A contemporary artist - Research Paper Example

Paper Proposal Paper Proposal: This research work is based on the biographical information and background of the artist Pablo Picasso and his artwork work named as The Old Guitarist (1903-04). The first section, named as description and media, will deal with the artist’s biographical information, background, the medium used by the artist, its characteristics, and meaning. The second section named as analysis, will focus on the visual elements and theories related to design. The third section named as interpretation, will deal with the work’s content and theme in general. The concluding section, named as judgment, will deal with the researcher’s personal views/opinion on the artwork. A Contemporary Artist: Description The artist (say, Pablo Picasso) was born in the year 1881, in Spain. Victoria Charles states that, “Malaga must be mentioned, for it was there, on 25 October 1881, that Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born and there that he spent the first ten years of his life” (10). His father was a painter by profession. During his childhood, the artist was deeply interested in art, especially painting. Besides, his father helped him to have basic lessons in painting. Later in 1891 and 1895, the artist’s family was forced to move to A Coruna and Barcelona from Malaga. So, these incidents deeply influenced the artist because he was able to enroll himself as a student at School of Fine Arts and Royal Academy of San Fernando. Besides, his career as an artist is divided as Blue and Rose Periods, and Analytic Cubism. His artistic creativity was not limited to the context of painting, but extends to other fields like printmaking, stage designing, poetry etc. In addition, the artwork (see appendix-1) named as The Old Guitarist (1903-04) is symbolic of the influence of the unique artistic style named as Expressionism in him. Ashley Bassie opines that, “A potent aspect of Expressionism was the conviction, held by its creators, that their endeavours were carrying art into a wholly new realm of experience” (51). One can see that this artistic style totally neglects objective reality in art, but is related to certain unique ideas. In addition, the artwork’s subject is the amalgamation of human emotionality with reality. Media The artist made use of oil on board (say, panel) as the medium of his artwork. One can see that artists make use of different mediums to unleash their artistic creativity. Within this scenario, rigid surfaces like panel boards, wood etc are generally considered as individual artist’s interest in experimentation with different mediums. Generally, wood panels are used as the medium because the same is related to the traditional aspects of painting. Besides, carpenters used to construct wooden panels and gesso is applied to the outer-surface. Then, artist uses charcoal for designing purpose and different types of color pigments will be mixed and applied to the surface. After completion, the artwork will be allowed to dry. This type of medium allows artists to focus on certain literary elements. But the artist (say, Picasso) utilized this artistic technique to project his main subject or focal point. To be specific, the artist totally neglects other details in the artwork, excluding the old man and his musical instrument. So, one can see that the artist made use of this technique for experimentation purpose. Analysis In the painting, the artist provides ample importance to visual elements like physical, line, space, and color and light. First of all, the human figure in the work is squeezed into the space, which enriches the physical element of the same. On the other side, the work’s background is divided into six parts consisting of tall, parallel, and upright lines. Besides, the usage of line element complements the space element in the artwork as a whole. At the same time, the work’s visual depth is indebted to the usage of space within the same. To be specific, the painter utilizes the viewer’s imagination to complement the space element in the artwork. One can see that space element in an artwork is illusionary, but is within the limits of the viewer’s imagination. The usage of light/shadow in the artwork is related to the focus on the left side of the same. J. R. Leibowitz declares that, “The painting illustrates the effectiveness of changes of tone (light and dark) in infusing movement in a seemingly static composition” (N.pag.). To be specific, the old man’s face is the focal point of the artwork and this is symbolic of the utilization of light/shadow in art. In the artwork, the artist emphasizes the principle/law of design like balance and contrast. For instance, the largest inanimate object in the painting is the guitar. On the other side, the largest animate object in the painting is the figure of an old man. These objects provide equal balance to the artwork as a whole. Besides, the proper contrast between different shades of blue and black provides elegance and depth to the artwork. Interpretation In the work, the focal point is the old man and his musical instrument (say, guitar). Lois Fichner-Rathus states that, “Spanning the years 1901 to 1904, this work is characterized by an overall blue tonality, a distortion of the human body through elongation reminiscent of El Greco and Toulouse-Lautrec, and melancholy subjects consisting of poor and downtrodden individuals engaged in menial tasks or isolated in their loneliness” (480). The old man in portrayed in rugged apparel, and is playing his musical instrument on the pavement. As he is blind, he cannot recognize those who enjoy his music. Still, he plays his musical instrument to entertain others. The old man’s physical appearance (rugged dress and poor health condition) is symbolic of poverty and alienation in the mainstream society. Lars Tummers opines that, “Other may even note that The Old Guitarist is a critique of the society of that time” (24). The painter chose the theme of the relationship between music and alienation because the same is inherent in human life. The painter does not try to prove that the old man’s music is excellent. Instead, the painter allows the viewers to make use of their inner ears to enjoy the old man’s music. To be specific, the painter tries to amalgamate universality of music and loneliness in a single frame to prove that alienation cannot crush self-confidence. So, the content of the work is self-confidence and the theme is the relationship between music and alienation. Judgment My opinion on the artwork is based on my own level of perception. To be specific, I consider that the artist provides ample importance to the social responsibility of art. One can see that the artist portrays the life of the downtrodden, or the individuals who are forced to lead alienated life. The mainstream society does not provide importance to the lives of these underdogs because they are on the lowest step of the social hierarchy. From a different angle of view, this artwork is symbolic of an important stage in the artist’s personal life. To be specific, the artist was immersed in poverty during that time in his life, and the same is portrayed in his artwork. This artwork is important within art because the same belongs to the Blue Period, i.e. the usage of different shades of blue and black, and tragic in nature. Ann Slavick states that, “Picasso’s The Old Guitarist (1903-1904) was one of his earliest Parisian works, done in his early twenties, and part of his Blue Period (1901-1904)” (164). Besides, this period is a turning point or the artist’s gradual maturity as a painter from Blue Period to Cubism and international fame. Works Cited Bassie, Ashley. Expressionism. New York: Parkstone International, 2008. Print. Charles, Victoria. Pablo Picasso. New York: Parkstone International, 2011. Print. Fichner-Rathus, Lois. Understanding Art. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Leibowitz, J. R. Hidden Harmony: The Connected Worlds of Physics and Art. Maryland: JHU Press, 2011. Print. Slavick, Ann. Hour Chicago: Twenty-five 60-Minute Self-guided Tours of Chicagos Great Architecture and Art. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2008. Print. Tummers, Lars. Policy Alienation and the Power of Professionals: Confronting New Policies. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013. Print. Appendices Appendix-1 Available at: - http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/28067 Read More