Abstract This paper discusses William Shakespeare's use of the technique chiaroscuro, an emphatic juxtaposition of light and dark hues. It examines how both of the plays "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" present images of distinct night and day worlds and how the interrelations between these two worlds are central to the plays? themes. It shows how in both plays, the night worlds symbolize alternate universes in which the characters are free from the physical, legal and social constraints that bind them during the day. It looks at how Shakespeare depicts the night world as simultaneously liberating and trapping those who move within its moonlit realm, thereby strengthening his theme that both personal freedom and social restrictions have the potential to be either constructive or destructive forces, depending upon their applications. It shows how "Romeo and Juliet" concludes with an emphasis upon the destructive forces of the night world, whereas "A Midsummer Night's Dream" presents a more optimistic view of the constructive potential of this alternate universe.
From the Paper "In both Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, the unstructured and supernatural atmosphere of the night world contrasts sharply with the rigid hierarchies and social constraints of the public world of daylight. The deliberate juxtaposition of these alternate universes serves to heighten this contrast and to strengthen the theme that both totalitarian rule and unmitigated anarchy can produce disastrous consequences when applied to emotional issues. Romeo and Juliet opens with a public display of violence in broad daylight between members of the Capulet and Montague houses; in the very first scene of the play, Shakespeare links the day world to the bitter rancor between the two families and the strict codes of honor that govern their relationships with one another. In an extension of this rigid and violent day world, the sharp divisions of the feuding families and the stringent codes of masculine honor reach their violent culmination in the climactic deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, which occur under the blistering sunlight of high noon."
Abstract This paper explains that Dante uses the essence of art throughout the "Divine Comedy" through his use of symbols, even as he is utilizing the themes of structure and the heroic journey. The author points out that Dante uses light and shadow, which is known as chiaroscuro, to portray a sense of emotional content and to depict sin and redemption or the possibility of redemption. The paper relates that Dante employs the color green to symbolize nourishment, hope, joy, and growth and uses gold as the color of the sun and leadership.
From the Paper "The common view of Hell is a dark place where sinners are to burn for all eternity. This view is found numerous times in the Bible, with Christ referring to the fires that are never quenched in the New Testament. The first part of the "Divine Comedy" is "The Inferno". It is the story of his journey through the nine levels of Hell. The structure of Hell, as Dante has envisioned it, corresponds to a moral hierarchy, or levels of 'sin'. The physical structure reflects the spiritual beliefs of the time, which is considered the ultimate truth."
Abstract This paper examines Claude Monet's" Water Lilies" ("Nympheas"), "Fereghan Horse" from the Chinese Tang Dynasty, John Singer Sargent's "Mrs. Joshua Montgomery Sears" and Mary Cassatt's "Children in the Garden" ("The Nurse") from the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. The author points out that Claude Monet's water lilies depict the Japanese styled stillness that Monet desired in works of nature. The paper relates that in Sargent's work, "Mrs. Joshua Montgomery Sears, the use of oils reveal the complexity of paints that provide greatly contrasting chiaroscuro that abounds in the work. The author further notes that the main subject in Mary Cassatt's work is the profound sense of women relationships that exist within elite households.
From the Paper "The choppy brushwork of the fauna along the pathway is representative of Impressionist works of the period, while Cassatt abstracts the forms of the nurse and the children by denying them any detail. Small circular brush strokes define the flowers along the path, which help anchor the depth of the work. In effect, the composition of the painting provides some depth and perspective, as the nurse causally knits while the lone child plays at her side. By placing the woman and the two children off center of the painting, this provides the depth and abstraction of form need to bring out depth perception along the angle of the pathway."
Abstract This paper examines Da Vinci's painting "La Gioconda" aka "Mona Lisa" to understand more about the artist and the painting than just the woman's smile. The author points out that the background of dark, jagged rocks is a recurring motif in many of Da Vinci's paintings, which demonstrates his use of metaphorical representation. The paper analyzes Da Vinci's concept of beauty, the use of the chiaroscuro style and the woman's androgynous persona. The author reveals the identity of the woman known as Mona Lisa. The paper includes color illustrations.
From the Paper "Others have drawn even more esoteric connections between the subject and the landscape of this portrait. In a review of Da Vinci's journals we find that he was certainly an aficionado of Ovid and the classic Metamorphosis. The recurring theme in that work, and others he read, is that beauty is ephemeral and over time shall fade. Even here, this smile of the Mona Lisa is just a passing moment and would be gone in an instance. If viewing the background as chaos the overriding them may be that from chaos we have come, existed in beauty for a brief moment, but to chaos we will return."
Abstract Claude Monet and Rembrandt van Rijn are fundamentally different in their approaches to painting. This paper explores Monet's fascination with water and Rembrandt's love of chiaroscuro (the interplay of light and shadow) as well as both painter's philosophies on time - Monet often denies the existence of time altogether, whereas Rembrandt often makes the use of time an important subject matter of his work. The paper analyzes two works by Rembrandt - "Madonna of the Cat" (1654) and "A Woman Wading in a Brook" (1654) to show his use of chiaroscuro and his philosophy on time. The paper also discusses works by Monet including "La Grenouillere" (1868) and "Camille on her Deathbed", which show his fascination with water and his belief in art about art, rather than about reality.
From the Paper "Rembrandt's concern with experience and reality is inherent his work. In his etching of 1654 of Madonna of the Cat, he shows a scene which is full of meaning, and thus time and experience. There is a paradox in the scene itself involving the interplay of light and shadow, which is quite often the case with Rembrandt's work. In the center of the etching, Mary is shown cradling Jesus in her arms. Traditionally, the pair is shown with a halo surrounding the fontanel. Rembrandt's etching seems to do this, although in actuality what appears to be a halo is simply sunlight filtering though the window. In this context, he places Mary and Jesus in shadow, instead of in the light, which one would expect in a Christian scene. He suggests a more Protestant view of experience, in which shadow becomes a metaphor for ambiguity, everyday experiences, and the placing of the divine on a more human level. He suggests his belief that God is dwelling on earth among the normal, everyday people, rather than in the brilliantly lit skies of Heaven. This in and of itself is opposite from what the Greeks believed in."
Abstract This paper takes a look at the notable masterpieces of the artistic Renaissance in Northern Europe. The author pays close attention to the new styles of the times, the use of oils, light and shadow, and how expressing inner emotions became more prevalent than outer appearances on the canvas. The author looks in particular at the portraits " The Arnolfini Portrait" by Jan van Eyck, and "The Ambassadors" by Holbein the Younger.
From the Paper "While the Southern renaissance is better known, the countries of the north" Germany, The Netherlands, France, and England? also enjoyed a rich artistic renaissance, though slightly delayed. Historians dispute reasons as to why this so. Some argue that for reasons such as the bubonic plague and economic depression, it took the Northern countries a longer time to emerge from the dark ages. Another argument is that Northern artists were simply more reluctant to switch from the Gothic style they used in the past. In any case, European patrons and artists prized their work and they were praised for their talents in working with oils and their mastery of detail. Northern art managed to progress at a surprising pace despite it's delays. The two paintings used as references in this portfolio, "The Arnolfini Portrait" by Jan van Eyck and "The Ambassadors" by Hans Holbein the Younger, stand as examples of this. With only 100 years difference between them, it is important to examine what accounts for the changes by comparing the paintings in areas of characterization, chiaroscuro, medium, and artistic symbolism. In this way, the differences between Early and Late Northern renaissance art can be clearly defined.
Tags: arnolfini, eyck, van, holbein, ambassadors, chiaroscuro, gothic, oil, canvas
This paper discusses the lives and works of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Diego Rivera, all masters but from different backgrounds and different training, who may have been influenced by one another.
Abstract This paper explains that Spaniard Pablo Picasso was basically a painter who extended his art to sculptures in ceramic and bronze; in the early 1900s, he created the visual style of Cubism, which concentrated on the two dimensional surface of pictures and did not honor the old techniques of perspective, foreshortening, modeling and chiaroscuro. The author points out that Frenchman Henri Matisse's "Large Red Interior" (1948), a painting of his studio, is a dynamic painting with an excellent relationship between line and color and probably his last statement on his life as an easel painter. The paper relates that the art of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera reflects the Mexican Civil War and the struggles of World War I; in France for 14 years, Rivera studied the works of Matisse, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cezanne and similar artists.
From the Paper "Now let us look at the education of the three masters, and Picasso attended many art schools during his childhood as his father taught there. He did not finish his course at any college and left his course in less than a year from the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. Whereas Picasso was a Spaniard, Henri Matisse was born in France in 1869 at Cateau-Cambresis. His father was a seed merchant and Matisse did not get in touch with art in his early years. He decided to study law and gave up only when he was sick and took up arts as he had started painting during the period of his sickness. After changing colleges he finally enrolled at Ecole des Beaux. Even there he could not complete his course due to differences with the teachers."
This paper discusses the evolving and multifaceted roles of Italian-American women in literature through the eyes of Italian-American male and female authors.
Abstract This paper explains that stereotypes from whores to the Holy Madonna incarnation encompass the multi-faceted and contradictory roles of Italian-American women in Italian-American literature written by both Italian-American men and women. The author points out that the literature relates that social class, differences in religiosity, the American tradition and construction of success and the often contradictory ways the familial and immigrant experience, have come into conflict with the female experience in American. The paper reviews Pietro di Donato's relatively early novel "Christ in Concrete", Mario Puzo's "The Godfather", Helen Barolini's novel "Umbertina" and her collection of personal and scholarly entitled essays "Chiaroscuro" and Evidge Giunta's text "Writing With an Accent" to demonstrate that beneath these narrow stereotypes more complex and individuated roles of Italian-American women's life do emerge.
From the Paper "These images emerge in the depicted reality of nonfiction as well as fictional life come forth, as these women are seen engaged in child rearing, showing impressive work ethics to enable their families to survive, laboring as well as suffering in the role of daughter, and as these women show their strength in their roles of mother as well as their silent compassion. Gradually, as Italian women themselves began to speak, Italian women and authors have grown fluent at showing female Italian working and middle-class sexuality as well as images of long-enduring Mediterranean fortitude, women alone in the role of a wife bent over a stove bubbling with red hot gravy and meatballs smelling of garlic and onions."
Abstract The paper explains that by examining the Baroque work of Carracci, Caravaggio and the contrasting work of Rococo artist, Antoine Watteau, one can see how they are compared and contrasted in art history. The paper discusses how the earlier Baroque style offered a painting technique which relied on dynamic chiaroscuro and color values, along with the greater emphasis on gigantism in the heroic poses offered by Caravaggio and Carracci. The paper notes that while the Baroque period lasted for nearly one hundred years, the changing climate of political and class based construct in painting veered into the pomp and circumstance of the French elite in the 18th century.
From the Paper "This art study will compare and contrast the stylistics of Baroque and Rococo art. Although these two styles appear to be similar in their artistic painting techniques, the ideological content value of Baroque and Rococo art is very different. In many ways, Baroque will be examined for the humanistic and classical values in various paintings of this period. However, as art veered away from this strict Grecian content style, the highly dramatic and theatrically elitist "art for arts sake" arose within Rococo paintings. In essence, the initial classicism of Baroque art that sought deeper meaning in classical themes changed into a far more dramatic based on pomp and extravagance. The Baroque period is generally known to have begun in 1600 with major painters such as Caravaggio and Carracci creating classical styled paintings."
Abstract This paper examines religious works by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: "The Deposition of Christ in the Sepulcher", "Madonna di Loreto", "The Calling of Saint Matthew", "The Martyrdom of Saint Mathew" and "The Crucifixion of Saint Peter". All of these works are oils on canvas and present themes from the New Testament. The author describes each painting, its history, biblical content and the techniques used, which are characteristic of Caravaggio.
Table of Contents:
"The Deposition of Christ in the Sepulcher"
"Madonna di Loreto"
"The Calling of Saint Matthew"
"The Martyrdom of Saint Mathew"
"The Crucifixion of Saint Peter"
From the Paper "The original commissioner had ordered a more complicated assemble with more display of architecture and a larger number of spectators assisting the scene in terrified impotence. However, Caravaggio managed, after a couple of abandoned attempts, to compact the scene to the most essential elements without losing the dramatic expression its commissioner had requested.
"Affected chiaroscuro gives expression to the moment and brings the scene closer to the viewer, involving them as part of the action."
Abstract This paper describes and analyzes William-Adolphe Bouguereau's painting entitled "Orestes Pursued by the Furies," after relating the Orestes myth upon which the painting is based. The author describes the painting's complex composition and how its actual and implied lines continuously redirect the observer's attention to different parts of the drama being performed on the canvas. The author analyzes the use of color and tone and their effect in the painting. The author concludes that the fact that both the canvas and figures are larger than life may reflect the painter's conviction of the importance of the moral lessons depicted in the painting.
From the Paper "Bouguereau balanced this painting, creating unity as well as discord via many methods including the use of several perceived triangles. Traditionally, the main character would be placed at the apex of the triangle thus creating a hierarchy of people within the painting. In this painting there is an inverted triangle with Clytemnestra and the three Furies creating the long line of the triangle and the lower point of Orestes' white robe creating the apex. There may be many reasons for the inverted triangle, however, it makes sense that Orestes would be the apex as he is the center of the story, the inversion of the triangle creates a discord in the theme of the painting. A triangle created by Orestes' legs on the ground serves to visually stabilize the painting as is traditional in classical painting."
Tags:chiaroscuro background palette, focal point, dramatic vengeance Clytemnestra pain
Abstract This paper contains a detailed description of Benjamin West's painting, "Death on the Pale Horse,The Opening of the First Five Seals," and explains how he drew on contemporary conceptions of the sublime and combined it with both Christian imagery of the Apocalypse and pagan myth in a frenzy of movement. The writer explains that West had worked on variations of "Death on the Pale Horse" in smaller paintings and sketches from 1796. The writer also discusses how West's interest in the subject matter of the Apocalypse came and went repeatedly over the last thirty years of his life, and the indubitable effect on his work of the wars that plagued America and Europe during this time. The writer concludes that "Death on the Pale Horse" was a work which evolved with the painter and the times he lived in, portraying many of his inner emotions regarding the wars of his times and the Apocalypse. This paper includes figures.
From the Paper "The painting, a panoramic view of a battle scene, exhibits some of West's finest imagery and clearly and convincingly depicts all the emotion of a horrifying scene. On the left, scenes of killing by sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence erupt in a fury of violence. On the right side of the canvas, the white, red, and black horses unleashed in the first three seals erupt forth from the thunderous central scene. On the white horse to the right, Christ is wearing a golden crown and carrying a bow while gazing into the heavens at the figures robed in white. The portrayal of Christ in the painting instills a little optimism of salvation in the midst of the Apocalypse, this was the first inclusion of hope by West in this subject. In the upper left hand corner where a slight amount of light penetrates the darkened sky, an eagle is seen attacking a heron."
Tags: terribilita, American Style, chiaroscuro Neo-Classical Revelations religious Waterloo artist
Abstract This paper discusses Jusepe de Ribera's oil on canvas painting of "The Penitent Magdalene" (circa 1612). It describes the scene in the painting and what is portrayed of Mary and her life. The paper discusses how the painting seems to represent Mary's feelings of resentment towards herself and her own transgressions. The paper also presents the writer's opinion of the work.
From the Paper "I don't see this painting as one of beauty but rather as thought provoking. As beautiful as Mary is in it, I wouldn't say that any subject shown in mourning should be considered "beautiful." Although, I must admit the method in which Ribera has painted her hands is amazingly life-like and quite impressive! The way he has her right fingers tucked underneath her chin, cocking her tired, miserable head to the right, looks picturesque. Her left fingers, as they curve around the skull and are mottled by shadows, appear distorted. The contrast of lighter and darker shades of paint, the curve of her head, neck, shoulders, and the skull she holds all contribute to giving this piece a rounded shape. The distinction between colors help to show Mary's only movement during this particular moment: in a heavy weep and an overshadowing depression."
