Abstract This essay is a comparison study of the works and views of Plato and Aristotle. The author explains that one of the basic ideas that these two great minds disagreed on was the value of art and of poetry, especially the merits of the Greek tragedy. Aristotle believed that art in all of its forms was a beneficial and necessary outlet for the expression of man's innermost feelings and fears. On the other hand, Plato condemned art and poetry. This paper examines the different ways in which these two great minds interpreted the arts and their purpose allows for a greater understanding of the workings of these two great minds and the two great channels of philosophical thought which they produced.
From the Paper "Three and a half centuries before the birth of Christ, an ancient Athenian known as Plato expressed this negative view of the value of poetry and the arts in an essay he called The Republic. To the occupants of ancient Greece, drama and tragedy were considered part of the poetic arts, and to Plato, the most revered and respected of ancient Grecian philosophers, poetry and art misrepresent heroes, encouraged moral weakness and went against the principles of his notion of the ideal polis, or state. In The Republic, Plato condemns not only the value of poetry, but also the value of art in general. This condemnation was eventually to be refuted in the year 350 BC in an essay entitled The Poetics, an essay written by Plato's philosophical prot?g?, Aristotle."
Abstract The author states that in the painting "The Luncheon of the Boating Party", Renoir shows the splendor and joy of everyday life. This painting marks the culmination of Renoir's Impressionist period. This painting was a huge undertaking for the artist. The author describes in detail the new method of combining colors that Renoir used to give the feeling of natural brilliant light.
From the Paper "A prime example of the artist's ability to capture the joy of a single moment on canvas can be seen in The Luncheon of the Boating Party. This painting depicts the carefree gathering of French revelers, having just concluded a convivial meal. Renoir recreates the beauty of the river scene with the posing of models, all friends of the artist; his use of vibrant color applied in small brush strokes to recreate natural light and a richness in texture, and his use of contrasting white with black. All these elements come together to show one of life's greatest pleasures; the joy of eating and drinking with friends."
Abstract This paper examines how a society's ideals are reflected in its sculpture, through the example of comparing Egyptian, Greek and Roman Sculpture. The author describes the characteristics of these societies as seen through their art and that their sculptures are a reflection on the perspective on the same world.
From the Paper "Different cultures see the world in different ways. Religion, society, and even politics, shape our views, and give form to our human environment. Architecture, music, literature, dress ? all are visible manifestations of a people's values. This is no less true in the realm of sculpture. A religious people will create works of art that express its most deeply held spiritual beliefs; a cerebral people, sculptures that capture humankind's highest ideals, while the politically minded turn out statues and busts that represent their world's movers and shakers. Styles can range from the formal and the symbolic, to the ideal and the real. Each serves its cultural purpose. As all peoples have done, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans produced sculptures that testify to the beliefs of their respective societies."
Abstract This paper discusses the life and work of Jackson Pollock, who is one of the central figures in the development of the strictly American art movement called Abstract Expressionism. The paper includes his biographical information, description of major works, quotes from Pollock and his critics describing his innovative drip painting style, and an "art inventory" of the 1953 painting called "Easter and the Totem."
From the Paper "American painter, Jackson Pollock, born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912, was a troubled genius who became known as a quintessential abstract expressionist in the art world of the twentieth century. Pollock, a freedom seeking rebel, was instrumental is the development of the distinctly American abstract expressionist movement in the United States. He became notorious for his drip painting methods and his huge canvases layered with paint and embedded objects. Pollock, known for his emotional volatility and heavy drinking, seen as a phony by some, and a hero by others, used his innovative, individualistic and uninhibited style to birth a new artistic genre in post World War II America. "
Tags: painter, expressionism, biography, works, rebel, painting, post
Abstract This paper briefly examines the history of ancient Greek art. It focuses on several periods - Archaic Period, Early Classical Period, Golden Age, Late Classical Period and Hellenistic Period. Different types of art forms are discussed and examined how they developed during these periods. The influence of other cultures on Greek art is also analyzed, namely Middle Eastern and Egyptian.
Outline
I. Introduction
A. History
B. Cultural influence
II. Archaic Period (600-480 B.C.)
A. Egyptian influence
B. Middle Eastern influence
III. Early Classical Period (480-450 B.C.)
A. New humanism led to balanced human form
B. Marble and bronze figurines
IV. Golden Age (450-400 B.C.)
A. Temples of the Athenian acropolis
B. Parthenon sculptures
V. Late Classical Period (400-300 B.C.
A. Expression of emotion
B. Individualization and three-dimensional movement
VI. Hellenistic Period (323-31 B.C.)
A. Nike and Aphrodite
B. Terra-cotta figurines
VII. Conclusion
A. Importance of masterpiece copies
B. Influence of Greek culture
From the Paper "The earlier great cultures of Egypt and the Near East were making art long before the Greeks and much of the early Greek art looks Egyptian, with its stiff and profiled poses and boxy geometric designs. Moreover, the Greeks borrowed the ideas, motifs, conventions, and skills from these earlier civilizations (Tansy 1996). However, it was the Greeks who made the leap into naturalism and in their representations of the human body created an ideal of perfectly balanced proportions that has never been improved upon. Although, we often speak of Greek and Roman in the same breath, the greatest accomplishments of Greek art were five centuries old by the time the Romans began to copy them. "
Abstract This paper discusses the life and art of Judy Chicago and her struggle to help women break out in the art world, and a detailed look at her work, "The Dinner Party", and its sexual and feminist meanings.
Awakening of Feminism
The Role of Judy Chicago in Feminism
The Role of Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party" in Feminism
The Dinner Party
Conclusion
From the Paper Judy Chicago and her Dinner Party bears some significant historical meaning for the world of feminism, the world of art history, and the world that ordinary people like you and me live. In contrast to the modernists/modernism and abstract expressionists/abstract expressionism that require artwork to be a production from solitary beings, Chicago used a total of 400 or so collective powers to constitute her piece of history. In contrast to the passive roles of feminine figures in the history of art, Chicago not only accepted the female figures but also blatantly integrated the female genitals into The Dinner Party.
Abstract This is an illustrated paper that takes a look at the life and work of Claude Monet, including his influences and his hardships.
From the Paper "Claude Monet was a seminal figure in the evolution of impressionism, a pivotal style in the development of modern art. Though Edouard Manet may be considered the father of impressionism, it is Claude Monet who's name is synonymous with the style. Although his work showed great diversity and genius, he never wavered from ideals of the impressionistic design. In fact the name "impressionism" came from one of his paintings, Impression: Sunrise."
Tags: impressionism, france, manet, renoir, painting
Abstract A look at the impact of world wars on abstract expressionism, a genre of art. The author examines what paintings under this genre represent and how they come to play significant roles in the expression of historical events.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
A. Brief definition of abstract expressionism
B. Examples of other relationships between artistic movements and political happenings
1. Romantic movement
2. Vietnam
C. Brief description of the effects of World War
1. effects on the U.S. economy/politics
2. effects on the people
D. Thesis as to the relationship of World War II and the rise of Abstract Expressionism
1. Three major influences
a. immigration of European artists, writers, intellectuals, scientists
b. the Surrealist movement
c. ancient influences (art)
II. Body
A. Before World War II
1. Depression
2. Thirty Years War
3. World War I
B. Historical Roots
1. the 1930s
a. political happenings/economy
b. art & the relationship between the two
2. late 1930s early 1940s
a. political happenings/economy
b. art & the relationship between the two
C. Intellectual Roots
1. Themes of Abstract Expressionism
a. the return to origins
b. the human continuum
c. conflict and the dualistic pattern of human life
d. opportunities/new beginnings
2. Heritage (Ancient influences)
3. Nature
4. the subconscious
D. Artists
1. Gesture
a. style
b. specific artists
2. Color Field
a. style
b. specific artists
3. In-between
a. style
b. specific artists
III. Conclusion
A. The evolution of art starting from the period of the 1930s (WWI, Depression, etc.) to
after World War II
1. Content
2. Purpose
3. Style
B. How World War II molded Abstract Expressionism and how the artists drew from World War II
1. the people's responses to the war
2. united aspects of the art that showed a general feeling towards WWII
C. How, by the rising of Abstract Expressionism, modern art was affected, and how it
changed the way that people expressed their sentiments
From the Paper "At first, there was an initial resistance to Abstract Expressionism, but by the 1950s it was recognized as the dominant force in American painting, encouraged by the government while being considered a symbol of American cultural freedom.For the first time ever, American art received widespread and serious attention in Europe. Abstract Expressionism can hardly be characterized as a single movement due to the diversity of the art it encompasses. Despite this variety, Abstract Expressionist paintings share several broad characteristics ? they are basically abstract, emphasizing free, spontaneous, and personal emotional expression, and they exercise considerable freedom of technique in order to attain this goal. The artists of this period manipulate the physical variables of the paint in order to convey expressive qualities, often on large canvases to give the visual effects an engrossing power. Abstract Expressionist artists can be divided into three categories based on style - gesture painting, such as done by Jackson Pollock, color field painting as done by Mark Rothko, or an in-between style as done by Robert Motherwell."
The use of technological machinery, the secular nature of Earthworks, and the celebration of the individual artist's viewpoint are the ties that bind land art to modernism.
Abstract This essay first examines the modern art movement known as "land art" or Earthworks. After explaining the philosophy and techniques used by all Earthwork artists, the essay concludes by evaluating the meaning and significance of the famous Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson. This 1500 foot coil of earth, salt crystal, and rock that extends into the Great Salt Lake is the most famous work of land artist and has multiple meanings and associations that are analyzed in the paper.
From the Paper "Earthworks, sometimes referred to as ?land art,? are a more recent development of modernist art, although they have their roots in thousands of years of cultural activity throughout the world. In that respect Earthworks differs from modern art movements like Impressionism and Expressionism. Stonehenge in England is an example of an ancient form of land art, and in most other nations can be found human alterations of the natural environment for symbolic or religious reasons. The Earthworks movement of the late 1960s and beyond was not the result of religious fervor or mystical devotion, but rather a grand response to art consumerism and insubstantial conceptual art (Hughes 384). Artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Hizer wanted to create huge and timeless rearrangements of the landscape that no one could ignore due to their overwhelming physical presence in the world. That is the nature of the Earthwork movement."
Tags: art, earthworks, jetty, land, robert, smithson, spiral, modern, Salt, Lake, Great
Abstract The paper shows how beginning around the early 15th century, the Italian Renaissance (1420-1600) was a culmination of Italy's "rebirth" within their culture ? which included artistic focus and style. The writer of the paper examines two of the most influential sculptors of their Renaissance times - Donatello, and Michelangelo. He shows how both sculptors were commissioned to create their interpretation of the Biblical David. While the two share some similarities, both pieces are strikingly different from the medium in which they were sculpted to the artist's use of realism. The paper discusses the Renaissance period as a background to these works of art.
From the Paper "Michelangelo's David also follows the Renaissance style of increased realism, humanism and return to Greco-Roman traditions. His sculpture came during the time period labeled "High Renaissance", which was the later period of the Renaissance. Michelangelo was given a thirteen and a half foot block of marble to sculpt David out of, which interestingly had been hacked on by another artist already! In essence, the block was used ? a remnant of sorts. (Bloem) From this enormous block of marble came one of the most famous and breathtaking sculptures of all time. David, unlike Donatello's interpretation, is seen before the fight with Goliath. His body is poised, ready for the fight. The anatomical detail is superb on this sculpture. As the Renaissance went from the Early period to the High period, the artists paid even more attention to detail in anatomy, which is reflected by Michelangelo's David."
Abstract This paper presents a discussion of the work of Andy Warhol. Warhol's often controversial portrayals of pop culture are analyzed in order to define the symbolism and meaning behind them. To this end, the subjects, qualities and styles used are examined through examples of various works.
From the Paper "Andy Warhol portrayed Pop Culture from a very human perspective. Sometimes his work poked fun at serious art figures such as Picasso's portrayal of himself as the bull in his bull fighting scenes (Knight 2002). His cow wallpaper is a parody of this idea. Often his works included famous people of the era ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Jacqueline Kennedy to Grace Jones. He sought to portray the irony of Pop Culture and show its absurdity. His subjects were symbols of ideals of the time, a type of twentieth century iconography. Christopher Knight of the LA Times said, "Raised Byzantine Catholic, Warhol understood the power of an icon" (Knight, 2002). Most of his work centered on portraying the ideas that permeated pop culture in a sarcastic manner."
From the Paper "One of the influences on the development of the artistic movement known as surrealism derived from the writings and thought of Sigmund Freud. Freud has a particular influence on Andre Breton, one of the leading theorists of the movement, and Salvador Dali, perhaps its best-known practitioner. Each man acknowledged the contribution of Freud and produced works citing Freud directly.
Surrealism was an artistic movement with a strong political component. It was the most highly organized and tightly controlled artistic movement in this century, and its moral and philosophical leader was Andre Breton, who held the unofficial title of the Pope of Surrealism. Surrealism was also a life-style and a philosophical outlook that informed artistic expression, political action, and social life."
From the Paper Picasso's monumental mural "Guernica" is an imposing 11 feet, 6 inches by 25 feet, 8 inches oil on canvas painted entirely in black, white and gray. Many art historians and critics consider "Guernica" Picasso's masterpiece, as well as an example of how the visual arts can be used as protest art without diminishing its artistic qualities.
According to historian Frederick Hartt "Guernica" is not only Picasso's finest work of the 1930s but perhaps the greatest of all social protest pictures. In 1937, Picasso was invited by the government of the Spanish Republic to provide a painting for the Spanish Pavilion at the International Exhibition in Paris. As a theme for this work, Picasso chose the bombing of the Spanish town of Guernica. In the years preceding the Second World War, the German Nazis and the Spanish Fascists had .."
From the Paper "This paper will analyze the painting Madonna and Child with Adoring Angel (c. 1468), by Sandro Filipepi Botticelli. The work consists of tempera paint on panel and it stands at 35 x 26-3/4 inches. The subject matter of the painting shows Mary affectionately holding the baby Jesus while a nearby angel looks on. The context of the work is the early Italian Renaissance. In contrast to the strictly religious themes of the medieval period, the early Renaissance was a time when humanism was becoming increasingly important in painting. In addition, the early Renaissance saw the development of increased naturalism in terms of pictorial style.
Botticelli was born in about 1444 or 1445 and he died in 1510. He was a Florentine painter who is closely associated with the patronage of the Medici family. The Madonna and Child with ..."
Abstract Works of art of the Egyptians and Greeks in the Hellenic era. Shared characteristics of the two ancient societies. Describes Egyptian statue of "Ranofer," a limestone sculpture of a standing male. Compares it to the Greek "Kouros," a life-sized marble figure of a male youth. Human orientation of Greek art.
From the Paper "Comparison of Two Sculptures
The ancient Egyptians and the Greeks of the Hellenic era shared several important characteristics. Among them were a complex system of gods, each requiring his or her own ritual worship, and a love of the monumental in terms of architecture and selected art forms. As Laurie S. Adams (p. 73) has commented, both groups followed certain canons and conventions in sculpture, leading to creations that were life-sized or larger, monumental and powerful, and firmly rooted within the guiding sociocultural ethos in which they were produced. This report will compare two works of art. The first is an Egyptian statute of Ranofer, a limestone sculpture of a standing male produced in about 2750-2625, B.C. (Gardner, p. 54). The second sculpture to be discussed is known as Kouros, a life-sized figure of a male ..."
