From the Paper " Leonardo da Vinci's large mural of The Last Supper is one of the most familiar images in Western art, even though it has deteriorated to the point where its original magnificence can only be guessed at. The mural has largely been known through its repainted versions, or through touched-up copies that attempt to give some idea of what the original might have looked like. But, the various versions of the picture do little to convey how revolutionary Leonardo's whole conception was. At Milan, Leonardo created a work that treated a familiar subject, but was a complete departure from the usual in terms of composition, selection of a Biblical text, iconography, use of perspective, and, unfortunately, fresco technique.
Leonardo arrived in Milan in the early 1480s, and made one of the longest stays of his career there--nearly twenty years..."
Discusses the major concepts of this cultural art. Looks at the issues of Dreamtime, the role of the art and the media involvement. Analyzes motifs, figures and designs.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 7 sources, 1999, $ 63.95
From the Paper " The art of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia constitutes one of the most consistent, and longest, art traditions in the world. Despite an enormous diversity of artistic practices throughout the continent, all Aboriginal art has been inherently religious in nature and most has worked from the seemingly abstract, extremely complex iconographic system that is still employed today. Though art may be designed for a variety of social, didactic, or utilitarian purposes, the Aboriginal belief in the pervasiveness of meaning throughout creation has meant that no person, place, animal or thing is without religious significance. Thus the representation of any aspect of the world, in any medium, at any level of abstraction, for any purpose is guided by the artists' understanding of what is represented. Art can have both private and public meanings. But.."
From the Paper "Political, social, and artistic changes on a vast scale make the reign of Constantine the Great and, indeed, the entire fourth century the most confusing era in the history of Roman art. The fortuitous survival of the Arch of Constantine--with its historic relationship to the rise of Christianity as the state religion--has made this monument the focus of many questions about the emergence of the distinctly unclassical style that was eventually identified with the new religion. The Arch featured various classical sculptural elements taken from monuments of earlier reigns in addition to contemporary carving in the new style. Though there is little agreement among scholars as to the precise stylistic significance of the new style as represented on the Arch and the form in which it was eventually manifested as Christian art, it is clear that the Arch of Constantine stands at.."
Abstract The Fifteenth Century was a period of import in art, philosophy, political thought, and literature as the Renaissance developed power and altered the way man was viewed against the backdrop of the universe. Much of what began in the Fifteenth Century would flower in the Sixteenth Century.
From the Paper "The Fifteenth Century was a period of import in art, philosophy, political thought, and literature as the Renaissance developed power and altered the way man was viewed against the backdrop of the universe. Much of what began in the Fifteenth Century would flower in the Sixteenth Century. Both Machiavelli and Erasmus were born in the Fifteenth Century but would not produce their great works until the beginning of the Sixteenth, though they were clearly shaped by the Fifteenth and the forces then developing. The century was a time of contrasts between the richest and the poorest:
Florence, in the fifteenth century, was a city state ruling not only Florence but (with interruptions) Prato, Pistoia, Pisa, Volterra, Cortona, Arezzo, and their agricultural hinterland. The peasants were not ..."
Examines "The Persistence of Memory" by Spanish painter & the meaning of his work in surrealistic context. Discusses his paranoiac-critical approach, technical virtuosity, subject matter and symbolism.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 4 sources, 1988, $ 39.95
From the Paper "This study will examine the works of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali, focusing on the meaning of his paintings in the surrealist pantheon rather than on a simple listing of those works.
Dali came to surrealism in 1929 and in his major contribution "The Persistence of Memory" (1933) gave the movement "one of its most characteristic images and also contributed an important invention --- the 'paranoiac-critical activity,' an induced disorientation that both permits the artist to draw at will upon delirious images and associations and persuades the viewer of the reality of the artist's irrational vision (Picon, 1974, p. 106).
Dali's work was so unique in bridging the gap between the irrational and the visually recognizable that he immediately ran(..)"
From the Paper "The Florentine artist Lorenzo Ghiberti was an important figure in the transition from the medieval Gothic to the Renaissance style. His most important works reflecting this transition were the bronze doors which he designed and built for the Florence Baptistery during the early fifteenth century. Ghiberti was born in Florence around the year 1380. His stepfather, Bartoluccio, was a goldsmith, and Ghiberti became an apprentice in his workshop at an early age. Later, Ghiberti learned how to paint and sculpt as well as work in gold. In 1401, Ghiberti entered a contest which was being held by the regents of the Florence Baptistery. The purpose of the contest was to find an artist worthy of creating two new bronze-cast doors for the Baptistery. Despite the fact that he was only about twenty years old at the time, Ghiberti easily won the..."
Abstract This paper explains why Diego Rivera holds a unique and intriguing position within the history of art. It shows that because his nationality and his education, his cultural inheritance and his intellectual development, these place him on a perch between two widely differing paradigms of aesthetics and representation. The paper focuses on Diego Rivera's 1917 composition, "Still Life with Bread and Fruit".
From the Paper "Rivera's background and professional artistic training certainly place him in a Western European tradition that stretches from the Renaissance through the period of high modernism. Rivera came of age at a time when modernism itself was in full swing, and it certainly exacted a profound and direct influence on his work. In his early life, Rivera attended a painting school in Spain, traveled significantly throughout Europe, and briefly lived in Paris, where "he was influenced by post-impressionism, mainly by Paul C"zanne's art? (?Diego Rivera (1886?1957)?). Indeed, his palette was deeply affected by modernist works of the day, and he heavily employed many modernist techniques and methods during this apprenticeship period as he continued to develop his own style. Before he ultimately returned to Mexico, he even went to Italy to study renaissance painting more formally. His work during this period reflects representative modernist trends and "shows study and analysis of neoimpressionism, C"zannism, Fauvism and Cubism? ("Biography: Diego Rivera"). While most people are most familiar with Diego Rivera's mature corpus of works in which he experimented with mural forms that depicted scenes of Mexican peasantry and other traditional scenes, his early work is much more in the European modernist tradition of post-impressionism and cubism. We will briefly examine one such representative work."
Tags: aesthetics, representation, mexico, still, life
Abstract The Romantic Age was an age in which artists employed many different techniques to create certain effects and feelings in their paintings. This paper focuses on some of the key pieces of art from the Romantic Age and analyzes each painting to reveal its true meaning and explain what aspects of each painting make it a Romantic work of art. It also examines how each painting reflects a certain aspect of both European and world culture at the time. This includes social, economical, and political aspects of life. The paintings include "The Raft of Medusa" by Theodore Gericault and "Hunting in the Pontine Marshes" by Florace Vernet.
From the Paper "One painting, The Raft of Medusa, by Theodore Gericault, is a painting of a small raft that is afloat in the sea which is covered with people sprawled out over the raft. There is a wide range of emotions shown by the people floating on the raft, as some are waving a white flag trying to catch the attention of a passing ship in the far distance, to the dead bodies of those not fortunate enough to make the journey on board the raft. In fact the range of emotions seems to follow a pattern from the top right to the bottom left. In the top right a ship can be seen very far off in the distance, which symbolizes the chance of rescue. Then moving downward and leftward there are a couple people trying to get the attention of the ship. Then there are some people who seem rather indifferent and are standing about, then there are people who seem worried, which gradually advances to into mourning, some people have their hands clasped over their faces, and finally there are the sick and then the dead. The elements of art which are important in this painting are line, space, and color. The line in this painting by Gericault is much defined by the way he outlines the bodies and faces to shape their expressions. Gericault also uses symbolism, using people to represent possible human emotions for dealing with such an event, and he expresses individualism by showing almost each person with their own emotion. Finally he uses the horizon very well by giving the painting a sense of depth."
Abstract Ancient Greek art, architecture, and sculpture have fascinated spectators ever since their discovery. However, while the uninformed viewer might perceive of ancient Greek art, architecture, and sculpture as forming a single period in art history, marked by different styles, art historians have divided it into distinct periods. The paper looks at each of these periods: the Geometric, the Orientalizing, the Archaic, and the Classical, which are explained in terms of how differing philosophical beliefs, historical event,s and cultural developments impacted art, creating different and distinct styles. In specific reference to sculptures, the paper shows that the different styles characterizing each period express different artistic aims as regards to representation of the human body.
From the Paper "In direct contrast to this archaic statue is a classical one on the east pediment of the same temple. It is calculated that only about a decade separates these two works but, artistically speaking, ages separate them in terms of development of style and form. In this statue, also of a dying warrior, the figure "reacts to his wound as would a flesh-and-blood human. He knows that death is inevitable, but he still struggles to rise once again. And he does not look out at the spectator. He is concerned with his pain, not with us" (Tansey and Kleiner 139). This is definitely a much more realistic picture of a man who is dying from a painful wound."
This paper explores and details items that may be found in a time capsule that reflect world events and cultural patterns from the Renaissance and Baroque eras.
Abstract This paper examines the art and cultural developments during the Renaissance and Baroque eras. The writer of this paper describes articles that could be found in a time capsule from the Renaissance era as a rebirth of culture and a renewed interest in the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome while explaining that the Baroque era grew from the Renaissance to promote an individualistic connection with God and spirituality as well as more appeal to emotions and drama. The items from art, music, architecture, philosophy and literature found in the time capsules are indicative of the events taking place during these two time periods.
From the Paper "The Renaissance represents the time period between the Middle Ages and the Reformation - roughly the 14th century through the 15th century. Many historians view the Renaissance as a period of intellectual and artistic rebirth in which European culture thrived. The arts would likely be represented in the Renaissance time capsule by oil paintings on canvas or by sculpture. The work of artists such as Da Vinci who use shadow and light to portray three dimensions in their paintings are likely to be found in the time capsule. As such, we could expect to find Da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting. We may also find a sculpture by Michelango such as his famed David sculpture which represents beliefs during the Renaissance about beauty in the nude form being a reflection of God's power."
Abstract This paper discusses the use of line, space, shape, form, value, texture and color in Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory". The author explains the way Dali achieved his artistic goal in this painting.
From the Paper ""The Persistence of Memory" is one of Salvador Dali's most famous paintings a visual attempt to portray dreams unconsciousness and hallucinations., In his works Dali often used the seven formal elements of art design line shape form space texture light and color to portray his perception of unconscious states of mind. This analysis will critique Dali's success in achieving this goal via his use of these art design elements. Dali uses a number of straight, curved and wavy lines in his construction symbolizing the ..."
An analysis of how, with careful consideration of the wall drawings and of the culture that created them, and their physical journey, we can justly determine much about the life and society of the stone age.
3,568 words (approx. 14.3 pages), 6 sources, 2000, $ 99.95
From the Paper "It is hard to comprehend a culture without technology. What would we do without these necessities and pleasures of life? To determine the answer, let's take a look at a totally unfamiliar society- the cave dwellers. They lived without technology, existing upon nature alone.The cave dwellers haven"t left us a lot to go on, but what they did leave us is rich in knowledge. What we have found are their cave paintings. What we can learn from these is debated. Some argue that these cave drawings only teach of location and a bit about the society. Others argue that we can learn not only that, but we can learn why they were drawn; and what the message becomes to us. The question is, then, can Paleolithic art be interpreted accurately enough to give a adequate depiction of Cro-Magnon life" I believe that with careful consideration of the wall drawings and of the culture that created them, and their physical journey, we can justly determine much about society and the stone age."
From the Paper " Barbara Kruger is an artist concerned with the ways in which society controls our thoughts, desires, and and attitudes. She is known for her large stereotypical images taken from various media sources and covered with text, disrupting their power and clearing a path for awareness. Her twenty year career represents a stand for and against a repertoire of looming social issues, with none more apparent above the rest than feminism. Depicting themes such as absence, loss, and incompleteness, Barbara Kruger..."
From the Paper " Augustus, adopted son and heir to Julius Caesar, was a master of political propaganda; marshalling many different types of public display in order to make his new status and power seem appropriate and justified (figs. 1-4). The statue, Augustus of Prima Porta, is but one of many that was erected throughout the Roman Empire during his reign. Augustus recognized that the vast majority of his subjects would never see him in life but could view him in the carefully controlled context of officially sanctioned, produced, and distributed statuary. This statue shows the emperor Augustus with an entire catalogue of the symbolism that confirms his divine authority and talents."
Approaches the questions from Gombrich's book on whether the visual arts render a true picture of what we see, either in themselves or the world they represent.
1,770 words (approx. 7.1 pages), 2 sources, 2000, $ 57.95
From the Paper "E. H. Gombrich offers a plausible explanation or answer to these questions. He accomplishes this task by examining the visual arts within the framework of the 'history of art'. By pulling together the theories and methodologies from the disciplines of philosophy, science, and psychology, Gombrich puts together an in-depth study that traverses the history of art creation by and for humans from prehistoric times to the middle of the twentieth century with a strong emphasis on the visual art of the Western world, especially the era of classical Greek antiquity and the era of the Renaissance. "
