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Easily put, sexism. The people of the time didn’t believe that a woman could be a good painter, let alone one at all. Sofonisba Anguilssola challenged those notions and made art regardless of what other people thought of her. She ended up doing so good that the king of Spain offered her an official painting job for the royal family. She worked there for a good twenty years.

There was an inquisition in which they got really strict, and anyone who made of did anything that was deemed sacrilegious got in huge trouble, sometimes killed. Veronese barely got off with a slap on the wrist as long as he agreed to change the title of the painting.

It’s because of Holbein that we know who Henry VIII is. He wasn’t too handsome, but the painter had a task to create a painting to make him happy while also tell the truth. He did this by paying attention to the pose and the jewels in his clothing, which indicated his status and power as the King of England. The painting was made for the wedding to Ann of Cleaves.

“The Meat Stall” is one of those examples. Aertsen painted a bunch of meat found in an open market, which included some subliminal messages and themes. Background scene = fleeing of Egypt, there are references to Christ, like two fishes crossing with each other, and a gray sausage looks like a snake, and we usually think of the Brass Serpent, another symbolism of Christ, which the Adversary used to deceive Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Pretzels = a fun reference one used by priests to teach kids about prayer.

It was the most famous for prints and made for open market (not commissioned). Dürer had to invest in his own materials and unpaid time, but they sold widely. This is a depiction of book of Revelation, played on fears of people about the Second Coming of Christ in the year 1500. We can see the death trampling bishop, famine swinging scales, the war wielding sword, the pestilence drawing bow. Everything is woodcut, but it's like engraving because of hatching, which transformed technique of woodcuts all throughout Europe

Dürer was a follower of Martin Luther, and this work was not commissioned as well as presented to city of Nuremberg (Lutheran). It was a visual statement of his beliefs. We see John, Peter, Mark, and Paul. But who are the most important?

John and Paul are Luther’s favorite authors of scripture: the word (Bible), which is the authority (Peter’s importance lessened), and the Bible is open to John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” There are some quotations below from their writings, along with Luther’s German translation regarding warning of apostasy and false prophets. This piece also had Northern European influence, attention to detail, Italian monumentality, balanced forms, sculptural drapery, and the solidity of figures

• Technical virtuosity

• Unbalanced compositions

• Complexity

• Balance 

• Erudite subject matter

• Expressiveness

• Distortions of proportions

• Artifice/exaggeration

Bruegel traveled to Italy, and instead of sketches of monuments, etc., he returned with a landscape drawings. He explored landscape, peasant life (folk customs, daily life), moral allegories. Highly educated, wealthy merchants, and humanists were his main clients. Depicts the months of the year (like les Tres Riches Heures); landscape is the subject.

How does the artist draw us into deep space in the painting?

We see diagonal lines, repetition of trees, elements of design include shape and repetition of it, blue/gray/green color themes, and contrast

Made in Germany before Protestant Reformation took hold in the 1520s for a monastery church and hospital. We see a theme of disease and healing. The main illness at the hospital involved St. Anthony’s Fire, caused by a fungus that grew on rye. It caused convulsions and gangrene, oftentimes leading to amputations. There are two moveable halves of the predella that, if slid apart, made it appear like the legs of the body of Christ were amputated, as well as one of Christ’s arms. There is also the blackening of feet. The view during the week was St. Sebastian, on the left, believed to protect against the plague. St. Anthony Abbot, on the right, was identified with miraculous cure; healer crucifixion in the center (heroic scale) Mary and John are on left, Mary Magdalene is below, John the Baptist is on the right ("He must increase and I must decrease") This work is expressive more than naturalistic; it includes the scale of Christ, supernatural light, gnarled fingers, muscles and lacerations. And the mood? The dreadful ugliness of pain.

This was likely a group portrait. Velazquez was a colorist like Titian; he used loose brush stoke streaks. We see a moment in time, given the natural human gestures and expressions as well as an ordinary moment in the artist’s studio. Who is center of interest? Princess Marguerita, lightest in colors, center of attention, attending to King and Queen Philip IV and Maria Anna, and the image in mirror could be us in a way; a different level of illusion and portraiture. This work is kind of a claim to nobility by the artist; used to be looked down on, used their hands, and elevates both himself and the profession of painting. W also see an emphasis on light and brushwork, having seen Titians work in the King's collection.

The painting is likely to have been influenced by Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait, of 1434. At the time, van Eyck's painting hung in Philip's palace, and would have been familiar to Velázquez.

• Drama

• Energy and movement

• Dynamic balance (diagonals, curves, countercurves, etc.)

• High contrast (dark & light, etc.)

• Emotion

• Element of time

• Viewer involvement

• Naturalism of the High Renaissance

This work is based on the Biblical account in which Matthew is called to follow the Savior. This piece initiated the Baroque style, becoming internationally famous. A first commission, with 3 monumental canvases for the Church that was not fresco about St. Matthew. What would it look like if a Renaissance artist painted it? We can see radical naturalism and realism, and it's made in a common setting, with common people. The artist used live models: people he knew, ordinary people, not idealized. Could this have been seen as sacreligious or irreverent? I'm not sure. “Follow me”: The precise moment of his calling to Matthew, leading to his personal conversion. Matthew is having a spiritual awakening, reacting like, “Who, me?" Left: blind to the entrance of Christ (glasses) There is an element of light impt., looks natural but directs the attention of viewer. We also have contrast in light and dark, intensifying the subject; charges with symbolic meaning. There are also themes of tenebrism. The cross in window refers to Christ’s death and resurrection and indicates a rebirth for Matthew. We also see contrast between wealth and poverty, given the bare feet of Peter as an example.

“Caravaggio’s The Calling of Saint Matthew touched me with its overall vision, lifelikeness, symbolism, and tenebrism. I love that this painting allowed me to draw my own conclusion about which perspective I would associate with. I could be Peter, a disciple with Christ helping others to heed Christ’s call. I could be the younger boy directly in the light, who doesn’t have a leadership position yet, but absorbs Christ’s message. I could be Matthew, being called to be a disciple, in between worldly roles and eternal roles. I could wonder what qualifies me to be part of Christ’s work as Matthew does. I could even be a tax collector, unable to see truth and feel the light of Christ because of my place in the world. Like the Merode Triptych, Caravaggio’s painting  connects the biblical world to the modern world. It enables me, more than any other painting, to see my relationship with the Master Creator and giver of light, even Jesus Christ.” -Angela Cava

Based on the story of when Paul was once Saul, in a time in which he killed a lot of people, until God spoke to him, rebuking him for his crimes. This followed a moment of conversion, leading to repentance, a name change, and a new lifestyle in the service of God. We are seeing tenebrism again, including muted colors. There is no strong line; painted directly on canvas. There are no known drawings. This is a sacred subject but ordinary and contemporary people; unidealized, no sign of angels, halos, etc. Foreshortening of Paul: pushes to foreground and makes more immediate to viewer. We are present, and the scene is theatrical. Hot temper is detected considering that he killed a man in a duel and he's now on the run. Night scene: light is the vehicle for meaning. There's no light source, spiritual light; dramatic light and dark for a dramatic conversion (personal conversion again). In short, this is a spiritual experience through art.

Influence of Caravaggio? Drama, night scene, dramatic light and dark (Caravaggio's friend and rival of her father, Orazio Gentileschi). Story from Apocrypha: Judith saved her people by beheading Assyrian general Holofernes who was about to attack Jews, popular during Baroque—drama, violence, suspense, exotic scenes were very liked. Difference from Caravaggio: a rich palette. One of first narrative subjects for a woman artist, usually portraits, still life work; couldn’t get instruction in figure drawing and anatomy. She had an opportunity by being born in artistic family, becoming the first woman to be admitted to the Accademia del Disegno in Florence.

We see contrast of lights and darks seen in Baroque art. Great movement, and great attention to detail to the point that it almost looks real. Called a memento mori or a vanitas given the meaning that life and pleasures are brief. The glasses are half full or broken, meaning that it doesn't matter in the end. The lemon, then a luxury, is peeled, and we can see a great texture and twist from the peel... it almost kind of makes you want to eat it. The fruit also represented wealth in that time. What we can get from it is that earthly pleasures are fleeting, and like it, life is short. It's a repeating theme in Dutch art. In a spiritual perspective, it teaches that anyone could meet God at any point.

The memento mori theme is still seen as some of the flowers are drooping. Some of them haven't even fully bloomed. We get the message that life is about going through seasons as well as the continuation of time, with or without us. We see some insects like bees, representative of life. This was done for the open market, for those who wanted to buy art for their homes. There is a sense of diagonal movement, influenced by Baroque themes. Great naturalism, lots of focus on the detail, scientific observations, and movement as seen in the bees and the water drops.

Landscape is another popular theme in this type of art. Nobody had done this before in this time period. Anyone who lived in Haarlem would likely want to have this painting in their home as it is a homage to their town. There is a sweeping sense of space, we see the countryside and trying to look at the city from afar is a great view. People might have loved to look at that. Holland is flat, hence the lack of mountains. About two-thirds of the painting is nothing but sky and clouds. Clouds are not static; they are moving, changing, right before us. On the grounds, we see linen workers stripping it so that they can be sold for the general public. The sun is highlighting them so that we can see them easily. The moral we are getting is to appreciate God's creations and that hard work is important to sustain ourselves and our families.

Group portraits became more common as we see a group of military men. They tended to have a clubhouse in which they could hang out together, work, have banquets, and even take part in commissions. The formality can be seen from the meal, the dishes, wine glasses, the men's uniforms and sashes, flags, and curtains behind them. Initially, group portraits were more serious as it had men standing next to each other. But this work adds more life to the story, as though they are looking at someone who just showed up or got their attention. It's a caught moment in time, full of great detail and movement, diagonal of the flag.

An allegory of the five senses. His hand indicates touch, as though he is trying to reach out to the viewer, the sense of sound is seen through the way his head is tilted one way and one ear is out as well as the look of him speaking. His glass is representative of taste and smell given the flavor. And with sight, we can see him looking right at us. The brushstrokes are loose, with the impression that the art piece was sketched out quickly but worked out in the end. The hat adds more life to the painting as it would be dull without it.

Member of the guild, which was not common among women. The work is representative of her showing that she is ready to take on and teach others how to make art. The art within the art piece might have been a graduation piece, but it ultimately became a self-portrait, with the intention to prove herself because as women, we have to do that with everything in life. She seems to be enjoying herself painting and is facing us as though she wants us to see what she has been working on. We see her very confident and successful, which we can see from her outfit. On one hand, she doesn't have to prove herself considering that she is painting someone other than her, but to the general public, she still had to.

This time, the mood changes, and we can see a man hovering over her shoulder, invading her space. We can see his shadow from the back, which makes the situation intense and uncomfortable. It's creepy. This is Leyster's point of view of a situation in which the man is offering money in exchange for a possible indecent moment. She is not interested, and would rather go back to focus on her work. The colors reflect the tension between the two individuals; it's not as lively and rather dark. Think of the brothels and the way some artworks showed people seemingly having a good time? We don't have that in this case.

Artist depicts herself as the female allegorical figure of painting, described in book of iconology for artists as a beautiful woman with disheveled black hair wearing a gold chain which hangs from her neck, holding a brush in one hand and a palette in the other. Representation of the elevation of the role of artist and women in art. Letter in book (p. 669) made sketches and was cheated out of a commission: “If I were a man, I can’t imagine it would have turned out this way . . .”

Carlo Maderno’s assistant was Gianlorenzo Bernini; became architect at St. Peter’s after Maderno’s death; in charge of decoration and sculpture to fit with architecture. Designed entrance into St. Peter’s, molded open space in front of façade. The piazza feels sculptural, huge scale, dramatic entrance, showing a separation from world. Classical in style; symbolic of keyhole? Possibly. Dramatic gesture of embrace to all who enter the piazza, symbolizing the welcome the Roman catholic Church gave its members during the Counter-Reformation. Bernini called them, “the welcoming arms of the Church”

Bernini was 26 years old when he received commission; worked on for 7 years as a student of Carlo Maderno. We have a bronze canopy under dome of St. Peter’s at crossing and above, the tomb of St. Peter. It has a dramatic presence at crossing and brings to human scale the enormous ceiling; creates visual frame for sculpture at the end representing the throne of St. Peter. There are four spiral columns, used in original Early Christian St. Peter’s basilica and thought to have originated in Solomon’s temple—historical tribute, and shows constancy of church, and things like energy, leaves, vines, fruits, and lizards cast in bronze for decoration. There is a fusion of sculpture and architecture; unifies space. It is eight stories high, but in context with scale of church; combines opulence with spirituality. Angels and scrolls are a symbol of victory of the Catholic Church over the pagan world (cross on top of orb symbol since Constantine of the church’s triumph)

Alive with expressive energy, the epitome of Baroque style.

Borromini was a rival of Bernini, and also responsible for this building. The architecture ignores classical proportions. Instead, what we see is a play of curves and counter-curves, concave and convex. It blends architecture and sculpture, which is a continuation of Michelangelo's tendency.

In this artwork, we have great contrast, tenebrism with the light and dark shades, a lot of diagonal lines, creating a sense of movement which indicates that everyone is busy, active, and ready to do a military thing like a parade or a march. Everybody has a job to do. Some are holding swords, some are holding instruments, some are holding flags so we can see a sense of pride for their cause and a sense of camaraderie. There is a lot of anticipation for whatever it is that is about to take place. The little girl in the background is there kind of like a cheerleader, simply there for support.

This is yet another example of a print that did well enough, like Dürer in the past, made for the open market. Even though Holland wasn't too big on religious work as much as Rome, there were still some of them and this type of work was made at a time where it was considered acceptable enough given that it did reflect the themes of spirituality but it also wasn't too religious in the context of it being something like the Counter-Reformation. We can see in this painting that the Savior is depicted in His ministry, going around and helping others. We know this by looking at the people kneeling and reaching out to Him. He is likely performing miracles to heal the sick. There is even an infant being brought to get His help. This work was done on a metal plate, with a sense of Baroque light and dark, themes of tenebrism. It was a combination of printing and etching, so we are seeing two mediums put together for this work of art, which had to be something quite new.

The aritst is much older in this portrait, likely in his fifties or so. Back then, middle age was considered old, but at the same time, he is making a statement telling us that he is a serious and well-established artist. We see similarities from Dürer like confident, frontal poses. The hand and head are the light spots. However, the way this stands out here is that this work has loose brush strokes, creating a more transient effect. The artist is likening himself to a king with his pose. He is wearing nice clothes, holding a tool that looks like a fancy cane or some object indicating power. In reality, it was an art tool, known as a mahlstick.

This was meant to be a character type, not a portrait of someone. The turban is an exotic look as it was not normally a Dutch look. And the pearl earring wasn't even that, instead being tin. So the model was simply dressed up for the purpose of the artwork. She is sometimes referred to as the "Dutch Monalisa." This has a naturalist theme as it's transitory, not exaggerated, and almost as though someone was calling her and they got her attention by turning back. Her lips are a small glint which look as though they are wet, which makes her look more alive instead of just a painting. You would think that just from her expression, she could be communicating with you somehow, along with a bit of mystery. What is she thinking? What is she trying to say? Is she trying to reach out to us?

The woman on the right is mirrored with the shadow, hence the balance with light and dark. The main subject is balance. We see contrast coming from the veil. Something on the left is hanging on the wall, like a mirror or a small painting. Our attention is directed to the balance she is holding, which is the main highlight. She could be weighing coins or jewelry, items that are pretty important. There is indication that she might be weighing more than just objects, like her own life. She looks pregnant, and is aware that her life is about to change so she is probably weighing her life decisions as well as what she will likely do as a future mother, as well as her spirituality in the sense that she is trying to judge for herself where she stands before God. There are religious themes in the art as we can see a painting of the Last Judgment behind her, which probably explains her reflections on herself.

We can tell who it is given the tools used for the work. The source of light isn't coming from the candle itself, but rather, the Savior, even though He is depicted as a child. The tool Joseph is using looks like a cross, which foreshadows Christ's future. It's almost like Joseph knows what is going to happen to his son, which brings sadness to him as a parent. Both he and Mary knew; I don't believe they were that naive. The tenebrism reflects the emotion taking place in the story. It's a bittersweet moment for the parent.

The King of France wanted to find artists to find a good representation of the country through art. This artist was sent to France to learn how to do art in a way that made the country look good. We see here that Germanicus has died from being in battle; he was brought back home and given a funeral as he is lauded a hero. The women are mourning because they know they cannot do anything. This time period saw them as weaker, hence there was not much encouragement to go out there and fight back.

Bernini was a primary sculptor to 8 popes, leading sculptor of the Baroque period. Focused on religious themes and wanted his art to be dedicated to the glory of God. Bernini had classical influence, but learns different lessons from ancient art than Michelangelo, more like Laocoon. Baroque themes include mid-action, implied presence of Goliath, active relationship with space, split second of maximum action, moment frozen in time, involves us (we want to get out of the way). The physical energy is bursting forth as opposed to confined energy of Michelangelo. Intense expression: face is self-portrait patron held mirror (Cardinal Barberini, became Pope Urban VIII; got along well with patron).

St. Teresa was a nun canonized during this particular century. This work is contemporary; a lifesize marble sculpture representing her vision as she recorded it: She saw an angel who seemed to pierce her heart with a flaming arrow of gold, giving pain and pleasure and leaving her “all on fire with a great love of God”. Turbulent drapery suggests inner emotions like joy and pain at the same time. We see dramatic realism in art part of effort to revitalize church, as done in the Counter-Reformation. This celebrates visionary ecstasy as a path to divine communion. Saint Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises: manual that encouraged worshiper to make use of all five senses. Bernini practiced the Exercises himself and also helps viewer to engage with all five senses.

Like still life: black background gives starkness, simplicity, purity pictorially and spiritually. Dramatic themes of light and dark, along with beautiful folds in drapery. The mood involves quiet intensity, piety; it invokes wonder, reverence (spiritual experience through looking at art); hung in funerary chapel of monastery; it would have been the brightest thing in the room. St. Serapion was murdered by pirates in 1240. We can see a Christ figure; we identify with his strength more than his suffering. There are themes of naturalism, balance, composition. Signature and label of St. Serapion on paper

Spain was at height of political and economic power, also known as Golden Age of Spain; colonies as well as power in Europe; bond with Italy and Catholicism; even stricter than Italy. The artist learned still life from Dutch painters; borrowed super naturalism but made it their own style. Stark; clear order; Caravaggio light; effective shadow, makes it almost mystical; (Cotan was a Carthusian monk—simplicity) Space: cucumber juts out, enters our space. Relates to discoveries in astronomy; Galileo, Isaac Newton both 17^th-century scientists.

All four of the items here were introduced from Europe for cultivation in the New World, perhaps alluding, however obliquely, to Empire and conversion. We have themes of balance, composition, principles of design.

Court painter to Philip IV of Spain, favorite of the king. Famed as a portrait painter; his assistant and servant (tear in sleeve); shows dignity Colors: Loose brushwork. This technique not only compensates for the subdued autumnal palette, but also imbues the subject with a vitality that is almost palpable. A contemporary noted that the portrait was so striking in its similitude that when it was sent to some friends for their criticism, “they stood looking at it and Pareja in awe . . . not knowing to whom they should speak or who would answer them.” *in preparation for his official portrait of Pope Innocent X.

• Luxury, opulence

• Aristocratic tastes

• Conspicuous leisure

• Pastel colors

• Subjects of love, flirtation

• Fantasy

• Private, intimate scenes

• Lush landscapes

This was a really high-class apartment, also known as a salon, meaning living room, or party gathering. They were hosted by women and people took part in conversations and meet the best of the best, and everyone was upper class. Two personality traits that were bad in this time period were: enthusiasm and sincerity, so doing this was considered social suicide. Hotel room: now in Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Opulent, decorative, highly detailed, gold and pastels

Rococo comes from word “rocaille”—shells and pebbles used for inlaid decorations.

Two panels used for an oil painting, which hung in the friend's gallery. Now, artworks are being sold in galleries, and they were very expensive. We see a lot of elegance from the people depicted in the artwork, and we see some movement involved. Art had become a luxury item that could be bought and sold to anyone, but class was very much considered. This was posted outside of his friend’s art gallery, and it was his (Watteau’s) last work before he died soon afterwards of tuberculosis. People admired natural, elegant poses of figures, satin and fabrics. We see the portrait of Louis XIV being put in crate (he just passed away; out with the old) Appealed to sophistication: art collectors, artists, mirrors, clocks

Work made as part of an admission process to the Royal Academy of Art. Was turned in late, but it caught the eye of the academy. It had a little bit of everything. Still, it didn't fall into any category, so what was to be done then? The people in charge of the academy created a new genre called "Fete galante," and it was placed there. We see in the work a statue of Venus, indicating that she washed up from that body of water, and we have people who are openly in love, and some maybe in the process... we can see Cupid present! Everyone is heading somewhere, but are they going, or are they leaving? Given the name "pilgrimage," one could easily think it was the latter because there are feelings of nostalgia and reluctance.

Poussinistes vs. Rubenistes :Which side won the day? Colorists. Loved Rubens; made many drawings after his style; sensual use of color; adds golden haze. Started career painting sets for theater; most of his works have quality of being on stage (like a dance) Idyllic images of aristocratic life; elegant figures luxuriously dressed in outdoor settings (back to the Limbourg brothers book of hours) Subject: not historical or mythological; didn’t fit categories at French Academy, so they created a new category of painting: fetes galantes—scenes of love, sentimentality, melancholy. Cythera = island of love in classical mythology, one of the settings for the birth of Aphrodite/Venus. Sculpture of Venus on right; they pay homage to her; delicate colors suggest gentle nature of lovers’ relationships; subtle gradations of tone. Figures smaller in scale than most Baroque. After Watteau’s death, his art fell out of fashion. During the French Revolution, some eighty years after the work was painted, his depictions of lavishly set pastoral escapades were associated with the old days of the monarchy and a frivolous aristocracy. This particular piece, which had entered the collection of the Louvre in 1795, was used by art students for target practice; an account by Pierre Bergeret (1782–1863) describes the drawing students throwing bread pellets at it.^[3] In the early 19th century the curator at the Louvre was forced to place it in storage until 1816 in order to protect the painting from angry protesters. It was not until the 1830s that Watteau and the Rococo returned into fashion.

Three shepherds, accompanied by a girl, have come upon a tomb and stop to decipher the inscription carved in its surface: Et En Arcadia Ego. Slowly the realization dawns upon them that death is present even in Arcadia, that someone who once enjoyed the carefree life that they now lead is dead and buried in the tomb. Elements suggest that the tomb was harmed over time, which indicates a possibility of time travel, in a way. The people look as though they came from either Ancient Greece or Rome, or even both as they have similar characteristics where it's hard to tell sometimes. But we can see it through the style of their clothes and the way their hair is worn. "Arcadia" refers to an open paradise.

The artist invented “ideal landscape”; same idea with Sabine women: not a particular place but composed in his mind; trees balance composition, architecture parallel to picture plan somber calm; stoic, rational, physical world showing spiritual, eternal ideals. There is restraint, order imposed even on nature

John is identified by eagle as that was his representative symbol. Shows fall of different civilizations; Christianity will not fall (John is writing book of Revelation about apocalypse)

Places to rest in foreground, middle ground, background. We don't know what place this is specifically, but we know that this work contains objects from different eras for the sake of art. The medium is oil and there is a sense of classicism, but some themes from the Renaissance are taken for granted.

Difference from Poussin landscape? Still classical, but revels in beauty of nature; not moralizing; more luscious, atmospheric Idyllic: glowing color, light; soft transition between foreground, middle ground, and background; poetic (did sketches outdoors) Also spent most of life in Rome, liked the countryside; made lots of drawings on site; also first artist known to have made oil studies outside. Still composed landscapes like Poussin; not interested in accuracy but in poetic quality; often based on ancient writings. Hazy atmosphere, but how does he show space? Gradual receding into space but can identify foreground, middle ground, and background. Elevated the status of landscape painting by adding historical, biblical, and mythological subjects.

This work was created for the middle class as it was getting started during that time. We see this as a good example of what people from that group looked like and how they lived. They weren't poor, but they weren't rich either; they just happened to have enough and they were able to be happy with that. The artist wanted to tell the viewer what kind of family they were seeing as well as their qualities, which we can easily detect: they were humble, simple, but they had dignity. They carried themselves with respect and honor, and it didn't matter to them what anyone might have said because they worked hard and believed in God, and that was important enough. Some characteristics in the work include balance, light and shadow, some tenebrism, and attention to detail. Simplicity is emphasized just by seeing the background, reduced palette, and values so that we can focus more on the family sitting in front and in the center as they are the main subject.

Portrait of Louis XIV: what tells us that this king has absolute power? Life size, full length (looks tall, although only 5’4); pose with sceptor; fancy fabrics (velvet, fur); fleurs-de-lis pattern symbol of royalty. He loved to dance and wanted to show off his shapely legs; big hair, huge column and drapery; and there's nobody else in picture because in his eyes, nobody else matters.This work was so popular that Rigaud had many copies made in his studio; there is also one at Getty Museum in LA. Louis XIV also established the French Academy. There is a saying in French, which translates to: "I am the state." It's all about the king, right? This portrait had to be looked at, and nobody was allowed to turn their backs to it as that meant ignorance and betrayal to the king. He compared himself to the god Apollo.

The king moved his court here because he wanted a larger and much more spacious location than what he had. The palace was just better, so why not? He wanted to stand out from everyone else and be apart from them, and also stayed away from the government. This hall was used for things like balls, parties, the procession in which everyone had to watch him make his way to the chapel. The two main walls were covered by glass and mirrors, which evidently inspired the name of the hall. Mirrors were extravagant; reflected outdoors as well as interior light. Fun fact: The Treaty of Versailles was signed here in 1919, following the end of WWI.

Born in Antwerp, family Protestant; left because of war with Spain; at 10, family returned, converted to Catholicism; Rubens committed to Catholicism. At 23, went to Italy to study art for 8 years; returned and painted this, his first masterpiece. Characteristics of Baroque art: Drama, large scale, energy and movement, dynamic balance (curves, countercurves, etc.), high contrast (dark & light, etc.), emotion, element of time, naturalism of the Renaissance. Caravaggio: tenebrism; uses light symbolically (Christ lightest). Like Bernini, uses naturalism to show supernatural forces, energy. Naturalism of plants, dog, armor more northern in tradition (love of detail); mix of north and south. Expressive; Influence of Titian, Tintoretto: rich, vibrant color. Stark diagonal, heroic and victorious Christ: wanted to portray strength of Catholic Church: Message: “Catholicism continues to be victorious”

Flemish like Rubens; most valued assistant before age 20; left so as not to be under Rubens’ shadow. Became court painter to Charles I in England. Style of Titian, colorist. Famous for portraits; emphasized costume, pose, detail, virtuosity. More informal for court portraits because outside; still grand (king of all I see?); off-center but still focal point: Why? He looks right at us and down at us. There's a civil war and Charles I ends up beheaded.

Genre scenes—everyday life; becoming more complex, full figures. We see themes of family life as they are celebrating Christmas and opening presents. Details of clothing reflect the styles of the time, as well as home interiors. Moral of jealousy, greed, pettiness (Children receiving gifts on St. Nicholas day) There is even a prank in the artwork in which the boy gets coal, which makes him upset, but in reality, he has his own gift hiding somewhere in the home.

The artist reflected several times in the metal pieces as seen in the banquet piece; earliest significant woman painter of Dutch Baroque.

This was a pastel work as it has a chalky feel to it, which allowed the artist to capture a living likeness to this man. He is likely in Venice given the outfit he's wearing. Pastels (colored chalks) were used as mediums for finished works instead of preparatory drawings; intimate, immediate; sensuous finish. From Venice, known for showing psychological intensity of sitters, international clientele; member of three artist academies including the famous French Academy

The name is Italian for "little canal," and it was a large postcard made with oil paint that happened to be collected by aristocrats as a way to show that they were there and express their appreciation for the place in which they travelled to.

2 types of revolutions:

• Industrial Revolution (began in Britain c. 1760)

• Political revolutions (U.S. in 1776, France in 1789)

Time of transitions:

• Rule by aristocracy to democracy

• Agriculture to industry

• Rural life to urban life

• Planarity

• Linearity

• Tight brushwork

• Even lighting

• Sculptural forms

• Classical architecture, figures, dress, and themes

• Serious, moralistic subjects

• Strong hero figures

• Austerity and reduction of form

• Nationalism expressed through patriotism

Studied with Watteau; compare faces. Court painter to Madame de Pompadour—Louis XV’s mistress and political advisor and major patron of the arts; known for being educated, cultured, beautiful, elegant, sophisticated; luxurious room, opulent dress, surrounded by accomplishments as an educated woman (books, papers) Rococo: pastel colors, opulence, leisurely pose, aristocratic taste; also seductive (references to Venus: cupid, roses) This sumptuous portrait embodies the joie de vivre of the French Rococo style in general and Boucher’s style in particular: the cool harmony of colors, luminous effect, and conspicuous leisure. Here the sumptuously attired mistress of Louis XV is depicted reclining gracefully on a pillow-strewn divan. The model of physical perfection, she is also the embodiment of style and cultivation. The drawings, books, maps, and writing instruments allude to her considerable intellectual gifts and interests. One of many portraits Boucher painted of Pompadour, this celebrates her official elevation as lady-in-waiting to her lover’s wife.

Miranda Voter: A portrait that has moved me and allowed me to think about it's area is the Portrait of Madame de Pompadour by Francois Boucher in 1756. It has really allowed me to see how God was being pushed away and how the life of man was changing into the modern society that we see today. Everyone now seems to only have one thing on their mind in all of the music and literature and try and make pieces of are always relate to the sexual mind of man. This portrait just makes me think about how our society is and what people find as pleasing. The Carob next to the clock looks angry to me as if the love that it once supported and encouraged is gone as it slouches back up against the motionless clock. Madame de Pompadour is almost mirroring the carobs pose but hers is more relaxed and impatient looking. She looks to the left as if she is waiting impatiently for her lover and the book is just their to sooth her wondering mind. The lavish colors flow around the painting symbolizing to me how the people on earth want all the best but forget that it is just an inanimate object. However beautiful the cloth may be it still lies out stiff and lifeless but the beauty is all most can see. The flowers on the ground are probably a gift but they are cast away in the ingratitude that this woman has for she wants action just as the modern world does today. These are only some of the things this woman makes me think of in the modern world but it is the one that has taught me to think about where I am and what I want to be doing and be grateful for.

Pupil of Boucher, colorist. Rococo: Fantasy, flirtation, licentiousness (cupid), pastel colors, private scene, lush landscape.

“My favorite work of art this semester is The Swing. It’s so light and carefree. I really enjoy the scandalous flirtation. I find it to be rather amusing.” -Brooklyn Wease

Erica Taylor:

The swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard really sparked my interest. First, it is just large, plush, and very, very rococo. When I first saw it, it simply looks like a wealthy noblewoman with a suitor in a garden. When I actually read the background on it, it was actually painted for a duke who wanted to publicly express his love affair with his mistress. The painting was supposed to portray as much of his mistress as possible, but the artist didn’t want to disrupt social stances. I think I liked this so much because from an outsider’s standpoint, we see innocence. We see frolicking in a garden with semi hazy intentions. Once I found the inspiration for the painting it became clear that innocence is what lacked but the artist did a perfect job of making something so personal become sugar coated for the public.

Megan Bradshaw

My favorite piece of art that we've looked at is "The Swing" by Fragonard. I love that there is a story happening in the picture, and it's not one that we would normally guess. I also really like the way it was painted. The colors and brush strokes are fun to look at. I'm in an oil painting class this semester, so I think that's why it stuck out to me the most. The attention to detail is another thing I really enjoy looking at. The flowers that surround the subjects, the plants in the background, and the way her dress moves are all interesting details that make it more interesting to look at.

Emily Herrin

One of my favorite paintings is "The Swing" by Jean-Honore Fragonard from the Rococo period. It has been one of my favorites for a while and I always love reviewing it when it comes up in class. I love several things about this painting. When I first saw it, it really stood out to me. It has such a care free and natural feeling about it, which is a very stark contrast to the paintings of the Baroque period. Another thing I love about it is the color palette. The pinks of the woman's dress harmonizes with the blue greens in the rest of the painting very well and has a way of bringing it all together nicely. I also think it's fascinating how there are many hidden symbols throughout the painting that really give it depth and shows the deeper meaning of the infidelity of the piece.  

Different tone than French Rococo! About aristocracy but painted for lower classes; laughing at foibles of aristocracy; moral but also humorous. English painter; satire paintings of social evils popular among aristocracy and newly prosperous middle class in England; “modern moral subjects... similar to representations on the stage.” depicted moral decline, call for return to simpler times and values; very popular; master of storytelling details. Series were engraved and sold in large editions; first copyright laws emerged because pirated;

Lower classes had access; Hogarth knew they were his audience. Set in Rose Tavern, a famous brothel in London; full of visual clues (woman on his lap stealing his watch; black spots on their faces cover sores from syphilis) “ancestor to the storyboard” for films.

Artist was also member of French academy but different background: rising middle class in France, influenced by Dutch still life works and genre scenes; patrons were also members of middle class. Virtues of hard work, frugality, honesty, family life. Bubbles: vanitas symbol, brevity of life. Rococo: intimate, private moment; also play. This is a great representation of innocence as this is likely an interaction of two brothers where the oldest is showing the youngest a fun activity and they share a special moment knowing that they don't have to worry about much for the time being.

1791: became active in the cause of French Revolution (began in 1789); painter for the Revolution and for the new regime afterwards. His most famous portrait of the period; a leader of the revolution and a close friend of David; Marat was dedicated revolutionary; ruthless; a counterrevolutionary named Charlotte Corday brought him a fake petition and plunged a knife into his chest while he was reading it. Portable desk laid across his bathtub, where he spent most of his time due to a lethal skin condition. Stark, (like Zurburan); attention to detail, sharp lighting (but not accurate; his bathroom was quite lavish, and Marat was unattractive in life); writing crate like a tombstone, Marat like poses of Christ. Planarity—in our face; horrific; also personal intensity (signature) Romantic (and idealization; not accurate; his bathroom was quite lavish, and Marat was unattractive in life; propaganda) Qualities of Baroque: In our face: bloody knife; heroic martyr... but this time it's a political kind of martyrdom.

Classical-revival style took off in America: Why? New republic modeled after democracy of ancient Greece and Rome. White House, Capitol building; also churches, banks, government buildings. Thomas Jefferson amateur architect; designed his home (Monticello) Any kind of building we see in the United States with influence from Greek and Roman architecture is usually associated with some sort of government, and it tells us that they are official, authentic, and they mean business; in short, we the civilians are to take them seriously, or at least that's what the appearance tells us.

History paintings should be historically accurate; so should contemporary history painting. British painter (American): raised outside Philadelphia; went to Rome in 1760 and studied with Mengs, Gavin Hamilton, studied ancient art and Raphael; settled in London in 1763, also a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768 and became 2^nd president when Joshua Reynolds died; mentor for American artists and proud of his new world heritage; supported the American Revolution. Depiction of French and Indian War in Quebec; not classical in subject or costumes, but in spirit; General Wolfe a British national hero  at the moment he sacrificed his life for his country; contemporary costume and setting in Quebec (although not really historically correct); pose like images of Christ; shift of emotions from religion to nationalism, forces of nature reinforce emotional intensity. Public loved: witnessing current events (7 years earlier) before photography and film; also native American.

French genre painting; sensation at Paris Salon. Salon: exhibition of members of the Royal Academy held in the Louvre; packed with paintings, attended by thousands of people from all classes of society; beginning of art critics. Neoclassical: virtuous, family life (neat, modest, hard-working, religious); lower class (Rousseau: poor are full of natural virtue, honest sentiment) Corresponded with ideals of Rousseau: naïve poor are closer to nature and are thus more virtuous and moral than more cultivated aristocracy

People felt gestures and emotions were very authentic (compare to Poussin) We see the father giving the groom a small bag containing the dowry, but he takes it anyway. There is emotion around from the family knowing that they will miss their daughter and sister, who is getting married. We are being shown how the villagers show their love to each other; the painter doesn't want us to look at the aristocrats for moral reasons. This family instead only cares for each other and nothing else. It's an honest shared love.

Shows impact of David’s Neoclassicism. Self taught because she was denied access to the Royal Academy; began painting portraits in her teens, but illegal because she didn’t have a license from the academy; Married a painter and art dealer who gave her powerful contacts; became a favorite portraitist of Queen Marie-Antoinette; because of the queen’s influence, she was accepted into the Royal Academy in 1783. Reflects taste for classical (togas, Roman-style hairdo and headband; austere wall); life has begun to imitate art! Also showed ideal of Rousseau—greater parental involvement in child-rearing (young children started showing up more in portraiture with their parents); still Rococo influence; soft contours, curvilinear patterns

“It was hard to choose my most favorite piece of art out of all the pieces that we have discussed this semester but one that I really like is “Self-Portrait with Daughter” by Marie-Louise-Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun (1789). Not only is it beautiful but I love the love you can see between the mother and daughter. It is very easy to look at. I also love the story of the artist who painted this painting. She was denied access to the Royal Academy so she was pretty much self-taught.  She painted portraits even though it was illegal for her to do so. I love the passion that she had for art. She was very talented and I believe that it came from all the hard work that she put forth. She didn’t give up even though there were many obstacles before her. That is an inspiration for me to work harder on my art work and to be as passionate as she was.” 

-Sharlee Robles

Student of Boucher (see next slide)! Father killed in a duel, raised by uncles who were architects; wanted him to be an architect; disillusioned by the French court; wanted to paint noble, uplifting, moral scenes; also wanted paintings to be clear, precise, easy to read. 13’, in the Louvre; painted while in Rome; came in contact with Mengs, Winckelmann, Hamilton and admired their work; this work became immediate sensation. Roman story: border dispute between Rome and neighboring Alba settled by a sword fight involving three soldiers from each side: Horatii brothers for Rome and Curiatii brothers for Alba; a Horatii sister was engaged to a Curiatii brother, and a Horatii brother was married to a Curiatii sister;

Scene: The Horatii, led by father, take a vow to fight to the death for their country. Compare with Boucher (next slide): What is neoclassical? Composition simple and striking; hard lines; austere space; stark columns (Tuscan Doric) firm stance contrasted with mourning women. Noble and virtuous action; country above personal feelings for family. Neoclassical elements: Planarity, Linearity (sharp lines), tight brushwork, sculptural forms, Classical figures (sculpturally rendered) and themes (also clarity), moralistic subject; strong men, weak women (common depiction at the time). Austere; bare floors and walls/ Doric columns and arches show Roman setting and frame each grouping. Lighting: harsh light casts precise shadows (influenced by Caravaggio). Setting and costumes carefully researched. Integrated message with style. Quintessential Neoclassical picture, but horror of impending violence, bloodbath—undercurrents of Romanticism. Influential in start of French Revolution (although David wasn’t a revolutionary at the time he painted it)

Born in Switzerland, studied in Rome, moved to London in 1766; friends with Joshua Reynolds, first president of the Royal Academy founded 1768, and was a founding member (one of only two women admitted into the academy before the 20^th century; only female history painter of 18^th century

Story from Roman history (only female history painter of 18^th century; not content to paint portraits or still-lifes (most women did not have her opportunities) Visiting friend is showing off her jewelry to Cornelia Gracchus and asks to see her jewels; Cornelia points to her children and says “These are my jewels.” (Her sons became great politicians) Cornelia not just famous for motherhood but was one of the most powerful women in the history of the Roman Republic; model for Kauffman; popular subject; new interest in the importance of the family unit; Enlightenment teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who advocated that parents should nurture their children at home rather than sending them off to wet nurses and nannies until they were adolescents. Neoclassical elements: Planarity (shallow space), Linearity (but softer than David), tight brushwork, even lighting, sculptural forms, Classical figures and themes (and dress), moralistic/virtuous subject. Austere; bare floors and walls; but delicate version of neoclassicism.

“I was really moved by the painting of the Roman woman telling another woman that her treasures were her children. This picture reminded me of my sister. As soon as I could I posted the picture and story onto my sister’s facebook and told her why it reminded me of her. Later, when we talked, I found out how touched she was by it and it brought tears to her eyes to have been related to it.” -Josie Carmona

Heather Sorenson:

"The piece of art that moved me the most this semester was Cornelia Presenting her Children as Treasures by Angelica Kauffmann. I had not heard this story before it was explained through the painting. The reason it touched me was because I believe that motherhood will be the most rewarding gift God will give me. This is not emphasized enough today so seeing this painting was very refreshing. I love how the children are portrayed as typical boys who can’t hold still rather than neatly dressed, well behaved children. Knowing these sloppy boys had such an important role made me realize that within all of our imperfect selves and our imperfect children there is a divine plan that God has embedded within them. I also love Cornelia’s facial expression. She does not seem overly excited to tell of her treasures but she is calm with wise eyes. She could have bragged about how wonderful her boys were or about their talents but her face does not allow me to believe that is what she is doing. It looks as if she is using a few meaningful words to tell what she lives for. I want to someday be a mother like her."

"My favorite work of art from this semester was: Angelica Kaufmann, Cornelia presenting her children as her treasures (1785) I love the meaning behind this photo. I think this is such a great painting for the world to see. I think this painting could help the world we live in today to understand the things that really are the most important in this life. I love how the artist portrays the one woman who is looking at her jewelry in a way that she is oblivious of the children around her, but the mother of the children helps open her eyes to see the true treasures of the earth. I want to hang this painting in my future child’s room. This is an excellent example of the things I want to incorporate into my photography as I’m producing art. I want to help open the world’s eyes through my photography. So that’s another reason I love this painting, it’s one of my inspirations."

-Darcee Morris

"I think one of my favorite pieces we've studied this semester would have to be Angelica Kauffmann's Cornelia Presenting Her Children as  Her Treasures (Mother of the Gracchi) because it is so beautifully painted and well composed. The lighting is soft and falls delicately upon Cornelia in the center of attention. Her hands then direct the eye back to her children who smile kindly and lovingly grasp one another's or their mother's hand. It feels very warm and genuine. Apart from the skill and beauty within the rendering, I especially love the subject matter. Cornelia is presenting her children to a women presenting her precious gems, showing that her value lies with her family rather than the temporal things of this world. For me, it reiterates the idea that families are eternal and more wonderful than any Earthly treasure. The message that can be pulled from this work makes it even more beautiful and sacred and adds so much more to this painting than a scene of a few women, children, and gems ever could."

-Celeste Bellotte

“This semester, my favorite painting was by Angelica Kauffmann titled, Cornelia Presenting Her Children as Her Treasures. I loved the subtle message behind this simple painting. Often in our world, mothers are focused on looks, money, jewelry, and worldly possessions trying their hardest to have a good image in front of friends, family and media.  Cornelia is not like her peers and reminds us that in life, we should champion the child-rearing duties over materialism. There have been many times this semester I have pondered this painting and have been reminded of the importance of family over physical comfort, materialism, or my own desires to be a strong working woman in this world. Mothers are endowed with a love that is unlike any other love in this world. This painting shows virtue, and reflects on the importance of a family unit. "...Motherhood is the highest, holiest service assumed by humankind. It’s the definition of selfless service. It’s both a daunting responsibility and a glorious opportunity. The divine role of motherhood is a gift from God, and key to His plan of happiness for all His children." (lds.org) 
Kauffman created a monumental painting that reinforced the strength and nobility of Motherhood.”
-Sarah Lawson

Doctrine of Progress: progress (through science, knowledge) is good; spirit of empiricism; studied nature; specialized in portraiture and depicted major thinkers of the Enlightenment, including Diderot, Rousseau, Louis XVI, Catherine II of Russia, and Benjamin Franklin; Captured look and character of sitter

Terra-cotta cast from original plaster (one in LACMA)

Empiricism: sagging skin on neck, sunken mouth (toothless), slumping shoulders. Character: shows sharp intellect and wit, lively in spirit although weak in body. Classicized: Roman toga and headband, antique-style chair

•Power of nature, sublime

•Exoticism

•Supernatural

•Violence/horrific themes

•Nationalism (personal past vs. classical)

•Longing for the past

•Intense emotion, passion

•Imagination

Propaganda to affirm family’s divine privilege and superiority? Exposes their ordinariness. Goya meant it to be compared with Las Meninas (artist at easel); everyone in court would know it; Queen Maria Luisa strikes same pose as Velazquez’s infanta. What are they looking at? Mirror—missing element. Awkwardness; uncomfortable. Dynamic handling of paint on clothes, jewelry, medals; Charles IV did not reject painting

Spain was occupied by Napoleon’s troops; Napoleon put his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, on the throne in Madrid; at first the Spaniards supported Napoleon’s ideals and made friends with troops, but after a series of atrocities, they rapidly became disillusioned; national uprising against the French; a firing squad was set up to shoot anyone who appeared in the streets. Vivid portrayal of brutalities; indictment against French troops. RECENT past; even more contemporary than Benjamin West’s; precedent to photojournalism. Comment on what happens when people lose control of reason. Church in background—why? Indebted to Baroque: strong contrast in light for impact. Anonymous nobodies; Christ-like figure, but shows their fear. Compare with Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784. Clearly structured pattern of light and dark gives impact (Caravaggio influence) Firing squad: faceless, mechanical uniformity. Not heroic; protest against war. Real event, but universal in significance

Goya began to retreat into his own world; painted on the walls of his own home (called black paintings); Symbols of incomprehensible cruelty; fascination with irrational prophecy that one of Saturn’s sons would dethrone him. Jupiter/Zeus escaped and prophecy came true. Corrupt power; power turning on one’s own (Napoleon) Flesh/meat/bone quality of figures

Landscape painting; need to escape growing effects of Industrial Revolution in England, search for truth. Suffolk County; previously considered too ordinary to be subject matter for a painting; new national pride. Constable admired Claude Lorrain, loved nature; considered painting a science (close observation) Did numerous oil sketches outdoors, but completed painting in studio; large—6-foot canvas; strategy for elevating landscape to a higher status. Attention to intangibles: light, weather, atmosphere. The Haywain in Paris exhibition in 1824; French artists very impressed; Delacroix said to have been so inspired he repainted sky in one of his works. New vibrance through sky, light, weather; Flecks of white to suggest shimmering light, broken color. Focuses on wonder of ordinary, humble settings, but not idealized or classical. Details: dog, boat, harvesters in distant field, puffs of smoke coming from mill; doesn’t show financial pressure on the Constable property, new way of life taking over (already nostalgic?)

Poet and artist from England; sought spirituality and felt divinely inspired, goal to explain reason for existence (who are we, why we are here); Wrote in a letter to artist John Flaxman that his mind was filled with “books and pictures of old, which I wrote and painted in ages of Eternity before my mortal life.” (Geoffrey Keynes, ed., The Letters of William Blake, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968, 41-42) quoted in The God Who Weeps, by Terryl and Fiona Givens. Critic of European materialism, lack of spirituality, inequality of women; also felt the Enlightenment had failed because of reign of terror after French Revolution

Joined Royal Academy in 1779 but felt it repressed imagination, creativity; not acclaimed in his lifetime for art (but was well-known for his poetry) Shunned oil painting (too much associated with academy); monotype (in book); looked to medieval manuscript painting for inspiration

Elohim creating Adam: painful ( pose like Christ on cross); compare with Michelangelo

Elohim is a Hebrew name for God. In fact, it's plural for "the gods." This picture illustrates the Book of Genesis.

Swiss; was a minister but left to become an artist; Fuseli interested in psychology, the concept of the antihero (one who follows personal passions to attain freedom and fulfill individual needs) Studied in Rome but dismissed. Winckelmann’s adulation of the calm grandeur and noble simplicity of Greek sculpture and the perfect harmony of High Renaissance. Gravitated to Michelangelo’s twisting, muscular figures on Sistine Chapel ceiling and Last Judgment and admired distortions of Mannerists (Thor dies from serpent’s poison); story from German equivalent of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey; Norse epic instead of Greek mythology (Odin hovers above) Neoclassic planarity? tight drawing? consistent lighting? smooth handling of paint? None. Dramatic light, loose brushwork, dramatic composition with extreme angles (foreshortening); we are on level with serpent; feel stormy water, chill, fear. Romanticism: horrific theme, violence, forces of nature; turn to fantasy world when life is too mechanized (Industrial Revolution)—similar to today—Iron Man, Star Wars, etc.

2^nd major British landscape artist in Romantic period; wanted to express sublime (powerful, awesome forces in nature)

Also interested in atmosphere, light but more expressive

Looked to great landscape painters of the past and tried to outdo them; penchant for spectacular, grandiose; turned landscapes into mythological and historical paintings on epic scale; Hannibal: from Carthage led troops across French alps in 218 B.C. to launch a surprise attack on the Romans

“human sea of turmoil” (looks like Moses parting Red Sea); Hannibal in right corner on elephant; insignificant to wild storm; dramatic light and dark. Reference to Napoleon’s 1800 march across Alps to invade Italy? Theme: folly of empire building; human activity insignificant compared to sublime universal forces (less interested in reproducing a specific landscape) Helped to inspire French Impressionists

J. M. W. Turner was inspired to paint “The Slave Ship” in 1840 after reading The History and Abolition of the Slave Trade^[2] by Thomas Clarkson. In 1781, the captain of the slave ship Zong had ordered 133 slaves to be thrown overboard so that insurance payments could be collected. This event probably inspired Turner to create his landscape and to choose to coincide its exhibition with a meeting of the British Anti-Slavery Society. Although slavery had been outlawed in the British Empire since 1833, Turner and many other abolitionists believed that slavery should be outlawed around the world.

Scott Jones:

For this assignment I chose "The Slave Ship," by Joseph Mallord William Turner. I really like this piece piece for many reasons. The first one being that it really is quite aesthetically pleasing. At first glance we can see awesome force of nature, the colorful sunset, etc. I also fell like the style of the piece is really quite interesting. I'm personally not too keen on naturalism or complete abstraction so I enjoy the stylistic view of nature. What is really striking about this painting is the underling message. For being such a beautiful piece its really quite horrifying as well. That high contrast really pushes the message farther. I really respect the artist for using his medium as a way to stand up and speak out against these horrifying acts. I feel like this conceptual drive behind it gives it a much stronger impact as well.

Small figure of monk dwarfed by landscape; insignificant; Industrial Revolution—man taming nature; here, shows nature can’t be controlled; Sublime: landscape is beautiful, awesome, terrifying; God’s presence shown in nature rather than in a church (monk worships outside) Influenced by Gotthard Ludwig Kosegarten, theologian who delivered sermons on the shores of the Baltic Sea. This work allows for a chance to preach the Gospel through nature.

companion piece to Monk by the Sea: What is the mood? Silent, bleak; somber sky at twilight, cold (winter); everything dead or dying. What kind of abbey is this? Medieval, crumbling—age past; human achievement crumbling; funeral procession—thought to be of monk above; how significant are the people? What is more significant? Nature outlives achievements of man. Any hope? New Moon: symbol of waxing/waning/rebirth? Morning will come, spring will come, Resurrection (crosses) Sublime: awesome, frightening force of nature—wants us to see God’s presence in nature (more than in the church?)

“Every time I come across this painting I always just stop and stare in awe. It has that mystery and that wonder behind it.”

-Carlie Fullam

Compare with Turner (above): Similar force of nature but dissimilar in style: Friedrich is more detailed, harder lines; linear vs. painterly. Landscape is a metaphor for transience of life, human achievement. Nationalism: part of Romantic movement; Herder collected folk songs and made anthology, Grimm brothers collected folk tales; searching shared past united people more than an allegiance to an aristocracy; No Germany in 1810; loose union of about 300 German-speaking states. Hopes for unification crushed under Napoleon’s rule; oaks and Gothic abbey (Goethe said Gothic architecture originated in Germany) symbols of demise of nationalism; reflection of the national mood, national crisis

In the early 1800’s art academies established in Pennsylvania, Boston, and NY. Struggled to find own national identity, separate from European roots: no churches of past like Europe; Decided that the land itself was America’s spiritual heritage, unspoiled compared to Europe (overpopulated), full of natural resources; Landscape became national symbol (in the Metropolitan Museum of Art) America’s first art movement (1820’s) called Hudson River School (traveled along Hudson River Valley, made studies, and finished paintings in NY studios) Oxbow made for exhibition at the National Academy of Design (he was a founding member) Sublime? Blasted trees, storm; juxtaposed with cultivated fields (in harmony with nature?) Human presence? (Cole by parasol) Letters in hill spell Noah; upside down, Shaddai (Hebrew for Almighty) Dead trees & seedlings: cycle of life, death, resurrection (similar symbol of Friedrich; mood? Optimistic) American Transcendentalist movement: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature (1836), Henry David Thoreaus’ Walden (1852) But Cole already found the destruction of wilderness and lack of respect for the land disheartening; early environmentalist, wanted to keep landscape pure and live in harmony with the land; painted a cycle of 5 pictures called “The Course of Empire”: Same site: Primitive, agrarian society, thriving empire, decadent empire, and state of ruin.

Ghent Altarpiece in Napoleon Museum in the Louvre—booty from his conquests (see next slide): references to God the Father; frontal pose; also emphasis on textures, details, opulence; Napoleon sanctioned by God, emperor by divine right; Sharp lines, stark composition Neoclasical; exoticism Romantic. Golden scepter on the left of Charlemagne; ivory hand of justice of French medieval kings on the right; certify royal legacy. Ingres studied in Rome and sent back pictures for exhibition; not well received. Following the French Revolution, Bonaparte is officially in charge and makes himself king; he wants to get other countries to join him to make a superpower country. Why is the work so neoclassical instead of romantic? The painting is overdramatizing the guy and making him seem as more of a god than just a king. Perhaps it's criticizing him for this over-the-top attitude about it.

Napoleon hired Gros to paint battle scenes and glorify military campaigns; propaganda; Napoleon made sure paintings were seen at Salons and reported by the press. This painting exhibited in Paris Salon 1804, highly acclaimed (23 feet wide) Story: Napoleon visits his troops in sick house where bubonic plague has broken out; touches open wound; meant to show bravery, humanitarianism. Truth: Napoleon poisoned these same sick troops when he left Jaffa. Influences: dramatic light of Caravaggio; damned man by Michelangelo (last Judgment); muscular nudes of Michelangelo; framing arches like David (his teacher) Romanticism? Exotic: Islamic architecture, attendants with costumes: this painting helped launch popularity of exotic subjects—like National Geographic; also horror of death. This was clearly used as a perfect example of propaganda as it had the intention of making Napoleon look good and as though he actually cared about other people.

Event just 3 years earlier: Medusa (French government ship) foundered and the captain gave the six lifeboats to government officials; the remaining 150 passengers had to use a makeshift raft (built just before the ship sunk); it was set adrift at command of captain; When rescued two weeks later, only a handful were still alive; event condemned in the press as an example of corruption of new king, Louis XVIII (Restoration period: restoration of king (Napoleon defeated 1815) Moment when a distant ship is sighted; despair, death and dying lead to hope, survival; man vs. nature (Romantic: wide range of emotions, force of nature, horror, suffering) No single hero, explores man’s inhumanity to man--inhumanity of captain towards them; also inhumanity to each other (cannibalism); tendency of romanticism to ask questions. Diagonal composition, Baroque jutting into our space, Caravaggio light and dark; G did studies of reconstructed raft, dead bodies at the morgue, limbs, drowned bodies; tried to capture details—realistic?; Still carefully planned, organized; bodies still muscular (classical), not gaunt; In style of a history painting; elevating contemporary subjects (not classical, Biblical subject)

“My favorite work of art this semester would have to be “The Raft of the Medusa” by Gericault because of the imagery and mood. I love how I can feel the same emotions, from despair to hope, that he portrayed in the people. I love the scale and ideas that he was making. It is just awesome.” -Nathan Allred

Delacroix called himself a modern Classicist: classical muscularity; presented like a frieze; also contemporary event: Greeks revolution against ruling Turks; Turks raided Greek island of Chios and massacred or enslaved the whole population (20,000): Europeans supported Greek independence, passion for democracy and individual freedom; also sympathized because they were Christians vs Muslims. Foreground: group rounded up for slavery or execution (also rape); hopelessness, doom, suffering; no individual heroes, but treats Greeks collectively as martyrs; villains (unfeeling soldiers at apex of pyramids): Dead and dying reminiscent of Raft of Medusa; When he saw Constable’s Haywain at the same Salon, he repainted sky at the last minute. Critics felt it was not a subject for painting, but he became known as the great “Romantic painter” (Gericault died this year) (before Romanticism had only been applied to music (Berlioz) and writing (Victor Hugo)

Letter to his brother:  "My bad mood is vanishing thanks to hard work. I’ve embarked on a modern subject—a barricade. And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her."

Katie Beckstead

Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830: Though we have studied many inspiring and inspired paintings this semester, this painting is one that I remember the most. I find this painting to be one of the most inspiring images for many reasons. In this work, Delacroix not only displays his great talent for detail and figure, but also for feeling and emotion. You can see in this painting the defiance in the French people, and their unwillingness to endure their sufferings any longer. It gives a sense of hope and pride in self and country. However, Delacroix does not neglect displaying the horror that comes with revolution. Bodies are strewn about, and even as the men still living charge forward, they are stepping over the bodies of their fellow brothers in the cause. This painting is a great display of both bright side and dark side to warfare.

Story based on poem by Byron (contemporary—1821) of last Assyrian king, who was overthrown by rebels because of his immorality and slothfulness; rather than fight, he ordered his palace and all its contents to be destroyed with him in it. Indifference vs. passion of women, animals; no hero! Main character is opposite of hero. Used Baroque lighting (like Goya) to heighten emotional impact; lots of “s” shapes—writhing, snakelike; skin tones have greens, blues—emotional use of color, loose. Romantic: Turbulent, sensual, passionate involvement, color vs. line, spontaneous movement, chaotic composition vs. cool, detached, formal neoclassicism; no redeeming moral, just fascinating horror

• flat shapes

• sharp contours

• compressed space

• cropping

• angles

• assymetry

•French poet and critic Charles Baudelaire argued that the arts should reflect the here-and-now

•Emphasis on ordinary, everyday, modern experience; neither idealized nor dramatized

•Championed laborers and common people

Most influential prints came from Edo period (1600-1868)

Edo was the name for Tokyo; residence of the emperor

Ukiyo-e school of painting (“floating world”); refers to the transience of material existence. Popular subjects: theater, dance, courtesans, everyday tasks, leisure, landscape and cityscapes, beautiful women. Linear details on face; almost no shading. 3D forms? Created by contours, overlapping, foreshortening

One of the most famous works of art in the world. Impressionist artists were astounded by it; Debussy said this image inspired his famous composition La Mer. From the series 36 views of Mt. Fuji; displays the influence of Dutch art prints that came to Japan via western trade: his own form of linear perspective, low horizon line and the distinctive European color, Prussian blue. All of the images in the series feature a glimpse of the mountain. Full of visual play; the mountain, made tiny by the use of perspective, appears as if it too will be swallowed up by the wave. Hokusai’s optical play can also be lighthearted, and the spray from top of the crashing wave looks like snow falling on the mountain Mt. Fuji framed; wave creates a diagonal line leading our eye to its peak. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and has long been considered sacred; interested in oblique angles, contrasts of near and far, and contrasts of manmade and the natural. Birds’ eye view; Ukiyo-e, which originated as a Buddhist term, means "floating world" and refers to the impermanence of the world. Emphasis on line and pure, bright color, as well as their ability to distill form down to the minimum. Moved away from the tradition of making images of courtesans and actors, which was the customary subject of ukiyo-e prints. Instead, his work focused on the daily life of Japanese people from a variety of social levels. 1867 International Exposition in Paris, Hokusai’s work was on view at the Japanese pavilion. This was the first introduction of Japanese culture to mass audiences in the West, and a craze for collecting art called Japonisme ensued. The breathtaking composition of this woodblock print, said to have inspired Debussy’s La Mer (The Sea) and Rilke’s Der Berg (The Mountain), ensures its reputation as an icon of world art. Hokusai cleverly played with perspective to make Japan’s grandest mountain appear as a small triangular mound within the hollow of the cresting wave. The artist became famous for his landscapes created using a palette of indigo and imported Prussian blue. Look for unity in the composition: Repetition of shape, color, pattern (triangle of mountain, curves of boats, pattern in waves and crests) Creates harmony in what could be a chaotic scene; harmony in nature.

1853 Commodore Perry opened up Japan to the west: fascination with Japanese—Madame Butterfly by Puccini, etc.)

Japanese prints: influenced by flat shapes, sharp contours, compressed space, cropping, angles

Doesn’t look radical, but idea was radical. Realism=real life. Accepted at the Salon in 1850, people criticized because of common people, common clothing,  common setting; dog

Whose funeral? We don’t even know. Just reporting the scene

“history painting” about real life. “Show me an angel and I’ll paint one.” Monumental paintings used to be religious or mythological: Courbet thought average, everyday people worthy of monumental painting. Not even a story, like Raft of Medusa

Subject? 2 workers he met outside of town pounding stones to make gravel; How would neoclassicists have portrayed this scene? Romanticists? How have we seen people at work before? (Limbourg Brothers, Brueghel); no references to past art. Realist: inelegant, unidealized (ragged clothes, dirty; he paints what he sees; but is there any commentary? (painted only one year after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote their pamphlet, The Communist Manifesto) Young and old—you will stay in the class you were born into all your life. Same attention to the rocks as the faces; all rough, equal detail. Common people noble and important, worthy of “history painting” The painting was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1850. It was destroyed during World War II, along with 154 other pictures, when a transport vehicle moving the pictures to the castle of Königstein, near Dresden, was bombed by Allied forces in February 1945. Color photography was invented in 1907, but it wasn’t until 1935 that it became popular.

Also showed at 1850 Salon. Studied with her father—drawing instructor and socialist who advocated full equality for women. Determined to be a successful artist; worked on a large scale. Technical finesse: scientific detail of farm animals, specific species. Not exotic animals of Romanticism, no moral of neoclassicism; end of hierarchy of subject matter. Looks photographic—very detailed, close brushwork. Slow, weighty visual rhythm highlights hard physical nature of their task

“I have been surprised by how much I have been inspired by some of the art we have learned about in this class. There have been many pieces which has been difficult for me to understand in the past, but now they make more sense. The “Plowing in the Nivernais” painting sticks out in my mind as inspiring. The way the artist portrayed the cows and ground with such bright light and realism created a heroic but regular scene which I really appreciated.” -Nathan Robles

Not accepted at the Salon in 1863; Louis Napoleon set up a Salon for the rejected pieces in a separate bldg, and Manet agreed to show it there (even though people came to mock the rejects); Why scandalous? Subject: Contemporary scene of well-dressed men with nude woman (no allegory, history, or mythology); But acknowledged that it was inspired by Titian, Raphael Style: Looked unfinished; flat shapes (like Japanese prints); unconvincing space (woman hovers above) ; we look at painting rather than through or into (no more window onto nature from Renaissance) References to Titian, Raphael

Realism in America: From Philadelphia; Post-Civil War America: Studied in Paris in the late 1860’s, returned to US

like Impressionists, painted middle-class leisure activities, popular sports, and surgery clinics. Sculling pictures: heroes of modern life. Carefully reproduced outdoor scene (not quickly recorded like Impressionists); several sketches of sculls and oars to get perspective right; studied light effects and anatomy; minute details (REALISM) He was also an avid rower and depicted himself in the scull in the background

Had students (even women) work from nude models rather than plaster casts.

Unglamourous poses. Cropped figures suggest candid viewpoint. Tipped up floors and assymetry of Japanese prints. Potential instability is anchored by verticals; soft, loose skirts contrast with dark hair; red repeated across the canvas to unify

Bold brushwork; Color theory of optical mixing: Brushstrokes of color blend optically; colors brighter, sunny (like Corot); Shadows not black “When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you—a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think, here is a little square of blue, here is an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives you your own naïve impression of the scene before you.” ( to Lila Cabot Perry)

The name Impressionism comes from this work; derogatory term by a critic at the first Impressionist exhibition taken from the title; just impressions, not finished paintings; looked sketchy, unfinished. Shares characteristics with Realism: contemporary subjects, flat/unfinished look, record of the moment. Different: more about the nouveau riche and middle class; leisure activities. Focused more on landscapes and cityscapes than figures. Worked outdoors completely to record light, atmosphere. Rather than painting objects, they painted the colored light that reflected off objects. Painted what they saw, not what they knew (scientific) Monet said himself that “it really couldn’t pass for a view of Le Havre”

“I have always loved Claude Monet's Impression: Sunrise piece (1872). I just love the colors and I have always been a fan of landscape and water scenes. The painting is very calming to me and I wish I could have it hanging in my living room. I do wish there was just a little more orange in the sun going down. Otherwise, this piece has always been one of my favorites. I also love the thick brushstrokes. To me, it give the piece more character and makes it "pop" more.” -Erin Stevens

Monet also liked to show modern city life; made 10 paintings of this train shed to record busy people and grand new apartments behind; We can feel the steam and dampness, atmosphere.

Friend of Monet; often painted side by side. Also liked to show modern life but especially loved painting people in social settings. Social life of young leisure class, emphasis on people rather than landscape. Flickering, transitory light

Popular restaurant for boaters; we can identify class by their hats; models were Renoir’s friends (he married the girl with the dog) Dappled sunlight, momentary (also like photographs—people cropped, girl drinking) Renoir started to model more; wanted to  go back to stronger line and drawing.

“Renoir’s Boating Party is one of my favorite pieces of art. I love the jovial mood, the happiness, the friendliness, and the style that it’s painted in, with the use of color to create beautiful light and shadow. It’s such a welcoming painting—I have it hanging up at home (well, a copy of it.)” -Brooke Miller

“It is after lunch in Renoir’s new world of painters, patrons and actresses, and everyone is a friend. Models smoke, drink and talk amongst the detritus of the empty bottles and the meal left on the tables. There are no rules or regulations here.” -Edmund de Waal, The Hare with Amber Eyes, Picador, 2010, 81.

The actress Ellen Andree raises her glass to her lips. Baron Raoul Barbier, a former mayor of colonial Saigon, his brown bowler pushed back, talks to the young daughter of the proprietor. Her brother, straw-hatted like a professional oarsman, stands in the foreground surveying the lunch. Caillebotte, relaxed and fit in a white singlet and boater, sits astride his chair looking at the young seamstress Aline Charigot, Renoir’s lover and future wife. The artist Paul Lhote sits with a proprietorial arm around the actress around the actress Jeanne Samary.” (see notes above) And Charles is there. He is the man at the very back, in the top hat and black suit, turning slightly away, seen glancingly. You can just see his red-brown beard. He is talking with a pleasantly open-faced, poorly shaved Laforgue, dressed as a proper poet in a working man’s cap and what could even be a corduroy jacket.”

Proust—notes a “gentleman . . . Wearing a top hat at a boating party where he was clearly out of place, which proved that . . . He was not only a regular sitter, but a friend, perhaps a patron.”

Took part in all 8 Impressionist shows (only one to do all 8)

Painted outdoors like Monet. Emphasized abstract qualities; complex, structured compositions (compare with Impression: Sunrise); influenced later artists (Cezanne, Picasso); Cezanne said Pissarro was a father figure to him and a little like the Lord himself.

Berthe’s sister and baby; painted women and children (models most readily available); not frivolous; meditative and thoughtful. We have a light color palette full of whites, blues, light pinks, and greens which represents innocence and delicacy. Brushstrokes are loose as the smallet details are not emphasized like romantic works in the past. This was a time in which women were trying really hard to find their own place in the art world as they were still expected to marry and have children, focusing on life as homemakers. But a few of them, like Berthe, were determined to do more in life than the main trajectory that was imposed on them.

Pastel colors, wealthy women’s activities: gathering flowers, taking tea, child-rearing, reading, sewing, vacationing. Flickering paint, bold brushstrokes, strong diagonal (like Degas, Japanese prints) Interest in capturing: everyday subjects, on-the-spot outdoor scenes, fleeting moments, impermanence, atmosphere, light, colored shadow, modern urban life, leisure activities, middle class/nouveau riche, times of day/year

Focused on people, esp. mother and child; painted women (like Morisot) at the opera, reading, visiting, taking tea, sewing, with children (never had children of her own) New attention to child rearing in France, as well as women’s rights in France; agenda for better education for women. Bathing regularly was a new phenomenon. Emotional and physical involvement; also reminiscent of Madonna and child paintings of the Renaissance; importance of women’s role in society

High viewpoint like Japanese prints; also strong forms and contours.

“The piece of art that we have looked at this semester that has moved me and clicked with my soul was the painting “The Child’s Bath” by Mary Cassatt.  This artwork specifically made me react because it encompasses all the aspects of art that I want to accomplish in my own artwork.  Mary Cassatt used her impressionist style of paint to show us that a painting isn’t just trying to copy something, rather to show you the process of life and to allow the paint to shine through.  Just like me, I want the paint to show through as a representation of what I have done. The sweet scene represented by Mary Cassatt shows the tender moments of everyday life.  I love how this moment in time isn’t something extraordinary, yet it is completely relatable. The way there is so much focus on caring for the child truly speaks to my own desires and me.  The coloring choices and lack of heavy detail move me.  Through the looseness of the brushwork I feel as if it allows anyone to feel and be moved by it.  The possibility to feel a real connection is due to the fact that there aren’t constraints on the viewer from the way the painting was structured.  By this I mean that the artist hasn’t decided for us automatically how we are supposed to connect to the piece of art.  I get this sensation that the relationship between the woman and the child is sincere, and not forced. I connect with this work of art because to me, Mary Cassatt wasn’t afraid.  She was a woman in a heavily dominated male society, painted loose and freely, expressed intimate scenes, and showed real people.  I love the facts that while these ideas are all “real”; she is willing to let the viewer recognize that the artwork was simply created through the process and medium of paint. Through all of these talents that she has, it has motivated me to learn how to appropriately communicate and express my own perspectives of nature through my color choices and brush strokes.” 

-Paige Moffat

Interest in capturing:

• everyday subjects

• on-the-spot outdoor scenes

• fleeting moments, impermanence

• atmosphere, light, colored shadow

• modern urban life, leisure activities

• upper middle class/nouveau riche

• times of day/year

• look of ukiyo-e (Japanese prints)

• Wanted to reform ills of the Industrial Revolution through spirituality and art

• Looked to Early Renaissance and Gothic art (art before Raphael) as pure, genuine art

• Wanted to depict “truth” by close observation of nature and details

• Work is characterized by rich, pure color on a white ground; also included symbolism

  
  

• Looked to literature for subject matter, especially Shakespeare, the Bible, and Arthurian legends

Very religious, came from a poor working-class family

Victorian morals; Inspired by a passage in Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield. Prostitution in the city; perceived as only hope of bettering their situation. Woman becomes aware of the lyrics of the song they are singing, returns to her family. Cluttered with objects of consumerism, also cluttered with details. Compare with Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, which was in collection of National Gallery in London in 1842. Symbolism like Van Eyck: cat and bird (kept woman’s position); clock: almost 12 (little time left for action); window reflected in mirror: freedom, beauty and simplicity of nature, freedom. Biblical passages on bottom

John Ruskin: writer, artist championed PRB and urged creation of beautifully designed, hand crafted objects that workers could take pride in producing over mass-produced products; Morris started company that manufactured beautifully crafted fabrics, wallpaper, tapestries, carpets, tiles, furniture, and stained glass; he designed most of the wallpaper and fabrics. From nature, considered spiritual. Gold background above wainscoting=12 months of the year; like late Gothic art, cycles of seasons and life. Emphasized truth and quality: no disguising materials, no pre-fabricated materials, no cheap materials. Launched Arts and Crafts movement, which soon spread to the US; helped to erase Renaissance-influenced perceptions that valued the so-called “higher” art forms over the “lower” work of traditional craftsmen.

PRB best known for Biblical scenes and scenes from literature. Christ has received a wound in his hand and is comforted by Joseph and Mary. Disguised symbols of future role as Jesus as Savior: cut in his hand= wounds from the nails, John the Baptist (right) carries bowl symbolizing baptism (his future role); flock of sheep outside= Christ’s role as Good Shepherd; nails, tools on wall/ladder= crucifixion; dove= Holy Ghost; triangle= trinity. Social statement: supports quality workmanship and labor instead of poorly-crafted, mass-produced products of Industrial Revolution. Identifies Christ with working class: dirt under the fingernails (like Courbet did with the stone-breakers) Realistic detail: went to carpenter’s shop to study wood shavings and musculature of a carpenter.

“A piece of art that has moved me the most this semester is Christ in the House of His Parents, (‘The Carpenter’s Shop) by John Everett Millais. Upon first seeing this painting, I found it to be striking and full of opportunities to reflect. It takes the viewer time to depict and decipher each symbol, which I admire at the skill of Millais. Christ has cut his hand on an exposed nail and His mother kneels down to comfort Him as His concerned father rests a gentle hand on His shoulder. We all know what it is like to get a cut or scrape, even the smallest splinter can create an outburst of pain. In this moment, I felt like I could relate to Jesus’ pain, and it hurt my heart to see Him having to suffer. As this is a sign of the stigmata, I then reflected on how Christ would grow and ultimately perform the atonement and be crucified.  Jesus has felt all pain, emotional and physical.  We may relate to the physical pain He felt in this painting, but we cannot fathom what He endured in Gethsemane. This painting is a type and shadow of things to come and is beautifully arrayed. I found it interesting to note that it was highly controversial when it first came out, because of the heated debate of realism at that time. In our day, it is not striking as an image that is realistic or even a story that is realistic; but the events of the future the viewer is forced to ponder are what is real and that factor is what some might still take offense to today. The people in Millais’ day completely missed the point; like some people today may still not understand. It is obvious that this is not the best painting in the world as a painting itself, but isn’t the paint that is important. What’s important is the strong concept that captivates the viewer and evokes an emotion and a stronger connection with our Savior.”  -Amanda Merrill

As he emphasized color and form, he became increasingly abstract: Nocturnes (music term for night scenes) of the Thames Rives (fireworks) John Ruskin accused Whistler of “Flinging a pot of paint in the public’s face.” Whistler sued him for slander: “By using the word 'nocturne' I wished to indicate an artistic interest alone, divesting the picture of any outside anecdotal interest which might have been otherwise attached to it. A nocturne is an arrangement of line, form and color first” When Whistler was on the stand, he was questioned on the amount of time it took to finish one of the paintings. When Whistler replied that it took only a couple of days, the defense asked if two days of work was worth the 200-guinea price of the piece. Whistler replied, “No. I ask it for the knowledge I have gained in the work of a lifetime.”

The model was an American expatriate who married a French banker, and became notorious in Parisian high society for her beauty and rumored infidelities. She wore lavender powder and prided herself on her appearance. Singer painted her in attempt to raise his reputation—no commission; received more ridicule than praise. Kept for thirty years, then sold to the MET; “I suppose it is the best thing I have done.”

Look at balance (shape, color, etc.) Patchy, “slablike” brushstrokes: make it monumental looking. Space/Perspective? Strange perspective in dishes, tabletop climbs up the canvas; changes viewpoints. Subject is structure, form; felt that all forms in nature were based on cones, spheres, and cylinders. Push and pull between flat and 3-D again: leaves in wallpaper look 3-D/ table looks flat. Cloth: shadows make it look 3-D, but strong feeling of just paint makes it look 2-D. Representational, but acknowledges that it is first paint on a canvas; arrangement of lines and colors (like Whistler) Subject: still life traditions in the 17^th century: breaking rules of naturalism

Called “father of modern art”: WHY? Like Impressionism: Painted outdoors, bright outdoor colors, broad brushstrokes, flickering light. Different: structural, formal, frozen; even sky looks structural. Push and pull between depth and flat space: brushstrokes are flat marks asserting the surface of the canvas (conflict between abstraction and representational: we know it’s a real scene, and we also know it’s a flat canvas with lines, color, and paint; no longer a window onto nature—ideal since Renaissance) Looks quickly done, but meticulous about every mark (each painting took a couple of years); looked for geometric substructure in all things; shapes echo each other (curves in tree, slope; diagonals in field, mountains, paint strokes)

Compare with first Mont Sainte-Victoire. Becomes increasingly abstract. More compressed; less depth. Balance between observation of nature and a desire to abstract nature: show things as color, shape. Paint strokes stand on their own; Freed painting from representational role. Had a powerful influence on Picasso and Matisse

Made a few very large paintings with dozens of preliminary studies; only lived to be 31. Felt art should be based on a scientific system. Impressionist influence: subject (middle class leisure activities), brilliant colors, sunlight; shows social types (boatman on left corner, courtesan on right with monkey) Different: very controlled: firm contours, frozen formality, calm, timeless stability instead of fleeting moment (like Renaissance); structure. Classical: figures silhouetted in profile, ¾ view, or frontally (not casual placement); said he wanted to make modern figures file past like figures on the frieze of the Parthenon; 6x10 feet—like monumental history painting. Did detailed studies—like a stage set: made monumental. Brushstoke: broken, but systematic, impersonal

Brushstrokes became dots (theory that they would merge in the viewer’s eye and produce more luminous color than if mixed on palette (pointillism, divisionism)

Painted night life of Paris; optimistic? Garish light, cropped. Self-portrait in back (crippled by a genetic disease; very short); Spent life in night spots of Paris, died of alcoholism

Became widely known for his lithographic posters. Influence of Japanese prints: flat silhouettes, block shapes, cropping, tilted space, Influence of Degas: above and subject matter. Different: more abstract, cartoonish, caricature, simplified; minimum of marks, more flat planes and outlines. Makes very 2-D. Moulin Rouge--Cabaret. Dancer: Louise Weber, credited with creating the cancan. Profile in front: “Valentin the boneless,” known for his idiosyncratic dancing. Satirical: Appealing? Illusion of gaiety, but emptiness: Psychological isolation of dancer, weary expression;  lurking profile of Valentin; dark shapes of onlookers. We can feel rhythm of the dance: repeated feet, movement, repeated words, yellow gas lamps (rhythm), lines of floorboards) Yellow shape on left: globes of the modern electric chandelier that hung over the dance floor

Used color and brushwork to express emotion. Wanted to “express the terrible passions of humanity by means of red and green” Symbolic use of complementary colors: makes harsh, acidic, sour (green light in waiter’s hair) Also tipped perspective: puts us at dis-ease; looks threatening. Psychological isolation

Painted after he committed himself to a mental institution. Mood? Emotional intensity. Surging, rhythmic lines. Everything in the landscape is echoed in the town: Cypress trees planted beside graveyards as symbols of eternal life (echoes church steeple)--spiritual. Lit houses in rural village protected by surrounding hill. Yellow in windows and in the stars; light, spiritual light. Expressive: not realist or Impressionist. People in harmony with the universe (Van Gogh’s desire); commitment to humanity. Committed suicide 1 year later

“I think my favorite piece was probably Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” As cliché as it sounds, I just really love this painting, and I have loved it since I was a kid. I’ve always admired Van Gogh’s use of color and his thick, loose brushwork. Also, I’m a huge fan of the swirls in the sky and the stars. A spiral pattern is my favorite shape and composition to work with, so the fact that Starry Night is full of swirls and spirals just makes me love it more. Plus, I really love night scenes.” -Anna Earley

Candice Horito:

"I have come to love, as well as hate, a particular painting…. Which is it? Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”. I did an experiment on studying this piece in the book; looking at it all throughout the semester. At first glances it looked fairly simple, but as I continued to look more at it, part by part, I noticed how much was actually put into it. Certain colors could not be made just by getting a tube of that color and hoping that it blended well. They were layered upon other colors. Some colors standing out stronger than others, and some looking very thin to allow other colors to show threw it. We can only imagine what exactly he was thinking (Van Gogh) when he made this painting; and maybe what he might have even been on. There are different types of strokes, from the flowy-ness of the stars and the sky, to the town at the bottom. Not most could probably draw out what the town looked like compared to the sky. Even the tree doesn’t seem like a significant part. People don’t remember the painting for the tree of town. Not even maybe for the moon; it’s for the swirls of the sky."

Pohai Jessop:

"I really like Starry Night painted by Vincent van Gogh. Even before this class, I always had a strong liking for this painting and noticed it in everyday life. I think his longing for celebration of life and universal harmony is really depicted here. His symbolism for religion is so strong and so spiritual to me. I love the way he used the cypress tree as a symbol for a church steeple. The cool and naturalistic colors soothe me and gives off a sense of peace and spirituality.

“Although this piece has been widely discussed for many years, it never ceases to amaze me. There is so much life in this painting. It evokes energy and movement within the brush stokes of van Gogh, while at the same time creates a serene calm. This unique juxtaposition is something that I can always come back to and contemplate upon. I am also drawn to the brilliant colors of the moon, and the subtle gradations of blues that swirl and fill the night sky. The sky seems to move over the small, sleepy looking town and it’s as if van Gogh truly captured a moment in time. I had the privilege of seeing this piece in person in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and it was even more moving and stunning in person. It is pure expressionism."

Felt western civilization lacked spirituality—too materialistic

Believed art of ancient and non-western cultures had more spiritual strength. Went to Brittany (western France) to live among peasants; seeking a simpler society in tune with nature. Religion still part of everyday life for peasants; still wore distinctive regional costume? tried to depict their simple, direct faith through art that was direct, authentic, and free of civilized influences (perspective, shading) Looked at folk art, children’s art, medieval art, medieval stained glass windows. Women have just heard a sermon about Jacob wrestling with the angel; they see a vision of the story along with a cow (spirituality in every thing—struggling shapes have shape of cow) Shapes reduced to flat, curvilinear, outlined areas; little shadow (like Japanese prints and stained glass) Background plane tilted up, flat red (mystical; felt deep space was distracting to message) Diagonal of apple tree like Japanese prints. Perspective of Degas. Hats, bonnet strings look animated. Influenced a lot of other painters.

Influenced by Goya, psychological tales of Edgar Allan Poe (popular in France) Visual poems (not illustrations); evoke world of Poe’s imagination. Soft, hazy, indistinct. Balloon morphs into a hairy eyeball, head severed at the nose. Life, death, eternity; uncertainty, troubling

“I really liked this for a number of reasons. It’s very detailed in some places, and not in others, which is an interesting push and pull. It’s also very dark and has a sketchy feel to it. It’s one of the few pieces of art that I genuinely wish to know what and how the artist was thinking while he created it.”

- Sean Tiede

John Stanley: “This is a strange choice for me, but one of my favorite works of art that we have studied in this class is one from Odilon Redon’s series based on the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. All of them are powerful images, but The Eye Like a Strange Balloon Mounts Toward Infinity (1878) sticks out to me. I’m usually not one for dark literature or artwork, but I am as intrigued by the lithograph as I am with its title. I have read many of Poe’s short stories and, though I’m pretty sure the image of a deathly eyeball-balloon (eyeballoon?) is not mentioned, it captures the dry, dark feel of his works. Redon’s unexplained imaginary images are interesting and somewhat off-putting at the same time, almost forcing the viewer to think deeply about its meaning. I especially like the lack of any color and mysterious style that is not really grotesque, but gives me the willies anyway. Eye Like a Strange Balloon is an uncomfortable visual trip through the haunted halls of another’s mind.”

Self-taught, labeled “primitive painter” because of naïve style

Hard edges of Ingres, looks simplistic, charming, direct. Also seeking simplicity of pre-civilization. Not widely recognized during his lifetime; later Picasso and his circle admired his flatness, abstraction, directness, untaught style

Influences? Influenced by curvilinear forms of Gauguin, intense brushwork and color of Van Gogh. Explored psychology, subconscious. About deep, inner anxiety; universal anxiety of modern man. Skull-like head, compressed, writhing. Landscape is oozing, unstable. Violent perspective (forget what we know about perspective, modeling, etc.) A passage in Munch’s diary dated January 22, 1892, and written in Nice, contains the probable inspiration for this scene as the artist remembered it: “I was walking along the road with two friends—the sun went down—I felt a gust of melancholy—suddenly the sky turned a bloody red. I stopped, leaned against the railing, tired to death—as the flaming skies hung like blood and sword over the blue-black fjord and the city—My friends went on—I stood there trembling with anxiety—and I felt a vast infinite scream [tear] through nature.” We don’t hear the scream, but we feel it resonating inside of us.

Jeff Alder:

The artwork I chose that both affected me the most and that I enjoy a lot is The Scream by Edvard Munch. The main reason is because it sends a sort of chill down my spine. I like how it’s just plain scary. I know that this was inspired by a haunting memory and I think if I were ever to encounter something like this in my life. It not only portrays some random monster, but it’s more of a play off the emotion of fear within people. I think of the pure horror that runs inside of us and can only be released through terrifying moments. The whole painting itself is distorted in a sense to seem like a part of it is real, but the other side is in a dream state. It’s the expression of terror in the human imagination. I look at the strokes and color and realize that this painting actually doesn’t seem that complex. That’s what is amazing, though, is that it can be so simple yet make me feel more emotion than any other painting I’ve seen. Most of the time paintings are about heroic moments or the beauty of things, but this one is about leaving a twist in your stomach. It’s so out of place. The first time I saw it I thought it was just super creepy and would feel uncomfortable looking at it alone It’s weird though that you can find peaceful things in it like the soft waves of the environment like in the sky and also the pleasant people walking down the bridge as well as the boats floating in the water. Then there’s this big horrific face that has nothing to do with anything it seems like. That’s a rally good clash. All it is is a simple distorted head with the mouth and eyes wide open, hands on the side of their face in a scream that seems so still and without any sound, although it feels like they are voicing it out of the painting into your head. The black wavy figure as if they’re not really there, but just something your mind creates. Is it a creature? Is it human? It almost seems like something form science fiction, There’s a lot of meaning and interpretation which is what I think good painting is about.

“Okay, to be honest, I never really liked this painting till this semester. It was used everywhere and people made replicas in everything and my peers in classes would copy it but put a different face in elementary art assignments and I was just so overexposed to it that I never liked it. I mean, it's a painting of a guy screaming and it's not very well painted, mind you, or very interesting. But now I look at it, and it doesn't look like someone standing on a bridge screaming, it's how I feel sometimes. Orange is a very tense color and put it with it's contrasting color blue and it doesn't really calm you down but it creates stress or tension in your brain. The wavy lines feels like how when you're so angry at something and you want to break free but you can't escape. This didn't just become a painting, it became an emotion. How could one person show an emotion so well in a painting like Edvard Munch did? Honestly, I think he was the best if not the only painter who was able to express to us an emotion so commonly felt and still unshared. It's inside us, the scream. Inside every one of us. There are days when we want it all. If we took a picture of that person on the bridge, he or she would be just as plain as the figures further down the bridge. But it's inside. The pain, the tension, the stress, the anger, the desire to escape, the feeling of being trapped in a cage, it's in us all. Maybe it's not in us all the time, but we've felt this before. It's no longer a painting of something spooky or scary or strange and doesn't remind me of Halloween like it did when I was a kid. It's become a painting very close to my heart, because I feel so often that I put on a mask when underneath, I'm just screaming.” -Brindizi Hamblin

Inspired by Munch “The Kiss” 1897, and Rodin’s sculpture “The Kiss” Fascination with patterns and shapes, jewel like (gold like Byzantine mosaics) Passion beautiful, dangerous (abyss) Decorative; wanted to break down the hierarchy between fine arts and decorative arts (Vienna Secession: avant-garde artists’ organization; anti academic art)

African American; studied with Thomas Eakins in Philadelphia, but went to Paris because little hope of opportunities for black artist in America. Son of a preacher; religious imagery. We are in the sky with the angels looking down on holy land; shepherds and fire. Material world dissolved, ethereal. Story likely to be about the angels announcing that the Savior is going to be born, hence the gathering among them.

Commissioned to commemorate 6 citizens who agreed to sacrifice themselves during the 1347 siege of Calais in the Hundred Years’ War; In exchange for the 6 burghers, the English agreed to lift the siege and spare the town (6 were eventually freed) Emotionally charged: confront death with fear, resignation, anguish

Stone statues probably carved to embody the divine power of deceased rulers and commemorate important ancestors and were made from around 1000-1650 AD. Created about 887 of them. Backs to the sea to watch over village. With the adoption of Christianity in the 1860s, the remaining standing moai were toppled.

Asmat people:

The Asmat honored their dead with feasts and rituals, which both commemorated the deceased and reminded the living to avenge their deaths. The towering Asmat "bis" poles were made for these funeral feasts. The basic form of the bis is an openwork pole incorporating several ancestor figures and a winglike projection that represents the pole's phallus.

In Asmat belief, no death was accidental. Each death was always caused by an enemy, either through headhunting raids or sorcery. Death created an imbalance in society, which the living had to correct by taking an enemy head. When a village had suffered a number of deaths, it would hold a bis ceremony, which consisted of a series of feasts held over several months. A number of bis poles were carved for the ceremony and displayed in front of the men's house, where they formed the center of a mock battle between men and women. The poles were kept until a successful headhunt had been carried out and the balance restored. After a final feast, the Asmat abandoned the bis poles in the sago palm groves from which they obtained their primary food. As the poles decayed, their fertile supernatural power seeped into the earth and fertilized the sago trees. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 354

The towering slit gongs of northern Vanuatu are among the largest musical instruments in the world. Found primarily on Ambrym, Malekula, and neighboring islands, they are carved from the trunks of breadfruit trees, which are also an important food source. In each village, a number of gongs, comprising a sort of informal orchestra, stand on the village dancing ground. Gong orchestras are played at major social and religious events such as initiations, funerals, and dances. When playing, the musician stands in front of the gong and strikes the lip of the slit with a clublike wooden beater. As the gong ensemble is played, rhythms of immense variety and complexity can be produced by the carefully coordinated actions of multiple drummers.

Style began in Belgium. Wrought iron columns, railings in stairwell; linear patterns of sinuous curves; organic fluidity (things growing); furniture, jewelry, interiors; related to styles of Beardsley, Munch, Gauguin

• rapid change

• individualism

• exploration

• new inventions

• challenging assumptions of the past

Worked on a few things over and over again, used different materials. Also designed pedastol, height of display (low for newborn, high for bird in space) We don’t see a bird; Spirit of flight

Formal elements? The Fang people of Gabon associate large heads with infancy, an age in a state of greater harmony with ancestors. Placed on a reliquary chest as a guardian figure. Symbolizes connection with ancestors and desire for continuation (children); timelessness

Wood covered with metal sheets of brass or copper. Formal elements? Geometric shapes, flat. Headdress. Body abstracted to diamond shape framing empty space (negative space) Also covered a reliquary containing ancestral bones; traditional (ironically inspired breaking with tradition in western Europe) Ancestor cult: they lay the deceased out in the forest and later buried in the earth; later, skulls of important leaders were excavated and placed in large baskets with other remembrance objects. Baskets sealed and preserved in sacred shrine huts. Reliquary guardian figures attached to each vessel with triangular portion reaching into the vessel. Baskets brought out for important ceremonies, opened and contents presented, explained, honored

Refer to the mythic culture hero Ci Wara, a divine force conceived of as half man and half antelope. Bamana oral traditions credit Ci Wara with introducing to humanity agricultural methods and an understanding of earth, animals, and plants. Worn in village-wide performances that celebrated the skills of successful farmers. These performances featured a pair of dancers wearing sculpted headdresses, one representing a male antelope and the other a female. They held sticks in their hands to paw the earth just as the mythic Ci Wara did when he first taught men to plant seeds.

Used to help with conception. Demonstrates three important qualities of womanhood (wisdom (large forehead), girth (ringed neck is intended to denote rolls of fat, showing that woman is capable of bearing a healthy child), and the prime of life) that relate to her physical and mental abilities. Akua’ba figures were important fertility aids among Akan-speakers in Ghana in the past. They depict an abstracted female form in wood and were created by male carvers. Depicts a highly abstracted and idealized woman in the prime of life. The figure is also always female, since Akan culture is matrilineal. Taken out of the Akan context, altered by Western tastes (which might add beads and paint), and marketed as a universal symbol of Africa, the akua’ba figure is now part of Western popular culture.

Ife = Ife Uncovered; Portrait = Ife Remembered. Not all African art is abstract. Discovered near a palace in Ife (in Nigeria); believed to have been used in royal burials/funerary ceremonies. Portrait quality. Ife believed to be the land of the gods, first holy city, center of creation. Related to the garden of Eden. Head = center of power. Lost wax casting technology

scarification

Asserts that the artist is free to use color independently of natural appearance, building a structure of abstract color shapes and lines. What are the jobs of color in classical painting? What are the jobs of color in Matisse? Flattens, abstracts, expressive; forces us to look at color, not objects; particularly included a sinuous, arabesque-like line, therefore leading to the avant-garde movement.

The room itself acts as a self-portrait without the artist inserting himself in it. His surrogates are his art, and they fill in for the purpose of describing who he is. The rest of the work in covered in this bright red, and there is no sense of natural light coming in compared to other well-known works. That is an intentional move as he dismantles the architecture of linear perspective, breaking a significant amount of rules that other artists before him followed in past art periods.

Influences: Van Gogh, Matisse, Munch. Feelings of modern society in Germany: decadent, immoral, materialistic; monstrous women... in short, the night life of the city was explored, as well as exploring the subject of prostitution.

Same as the previous piece, it covered the night life, this time being in Berlin, and also covered the topic of prostitution. It can come as a shock to the viewer once fully understanding the interactions in the image. This also turned out to be the artist's critique of modern society.

Musical titles: focus on communicating directly with the senses; Like Whistler. Felt music was free from imitation: color, line, form counterparts of notes, chords, rhythms, harmonies

“A scientific event cleared my way of one of the greatest impediments. This was the further division of the atom. The crumbling of the atom was to my soul like the crumbling of the whole world.” Completely non-objective; wanted to express universal spiritual forces, abstract mystical powers; Simple, direct, spiritual

Claire Fink:

“One of my favorite pieces of art that we have studied is Vasily Kandinsky’s “Composition VII”. Ever since we started studying abstract art I have loved it. This is one of my favorite pieces because it is nonobjective art. When I heard about a type of art that doesn’t have to be based on any object I was excited. I love how Kandinsky uses color, shapes, and line to express whatever it is he wanted to express. I love the idea of this art more than anything else. I love that his piece could be interpreted in so many ways. I feel like I could look at this painting for hours and still find it interesting. I love how all of the lines, shapes and colors seem to interrupt each other but at the same time the painting seems to flow and there is harmony to it. Something I see in tis painting are a bunch of eyes. I don’t know if that was intentional but I love how I can look at this painting and it’s like looking into the clouds and pointing out objects you see. This painting may not be based on an object or objects but we can see what we would like in it.”

Combined influences found in The Blue Rider Almanac, including children’s art, tribal art, music. Grid of Cubism. Colors like Matisse, Kandinsky. Directness and naivete of children’s and folk art. Luminescent colors of stained glass windows. Sense of spirituality; Symbols: Jewish star of David, Islamic crescent moon, primitive hieroglyphic suns. Tree: life (same rays as suns: earth and sky connected) Rectangular planes: trees, ,plants, fire, sky, earth? Understated; strips everything inessential

“The Niesen” was moving to me in the quiet simplicity and calming emotion it seemed to give me. It was very innocent and child-like.” -Renae Hunter

Rachael McDonald:

“I have loved all of the art that we have viewed in class, but one of the paintings that seemed to stick with me most is the painting by Paul Klee, The Nielsen. I am a fan of the abstract art I love the freedom to imagine it gives me as I view the art work. IN this painting I was really drawing in by the blocks of colors. I love how all of the colors seem to be stacked on top of each other and don't make a specific shape. Even though this is an abstract painting you can tell that it is portraying nature in a unique way. Along with abstract art I love nature. This painting makes me want to go camping in the mountains and admire the stars and the beautiful colors that nature creates.”

What rules of western art from the past 400 years does Picasso break? Forms unreadable. Perspective skewed. No shadow or doesn’t make sense. Color--not representative; Space—impossible to read. Notions of feminine beauty. Influences? Manet—women look straight at us, confront viewer. Cezanne-planes, different points of view. Matisse-color. African and Iberian masks. Opened up artistic freedom: line, plane, color, mass, void all freed from representational roles and can take on a life of their own. How did this lead to Cubism?

Synthetic Cubism: in 1912 Braque and Picasso began working in collage; complicates notion of real and illusion; paper/wallpaper/chair caning is real and an illusion (a picture); complicates notion of real and illusion; paper/ wallpaper/ chair caning is real and an illusion (a picture) Woodgrain was painted by Picasso and cut out. “Instead of a window, the picture surface became a tray on which art was served.” (art is on top of the canvas, not behind) What has the most depth. She modeled glass, which is the only thing drawn? Instead of breaking down images, now building up. Introduced a variety of textures and colors  (in analytic Cubism they used monochromatic colors) Used musical themes because music is abstract, like their art; also notes are abstract symbols. Play with space: guitar soundhole should be negative space, but it is a solid circle of paper. Le Jou—again, pun about Le Journal, jouer (to play); La Bataille s’est Engage (the battle is joined): First Balkan war in Europe; also battlefield between Picasso and Braque working on a new medium

After the Futurists visited Paris together in 1911, several of them adopted aspects of Cubism, though they altered the technique to focus more clearly on Futurist concerns like modern technology, movement, and speed. More than one moment at a time; impermanence; influence of Cubism, photography. Optimism of modernity: machines, motion, etc.

Influenced by Cubism, Futurism. Machinelike: idealizes progress, motion, modernity, science’s ability to improve the world. 1913 Armory show: an art critic for the New York Times wrote that the work resembled "an explosion in a shingle factory," and cartoonists satirized the piece. It spawned dozens of parodies in the years that followed.

Karen Duvall:

"What I like the most about it is the simplicity of movement and energy while at the same time telling a story. I feel he may have made this figure nude to let the viewer fill their imagination with whatever they'd want to happen or relate to. When I first saw this, it was my freshman year of college and it reminded me of when I walked down the staircase in my prom dress, or when I got married this past year as I walked down in my wedding dress. Duchamp does so well at capturing every moment and I feel that somewhere, that may be what he's trying to tell us. To fill our lives with our own memories and let every moment count."

Significance of “Readymades”: Art is about ideas, not just something beautiful to look at. Challenges notion that art requires technical skill and craftsmanship. Interpretations? Pedastol with bust?

Influences: Cubism (fracturing), stained glass windows (worked in that medium), folk art; symbolism: circles=cycles of life. Blooming bush=birth. Farmer with scythe=death; Tree of life. Having been in Paris for just one year, Chagall painted this work from memories of his native village outside Vitebsk, Belarus. The cow and the man stare directly into one another’s eyes, suggesting the mutual dependence of peasants and animals. For orthodox Jews, animals were humanity’s link to the universe; look closely and you’ll see the sun, the earth and the moon in orbit. In reference to his very personal response to Cubism, Chagall once said "Lines, angles, triangles, squares, carry me far away to enchanting horizons.” Chagall saw Jesus on the Cross as a universally recognizable symbol of human suffering. Chagall hoped that Jews and non-Jews alike would be able to relate to this symbol. By making Jesus unmistakably Jewish, he was highlighting the fact that the Romans crucified Jesus as a Jew. In the midst of the Holocaust, Chagall wanted to make the universality of Jesus’ crucifixion specific again, he wanted the world to look at Jewish suffering.

Strong diagonal lines, disjointed space like Cubism. Classical buildings, figurative=allegiance to classical past. Leaves the viewer worried for the girl over the unknown that is near her, wanting her to just go back home. Is the shadow a man hiding? Is it a statue? That's unclear. Strong perspective, diagonal lines, tenebrism.

Trying to show experience of flying; new relationship to the universe. Reproductions don’t show organic qualities, hand of the artist.

"Kyiv-born artist Kazimir Malevich challenged everything in the world around him with his painting Black Square. In 1913, He wrote that “trying desperately to free art from the dead weight of the real world, [he] took refuge in the form of the square.” Malevich didn’t want to depict the world around him; he wanted to transcend it. He was surrounded by a Russian state in turmoil and a world at war. The painting was not only challenging in that it was nothing more than a simple black square, but in how Malevich displayed it in the place Orthodox Christians reserved for an icon. He wanted people to question their perception of reality. Black Square not only created a revolution in avant-garde art, but contributed to a cultural and political revolution within his own country. This piece of art inspires me because it shows us the real power art has to change and improve the world around us. The next time someone frowns upon this seemingly simple black square, tell them it was this black square that changed history."

-Dallin Durtschi, Fall 2018

Dada poetry: random words, pulled out of a hat, non words (abstract) Movement started in Zurich (center for war protests) Made abstract collages by dropping pieces of torn rectangular paper on the floor; where they fell determined the composition (chance=nature, truth) Sought to capture abstract universal forces (like Kandinsky)

Duchamp went to NYC to escape war. “DADA” applied in retrospect; similar goals. “Readymade”; entered in 1917 independent art show. Rejected (although non-juried show); Duchamp knew committee would not consider it art. Issues: What is art? Does it have to be created? (He CHOSE it); art is about ideas. Defies conventional notions of beauty; HUMOR

“The first time I saw a piece of artwork from the Dada period, I thought it was ugly and trashy. However, after I began to learn about the artists form the period and what they were trying to do, I began to appreciate it more. I ‘get it’ now, I love seeing Dada pieces and understanding the humor as well as the rebellion they are trying to convey.” -Casey Sanders

“I was inspired by Dada very in this section of the 20^th century because I knew the style already from my theatre class. In both artistic realms, Dada came as a reaction to World War I. Before the war, mass destruction caused by entire nations using manmade weapons was fictitious. The Dadaists drew from the sense of chaos, illogic, and fear to create. Both styles responded to the same event and both serve the same purpose through different mediums: to question and redefine reality. They subtly made statements about what we accept as reality by their art. Dadaists accomplished this by redefining what art really is, which questioned the “system” of art, as well as reality as a whole. In theatre, “sound poems,” which consist of calling a string of non-verbal sounds poetry. Sound poems strip poetry of the characteristic that had previously defined it: words. By taking away the one defining characteristic, Dadaists changed poetry to mean a string of anything, whether it be sounds, objects, syllables, or words. The audience decides how they all connect, and in doing so decides what their version of reality is. Similarly, Dada artist Marcel Duchamp redefined reality by calling a urinal a “fountain” (Fountain, 1917). Like theatre Dadaists, he makes us question what reality is. He submitted the “Assisted Readymade” sculpture to the society’s exhibition under a false name, knowing the society would reject it. When it was rejected, he and his friends made a big scene about it. This shows that he purposely perverts the hallowed form of classical arts, fountains, and forces us to respond. Why would he pervert such a beautiful and pure art form? What makes a fountain a fountain? Why ISN’T a urinal considered a fountain? In forcing his audience to react to his perverse art, he also forces them to consider the warped world we share and live in.” -Angela Cava

“There are many instances in art when new movements occur because of social trends at the time. I believe art is very socially driven. A good example of this idea is Duchamp's Fountain. I'm not at all particularly fond of the piece it's self, but I'm intrigued by the ideas behind it. Duchamp was using his art as a reaction against war and against the industrial revolution. He made a bold statement by taking something that had been massed produced, turning it another angle, and then signing it as a artist would. Is this real art? I raises so many new questions to the viewers mind that had never been thought of before. This is why I like this work.” -Bethany Brown

Assemblage: made of found objects assembled. Mindless, lifeless dummy; mechanical, robotic, no personal identity. “The typical German has no more capabilities than those which chance has glued onto the outside of his skull; his brain remains empty.”

Photomontage. Images of contemporary life made by photographers for popular press; camera is another machine associated with technological advances that led to war. Manipulated images by hand; cut with kitchen knife (no machinery); humanized the mechanical; antiwar. Antiwar Kathe Kollwitz at center, anti-dada at sides. Didn’t use collage to make something beautiful or refined; looked crude and anti-art; message of protest about modern society and regime of Weimar Republic

Made drawings and prints because they could be mass-produced, wider audiences; Didn’t like elitist nature of art, academies (couldn’t get in because she was a woman) Sympathized with working class and victims of war; husband was a doctor who treated the poor; became the subjects of her art. Reminds me of Liberty Leading the People (new cause)

“Be it her time or ours, we can use art to express ourselves and opinions in protest to what is being done if it is something we strongly disagree with, usually political in nature. I think people like her need to use their talents to create images for a movement.” -Gerald Robinson

• Exploration of the unconscious mind

• Dream images

• Juxtaposition of unrelated objects

• Randomness related to dream states

• Stream of consciousness

• In common with Dada: element of chance, randomness (not politically charged); also nonsense

• Reaction against World War I

• Focused on absurdity, element of chance

• (Enlightenment values of logic and reason only lead to war)

• Challenged status quo in art, culture, etc.

From Barcelona, went to Paris, started painting from his imagination (or hallucinations brought on by starvation, he claimed) Wiry line, childlike drawing of Paul Klee. Biomorphic forms float on top of minimal color field (behind drawings)—oil, but thin like washes. Suggest microscopic forms, spirits, prehistoric forms; mythic images, primal state; (how many ways can we not show depth?)

A painting by the Belgian René Magritte, painted when Magritte was 30 years old. The picture shows a pipe. Below it, Magritte painted, "Ceci n'est pas une pipe.", French for "This is not a pipe." "The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture "This is a pipe", I'd have been lying!"

Stream of consciousness process: one thing led to another. Time? Rational, measured. Death, deterioration. Everything is irrational—attack on the rational. Viewers’ own unconscious

Surrealist object; Gift for composer Erik Satie. Tacks glued onto flat side of an iron. Suggests pain, violence, uselessness?

Daughter of a Jungian psychologist. Juxtaposition two desirable things; becomes disturbing

American, settled in Paris, befriended Miro and Mondrian

Started making mobiles in the early 1930’s; painted sheet metal, balanced so that movement in air makes them glide and turn in space. Organic shapes like Miro and Arp; suggest natural forms. Sculpture? Flat; like drawing in air; but moves in space. Simple colors: primary, secondary, black and white. Childlike, joyous. Flat space and depth combined

Influenced by Brancusi, Arp, Miro, Picasso. Also non-western art, including Pre-Columbian art. Reminiscent of a Classical reclining river-goddess; but based more directly on Pre-Columbian figures. Interested in portraying elemental and universal. We see woman but know it is also stone; millions of years old; one with the stone. Earth goddess or fertility figure; also a landscape; mother earth. Interplay between solid and void; suggests womb or tide pools. Many interpreters liken the undulating form of his reclining figures to the landscape and hills of his birthplace, Yorkshire. His ability in later life to fulfill large-scale commissions made him exceptionally wealthy. Yet he lived frugally and most of the money he earned went towards endowing the Henry Moore Foundation, which continues to support education and promotion of the arts.

Mondrian with other artists in Amsterdam founded a movement called De Stijl:; spiritual mission; Friend and philosopher Schoenmaekers wrote that there was an underlying mathematical structure to the universe that constituted true reality; Mondrian based art on this theory; called it Neo Plasticism. Asymmetrical but harmonious; no foreground or background; all on same plane (asserts the presence of the picture plane—going back to Manet, Cezanne, etc.) Tries to convey complexity and simplicity of universe; everything fits together. Mondrian felt that art can be a catalyst for change; new language (like Malevich) Cubist influence; also stained glass

• Dutch movement

• Sought to create utopian environment through geometric abstraction

• Sought universal order that would make nationalism obsolete

• Also called International Style and Neo-Plasticism

First showed her work at Alfred Stieglitz’s gallery (“At last, a woman on paper”) Close-ups of flowers; image so magnified it becomes abstract (influenced by close-up photography of Paul Strand) Critics felt it had sexual references. O’Keeffe denied that they were about sexuality;  “if you see other things in the flower, it is because of the universality present in nature” Quote: “I’ll paint it big, and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it. . . I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.”

Essence of the modern experience through abstraction influenced by Armory Show: flying in an airplane, looking down from a towering skyscraper, riding in a speeding car, advertising, jazz, pulse and energy. Like synthetic Cubism

Marley Staker: Stuart Davis’ painting “Hot Still-Scape for Six Colors—Seventh Avenue Style” embodies several of the principles of design including balance, depth, and repetition and variation. The composition is asymmetrical but the shapes and colors make it very balanced. The overlapping and juxtaposition in this composition gives a sense of depth. It almost appears as thought there are multiple layers that are being revealed. Lastly, Davis uses repetition and variation to bring this piece to life. He uses many patterns each with their own repeating shapes. He also uses many different shapes, some similar to others but none are the same. His awareness and use of these principles make his work effective and interesting to look at.

Shown at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930 (still there), brought Wood to national attention. Window into Midwest world where Wood grew up and lived. What can you tell about these people? Fictitious father and spinster daughter, God-fearing descendants of settlers. Religious: numerous crosses: windows, porch, overalls (repeats pitchfork pattern), church steeple, Gothic window. Neat and clean: crisp drawing, verticals and horizontals. Industrious: pitchfork, plants on porch. Frugal: old-fashioned clothes, nothing modern (time of Depression)

From the series The Migration of the Negro; tempera on hardboard. Series of 60 paintings documenting mass migration (6 million) of African Americans from the south to the north. Factors included racism and Jim Crow laws, but also jobs to fill in the industrialized north. About movement and change

This echoed forms of Aztec and Mayan art. It shows the reality of the culture and its emphasis on hard work. It's also reflective of our modern time, especially with the topic of immigration and how many come here for work and a chance for a better life. They will often find themselves working in tough conditions to provide for themselves and their family.

Began painting while recovering from a bus accident at age 18; interested in native folk art and dress; introspective and about emotional and physical pain. Left: European Frida; pale, Victorian dress (father was Hungarian Jew); right is Mexican Frida, darker and in peasant costume (mother Indian and Creole). European Frida cuts the blood connection to the indigenous self

Fascist rise to power: Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Germany, Franco in Spain, Hirohito in Japan. Spanish Civil War: Hitler provided military support for the Nationalists under leadership of fascist dictator Franco; Nazi pilots used saturation bombing to attack the undefended Basque town of Guernica, killing thousands of civilians. Painted as a protest;  This large canvas embodies for many the inhumanity, brutality and hopelessness of war (compare to Goya 3^rd of May); crucifixion pose. Why black and white? Thought color would distract. Why lines of hatching? Newspaper look; immediacy of journalism; contemporary event. Bull=forces of brutality and darkness; horse=the people. Bird=dove of peace (annihilated) Picasso refused to let Gernica be displayed in Spain while Franco was still alive. Last major history painting; end of belief that a painting can be a catalyst for change (we are too bombarded by images daily)

"This painting of Pablo Picasso has a very strong and emotive purpose. The storyline is very powerful and he knew how to narrate it in a perfect way. What I admire the most about this painting is that Picasso portrayed in a marvelous way the drama and effusion of the moment where the people of Guernica were attacked by a bomb in the Spanish civil war. The colors are very cold and hopeless which portray a sense of despair, sadness and drama. The subjects in the painting are disfigured and portray a feeling of pain and destruction. The painting is a symbol of the terrible suffering that the war violates human beings. I believe that Picasso wanted to show how art has always been and will be a form of social expression, a way to "speak without words" and sensitize the viewer. We should look at art not in the simple forms or colors, but to look beyond and try to perceive what the author wants to tell us, "No, painting is not made to decorate rooms. An instrument of offensive and defensive war against the enemy; art does not die but is an eternal value, which survives after the chaos." Pablo Picasso"

-Natalie Ramirez

Grant from FSA (Farm Security Administration) under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Captures destitution, emotional distress of migrant workers. Immediate impact: government sent food to CA and opened relief camps for migrant workers; power of images

Influences of Cubism reaches US. Grain elevators. Hard-edged, geometric, Cubist; Precisionism (not only because of precise line, but also because of precision of machines and industry; unlike Cubism, not distorted. Title: Americas pyramids; mighty

Developed Stain painting: put canvas on the floor like Pollock, made quick charcoal sketches, poured thin oil paint on it, tilted it to allow paint to run (didn’t use brush) Paint bled into unprimed canvas; translucent like watercolor; not tactile like impasto; couldn’t see artist’s hand: post-painterly abstraction (evolved from abstract expressionism)