Week 5 Blog Post

Caillebotte is an impressionist artist from the late 1800’s. Caillebotte was a man who went through many tragic things in his life. These emotions are easily expressed through his work. He was able to grasp separation and isolation in his pieces that portrayed a concept of modernity in his work. Through the pieces I examined I would think Caillebotte’s paintings were more of a critique of modern life. I believe Caillebotte’s view on the world was quite critical because of what he had been through and what his perspective was on the world. He let his paintings express the problems society faces and the emotions we are too scared to show. He shows images of labor, isolation, and expressionless faces.

             For this weeks post I had to choose Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street, Rainy Day, because while I write I’m listening to the storm going on outside my window. This brought a strong connection to this piece for me.  I tried stepping away from his better-known works, but I was continuously drawn back to this piece.

This piece displays Caillebotte’s way of isolating his figures. My focus did not go to the couple walking towards us initially. My attention went to the building in the background and the street that leads to it. I don’t believe the figures were his focal point in this image. They are casted to the side as if to be minor details in his work. The streets are bare although they have people walking around. There are no large groups of people, just pairs and lone walkers. We see these figures walking around the streets of Paris with umbrellas shielding them from the rain, although it’s the water building up in the cobblestone of the streets that portrays the weather. It seems like a dreary day, but even then the figures are dressed very nicely and going on with their day as if it were perfect weather to do so. I look at this painting and see these figures as putting on a mask. The weather shows the emotion of these figures, but they still put on a front of being ‘put together’. I guess this is how I see Caillebotte’s pieces being critical of the modern society. The people are fake, as if they are putting up a front for the society they live in.

Week 4 Blog Post

Monet and Manet both created two impressionist pieces from the eighteen hundreds that revolved around the celebrations that occurred in France after the defeat of 1870. The French government declared June 30, 1878, a national holiday. This date represented France's recovery from the War of 1870-1871. There was an opening of an international exhibition, which was cause for the streets of Paris to be covered with flags and crowded with people celebrating the event. During this time Monet and Manet were staying in Paris and were both inspired by the celebration in the streets. Monet stayed in the working class area of Les Halles where he placed himself on a balcony to paint his piece, whereas Manet chose to stay in the seventeenth arrondissement, a more elegant place to stay.

Right away I was able to see differences in these two pieces. One is energetic and more joyful than the other, which is more solemn and focused on a few figures. To compare the two I’m going to start with my favorite, and that was Claude Monet’s The Rue Montorgueil. This piece is so vibrant with colors you are able to feel the joy of celebration amongst the people. The patriotic flags strung all down the street with movement in them as if they are blowing with the wind. The clear blue skies with puffy white clouds sing with the joys from below them. Monet’s brushstrokes are energetic and strike the canvas with little detail, but just enough that the scene and emotions are clear.

Edouard Manet’s The Rue Mosnier with Flags is by far tamer than the bustling streets in Monet’s piece. His depiction of the festival seems to be set in the events that took place after the celebrations. The streets are bare with only a few people to be seen. The proportion that he shows of the streets is focused on a much smaller scale than Monet’s piece. The Rue Mosnier with Flags seems to be a more intimate piece than Monet’s was. I think the subject matter of these two pieces was where the biggest difference resided. In Monet’s the focus is on one man who I assume was a veteran of this war walking down the streets after or even before the celebration had/has taken place, then there are a few other figures sharing the streets with him, in carriage or on foot. The colors are also vibrant in this piece but seem to be more downplayed than in Monet’s piece.

Like all Impressionism pieces these two works of art have speratic brushstrokes and vibrant colors. When looking at this piece from a farther glance you are able to see the scene clearly. When stepping closer to the painting the brush strokes and colors become a mesh of everything rather than a clear scene.  Both these pieces show avant-garde in their impressionist styles. The brushstrokes and colors of the paints push the boundaries of the everyday painting we see with clear detail and elegant subject matter.  

Week 3 Blog Post

Impressionism was based in the 19^th century by a group of artists originating from Paris. The characteristics of impressionist paintings are the noticeable brush strokes. The strokes are very thin and small. The subject matter of these people usually included people of the city life involved in an everyday event.

Moulin De La Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renior is an impressionism piece that at first glance has so many different things going on. All the figures and actions drew me into this piece and I had to take a closer glance. The thin almost sporadic brush strokes, the faint coloring, the details in the figures. Initially when I looked at this piece I had a feeling of happiness and an overwhelming feeling towards their carefree world, just an eventful night in Paris. I chose to first look at the facial features of the figures in the scene. I noticed no smile being prominent in their features. I seemed as if this was a casual event that happened often amongst these people. Their faces showed content in their slight upturned lips. 

Another aspect I was drawn to in this piece was the classic attribute of the impressionist style, the brushstrokes. There were the noticeable brushstrokes with no real definition in the scene. Definition varied in the faces and throughout the scene. That is what I found interesting about this piece, all impressionist pieces for that matter. There are features lost in the brush strokes whereas in some figures, usually in the foreground, there are distinct features. The lines are thin and sporadically placed.

Like I had mentioned before when I first looked at this piece I thought it was a night in Paris. Taking a closer look I realized it’s in fact a party of upperclassmen taking place in the daytime. I noticed the shadows on the figures displaying the sunlight coming through the foliage above the party. I first thought theses were reflections from party lights strung across the sky. I also noticed in the left corner two children dancing amongst these upperclassmen. This brought a sense of innocence to the party and changed my thought of this piece being a flirtation of people at a business party to more laid back party of sorts where children’s company could be enjoyed.

The dimension of this piece shows various details. We see dancing men and woman in the foreground with slightly more distinct features, but as we look farther in the distance we see a mix of brush strokes that can barely be distinguished as more people. The colors fade together as one mass. I see scale come into the piece through the figures. The proportion of the figures whether in the foreground or background are proportionate to one another. Although as I looked farther into the scene I noticed one the figures began to bland together they all became on set size in the piece. The couple in the right hand upper corner for example seem to be sharing the same ground as the couple with their back turned in the middle of the painting, but they are noticeably smaller and show more detail than those figures around them. The mixture of softer almost pastel colors of purple, blacks, and blues. Colors of which almost gave me the impression of nighttime. Colors that on further looking in fact give the piece a soft, charming feel to the event that is taking place. Another thing that changed my view of this piece is when I started to notice the oranges and greens in piece. This discovery also changed the look of night to day. This is when I started noticing the richness in the colors.

Impressionism, to me, doesn’t take care to include great detail in its style. The artists of this time moved through their work taking more attention to the story of the piece rather than the distinguished lines. The brushstrokes are what I find more interesting. They are thin as if to make great details, but the noticeable strokes is what seems to bring the emotion into the painting. As if while the artist was painting their emotions took hold of the brush rather than the determination to be exact in every movement. We can feel what emotion the story holds through the lines of the figures. This particular piece for example displays joy and carelessness amongst these upperclassmen with out a concern in the world. 

Week 2 Blog Post

Gustave Courbet is seen as an “avant-garde” artist who created represented realism in his pieces. In Paris 1848 there were street fights going on which caused Gustave to become an advocate through his paintings. Two paintings of his were created in regards to the street fights during this time. The first of these paintings was The Stone Breakers, and the second being A Burial at Ornans.

The Stone Breakers was painted in 1849. This painting shows a boy and his father breaking stones to create gravel that was used for roadbeds. Those who were known as stonebreakers represented the disenfranchised peasants where our modern life was formed. The two figures that don’t show their face wear clothing from two different times. The young boy has tattered clothing, but wears modern shoes, which is said to represent what grim future modern life will hold. The older man wears resent peasant like clothing that was said to represents the rural past of their people.  Courbet was making a political statement in his piece. Courbet further studied the two men in his studio.

Realism is portrayed in this image by the colors and positions of the figures. The shadows and dreary paints leave a feeling of depression and aggravation. His rough brush strokes make the scene realistic and gloomy. The positions of the figures show the strain in their movements and struggles in their work. This piece represents the injustice of the work these men had to endure.

            Shortly after The Stone Breakers Courbet painted A Burial At Ornans. Another large-scale painting represented a burial-taking place. The many facial features of the group surrounding the grave create a conflicting emotion in the piece. We see a group of clergymen looking off to the side with their attention clearly not in the present situation. There are many grieving woman surrounding the grave. Some are hiding their faces, and others are looking off and seem to be walking away from the scene. My attention was drawn to the dog in the corner of the painting with clearly no interest in what is happening around him. Had it not been for the title I would not have seen this as a funeral. The many faces depict the emotions that happen in a real funeral. No matter the status of the dead.

            In the colors and brush strokes, like The Stone Breakers, we see gloom and depression. The attention the figures hold on the grave shows the numb uncaring feel those hold during a funeral service. After Courbet had submitted his work to the Salon he knew it would be detested. Regardless, Courbet challenged the style of academic paintings. This established his avant-garde position in the artistic world. He aimed to create controversy with his paintings. His independence in the realism of his paintings is inspirational. They create controversy and represent the truth in modern life, what was, what is, and what will be. 

Week 10 Blog Post

           This quarter I particularly enjoyed studying the Mannerism Period from the High Renaissance. I was drawn to this period because of its originality. Mannerism I believe brought a unique aspect to its art. With the more abstract ways and contrasting colors I was drawn to the differences it brought to their paintings in particular. Mannerism made its techniques known by taking figures and contorting them from proper anatomy. With the elongated limbs and uncomfortable yet incredibly balanced poses. Every figure took on an emotion and distinct contortion to draw in the viewer’s eyes. Mannerism also played around with irregular settings, lighting, and an overall collapsed perspective.

The Pontormo Entombment is a strong painting that represents these various aspects of the Mannerism period. First I noticed the irregular colors in the piece. Mostly pastels of pink, beige, and blue were used in this piece. Jesus lays in the contorted mess of limbs caused by the other figures in the image. The facial expressions of these figures remain glazed over if not peaceful. The balance in each figure shows one of the mannerist’s techniques of balance in their poses. Supporting one another as a somewhat of a controlled chaos takes place. The elongated necks of the figures in this painting create a sense of gracefulness in their movements. The cloths drape so elegantly around one another.

That is why the Mannerism Period was so intriguing to me. It was the visual details in the paintings that drew me closer. Although the historical context behind this period was interesting it was the visual details that made this time period stand out to me. It was short, but I believe it brought new direction to modern day art. With a different perspective I was able to see more beauty in their elongated limbs and contorted frames.

I had a different reaction to this period than I had to other periods. Every piece from this period seemed to have more going on than any other piece. The unique forms placed in front of me created an interesting originality to how we view human anatomy. It was the irregularity to these pieces that grasped my interest. IN a way I saw the Mannerism period as a time of rebellion. Taking the balanced, harmonized, naturalistic ways of the Renaissance times and creating a controlled chaos of clashing colors and disproportioned bodies to create bizarre themes that combined Classicism, Christianity and mythology.

Artistic periods seem to blend together for me. Taking techniques from one time and creating new art can get tiring. We see naturalism, humanism, and other aspects of art through out the times. Mannerism was a way to break from this repetitive ways and create a time that created vastly different stories and still held such beauty in their art. 

Extra Credit #2

Antonio del Pollaiuolo sculpted the statue of Hercules and Antaeus in 1475. This was one of many depictions of the battle between Hercules and Antaeus. Hercules and Antaeus was an intriguing sculpture to me. I found it intriguing mostly because of the detail in the movement of the figures. I was drawn to the dramatic emotion it brought to my eye. The story behind this piece was sure to be just as intriguing so I decided to look further into it.

            In short Antaeus was a being that gained strength through the earth. He would constantly challenge passers-by to a wrestling match. When he killed his victims he would collect their skulls to one day build a temple to his father Poseidon. When he challenged Hercules he was lifted into the air and became just as week as all the other men. Hercules defeated Antaeus by keeping him in the air (where Antaeus was weakest) and crushing him in his arms.

The detail involved in this piece is fascinating. Pollaiuolo was known for his knowledge of human anatomy. I believe he is one of the most intriguing artists because of this knowledge. He is able to create movement in his figures with details in the muscles and movement of cloth. Like in the Battle Of The Nudes, Pollaiuolo’s ability to represent physical and emotional violence it astounding. When looking at this statue I can tell Hercules is the one lifting Antaeus because of the lion skin wrapped around his waist. The anguish in Antaeus’s face is clear due to his opened mouth screaming what I can only assume is mercy in his defeat. Antaeus’s legs kick out as if to flail from Hercules massive grip. The muscles are strained where they are being used. I can feel the struggle in this battle.

Pollaiuolo usually did small bronze sculptures. This depiction of Hercules and Antaeus was one of the largest. The intertwined bodies clearly show the understanding Pollaiuolo had of human anatomy. Pollaiuolo was able to show great detail in each figure in motion. It was said that Pollaiuolo had dissected corpses to better understand the human anatomy. Which although disturbing clearly gave him an advantage in his art.

http://www.all-art.org/Architecture/13-19.htm

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/antaeus.htm

Extra Credit #1

Last week we chose an artist we found interesting to do a short research project about. I had chosen Jean Honore Fragonard for his painting The Swing. Unfortunately The Swing was not the painting I was discussing. The Swing was very intriguing to me, and one of the main reasons I chose Fragonard as the artist to research. I chose another painting of his titled Young Girl Reading. This week I would like to look further into The Swing and the story that lies beneath.

When first looking at this painting I saw it as playful and lighthearted piece. After my research I learned about the scandal behind these figures. The man swinging the woman is said to be her husband. You then see a man hiding in the bushes. This man is said to be the woman’s lover.  He hides in the bushes to catch a glimpse up the woman’s dress, as she would swing over him. The Cupid statue on the left side of the painting holds his finger to his lips to keep it this affair he is witnessing a secret. I noticed that the lighting has illuminated the three involved in the scandal (Cupid, the woman, and her lover) as if to bring them out into the open to play around with the thrill of being caught in the act. The husband and innocent looking angel status stay back in the shadows. Representing staying in the dark of the whole situation.

Fragonard uses pastel colors, pale pinks and greens creating a more sensual coloring in the painting. Looking closer you are able to see the loose brushstrokes in the pink dress of the woman. We are also able to see her garter belt. Philosophers of the Enlightenment wanted to soon condemn this painting for being able to see this aspect. They wanted a new style of art. Art that showed moral behavior in its figures, of human beings at their most dignified state. The Scandal behind The Swing did not demonstrate such ideas.

What I thought to be a lighthearted playful painting turned out to be a scandalous endeavor to study. I very much enjoyed the story behind this painting because it demonstrates how perspective can mean so much in a painting. It’s how we interpret the figures actions with out them moving or narrating what is going on. By knowing the story behind this painting I was able to see the importance of how these figures were illuminated and brought to my attention. The man in the dark about his woman’s affair, the two lovers playfully flirting right in front of his face. The colors also create this disillusion in the piece. Fragonard used pastels that create a playful scheme of things when the colors that would better represent the story should be more vibrant and energetic. It’s all very interesting.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/rococo

http://www.artble.com/artists/jean-honore_fragonard/paintings/the_swing