Diego Rivera’s The Flower Vendor

Diego Rivera’s Flower Vendor

Diego Rivera was a prominent Mexican painter. He was born on December 8, 1886 in Guanajuato, Mexico. Rivera was known for being an active member of the communist party and as Frieda Kahlo’s husband.

Professionally speaking, Rivera was a master muralist and composed many great works of art commissioned by excellent members of society, such as the Rockefellers and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

In Mexico during the year 1935 Rivera created a masterpiece, Cargador del Flores, translated to The Flower Vendor. This painting, like much of Rivera’s work appears beautiful and simplistic, but exudes mass amounts of symbolic meaning. This vibrantly colorful painting displays a peasant man struggling to carry the dramatically oversized basket of flowers that is strapped to his back. A woman is shown standing behind him in an attempt to relieve some of his struggle by helping to support some of the weight as he tries to rise to his feet. While the beauty of the flowers is easily visible by the viewer the man does not focus on this factor, but strains to protect their value as he readies him self to carry these flowers to sell and exchange at the market. The geometric shapes give each figure and item a bold and intense contrast, offering an individual aspect to each character and thing factored into Rivera’s The Flower Vendor.

I chose this piece because I immediately found it to be aesthetically pleasing and having done my previous blog on Rivera’s wife, Frieda Kahlo I had a minimal knowledge on Diego Rivera as an artist. I really appreciate the bold and colorful work of Rivera and artistically speaking I am very fond of him. I do have some personal discrepancies regarding the life he led, however, but that’s not what this blog was about!

 

Works Cited:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Rivera

http://www.diego-rivera.com/flowervendor.jsp

Frida Kahlo’s Roots

I chose the visual art Roots by Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyacan, Mexico. She is best known for her self-portrait paintings. Out of her 143 paintings, 55 are self-portraits. Kahlo’s paintings were inspired by her personal experiences and many were characterized by suggestions of pain. She once said, “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”

Kahlo was in a horrible accident during her teenage years and suffered immense injuries as a result. The accident broke her spinal column; collarbone, many of her ribs, her pelvis, and caused several fractures in her right leg. It also crushed and dislocated her right foot, and dislocated her shoulder. Also, an iron handrail pierced her abdomen and her uterus during the accident. This severely damaged her reproductive ability. As a result of her injuries she endured as many as thirty-five surgeries, mainly on her back, right leg, and right foot. Kahlo suffered a great deal of pain throughout her life as a result of the accident. She spent three months recovering in a full body cast and although she did eventually recover and regain her ability to walk she suffered from painful relapses for the remainder of her life. In addition to the accident, Kahlo was also a polio survivor and had originally planned on attending medical school, but after her accident neglected the study of medicine and turned to art.

Kahlo’s Painting Roots was created in 1943 in her home country, Mexico. This piece is considered one of her most beautiful and identifying self-portraits. It is meant to symbolize her reunion with estranged husband, Diego Rivera, after an undesirable phase of pain and suffering. The painting also displayed Kahlo’s desire to have children, in addition to her inability to procreate. The detailed and lifeless stems surrounding Frida in her painting portray her infertility, her severely injured body, her lost love ones, and other undesirable circumstances in her life. Roots broke a world record at Sotheby’s auction. This piece sold for $5,616,000, which is the highest price a Latin Mexican artist ever commanded.

I found this piece to be beautiful and strong. I immediately found it to be aesthetically pleasing and had already known tidbits of information regarding Frida Kahlo. That is why I chose this piece. I thought it had an honest message and appreciate Kahlo as an artist and woman.

Resources:

ezinearticles.com/?Her-Most-Famous-Painting-(The-Roots)—Frida-Kahlo&id=2329193

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo

Street Art

Edgar Mueller is a famous street painter. He was born in Germany on July 10, 1968. He grew up in Straelen, Germany, which is a relatively rural town. His fascination with painting and art began early on in his childhood. He was intrigued by rural paintings of his hometown, Straelen and began to paint. Mueller attended high school in Geldern, Germany. It was there that the international competition of street painters took place. Inspired by the transitory works of art Mueller chose to enter the competition. He participated for the first time at the age of 16 and at age 19 won the competition! His winning piece was a copy of the famous, Jesus at Emmaus, 1987, Geldren, Germany.  The Italian Baroque master Caravaggio did the original painting in 1601. I find all of Mueller’s work to be intriguing and aesthetically pleasing. I appreciate the religious relevance of this piece in particular. It is related to post-modern art in that it is transitory, therefore environmentally friendly and is also considered street art.

Mueller went on to participate in many more international street art competitions. He even earned the name “Maestro Madonnari”, aka master street painter. This title is given at the world’s largest street painting festival, the Grazie Festival, held in Grazie, Italy. At the age of twenty-five Mueller chose to devote himself entirely to street art. He traveled all over Europe making a living by creating his famous transitory works of art. He also gives workshops on street art, has co-organized various street art festivals, he set up the first German internet forum for street painters, and opened a studio in the street. His work is covered by many media outlets, including print and digital media.

This painting, Use Your Eyes by Edgar Mueller was painted in August of 2008 inn Geldem, Germany during a competition of street artistry. This painting ties into the post-modern visual arts because it is classified as street art, but can also be considered environmental art, considering that it is a transitory piece. I really like the illusion the 3 dimensional image is able to produce.

This piece, called Crevasse, also by Mueller was painted in Du Laoghaire, Ireland during the “Festival of Culture” which took place from August 21-24, 2008. Again, this piece is related to the post-modern era in that it is transitory and is a form of street art. I just am in awe of the ability this image has to manipulate the eyes and brain and create a 3 dimensional image on a side walk.

Another street painter or chalk artist is Englishman, Julian Beever, fondly titled “Pavement Picasso”. He has made pavement drawings for over twenty years now and is internationally known. He is not limited to chalk art, however, he also paints murals, creates collages, and recreates the works of master oil painters. Beever was born in the United Kingdom in 1959. He learned the tricks of the trade while studying fine arts at the University of Leed, located in the United Kingdom. His early works were composed mainly of portraits of well-known people. His later and more popular 3 dimensional or “anamorphic” works were inspired by his curiosity. Beever is commonly commissioned to create transitory advertisements for many consumer companies, such as Aveeno.

This piece by Julian Beever was commissioned by Aveeno and was used to celebrate the company’s new anti-aging skin care line. It is called Fountain of Youth, 2007, New York. I really like Beever’s style. This is one of my favorites. His work, just like Mueller’s is totally transitory and is considered to be street art.

This piece called, Politicians Meeting Their End by Beever was created in 1997 in England and was commissioned by Britain’s Channel Four News. This piece wasn’t a favorite of mine, but I still appreciate the illusion it possesses. It is another transitory image that is classified as street art.

This piece by Beever simply called, Spiderman was composed on a London street. I was unable to find out when it was created, but know it was done after 1975. This is my all time favorite. I love the comical aspect and appreciate how the 3 dimensional image can look so real (if you’re at the right angle). This piece is transitory and considered to be street art.

Both artists and their works are related to the visual arts of the post-modern era because they are considered “street art” and could also be classified as “environmental art” because the works are completely transitory. I find the work of both artists to be aesthetically pleasing and appreciate the time and effort it takes to think up and create these 3 dimensional images. It takes a hugely talented person to develop the technique to create this images capable of producing realistic illusions, depending on the angle! I really thought this form of art was neat.

Works Cited:

http://www.metanamorph.com/about

http://www.zimbio.com/Edgar+Mueller/articles/2/Edgar+Mueller+Amazing+3D+Sidewalk+Paintings

http://www.flickr.com/people/pavementpicasso/

Vertis Hayes’ Pursuit of Happiness

        These panels are shown from left to right, but the eighth         panel is not included.

 

 

Vertis Hayes was an African American artist. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to New York City in the early 1930s to escape from the prejudice in the south and to study art. In 1937 Hayes was commissioned through the WPA to create a series of murals for the Harlem Hospital Center in New York. This mural consisting of eight panels was called Pursuit of Happiness, 1937, New York.

I chose this piece because I find it to be aesthetically pleasing, as well as interesting. I like this style of work and appreciate how the African and African American culture is so vividly expressed through these images. The panels are in chronological order and depict the transitions of the African American people. The panels transport the viewer from Africa to America, from a village in Africa to and African city. The mural also depicts the migration of African Americans from their agrarian lives in the South to the industrialized North. This experience was of personal significance to Vertis Hayes because he migrated from Atlanta to New York.

This piece relates to both the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Depression. It was created by an African American artist and portrays the story of the African people’s progression. This piece is filled with the African culture. It relates to the Great Depression because it was commissioned through the Works Progress Administration which was a social program produced by the federal government to help employ the American people struggling through the Great Depression.

Works Cited:

http://vickeyk.hubpages.com/hub/Art_and_WPA_A_Vanishing_Heritage

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/iraas/wpa/artists/vhayes.html

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/iraas/wpa/murals/pursuit.html

Pro Impressionism

 

 

 

 

 

 

In general, I do find Impressionistic style to be aesthetically pleasing. I appreciate that Impressionism is focused on largely pleasant moments, rather than traditional subject matter, i.e. history, religion, and classical antiquities. The purpose of Impressionism is to depict a fleeting moment in time or to present an impression, hence the name, Impressionism. I find this goal to be both grand and beautiful.  My favorite piece of work that possesses an Impressionistic style is, Impression Sunrise created in 1873, by Claude Monet. This piece truly embodies this style of art. After all, this was the work that coined the name Impressionism. I prefer the objective of the Impressionistic style to all other works because I think it is a beautiful thing to conjure. It is remarkable that these painters set out to create an actual point in time and depict the moment’s reality. I find Impressionism to be a more in depth art form than say, still work. Take for example, Still Life With Hen Onion and Pot created in the 1750s by Giacomo Ceruti. Although, this piece contains a great amount of detail it lacks significance. Granted, still work was composed to possess symbolic features, the subject matter is basic and ordinary. I do not find it to be as interesting as the Impressionistic style because it lacks a certain depth. For that reason, I find Impressionism to be a fascinating art form and appreciate that it attempts to present the viewer with an impression.

Angelica Kauffman’s Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures

Angelica Kauffman was a Swiss born Neoclassical painter. She is known for her historical paintings, as well as for helping to develop the British Royal Academy, alongside Sir Joshua Reynolds.  One of her most popular pieces is Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures, circa 1785.

I was immediately drawn to this work because of the title. As a mother, myself, I found the concept to be relatable. My daughter is my most beloved treasure. She is incomparable to all material things. After seeing the image I found it to be aesthetically pleasing, as well. I appreciate the gracefulness of the painter’s style, as well as the painting’s symbolic meaning.

The woman in red is showing Cornelia (the woman in white) all of the material possessions that she has accumulated from her husband’s worldly travels. After the woman in red finishes boasting about her worldly possessions she questions Cornelia on what treasures she might hold. Cornelia responds by beckoning her three children and exclaiming that they are her most beloved treasures. Her response draws attention to the woman in red’s foolish ideals of vanity and materialism.

The colors within this piece are used symbolically. Cornelia is shown in white, symbolizing purity. The red dress depicts a feeling of passion. The little girl is adorned in pink, a color in between red and white. She is still innocent and pure, but her age causes her infatuation with shiny things. She is still too young to develop a wisdom that has value beyond material possessions.

Cornelia and her children were historical Roman figures. She was a widow who lived to train and educate her children and was thought of very highly, as a wise and noble matron. Therefore, she had many suitors, but refused to marry because she enjoyed the freedom of watching over her children. She trained her children to be moral and righteous, and to develop a great love for their country. She became known as, “The mother of the Gracchi” because her boys grew to be honored by their country, in which they sought to serve. Her daughter, not to be forgotten, married a man of great stature, the younger Scipio of Scipio Africanus.

This painting is of historical value. Which compliments the ideals of the Neoclassical style. The Neoclassical style developed as a result of the rise of the middle class. The behavior and taste of the royal classes, as well as the Rococo style of art appalled the middle class. The Rococo style embodied the moral decline of French leadership. Neoclassical art was a trend that expressed an anti Rococo style. By the mid 1700s art critics were publically stating the lack of art history paintings. Therefore, historical/Neoclassical paintings held a broader popular appeal.

Work Cited:

http://uncgartgrads.blogspot.com/2008/04/cornelia-mother-of-gracchi-pointing-to.html

http://uncgartgrads.blogspot.com/2008/04/cornelia-mother-of-gracchi-pointing-to.html

 

Jan Vermeer’s Woman Weighing Pearls

 

 

Woman Weighing Pearls (1662 – 1665) by Jan Vermeer is also commonly referred to as, Woman Holding a Balance. This oil painting was produced in Delft, Holland; the small town from which Vermeer originated.

 

Woman Weighing Pearls is quite possibly Vermeer’s most successful composition. In no other piece does his composition so effectively compliment the emotional setting and theme of his work. The light against dark, mass against void, the interaction of verticals and horizontals against diagonals, and the extensive yet discreet geometry, create a balanced yet subtly dynamic work.

 

Vermeer’s Woman Weighing Pearls bears a strong resemblance to Pieter de Hooch’s Woman Weighing Gold, but since neither piece is dated it remains uncertain as to who inspired whom.

 

At first glance, the woman posing in Woman Weighing Pearls appears to be with child, but it was very uncommon during this era to portray a pregnant woman in art. Even in the religious works where representations of pregnant women were required draperies concealed their bodies and pregnancies. One explanation is that the bulky silhouette was an encouraged characteristic of Dutch fashion in the mid-17^th century.

 

Woman Weighing Pearls has multiple interpretations proposed by numerous critics. Some of the interpreters believe that the woman portrayed was with child, while others foster the thought that it was simply the style of the time.

 

One scholar argues that the woman was portrayed as the image of a pregnant Virgin Mary and that her action of contemplating the balanced scales was an anticipation of Christ’s life, sacrifice, and eventual foundation of the Catholic Church.

 

A similar pictorial idea revolves around the thought that the woman is a secularized image of the Virgin Mary, who, standing before the Last Judgment, adopts the part of compassionate mother and intercessor.

 

One scholar, Arthur Wheelock notes the mood of sincere serenity within Woman Weighing Pearls and concludes that, “”the essential message is that one should conduct one’s life with temperance and balanced judgment. Indeed this message, with or without its explicit religious context, appears in paintings from all phases of Vermeer’s career and must, therefore, represent one of his fundamental beliefs. The balance, an emblem of Justice, and eventually of the final judgment; denotes the woman’s responsibility to weigh and balance her own action.”

 

Another scholar theorizes that the picture within Woman Weighing Pearls, The Last Judgment, was to be viewed a warning. Meaning, the woman should not focus her attention by weighing earthly goods and should concentrate on eternal values.

 

Woman Weighing Pearls was influenced by the rise of the merchant class during the Golden Age of Dutch Art.  The traditional patrons of the arts, the church and monarchy were substituted in the Netherlands by the growing middle class. At this time, new categories of paintings quickly evolved. Genre paintings, landscapes, seascapes, and still-life works, were in high-demand as they surpassed the traditional historical paintings that had been produced for the higher classes. Woman Weighing Pearls is a genre scene. The woman is participating in an act of everyday life. The genre scene allows for the personal drama of the subject matter to unfold to the viewer.

 

I found this piece to be aesthetically appealing because of the realism. I appreciated the light shining through the window and delicately illuminating the woman’s face. I was also drawn to the peaceful presence the image proposes. It is simply a beautiful piece that possesses a hidden story open for interpretation.

 

 

 

Works Cited:

 

https://classes.uaf.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_97252_1%26url%3D

 

 

 

http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/woman_holding_a_balance.html

 

 

 

Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights

The Garden of Earthly Delights is Bosch’s most ambitious and well-known piece. It depicts Bosch’s prime artistic state; no other paintings of his achieve such vivid imagery or such complexity of meaning. The dating of The Garden of Earthly Delights is uncertain, but is thought to have been created between 1503 and 1504, if not later. The Garden of Earthly Delights was first documented in Brussels, a year after Bosch’s death.

The Garden of Earthly Delights was created as a triptych, a work of art divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are connected and can be folded. The three panels are designed to reveal a sequence of events from left to right, in chronological order.

The first panel, located on the far left, is dedicated to Paradise, it portrays the Garden of Eden, from the Bible. It is the moment when God presents Eve to Adam.

The central panel presents an “expansive” garden landscape. It is a representation of the garden of life’s delights and pleasures. These pleasures are strongly represented by erotic representations of lust and arousal. The central panel is purposely placed between the panels of heaven and hell. Its setting does not equal the paradise depicted within the first panel, but it is also not based in a terrestrial realm. There are many symbolic characteristics of happiness, pleasure, and enjoyment within the middle region. A specific joyful example is portrayed through the couple enclosed in the glass ball. This could possibly allude to the Flemish saying, “happiness is like a glass, it soon breaks.”

The final panel, located on the far right is where the true message is brought to light. Hell is depicted. The idea is that the punishment for sinners is that their original vice will be their ending torture. The last panel’s scene is opposite to that of the first panel.

It seems to me that many aspects of The Garden of Earthly Delights are influenced by the Humanistic philosophy. As Eyecon Art states, “…the birth of a whole new way of thinking, one which centered on the world of mankind as much as a concern for the hereafter (which was the sole concern of medieval man). This new way of thinking is called humanism…” The Garden of Earthly Delights focuses on mankind and how the actions of mankind will affect their hereafter. Humanism believes that it is man’s privilege to choose his/her nature. This is also visibly depicted in The Garden of Earthly Delights.

I was first attracted to this piece while I was working on the written assignment for the Northern Renaissance. I find it beautiful and complex. I am in awe of the intricate detailing and appreciate that this piece has a story, in which it is intended to tell.

Works Cited:

http://robinurton.com/history/Renaissance/early_ren.htm

Hello world!

Hello World! My name is Lisa Marie and I am new at blogging, but excited to begin! I am working towards my bachelor’s degree through UAF, but am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I “grow up”. I have a BEAUTIFUL one-year-old daughter named, Rosie. She is the light of my life. My everything. I honestly don’t know what I ever did without her. In the few moments I have away from Rosie (usually while she sleeps) I enjoy baking, reading, scrapbooking, and cake decorating. Rosie and I both have A LOT of energy and spend the majority of our time outside: hiking, fishing, boating, and everything in between, that a one-year-old is capable of. I look forward to this new outlet, reading other’s blogs, as well as gaining a greater appreciation of the arts via ART 200.

-Lisa 🙂

Rosie and I spent an awesome August day in Tok, AK hiking, picking berries, and pike fishing!