Lin Liang’s painting Two Hawks in a Thicket demonstrates the veneration towards hawks during the Ming Dynasty. This work is unique in that the hawks are displayed in detail. Liang typically displayed the hawk as a lone silhouette against a dark sky, overlooking the world with a statuesque mystique. In the painting Two Hawks in a Thicket the hawks are — in contrast to Liang’s normal portrayal of the hawk — close, seemingly tangible. Instead of being distant phantoms, the hawks are given features and personalities — one maintaining the majestic dignity seen in Liang’s other hawk paintings, the other resting. Though the hawks appear to be unusually close, Liang keeps them at arms length by placing them in a thicket, creating the illusion of palpability. Though not perched high above the mortal world in the haunting phantom-esque style Liang is so famous for, the two in Two Hawks in a Thicket maintain the majesty, honor, and power hawks embodied.
Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato, Mexico on December 8, 1886. From an early age Rivera was very interested in painting and followed his passion. He started by taking night classes then, in 1898 became a full-time student at San Carlos Academy. In 1907,
Diego Rivera The Arsenal (1928)
Rivera received a traveling grant and traveled to Spain. During his travels, Rivera visited England, France, and Belgium. As a result of the outbreak of the first World War, “Diego Rivera participated in the founding of the Revolutionary Union of Technical Workers, Painters and Sculptors in the autumn of 1922, and later that year he joined the Mexican Communist Party” (Diego Rivera article on BlackBoard). His interest in communism is present in many of his murals. For example in The Arsenal, 1928. We see Diego’s third wife, Frida Kahlo handing out weapons to Communist revolutionaries ready to fight.
Looking at this painting we can immediately make connections to the similar Soviet style of propaganda. We see unity and cohesion, a group of men willing to fight for a cause. In the background we see machinery, a symbol of the labor unions, as well as the Soviet hammer and sickle. These images conjure up a variety of emotion, probably more so to the communists of the time, involving the desire to fight for a just cause and to work together for a common goal. These are characteristics of the communist style of propaganda, that doesn’t mean I necessarily agree with them. Unfortunately as Americans we have developed a subconscious distaste for anything communist, including Soviet Russia, as a result of the McCarthy scandal in the 1950s. As a result of this culture imposed bias, it is difficult for me to see past the Communist symbols and truly appreciate the painting.
Just as a tangent, I thought it would be interesting to compare the Communist
Is This Tomorrow 1947
propaganda, Rivera’s The Arsenal, to American anti-Communist propaganda. Maybe just a tad histrionic, this poster demonstrates the fear Americans had of Communism. Where in Rivera’s painting we see proud revolutionaries willing to march into battle together to fight for a noble cause, we see barbarism, ruthlessness and remorseless killing of innocent people and the fall of the American way of life. It is interesting to compare the role of the woman in the two paintings. Is Rivera’s The Arsenal, the woman is handing out weapons to fight, in Is This Tomorrow the woman is the main focus of hostility. I would expand further, but it would take this analysis in an entirely different direction.
Whether we care to admit it or not, we as a country still suffer from McCarthyism. We hold on to that fear and hatred. So, culturally we are biased, consciously or unconsciously. We are afraid of the future portrayed in the propaganda poster, not sympathetic the the revolutionaries in Rivera’s painting. To put it in perspective, as Senator McCarthy so elequently stated in his “Enemies from Within” speech, America was “engaged in a final, all-out battle between communistic atheism and Christianity” http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6456/. Not only was communism opposition to the United States, it was opposition to all Christianity. We have to acknowledge our “personal baggage,” our background, nationality, political views etc. that shape our biases, when looking at anything historical. In this case, I am not moved by Rivera’s piece, but that’s not to say someone else isn’t.
Jen Stark was born in Miami and uses very simple tools to create extravagant sculptures. “She frequently challenges the constrictions of paper by creating three-dimensional sculptures” which are exhibited throughout the U.S. She Currently lives and works in Miami, Florida.
Bridget Riley was born in Norwood, South London in 1931. She was one of the founding artists of the Op Art movement which was ” a form of geometric abstraction, which was in a way impersonal and not obviously related to the real world.” Bridget Riley would influence artists such as Jen Stark.
My theme for this presentation was Op Art. The reason being, I saw Jen Stark’s paper sculptures and was captivated by their simplicity and complexity. Bridget Riley is another prominant Op Artist that helped start the movement. I think it is interesting to see where Op Art began and what it has become, its evolution in a sense.
Art of the early-modern era separated itself from the traditional, tame, styles like Romanticism, Realism, and Classicalism by stepping outside of conventional thought. Early Modern art, more especially Expressionism, began to focus on the innermost recesses of the human psyche, bringing forth emotions that had never been encountered so directly in art. Of the Expressionist artists, Franz Marc stands out as one of the leading influences in Expressionism. Known primarily for his animal-themed style, Marc used form, shapes, and colors to express emotions that no words could effectively convey. His story is a very unique one. Marc was born in Munich on February 8th, 1880. He decided to become an artist “after a year of military service interrupted his plans to study philology” (Biography). Suffering from severe bouts of depression from 1904-1907, it wasn’t until his return to Paris that he was happy once again. His art expresses the uneasiness of the time just before the outbreak of World War I. However, his involvement in World War I extends beyond art.
Franz Marc Fighting Forms (1914)
Painted at the start of the Great War, Fighting Forms (1914) is clearly the product of a country at war. We see in Marc’s painting two opposing forces that are very obvious. This mentality was very common during World War I because of propaganda. Propaganda drove a wedge between good and evil, right and wrong. Fighting Forms perfectly expresses this belief. Marc explains that “Objects speak: objects possess will and form, why should we wish to interrupt them! We have nothing sensible to say to them. Haven’t we learned in the last thousand years that the more we confront objects with the reflection of their appearance, the more silent they become”(“Fighting Forms”)? This explains the raw emotion behind his paintings, more especially Fighting Forms, and in 1914 Germany, the emotions of the people would have revolved around what this painting expresses: fear, hate, and contention. Franz Marc was able to use form and color to achieve what few could. There is no better example of this expression than Fighting Forms.
Franz Marc actually participated directly in World War I. Marc enlisted as soon as the war started in 1914. However, in an effort to keep protect the future of German art, many prominent artists of the time were taken out of action. Before the order reached Marc, he was killed near Verdun, France on March 4th, 1916. His was a great loss to the art world. While admiring his work today, we can still make out traces of life in the early 20th century. We can feel the terror of the approaching global conflict. His voice was a universal one, transcending ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic barriers. It is appropriate to end with what art meant to Franz Marc in his own words. “Art is nothing but the expression of our dream; the more we surrender to it the closer we get to the inner truth of things, our dream-life, the true life that scorns questions and does not see them” (“Fighting Forms”).
Impressionism is a style of art developed in the mid 19th century that focused primarily on a fleeting moment. Impressionist artist tried to create the feeling of movement by using loose brush strokes, sketchy lines, and blotches of color that blend together to create the feeling of an impression. This style of art began when “a group of artists called the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, etc. organized an exhibition in Paris that launched the movement called Impressionism” (Samu). Among the founders of this movement was French artist, Claude Monet, one of my favorite painters.
Monet’s art can be used to define Impressionism. His art displays all the characteristics that we associate with the style.
Claude Monet "Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878 (1878)"
As we see in Monet’s Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878 (1878), Impressionism uses blotchy colors and loose brush strokes to create movement. In this painting it feels like we are looking at the festival. The impression of what we are seeing is what defines the style. At first, the viewer needs to take a second to realize what they are looking at. With all the color and action it is difficult to separate individual people or flags. When we see something out of the corner of our eye, this is what we remember. It isn’t meant to be calm and collected. We are supposed to be overwhelmed. When comparing Impressionism with Realism it is very easy to differentiate between the two.
real images to portray the life of common people, instead of pastimes of the upper and middle classes which is the focus of Impressionism. Rosa Bonheur’s painting The Horse Fair (1853-55) is an example of the focus of the style. Instead of a romanticized image of these horses, we see almost exactly what we would see if we were standing there watching it in person. This is part of the reason for making the painting real to the point that they look like photographs. The artist doesn’t want to make anything more than what it really is. Realism is meant to portray life without romanticizing it. It is meant to show the ways people make a living. The focus of Realism revolves around livestock, farm workers, middle class, and other ordinary activities.
When comparing the two it is easy to see the difference between the exciting movement of Impressionism and the ordinary, intentionally dull, Realism. Personally, I prefer Impressionism because it is exciting. I appreciate Realism and its purpose, but I would much rather see a painting of a glimpse of a festival than one of farmers plowing a field or a person gathering horses.
Sources:
Finocchio, Ross. “Nineteenth-Century French Realism.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.metmuseum.org/>.
Samu, Margret. “Impressionism: Art and Modernity.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.metmuseum.org/>.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. From an incredibly young age, Wolfgang, “or more affectionately, Wolfgangerl” was a prodigy (Boerner). Wolfgang’s musical ability is said to have been derived from his father’s love for music. His father, Leopold “was not only a gifted violinist, keyboard and organ player, he was also quite famous as a music pedagogue in Austria and Europe” (Staels). Wolfgang became proficient in his first musical composition, a scherzo by Georg Christoph Wagenseil, in half an hour. Leopold wrote in his notebook under the piece, “This piece was learnt by Wolfgangerl on 24 January 1761, 3 days before his 5th birthday, between 9 and 9:30 in the evening” (Boerner). From this remarkable beginning, Wolfgang would become Mozart.
Of his many musical compositions, Requiem (1791) became one of his most famous.
Mozart composing Requiem on his death bed.
Requiem was a composition for the church describing the end of days. Most notably containing “Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)” and “Lacrimosa (Mournful),” Requiem had a much deeper and significant meaning, not to the church or the people, but to Mozart. Requiem was the last piece of music Mozart composed. In fact, he composed the majority of it on his death bed. The work itself was commissioned by an unnamed source in Prague. It is said that Mozart received an unmarked letter asking if he would be willing to compose Requiem and asking the cost and time necessary. After discussing the issue with his wife and traveling to Prague, Mozart began composing Requiem. It is said to be his defining piece, one that would make his name immortal.
Mozart conducting rehearsals for Requiem from his bed.
Benedikt Schack, “the singer who created the role of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte” and friend of Mozart stated that rehearsals were conducted by Mozart while on his death bed. Benedikt Schack recounted that “on the very eve of his death, [Mozart] had the score of the Requiem brought to his bed, and himself (it was two o’clock in the afternoon) sang the alto part; Schack, the family friend, sang the soprano line, as he had always previously done, Hofer, Mozart’s brother-in-law, took the tenor, Gerle, later a bass singer at the Mannheim Theater, the bass. They were at the first bars of the Lacrimosa when Mozart began to weep bitterly, laid the score on one side, and eleven hours later, at one o’clock in the morning (of 5 December 1791, as is well known), departed this life” (Boerner “K. 626”).
Though the portrayal of Mozart’s composition of Requiem in Amadeus is theatrical, it does give an idea of Mozart’s brilliance. Scholars believe that the motivation behind writing the piece was more as a repentance, instead of monetary gain as shown in this excerpt. It does, however, give us an idea of how Mozart composed his music. Also, Salieri was not present and he did not transcribe for Mozart. The two were bitter rivals and had a seemingly odious relationship. From accounts of the time, the only people who spent time with Mozart during his final days were his wife, Constanze, whom he spent the majority of his time with, and his close friend who rehearsed with him.
After hearing the story behind the composition of Requiem it is difficult to listen to it without hearing the sadness of his death. Mozart knew he was dying and put that emotion into the opera. “Lacrimosa” is one of the most powerful parts of the opera. Literally meaning “mournful,” it is understandable why Mozart himself would become emotional when singing his part. The song describes the judgement of men in very simple terms. In fact, this is one of the defining points that made opera more accessible to the middle class. Using simple phrases and short sentences allowed for the less sophisticated audience to comprehend the message in the piece.
This video shows the lyrics and translation into English. From the video we can see the simplicity in the words without sacrificing the meaning behind them. It is important to remember that during the Mozart’s time, Latin would have been spoken regularly in the Catholic Church since it is the official language of Catholicism, so a Catholic audience would have recognized words such as “Jesu” (Jesus) and phrases like “huic ergo parce Deus” (Lord, have mercy on him). Making the phrases so short and using common words would have made this opera extremely accessible to common people of the time, instead of the elite. Requiem was first performed in St. Michael’s Church in Vienna on December 10 to an appreciative crowd, raising money for Mozart’s wife, Constanze Mozart, and his children.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the greatest musicians to every live. His genius was able to be passed down because of the accessibility of his music and the power it carried with it. The connection between musician and the common person made their work widely heard and thus, heard through the ages.
One of the most captivating paintings I have seen of the Baroque era is Landscape with Saint John on Patmos (1640) by Nicolas Poussin. A painter born in France but spending the majority of his life in Rome, Poussin’s “art has become synonymous with the ideals of Baroque classicism” (Nicolas Poussin). By combining a vast array of artistic characteristics typical of the Baroque era and reaching back to the Renaissance for inspiration, Landscape with Saint John on Patmos is the face of the Baroque era.
Landscape with Saint John on Patmos (1640) by Nicolas Poussin
Landscape with Saint John on Patmos is a painting depicting Saint John the Evangelist banished to the Greek island of Patmos by the Roman Emperor Domitian for his Christian beliefs. In the painting, Saint John is “record[ing] his visions of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation” (Nicolas Poussin). Poussin emphasized his admiration of Greco-Roman culture in his art by adding classical symbols, transgressing the Renaissance and shifting into the Baroque era. The fallen ruins in the foreground represent the fall of pagan beliefs, characteristic of Greco-Roman culture, the triumph of christianity. An eagle, a traditional symbol for Saint John, coincidentally the symbol of the Roman Empire, stands behind Saint John in the foreground. In the background is an Egyptian obelisk and a temple (thought to be from Poussin’s imagination) with Corinthian columns, both symbols of progress and human accomplishment.
However Renaissance-esque this painting may seem, Poussin brilliantly combines Renaissance style with that of the Baroque era. Poussin is using patterns and shapes to draw our eyes from one point to the next in the order he wants us to see them. We see the foreground, mid-ground, and background sequentially because Poussin uses techniques developed Baroque era.
By using zig-zags (seen in the path, cliff, shoreline, etc.) our eye naturally follows it. In essence, we start by seeing Saint John, the ruins, and eagle in the foreground. This demonstrates the triumph of Christianity over paganism, reemphasizing Christianity’s (more especially the Catholic Church’s) dominance which was the goal of the Council of Trent. Three simple things are in the forefront. Then, by using zig-zags, our eye literally follows the path the mid-ground where we see the obelisk and the temple with Corinthian pillars, representing antiquity and it’s importance in the rediscovery of ancient wisdom. Third, we are drawn to the mountain with a town to the left which illustrates the relationship between man and nature, a relationship emphasized throughout the Renaissance and Baroque era.
Little did we know when looking at the painting that Nicolas Poussin is interpreting the painting for us! He is telling us that the most important thing is Christianity and the triumph over pagan ideals. Second, Poussin reminds us of our past and everything that it brought to the forefront of human thought and philosophy during the Renaissance, and later the Baroque era, Poussin is owing our success to the Greco-Roman philosophies and the rediscovery of antiquity. Third (but certainly not least important) Poussin leaves us with the emphasis of the human-nature relationship.
By combining ideals of the Renaissance and using techniques from the Baroque era, Nicolas Poussin’s Landscape with Saint John on Patmos is the essence of Baroque thought and art.
Throughout the course of the Renaissance we see a gradual shift from medieval scholasticism to humanism due to the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman philosophies. This new style of thought which characterized the Italian Renaissance migrated northward by means of art. Albrecht Durer can be counted among the agents of this philosophical and moral expansion.
Albrecht Durer can be considered one of the most influential artists of the Northern Renaissance and, according to Jane Campbell Hutchison, was “unique among his contemporaries in his ability to translate the basic principles of the Italian Renaissance into the northern European style to which he was born.” It was from this adaptation that the Northern Renaissance emerged.
In the years 1513 and 1514, Albrecht Durer created a series of three paintings called Meisterstiche, or Master Engravings, consisting of Knight, Death, and the Devil, Melancholia I, and Saint Jerome in his Study. The three paintings in the series are regarded as his most famous and to this day are still being analyzed. They are the hallmarks that transcend Renaissance thought while including ideals of the time. The three engravings are said to “correspond… to the three kinds of virtue in medieval scholasticism—theological, intellectual, and moral” while at the same time showing the development of humanism and Renaissance thought.
Knight, Death, and the Devil was done in 1513 and is one of the Meisterstiche and thought to display moral views of the time. The knight, typical of Christian knights of the time, marches triumphantly onward despite the presence of death and the devil. The portrait of an equestrian knight was taken from Italian portrayals of nobility and the hero. This is just one instance of Durer taking the philosophical ideals of the Italian Renaissance and conveying them in Germany, where this print was done (Metropolitan Museum).
The engraving also displays the value of the individual. Humanist thought suggested that each person solely determines his or her fait. This engraving displays the knight choosing not to succumb to the temptations or fears of the mortal world. This engraving is revolutionary because the knight isn’t being guided by a divine figure, he isn’t looking to the celestial for aid, he is determining his own destiny. Humanism brought on the idea that people are capable of thinking for themselves, capable of determining their own fate, and that instead of spirituality being a ruthless dictator of thoughts it is a comforting guide, one that lays out morality but leaves it to the individual to determine his or her place.
Albrecht Durer is one of the most brilliant artists of the Northern Renaissance and was a key player in enlightening Northern Europe by incorporating Renaissance ideals and northern styles to create a hybrid of sorts. In no way is this hybrid better or worse than the Italian Renaissance, just different. Durer was one of the first supporters of Martin Luther and his theses which was crucial in the Reformation and considered many leading humanist philosophers of the time his close friends. Raphael was incredibly honored to say that he and Albrecht Durer exchanged art and were friends. Though Durer was arguably the leading figure in Northern Renaissance art, he remains in the shadow of figures like Michaelangelo, da Vinci, and Raphael. Modifying the title to suit my purpose, Albrecht Durer was the Northern Renaissance man.
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