Abstract This paper considers the origins of the 18th century Rococo style of art. It also considers the similarities and the differences in French and Italian Rococo styles, the changes that occurred as the style spread to Germany and Austria, and the end of the Rococo form of artwork.
From the Paper "As is true of so much of artistic enterprise, Rococo art began as a reaction to what had come before it, and so it is impossible either to appreciate or to understand Rococo art without understanding at least in some measure the Baroque aesthetics that Rococo artists set themselves up against. While the Baroque covers a range of different sub-styles and competing schools, Baroque art (especially painting and sculpture) as well as architecture was distinguished by a general sense of vitality and an emphasis on creating the illusion of movement."
Abstract Discusses the Geometric period, the Early Classical period, and the Hellenistic period in relation to Greek art. The paper looks at art based on the idea of changeless absolutes and ideals and the "Geometric Krater" as an example of the style of the Geometric period.
From the Paper "The artworks of a given era reflect the formalist, social, and economic realities of the period, exemplifying the prevailing artistic styles and the social and economic structures which influence the arts. Artworks from three periods of Greek art- ..."
Abstract This paper analyzes and reviews the work of Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt, who is considered a leading exponent of Art Nouveau and one of the greatest decorative painters of the 20th century. The paper describes several of Klimt's more famous works of art, explains his artistic style and the themes exhibited in his work, and explains what makes Klimt one of the most prominent artists in the history of erotic art.
From the Paper "The Austrian painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), has long been considered the leading exponent of Art Nouveau and one of the greatest decorative painters of the 20th century. His artistic renderings of the female figure and his drawings that pertain to the theme of female sexuality have assured him a place in the history of erotic art. According to George Fliedel, "There is no denying that the erotic represented one of Klimt's most important sources of inspiration" (167), for in his later paintings, sexual subject matter is often concealed beneath a gossamer web of ornament, but in his drawings, the explicitly erotic is constantly evident. Seldom have the themes of sexual coupling and female masturbation been more frequently or more exquisitely portrayed than in a number of Klimt's most famous works of art. Contemporary critics, as well as earlier commentators, have observed that explicitly sexual subjects incited Klimt to produce some of his finest paintings."
Abstract The paper discusses Picasso's most renowned works, " Guernica" and "Les Demoiselles d? Avignon?, by interpreting the symbolic representation of these magnificent pieces of art, as well as their imaginative abstraction
From the Paper "Pablo Ruiz Picasso, the most renowned painter of the twentieth century, was first famous for his pioneering role in the area of cubism. This special construction of paintings perfectly explained the concept of how a depth can be "faked" to create a three dimensional effect when in fact painting is a two-dimensional work."
Abstract This paper discusses the works of famous American artist, Georgia O'Keefe, and Renaissance artist, Artemisia Gentileschi. The paper looks at the styles, techniques, and subjects of each artist, as well as their influence in the art world.
From the Paper "Compared to their more famous male counterparts, women artists have always been relegated to the ephemeral areas of art history. As a whole, this area of study has been grossly unrecognized and under-appreciated for a number of years, mostly due to the absence of solid documentation on the lives of those women who contributed to the long history of art in Western Civilization. Nonetheless, two prominent female painters deserve closer examination; one of these artists is Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) and the other Georgia O'Keefe (1887-1986). Both artists represent the pinnacle of artistic achievement in painting, with Gentileschi firmly established as a master of the Renaissance and O'Keefe as one of the truly great American painters of the 20th century."
Abstract This paper presents an analysis of a mosaic from the early Christian era called "Justinian and Attendants". The paper looks at the mosaic's significance in terms of how it represents the the church, the state, and those who were in power during the early years of Christianity. The paper looks at Greek influence on the mosaic, its artistic and historical attributes, and the symbols and ideas it expresses.
From the Paper "As part of what is called the Early Christian era, the mosaic of "Justinian and Attendants," located at San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, represents many things associated with the church, the state and those who were in power during the early years of Christianity. This era is commonly divided into two sections, being the Period of Persecution in the first century A.D., and the Period of Recognition, when the Roman emperor Justinian recognized Christianity as a major religion and ended up being converted to Christianity himself which led to the establishment of the official church of the Roman Empire. In this early period of the church, the Christians were, as far as Rome was concerned, nothing more than rebels and outlaws that posed a serious threat to the security of the empire."
Abstract The purpose of this essay is to show how Frida Kahlo was ahead of her time in the women's movement, how she was politically active when most women had little to no voice in men's politics, and how her role as a woman helped shape the history of Mexican art, while at the same time having a strong influence on the Communist movement in the struggling nation.
From the Paper "When she was eighteen, Frida Kahlo was a victim in a very serious bus accident which left her bedridden because of a series of broken bones including her spinal column, collarbone, ribs, pelvis and more than ten separate fractures throughout her right leg. Her right foot had been completely crushed and her shoulders both were severely dislocated. For more than a month she had to be confined by wearing a heavy plaster casing to aid her body's healing. To stem off boredom, her family placed a large mirror at the top of her bed and provided her with her first paints."
Abstract Photography has become an important tool in documenting child casualties of war. Since its invention in 1839, photography has been used to record the horrors of the battlefield. Photographic documentation of war first focused largely on the men involved in the conflict: generals meeting with their troops and horrific images of battlefield carnage. That focus changed with the Vietnam War, as photographic documentation of the civilian casualties of war became well-known. The most famous of these photographs, a striking image of a young girl fleeing a Napalm strike in terror, likely changed the face of the documentation of child casualties in war for all time. This paper shows that, today, documentation of children in war is an important part of the photographic record. Photographs of child casualties in the Gulf war and the recent Iraqi conflict have had an important role in humanizing the conflicts and bringing to light the sad reality of war: that the innocent suffer the most.
From the Paper "There are important implications that can follow the photographic documentation of children in war. Like all photographs, those of child casualties in war are simply a stolen moment, a snapshot of time. The impact of such photographs can be unexpected, especially on the lives of the subjects of the photographs. For example, media attention from Nick Ut's famous photograph changed the course of Kim Phuc's life forever. The Vietnamese government considered her a valuable symbol of the war, and took her out of medical school. Kim tried to evade the government, but foreign journalists inevitably tracked her down and exposed her to the government. She eventually received asylum in Canada, and acts as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador (Saywell) ".
Abstract W.H. Auden's poem, "Musee des Beaux Arts", was inspired by the images of suffering in a painting by Brueghel. The paper shows how the central image of the painting serves to convey Auden's idea that only artists, the "Old Masters", truly understood suffering from a global point of view.
From the Paper "Auden uses the structure of the poem to visually present his conflict. The first part of the poem is a general depiction of suffering and the indifference to this suffering. Whereas he names specific instances of suffering, the poet does not put a name to any of the persons engaged either in suffering or in indifference. He only refers to them only as "the aged" and "children". The same is true of artists, who receive the general reference of "Old Masters" in the first part of the poem. During the second part of the poem Auden suddenly turns to specific suffering. One specific person, depicted in one specific painting by one specific artist is mentioned."
Abstract This paper describes and analyzes three different purposes served by tattoos. The paper discusses tattoos as forms of art, tradition, and even mutilation. Also, the paper posits that tattooing is a process conducted by the society that defines tattoos not only as an art form, but also a ritual wherein positive and negative images of body art, as well as its explicit and implicit meanings, are embedded.
From the Paper "Tattoos are one of the most prevalent forms of self-expression and self-identity in the American society. Tattoos are created mainly for its aesthetic purpose, illustrating the wearer's personality as personified in the graphics created and permanently "scarred" into the human skin. Technically defined, tattoos are a form of body art, where illustrations are decorated within the skin through the process of inserting ink substance into the skin through needles. This process, called tattooing, is a popular practice primarily conducted as either of the following purposes: (1) as a decoration or body art; (2) as a form of ritual; and (3) as creations of mutilation of the human skin."
Abstract This paper explains how Georgia O"Keeffe was a distinguished artist whose works illustrate the possibilities of potential of every artist determined to succeed. It shows how she was instrumental in exposing an artistic style that became dominant in America during the 20th century. Her work is often described as abstract, expressionistic, and passionate. O"Keeffe's life is filled with accomplishments that can be attributed to her determination to express herself as well as possible through her paintings. She was courageous and passionate, and these qualities shine through her vast collection of diverse paintings.
From the Paper "O"Keeffe was one of the first female painters to become recognized for her work, which is quite an achievement considering that when she began painting, women were not allowed to vote. (Spangenburg 4) O"Keeffe's early exposure to the women's suffrage movement is perhaps one of the most influential factors in her life. According to John Kehoe, this independence was present in every aspect of her life. He says, "She made most of her own clothes. She did not drink, avoided sugar, took a quantity of vitamins, and abjured all drugs, medicinal and otherwise: Her cure for a headache was wrapping a warm scarf around her head" (Kehoe). Even her personal life illustrates a dogged individuality."
Abstract This paper analyzes the romantic comedy genre in the context of the movies, "Pretty Woman," "Runaway Bride", and "Notting Hill". The paper points out how the typical theme of romantic comedies has been updated, but still remains the same. In other words, the female characters in romantic comedy are still portrayed as independent women with a certain amount of power, yet still craving a relationship with a man who will be at their side when needed.
From the Paper "Ever since the invention of the cinema, the art of filmmaking has evolved tremendously. In the early days the audience of these cinemas was hungry for any type of screening of films, merely waiting for something new and innovative coming their way. Thus, film makers though limited by their tools and technology tended to repeat or imitate stories in real life so that movies started to develop certain norms or conventions. A western movie thus would have the good guy and the bad guy always at odds; eerie music marked the tone in a horror movie; the loss of a girl was common in a romantic comedy. Filmmakers started to categorize movies into broad categories like thriller, romantic comedy and horror and subsequent sub-categories. Such categorization came to be known as "genre" which in French means "sort", "type? or "kind" ("Genre" 2004)."
Abstract An analytical discussion of Van Gogh's painting. The paper examines the artistic styles of the time and looks at "Starry Night" in this context.
From the Paper "The thickness, shape and direction of his brush strokes created a tactile counterpart to his intense color schemes through thickly-loaded brush moves back and forth or at right angles, giving a textile-like effect; Van Gogh also would take the paint tube and squeeze dots or streaks upon the canvas. This bold, almost slapdash attack upon his canvases, at least in the eyes of his contemporary art critics, was viewed as highly disturbing; thus, it could be said that Van Gogh, through the use of different paint strokes, both infuriated and calmed the viewer. According to Van Gogh, as mentioned in a letter to his brother Theo, "Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color more arbitrarily so as to express myself forcibly" and then adds that the color in his paintings is "not locally true from the point of view of the realist, but is there to suggest the emotion of an ardent temperament" (Tralbaut, 1969), which indicates that Van Gogh's color schemes are ambiguous, meaning that they have the capacity to overwhelm the viewer to the point of utter confusion while expressing a strange calming effect almost as if the viewer was experiencing lucid dreaming."
Abstract This paper looks at the work of Cindy Sherman, a famous American photographic artist. It explains that the main focus of her work is herself. By turning the camera on herself, she symbolizes the complexity of being female through images that simultaneously shock and challenge the viewer. The writer points out that, by creating close-up images, she succeeds in creating a sensation of exaggerated nearness, yet dispels any feeling of closeness or intimacy. Her work creates a tension between familiarity and strangeness. The question of female identity is also a central concern that is explored.
From the Paper "Sherman rarely grants interviews and seldom allows herself to be photographed out of character. Her work has been exhibited in more than 75 solo and as part of over 150 group exhibitions. Sixty-four museums collect her prints. Today, her prints sell for between $20,000 and $50,000. A print from the Untitled Film Stills series was recently auctioned by Christie's for a record $190,000 - an unprecedented figure for a living artist/photographer. In 1996, New York's Museum of Modern Art paid $US1-million for the complete Untitled Film Stills series."
Abstract This paper explains that Michelangelo's sculpture of David is an excellent example of how an artist can combine the principles of design to create a masterpiece: balance, unity, movement, pattern, emphasis, rhythm, and contrast. The author points out that the visual equilibrium of the sculpture, or its balance, is asymmetrical; the statue is shaped with an ?S? curve, which combines the elements of balance and grace. The paper relates that the element of pattern in David reveals Michelangelo's genius of human anatomy, for example, the veins in David's right hand.
From the Paper "Michelangelo also displays an excellent use of contrast in David. David's hair is wavy and his skin is smooth. Contrast can also be seen in the wrinkles on David's face, the veins in his hands, and in the texture of his slingshot. The form of the statue also plays with shadows and light, which gives it a realistic feel. In terms of contrast, Michelangelo's David is true to human form. In addition, Michelangelo was careful not to add too much contrast to David. This could explain why David is not wearing any clothing or shoes. Too much contrast would certainly diminish the physical beauty of man that Michelangelo wished to emphasize. From this viewpoint, it is easy to understand why Michelangelo utilized a very limited amount of contrast in his sculpture."
