allan Poe's Ligeia. About.com. 20 February 2008. http://classiclit.about.com/od/poeedgarallan/a/aa_eapoeligeia.htm Krutch, J.W. Modern Temper: A Study and a Confession. Harvest Books, 1956. "Michelangelo (1475-1564)." The Archive.com. West, S., ed. The Bulfinch Guide to Art History. Bulfinch Press, 1996. 19 February 2008. http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/michelangelo.html Pawley, M., Introduction and Notes. Seagram Building Commentary, p. 12. 22 February 2008. http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Seagram_Building.html Payne, M. and Sutherland, C. "Sculpture, Hands, and Ronin." Updated 12 December 2002. Utah Museum of Fine Arts. 22 February 2008. http://www.umfa.utah.edu/id=MjE1 Pioch, N. 14 October 2002. "La Renaissance: Italy." Web Museum, Paris. 19 February 2008. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/renaissance/it.html Ponich, T.L. Last verified 16 November 2007. "Albrecht Drer (1471-1528)." Artcyclopedia. 19 February 2008. http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/durer_albrecht.html "Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn." 2008. Art Encyclopedia. 19 February 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/rembrandtcat=entertainment "Renaissance Art and Architecture." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2007. 18 February 2008. http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554529_2/Renaissance_Art_and_Architecture.html#p.18. "Romanticism: Wagner and After." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2007. 20 February 2008. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_701765971_2/Romanticism.html TWA Terminal, John F. Kennedy Airport NY Eero Saarinen 1962. Galinsky. 22 February 2008. http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/twa/index.htm "What Is Abstract Expressionism" n.d. Pollock-Krasner Foundation. 22 February 2008. http://www.jackson-pollock.com/abstractexpressionism.html Read More