Abstract This paper discusses the work, from the Baroque Era, of Peter Paul Rubens, whose "Prometheus Bound" is seen as one of the finest examples of a myth being used to tell a contemporary story. The meaning of the myth is examined through an analysis of the painting's light, form, style and images.
From the Paper "Myths are the stories that lend meaning to the unexplained. Why does season follow season? How did humanity come to be? What is the origin of fire? These are but some of the mysteries explained in countless tales, plays, and works of art. Medieval man sought meaning in the Bible. The cathedrals of Europe glistened with windows of stained glass, each jewel-like work telling a different instructional tale. In the Renaissance, Europe rediscovered the world of Greece and Rome, and the learned found new meanings in classical myth and legend. Kings and princes likened themselves to gods and heroes, and artists explored the interplay of fantasy and reality. Mythic stories were used as illustrations of the human condition. In brilliant color and bold form, painters captured the heart and soul of their world, the figures of myth and fantasy serving as representations of popular belief. This age of allegory reached its height in the Baroque Era, the era of Peter Paul Rubens, whose Prometheus Bound is one of the finest examples of a myth being used to tell a contemporary story. It is also an image of the entire Baroque world."
Abstract This paper examines the political and theoretical motivations behind the argument for decentralized arts funding. Also discussed are views on decentralization trends in arts funding and the potential effects on artists, arts organizations and arts audiences as well as on rural, urban and suburban areas.
From the Paper "The Arts breathes life into any community, whether urban, suburban, or rural. How often have we heard of a ghost town, perhaps an old mining town, or a city's abandoned warehouse district, or a small farming community once remote but now only minutes away the city limits of a major city, that has been virtually transformed by becoming home for the arts. Art is a magnet. It draws people no matter their race, social or economic status. It is just as likely that a tobacco farmer, living a hundred miles from the nearest metropolitan area, enjoys the Boston Pops on PBS just as much as the executive living in a high-rise condo. "
Abstract The paper begins with a discussion of still life painting and then focuses in on the work of Pieter Claesz. An analysis of different works of his as well as a comparison to work of his contemporaries is outlined. A discussion of style and popularity of still life painting is included.
From the Paper "To the modern non-European eye, the Dutch Paintings of the Baroque period appear to be a collection of "stuff" on a table. It is difficult to imagine what the artist could have possibly found so fascinating on the Breakfast table or in a bowl of fruit. However, taken in period context, Dutch still life was much more than that. Often the artists were expressing thoughts and feelings, using the painting as type of code describing an idea, which was not accepted by society at the time. At times they may have been expressing political dissent, perhaps an idea that would be dangerous to express at the time, such as criticizing an institution or a leader. These ideas were often felt, but one could not express them publicly for fear of persecution. These paintings were only meant to be understood by those who knew the code and could get the meaning that the artist was trying to portray. It was hopeful that those who were not meant to understand it would see it as beautiful, but miss the meaning entirely."
Abstract Ansel Adams was one of America's most famous photographers. This paper introduces and discusses Ansel Adams the man, his innovative photographic techniques, and their impact on traditional photography.
From the Paper "By the mid 20s, Adams began to realize he could make a living with his photography. He decided to concentrate on his photographic work, instead of a career as a concert pianist. This was a turning point in his life, and while he continued to enjoy music throughout his life, photography became his vocation, and his lifelong passion. In 1927, he received the patronage of Albert M. Bender, a wealthy San Francisco insurance magnate, and it changed his life. Bender helped him publish his first portfolio of photographs, but even more importantly, he helped Adams develop his self-confidence and abilities, which allowed him to become more creative and artistic."
Tags: Zone, System, Yosemite, National, Park, Black, and, White, Bulletin
Abstract By providing an in-depth description of what was found in the Shrines of Tutankhamen, the writer examines general Egyptian history of the era and of Tutankhamen's reign. The paper also explores the shrines from an artistic perspective.
From the Paper "Tutankhamun was one of the youngest kings in Egypt, but his tomb was one of the most detailed and beautiful tombs in all of Egypt. No one knows why such a young king was buried in such an elaborate tomb. It is hard to imagine what the young king must have been like in his years. He lived a very short life and died in 1323 B.C.
?From a dry, dusty, Upper Egyptian valley in the year 1922, the news of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun flashed around the world and excited the imaginations of all who heard it.? On November 4th, 1922, the Tomb of Tutankhamun was found hidden beneath the foundations of Ramesses workmen's huts. They were near the entrance of the tomb of Ramesses VI. The discovery of the tomb was made by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter."
Abstract This paper examines the life of King Akhenaten who came to power in c.1352 B.C.E. and ruled Egypt for seventeen years. Akhenaten was a firm believer in "maat" or divine truth and centered his religion around this. His divine truth policy changed art and culture in Egypt. This paper considers these changes, in particular the effect on art at the time by reviewing certain works of art from that time period.
From the Paper "Akhenaten and His Family portrays Akhenaten and Nefertiti sitting casually on their thrones playing with their three daughters. The sun disk Aten reaches down his beams; the beams end in hands that tough the royal's, some hands holding Ankh?s. The scarves and clothing they wear seems to drape and flow from their bodies. The position that the family sits in is unusually casual for Egyptian art, as compared with works such as Menkaure and His Wife, Queen Khamereenebty ca.2515 B.C.E., which was made of slate and composed of tight, structured stance. Nefertiti's throne, with lotus and papyrus blossoms at the base, suggests a united upper and lower Egypt. "
Tags: art, aten, aton, god, history, mythology, nefertiti, religion, sun
Abstract This paper begins by providing a detailed description of Picasso's childhood. It examines his early education and how his life became directed towards the painting and art scene. The paper discusses various periods in Picasso's life including the "Blue Period" (1900-1904) and his "Rose Period". Various paintings from these, and other periods, are mentioned and analyzed.
From the Paper "Born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga Spain, Pablo Picasso was destined to become one of the world's greatest artists. He was highly skilled in drawing and painting by the time he was in his mid-teens. His artistic career lasted more than 75 years, and he produced thousands of paintings during that time. Specifically, Picasso produced over 20,000 works of art during his long and prolific career."
Visual analysis of two paintings on subject: Gentile Da Fabriano's "Madonna & Child, with Sts. Lawrence & Julian," & Jan Van Eyck's "Virgin & Child, with Saints & Donor."
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 5 sources, 2001, $ 47.95
From the Paper "One of the most frequently favorite subjects in religious art throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries was that of the Madonna or Virgin and Child. The birth of Christ and the Crucifixion sit at the very center of Christian iconography. Most of the great artists of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance painted at least one if not more versions of the Madonna and Child, often surrounded by lesser portraits of saints and even portraits of the donor or patron commissioning the work. This brief report will present a visual analysis of two such works found in the collection of the Frick Museum. The first is Gentile Da Fabriano's Madonna and Child, with Sts. Lawrence and Julian. The second is Jan Van Eyck's Virgin and Child, with Saints and Donor."
From the Paper "The Fifteenth Century in Italy is known as the Quattrocento, a period in the Renaissance when classical ideas were revived and the world of artistic expression shifted to a new emphasis on the human being and human life. Ideas developed during the first half of the Quattrocento were carried through by various artists during the second half and into the Cinquecento. Florentine artists developed their work from the ideas of Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Masaccio in both painting and sculpture. Florentine art in the first half of the fifteenth century was marked by a new style being produced by its originators. This style began with sculpture and then spread to architecture and painting. In his book Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy, Michael Baxandall analyzes the way the art world developed in artistic and
From the Paper "The decline in arts education in American schools is due largely to incomprehension regarding the role this branch of learning plays in the intellectual and educational development of children. Knowing and learning in art are different from these same activities in other areas. This idea is slowly penetrating the education field -- and as the idea of many different kinds of 'intelligences' takes root it becomes clear that they are served by different disciplines. But the problem is not limited to the general public. There is also a great deal of confusion, even among arts educators, over such basic questions as what is to be taught, who is to teach it, and whether children acquire skills from it that have broader relevance. Research in art education is slowly developing a new rationale for its existence on the basis of evolving ideas in developmental and educational..."
From the Paper " "Girl Before a Mirror" is a Picasso work that is one of a series utilizing the model Marie-Th?r?se. A showing of the painting offered an assessment of the work in the catalog: Achieves metamorphosis of traditional Vanity image, in which a woman looking in the mirror sees herself as a death's head; here, figure with double head is reflected as somber-faced but voluptuous image.
The painting is from March 1932. It was produced in the style Picasso was using at the time and evoked an image of Vanity such as had been utilized in art in earlier eras, though Picasso shifts the emphasis and creates a very different view of the image. The work is considered in terms of the erotic in Picasso's art, and critics in different periods have offered..."
From the Paper "There is some controversy over who made the first non-objective painting and Vasily Kandinsky is sometimes given credit for the accomplishment. Though this is certainly not true it does seem fitting since Kandinsky certainly was the first artist to make non-objectivity "the very foundation of his pictorial imagery." Kandinsky also wrote extensively on the theory of abstract painting. His best known treatise, On the Spiritual in Art, became one of the most influential theoretical works of the twentieth century. Generations of abstract painters absorbed his belief in "inner necessity as the only source of art." Although Kandinsky had an enormous influence on the course of painting and was himself a great painter, it still remains difficult to reconcile his theoretical writings with the work he produced. There are two problems in applying the ideas to the.."
An overview of the historical debate on the differences between arts and crafts, fine arts and applied arts, aesthetic requirements, and an example (19th Century French poster artist Jules Cheret).
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 4 sources, 1997, $ 39.95
From the Paper "The twentieth century's distinction between 'design' and 'art' derives from the sudden and overwhelming growth of technological innovation, and the commercial demand for applied design, during the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century. The primary distinction was between the so-called "high arts" of painting, sculpture and architecture, and "decorative or applied" design (Collins 17). This differentiation between art and design is sometimes perceived as an unfair elevation of art at the expense of design. Yet, so long as the distinction is based on such qualities as reproducibility, methods of production, or function, it is both valid and valuable. If, however, the differences between art and design are cited as criteria of aesthetic, or even moral, value, the distinction does not hold up, and is of little value to understanding either type ..."
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine Lorenzo de' Medici and the arts in Florence during the Italian Renaissance. The plan of the research will be to set forth the historical context in which Florence and the Medici family became relevant to the emergence of Italian Renaissance art, and then to discuss the shape and significance of Medici influence on the phenomenon.
In order to appreciate the significance of Lorenzo de Medici for the Renaissance and for the arts of the period, it is first necessary to examine how the concept emerged in Europe, setting the stage for Medici influence. The Renaissance refers to the period, beginning as early as the fourteenth century, when the culture of Western civilization made transition from medievalism to modernism. Kirchner says that it dates from 1350 and "was distinguished by a spirit of confidence in man's achievements and .."
From the Paper "In the fifteenth century, the Medici family rose to power in Florence from an undistinguished background. Like most of the Renaissance rulers in Italian towns, the Medici became prominent patrons of learning and the arts. In the rapidly expanding cities, the merchant guilds, mendicant orders, and leading families saw patronage as a means of expressing both their growing wealth and power. The arts were good for the cities' economy and prestige, and, for an obscure family like the Medici, such sponsorship increased their personal prestige. In the fifteenth century, "merchants turned into courtiers" (Kempers 15). No matter whether they were particularly interested in scholarship or the arts, the families also began to value patronage because it demonstrated their cultured attitudes. Men like Cosimo de' Medici spent heavily on public works because.."
