Abstract This paper discusses how no two artists have captured the essence of the Native American Indians as inspiringly as George Catlin and Edward S. Curtis. It shows that while most of the world considered the Native Americans as savages and godless people, Catlin and Curtis have managed to bring the truth home in incredibly detailed pictorial journals. It describes how the vivid colors of Catlin's work is a sharp contrast to the black and white photography of Curtis. Catlin's style and his use of colors enhance the fantasy world in which he viewed the Native Americans living in whereas Curtis, used his camera to capture the realism of the Native people and their lifestyle.
From the Paper "There is hardly a book published on Native Americans that does not contain a Curtis photograph. While Catlin's landscapes had a whimsical quality to them, Curtis? photographs capture the wholeness and wonder of the land. He had a remarkable eye for composition. "Canon de Chelly, Navajo" shows the majestic rock formations towering above the horseback riders below. It is a perfect example of how minute humans are in comparison to the earth (McLuhan 1971). "Piegan Sun Dance Encampment" a photograph of a camp of teepees on the prairie, again captures the majesty of the land."
Abstract Gaugin's "Ia Orana Maria" and Reni's "The Immaculate Conception" are two very different representations of the Virgin Mary. The paper explains that by utilizing more classical composition techniques, smooth, curving lines and rich, strong colors, Reni portrays Mary as an idealized version of Baroque femininity in a heavenly setting. It shows, in contrast, how Gauguin adheres to the primitive tradition, illustrating Mary as a native woman, a naked Christ child set on her shoulders. His use of asymmetrical composition in a cluttered, unplanned scene provides a feeling of energy and naturalism, a striking contrast to the serenity of Reni's work. The paper shows therefore that in illustrating the Virgin Mary in their works, each painter adheres to the very different sensibilities of their time periods.
From the Paper "Paul Gaugin's "Ia Orana Maria," translated as "Hail Mary," treats a similar subject matter, in that it illustrates the Virgin Mary with adoring attendants. However, this is not the Mary of the Immaculate Conception, but with Christ who is perched upon her shoulders. Painted in the post-impressionist genre known as Arcadia, which exemplifies scenes of blissful simplicity and retreat from the complex, this work was completed in 1891 and hangs in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. It is not a large work, only 44 inches by about 36 inches. In keeping with its primitive tradition, and in stark contrast to "The Immaculate Conception," the composition is highly asymmetrical, with the central Mary figure set off to the right of the picture. The poses are unstudied, casual and almost accidental, with Mary and the Christ child looking at the viewer, and the two prayerful, adoring native women gazing at them. This casual approach may be an attempt of Gauguin to emphasize the "naturalness" of the scene, despite the obviously supernatural halos."
Abstract A pieta is described as a painting or sculpture of the body of the dead Christ being supported by the Virgin, often with other mourners present. This paper analyzes how the painting "Pieta" follows the conventions of a pieta by depicting all of the above. The paper shows too how Crivelli's own unique style is apparent in the work, seen in the attention to detail and the gothic elements. This style of Crivelli's is related to his own background as an artist. By looking at the artwork further, the paper shows how the work is a reflection of Crivelli's background and influences as well as a product of the cultural context at the time of its creation during the Italian Renaissance.
From the Paper "Another aspect of the Renaissance that is apparent in Crivelli's work is the focus on religion. It has been noted that, ?While the political power of the church declines during the Renaissance... the Renaissance artists, remained devout Catholics.? This aspect meant that biblical scenes continued to be popular subjects for paintings. This is reflected in Crivelli's work with all of his works being religious in nature. As in the example Pieta, Crivelli maintained the religious subject but changed the way it was approached, adding his own perspective to the work, just as the trend was in Renaissance."
Abstract This paper discusses four different pieces of art, all of nude women and all done by different artists during the late nineteenth, early twentieth century. It looks at "Reclining Nude" by Amedeo Modigliani, "Woman with a Towel' by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas, "Nude on a Sofa" by Fritz Steinmetz-Noris and "Woman with a Cat" by Fernand Leger. Each painting is described in turn looking at style, color and possible story lines. Pictures of the paintings are included in the paper.
From the Paper "Woman with a Towel is unquestionably impressionistic in style, showing visible brushwork, vague shapes and unblended colors. The painting offers a study in shadow more than light and shadow. The woman's face is not visible, which seems an unusual perspective for the artist to take. Her body is voluptuous and sensual with only one full breast exposed. The draping of the towel, exaggerated in size, twisted and as the lightest area of the painting, draws attention and is especially sensual. The painting is the study of a pose and of a mood. The figure is mysterious. The viewer must wonder what sort of expression she has on her invisible face. Has she just stepped out of a bath shared with her lover?"
Abstract Discusses "LES DEMOISELLES D'AVIGNON." Surveys scholarly notions regarding Picasso's sources and influences for this 1907 painting. Meanings attached to the picture. The developing iconography of the piece. The panting as a turning point in Picasso's art, and as an example of the proto-Cubist painting. Relevance of "Demoiselles" to Picasso's life.
From the Paper "Because Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) has come to be regarded by many as perhaps the major turning point in twentieth-century painting there are few modern pictures that have been subjected to such intense scrutiny or produced so many interpretations. The influences and sources, the iconography (both private and public), the relationship between the painter's life and his work, and all other aspects of the painting's meaning have been debated. Some explanations have been directly opposed to each other, but many others are complementary or, at least, not mutually exclusive. The richness of the picture, the number of witness statements, the painter's own conversation, and a perhaps unparalleled wealth of preliminary sketches have provided ample room for so much work. This essay surveys a number of the most important scholarly notions regarding ..."
Abstract Analysis of the Greek pottery work. Attribution of the 515 B.C. pot to the painter Euphronius. Value of the Sarpedon Boy as an example of a subject matched to the pottery vessel's shape. Description of the piece as an example of red-figured painting as a complex set of images.
From the Paper "The Sarpedon Boy Krater of the Euphronius Painter
The Ancient Greeks were masters of sculpture and architecture, but they also excelled at painting, particularly in the decorative painting of ceramics used in both daily life and rituals. Over twenty thousand pots have survived to present what Wood, Cole and Gealt (1989) have characterized as an excellent overview not only of the functional uses to which the Greeks put such items, but also of the major philosophical, historical, cultural and religious currents shaping Greek life. This brief report will consider one such work ? the Sarpedon Boy Krater, attributed to the painter Euphronius, and made about 515 B.C.
The Krater of the Sarpedon Boy is an excellent example of ..."
Abstract Discusses how art is used to assist integration of presonality. Variety of practices with different aims. Use of art therapy with physically disabled persons, the mentally ill, temporary injured persons, anorexic patients, cancer patients. Qualifications of art therapists; their techniques. Creative art and working out of conflicts. Artistic expression and self esteem.
From the Paper "Even though art therapy has been used in some fashion since at least the first half of the twentieth century its range of helpful effects is still only partially explored and therapists constantly invent new ways to use the arts to assist people with physical disabilities and psychological problems. The depth of possibilities inherent in this therapy are expressed by one art therapist who asks that the reader imagine a medicine so powerful that "it could revitalize your spirit, giving you a dose of self-esteem and a joyful purpose in life" while also "induc[ing] deep meditation, allowing you to forget your pain and resolve any fears about the future, thereby boosting your immune system" (Longman, 1994, p. 64). But in many instances there is a lack of knowledge about art therapy--among caregivers as well as among those who could benefit from it. As Ulman (2001) points out, the ..."
Abstract Discusses the artwork and its impact. The historical and cultural context of the time it was exhibited. How it was received by critics and the public. How the piece affected and transformed art. The aesthetic significance of the sculpture. Aesthetic example of modern art. Overview of Duchamp's life and avant-garde art.
From the Paper "This research examines Marcel Duchamp's artwork Fountain. The research will set forth the historical and cultural context in which the work first presented and then discuss how it was received, its impact on the history of art, and how it affected and transformed art, including the relevance of art criticism of the work to its aesthetic significance.
No discussion of Duchamp's art would be complete without reference to the sundry trends and styles of modernism and postmodernism. And no account of Duchamp's Fountain can be considered complete that does not include reference to the manner in which his output as a whole both proceeds and departs from various trends. Indeed, the cultural context for the creation of Fountain as a work of modern art is as important to an understanding of it as is the fact of context as an aesthetic ..."
Abstract Examines traces of different styles of art from various periods in Henri Matisse's 1911 painting "The Red Studio." Indirect and direct influences, including Mary Cassatt, Van Gogh and other Post-Impressionists, Greek vase painting, High Gothic and Early Renaissance one-point perspective. Matisse's artistic purpose in the painting. Use of color as expression.
From the Paper "It is possible to detect traces of several different styles of art from various periods in Henri Matisse's 1911 painting Red Studio (oil on canvas, 71 1/4" x 86 1/4"). In some cases these traces are the sign of direct influence. An example of this is the influence of artists, such as the nineteenth century painter and printmaker Mary Cassatt, who first integrated ideas from Japanese art into the Western tradition. A second example of an immediate influence is the use of intense, unusual colors as a means of emotional expression found in the work of Vincent van Gogh and other Post-Impressionist painters. Other relationships between Red Studio and earlier art seem to be purely coincidental. The simple lines of many of the objects in Matisse's painting, for example, bear similarities to Greek red-figure vase painting from the early classical era. But there are ..."
Abstract Discusses relationship to audience and society. Art since 1945; radical changes, franmentation, multimedia unifications. Varying styles. Experimentation and consolidation & re-assessment leading to a pluralism of art styles. Post World War II societal changes. Postmodern world. Social plouralism & artists' engagement with their audience. Conventions. Innovations.
From the Paper "CONTEMPORARY ART AND ITS RELATIONSHIP
TO ITS AUDIENCE AND SOCIETY
The picture of the arts since 1945 is extremely complex with trends toward fragmentation on one the side and multimedia unifications on the other. Radical changes have come about in science, technology, politics, economics, and the arts. Social relativity and the pluralistic society are replacing absolute values and uniformity; and artists are working in styles that vary from wide-ranging freedom to strict formalism, from imaginative abstraction to stark realism, from detached objectivity to passionate expressionistic involvement."
Abstract Analysis of art as an intellectual and emtoional aeathetic response. Discusses Clifford Geertz's theory of art forms and their cultural context. The meaning perceived in aesthetic form and objects. Applies Geertz's framework to Abstract Expressionism as it developed in the post-World War II period. Limitations of Geertz's theory. Critical views of Clement Greenberg and Lucie-Smith.
From the Paper "Clifford Geertz (1983) has proposed a theory of art as a cultural system in which the response to aesthetics is both intellectual and emotional, or rooted in one's feelings. These feelings in turn are seen as rooted in culture, itself manifested in the varied expressions of religion, morality, science, commerce, technology, politics, amusements, law, and even in the societal organization of everyday practical existence. Geertz (1983, p. 96) argues that talk about art tends to move beyond the technical and even the spiritualization of the technical and is directed to "placing it within the context of these other expressions of human purpose and the pattern of experience they collectively explain."
Art, therefore, is very much a product, expression, symbol, and commentary upon the artist and the society in which the ..."
Abstract Compares the two artists. Their contribution to the new art of 19th Century Impressionism. Contrasts the different styles of Renoir's LUNCHEON OF THE BOATING PARTY and Seurat's A SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON THE ISLAND OF LA GRANDE JATTE. Setting and subject matter of both paintings. Artistic approaches. Use of color and brush stroke.
From the Paper "Renoir and Seurat: A Comparison
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 - 1919) and Georges Seurat (1859 - 1891) were contemporaries whose contributions to the "new art" of the late 19th century were of enormous significance. This brief report will compare a single painting by each artist. Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party (1991) and Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884- 1886) were painted at roughly the same time, but the two paintings represent very different styles.
Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party is set in an open air restaurant on the Island of Chatou; it depicts friends of the painter amusing themselves. According to Michael Wood (p. 248), Renoir was fond of images of the happy side of human life and preferred to paint carefree, joyous subjects. He was also ..."
Abstract This paper discusses the life of Jackson Pollock, (1912-1956) who is one of the central figures in the development of the strictly American art movement called Abstract Expressionism. Included are biographical information, description of major works, quotes from Pollock and his critics describing his innovative drip painting style, a brief description of the major motion picture made of his life, and an "art inventory," or comprehensive analysis 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."
Abstract This paper looks at how posters have always carried with them the ability to communicate in a unique way. When combining art with other interests, posters can become powerful tools of communication. The paper gives examples of how posters can promote a cause, sway peoples opinions, and be used as art. It concludes with proof that posters can capture the mood and culture of an era and represent effective uses of design elements.
From the Paper "This new art movement became known as Art Nouveau, which was the leading international decorative style of the early nineteenth century. Art Nouveau posters featured a flowing line which was inspired from nature. The style of this movement was all-encompassing, gathering influence from architecture, graphics, and furniture. Art Deco became the leading international decorative style after World War I and maintained popularity until World War II. Art Deco is best described as a machine age aesthetic, replacing the flowing line of Art Nouveau with streamlined, geometric designs with designs that represented speed and power. Other poster movements that created trends were Capiello, Object Posters, International Typographic Style and the Poster Style."
Abstract This paper provides a definition of creativity, followed by an outline of various factors, largely under the art teacher's control, that are prerequisites for fostering creativity: the proper setting; students who are not inhibited by fear of freedom; a teaching style that blends acceptance, seriousness toward art productions, a sense of fun, the absence of a desire to dictate acceptable outcomes and the time and materials for making art.
From the Paper "Art teachers, and teachers of many other disciplines, proclaim the nurturing of creativity as a principal component of their jobs. But definitions of creativity may vary considerably and what one individual sees as a creative exercise may seem to another to be rote learning of the simplest sort. In order to foster genuine creativity an art teacher must understand what creativity is and then develop the setting, attitudes, pedagogical style, and opportunities for children to develop their creativity. Although creativity is considered important in many subject areas--from learning to write to learning mathematics--it is often seen as the particular goal of art classes. But this does not mean that merely placing paint pot and paper in front of a child will nurture her/his latent creativity."
