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Diego Rivera

Self Portrait

1907

This is a self portrait of Diego Rivera made in 1907.  I chose it because the subject matter appeals to me.  Most self portraits seems to be of a person sitting upright so one can take them in fully and see a lot of detail in their face.  This portrait to me just looks cool.  Diego is just sitting at the bar drinking and smoking a cigar.  It looks like he rules the world.  Diego Rivera was born in 1886 in Mexico.  At an early age Diego began experimenting with drawing which led him to painting.  At the age of twenty, he was well established as a painter.  Diego was also married to a famous painter by the name of Frida Kahlo.  Mostly, he concentrated on murals.

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Wilfredo Lam

Untilted 3

1953

I chose this painting by Lam because it just looked very odd to me.  On the left it looks like a shooting star with a spider right below it hanging from a web.  Then on the right side a big bird is soaring over and a horse is sticking it’s head into the painting.  I’m not sure what all this is supposed to mean but it looks fun.  Lam grew up in Cube with a grandmother that was in to voodoo rituals. He became close friends with Picasso and wrote many texts.  Lam is considered to be one of the most important artists of the 20^th century.

Jean- Michel Basquiat

Bio:
Jean- Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York, 1960, as son of an accountant.  He began exploring his talent by drawing cartoons.  While developing his skill, Jean sells hand-painted t-shirts and postcards and forms the band Gray with some friends.  Combining elements from African Diaspora with his own symbology Jean develops his own unique style, and is discovered by New York art critics. Throughout his career Jean works with many famous artists, including Andy Warhol.  In 1988 Jean dies.

Paintings:

The Nile 1983
This drawing looks really cool, it has a lot of really cool detail in it. This monumental painting explores Basquiat’s own heritage and connects the history of the United States with that of the ancient world.

Jimmy Best… 1981
I’m not sure what to think of this sketch.  It looks like it has a lot of personal history in it that I wouldn’t understand.

Notary 1983
This painting, figures, words, symbols, and designs form a collage of things he found in his life.  It seems like another very personal painting

CPRKR 1982
CPRKR stands for the jazz musician Charlie Parker, this painting was meant to honor him.

Per Capita 1981
This painting shows a boxer holding a torch. It seems like a child painted it.; although there is a lot of symbolism and terms in it.

Gold Griot 1984
Griots (pronounced gree-ohs) are West African storytellers who maintain an oral tradition of poetry, reciting a history—of family, community, and culture—to the people of a village. Griots originated in the Mali Empire, which at its height, in the fourteenth century, controlled the gold trade across the Saharan region. This is a painting on wood.

Kurt Wenner

Biography:
Kurt Wenner began street painting in Rome in 1992, and in 984 was considered to be a master painter.  He was inspired by frescoed ceilings to create the illusions of height.  His art became known as 3D.  Street painting allows people to witness Kurt at work.

Paintings:

Ghetto 2007
This painting was created in a very run-down area.  I think the subject matter really compliments the location.

Times Square  2007
I’m really amazed at how Kurt blended the painting right into the wall.  The depth is amazing!

Spirit of Water 2007
I don’t understand how he blended the rocks right into the painting, it looks so good. Unreal.

Perseus 2007
Another example of a very good blending job with the stone sidewalk.

Babel 2007
This painting really looks like there’s a hole in the ground it unbelieveable.

Dies Irae 2007
Another amazing example of Kurt blending into the stone sidewalk, How does he do it?!

Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque both came up with a style known as cubism.  This style of painting has a very interesting connection with science and technology of the day.  Cubism is the reduction of objects to a geometric form or a collection of forms.
The first half of the 20th century was filled with innovation and discovery.  Most of the inventions we take for granted now-a-days, was created during this time.  I believe due to discoveries in science more specifically chemistry and biology, Pablo found his inspiriation.  If you split an object up many many times, eventually you will arrive at the atom, which has a geometric shape.  Pablo used this inspiration when creating cubism.  This painting depicts five women in a brothel.  Originally it was met with outrage and disgust.  It was seen as very ugly.  However, now, Picasso is thought of as one of the greats.  I really like this painting and the cubist style.  I’ve always found it very interesting to look at.

Notice the loose and sketchy strokes that give it somewhat of a hazy or shaky appearance.  The subject matter shows a pleasant scene or situation of the amusements and pastimes of the upper and middle class.  For instance in the painting above, the scenery is of a festival in Paris.  This is very different from Italian Renaissance art.  Examine Da Vinci’s The Last Supper 1948, Italy.

Italian Renaissance art often dealt with religious subject matter and were extremely detailed.  Notice the complexity weaved into each characters complexion, clothing and building details.  Da Vinci was one of the great God-given talent artists of his time.  The difference between the two is astounding.  I prefer the Renaissance art to the impressionistic style in this side-byside- comparison.  When it comes to detail, I like a lot of it.  Impressionistic art seems to lack in this department.  None-the-less, I still can appreciate this unique style.

Notice the loose and sketchy strokes that give it somewhat of a hazy or shaky appearance.  The subject matter shows a pleasant scene or situation of the amusements and pastimes of the upper and middle class.  For instance in the painting above, the scenery is of a festival in Paris.  This is very different from Italian Renaissance art.  Examine Da Vinci’s The Last Supper 1948, Italy.

Italian Renaissance art often dealt with religious subject matter and were extremely detailed.  Notice the complexity weaved into each characters complexion, clothing and building details.  Da Vinci was one of the great God-given talent artists of his time.  The difference between the two is astounding.  I prefer the Renaissance art to the impressionistic style in this side-byside- comparison.  When it comes to detail, I like a lot of it.  Impressionistic art seems to lack in this department.  None-the-less, I still can appreciate this unique style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhcR1ZS2hVo

As a demand from the middle class for music that is accessible, recognizable, and   serious began to grow, composures began to stray away from aristocratic patrons.  The composures became more of a free-lance performer, willing to perform for any one who demanded.  The middle class had a very large demand for the organized sound of classical music.  Music was not only an intellectual pursuit, but became more understandable, and therefore developed into two forms: the sonata, and the symphony.  Beethoven’s 5th symphony included all the major elements demanded by the middle class.  Not only was symphony just pleasant to the ears, but it was also a visual performance.  Watching an entire multitude of people perform in unison, working as a team, to create a most beautiful melody must be an amazing site.  The 5th symphony follows the strict four-movement organization that makes up a symphony.  This structure was very appealing to the middle class.  For the middle class, it was almost a two for one, a performing group and a form of music.  The structure of a symphony gave the middle class something to rely on.  They could predict and appreciate music without having the musical education of the aristocratic upper class.  It allowed everyone to both enjoy and feel connected to.  The 5th symphony was once described as “the most important work of the time” (E.T.A Hoffman).

David and Goliath
Italian Painter Caravaggio
Undated, oil on canvas, Madrid

The Council of Trent had an enormous impact upon the arts.  This impact is seen through the creation of David and Goliath, by Caravaggio.  The Council of Trent provided some specific guidelines art must abide by: art must be easily understood, dramatic, emotional, and was meant to inspire spiritual fervor.  The depiction of David removing Goliaths head can’t be made any more clearly.  According to the Bible, David was just a boy who was able to overcome the Philistine champion Goliath with Gods help.  The boy in the painting does indeed look very young, as well as confident, like he has some sort of spiritual protection.  Goliath looks just as I would imagine him to be.  I think most people have heard the story of David and Goliath.  The only way someone wouldn’t understand is if they had never read the bible or heard the passage.  The painting is also very dramatic.  The detail is a little overwhelming at first.  David has just slain Goliath and is now removing his head.  Goliaths eyes are rolled back into his head, and the cut on his head where the stone hit him is still bleeding.  When viewing this painting, many emotions are drawn to the surface.  One imagines his/ her self in David’s place, thinking about how much courage it must have been to offer to fight Goliath.  Although David knew God was on his side, still it would have been nerve wracking.  I’m sure those who view this painting are reminded that if they place their trust in God, they will be protected by him.
I really enjoy this painting because of my background.  I was raised in a Christian home and have heard this story many times.  It makes me feel powerful that I have God to help me through hard times.  I also enjoy just taking the painting in.  The detail is very amazing.  I think Caravaggio hit the nail on the head with the characters appearances.

Many aspects of the humanism philosophy are found within The Last Judgment, by Bosch.  Humanism is the belief in the worth of the individual as studied by the Greeks.  It was a celebration of human achievement.  Humanism emphasized reason, physical beauty and spirit. According to www.dictionary.com, humanism is defined as “a variety of ethical theory and practice that emphasizes reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world and often rejects the importance of belief in God.” Most noticeably, it seems as if everyone on earth is naked, where everyone in heaven is clothed.  Seeing as how humanism often rejects the importance in God, it somewhat elevates mankind above God.  Mankind’s body is beautiful enough to be clothed whereas those in heaven require robes.  Another approach shows a different light.  Humanism is the triumph of the human spirit.  Those on earth reveal their bodies just as their sins are revealed, their humanity is very evident.  However those in heaven are covered up and have become something more.
I really enjoy all the detail involved in this piece.  The first part on the left seems fairly lighthearted, except for the angel chasing Adam and Eve out of the garden.  The middle part is extremely violent.  In it dark creatures are reaking havoc upon humanity destroying everything, while those in heaven are praising God, rejoicing in their salvation.  On the left there is no heaven, only hell, in which the humans are being tortured.