Abstract This paper, divided into three parts, presents a formal analysis of two paintings and then compares them to one another. The first painting discussed is Honore Daumier's "Third Class Carriage" (1862) which depicts a train carriage full of peasants. The second part examines Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" of 1942, which is set in a largely deserted city district, where three individuals sit around a rounded, open table in the middle of a diner. The third part of the paper compares the two works. The paper shows that both works, despite their common subject matters and techniques, must be viewed as parts of different traditions. Daumier's work stems from the European reaction to Romanticism, while Hopper's work stems from the American evolution and adaptation of European techniques to create a new, more eviscerating social critique of the life of the common man in America.
From the Paper "Both pieces depict observed images of the lives of ordinary people, conducting ordinary acts of life such as traveling or eating. Both pieces depict individuals in public rather than private spaces. Both pieces depict individuals in transition, in one case on a train in transit, in the other case, waiting to leave a coffee shop with someone, or for a meeting elsewhere, or (in the case of the waiter) just waiting for the night to pass him by. Both works demonstrate how by simply portraying ordinary aspects of life, those acts accrue a significance in the mind of the viewer."
Abstract Claude Monet is widely recognized as one of the towering figures in the art world. His paintings of haystacks and the gardens at Giverny continue to attract visitors to museums all over the world. Both the subjects of his paintings and his techniques are dominant representations of the Impressionist movement. The first part of the paper looks at Monet's biography, including his early training and influences. The next part then examines Monet's role in the development of the Impressionist movement, the break from classical painting and the beginnings of modernist art. In the last section, the paper looks at how Monet's contributions to Impressionism continues to influence artists decades after his death.
From the Paper "Despite this early success, the Salon later rejected many of Monet's later pieces. This included the massive Women in the Garden, which Monet submitted in 1866. After this rejection, Monet began to work on smaller paintings, as seen in the series of outdoor landscapes he painted with Renoir in 1869. The subject of these paintings was La Grenouillere, a fashionable bathing area along Paris' Seine River (Tucker 64). These paintings showed the beginnings of Monet's impressionist style, where daubs of fresh color were used to capture the spontaneity of the scene and the flowing water."
Abstract Using the art of the Parthenon and the play "The Oresteia", written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, this paper determines a number of morals and ideals that the Ancient Greeks held in high esteem. In the first few paragraphs, the paper describes the various metopes in the Parthenon. It examines which gods and important Greek characters are depicted, what it is they are doing and how this represents a given Greek ideal. The paper then explores "The Oresteia" and uses important lines to either determine other Greek ideals or uses them to underscore the importance of an ideal already talked about in the segment on the Parthenon. Through comparing the Parthenon and "The Oresteia" the paper determines that the Greeks were a highly civilized people that believed highly in bravery, pride, civic duty, civility, order and justice.
From the Paper "Greeks were the most civilized peoples in the fifth century BCE as well as the best fighters. This was, of course, according to their standards. Their success as warriors and the importance of the Apollonian way of life is inscribed on the walls of the Parthenon and within the pages of The Oresteia. The Parthenon's gracefully sculpted friezes unite with "schylus" trilogy and both are founded on pride and bravery. There is an obvious mindset, almost a moral code among the Athenians. They believed moderation and civility were the keys to success and it was up to them to impose this onto other races. An Athenian who didn?t abide by this code was a pariah of sorts, to say the least, and was portrayed as such through the Parthenon and The Oresteia."
Abstract This essay will discuss a Water Lily painting by Claude Monet, as it appears in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. By studying the techniques, color scheme, historical, and musically based theme, we can see this impressionist painter in his full scope.
Abstract This is a 10-page paper that analyzes the role of Palladio, Serlio, Sabbattini and Furttenbach and their contribution to Italian theaters in the Renaissance period and in today's theaters.
Abstract Art has always had a social aspect that is a representation of the inner functions of the culture from which art is created. Formal theories on the social nature of art, however, were not formed until the 16th century when the waxing and waning of artistic movements was seen to be affected by changing tastes in art patrons. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many different and diverse social theories emerged to draw connections between art and society - which created which? French socialist, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, said that 'art for art's sake' was an impossibility and that art sprung, regardless of the artist's inspiration or motivation from the archetypal (a more modern term) forces that governed the society, often invisibly. Art stands, in many ways, as a social criticism as well as an honoring of the society. Art is a commentary, on some level, about the artist's perception of the world. That perception is shaped by the undercurrents of political, religious and social life of the particular time. Identity, in particular, in art is marked by a defined or hidden connection to the audience with recognizable symbolic language. In the case of architecture, we have the ultimate visual special creation which creates its own distinct sense of identity. The Cathedral of Notre Dame stands as one of the most significant structures embodying both visual and spatial constructs to modify the viewer's and visitor's perception of the self.
Abstract Describes how Sand and Kahlo both used their experiences of pain and love in their art and how their desire to equal the men in their fields expressed itself in uniquely liberating ways.
Abstract In Chinese art and literature the representation of landscapes is frequently encountered. Over centuries, artists and poets have devised complex grammars that govern their depiction of the natural world. This paper will explore these grammars with respect to works by Xie Ling-yun, China's premier early landscape poet and Fan K'uan, one of the greatest of all Chinese landscape painters. Two respective works of this poet and painter will be discussed in order to demonstrate two singularly different approaches to the idea of the artistic representation of landscape.
Reviews this book by John Ruskin and Charles Jencks on the role of the artist in relation to the times he lived in, focusing Victorian England and the 20th Centur.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 5 sources, 2002, $ 44.95
Abstract John Ruskin and Charles Jencks represent different historical conceptions of art and architecture. Ruskin in the Victorian-age of England and Jencks is in the more erratic eclecticism of the 20th century. Each critic offers particular views on the role of the artist in relation to society, however Ruskin's can be understood as one that desires to control the artist and Jencks recognizes that art is invariably a free expression of the individual. The responsibility is thus different: Ruskin believes the artist is responsible to society, and Jencks believes that society has a responsibility to the artist, in that artists represent a challenge to public perspectives and this challenge is always reflective of social change.
Abstract One of the greatest creative figures of the Renaissance period in the arts, Leonardo da Vinci was much more than a painter and sculptor. He was a genius who conceived primitive ideas for the submarine, helicopter and even the calculator. In this paper, I will reveal facts about the man's life, works, and legacy, which continues today and always will.
Abstract Plato and Aristotle both had similar views on imitation in art. But they differed in key ways as well. As we will see, Plato viewed mimesis as a kind of paradox. All in all, Plato's view of mimesis seems generally negative, for all the danger it presents to morality. Aristotle more or less adopted Plato's main points, as we will also see, but redefined some of the rather strict Platonic ideas about art and its uses, making it much less 'alarming' and potentially corrupting. This paper will explore the areas of overlap in the Platonic and Aristotelian views of mimesis, as well as the differences, making a case for a similar, yet profoundly different view of it in the conclusion. It begins by outlining both theories of imitation, and follows by discussing the respective strengths and shortcomings of both before concluding.
Abstract This paper examines issues such as the development of transferable skills, the ability of the arts to motivate children of this age. The author refers to the studies of well known psychologist Piaget to discuss the way that the arts aid with the psychological development of elementary school children. The paper argues that the inclusion of arts is not only beneficial for the children but also indirectly for many other stakeholders.
Abstract This essay discusses how mechanical reproduction has resulted in the retreat from reality. The techno-formulation of reality, which is the mechanical reproduction of images, has served to change human perception. The problem of prime time television serves as an example of this reality, since it fosters graphic incoherence.
