# data[].attributes.body
Background: The Scream was painted at the end of the nineteenth century during a unique transitional period in art history, sometimes referred to as the fin de siecle. this painting reveals an honest  glimpse of his inner troubles and feelings of anxiety, putting more importance on personal meaning than on technical skill or "beauty," a traditional goal of art.

Questions:
Why is this person screaming?
Who are the men in the background with the hats?
Why is the background distorted?

# data[].attributes.body
Liam Sweeney: hokusai painted this around 1804. He was known for his paintings but also his block printing. He made many similar japanese paintings to this but being from Tokyo it makes sense he paints about Mt Fuji. In this painting people are walking along a path toward Mt fuji. There is wind or a storm that is blowing the people and blowing their supplies around.

Questions: why are they trying to get to the mountain?
What is blowing away?
What kind of storm is this?
Do the people mean anything to the artist?

# data[].attributes.body
The painting obviously has a very dark atmosphere.  It depicts what appears to be 3 decaying people embracing each other against a gloomy background.

Questions:

Who are these?

What are these?

What is going on?

Background:

By Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński

The artist was known to listen to a lot of classical music while painting

He didn’t like it when people tried to figure out the meaning of his art

The above painting was created in 1984

He described his work as “optimistic”

# data[].attributes.headline
The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso(Nick)

# data[].attributes.subject
The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso(Nick)

# data[].attributes.body
The painting shows an old man holding an acoustic guitar in his hands. He's shown leaning over and holding his head down sitting with his legs crossed. His body is a shade of light blue to show his emotion as well as how skinny the old man is. It's painted with a sort of monochromatic pallet, as to draw a reaction for the man. What really stand out color wise is his white hair against the dark blues, which really shows his age. He also is wearing tattered clothes, and whether that represents his physical or mental state (or both) is up to the viewer.

Background:
1) He painted this with oil so the colors could blend really well yet at the same time leave the viewer to feel conflicted.
2) This was during a very depressed and desolate part of his life when multiple tragedies in his life happened.
3) Picasso was also very poor, so he ended up painting about that.

Questions:
1) Why is the man's head down while he holds the guitar up higher?

2) What is the significance of the open background?

3) How important is the guitar in the man's life for him to keep playing it?

# data[].attributes.headline
The Farmers' Lunch by Diego Velazquez (Grace Hu)

# data[].attributes.subject
The Farmers' Lunch by Diego Velazquez (Grace Hu)

# data[].attributes.body
The painting shows three people, two of which seem to be farmers and a woman who could be a wife to one of them or a maid. The two men seem to be having a conversation with each other, the younger man talking and making gestures while the older man listened. The woman is refilling wine into the older man’s glass and on the table were fish, a carrot, bread, oranges, and a brass/copper container of some sort. The background is dark compared to the foreground, highlighting the three people as the composition’s centerpieces. The tablecloth is the brightest, which helps emphasize the items on the table to depict that it was lunchtime. Stories can be created from this story in regards to what the people could be talking about and their relationship.

Background:
This painting was painted in oil on a canvas in 1618 and it’s an artwork that combines still life with portraiture. There is another similar painting called “The Lunch” also by Diego Velazquez and both compositions focus on his theme of developing the use of light shown with the draping of the tablecloth. Velazquez also focuses on creating character traits and personalities through their expressions and outward appearancesThis is one of his earlier paintings before becoming the official painter to Spain’s king.

Questions:

1. What kind of story/conversation are the two men having?

2. Is the woman focusing her gaze on the pouring wine or the older man beyond that?

3. What is the brass/copper container used for?

4. Are the farmers on the upper end of their class?

5. Why are the food laid out on the table and not in a basket/container?

# data[].attributes.headline
Ameya Jain : "At Dusk (Boston Common at Twilight)" by Childe Hassam

# data[].attributes.subject
Ameya Jain : "At Dusk (Boston Common at Twilight)" by Childe Hassam

# data[].attributes.body
The painting has a quiet feeling to itself, it's really calming mainly because of its winter/pinkish snow and the orange sky. On the left though, there is a hurried movement of cars, like a busy road but on the right there are people who are calmly walking on the snowy park. A mother and her child pause to feed the birds and it seems like she saying something to the other girl.
The fast-paced life in Boston is a maybe represented by the vertical lines of the fence, the lampposts and the trees that recede rapidly into distance, coming closer and closer together.
There are many potential stories that can be written from this picture, like the lady and her children or the contrast between the city's busy and calm life.

Background :

1. Painted by an American artist, Childe Hassam, in 1885-86.
2. Inspired by the French artists Jean Beraud and Giuseppe de Nittis, who took modern life as their main subject and frequently depicted fashionable young women in urban settings.
3.  Despite the old-fashioned charm Boston Common at Twilight presents to viewers today, in Hassam’s time this scene was distinctly modern.

Questions :

1.  Where is her husband?
2. Do they regularly come to this park to feed the birds?
3. Why is the girl feeding the bird?
4. Does the girl like animals/ birds?
5. Where are they going?

# data[].attributes.headline
The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai (Aria)

# data[].attributes.subject
The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai (Aria)

# data[].attributes.body
I found this painting captivating because I thought it would be interesting to write a piece from the perspective of the people in the boats faced with this huge force of nature. I love how rather than placing the people in the boats at the center of the work, they're merely a detail beneath the formidable wave. This painting demonstrates the strength of nature, something we often forget now that we have so much technology to "tame" nature. It's refreshing to see the strength of the ocean with the people just an afterthought under it.

Facts:
1. Hokusai played with perspective in this work so that the greatest mountain in Japan (Mount Fuji) is portrayed as just a small mound under the crest of the wave.
2. The painter Hokusai began painting when he was six years old. At sixteen he was apprenticed as an engraver, and at the age of eighteen he was apprenticed to one of the most famous artists of the time.
3. The painting is actually not a painting, it's a woodblock print. There are copies of the print in many western collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
4. This work is fully titled "The Great Wave off Kanagawa." It was published sometime between 1829 and 1833 in the late Edo period (under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate), an era characterized by an isolationist foreign policy that helped to foster Japanese arts and culture, as the first print in Hokusai's series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. While the wave is sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, it is more likely to be just a large rogue wave.

Questions:
1. Do the people in the boats survive?
2. Where were the people in the boats going?
3. Why were the people in the boats going where they were going?
4. What did the people in the boats think when they first saw the wave?
5. What if you wrote a story from the perspective of the wave/sea?
6. It's believed that the wave is not a tsunami, but a rogue wave. How could you turn the idea of a rogue wave into a story?

# data[].attributes.headline
American Gothic By Grant Wood - Patrick Bodrog. 

# data[].attributes.subject
American Gothic By Grant Wood - Patrick Bodrog. 

# data[].attributes.body
The whole painting has a certain cartoonish quality to it due to the trees in the background. The sky is very bleak and seems rather surreal.

This painting gives somewhat of an unease towards the viewer. Wether the man is giving an unwelcoming look or one full of hatred,  we cannot know. The women disapproves of the viewer just like the man, however she rests the decision with her husband. It looks to me as if the man has his pitchfork extended as if to block the viewer and say "you are not welcome, turn back". During those times it was common for the men to be the leaders of the household and I think the painting shows the leadership in the man's hand. Overall, the painting shows rather unwelcoming people who look like they want nothing more than for the viewer to walk away.

Facts:
This is a very famous painting that now resides in the Art Institute of Chicago.
The painter is Grant Wood and after submitting it in a painting competition at the Art Institute of Chicago, Wood received a 300 dollar prize and instant fame.
The inspiration came during visiting a small town in Eldon in his native Iowa. There he spotted a little wood farmhouse and decided to paint a painting that showed the people he would imagine could live there. He used his sister for the woman and their dentist as the man and dressed them in 19th century Americana clothing.

Questions:

1. Why are they both frowning?

2. Why does the man have a pitchfork in his hand?

3. Where is the location of the painting?

# data[].attributes.headline
Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich

# data[].attributes.subject
Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich

# data[].attributes.body
Luke: The entire painting is incredibly dramatic, with pastel skies that converge into fog rising above rocky steeples. The horizon actually meets at the figure’s chest, maybe representing that the whole universe is embedded into his heart. The figure in question has his back to the viewer, his chest pointed at the rocky landscape before him, his flowing olive overcoat and cane poised proudly. He is dressed quite well in an otherwise desolate and dismal landscape of wilderness. Some actually consider the figure to be Friedrich himself, as they both share fiery red hair, maybe trying to share the almost religious/spiritual experience of the awe inspiring landscape before him.

1. Friedrich doesn’t use framing in his paintings, but instead uses open world techniques with foggy, layered perspective focusing on a distant focal point.

2. He uses a portrait orientation to convey the height and awe of the landscape.

3. The painter wanted to create Christian images without using typical Christian symbols.

Questions:
1. Why is this figure looking out on such a desolate landscape?
2. Is he from a background of affluence?
3. In what part of the world is this painting situated?
4. Why did he include so much of the foreground element? (the rock the figure is standing on)

# data[].attributes.body
La Orana Maria (Ave Maria)

Visual Qualities

This drawing could potentially be interesting to write about due to the heavy emphasis on the maternal role. As the mother carries her son, she holds a look of seriousness as he is asleep, so more could be elaborated on his innocence towards what she has had to go through. Her clothing appears to be from a non-western culture, so that particular story can go in depth about the culture these people live in.
Some questions include:
Where is she going with her son?
Why are her expression so vacant?
What is she leaving behind?

Background Facts

1. This painting is inspired by Tahitian culture.

2. The mother and son are Mary and Jesus dressed in traditional Tahitian clothing.

3. This work of art tries to convey the message that “primitive” cultures and western cultures can live in harmony.

4. This piece also serves as a gateway of discussion regarding missionaries and how they would make other cultures convert to Christianity.

5. There is an expanded version of this painting with two Tahitian girls putting their hands together in prayer.

# data[].attributes.body
Why are they looking at the spectator/painter in such ways?

# data[].attributes.body
Nan Goldin, Munich 1984
Little is known about the context of this particular piece, but it is a photograph (presumably of a man named Dieter) taken by Nan Goldin, who documents things like LGBTQ+ culture, moments with her friends, and the opioid crisis in her work. She tends to show people in moments of vulnerability, in both a literal and metaphorical sense -- for Goldin, taking pictures is “a way of touching someone—a form of tenderness.”
Questions:
-What is he looking at?

-Is he in his home?

-How small is the room that he’s in?

-Does the photographer know him well?

-What emotion is he feeling?
-Is he conflicted?

-Will he be okay?

# data[].attributes.headline
Suwon Kim: The Night Watch by Rembrandt 

# data[].attributes.subject
Suwon Kim: The Night Watch by Rembrandt 

# data[].attributes.body
Context:

It is an oil painting of the militia company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq ordering his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburgh to march the company out.

Painted by a famous dutch artist Rembrandt in 1642.

Rembrandt used different techniques to paint this

It was so big that it had to be cut to fit in the museum

The Night Watch was not set at night. It became dark from the multi layering of varnish and aging.

Questions:

Where are they marching to? Are they going to war?

Most of them seem well dressed. Did this particular militia company have a higher status?

Where are they? (They seem to be indoors)

What was so famous about it?

They say it is a painting of a militia company, why are they all over the place instead of in order?

What is the young girl doing in the painting?

# data[].attributes.body
Context:
- Made by Pablo Picasso in 1937 in opposition to the Spanish Civil War
- This painting shows the effects of the Nazis bombing Guernica during WW2.
- This painting continues to serve as a symbol of resistance
- The details Guernica add so much emotion and the facial expressions show the betrayal that the people of Guernica felt.

Questions:
-What were the people doing before the bombing?
-How did the town recover from the bombings?
-What were the people who were doing the bombing thinking?
-Who were these people?
-How did these people deal with the pain?
-What are these people feeling?

# data[].attributes.headline
Hannah Lin: Portrait of a Young Married Couple

# data[].attributes.subject
Hannah Lin: Portrait of a Young Married Couple

# data[].attributes.body
Context:
-By Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens around 1621

-Typical format of 17th century marriage portrait.
-Overall color theme is dark, highlight on their faces and skin.
-Behind the pillar might be the outside, which had dark cloud/smoke and hints of orange color.

-Ivy clinging onto architecture commonly symbolize marital love and fidelity.

-Poses suggest affectionate connection, but they turn towards the spectator with expressions of discontent.

Questions:
-Identities? They look like they have high status. Where are they from?
-Why do they have unhappy expressions? Why are they looking at the spectator/painter in such ways?
-Was there a fire outside?

-Are they willingly married? What happened between them?

-What mood/emotions are the dark colors of the clothing and background conveying?
-Did the couple choose/set up the background? Did they want to be portrayed this way?

# data[].attributes.body
Visual Qualities

This drawing could potentially be interesting to write about due to the heavy emphasis on the maternal role. As the mother carries her son, she holds a look of seriousness as he is asleep, so more could be elaborated on his innocence towards what she has had to go through. Her clothing appears to be from a non-western culture, so that particular story can go in depth about the culture these people live in.

Background Facts

1. This painting is inspired by Tahitian culture.

2. The mother and son are Mary and Jesus dressed in traditional Tahitian clothing.

3. This work of art tries to convey the message that “primitive” cultures and western cultures can live in harmony.

4. This piece also serves as a gateway of discussion regarding missionaries and how they would make other cultures convert to Christianity.

5. There is an expanded version of this painting with two Tahitian girls putting their hands together in worship.

# data[].attributes.headline
Joyce Guo: Portrait of the Artist's Mother by Henry Ossawa Tanner 

# data[].attributes.subject
Joyce Guo: Portrait of the Artist's Mother by Henry Ossawa Tanner 

# data[].attributes.body
Here are a couple of background facts about the painting that might help to inspire a story: For starters, Tanner painted this portrait of his own mother, Sarah Elizabeth Miller Tanner, as both a tribute to her and a celebration of his recent success. In addition, his mother was “the central, stabilizing figure in her large and distinguished African American family.” Furthermore, “In its composition Tanner’s work refers to the world-famous image by another American: Whistler’s Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother of 1871.” The site also mentions that “The painting also stands as a reminder of Tanner’s success in his chosen career, in which he had persevered despite initial opposition from his parents.”

Some questions I have: Why did he choose to depict his mother in this fashion? Why does she look so tired (what made her tired) and weak yet strong and independent at the same time? (She seems like she’s been through a lot.) Why is she sitting on the white cloth (why did the artist include it)? Why is she holding a fan?

Source: http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/103024.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Becca Johnson: “Two Peasant Women in a Meadow” by Camille Pissarro

# data[].attributes.subject
Becca Johnson: “Two Peasant Women in a Meadow” by Camille Pissarro

# data[].attributes.body
Context:

These types of paintings are of European and American descent.

They were once owned by Reverend William E. Wolcott of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Once he died the works of art became part of the White Fund, a charitable trust

This is an oil on canvas painting created in 1893 by Camille Pissarro, a French artist.

Question:

What is the relationship between the two women? I wonder where this picture takes place and what/if they are farming. Does the fact that they are alone have any significance? I love the precise details and vibrant colors. Are there animals in the background? Why aren’t their facial features drawn in?

# data[].attributes.headline
Still Life with a Ham and a Roemer- Willem Claesz Heda (Natalie G)

# data[].attributes.subject
Still Life with a Ham and a Roemer- Willem Claesz Heda (Natalie G)

# data[].attributes.body
Background:
-Painted around 1631-1634
-Painted in Europe
Questions:
-Why is everything half full
-Did they leave in a hurry since that glass is tipped over?
- Where were they off to?
-were they getting ready for a war?

Context:
From looking at this painting you can see that many items on this table look untouched. The ham is cut and served on to the plate yet still on the bone. The lemon looks like it was in the middle of being peeled until they had to leave? The glasses are still half full which means they all left in a hurry. Everything is still half full or not touched because i believe they were all getting ready for dinner when very important news came in there direction and they all had to leave dinner to attend the emergency.

# data[].attributes.body
Background:
1. This painting was made by a French artist, Fernand Léger in 1919
2. The painting is 7 feet tall and 10 feet wide
3. Léger based his painting off of his view of the city in Paris such as the bold text and graphics on billboards and posters

Questions:
1. What do each of the shapes/designs represent?
2. What motivated the artist to draw the city in such abstract manner?
3. Why is the city drawn so differently than typical city drawings/paintings?

# data[].attributes.headline
Swetha Meruva: Tomb Figures: Bactrian Camel and Central Asian Groom

# data[].attributes.subject
Swetha Meruva: Tomb Figures: Bactrian Camel and Central Asian Groom

# data[].attributes.body
These ceramic figures of a Camel and man were made in China over a thousand years ago. Attached to the camel’s saddle is a water flask, a slab of smoked meat, and a saddlebag with a fanged guardian face.The figures would be made for the tombs of wealthy aristocrats and merchants, along with figures of guardians, soldiers, and entertainers so that the spirit of the deceased people can have a rich and full afterlife. They were created in the Tang Dynasty (618–907), 618–907, China.
Questions:
- why is the camel in distress?
- what expression is the man trying to convey
- why chose the merchant to protect someone's tomb, why not a soldier? What could the camel symbolize?

# data[].attributes.body
Background:

Dated in 1890

Painted by an American painter who was born in Ireland

Family in the painting is the Hovendens and each person in the painting is either a relative or friend of the family

Painter’s name is Thomas Hovenden

Was painting during a time when the idea of small family farms was decreasing and many young men had to leave the family to find jobs in the city

Questions:

Where is the boy going to after this scene?

Do all of the people live with this family or are they neighbors?

Where in America does this take place?

Why is the mother the only one in bright colors?

# data[].attributes.headline
Sydney Porter: "If the Double Helix Wakes Up..."

# data[].attributes.subject
Sydney Porter: "If the Double Helix Wakes Up..."

# data[].attributes.body
- This was painted by Takashi Murakami. He blended traditional Japanese painting, his love for pop art, and the influence of manga (Japanese comics) to create this piece.
- Murakami created a signature character and alter ego called Mr. DOB. He was inspired by Mickey Mouse and he is featured in Murakami’s works.
- This painting is called “If the Double Helix Wakes Up…” because it is supposed to represent DNA. Apparently this shows that “Mr. DOB has mutated, (and is) now a highly distorted figure with sharp fangs and beady eyes.

# data[].attributes.body
Café Terrace at Night by Vincent Van Gogh.

5 Questions:

1. What is within the possibility of impossibility?

2. Who is the lady in the red cloak?

3. What kinds of conversations are they having in the coffeeshop?

4. What are the people doing in the lit windows?

5. Is the painter lonely?

3 Contextual Facts:

1. Van Gogh's iconic Post-Impressionistic star-filled sky appears for the first time in his "Café Terrace at Night."

2. The positioning of the stars in this painting is accurate according to astronomical data!

3. This is painted in France. The Café still exists, and is now called Café Van Gogh.

# data[].attributes.headline
Nico Omenetto: "LifeLine" by Winslow Homer

# data[].attributes.subject
Nico Omenetto: "LifeLine" by Winslow Homer

# data[].attributes.body
Questions about piece:
1. What caused the person being rescued to drown in the first place?
2. Where does  the zipline lead?
3. Why send one man to do the job?
4. How did they find the person who needed to be rescued?

Facts about piece:

The picture resembles a dramatic rescue from a foundering ship, and the technology that was used to help rescue stranded passengers

Homer saw a demonstration that helped him with creating the painting, by the use and observation of a breeches buoy

Homer often created paintings of man’s fate  in confronting the elemental forces of nature.

# data[].attributes.headline
Seo-Hyun Yoo: Earring with Nike driving a two-horse chariot

# data[].attributes.subject
Seo-Hyun Yoo: Earring with Nike driving a two-horse chariot

# data[].attributes.body
3-5 sentence summary:

This is an earring that dates back before 300 BCE. It originated from Greece and depicts Nike, the greek goddess of victory, riding a two horse chariot. Although the ear piece is broken, the intricate details of the earring remain.

Questions about the piece:

1. Who was the artist that created this earring, and were they highly regarded at the time?

2. Who was this earring made for?

3. In what occasion was this earring worn?

4. Why does Nike look tense and stern?

5. Where is Nike going?

Context:

1. This is an earring that depicts Nike driving a two horse chariot (aka a biga). Nike is the goddess of victory, speed, and strength in greek mythology. She is the sister of power (Kratos), force (Bia), and zeal (Zelus).

2. This gold earring was created by soldering over a hundred individual parts in order to maintain the details. The details are created with gold sheets, wire work, and small gold balls to create texture. All of these come together to form the delicate earring that hangs from a pendant.

3. This art is Northern Greek, and is from the Late Classical or Early Hellenistic Period, which is around 350-325 BCE. It is called Earring with Nike driving a two-horse chariot.

# data[].attributes.headline
Avani Kabra: “Modern Rome" by Giovanni Paolo Pannini

# data[].attributes.subject
Avani Kabra: “Modern Rome" by Giovanni Paolo Pannini

# data[].attributes.body
3-5 Sentence Commentary:
This vibrant work can inspire many different stories, depending on what part of the painting one chooses to focus on. The grandeur of the architecture of the gallery is breathtaking, and the intricate detail of the many works that are honored is amazing. In particular, I find the interactions between Duc de Choiseul and his students very interesting because I wonder what they are talking about and how they are learning art from some of the best artists of the Renaissance period.

Questions about the piece:
1. What do the students think about the overwhelming artworks in the gallery? How does this method of teaching help them develop their own work?
2. Why did Pannini choose to include the paintings that he did as a representation of the time period?
3. Was this gallery specifically made to accommodate for this many paintings?
4. From Duc de Choiseul's perspective, how would he use the artwork in this gallery to help his students learn?
5. Who has access to this gallery? Is it only the wealthy and powerful or is it open to everyone?

3-5 Background Facts:
1. In this painting, Panini portrays famous monuments and works of art from Renaissance and Baroque Rome, which is set in a monumental gallery, to celebrate the rebirth of classism.
2. This work was painted in combination with Ancient Rome which aimed to bridge together Roman ideals by honoring great works from both time periods.
3. The people in this painting include Duc de Choiseul, who is facing the man in the blue, and his art students who were completing a self portrait assignment.
4. The works featured in this gallery come from renowned Renaissance artists, including the sculpture by Michelangelo of Moses from the tomb of Julius II and Bernini’s David and Apollo and Daphne.
5. This work, along with Ancient Rome pay testament to Panini’s skillful attention to detail and mastery over architecture.