Driving Force in of Art Works - Coursework Example

World Art In the picture is a family group gathered around a table to see demonstrations on a vacuum pump. The pump is seen to extract air from the glass jar which has a cockatoo inside. It is obvious that if all the air is pumped out, the cockatoo will die. The person demonstrating is standing on the left of centre while explaining about the device to his audience. He is surrounded by various members of the family (Helmers, 1-2). On the left of the picture is a pair of lovers. Next to them are two brothers whereby the elder is acting as the time keeper during the demonstration and the other one is leaning around him. Next is the family head who is explaining the experiment to his two young daughters, who seem to be upset due to what is being done to the small creature. Next to them is an old man who is sited and is seen gazing at the candle. Behind them is a boy shutting windows and at the same time follows the proceedings of the experiment over his own shoulder (Helmers, 1-2). The picture gives us several enlightenment ideas as follows. In literal terms, science enlightens is one of the ideas. Wright’s use of light is symbolic and typical. The reason is that the light shines to everyone in the room from the table where the experiment is located. The candle is invisible but is light is seen to radiate from the scientific apparatus. I believe it is significant that the boy is shutting the windows for natural light from the moon not to enter the room (Helmers, n.p). Second idea is that knowledge is bound to increase power and control. The gathering of the family to watch the scientific experiment reflects preoccupation that increases human knowledge. This is teaching us that by understanding ourselves as well as natural world, it brings us close to controlling them, thus demonstrators knowledge gives him power to life or death of the bird. Third is that knowledge is not bound to any class. The picture has both the servant boy who is shutting the windows and the rest of family members watching the experiment in order to acquire knowledge. Last idea is that people will always be people (Helmers, n.p). It is possible that Wright had not foreseen the terrible demonstration of human nature during post revolutionary terror in France. The picture shows it but the lessons it contained could not be known before hand. This is depicted by the two lovers whereby to them, emotional world means more to them than scientific world. Sublime The two painting give us different forms of sublime. In “Monk by the Sea”, the painting captures three horizontal layers the sky, water and earth. At the shore of the sea is a bare-headed monk, surrounded by seagulls that are the only living creature aside from him (Boime, 2-4). In front of the lonely monk is the immense ocean that appears dull. Above him are grey clouds which are hovering above the water and only yield to a blue sky at the upper range of the painting. The monk seems lonely as there are no other human beings to keep him company. By the look of the clouds, heavy rains are about to pour and its looks like dust is knocking. This represents loss of hope by people during French revolution and the expectation of either death or life. In Snow Storm; Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps, a picture of the struggles that the soldiers undergo is well put. The painting depicts the struggles that these soldiers face while crossing Maritime Alps. At the same time, forces of nature and also local tribes are opposing them. This is expressed by the curving dark storm cloud that is dominating the sky above the soldier the clouds seems like it will fall on them at any time(Lee,1-3). At the far end is an orange-yellow sun that is trying to break through the heavy clouds while at the right is a white avalanche cascading down the mountain. Hannibal’s men are fighting with Salassian tribesmen. This is just the beginning of the many forces that these soldiers a bound to overcome before reaching their destination. The author discusses the book by giving the reader a clear picture what transpired the sail. He explains the reasons why the ship was given to French by British. He also tells the reader the number of persons that were on board and the posts that some held. Other than those on board, we find that the ships were loaded with some important merchandise meant for the French authorities which could not be thrown into the sea after the ship hit a sandbar (Lee, 2-4). What follows is that the author outlines the way those on board meet their deaths out of captains order that the merchandise remain on board. From the author, we learn that only fifteen people survived. The author has used a lot of obscurity, terror and tragedy in writing the book. Part 2 The Entombment of Christ This painting was done by Caravaggio in the years between 1602 and 1603. The painting depicts Jesus’ followers placing His body in His tomb after he was crucified. Additionally, the picture shows a typical emotion during the Baroque era pulled out by those around Jesus as they place Him to the tomb (Mander & Hessel, 2-5). In this image, Caravaggio has used strong contrast depicting dark and light to highlight the characters seen in the image. The significance of this image is let people know that Jesus was crucified and was buried. From the image we see people laying him in his tomb. This signifies the close relationship those people has with Him. Those carrying His body signify the light while those that were left behind signify the dark. Overall, the image represents the early acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice and the way people acknowledged His actions. Jewish Bride This painting was done by Rembrandt in the year 1665. In the picture is a couple with the man touching his woman lovingly. Both are dressed in exotic clothes that are different from those that were being used in Rembrandt period (Fram, 3-5). Also, the picture depicts the couple as being absorbed in each other. The painting is also a depiction of a biblical story of Isaac and Rebecca. The significance of the image is how Rembrandt has molded the paint, scratched it with a brush handle and smeared it with a palette knife. This art was not known to many painters and hence this one particular image became famous. Notably, the image gives one a loving moment between the couple makes one feel like they are witnessing a personal moment secretly. The Nightmare The painting was done by Henry Fuseli, a Swiss- English painter during the enlightenment period. It was completed in the year 1781. In the image is a woman bathed in white light and is stretching across the bed (Fuseli, par.1-4). Her arms, neck and head are hanged off the end of the mattress. Also from the picture is an apelike figure crouching on the woman’s chest while on the lower side of the woman, in a shadowy background is a horse with glowing eyes and flared nostrils. The significance of this image is the way the painter chooses to depict the dark, irrational forces in his painting. The image comprises of literary characters with the various figure in it demonstrating Fuseli’s broad knowledge in the history of arts. Its title is not drawn from history, bible or literature like many other paints are. It’s a painting on its own meaning and stands alone. It has received many interpretations and is seen to prefigure late nineteenth-century psychoanalysis theories that touched on dreams and unconsciousness. Third of May The picture was painted by Francisco Goya depicting how Spanish freedom fighters were massacred by French men. From the image are French soldiers aiming guns at a Spanish man. This man is stretching his hands out in submission to the French soldiers and his fate. Behind him is country hill taking the place of the executor’s wall (Goya & Hunting, 3-7). On his feet is a pile of dead bodies with blood streaming on the ground. On his sides is a line of other Spanish rebels stretching into the landscape. The rebels cover their eyes not to watch the death that awaits them. The painting is significant of what was happening to Spanish people during that period. The painting is a transformation of Christian iconography and the portrayal of man’s inhumanity towards his fellow man. The man at the centre signifies the Crucified Christ as he is sacrificing his life for the good of his country. A lantern standing between him and his executors illuminates his body signifying spiritual light. His anguished and sad face echoes Christ’s prayer on the cross. Part 3 Goya’s Dark visions Born in 1746, Goya is one of the most influential painters that lived in Spain. He is known for his graphical depiction of war and his methods of expressing inner turmoil. He was part of romanticism era during the enlightenment age and like many of his counterparts, he was influenced by the French Revolution. His most famous paintings were done in isolation and they summed up to 80 works which touched on criticizing culture as well as the society that existed then. Also, he painted some of his personal pictures, Fantasy and Invention and also Invention in Courtyard (Symmons, 5-37). Coming out of the dark visions, he created some masterpieces that included La Maja desnuda and La Maja Vestida. The former was considered was considered the first life-sized of a nude female and had no allegorical or mythological context. Goya also gave a series of portraits in 1810 that depicted the horrors and disasters of war when he was working for the French court. Other paintings were darker visions among them the Black Paintings that included Saturn Devouring his sons. This made him become the great painter of the 19th and 20th centuries. Part 4 Throughout the semester, I have learnt that majority of art work has some driving force behind it. Most of the famous paints had some significance in them such as something that happened in a given period in history or some who was highly respected in the society. However, very few painting fall out of this brackets and such followed on the painter’s emotions and thoughts. Therefore, one can say that art work is mainly driven by something that interests the painter. Works Cited Boime, Albert. "Caspar David Friedrich, Monk by the Sea." Arts Magazine 61 (1986): 54-63. Fuseli, Johann Heinrich. "The Nightmare, 1781." Oil on canvas 1.1.27: 1741-1825. Print Fram, Edward. Ideals Face Reality: Jewish Law and Life in Poland, 1550-1655. Vol. 21. Cincinnati: Hebrew union college Press, 1997. Print Goya, Francisco, and Hunting Costume. "Goya and the Spain of Carlos III." Helmers, Marguerite. "Painting as Rhetorical Performance: Joseph Wrights" An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump"." JAC (2001): 71-95. Print Lee, Galven Keng Yue. "All at Sea: Romanticism in Géricaults Raft of the Medusa." The ANU Undergraduate Research Journal: 1. Print. Matteson, Lynn R. "The Poetics and Politics of Alpine Passage: Turners Snowstorm: Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps." The Art Bulletin 62.3 (1980): 385-398. Print. Symmons, Sarah. "Goya." (1998): 220-222. Print Van Mander, Carel, and Hessel Miedema. The Lives of the Illustrious Netherlanders and German Painters, from the First Edition of the Schilder-boeck (1603-1604): The text. Vol. 1. Davaco, 1994. Print Read More