Mexican Mural Movement

The Mexican Mural Movement began in the 1920’s (right after the Revolution) and lasted through the 1940’s.  Before this movement most Mexican artists were inspired by European artists, but when the movement began things started to change.  Mexican artists insisted that a new school of art be built so that they would be free to make art that would reinforce Mexican identity and the principles of the Revolution.  In response to the demands of his people, President Victoriano Huerto appointed Alfredo Ramos Martinez director of the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas, and he started the reform.  Artists were encouraged to paint murals to draw attention to Mexican history and culture.  The three artistic leaders of the Mexican Mural Movement were Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente Orozco.  I have chosen to analyze one piece from each artist.

 

The first piece I have chosen to analyze is Exploitation of Mexico by Spanish Conquistadors, painted by Diego Rivera in Mexico City between 1929 and 1945.  Rivera was born in Guanajuato, Mexico in 1886 and began painting at a young age.  He became famous in his twenties for reintroducing fresco painting into modern art.  He had a romance with fellow painter Frieda Kahlo.  Rivera is considered the greatest Mexican painter of the twentieth century.  I picked this painting because it vividly and colorfully illustrates the native Mexican struggle against the Spanish conquistadors.  I enjoy this piece because it does not sugar coat anything; people are seen being whipped, hanged, and worked to the bone.  While this is quite graphic and unpleasant, it shows the true pain and suffering the Mexicans had to go through.  It tells a story and is visually appealing with its crisp lines and bright colors.

 

The second work I have selected to investigate is Cuauhtemoc Against the Myth, painted by David Alfaro Siqueiros in Mexico City in 1944.  Siqueiros was born in 1896.  He was very active politically and was involved in the conflicts of the Mexican Revolution as a protestor, soldier, and demonstrator.  Much of his art was influenced by the anguish of prison life, as he spent many years in jail for the actions that stemmed from his radical political beliefs.  He said that “art must no longer be the expression of individual satisfaction (which) it is today, but should aim to become a fighting educative art for all.”  I chose this piece because it very emotion-oriented.  The people depicted in this painting look distressed, which comes across in their tense bodies and their strained faces.  I found this piece interesting because the subject of focus is not in the center of the painting but is around the edges, causing the viewer’s eyes to dance across the whole work.  I like this piece because it is unique.

 

The third painting I have decided to examine is Omnisciencia, painted by Jose Clemente Orozco in Mexico in 1925.  Orozco was born in 1883.  He was influenced by both Jose Posada (another famous Mexican artist) and Symbolism.  He was very involved in the revolution and became a political cartoonist.  I selected this work because it is very clear and detailed.  Much like the previous piece, it is emotion-oriented.  The person on the left seems angry and tense, the middle person is content and at peace, and the person on the right is somewhere in between.  The viewer may experience several emotions while investigating this painting.  I enjoy the complexity and intricacy of the details of this work, especially the furrowed brow of the subject on the left.

 

Works Cited

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2006/2/06.02.01.x.html#b

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/diego-rivera/about-the-artist/64/

http://www.wfu.edu/history/StudentWork/fysprojects/kmason/DvASiq.htm

http://www.wfu.edu/history/StudentWork/fysprojects/kmason/Orozco.htm

Street Art

I chose Street Art as the theme of my blog.  Street Art typically only lasts a few days, which is fascinating and beautiful to me.  I have always been intrigued by this art style; it is very different from most art because it is ephemeral yet has a lasting impact.  Some call it graffiti, which oftentimes has a negative connotation associated with it.  However, most Street Art is actually quite beautiful and is meant to improve the looks of the surroundings rather than to trash and destroy them.

 

  

The first artist I have decided to focus on is Jean-Michel Basquiat.  He was an American and was born in 1960.  He was known as a graffiti artist as a teenager but was eventually persuaded by gallery owners to put his works on canvas because they believed his art was beautiful.  Basquiat’s work mainly focused on African American heroes and made him an overnight sensation.  Unfortunately, Basquiat died of a drug overdose at the age of 27.  The first piece I have chosen by this artist is Untitled, which was painted in America in 1981.  This piece is very colorful and appears to be more centered on emotions than attention to detail.  The painting is not realistic, but it conveys the feelings of the subject, who seems to be frustrated and frantic because the expression on his face is tense and his hands are flailing above his head.  I enjoy this piece because it combines the graffiti look with an almost Pablo Picasso inspired feel.  The second piece I have chosen by this artist is Untitled (Skull), which was painted in America in 1984.  To me, this work looks like something I would see on the streets of Mexico during the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) festivities.  The skull and vibrant colors are typical of this holiday.  I think this piece is very beautiful even though it is not realistic because, much like the first painting, it is emotion oriented and vivacious.

 

 

 

The second artist I have picked is Julian Beever.  He is a British artist who uses street drawings to produce optical illusions.  He creates his works with chalk.  Beever’s work is transient, and it survives only in photographic records.  The first work I have selected by this artist is Politicians Meeting Their End, which was drawn outside The Bank of England in 1997.  This work is humorous because it depicts politicians falling into a hole in the ground.  It creates the illusion that the opening is really there.  I would be afraid to fall into the “hole” if I saw this in real life!  I think this work is well done and fun.  The second work I have selected by this artist is Making Mr. Snowman, which was created in the UK in 2008.  This work is fun for people of all ages.  As you can see, the little girl in the photograph is enjoying herself while pretending to put the carrot on the snowman.  This work is also very illusionistic and looks as though it is three-dimensional.  I enjoy this work because it puts me in the holiday spirit!

 

 

The third artist I have chosen is Kurt Wenner.  He is an American artist who does street paintings and chalk drawings.  His work often reflects Renaissance classicism with a modern twist.  The first work I have decided to analyze by this artist is Reflections.  Unfortunately, I was unable to find when and where this work was created.  This work is one of my all time favorites.  I love how it includes live models.  The reflections in the water look very similar to the real people.  The work is painted on a street; however, it looks like there is actually a well in the middle of the street because Wenner creates the illusion that the piece is three-dimensional.  The second work I have decided to analyze by this artist is Neptune’s Revenge.  I couldn’t find the date or location for this work either.  I enjoy this work because, like the other one, it looks three-dimensional.  It has beautiful colors and details as well.

 

Works Cited

http://basquiat.com/

http://www.julianbeever.net/

http://kurtwenner.com/

Influence of African Americans on Early Modern Art

African Americans had a great influence on art of the Early Modern Period.  The Harlem Renaissance was in full swing during this period.  This renaissance was a cultural movement of 1920’s which was aimed at establishing racial equality among whites and African Americans.  The Harlem Renaissance helped lay down the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement.

 

The first piece I have chosen to analyze is Palmer C. Hayden’s Midsummer Night in Harlem.  It was painted in 1938 in America.  Hayden was one of the first African American artists to include African subjects and designs in his pieces.  This work illustrates the African American community in a glowing light and shows how the people of this community were rising up in the world during this era.  The white clothing of the people depicted in the painting portrays their purity and freedom.  While not everyone is wearing white, the others are wearing bright and happy colors, displaying their joy of independence.  The people in the piece all look like they are having a good time and enjoying each other’s company, showing how close the African American community is.  I enjoy this painting because it is lively and energetic.  The colors are vibrant, and the people look genuinely happy.  I can’t help but to smile when I look at this piece!

 

The second work I have decided to use in my blog is Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin.  It was published in 1899 in America.  Joplin was the son of a slave.  He learned to play several instruments as a young man.  His Maple Leaf Rag became one of America’s first pop hits and sold hundreds of thousands of copies.  It is a jazz piece.  African Americans had a great influence on the music of the Early Modern Era, especially when it came to jazz music, which was based on the rhythms and music of Western Africa.  I enjoy Maple Leaf Rag because it is upbeat, cheerful, and puts me in a happy mood.  It is also well-written and well-played.

 

The last work I have picked to examine is Brother Brown by Lois Mailou Jones.  It was created in 1931 in America.  Many of Jones’ pieces depict the social struggles of African Americans.  She painted this work while teaching at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina.  She was originally interested in textile design but switched to painting after being told that colored girls couldn’t possibly create attractive designs.  Clearly, the decorator was wrong and she was capable of making beautiful art as seen in Brother Brown.  I like this piece because it has appealing colors.  Also, Jones made sure to pay attention to both the background and the foreground in terms of detail.

 

Works Cited

http://www.charlotteviewpoint.org/article/146/Lois-Mailou-Jones—A-Revelatory-Exhibit-at-the-Mi

http://harlemrenaissancemartin.blogspot.com/2008/04/blog-post.html

http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/9905_ragtime/

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10838886/1/70-year-retrospective-of-trailblazing-african-american-artist-lois-mailou-jones.html

Impressionism vs. Romanticism

Impressionism, to me, is a form of abstract art.  It incorporates vague lines, free brush strokes, and blobs of color that combine to form pictures which portray transitory moments, or “impressions.”  The usual subject matter of Impressionism is the fleeting effects of light and weather, the delights and activities of the middle and upper classes, and enjoyable moments; all of the themes are very nontraditional.  While Impressionism is an emotion-oriented and beautiful style of art, I prefer viewing and critiquing art that is more life-like.  I favor Romanticism over Impressionism, since it is both emotional and realistic.

 

An example of an Impressionistic painting is Water-Lilies by Claude Monet.  It was painted in 1914 in France.  It is lovely and includes a gorgeous blend of colors.  However, the lines are too fuzzy for my taste, which is a main characteristic of Impressionistic paintings.  I prefer clear lines and defined shapes because they allow me to more easily understand the piece.  Another Impressionistic feature of this painting is the blend of colors.  While the color itself is beautiful, the way in which it is applied to the canvas seems a bit confused and muddled.  At first glance, I would not be able to distinguish the subject of the piece as being a lily pond because the colors are tangled and the lines are indistinct.  I enjoy the more realistic pieces of the Romantic style.

 

An example of a Romantic painting is The Oxbow by Thomas Cole of the Hudson River School.  It was painted in 1836 in New York.  I enjoy this piece because it is both whimsical and realistic.  It elicits an emotional response with the splendid use of Luminism, while staying true to the realistic form of the subject represented in the painting.  I can easily tell that this is a painting of a river, but with Impressionistic paintings it can take a minute to realize what the focus of the work actually is.  This painting gives me a calm, happy feeling; it is peaceful.  I love that it is realistic without being too stiff or boring.  Romanticism is the perfect blend of reality and fantasy.

 

Works Cited

http://www.intermonet.com/oeuvre/nymphea2.htm

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/nature/oxbow.html

Classical Era Virtual Exhibit

I chose to center my blog on the theme of the growing economic power of the middle class in the 1700’s.  The middle class greatly influenced the visual art, music, and theater of the Classical era.  Visual art concentrated on the importance of morals over the value of material things.  Music became more melody driven and was often made of a homophonic texture rather than of a polyphonic texture; it was less complex than music of other eras in order to accommodate the middle class’ desire to learn how to play music themselves.  Theater used satire to ridicule the politics of the time, allowing the middle class to have a better understanding of the world in which they lived.  Over all, the arts of the Classical era saw a major shift towards pleasing the people of the middle class.

The first work I have decided to incorporate in my virtual exhibit is Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to her Children as Her Treasures by Angelica Kauffman.  It was painted in 1785 in London.  The standing woman depicted in this painting is Cornelia Africana, the daughter of a Roman general.  In this scene, the woman in red is showing off her jewels and asking Cornelia where her jewels are.  Cornelia responds by pointing to her children, showing the woman that they are her treasures.  While Cornelia was the daughter of a general and was probably wealthy, this painting still illustrates the growing power of the middle class because it shows that the value of material things are nothing compared to family values.  Kauffman highlights the importance of modesty and honor over vanity and acquisitiveness.  I enjoy the soft lighting of this painting and the unique story behind it.

 

The second work I have chosen is Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, written in 1791 in London.  It is often referred to as the Surprise Symphony.  The “surprise” is a sudden loud chord at the end of a very quiet opening theme, followed by the original soft dynamic as if nothing happened.  I jumped the first time I listened to this song, so I think the title is fitting!  Haydn’s symphony reflects the growing economic power of the middle class in that it is simpler and less intense than music of past eras.  This is because the people of the middle class wanted music they could relate to and play themselves.  Composers of the Classical era created music that was easy to play so that common people could replicate it.

 

The third work I have selected is The Beggar’s Opera.  It was written by John Gay and arranged by Joann Christoph Pepusch in 1728 in London.  This is a satirical opera which is geared toward the middle class audience because it is set to popular tunes that are easy to understand.  Also, the middle class could relate to this opera because it made fun of the politics and upper class entertainment of the time.  I enjoy this work because it is lighthearted and enjoyable to watch and listen to.

 

Works Cited

http://musiced.about.com/od/medievalto20thcentury/a/The-Role-Of-Music-And-Composers.htm

http://keephistoryalive.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/art-history-wednesday-cornelia-mother-of-the-gracchi-pointing-to-her-children-as-her-treasures/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1319418/Surprise-Symphony

http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/beggars_opera/

Bernini’s David

I chose to analyze Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture David for my Baroque era blog.  It was created in Rome, Italy over a seven month period from 1623-1624.  The reason I decided to explore this work is because it is an active piece which depicts movement.  Many sculptures display stationary people and objects.  However, Bernini’s addition of motion in this work adds visual interest and complexity, allowing the eye of the viewer to roam and investigate several different angles of the sculpture.  No one angle is more important than another; Bernini makes sure to provide as much detail on the sides and back of David as he does on the front.  The way in which the subject’s body is twisted and ready to sling the rock tells the story of David and Goliath more vividly than if the body was still because the viewer can actually see David in action, rather than having to imagine it.  The strained yet determined look displayed on his face also provides a visual representation of what he was feeling and evokes an emotional response from the viewer.  Another stand out feature of this sculpture is the amount of detail incorporated.  Bernini sculpted every crease and muscle of the body and every fold of material with grace and fluidity, as if the subject was made of real flesh and bone rather than marble and stone.

The sculpture David exemplifies many aspects of the Council of Trent.  The council, which was a major counter-reform council of the Catholic Church, uplifted the ideals of Catholicism and condemned the “heresies” of Protestantism.  The council believed that art should embody realism and emotion, promote virtues and religious ideals, and be clearly and easily understood.  David portrays all of these qualities.  The sculpture is lifelike, emotional, straightforward, and tells a religious story.  The subject is also covered up, unlike Michelangelo’s or Donatello’s sculptures of David from the Renaissance, because  the rise of Catholicism during the Baroque era led to more conservative art.  Another way in which Bernini’s David relates to the Council of Trent is that the expression on the subject’s face is tense, depicting the political and religious strain that the council caused during the Baroque era.

Works Cited

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/Bernini-David.html?searched=bernini&highlight=ajaxSearch_highlight+ajaxSearch_highlight1

http://www.rome.info/bernini/david/

Northern Renaissance Artwork Analysis

I selected Jan van Eyck’s Portrait of a Man (also known as Man in a Red Turban) to analyze for this assignment.  It was painted in Bruges, Belgium on October 21, 1433.  The reason I chose to write about this work over others from the Northern Renaissance was that it stood out to me as being very detailed and lifelike; it could even be mistaken for a photograph at first glance, which I find impressive.  Van Eyck manages to incorporate every wrinkle on the face and each twinkle of the eye using oil paints, something other artists may overlook or find difficult to portray in their work.  While the clarity of the physical features of the man in the painting is quite remarkable, even more stunning is the way in which van Eyck captures the personality of the man.  He looks calm yet stern with his tight lips and dubious stare, leading some people to believe that the painting is a self-portrait.  Many artists depicted themselves as confident, forthright, and proud because the status of an artist was uncertain during the Northern Renaissance.  Whether or not the painting is of van Eyck, it is definitely a sight to behold.

Portrait of a Man embodies several characteristics of humanism.  As I mentioned before, it is highly realistic.  The photograph-like quality of the painting screams humanism.  It celebrates the human body, portraying it as realistically as possible.  Also, this painting is not of a religious figure, nor is it of a royal person.  The man displayed in this piece is a commoner.  This highlights humanism because there is a separation from the church.  In years past, most art incorporated some religious figure, but during the Northern Renaissance there was a shift towards displaying the everyday man.  This painting is an example of humanism at its finest.

Works Cited

http://www.backtoclassics.com/gallery/janvaneyck/themaninaredturban/

http://thenewinquiry.com/blogs/dtake/why-is-this-man-wearing-a-turban/

Introduction

Hello!  My name is Nikki Schulz.  I am 20 years old and was born and raised in Fairbanks, AK.  I am a daughter, sister, and proud aunt of 11 nieces and nephews, plus one on the way.  I am a Junior at UAF and hope to become a nurse someday.  Some of my favorite things to do are sing, play instruments (violin, guitar, and ukulele), dance (ballet), and travel.

Art has always been a huge part of my life.  As I said before, I love to sing, play instruments, and dance.  I also enjoy writing my own songs, which allows me to express how I’m feeling in a unique way.  One of my favorite experiences involving the arts was performing in my high school’s production of Hairspray.  I made new friends and became more comfortable performing on stage as a result.  I have also enjoyed art from the perspective of an audience member.  I have viewed several plays, musicals, and ballets over the years and typically enjoy them.  The Nutcracker is my favorite ballet to watch.

My dad is a pyrographic artist, meaning he decorates wood and other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated tool.  He taught me how to draw when I was little.  Here is a link to his salon: http://www.oocities.org/pyroannex/tschulz.html

This is a picture of my dad and me when I was 8.  We entered some of our art into the fair and both won grand champion for our divisions!