Source: https://www.sfmoma.org/press-release/sfmoma-commissions-local-artists-to-create-large-scale-wall-projects/v

Source:

https://www.sothebys.com/en/art-movements/impressionism#:~:text=What%20is%20Impressionism%3F,accurate%20depiction%20of%20natural%20light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfgrXm1t69c

It’s a very large painting, more than five and a half feet tall and more than 9 feet wide. Its colors are muted, but mostly due to aging. They would have been very bright at the time of painting. It has a lot of detail, using very small brushstrokes. 

I discovered it online, as it’s very popular, but I really connected with seeing it in person. I’ve always been a fan of Greek and Roman myth, and Aphrodite is one of my favorite figures. 

As an artist, one of my favorite styles is classical oil and tempera paintings. I’ve tried to emulate it before in some of my own drawings, as I’ve always looked up to the level of detail they include. 

Sources:

Rothko, Mark. “Mark Rothko, No. 14, 1960, 1960 · SFMOMA.” SFMOMA, https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/97.524/. Accessed 26 January 2025.

Wolfe, Shira. “Art Movement: Abstract Expressionism.” Artland Magazine, https://magazine.artland.com/abstract-expressionism/. Accessed 26 January 2025.

The series contains themes of spirituality, specifically the connection between the spirit and the human mind. Its main themes revolve around human evolution across four stages: childhood, youth, adulthood and old age. Botanical references, such as the floral patterns in the painting above, indicate the connection between humanity and the natural world. No. 7 is the artist's depiction of adulthood in full bloom, as seen in the yellow centerpiece representing a flower bulb. This is accompanied by meditative patterns of concentric circles, curves, and botanical forms.

It's important to engage in the act of trying to understand the works of artists such as Hilma. Despite its abstract nature, her background explains in detail the depth and purpose of her works. Despite Klint being a 20th century artist, her work depicts 21st century and contemporary visions. Her pursuit of creating art that transcends the tangible is heavily sought after until now.

In Frieze Magazine, Anya Ventura (2018) states "Why does af Klint speak to us in the present? Perhaps because she represents values – female, spiritual, ecological, collectivist – eroded by the rise of industrial modernity, values we desperately need to reclaim."

Title: The Swing (Les hasards heureux de l’escarpolette).

Period: XVII century, Rococo style

Purpose: incarnate the exquisite taste, pleasure, and frivolity of the French aristocracy before the revolution.

Meaning: it represents love, flirting, and sensuality in a playful way, highlighting the social dynamics of the time.

II:

Colors: predominates the pastel tones especially the pink color of the dress used by the main character, the green and blue creating an ethereal and dreamy atmosphere.

Forms: lines, curves, and variated forms, typical inside rococo that provide dynamism inside the scene.

Textures: the delicate of the dress, the floral details, and the grandiosity of the forest generate a contrast.

Sounds: you can imagine the crunch of the dry leaves, the sound of the wind hitting the trees, and maybe the delicate playful laughing coming from the girl.

III: Personal connection

It connects to me because of its romantic atmosphere and the way which is connects nature with human theatrical behavior. As a fine arts student, it inspires me how Fragonard can communicate an emotion through exuberant details and composition.

Personal reflection:

This work talks to me about the legerity of the happiest moments, but also the passing of time. It reflects my interest in exploring themes of pleasure and contradiction inside my art, where the delicate is connected with the deepness.

Sara Cadavid

What I find so captivating about this film is the color theory throughout it. Chazelle doesn't use the stereotypical meanings of colors, where blue represents sadness, and red represents anger or love. Instead, he does a phenomenal job of capturing emotion through each shot with colors to describe the state of the characters. For example, at the beginning of the film, Sebastian and Mia’s colors are red and yellow. As they slowly get to know each other, Mia then starts to wear red accents to represent Sebastian. We also see the sky turn dark purple, which is a mixture of the two colors to indicate the growing connection the two gain for each other. I think it is quite fascinating that the film was able to exemplify the progression of their feelings through the art of colors. 

Source:

Lionsgate Movies. (2016). La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Trailer – “Dreamers.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pdqf4P9MB8

Chazelle, D. (Director). (2016). La La Land [Film]. Summit Entertainment.

II; The shape of the art work is of Kobe himself in a bronze color portraying his historic 81 point game performance matching the colors he wore that in the sculpture. In my view of things, the art piece has good details of his arms like his shoulders, legs specifically in the calve and knee area ( you see the lines and details that perfectly match Kobes knees), and the structure of his head.

III; It connects. to me because of many reasons. To start, I grew up in the LA area and everyone knew and looked up to Kobe Bryant so this hits me home. Kobe represented the spirit of LA and whenever I think of Kobe on a extreme Level, I mainly remember that one Sunday I woke up on Sunday 5 years ago, finding out he passed away. The day was surreal and tragic to me and to the city of la because of how unexpected and how weird that morning was before he passed.

The piece of art to me symbolizes as I said, the spirit of Los Angeles ( home), commitment, discipline, and passion. Kobe to me symbolizes hard work and such a distinct laser eye focus that very few have throughout history.

The name of this piece is called "The Problem We All Live With" which was created by Norman Rockwell and the reason this  was an extremely influential piece of artwork is  because it shows a crucial moment in the civil rights movement which was the integration of  public schools. This was published in Looks magazine on January 14th, 1963 where it shows  6-year old Ruby Bridges  being escorted by the U.S. Marshals walking into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1960.

Norman Rockwell really wanted to make a bold  statement on racial equality and also the fight against segregation. Ruby walking to school  with the things we saw in the painting really reflects how strong and resilient she really is to stand against such adversity. The title itself ‘The Problem We All Live With’ implies that racism isn't just a specific area but its a shared responsibility that requires collective action to address.  

There's a lot emotion and symbolisation that is shown within this painting such as Ruby wearing a clean all white dress with her hair tied back wich shows her innocence and hope but at the same time it shows a the environment she in which appears to be super hostile  with the red tomato thrown at the wall and also the washed off grey graffiti with the racial slur. Even the color usage of environment painting itself where Norman used dull colors throughout the painting to then sharply grab our attention by making Ruby’s Dress a bright white

I really became connected with this topic due to the fact that despite the overwhelming hate, death threats, and pushback that Ruby was getting she faced adversity and decided to stand up not only for herself but for  everyone that believed in her all by herself. What this really expresses to me personally is never give up on what I believe and to be strong in my beliefs. 

The Winged Victory of Samothrace is a hellenistic statue representing Nike, greek goddess of victory. It was discovered in the 1800s by Charles Champoiseau in a ruined temple, and while the head and arms were never recovered, it has been restored about four times with new pieces. It is carved from marble, and is a rare example of pre-baroque and romances statues that were created in relation to the space around them, as she is depicted to be landing on the top of the boat, her wings strained and body moving slightly forward. The ship she's landing on is theorized to be a type of warship, which offers the symbolism of leading the people to victory. The statue is currently kept in the Louvre, but Greece has demanded it be returned as part of repatriated art that was plundered during colonization periods. 

I became connected to this piece of art because it called out to me when I was researching different pieces of art. Taking a deeper look, I was fascinated by how you could see each brush stroke carefully laid upon one another for a bigger picture. To me, this artwork expresses the danger the ocean has to offer, while also being a place of solitude and a home for so many creatures that are essential to our every day life.