Abstract Describes the artist's performance of Rrose Selavy. The Rrose persona. Its network of meanings. Relationship of Rrose to DuChamp's readymades. Commodity aspect of readymades. Postmodernism. Visual portrayal of women. Boundaries of sexual differences. History and ideas of assisted and semi-readymades. Notion of artistic function. Cites specific examples.
From the Paper "Marcel Duchamp's project is as complex, ambiguous, and rich as anything undertaken by any artist of the twentieth century. One of the most elaborate networks of meaning started by Duchamp derives from his 'performance' of Rrose Selavy, the female personification first used as a signature, mocked up in a series of posed drag photographs by Man Ray, and then persisting as an alter ego for Duchamp in many subsequent projects. The spectacle of a male artist who adopts a female persona and employs 'her' in the titles of various works, as the 'author' of other pieces, and simply as a sort of working fiction in his life raises questions of many kinds. Certainly the eroticization of the communication between artist and spectator, the performative nature of gender, the nature of the patriarchal art system and art history, and the meaning of authorship of works of art are all implicated in ..."
Abstract Discusses the controversy surrounding Marcel DuChamp's 1912 painting. Reaction to the artistically provocative painting and title at New York's 1913 Armory Show. Origins of DuChamp's painting. His ideas and experiments with abstraction and time-lapse photography. Rejection of "Nude" by the Cubists. His impact on American artists, critics and the public.
From the Paper "Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase (1912) became one of the best known painted images of the twentieth century when it developed into a major focal point for the hilarity and outrage that surrounded the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art. On view in New York, in February and March, the exhibition--which is better known as the Armory Show, after its location--was presented by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS) and assembled chiefly by two of its members, Arthur B. Davies and Walt Kuhn, who went to Europe to select the works. When the show opened it proved to be one of the wonders of the age, and a defining moment in the history of American art. The American public, and even the members of the AAPS, had never seen anything like these works, which ranged from Van Gogh and Gauguin to Picasso and Brancusi. Duchamp's painting, with its ..."
Abstract This paper discuses the importance of visual arts in a school's curriculum and focuses on the benefits of introducing visual art in student's elementary education curriculum. This paper not only focuses on the importance of visual art experience through student's point of view but also through the teacher's perspective. This paper emphasizes on how the experience of art make a student a better and more responsible individual of a society.
From the Paper "Till the eighteenth century the word art was broadly used in such a way that it reflected all forms of human skills and all the things which men were able to produce by skilled workmanship. Art is the imaginative and dexterous explication of experience in an aesthetic form, and throughout history it has played a crucial role in men's attempts to master and enjoy their surrounding and to liberate themselves."
Abstract The success of the American Revolution meant that the former colonists had to take on the difficult job of building a new kind of nation, with a new style of government, based on ideas about freedoms and rights that had never been tried before. The young country wanted to draw on what was best from its European heritage, but also to distinguish itself from Britain's culture which had been the principal cultural model. The paper shows that in the first century, the United States formally and informally used painting, architecture, and sculpture to carry important messages about the nature of American society and to develop styles that were distinctively American. Examples of two works from each of these branches of the arts demonstrate the variety of ways in which the country's art presented American ideals, promoted American self-confidence and developed an American character.
The works discussed are: Gilbert Stuart's painting "Vaughan Portrait" (1795); Thomas Jefferson's architectural design of the Virginia State Capitol Building (1785-99); the statue "Justice" (1824) by sculptor William Rush; Hiram Powers' bust of General Andrew Jackson (1835); Robert Mills' Treasury Building (1836-42) and Albert Bierstadt's painting "The Oregon Trail" (1869).
From the Paper "Almost as soon as the Revolution ended painters and engravers began to meet an overwhelming demand for portraits of George Washington and other leaders. In addition to being a major symbol of independence, Washington was also painted as the embodiment of "American virtue, restraint, courage, and strength--in short, of American republicanism" (Baigell 27). Gilbert Stuart, an American who trained in England, produced some of the finest and most popular versions in such paintings as George Washington or the Vaughan Portrait (1795). Stuart showed a rather "patrician and remote" Washington, partly because he trained in the aristocratic portrait tradition in England (Baigell 36). But, as Baigell notes, Stuart was a Federalist who did not approve of the growing popularity of Thomas Jefferson and his more democratic ideals. The Vaughan Portrait also reflects, therefore, "the mood of the Federalist hierarchy, fearful of runaway populism . . . and anxious to fix a national image in the minds of Americans to counter endemic localism" (Baigell 36-37)."
Abstract This paper explains that the innovation of the grid as an enduring motif in modern art and its offshoot, the straight-line, opened up a relatively unprecedented mode of expression for modern abstract artists. This paper explores the philosophy and work of Piet Mondrian and other artists of the Neo-Plasticism movement. The author points out that, for Mondrian, the grid was not simply a structural mechanism but an organic solution to the Modernist preoccupation with mind/matter dualism. Examples of Mondrian's works in color included.
From the Paper "The grid is clearly the perfect artistic means by which to affect this "liberation", as it provides a structure predicated on an inherent and infinite formlessness. Its strict horizontal and vertical axes proved an excellent format for the controlled interaction of pure, primary planes of colour, and functioned as an independent, artistically alive (plastic) organism in which ??everything counterbalances everything else.? "
Abstract Claude Monet and Rembrandt van Rijn are fundamentally different in their approaches to painting. This paper explores Monet's fascination with water and Rembrandt's love of chiaroscuro (the interplay of light and shadow) as well as both painter's philosophies on time - Monet often denies the existence of time altogether, whereas Rembrandt often makes the use of time an important subject matter of his work. The paper analyzes two works by Rembrandt - "Madonna of the Cat" (1654) and "A Woman Wading in a Brook" (1654) to show his use of chiaroscuro and his philosophy on time. The paper also discusses works by Monet including "La Grenouillere" (1868) and "Camille on her Deathbed", which show his fascination with water and his belief in art about art, rather than about reality.
From the Paper "Rembrandt's concern with experience and reality is inherent his work. In his etching of 1654 of Madonna of the Cat, he shows a scene which is full of meaning, and thus time and experience. There is a paradox in the scene itself involving the interplay of light and shadow, which is quite often the case with Rembrandt's work. In the center of the etching, Mary is shown cradling Jesus in her arms. Traditionally, the pair is shown with a halo surrounding the fontanel. Rembrandt's etching seems to do this, although in actuality what appears to be a halo is simply sunlight filtering though the window. In this context, he places Mary and Jesus in shadow, instead of in the light, which one would expect in a Christian scene. He suggests a more Protestant view of experience, in which shadow becomes a metaphor for ambiguity, everyday experiences, and the placing of the divine on a more human level. He suggests his belief that God is dwelling on earth among the normal, everyday people, rather than in the brilliantly lit skies of Heaven. This in and of itself is opposite from what the Greeks believed in."
Abstract This paper discusses the argument that the use of absinthe influenced the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. The paper develops this argument by first examining the history and known pharmacological effects of absinthe use, then cites historical evidence for Van Gogh's own absinthe abuse. The paper then details the specific works of art that may show signs of the artist's working under the influence of this powerful drug.
From the Paper "Few artists in history have been as professionally brilliant or as personally troubled as Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). Generations of scholars, historians, and scientists have studied van Gogh's life and his work, formulating myriad hypotheses about the relationship between his private struggles and his art. Among the most intriguing of these is the suggestion that van Gogh's use or abuse of absinthe played a role in the execution of his painting. While the evidence is far from conclusive, absinthe's negative effects on the mind and body are reasonably well understood, and van Gogh was a known absinthe drinker. Given these facts, it is a small leap to suppose that absinthe may have influenced some of the great artist's work."
Abstract The work examined in this paper is Pablo Picasso's "Guernica", a massive work with a political purpose. The paper shows the simplicity of the painting in the way it reduces images to curved and angular expressions of outlines. It also shows its complexity in the way it brings together a number of elements in a cohesive whole to indicate the horror and terror of war, specifically of one incident in the Spanish Civil War, as a representative moment for all unjust war. The paper examines the fact that critics are divided on the work - they tend not to agree on "Guernica's" impact on either Picasso's success in general, or on the progress of art history.
From the Paper "Chronologically, Guernica was out of step with both the development of Picasso's ever-changing style and the height of the reign of cubism, of which he was a founder. Picasso's career and his cubist techniques, however, show why he chose this particular art form as the best means of communication and expression in this instance. Surrealism was an artistic movement with a strong political component, such as would be seen in Guernica, but with a different aesthetic. Surrealism was the most highly organized and tightly controlled artistic movement in this century, and its moral and executive leader was Andr? Breton, given the unofficial title of the Pope of Surrealism."
Abstract This paper explores Egyptian artwork, using 2 pieces from ancient Egypt which can be seen at the LCMA - Wadjet and Sekhmet. The writer studies the art as it relates to the expression of ideas, rituals and religion in ancient Egypt. The paper uses these two pieces because while the goddesses are similar, each with a lion's head, they are associated with different parts of Egypt - Sekhmet derives from Memphis, while Wadjet is from Buto.
From the Paper "This sort of rigid and bisymmetrical form is seen in both Wadjet and Sekhmet in the Los Angeles collection. The goddesses are similar as each has a lion's head, as noted, but the goddesses are associated with different parts of Egypt. Sekhmet derives from Memphis, while Wadjet is from Buto. Wadjet is considered the protector of the north, or Lower Egypt, and she also has associations with Hathor and is said to have helped Isis protect the infant Horus in the mythology of ancient Egypt."
Abstract This paper looks at the life of Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895) who was born in Brattleboro, Vermont and is considered one of the most respected architects of his time. It discusses how he was awarded many professional honors and was one of the most highly acclaimed Americans of the nineteenth-century. It briefly examines Hunt's education and career and evaluates his work in terms of his contributions to architecture, to New York City and his influence on city architecture. It also looks at some key works he designed and created including his most monumental work, the base of the Statue of Liberty. Pictures of some his works are included.
From the Paper "The industrial age, however, had produced new methods and materials that opened up novel possibilities. Engineers and industrialists, for example, had perceived the potentialities of cast iron, long before architects began to speculate on its creative applications to their craft. The structural use of iron actually dates form the latter part of the eighteen-century, although at first it was found in bridges, cotton mills, and other functional buildings, where it was usually combined with brick, stone, or timber, or else used as a substitute for one or more of them. With the use of cast iron and steel the nineteenth- century was eventually to see the spanning of broader widths, the enclosure of more cubic space, and projections toward greater heights than had previously been possible. It was in this context that Hunt began his career as an architect, for it was in Europe that he learned to appreciate and respect the history of art in architecture ? and it was this European architectural history that he wanted to reproduce in America."
Abstract This paper uses the example of Jenny Holzer's work "Truisms" ( NYC Guggenheim Museum) to illustrate her conceptual art. (Illustration included.) The author points out that Holzer's "Truisms" came about because of her despair of the present-day world where there is little dialogue about people's widely varying beliefs. The paper states that Holzer's art distinguishes two strong characteristics of the late 1970 and 1980 artists: The manipulation of gallery and museum spaces as communal locations of the dissemination of political and social commentary and the spread of activist art collections in New York.
From the Paper "New artistic movements arose during the 1960s and ?70s to challenge and displace modernism in painting, sculpture and other media. By the late 1970s, artists were using conversations, discussions and theoretical texts as the basis for their creative products. One of these styles was conceptualism. Deliberately formed as an approach that no aesthetic formalism could ever embrace, it placed art beyond all limitations and definitions to break the stringent constraints of the previous art history and criticism. Attention was turned toward producing and the manipulation of materials. The result or the final object became secondary and often temporary. The rise of conceptualism corresponded to artistic trends taking place in various parts of the world, as social and political upheaval prompted artists to re-examine traditional forms of representation and question art's social utility. Much of the art in exhibitions was made to provoke the viewer by disturbing previously accepted ideas about social, political and cultural systems."
Abstract This paper explains that Toulouse-Lautrec, despite his physical handicaps and later by alcoholism, managed to create his own instantly recognizable style and his unique way to invoke a world that was full of jollity and humor. The paper points out that Toulouse-Lautrec stands out in graphic art; even today, his lithographs and posters are still being copied. The author believes that, since Rembrandt, Lautrec was maybe the most unforgettable artistic character, a status acknowledged years earlier by novelists and the film industry.
From the Paper "Moreover, he was amazingly open to the unorthodox kinds of commission that his graphic success won him. He illustrated songs for music publishers, art exhibitions, theatre programs, confetti, menus for friends, designing posters for books, journals, plays, caf? and theatre stars, ordinary products as domestic furnishings, printing ink and bicycle chains. All these posters were effectively a form of anti academic propaganda. Thus, by taking this work to the street, he was involved in a delicate but classic form of revolution that turned out to be more real than the exhibitions and salons of the avant-garde ever were."
This paper discusses Edgar Degas, an impressionist artist whose artwork revealed a concern for the psychology of movement, expression, harmony of line and continuity of curves that distinguished him from all the other impressionist painters.
Abstract This paper explains that, although Deges was connected with the impressionists, he never was fascinated like others were by the influence of natural light and thus did most of his work inside his studio only. The paper continues that his paintings depicted ballet, horse racing, the theater and circuses, which gave the idea that his work stemmed from the humanistic experience. The author points out that Degas? favorite subjects were scenes from the world of entertainment, the daily life of women, ballet dancers, horse races and young ballerinas.
From the Paper "Degas was captivated and influenced by a study of Japanese prints of which style appeared to be in his later work. He drew on the Japanese idea of asymmetrical design as an object to set the subject to the side of a painting. For example, one of his paintings made in 1865, depicted a Woman with Chrysanthemums (exhibited at Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City) where the female subject is pushed into one side by a bouquet of flowers."
Abstract "Primavera" by Botticelli - intriguing because of its portrayal of a mythological scene, beautiful because of its master's dedication - is without a doubt a masterpiece. The importance of the painting in its time period and Botticelli's scrutinizing attention to detail make the "Primavera" a truly remarkable work. This paper takes a close look at at the painting. It discusses the 500 different types of plants identified in the painting and their association to mythological figures. The paper also looks at the reason why "Primavera" is considered a painting which is not typical of its time.
From the Paper "Due to its representation of mythological figures and scenes, it might be initially difficult to discern the time period of the Primavera. Executed in a time of paintings of saints and countless reproductions of Madonna and Child scenes, the Primavera definitely stands out, and appears out of keeping with contemporary visions. The clues to its time period are subtle. Venus is clothed in heavy, colorful robes, and the hair of the Graces are beaded with pearls, both styles of dress unique to the Early Renaissance. Also typical of the Early Renaissance is the attempt to achieve "anatomically correct, but idealized figures"perfected generic types? (Stokstad 643). The full return to Classical proportions had not yet occurred, but the artists of Botticelli's time were looking toward an ideal in human anatomy, and this can be seen upon close examination of the female figures in the painting. From the Graces to Chloris, all six females in the work have generally the same body type, if not exactly the same, and their faces also hold relatively the same features."
Abstract This paper examines how prehistoric cave art is considered to be man's original form of art, although its date of origin is still unknown. It looks at how, with examples, the art displays the effects of the cultures and surroundings that created them. It discusses how the cave art found in Europe and Africa depicts the prehistoric conception of animals, humans, symbols and weapons and how there are many differences and commonalities between the art found in both areas.
From the Paper "The cave paintings in Linton are considered to be only 11,000 years old, as opposed to Apollo 11. The cave shelter located in Linton on the Eastern Cape of Africa contains a painting of that illustrates the experiences of healers or shaman, calling on supernatural powers. Human figures are clearly defined. The shaman has hooves, as if taking on the shape of an animal in order to connect to the spiritual world. White dots are used to represent spiritual power. Strange features are also assigned to other animals and humans present during the trance in the painting, using white dashes. Animals in the painting appear to have mismatched body parts, such as a snake with an antelope head."
