Author: cmarunde
Post Modern Blog: Street Art
Street art is a style of art that is interesting and visually appealing. These artists express themselves in many different and creative ways telling their story. They make beautiful art on old buildings, street walls, tunnels, trash, automobile pieces, paint, chalk and oil. I was first exposed to street art in the early 2012 while in San Fransisco. I was amazed at how in depth and how real the pieces are. The images, colors and the themes really pulled me into them. I have chosen to focus on two known street artists, Julian Beever and Nikita Nomerz, for this post.
One type of street art that is very popular is three dimensional chalk art. Julian Beever is a big name in this field. Beever began chalk art in the mid 1990’s. This type of art is astonishing for many reasons, the biggest being of the artist achieves visual depth on a flat surface. Beever often aims to position a person (his child) within the images he paints almost as if they were interacting with the scene. The art must be viewed from the correct angle or the image is distorted as seen in Swimming Pool in the High Street. Beever’s art connects with the viewer, as seen in Meeting Mr. Frog and Pond in the Rain. In order to appear really 3 dimensional however, they need to be viewed either through a camera (which I have set up on a tripod for people to look through) or on a mobile phone, ipad or other screen. They do not look 3D to the naked eye.
Above is Swimming Pool in the High Street as designed to be seen.
Meeting Mr. Frog was created in Salamanca, Spain, and features a realistic-looking frog sitting on a lily pad.
Pond in the Rain. This video is amazing. The work that is put into 3D art is astonishing.
Another artist I decided to focus is Nikita Nomerz. This Russian street artist who just goes by Nomerz finds old buildings adding eyes and facial features bringing them to life in Russia. Nomerz started back in school with classic hip hop graffiti but later became more interested in street art and began all sorts of experiments, he does not spend very much time doing each piece. I love the way he uses the old, turning something rustic and beat up into something amazing.
NOMERZ NIZHNIY NOVGOROD, The Big Brother, 2010.
The Big Brother is is a fun and enormous piece, you can see the person at the bottom is tiny compared to the big piece. I love the way he made The Big Brother laugh and smile.
BY NOMERZ CREATED IN EKATERINBURG Toothyman 2011.
Another great piece by Nomerz. I love how his mouth is a crack in the wall and his teeth are old bricks. Toothyman looks old and ornery. The cracking/pealing of the wall paint adds great detail in showing the are of Toothyman. The roof almost looks like he’s wearing a hat, this is my favorite piece by Normerz.
NOMERZ CREATED IN NIZHNIY NOVGOROD Fire in the Eyes, 2011.
This is an amazing piece. I don’t really understand this piece, but I do have to say this is a very creative piece, it shows the eyes are actually lit up by fire/sun behind it. It makes ur look like the face is lit up (happy).
These artist are so creative in their own ways, yet still similar. They all share their love of art with the world. Leave us thinking, tells us a story, share a message and a piece of their life with us. Just to express themselves through this amazing art is very brave. Here are three of the pieces I took pictures of when I was in San Francisco, A few of the pieces were 3D, it was amazing! There was so much creativity and talent.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Beever
http://amtf200.community.uaf.edu
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/02/artist-nikita-nomerz-living-faces_n_1525398.html?
Early Modern Era Blog
The influence of African Americans
The Harlem Renaissance Movement had a huge influence to the arts. The Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the time after World War I to the mid 1930’s in Harlem, New York City. During this time Harlem became the focal point of an explosion of African American culture and art. The movement began in 1920 and was a time when African-Americans were revolting against racism, it was aimed at establishing racial equality among whites and African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance helped lay down the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement. They celebrated their heritage and embraced their unique culture. The African-Americans showed a great range of talent through all different art forms while putting an emphasis on their culture, expressing themselves freely. This cultural explosion greatly changed art, music and theater.
Archibald Motley was an artist who never actually lived in Harlem but he identified with it though his paintings portrayal of African American social life during this time. He was one of the first of several artists to concentrate on African American life in his paintings. Motley’s painting Blues is a perfect example of the African American social life represented in art. He painted the painting in 1929, place unknown. This piece illustrates people dancing and playing music at a jazz club. I enjoy this piece because the scene is so lively with so much emotion, the people dancing, artist are playing music and everyone seems to be having a good time with so much energy. The bright and vibrant colors are really eye-catching.
Before jazz there was Ragtime. Ragtime also had a lot of background in African music. One of the famous Ragtime artists was Scott Joplin, he composed many pieces that shaped the music which eventually led to jazz. Maple Leaf Rag was created by Scott Joplin. It was published in 1899 in America. Joplin was the son of a slave. He learned to play several instruments as a young man. Maple Leaf Rag became one of America’s first pop hits and sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It is a jazz piece. African Americans had a great influence on the music of the Early Modern Era, especially when it came to jazz music, which was based on the rhythms and music of Western Africa. The music is so upbeat, it puts you in a really good mood. It’s good old fashion tunes makes me feel like I’m in a saloon in the Wild, Wild West. It is great music to do homework to.
Another composer that came from the Harlem Renaissance was Duke Ellington. Ellington was born in Washington D.C on April 29, 1899. At the age of seven he began to take piano lessons and a few years after that he started writing his first musical pieces. As Ellington became more successful in music he became a bandleader to a larger group of fifteen musicians. The group traveled different places performing and eventually moved to Harlem. There in Harlem they played at The Cotton Club. One famous song he composed was It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got that Swing). On February 2, 1932, his group released the song on the Brunswick Records label. I enjoyed listening to this song because it was energetic and made me want to “swing” dance.
Works Cited:
http://www.iniva.org/harlem/motley.html
“Archibald Motley.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 2 April 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/arts/motley.html>.
“Maple Leaf Rag.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 2 April 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_Leaf_Rag>.
“The Harlem Renaissance.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 2 April 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_harlem.html>.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/duke-ellington-mn0000120323/biography
Impressionism
Impressionism:
The first movement of modern art is impressionism. A beautiful style of painting that opened the doors to the modern world of art. This style is both adored and despised. I love the bold colors of the impressionism style. Impressionism was the first to concentrate mainly on colors and shapes rather than current historical event or religion. Basically the artists are capturing a moment in daily life. “In short, impressionism is a depiction of an artist’s impression. It does not aim to be accurate in detail which one finds in the realist and neo-realist style. But the impression often elicits a stronger emotional appeal which is variously triggered in the beholder (http://www.impressionism.org/review.htm)”. This is why impression is so amazing. It is not telling a story, it is up to the viewer to create the story in their own mind.
Starry Night, Van Gogh in 1889 at Saint-Remy (www.vangoghgallery.com), is an example of impressionistic painting. The beautiful swirls in the night sky are very different from the realistic works of the past. Van Gogh pulls the viewer into the scene and the sky by using bright swirls of contrasting paint. This painting gives off the feeling of motion and relaxation, as if I were under the night sky watching the moon and stars move across the sky. This work is a classic of impressionism and one of my favorite pieces of art. What I enjoy more than these pieces is the more realistic pieces of the Romantic style.
Looking Down Yosemite Valley. Albert Bierstadt. 1865. Birmingham, Alabama.
Romanticism paintings seem more intuitive. The painting portrays more traditional. Impressionism paintings seem to have a lot going on in it with different colors clashing. Romanticism just seems more real and clear in general. An example of a Romantic painting that really caught my eye was Albert Bierstadt’s painting, Looking Down Yosemite Valley. It is a very clear and concise painting. I enjoy this piece because it is so realistic. I can easily tell that this is a painting National Park (Yosemite), but with Impressionistic paintings it can take a minute to realize what the focus of the work actually is. This painting gives you a relaxed feeling, it is peaceful. I love that it is realistic without being too boring or rigid, blended perfectly of reality and fantasy.
“Path of hope #3″ (1990′s) – original oil painting on paper by Gustavo R. Olmedo. Found this painting from the 1990’s and it reminded me of impressionism. A lot of color and shapes. It’s so beautiful and basic.
References:
Classical Blog
During the Classical Era was the two periods of visual art: Rococo and Neoclassical. Morality in art changed during the classical era. It went from being not very important in Rococo art to playing a major role in Neoclassical art. In Rococo art morality was less important. Rococo was aristocratic, delicate, playful and even provocative. Rococo art was fun. The term Neoclassical refers to returning to classical, or ancient Greek and Roman times. Neoclassical art exhibited moral virtue. Neoclassical art is characterized by its classical form and structure, clarity, and realism. “Neoclassical painters depicted subjects from Classical literature and history, as used in earlier greek art and Republican Roman art, using sombre colors with occasional brilliant highlights, to convey moral narratives of self-denial and self-sacrifice fully in keeping with the supposed ethical superiority of Antiquity (http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/neo-classical.htm).” Neoclassical being more traditional instilled artwork with these strict moral values.
The Love Letter by Francois Boucher was created in 1750. This art piece is a great example of Rococo style and morals. The painting is of two girls talking about something while a boy is watching. No morals that stand out from the painting, which is why it is a good example of the Rococo style. I selected this beautiful art piece because it is such a relaxed piece to look at and very easy to admire. The colors and detail of the flowers are perfect and very bright. The girls have so much color to them and their dresses stand out from the painting.
The Death of General Wolfe, America 1770. Benjamin West is a great example of Neoclassical. This painting shows morality and virtue. This painting portrays the British General Wolfe’s death in the 1759 Battle of Quebec of the Seven Years’ War. It shows the death of a great leader surrounded by his men as well as his enemy. This man had died, but he had died in courage and self sacrifice. It is my favorite Neoclassical because it shows true heroism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-fFHeTX70Q
Music was also popular during this era. Two major developments during the classical era in music was the piano and the orchestra. There were many composers during this era, but my favorite is Beethoven. He was completely deaf by his twenties and was not able to hear the music, but feel it. That is absolutely amazing to me. Beethoven’s work was mostly composed of instrumentals. “The Classical era was an era of formality. The music was characterized by careful attention to form and by elegance and restraint. The formal structure was based on the use of thematic development and harmonic structure (http://cmed.faculty.ku.edu/private/classical.html).”
References:
“The Classical Period (1775-1825).” The Classical Period (1775-1825). University of Kansas, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015. http://web.ku.edu/~cmed/private/classical.html.
“Neo-Classical Art.” Web. 04 Mar. 2015. http://www.artchive.com/artchive/neo_classical.html.
Kljaich, Lisa. “Visual Arts.” Art Music Theater F200X. Kljaich, Lisa (UAF), Web. 05 Mar. 2015. https://art-mus-thr200.community.uaf.edu/2009/04/24/03-visual-arts-2/
Baroque Era
Introduction:
Michelangelo Merisi or Caravaggio was born in 1573 an italian Baroque painter in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1592 and 1610. Caravaggio’s paintings show physical and emotional realistic depictions, with a dramatic use of lighting.Caravaggio led a dangerous, violent life that was cut short. He died, in Tuscany on his way back to Rome, on July 18, 1610 at the age of 38. “Famous while he lived, Caravaggio was forgotten almost immediately after his death, and it was only in the 20th century that his importance to the development of Western art was rediscovered, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio).
The work I chose to write about was David and Goliath, by Caravaggio. This painting was created in 1599 during the early years of Caravaggio’s career, it is held in the Museo del Prado, Madrid. The painting shows David young, brave and determined fastening the head of Goliath the Giant (champion of the Philistines), lying on the ground dead with blood still comes from the hole in his forehead where he was hit by David’s stone from his sling. The painting displays Goliath’s eyes and mouth open as if he were surprised. David’s face appears almost invisible in the shadows due to Caravaggio’s amazing dramatic use of lighting, as David is kneeling on the Goliath.“Baroque art tends to be very real—not only do the figures look “regular,” but the artist is giving us a very real sense of this moment” (http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/caravaggio.html).
Council of Trent:
The Council of Trent was a response to the Protestant Reformation, they were strong in what they believed and in what they expected from their people following. Art was meant to show emotion and an intensity of religion. The Council of Trent wanted to restore the church, showing it’s place of power, persuading their followers they were not bad people and it was the way of life. Caravaggio obtained the Council of Trent understanding, the painting portrays emotion and action occurring, with the actual severing of Goliath’s head and the emotion, detail and extreme action portrayed in the painting.
Renaissance:
The influence in art in the Baroque Era was very different compared to that of the renaissance. The renaissance era appreciated a simple, innocent, more profound beauty of life, art and religion. They left patrons to ponder and stipulate about what was happening in their art. The art of the Baroque Era had a specific reason and focus that was mainly concentrated on emotion and action.
Aesthetic Appreciation:
Although this is a sad and violent image, I am very impressed with Caravaggio’s ability to show such detail and to tell such stories through his art. The dramatic light detail pulls the picture all together bringing your focus to the emotion of his art. The David and Goliath painting reveals pain, violence, bravery and strength.
Works Cited:
“Caravaggio.” Wikipedia. N.p., 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio>.
The Baroque: Art, Politics & Religion in 17th-century Europe. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/caravaggio.html>
McGinness, Frederick. “Council of Trent by Frederick McGinness.”Council of Trent. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195399301/obo-9780195399301-0191.xml>.
Italian and Northern Renaissance: Humanism and Leonardo da Vinci
Humanism
One of the biggest adjustments in the Renaissance was the way people thought about everyday life. In the earlier ages life was shown to be all about hard work, in the 1300’s the people of Florence, Italy began to illustrate a different life. They began to study the writings and works of the Greeks and the Romans and realized that earlier civilizations had lived differently. The people of Florence thought that they should educate themselves and focus on art, music, and science. They believed that focusing on art, music and science would change the way people thought, making life positive and better for everyone. This concept and new way of thinking was known as Humanism. Humanism is believed to be the worth and dignity of an individual, this trend/belief came through Florence spreading through Europe.
The Italian and Northern Renaissance illustrate Humanism through their arts. The Italian Renaissance illustrate humanism by a naturalistic depiction of human anatomy, the practice of the amazing colors of oil based paints, religious subjects, and illustrating stories from the Bible. “The artists of the Renaissance made such a dramatic impact in their concept of space and form that they have changed the way we look at the world for all time” (http://www.robinurton.com/history/Renaissance/early_ren.htm) In the late 1300s, Florence became a very wealthy city. Wealthy merchants and businessmen had the money to hire artists. This inspired artists to become well established which lead to new thoughts beginning to emerge. A specific piece that portrayed humanism in the arts that I liked was Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper, 1498, tempera and oil on plaster.
There are humanism embedded in The Last Super. In the background of the painting there are windows, and if you look closely out the windows it appears to have a landscape of hills. This shows real life and the depth and different layers of the painting. Another characteristic of humanism art was real emotions. Emotion in the painting is another form of humanism used in The Last Super. All the people in the painting seem concerned or anxious, expressing real emotions.
Leonardo da Vinci:
Leonardo was born in the town of Vinci, Italy on April 15, 1452. Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, scientist, and inventor during the Italian Renaissance. His nickname was “Renaissance Man”. He is considered by many to be one of the most talented and intelligent people of all time. “In addition to being just about the smartest person ever, Leonardo is reported to have been a strikingly handsome man with great strength and a fine singing voice” (http://legacy.mos.org/leonardo/bio.html). Leonardo’s father received custody of him soon after birth, at the age of 15 he apprenticed Andrea del Verrochio in Florence, where he learned and revealed his talent.
In 1482 to 1499 Leonardo da Vinci worked for Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. The Duke requested a religious scene of Jesus and the Apostles at the Last Supper. Leonardo then put his creativity together creating on of my favorite pieces of art, the Last Supper. Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, was painted on a tempera and oil mural on plaster in 1495 to 1498 during his time in Milan. The Last Supper measures at 460 x 880 cm (15 x 29 feet). The painting represents Passover dinner when Jesus Christ informs the Apostles that someone will betray him.
“Christ says to his apostles “One of you will betray me,” and the apostles react, each according to his own personality. Referring to the Gospels, Leonardo depicts Philip asking “Lord, is it I?” Christ replies, “He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.” (Matthew 26) We see Christ and Judas simultaneously reaching toward a plate that lies between them, even as Judas defensively backs away” (http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html).
The Last Supper is such a strong piece, it is very religious and traditional. The color is phenomenal and the way Leonardo has Jesus and the apostles interacting is quite realistic, demonstrating his unique ability to compose paintings.
Works Cited:
“Key Innovations and Artists of the Italian Renaissance” Web. 04 Feb. 2015 http://www.robinurton.com/history/Renaissance/early_ren.htm
“Leonardo’s “The Last Supper””. Web.1 Feb 15. http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html
“Museum of Science, Boston.” Leonardo Da Vinci. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. http://legacy.mos.org/leonardo/bio.html
Wikipedia. “Leonardo Da Vinci” 3 Feb. 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci
About Me
My name is Chelsie Hunter. I am 24 years old and I am an aspiring Dental Hygienist, I am currently a Dental Assistant. I love being outdoors and spending time with my husband and 3 month old son. I enjoy school and I look forward to taking this class.
My relationship with art is nonexistent right now, unless it is kid art (baby handprints and footprints). In the past, my husband and I have taken numerous trips and were able to check out museums, memorials and a King Tut exhibit. We also were able to catch a few Broadway shows such as Stomp and a Christmas Spectacular. Anything that comes to Fairbanks we try to catch such as the Cirque Du Soleil. In the future, I plan to view more museums, catch more shows and perform a few art projects myself.
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cmarunde 