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
Abstract Ancient Egypt had a significant impact on early Greek culture, as can be evidenced by enduring artifacts. Egyptian sculptures, primarily created for the pharaohs or high-ranking officials and essentially religious in function, significantly influenced the form and style of statues of the early Archaic Age. Poses were rather rigid and very conventional and facial expression was confined to the typical Egyptian half smile. The paper shows that over time, Greek artisans began developing their own approach. By the late Archaic and definitely prior to the beginning of the Golden Age or Classical Period, artwork started to reflect evolving philosophies and ideals and to celebrate the human figure. Sculptures portrayed more elaborate features and less static stances.
From the Paper "The statues also represented the society's hierarchy. At the bottom of the rung were the slaves, tomb builders and farmers. Further up came the craftspeople, educators, doctors, noblemen and priests. The pharaoh filled more than the role of king and ruler. He was considered a god on earth. (Grant 1990, 23) Egyptians used the size of their statues to illustrate the social order. The pharaoh was larger then life size, scribes and court officials life size and workers and peasants always shown working. The images of the pharaoh, always larger than life, made him appear all the more god-like. The large works of sculpture were often displayed at temples that were built for the pharaoh's chosen deity."
Abstract This paper stresses that, even though Western artists are looking for new ideas when they seek Oriental input, they can only interrupt the Orient through their own Western culture. The author explains that French painter Eugene Delacroix' "Death of Sardanapalus" and Austrian artist Leopold Carl Muller's "The Market in Cairo" are examples of orientalism in Western art. The author states that the Beatles, seeking the teachings of India's gurus, brought orientalism into modern pop culture.
From the Paper "The Western World that Delacroix knew lay on the brink of the Victorian age. Painted in 1827, the Death of Sardanapalus speaks to a people already grown accustomed to the strictures of middle-class morality. As older and wilder days ended, North Americans and Europeans were already entering into a new era of strong religious devotion, clean living, and sexual repression. The wanton abandoning of oneself to pleasure like Sardanapalus seemed to be something that was still possible only within the hidden corridors of the seraglio, a place where leering, bearded despots sought freely to satisfy their carnal lusts. The fact that Sardanapalus's world is about to be consumed in fire is but a fitting moral judgment. Though he can gape at the writhing, sensuous forms of the King's doomed attendants, the European or North American man can only dream of what he cannot have ? the pleasures of the flesh are condemned hellfire."
Abstract This paper discusses how between the years 1495 and 1538, following the Byzantine/Gothic periods, a powerful new vitality was stirring amongst the great thinkers and artists which eventually brought about significant and beneficial change in the world of art known as the Renaissance era. It looks at how during the advent of this era, the artist began to view the world around him quite differently and saw that it could be utilized to express true artistic observations. It shows how in the early years of the sixteenth century, this artistic viewpoint became more than a direction, for it blossomed into a theory and a doctrine. It analyzes how the basic premise of the Renaissance era in relation to art stressed the importance of personal experience, the artist's right to know by experimentation, the futility of formal philosophies so prevalent in the preceding eras and the beauty and value of things in the external world.
From the Paper "Within a thirty year span, beginning approximately in 1495, the city of Rome replaced Florence as the Italian seat of artistic pre-eminence. A series of powerful and ambitious popes, most notably Julius II and those associated with the family Medici, created a new papal state with Rome as its capitol and artistic center of Europe. These popes embellished Rome with great works of art and invited artists from all over Italy to take on some very challenging tasks. In its duration, the "High Renaissance" saw works of such authority and magnitude produced that later generations of artists were virtually instructed in how to represent the natural world in painting and sculpture. The various "masters" of this period had of course inherited the pictorial science of their predecessors, yet they made a distinct break from the past and occupied new and lofty ground that had never been explored before."
Abstract This paper examines how through a ten year period the work of Van Gogh ranged in style and meaning and how many of the changes he experienced were founded in the fact that he spent time with other artists. It provides a outline of his life and analyzes some of the life experiences and influences that affected his work. It discusses the different types of his work which ranged from self portraits and portraits to irises and vineyards.
From the Paper "Vincent Van Gogh has frequently been referred to as the greatest Dutch painter since the time and work of Rembrandt. One of the most remembered accomplishments of Van Gogh in the world of art is his powerful and long lasting contribution to the changes in the genre of Expressionism. He influenced that genre not only with his works and statements within those works but also with the changes that his work underwent as the genre adapted to those changes. He is single-handedly noted for affecting the genre and influencing changes.
One of the most unusual facts about Van Gogh is the span of his works. Most artists that sustain historic recognition spend their entire life producing the works that become classics. Van Gogh produced all of the works the world admires in a short ten year span of life."
Abstract As long as there has been art there has been public art. But this does not mean that public art has always meant the same thing to the people who made it or the community that it was made for. This paper examines four moments in history and four specific artworks as a way of examining how the function of art in public places has changed, as well as the ways in which it has not changed, over the centuries. This paper begins at a moment long before many people would place the beginnings of public art ? with the Paleolithic drawings on the walls in French caves and ends with the works of Maya Lin. As each moment in time presents a different form of public art, no single, overriding definition of the term is offered here. Rather, each moment in history and each example of art requires its own definition of public art.
From the Paper "Some nineteenth-century scholars argued that the cave paintings should be seen as attempts to influence reality, that the images painted on cave walls (and this would perhaps have been especially true of the portrayals of animals) had a totemistic value. In other words, people painted animals to help hunters have better luck in the hunt, either in terms of capturing prey or in terms of surviving the hunt without injury. In a similar vein, other important types of Paleolithic that seem to celebrate female fertility, such as the Venus of Wallendorf, might have been used as totems that would help to ensure the continuing existence of the tribe itself."
Tags: Ice, Age, cathedrals, Diego, Rivera, Allegory, of, California
Abstract From Pokemon to Yu-Gi-Oh, anime has captured the imaginations of thousands of American children. Anime works for adults, such as "Ghost in the Shell", "Vampire Princess Miyu" and "Gundam Wing", often inspire as much dedication in adults as their counterparts do among children. This paper explores Japanese anime, including manga (comic books) which evolved out of a synthesis between traditional American comics and ancient traditions of illustration and written literature. The paper looks at how anime differs from American animation, including differences in characters, plots and style.
From the Paper "Japanese culture is highly open regarding nudity, and public bath houses are a common sight both in the country itself and in anime. Scenes involving individuals bathing together are not necessarily meant to be sexual (though of course there are numerous exceptions), and nudity is frequently treated in a casual and open manner. However, there are limits to this openness. As in many cultures in which nudity is acceptable, there are very tight strictures regarding actual indecency. It is illegal, throughout the country, to portray genitals or detailed pubic areas. This results in many hentai in which genital areas, when glimpsed, have been either blurred out or made androgynously featureless. It has also resulted, however, in a wide variety of creative and exotic ways of working around the rules. Hentai frequently uses excessive bodily fluids in the portrayal of graphic sex in order to hide the actual genitals. Creative "camera angles" can portray the most intimate encounters while subtly skipping around the genitalia. Additionally, much of the fascination with creature hentai comes from the fact that non-human genitals have no restrictions placed on their suitability for public consumption."
Abstract This paper looks at some of the controversial works of Andres Serrano such as "Piss Christ"; "Pneumonia Due to Drowning" and ?Grand Dragon of the Invisible Empire.? The paper discusses how, when reviewing Serrano's works, it is important to look beyond the historical, monetary and political controversy for a moment and to evaluate his productions of art as works of art in and of themselves.
From the Paper "The photography and other works of the artist Andres Serrano have, in many ways, become synonymous with the 1980's and 1990's cultural wars, specifically with the fight of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) to secure continued funding and to secure its continued existence from the United States Congress. The images of Serrano such as his "Piss Christ" in which an image of Christ on a crucifix was submerged in urine was used as a kind of "look at what the NEA hath wrought" proof of the organization's funding. Of course, even the greatest work of art can be rendered in a verbally reductive sense, as in ?Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" is just a picture of a woman with a funny smile, what's the big deal?? It is important, when reviewing Serrano's works, to look beyond the historical monetary and political controversy for a moment, and to evaluate his productions of art as works of art in and of themselves."
