Art

Adele Bloch-Bauer painted by Gustav Klimt           F. Champenois Imprimeur-Éditeur                               in Vienna, Austria, 1907                                           painted by Alfons Mucha in Paris, France, 1897 Art Nouveau Our first style is art nouveau. These artists favored curving, organic lines like the ones depicted in these two works. Another thing these two have in common is the striking contrast between delicately shaded flesh and the flat graphic shapes that surround them. They also do not have an iterative focus on historical events. Instead, they choose to depict subjects like women, flowers, and animals.   I quite like this one, especially Alfons Mucha's works. The intricate framing and bold linework call out to me. It is like a stained glass window or an illustration in a modern illuminated manuscript. The other one has its charm though, the intricate gold patterns that make up the dress and the background are striking, and fascinating how stark the co

The issue of morality in art is a well-worn battlefield. The discussion of what is good or right to be depicted comes up again and again in history. Whether it's for religious, political, or personal reasons, there is always someone with an opinion.  Rococo The same was true during the classical period. The earlier art movement of the time was dubbed 'Rococo', which was art depicting an idealized form of the world and its people that did not have much if any basis in reality. It was characterized by a mostly light color palate and lighthearted depictions of mythic and religious material as well as regular people.    La Camargo Dancing , 1730, by  Nicolas Lancret painted in Paris, France This painting shows a variant of the Rococo style called fêtes galantes. It often depicted finely dressed people frolicking in green nature scenes. The woman in the white dress is the natural focal point of the painting. All heads are turned towards her and the bright color of her garments m

    This is Narcissus by Caravaggio, painted 1597–1599      This painting is of the Greek figure of Narcissus, from whom we get the name for narcissistic personality disorder. The son of a river nymph, a prophet decreed that Narcissus would live to old age if he did not recognize himself. Narcissus was very beautiful and spurned the affections of all the young women who chased after him. One day he stopped to drink from the water, saw his reflection, and fell deeply in love with it. He neither ate nor drank until he wasted away gazing at his reflection. Upon his death, he was transformed into a daffodil.     The deep dark colors of this painting make everything in the background until we can only see Narcissus, and to a lesser extent, his reflection. This is similar to what Narcissus himself sees, so we as the viewer also become unable to look at anything but him. His reflection is as dark and shadowed as his impending fate of death by self-neglect. The water itself is like a void just

     This sculpture is Michelangelo's  Madonna della Pietà,  made in 1498-1499 in Old St. Peter's Basilica.   The statue depicts Mary, the mother of God, holding the body of her son Jesus after his death by crucifixion. It was a popular scene to depict at the time, though it was more common in France and Germany than it was in Italy. The two figures are arranged to form a pyramidal shape, a commonly used compositional framing at the time. It was a rarity to have more than one subject in a sculpture. Uncommonly, the Virgin Mary appears very young in this statue, much younger than the mother of a 33-year-old man should look. Michelangelo received some criticism for this decision. He is said to have made it this way to emphasize the purity of Mary ever virgin. This piece is the one that catapulted Michelangelo into fame. When he overheard others speculating that another was the artist, he carved his name into Mary's sash, the only one of his works he ever signed.   The statue