This paper discusses the Pop Art movement; Richard Hamilton, the father of this movement; and his collage, "Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing"?.
Abstract This paper explains that Pop Art uses images of consumerism and everyday objects, often placing mundane objects in bizarre situations as a form of social commentary. The author points out that, although Andy Warhol is perhaps the best-known pop artist, Richard Hamilton, born in London during the 1920s, created the first piece of Pop Art, "Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing"?, a collage poster design for the "This Is Tomorrow" art exhibit. The paper describes the author's attempt to reinterpret this collage by using images of the latest technology of our era -- the plasma TV, the DVD player, the PlayStation ? just as Hamilton's collage shows the latest technology of his era -- the reel-to-reel, the television.
From the Paper "I experienced some particular problems in creating my collage. Hamilton's background in advertising and the arts gave him an incredible skill for cutting out the magazine photos, and although the proportions are somewhat skewed, he was able to piece the individual photos together in an almost seamless fashion, creating a completely believable new world. In my collage, the scissors lines are obvious, and there is not the artistic flow of the created environment. The models in my collage do not have the creepy Outer-Limits air about them, and the sense of discord within a stable environment that Hamilton captured simply is not there in my collage, which does not have a proper sense of chaos or stability. It is an important lesson to be learned, however, that even if presented with the same basic supplies, it is the artistic skill and merit of the artist that creates a true piece of art. Simply incorporating similar themes into a piece does not necessarily make those pieces companions or comparable. Hamilton had an incredible sense of the impact of the media and consumer-based society on the individual, and it was due to his own brilliance that his collage is impressive, not just, because he found pretty pictures in magazines."
Abstract The author states that Rauschenberg's "Persimmon" does not look like a real subject, yet it is a real thing. From Heidegger, the "strife" between the rational and the irrational is the key to art. From Merleau-Ponty, the strength of Rauschenberg's work is found in its inherent irrationality. From Nietzsche, art represents the strife inherent in human condition.
From the Paper "Rauschenberg frequently takes subjects from nature (again, as is traditional in Asian art) and reconfigures them in a bright, compiled, collage-style form, so that the apparently surface perceptions of nature and color become slightly askew. One is cognizant of the fact that one is observing something simple and natural but not necessarily observing the subject as one might in so-called real life and in nature. One feels as if one is viewing the artist's perceptions of what is real, rather than the thing itself."
Abstract Artistic representations, depending on how they are read, often reveal through their texts ideas about sexuality and/or gender. Discussed here are three works, all of which can be read through the lenses of various topics. Allie Eagle's "This Woman Died: I Care" (died trying to abort herself) involves the politics of protest, Carole Shepherd has worked against specific traditions with her photo-collage, "John", and George Elgar Hick's "Woman's Mission: Companion of Manhood" deals closely with gender identity.
From the Paper "Protest instantly becomes political within the context of an image, due to the viewer's prior preconceptions regarding the issue under scrutiny. Opinions are challenged, and important questions consequently raised. ?This Woman died: I care (died trying to abort herself)?, by Allie Eagle (New Zealander) in1978, is an image from which a clear form of political protest can be easily identified. The image can be read in a way that distinctly illustrates an objection against the (suggested) violence forced upon women by society's codes of behaviour. It can also be read as a reaction to the question of the legality of abortion, which at the time was under review in New Zealand. In itself the title influences the viewer's interpretation of the image, whilst its visual features serve to demonstrate Eagle's lamentation."
Abstract Laszlo Moholy-Nagy is widely considered to be one of the twentieth century's most important and influential artists. This paper discusses him as a photographer, painter, designer, writer, sculptor printmaker, film-maker and teacher. It shows how his influence reached into many aspects of the arts, from his native Eastern Europe, to the Western part of the Continent, across the Atlantic to the United States. The paper also explains how Moholy-Nagy was an important figure in the Western European Constructivism movement.
From the Paper "Moholy-Nagy was born in 1895 in Baac?s-Borsod, Hungary. He left school in Budapest to fight in World War I in 1916. It is during the war that he began sketching and taking his work as an artist seriously. In 1917, while recovering from a wound, he founded the artist group MA and started a literary magazine called "Jelenkor". In 1919 he moved to Vienna. It was there he began to make photograms and collages."
Tags: art, paint, designer, photographer, hungary, jelenkor, collage, war, sketch
Abstract This paper explains that, in 1907, Georges Braque, who initially was greatly influenced by Henri Matisse, with his friend Pablo Picasso, rediscovered Paul Cezanne, the originator of the Cubist movement. Braque's style went through a radical transformation. The author points out that, within a three year period, Picasso and Braque invented Analytic Cubism, a new, completely non-illusionistic and non-imitative method of depicting the visual world; the collaboration between Braque and Picasso was so close and intense that often only experts can distinguish Braque's painting of 1910 -1912 from those of Picasso. The paper relates that Cubism, which survived in its purest form until the mid-1920s, had an impact on the art world that extended far beyond the existence of the painting style itself and paved the way for several other art revolutions, including Dada and surrealism.
From the Paper "From 1917 to 1920, Georges Braque's works are derived compositionally from Synthetic Cubism, which is the second phase of Cubism and began around 1914. These paintings were much flatter and more "variegated in color," and included "brightly dotted decorative passages." Sometime around 1930, Braque moved to the coast of Normandy in France, and as a result, the subject of this paintings changed, and now included bathers, beach scenes, and seascapes as his favorite themes, while stylistically, he "became increasingly interested in ornamentation and patterned surfaces." By the early 1940's, Braque was concerned with melancholy themes, and from 1945, birds became a dominant subject. And then by the 1950's, Braque had returned to the brilliant colors of the Fauve period, "as in the Louvre ceiling, 1952-53, and the decoration for the villa at Saint Paul-de-Vence, 1954." Georges Braque remained active until the end of his life, and his work includes sculpture, graphics, book illustration and decorative art."
Abstract This paper explains that Pablo Picasso helped develop both analytic cubism, which involved using brown colors and analyzing individual things based on their shapes, and synthetic cubism, which involved making a collage and the use of color. The author points out that, through symbols as clues, Picasso was able to leave the interpretation of the art to the viewer. The paper concludes that Picasso's unique style changed the world of art forever because incorporating different aspects of an object into the painting all at once was considered very revolutionary at the time and went against what had always been done.
From the Paper "In 1901, Picasso began signing his painting with simply "Picasso," which is the name that he is still known as to this day. This is when his "Blue Period" started, as he used sombre blue colors, since he lost a close friend around this time period due to a suicide. In 1904, Picasso moved to Paris for good and bought a studio there. This also marked the beginning of his "Rose Period," where he used more cheerful colors like red and orange. Many people think his happiness was brought about as a result of his relationship with Fernande Olivier, as well as his interaction with a different style of art in France. In 1906, Picasso made his first major sale to art dealer Ambroise Vollard for 2000 francs. Around this time, Picasso began to experiment with the style that would make him famous: Cubism. "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" is credited with being the first cubist painting on record. Picasso painted that in 1907 at the age of 26."
Tags: color, cubism, interpretation, revolutionary, period
This paper discusses three contemporary American artists who have received critical acclaims since 1990: John Rozelle, Marla Baggetta and Ken Christensen.
Abstract This paper explains that John Rozelle, inspired by his African heritage, is known for his expertise in combining colorful layers of acrylic paint and collage to create a distinct form of nonrepresentational mixed-media art. The author points out that Marla Baggetta, inspired by the beauty of Oregon's rural landscapes, working in pastel, creates unique jewel-like compositions. The paper relates that Ken Christensen is a classic, on-site, plein air landscape painter influenced greatly by the French Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and Fauves; he paints with the vision, color and verve of painters such as Van Gough and with the American perspective of Hopper and Benton.
From the Paper "In June 2002, Christensen was awarded with a large prestigious exhibit at the San Luis Obispo Art Center, entitled "From Where I Stand". He has been a regular participant in local exhibits, winning awards in both watercolor and oil paintings. Moreover, he has become a regular participant in the burgeoning plein air scene, gaining accolades in plein air festivals throughout California. In March 2004, Christensen was an artist in residence at the beautiful Inn at Morro Bay where a large exhibit followed, "Bigger, Bolder, Brighter" . His paintings have been featured on the cover of the Daniel Smith Catalogue and written about in Artist's Sketchbook Magazine, as well as in local newspapers."
Abstract This paper explains that Barbara Kruger and the Guerrilla Girls have taken traditional methods of art application and placed them within the normative modes of advertising methods. The author points out that inter-disciplinary arts, which are more than just an art technique, has become a public forum for feminist issues. The paper relates that, by opening the doors to the way that art is perceived, both Kruger and the Guerrilla Girls have taken art out of the traditional confines of museums and art houses and into modern media formats.
From the Paper "This art analysis presents an inter-disciplinary study of the art and advertising methods of Barbara Kruger and the Guerrilla Girls. By taking various examples of advertising billboards, magazine ads and other forms of art used within the modern media, an inter-disciplinary mode of art is created through the work of these artists. Through the study of the work of both Barbara Kruger and the Guerrilla Girls, one can realize the feminism and cultural impact of mixed mediums within modern inter-disciplinary art."
Abstract This paper discusses how the narrative structure of Ondaatje's famous novel "The English Patient" is extremely important for the message that the text means to transmit. It looks at how Ondaatje's book is a complex investigation of a few main themes: history, nationhood and identity. Although it is set during World War II, the novel seems to silence the historical events and to replace them by the personal narratives of the four protagonists: the English patient, Katharine, Hana and Kip. It attempts to show how Ondaatje, thus, rewrites history by abolishing the chronological, strict form and replacing it with a collage made of the scraps coming from the separate experiences of the four main characters.
From the Paper "Thus, the Libyan Desert is the most important symbol in the novel. It is in the first place the spot where the love story between Almasy, a scientist involved in the expedition of the Geographical Society that aims at mapping the desert, and Katharine Clifton, the wife of the war spy Geoffrey Clifton. The jealous Geoffrey attempts to take revenge on Almasy for the affair he had with his wife, and tries to crush his plane down on him. The English patient escapes, but Geoffrey dies and Katharine who was traveling with him is badly wounded. Almasy is forced to leave Katharine in a cave in the desert and seek help, but he is caught and restrained because his name indicated him as a possible British spy and thus only returns after two years for Katharine's body. "
Abstract This paper explains that Alan Ainslie is an accomplished artist whose insightful, beautiful work allows people to see into the wilds of Africa through his attention to detail, which makes his paintings and bronzes very lifelike. Next, the author describes Ainslie life and the mediums he uses: oil paints, acrylic paints, watercolor, pastels, charcoal and pencil. In conclusion, the paper analyzes an oil on canvas painting "Himba Collage" and a 36" by 23" pencil drawing on paper "Himba Woman".
From the Paper "The "Himba Collage" is a beautiful work of art that is an oil on canvas. The original piece rests in the home of an art collector in San Francisco and was bought for twenty-two thousand dollars. The "Himba Collage" shows two women and a man of the Himba tribe, in Africa, in the center of the canvas. They are surrounded by herds of animals such as elephants, cattle, and zebras. This piece of art shows that the Himba tribe and animals of Africa have a strong family structure and depend on each other for survival."
