Abstract The author feels that the Crayola? website, which has hundreds of lessons plans for all age groups, can be used almost exclusively as a source of lesson plans, ranging from science to pop art to multicultural and classical art styles. The paper describes the "Abstract Animals" lesson, very fitting for third graders, which teaches kids how to use simple shapes and colors to draw animals and other objects after the style of more modern representational artists. The author uses this lesson plan within a comprehensive interdisciplinary art curriculum that teaches about the relevance of art within its social and historical setting.
From the Paper "The third section is called ?Directions,? and for a change is precisely what it claims to be. The directions for this lesson are, in short, to show the children images of various animals and forms and to use tracing paper to draw simple geometric shapes over the forms. (For example, an elephant's head would be a circle with two large ovals for the ears and a long thin oval for the trunk.) Subsequently these designs are redrawn with marker on construction paper and colored in with chalk."
Abstract This paper considers the many influences on the career of Piet Mondrian, in particular theosophy, cubism, the Dutch tradition, Vincent van Gogh, neo-plasticism and his eventual move to New York.
From the Paper "Founded on an unprecedented concern with structure, unity and subtle geometry, Piet Mondrian's landscapes reveal the origins of what was to become the major preoccupation throughout his career ? universal beauty, and its abstract representation. It was a journey that would culminate in his remarkable last work Victory Boogie-Woogie, and a process which saw him grapple with Naturalistic Realism, Cubism, Symbolism (briefly) and finally Neo-Plasticism, also called the International Style, a movement he was to make his own. Mondrian's art is fascinating for the very reason it is also so hard to understand ? it was a completely new way of perceiving the relationship between the external world, inner feeling and the surface of the canvas. His abstraction was not just a move away from figurative, representational art, but a step towards transcendental purity."
Abstract The origins of the methods used in traditional dyeing are rooted in Egyptian, Greek and Roman times. Practically speaking, the principal methods of dyeing remained largely unchanged until the advent of synthetic dyes. This paper explores traditional methods of dyeing textiles (cotton, wool, silk) and examines the microscopy of the pigments used (woad, logwood, madder, copperas, etc).
From the Paper "It is a known fact that dyes react differently to various fibres and that their fastness is determined by the particular chemical properties of each fibre. The use of mordants ensures colour fastness but again the longevity of the colour is determined by a complex set of variables. In addition, different mordants achieve different shades and again the fastness of these shades is determined to a large extent by the particular method of application. Reaching optimum results also depends on the correct temperatures or the repeated dipping of the material into the dyebath or even on the application of several baths of different mordant dyes."
Abstract "Un Chien Andalou" is a film created by painter Salvadore Dali that encapsulates his idea of surrealist art. This paper offers an interpretation of "Un Chien Andalou" and looks at its contribution to the development of artistic ideas. The paper shows that the film, like Dali himself, contributed to all the arts since it inspired a more extensive application of distorting symbolism which caused traditional spatial and temporal dimensions to melt.
From the Paper "The principal aim of the Surrealist Movement was to open up the way to super-reality, fantasy, imagination and dream-like reality since its exponents believed that what really mattered was not the reasonably apparent connection among disparate events, but their subject matter and the effects they could have on the life of the individual. Due to the fact that people had been used to seeing and dealing with conventional forms of art, which had as an immediate result the belief in the representational function of art and the emotional impact impressionistic images could have on the beholder, the surrealists tried to shatter this conventional belief in order to make the transition to supra-reality possible. For this reason, they sought to connect images in an irrational order and present them in a distorted way. As a result, although most of the objects depicted may be identified as everyday objects taken from our familiar surroundings, the connection they form with each other and the message they are trying to communicate is open to question admitting no single explanation."
Abstract This paper looks at the life and career of Lee Krasner (1908-84). It discusses how Krasner occupied a unique historical position as the only woman among the so-called 'first generation' of Abstract Expressionists and how she was ignored, stifled and underrated and gave up much of her own career for the benefit of her artist husband, Jackson Pollock (1912-56). It provides a biography of her life from her birth in Brooklyn to immigrant Orthodox Jews through her education at the National Academy of Design to becoming friends with the painters and critics who came to form the Abstract expressionist movement. It evaluates the reasons for her exclusion and obscurity and compares some of the 1940s paintings by Krasner and Pollock to demonstrate the difference in approach between his expressionism and her more careful attention to structure and surface.
From the Paper "The principal reason that is usually given for Krasner's relative obscurity as a painter is that her husband's brilliance pulled all the attention away from her. But, as Krasner herself said, "The clich? is that Lee is overshadowed by her husband and that's easy and we don't have to think about it. It's outrageous" (quoted in "Lee Krasner" 4). The conditions that created her exclusion preceded her meeting with Pollock and continued long after he was dead. They were endemic to the ways in which the society at large thought about women and the ways the abstract expressionists and their friends thought about art. Krasner recalled that among the painters and intellectuals women in general were "treated like cattle" and from the beginning of her association with the intellectuals and painters she was treated with a curious combination of friendliness and grudging respect, but her work received the worst treatment in being all but completely ignored (Anfam 15). The supposedly advanced intellectuals of the 1940s shared common American prejudices about women."
Abstract This paper examines the dramatically different way in which male and female artists portray the same act - an 'indecent proposal' of money for sexual favors. To facilitate the comparison, artists are all Dutch painters active in the 1600s. Judith Leyster's "The Proposition" is used as the key female illustration of an indecent proposal, while a number of her male contemporaries (Baburen, Honthorst, Molenaer, Ter Borch, Vermeer) are examined for the male perspective.
From the Paper In 1893, during a cleaning of The Jolly Toper, a painting acquired by the Louvre as a Frans Hals, a curious discovery was made. In the lower corner of the work was the emblem "JLS?" - the monogram of the previously-unknown artist Judith Leyster (1609-1660) . Though highly regarded in her own 17th century Holland, Leyster's work had been essentially lost until this accidental discovery. Leyster shared the fate of many female artists, whose work is often lesser known and not as favorably regarded as that of their male contemporaries. Works within a genre made by male and female artists often demonstrate sharp differences in the way each sex portrays the subject matter. Comparing Judith Leyster's The Proposition with several other similar works by her male Dutch contemporaries readily illustrates this point.
Abstract This paper gives a detailed analysis of the many types of comedy in modern society and what role humor can play in our lives. Different forms of comedy are analyzed such as slapstick, farce, stand-up comedy, parody and tragi-comedy.
From the Paper "Comedy has been used as an escape from the tensions of real life for centuries. Laughter seems to be the one uniquely human sensation that there is; there seems little possibility that animals experience humour. Comedy is an essential part of everyday life, as it is regularly on television and radio and in literature. It is often through comedy that we can take a look at our lives and the issues that govern them, and to some extent comedy shapes the world in which we live."
Abstract By 1933 at the peak of the Depression, nearly 25% of all Americans were unemployed. Under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the country struggled to recover from the recession that became known as The Great Depression. The paper explains that as part of his New Deal program, President Roosevelt enacted many domestic policies and projects to try to rebuild America. Several particular endeavors were designed to keep painters, sculptors, and photographers employed. Because of these projects, artists created many works throughout the Depression. The paper shows that while artist reaction to the New Deal was varied, the works of art that were created expressed individual attitudes about the Depression and left a lasting mark on American art. The paper includes several reproductions of works of art from the era.
From the Paper "As America sank deeper into the Depression, artists quickly found themselves unemployed. Consequently, they questioned the effectiveness of a capitalist society. In comparing the United States to the Soviet Union, many of the artists came to believe that maybe a socialist system was a better option. They joined many left-winged organizations like the Artists? Union with the common goal of obtaining state-sponsored art initiatives. The group published its own journal, Art Front, which proved to be quite influential. Letters were sent to Public Works officials asserting, "the State can eliminate once and for all the unfortunate dependence of American artists upon the caprice of private patronage" (Pohl 365)."
Abstract This paper is a biography of the life and career of Edward Estlin Cummings, the twentieth century poet, playwright, novelist and artist. It describes his life from his birth in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 14, 1894 through his childhood, education at Harvard and his experiences during World War I. It discusses how Cummings was a man of many talents-- a poet, a novelist and an artist and how he was also a voice, as all writers eventually become. It looks at how he stood for the freedom of the individual and how he expressed this through all of his works. It shows how in his poems he basically broke every law of grammatical structure known to language in and twisted the lyrical phrases around for the effect of both creativity and statement and in his art he did it by just the freedom and abstract design of his ingenuity transformed into what he painted.
From the Paper "Some of the rather influential voices that played a role in both Estlin's writing and art forms included many modern, known people. Early in his career, Estlin looked to William Shakespeare to enlighten him on the art of developing sonnets. He admired Shakespeare's "intensity" to make art what it is. He took this intensity and incorporated it into and molded his sonnets after Shakespearian ideas, so to speak. These turned out to be some of the finest sonnets of our century. Estlin wrote them in a way as to "celebrate love, savagely ridiculing human stupidity, and recording his pilgrimage to the transcendental" (Unger 433)."
Tags: abstract, reform, transcendentalist, poet, artist
Abstract McClary brings the idea that during the early nineteenth century, concepts such as identity and masculinity were being newly defined, with art being one of the defining processes. This paper introduces some examples from art of this period, looking at the commentary of McClary to illustrate this theory. According to the paper, it is difficult for readers and listeners to separate the biographical details of the artist from the work.
From the Paper "Schubert, on the other hand, was not a well-known composer in his own time. By the time his work became open to criticism, Beethoven's work so dominated the critical mind as the epitome of German manhood that critical response to Schubert's work was labeled feminine. If Beethoven's directness, violence, and ferocity in his music was male, surely Schubert's flexibility and lack of tonal anchoring, engendering sympathy and attraction, were female. At least, this was the way critics of the period viewed the difference."
Abstract This paper reviews the plays of Wole Soyinka and show how his plays are traditional modern forms which are fused to compare traditional culture to the culture of Europe as introduced in the age of imperialism. The first play reviewed is "The Lion and the Jewel" where the author addresses issues of love in terms of cultural differences. The writer then looks at some of the themes in his play "The Trials of Brother Jero" where the issue portrayed is a clash between traditional religion and Christianity. Other issues seen in the review are feminism, class and religion.
From the Paper "The way the women in this society are viewed and treated contrasts sharply with the way we see women in our society today. A feminist would view this play as regressive, though it is in fact depicting a way of life that has sustained this particular community for some time. Lakunle seems more attuned to what the west would view as the proper way to treat women, but the women themselves acquiesce in such treatment and in their role in this society."
Tags: women, religion, christianity, drama, tribe, tradition, community
Abstract This paper examines the link between Asian Art and anthropology through the study of a figure from the T?ang Dynasty (618-907) entitled ?Figure: Tomb-guardian creature (zhenmushou) and dates circa 700-740?S1997.25?. It looks at how the figure gives an insight into the way of life during the T?ang Dynasty (618-907). It demonstrates how the art of China's earliest dynastic periods focused on the cult of the dead and the afterlife and how kings and their officers constructed and decorated lavish tombs which needed to be safeguarded from evil spirits. It shows how the figure in the gallery is obviously a depiction of one of these these warlike figures who stood to protect the dead.
From the Paper "There are some ways in which this relic is not representative of the later T?ang dynasty. "By the time China was unified under the T"ang"in the seventh century, the subject matter of art had become more cosmopolitan and worldly. Secular architecture reached unprecedented grandeur, landscape painting and portraiture flourished, and technological advances in ceramics led to the development of fine porcelain"? (Nelson 2000 p.1) This tomb guardian, while ascribed to the later T?ang dynasty, does not seem to match Dr. Nelson's description, because this is somewhat primitive in its execution."
Abstract This paper discusses how in the early 15th century, the city of Florence took cultural command of Italy and inaugurated the Renaissance, a period highlighted by great achievements in the arts and architecture. It looks at how the Medici, bankers to all of Europe, became such lavish patrons of the arts that to this day the name of Medici connotes any generous patron of the fine arts and thus, the history of Florence cannot be separated from the House of the Medici.
From the Paper "Scarcely any great architect, painter, sculptor, philosopher or humanist scholar was unknown or unaffected by the power and influence of the Medici family. Cosimo de' Medici began the first public library since the ancient world (comparable to that at Alexandria), and it has been estimated that in the course of thirty years that Cosimo de' Medici and other members of his family spent almost $20,000,000 for manuscripts and books, a clear indication of the financial power behind the establishment of humanism in the Renaissance era. However, Cosimo de' Medici, always the careful businessman with a keen eye for what was truly beautiful and worth supporting, was not sentimental about his endowment of art and scholarship, for he once stated that his good works were "not only for the honor of God but (also) for my own remembrance." "
Abstract "The American Presidency" is an exhibit at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. This paper discusses the exhibit and shows its importance at conveying information of the presidency in American life, in American history and in the development of a new form of government with the Constitution. The author explains that the exhibit is a chance to see pictures of all 42 presidents, get a sense of their time, a sense of their place in history and an idea of some of their accomplishments. The exhibit conveys this as information, but through the various objects in the exhibit which came from the presidency of each man, the visitor can feel closer to these men as human beings by being in the presence of objects they may have touched and used. The paper also quotes from the booklet which accompanies the exhibition.
From the Paper "The exhibit says much about the nature of that job--the problems faced, the responsibilities heeded, the legacy created, and the relationship of each man to the history of his time. Some of the objects in the exhibit take the visitor directly to the human being who held office, such as Abraham Lincoln's ink stand (most certainly not different from thousands of ink stands of the period, but with a different aura because of who used it), the military uniform worn by Eisenhower (which gives a good sense of the stature of the man in real terms), or President Grant's carriage. The first thing that strikes the visitor about these different objects is their normal size, for the image we have of these men and their actions is larger than life, while the objects they used are quite normal and remind us that they were only human beings after all."
Tags: Glorious, Burden, George, Washington, Abraham, Lincoln
This paper uses the work of Delacroix and Picasso to demonstrate both the vast changes that took place in painting over a time span of only 80 years as well as the similarities that remained.
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts Eugene Delacroix's "Death of Sardanapalus" and Pablo Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" to illustrate the great many changes that took place in painting over a period of 80 years. The paper suggests that both of the paintings are representative of something new in artistic terms. It goes on to suggest that, in spite of the many changes that did take place, there remained an important similarity in the approach both artists took too the subject matter of their paintings; in these cases female nudes.
From the Paper "Eug?ne Delacroix's Death of Sardanapalus (1826) and Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) were painted only eighty years apart and demonstrate the immense changes that had taken place in painting in that span of time. Curiously, however, they display a remarkable similarity in their approach to subject matter which may not be immediately apparent. Both of these paintings represented something new in artistic terms."
Tags: female, nudes, Cubist, ideas, Byron, Assyrian, king
