Natasha Moore's Blog

Festa na Aldeia by Antognoni Brunhoso 1993

African artwork has a very interesting aesthetic look to it.  Festa na Aldeia was created in 1993 by Antognoni Brunhoso.  Antognoni Brunhoso was born during a very tough time in history.  She was born during the Angolan revolution in 1961.  The Angolan revolution was a revolution against Angola’s Portugese colonists.  This was a time of violence and rebellions for people on all sides.  Even though the revolution ended in 1974, the country is still plagued with civil war and unrest.

I chose Festa na Aldeia because after reading about the artist and the history of her country, it made me really appreciate this painting.  To me, it seems like a painting to escape the every day life of what is going on in the world.  There are palm trees and bright colors that to me seem like paradise.  The flowers on the ground and the shapes in the sky remind me of confetti.  The orange and blue sky remind me of a sunset on the beach and clear blue days.

I believe art is a way of expressing thoughts and ideas and I believe Antognoni Brunhoso was doing just that in this painting.  Antognoni Brunhoso is expressing her desire for a paradise.  A world without war and unrest.  A place to go where the blue skies and sunsets can be enjoyed.  Even though it may not be possible to escape to this paradise, it is possible for the imagination to get caught up in the paradise of this painting.

Ref: http://www.africaserver.nl/virtual/exhibitions/antognoni/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/angola.htm

http://countrystudies.us/angola/28.htm

"Childsoldier in the Ivory Coast", Gilbert G. Groud, 2007

This piece of work is titled Childsoldier in the Ivory Coast by Gilbert G. Ground.  It was painted in 2007 and depicts a child soldier.  The artist Gilbert G. Ground was born and raised in the Ivory Coast in Africa so he was a witness to violence and children being used in war.  Even though Ground no longer lives in his home country, you can tell through his art that some of the issues surrounding his birthplace still bother him and that it is reflected through his art.  I chose this piece of work for a few reasons.  First, the painting has a lot going on it and it really caught my eye.  In the background you can see a person in distress; you can see a smoking gun in the child’s hand making it seem as if he has already used the gun; there is a woman looking at the child with the look on her face that says “what have you done;” and you cannot see the child’s eyes.  The fact that you cannot see his eyes really gets to me.  It is almost as if this child has been brainwashed and really doesn’t know what he is doing.  The blank look on his face makes me think that he is a robot or a killing machine and nothing else.  The most sad part about this painting is that there is truth behind it.  This is a very beautiful painting, but it also has a very large statement it is trying to make.  In a world where peace should be promoted, in this case violence is being spread through an innocent child.

Andy Worhol was an artist who is well known for his pop art.  He was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker that was born August 6th, 1928 and died February 22nd, 1987.  Worhol created many works that he is well known for including his early works like the Campbell Soup labels and his many pieces on Marilyn Monroe.  Later in life, Worhol created works like Double Mickey Mouse in 1981, Jane Fonda in 1982, and Reigning Queen: Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingdom in 1984.  I personally really like the works created by worhol.  He adds character and life to something that would just be ordinary.  Sure, Jane Fonda is beautiful, but in this piece titled Jane Fonda, her lips are bright red and her features are more defined.  In the work regarding Queen Elizabeth, Worhol is able to add multiple colors to the image that shows the queen as a very strong person.  Her eyes stare right at the person looking at the painting almost as if she is trying to intimidate.  As for the piece on Double Mickey Mouse, I really like the piece, but I cannot say why.  Worhol didn’t really add much to the piece by changing the colors, but without the color changes, I am not sure if the piece would have been as appealing.

Jane Fonda, Andy Worhol, 1982

Double Mickey Mouse, Andy Worhol, 1981

Reigning Queens: Queen Elizabeth II Of The United Kingdom, Andy Worhol, 1984

Another fantastic pop culture artist is Banksy.  Banksy is a Brittish graffiti artist, born in 1974 and is a native of Yate South Gloucestershire, near Bristol.  It is believed that Banksy started his art in the 1980’s, but that has not been confirmed.  Other than that, not much else is known about Banksy. Banksy has created many pieces of art throughout the United Kingdom that have everyone raving about his work, but also wondering who he is.  Due to the nature of his work (graffiti) Banksy could get in a lot of trouble for his works, so he probably keeps his identity a secret for that reason.  However, Banksy is a great artist and is worthy of noting.  Most of his works of art involve topics such as politics, culture, and ethics and he also uses satire. What we do know about Banksy is that he often incorporates well known characters into some of his work.  One particular piece is a painting that shows Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz getting her basket checked by what appears to be a fireman.  The look on Dorothy’s face is very telling; it looks as if she is being violated by what he is doing or that she is just completely in shock.  Then there is the Pulp Fiction one where the guys are holding out bananas instead of guns.  Since there is not much known about the artist, it is hard to say what his real meaning is, but I think it is showing that John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson look cool even if they are holding bananas and not guns.  As for the piece with Ronald McDonald and Mickey Mouse, I am not sure what to think this painting means.  Because the person in the middle is naked I would guess to think that means that that person is being stripped of their identity; since two very large corporations are holding that persons hand, maybe it means that they are stripping that person of their identify.  Just the overall nature of the painting really makes me think that there is a larger issue or message that is trying to be told.

All of the works selected fit into the pop culture in a number of ways.  In the pieces by Andy Worhol and Banksy, they both create art from people or things that are well known at the time.  Jane Fonda was a very popular actress in the 1970’s and 1980’s.  Queen Elizabeth is well known because she is royalty.  Mickey Mouse is well known because of Disney.  In the pieces I chose with Banksy, he also has chosen well known characters such as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Pulp Fiction, and Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald.  Most people would be familiar with the subjects in all of these pieces of art.  Even though there is a stylistic difference between Andy Worhol and Banksy, there is a clear connection between the two artists.

REF:

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&safe=active&sa=1&q=banksy&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&start=0

http://www.warholprints.com/

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

http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm

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

Mickey & Ronald McDonald (Exact title not known), Banksy

Dorothy from Wizard of Oz (Exact title is not known), Banksy

Pulp Fiction with Bananas (Exact title not known), Banksy

Experimenting with the First Model of the Cotton Gin by Edna Reindel, 1939

The Great Depression had a tremendous effect on art.  Franklin Roosevelt, the United States President during part of the Great Depression set aside money to help fund the arts.  During the Depression, many artists were paid to create murals, making the United States a very large patron of the arts during this time.  Edna Reindel was one of many artists who’s art was commissioned by the United States.  In 1939 Edna Reindel was paid under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to paint a mural that she called Experimenting with the First Model of the Cotton Gin.  The mural is in Swainsboro Georgia in the Emanuel County Courthouse.  I chose this particular mural because of the history behind what is going on in the story.  In the mural is Eli Whitney who is largely responsible for the how fast cotton was produced.  This helped the American South a lot financially because more cotton was being produced at a cheaper price.  The mural shows Eli Whitney instructing the workers on a cotton farm.

Justice by Harry Scheuch, 1940's

Another mural I really enjoyed is Justice by Harry Scheuch.  In the 1940’s Harry Scheuch painted Justice in the City-County Building in Pittsburgh, PA.   I really enjoyed this particular mural because it has a lot going on in it.  You can see war planes in the upper left but you can also see justice right in the middle.  There is also a guy in a black cape riding on a white horse.  I am not sure what it means exactly, but since this was a time of war and economic distress, I can image that it symbolizes death coming to save people from what is going on in the world.

Ref:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09110/964137-455.stm

http://cityofswainsboro.org/residents/communityresources/squares-monuments-and-cemeteries/

Van Gogh Fishing in the Spring 1887

Fishing in the Spring, the Pont de Clichy was painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1887 while he resided in Paris, France.  Fishing in the Spring, the Pont de Clichy is a classic example of impressionism art because of the lighting.  Like many of his other paintings, Vincent van Gogh painted this painting in a park under the natural sunlight.  The natural sunlight allowed the artist to use a wide variety of colors in paintings that help give it a more dynamic look.  This painting also has vivid colors.  Look at the many colors in the tree as well as the water.  Even though I have not seen this painting in person, it appears to have a thick application of paint which is a distinctive feature of paintings during this time.  The painting is also about a man in a boat which is real-life subject matter, another feature of impressionism art.

I really like paintings from the impressionism era.  Many of the paintings look a lot like they were sketched and then painted over.  For me, this kind of look gives paintings a personality.  The lines and colors do not have many boundaries making the color and images come to life.  Great painters like Vincent van Gogh and Pierre-Auguste Renoir make paintings come to life with the real-life subject matter and the vivid colors.

Another painting by Vincent van Gogh that has vivid colors and a thick application of paint is Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.   Starry Night looks like a simple painting at first, but with a closer look you can see the detail put into the light around the stars and moon in the picture.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

Post-Impressionism is similar to impressionism, in the sense that many of the colors used were vivid and the subject matter was real-life, but post-impressionism seems more abstract than impressionism.  For example, Frau mit Dienstmagd beim Baden by Felix Vallotton.

Frau mit Dienstmagd beim Baden by Felix Vallotton

One of the women in the painting has a very weird shape to her body; a feature I do not find appealing.  Another example is Portrait of Félix Fénéon by Paul Signac.  The man in the picture is done well, but I do not like the background.  I like to have more real backgrounds instead of abstract ones.

References:

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/508/Starry-Night.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Signac.jpg

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Impressionism

http://www.artmovements.co.uk/postimpressionism.htm

http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/c19th/impressionism.htm

The Magic Flute was composed by the well known composer Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart, or Mozart as he is known to many.  The Magic Flute was composed in 1791 to a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder.  The opera premiered in Vienna on September 30th, 1791 at the suburban Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden.  The Magic Flute was the last opera Mozart would compose because he died shortly after on December 5th, 1791.

This work like many other works of music during this time is directly related to the rise in the middle class because public concerts were becoming more common and music during this period was less complex than the music in previous eras.   This allowed the middle and lower classes the opportunity to enjoy and develop their own individual taste for music.  Music during this time was more melody driven so instead of being something that only educated people could understand, it sounded great to everyone.  During the Classical era, composers were starting to break away from the wealthy aristocrats who greatly influenced their works.  This allowed artists to cater more to the public wants instead of the wants of the aristocrats.

I really enjoy listening to The Magic Flute because the overall melody is amazing.  I have listened to this particular piece of music many times because my husband and I would play Mozart for our children when they were younger.  Even though it is not proven that music makes babies smarter, all of us really enjoyed listening to Mozart.  The music composed by Mozart in the 1700’s was enjoyed by many people during the time, but his music is also timeless.  In the 20th century people are still enjoying music composed by Mozart over two hundred years ago.

To listen to The Magic Flute by Mozart, please click on the YouTube link below:

References:

http://www.musicwithease.com/mozart-magic-flute.html

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

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

http://www.culturevulture.net/Opera/MagicFlute.html

The Baptism of Christ is a painting by the Italian painter Francesco Albani.  The Baptism of Christ was painted between 1630 and 1635 probably in Rome, Italy where the painter resided at the time.  During the Baroque period there were a lot of influences on the arts, but the one influence that seems to have the most effect on Francesco Albani’s work is the Council of Trent.  The Council of Trent had a large influence on art during the Baroque period because during this time the Catholic church was trying to define the churches doctrine once and for all.  The Catholic church wanted to separate themselves from the doctrines of the Protestant church and to condemn the teachings of Protestantism.  The Catholic church decided through the Council of Trent that art should be easily understood unlike paintings during the mannerism era where the target audience was more the educated population.  The Council of Trent also decided that the Catholic churches interpretation of the bible was the ultimate interpretation and anyone including artists who tried to challenge the church would be considered heretics.  This was a direct hit on Protestantism because Protestants interpreted the bible differently than the Catholic church did.  This split of the churches had a very large influence on the arts in general.  If you were on the side of the Catholic church and you were an artist, any paintings that were produced by you that had a religious theme needed to follow the doctrine of the Catholic church.  The Baptism of Christ by Francesco Albani is a great example of how an artist created work that followed the doctrine of the Catholic church.  The painting depicts a story in the bible about Jesus Christ being baptized.  The painting does not appear to show anything that would be inaccurate to the bible or something that the Catholic church would be opposed to.

I picked this painting for a number of reasons.  The main reason why I chose this painting is because of its overall beauty.  I really like the lighting of the blue sky in the background and the depiction of God the Father in the heavens above.  I also like the fact that in the bottom right corner you have a woman who appears to be explaining to her child what is going on.  The whole painting is just full of life and energy.  There is a dove above Christ which symbolizes peace and good tidings.  The overall feel of this painting is just amazing to me.
Ref:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15030c.htm

http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent.html

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

http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/c17th-mid19th/baroque.htm

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/council-of-trent.htm

The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli that was painted around the year 1492 in Florence Rome (smarthistory.org).  The Medici family had a very large influence on the works of Botticelli because they were large patrons of the arts during the Renaissance.  Bottticelli was commissioned by the Medici family to create a number of works including his most famous painting The Birth of Venus (smarthistory.org).  The secular theme in the painting is something new that came about during the Renaissance.  Before the Renaissance, most artwork had a religious theme.  Even during the Renaissance, many works that were not of a religious theme were destroyed.  Girolamo Savonarola, a priest and leader of Florence during the Renaissance was famous for his book burning and for destroying any art that was considered immoral or not of a religious background.  Unfortunately many works by Botticelli ended up in the fires.  Fortunately the Medici family, because of their social status and because of a close relationship between Botticelli and the Medici family, the family was able to save some of his work.

I chose The Birth of Venus because I feel that this particular painting really shows the shift from religious painting for the Catholic church to more secular way of painting.  Even though religious art can be beautiful, I feel that this particular painting really shows excitement for the renaissance and a new way of creating art.  Venus in this painting appears to be very comfortable with her nakedness.  This is something that is new because in paintings where there is a naked women, most of them appear to be covering themselves up in shame because of their nakedness.  One painting that comes to mind is Adam and Eve by Masaccio.  It is a painting of Adam and Eve being sent out of the Garden of Eden, but the way Eve is covering herself up shows that she is very uncomfortable with her nakedness.

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