Abstract This paper explains that Antoine Watteau created a new art style, "fete galante," which had a major influence on the Rococo period. The author points out that the style used in the paintings "The Foursome," "Love in the Italian Theater," and "La Conversation" is classically Rococo; however, the style also is very much dictated by the iconography of the painting. The paper relates that Watteau recognized the changing French culture and created artwork that was a continuation and sophistication of Rubens's style, which drew the viewer into the picture using unique subject matter, such as an aristocrat's elegant party.
From the Paper "Watteau's painting, "The Foursome," is not only characteristic of Rococo art in general, but the painting also depicts Italian commedia. Mezzetin, Pierrot, and two female comedians are seated and talking in a French Garden. This picture is a classic depiction by Watteau of Italian commedia. In Watteau's paintings of the Italian commedia, Pierrot is transformed once taking the stage from, "a simple, harmless, and not very intelligent peasant to a funny, hungry valet, and often frustrated in love" . However, underlying the humor was a sense of melancholy."
Tags: fete-galante, rubens, foursome, aristocrat, academy
Abstract This paper analyzes the 1789 marble bust of Thomas Jefferson by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. It discusses the work as a reflection of the philosophy of the Enlightenment period. The author also explores the artistic attributes of the sculpture.
From the Paper "Jean-Antoine Houdon was the premiere French sculptor of the Enlightenment period. He was able to incorporate the new ideas of the Enlightenment into his art, thereby reflecting the period and culture of the Enlightenment, a period when reason was seen as the ..."
Abstract This paper discusses how artists in different eras can address the same general subject and produce very different works, as can be seen by a comparison of two paintings on love, "The Pleasures of Love" by Antoine Watteau and "The Birthday by Marc Chagall". The paper attempts to show how both works, some two centuries apart in time and very far apart in terms of style, give interesting images of love and of the way love separates lovers from the world and places them in a place all their own.
From the Paper "The Watteau was painted in 1719 and is a colorful scene showing a number of courtly persons on a wooded site, with the central group consisting of four couples, and with other couples seen off to either side. They are grouped before a statue of Venus, with Cupid hanging onto her leg. The work is one of a genre called fetes galantes, or "romantic and idealized scenes [that] depict elaborately costumed ladies and gentlemen at play in fanciful outdoor settings" (Watteau, Jean-Antoine, 2002, para. 1). "
An analysis of the art piece, "Two Studies of the Head and Shoulders of a Little Girl" (Pioch), by Jean-Antoine Watteau, focusing on the medium and the natural materials prevalent in this piece and time period.
Abstract In "Two Studies of the Head and Shoulders of a Little Girl" (Pioch), some of the simplistic yet profound art Jean-Antoine Watteau has become renowned for is illustrated. The medium is red, black and white chalks on buff paper, which creates an authentic atmosphere of warmth and even affection. The presence of red is often a profound element in both the background and foreground of Watteau's art and is almost never missing as a rococo element of life and design. This paper discusses the use of chalk as a medium. It also discusses the natural materials used in painting and drawing in the eighteenth century that pervade Watteau's works.
From the Paper "While this is certainly true, it appears that here Watteau devoted a great deal of detail and imagination to create the lovely expression on this child's face and the almost carefree and innocent positioning of her body and expression from two angles. However, a quick perusal of the artists subsequent works such as Pilgrimage to Cythera, 1717; Les Charmes de la vie, The Delights of Life-1718; Gilles, 1718; and Le Faux pas, The Misstep -1719 (Harden), finds that there are no children to be seen, only adults. However, if you look at the faces of the female figures you can see shades of this drawing in their expressions and their attitudes. By using this study of a young face unspoiled by work or drudgery or the anxieties of life, Watteau is able to capture an innocent and natural beauty and place this in the faces and positions of these adult women. This adds to the natural order of play and zest in his work without invoking the baser sensual elements of lust and desire."
Tags: medium chalk elements, natural materials, design expression
Abstract This paper critically analyzes Georges Seurat's the Circus by describing his use of technique, style and composition and by comparing his work to the work Jean Antoine Watteau. The writer describes the artist's use of emotion through symbolism and the artist's focus on positive aspects of life as bringing significant contributions to the world of art.
From the Paper "Famous pieces, such as Jean Antoine Watteau's The Italian Comedians, and Georges Seurat's Circus encompasses several similarities to one another. Through the use of symbolism and technique, they have each made projections of leisure and happiness toward the viewer. Both of these pieces are meant to spark an emotional response through very different methods of artwork."
Abstract This paper explains that, on the surface, Antoine de Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince" and Plato's "The Symposium" are so different than the casual reader would not be inclined to compare them but there are certain elements, which are deeply related: Both deal with a quest to understand the nature and implication of love. The author points out that the Little Prince travels across all the stars before he discovers the nature and necessity of love; Socrates travels throughout realms of philosophy in order to seek the true understanding of love. The paper relates that, though they come to different conclusions about the nature of love, many of their conclusions have certain similarities: In both cases, the transformation from ignorance to wisdom is vital to the understanding of love. It explains that the transformation is aided by the wisdom of an elder and the protagonist comes to understand that love is a transcendent power beyond the visible; however, the difference is the definition of transcendence makes Exupery's work essentially innocent in its physicality and Plato's work grown-up and oddly sterile in its denial of the body.
From the Paper "The two works are also similar in that both of the quests for love are aided by wisdom from outside the experience of the seeker. Plato is aided in his understanding by Diotima, and the Little Prince finds wisdom in the words of the Socrates whom he tames. Of course, there are significant differences in the relationship between Socrates's relationship with Diotima and the relationship between the Prince and the Fox, most notable that the former seems to be purely intellectual and the later is based in love itself. Socrates seems to be guided to an understanding of love through the intervention of wisdom, while the Prince comes both to understand wisdom and to understand love through the experience of love and the intervention of the beloved. Socrates is taught, the Prince is tamed, or at least becomes a tamer. "
Abstract This paper explains that L'Hopital, who lived during the conception of modern calculus, was taught by Bernoulli; the result of this tuition was L'Hopital's "Analyse des Infiniments Petits", which became the French reference book in the calculus for a century. The author points out that L'Hopital's name is guaranteed to survive in the memories of thousands of mathematicians because of the L'Hopital rule, which is useful when dealing with indeterminate forms. The paper relates that L'Hopital created the template by which all calculus texts would be modeled and measured against for the next three hundred years. Formulas included.
From the Paper "A natural progression from his two first works on the topic of calculus would have been a serious examination of the integral calculus. Indeed, this was a project that L'Hopital was capable of and actually began to write before his death. However, one of his contemporaries-Leibniz-made it known to L'Hopital that he also endeavored to publish a work covering the same hole in written calculus of the time. Apparently, out of respect to the mathematician who made much of his fame possible, L'Hopital abandoned the project."
Tags: derivative, calculus, Bernoulli, indeterminate, text
Abstract This essay discusses the importance and function of illustrations in children's books. The essay focuses specifically on the books "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak and "The Little Prince" by Antoine De Saint-Exupery and discusses the ways that the illustrations found in these books encourage literacy in children.
From the Paper "People need stories and books to help them make sense of their world, and children are no exception. Reading children's literature can be a wonderful way for parents and children to share feelings, concerns, and emotions. Illustrations in children's books are visual representations that help children explore their physical environment. The stories of children's literature can be communicated through both words and pictures, and can be realized in either their visual or their verbal forms. Children can 'read' the illustrations and understand the story either on their own or as a parent reads the words aloud."
From the Paper "The great French novelist, and occasional art critic, Stendhal was engaged in praising a particular painter when he wrote that though "I have seen two or three thousand painted battle scenes -- I have seen two or three real ones." During the Napoleonic period the wars that were waged by France were such a major part of the lives of members of all classes that it is not surprising to find many paintings of war. As Stendhal's only slightly exaggerated remark shows, such paintings were staples of contemporary art. The history of the paintings of military subjects embodies the great problem of the age in France and, to a lesser degree, throughout Europe. After the French Revolution, which heralded the supposed triumph of the common man, the rise of a true common man, Napoleon, to the status of conqueror of most of Europe and then self-declared Emperor of the.."
Abstract Nouvelle Vague or the "New Wave" movement in France was probably the most influential of similar movements in other parts of the world and it affected every form of expression. Its impact, however, was felt most prominently in the field of filmmaking where a group of highly creative directors gave a new direction to the industry in the 1958 to late 1960s period. This paper analyzes three films which came out this period and shows how each director created an individual and original statement through his work. The films examined are: Francois Truffaut's "Baisers Voles" ("Stolen Kisses", 1968), Eric Rohmer's "Nuit Chez Maud" ("My Night at Maud's", 1969) and Jacques Demy's 1964 musical "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg").
From the Paper "My Night at Maud's was the most successful of these six films and earned Rohmer the distinction of being one of the greatest Nouvelle Vague directors. Rohmer was older than other filmmakers of this movement but he shared and supported their views and also incorporated them in his movies. In My Night at Maud?s, Rohmer like other directors focused extensively on the hero who remains unnamed and is referred to as "moi". This first person technique was used to stress the importance of individual and his actions. Jean- Louis Trintignant who played the narrator is as much in control of his actions as other heroes of Nouvelle Vague films."
Abstract This art paper compares and analyzes stylistic differences between Francois Boucher's "Cupid a Captive" and Antoine-Jean Gros's "Napoleon at the Pesthouse at Jaffa". The comparison explores the differences between the period styles of the two different works. The paper also comments on the look of the painting and how this look helps shape the subject.
Abstract This paper analyzes Francois Traffaut's 1959 film "The 400 Blows" as a symbol of the French post-World War II period. It also discusses social atmosphere and the philosophy of Existentialism. The author explores the character of Antoine and his role as an existential character.
From the Paper "The emergence of the French New Wave Nouvelle Vague was situated at a time of radical historical transition during the later Post World War II period when the concerns of many French film makers differed sharply from traditional French cinema. The social atmosphere ..."
Tags: Truffaut, 400, Blows, Film, France, New-Wave, Existentialism
Abstract The paper explains that by examining the Baroque work of Carracci, Caravaggio and the contrasting work of Rococo artist, Antoine Watteau, one can see how they are compared and contrasted in art history. The paper discusses how the earlier Baroque style offered a painting technique which relied on dynamic chiaroscuro and color values, along with the greater emphasis on gigantism in the heroic poses offered by Caravaggio and Carracci. The paper notes that while the Baroque period lasted for nearly one hundred years, the changing climate of political and class based construct in painting veered into the pomp and circumstance of the French elite in the 18th century.
From the Paper "This art study will compare and contrast the stylistics of Baroque and Rococo art. Although these two styles appear to be similar in their artistic painting techniques, the ideological content value of Baroque and Rococo art is very different. In many ways, Baroque will be examined for the humanistic and classical values in various paintings of this period. However, as art veered away from this strict Grecian content style, the highly dramatic and theatrically elitist "art for arts sake" arose within Rococo paintings. In essence, the initial classicism of Baroque art that sought deeper meaning in classical themes changed into a far more dramatic based on pomp and extravagance. The Baroque period is generally known to have begun in 1600 with major painters such as Caravaggio and Carracci creating classical styled paintings."
This paper discusses the question of survival in "Survival in Auschwitz" by Primo Levi, "Wind, Sand and Stars " by Antoine de Saint Exupery, and "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison .
Abstract This paper argues that the protagonists in 'Survival in Auschwitz' and in 'Wind, Sand, and Stars' survived their ordeal and returned and became productive members of society. The author points out that they were able to survive and to return because they found that their lives had meaning. The paper contends that the protagonist in "Invisible Man" had more difficulty because the society he has left would not welcome him back.
From the Paper "The protagonist in "Invisible Man", an ambitious, polite and intelligent black man, states that he is invisible only because people refuse to see him. His solitude is the result of alienation. Perhaps, his task is the most difficult of the three books because it is not simply he who must adapt, but society must also change if he is to return and interact with human beings in a normal way. The protagonist in "Invisible Man" is expected to live humbly in white society while at the same time he is being abused, a situation presented to him as "normal." For example, when he gives his graduation speech as valedictorian of his class, he is allowed to give it only after being forced to participate in a brutal, humiliating, and demeaning "boxing match" designed to be a spectacle and entertainment for an ignorant, racist, white crowd."
Abstract The paper analyzes the evolution of baroque art into the Rococo style of the 18th century. The paper examines the Baroque works of Annabale Carracci and Caravaggio and contrasts them to the work of Rococo artist Antoine Watteau. The paper shows how art evolved into a style that reflected government and new political ideologies in the Age of Diversity.
From the Paper "The Rococo period as logically been constructed through the humanism and classical values instilled within the Baroque period. The rococo period in Europe reflects the ideological aims of visual art, which became manifest during the time of Voltaire, Rousseau and the American Revolution. Although the American visual arts did not reflect the extravagance of the monarchical pomp of the French courts, it is clear that Rousseau and Voltaire were struggling for a new type of liberation in within what might be called "the Age of Diversity". To truly understand the innovations in style for the Rococo period, one must evaluate the reasons why this form of visual design became realized in the 18th century. Certainly, the Baroque period was a continuation of the logic and reasoning that was instilled in the Age of Enlightenment--via classical design and visual art representations. In this manner, the Baroque period must be compared and contrasted with Rococo art to realize the impact of the highly stylized visual arts that emerged within the 18th century."
