February 2010
13 posts
Bernini
Bernini, “Apollo and Daphne” c. 1624
The over-all thrust of the piece is captivating. The way it swirls through space and activates the negative space around it. It is like a continuous breath with intricate moments. Those moments provide as a climax to the gesture of the action taking place. I love that moment where Daphne’s fingers are transforming into tree...
Buddha vs. Jesus
I could not find any of the works from the book that I compared and contrasted online, but I have put in substitute pictures above and provided the page number to the actual image I am referring to.
“Opus Sectile Panel of Christ”
pg. 354, Italy, 250AD
-Color
-Decorative marks that only serve as just that, unmeaningful
-Because of the surprised look,...
Julia Kristeva reading
Looking at page 243-244, what historical influences shaped Bellini’s perception?
Flemish landscape painting, iconography, and Mediterranean architecture.
What few biographical details do we have of his life? Describe particularly the status of his relationship to his mother revealed on 244, 246-7
His father and brother were both painters, his father Jacopo Bellini...
Michelangelo and the Renaissance
“The Torment of Saint Anthony” Michelangelo 1487
What do I know about Michelangelo? (Prior to class)
The first thing that comes to mind is the book “From the Mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.”
I remember when they become fascinated with a sculpture and its mysterious initial’s engraved on it. They later find out that...
Creation
Hugo van der Goes, The Fall of Adam and Eve, c.1470
Genesis 1
001:002 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
001:011 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:...
Gothic painting
“American Gothic” Grant Wood, 1930
not to be confused with “American Goth”
The term gothic in art history refers to
1 a : of, relating to, or resembling the Goths, their civilization, or their language b : TEUTONIC, GERMANIC c:MEDIEVAL 1d: UNCOUTH, BARBAROUS.
2 a : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in...
“Transfiguration” Theophanes the Greek
1403
The gold leaf background and the stiff depiction of fabric distinguishes this piece as a Byzantine work of art. The unique aspect of this work that separates it from most Byzantine works is the ability to see human form underneath the heavy, stiff fabric. Christ is shown scaring the eyes of the Apostles below. Even though the Apostles and...
Illuminated Manuscript
My illuminated manuscript using lyrics from “So much beauty in dirt” by Modest Mouse.
Typography, contemporary “illuminated manuscripts”:
Mike Perry
http://www.mikeperrystudio.com/
Compare:
Lindisfarne Gospels
Insular Manuscript, 715 ce
text page from Book of Kells, 805 ce
Contemporary:
Yulia Brodskaya
...
REALISM: an aesthetic that promotes accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of nature or of contemporary life. Realism rejects imaginative idealization in favour of close observation of outward appearances. It was a dominant current in French art between 1850 and 1880.
Presenting the object exactly how it is in real life.
NATURALISM: an aesthetic movement of the late 19th to early 20th...
Compare and Contrast
“The Swing” Jean-Honore’ Fragonard
France, 1767
“Quatrefoil Box and Cover”
China, 1766
Despite being worlds apart on the map, “The Swing” and the Quatrefoil box have a lot in common. They both are covered in meticulous and elaborate floral designs that delicately frame the focal point of each piece. The silhouette of the...
Scott McCloud
http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html
1. Learn from everyone
2. Follow no one
3. Watch for patterns
4. Work like hell
VISION
In Scott’s TED talk he talks about three types of vision:
Religion-faith in things that cannot be seen or proven, vision of the unseen and unknowable.
Theories-vision of something which can be, which may be, based on knowledge...
