Mexico
The second artist from non-western culture that I was attracted to is Diego Rivera. He was a Guanajuato born artist who traveled the world and became very interesting in Russian culture and the politic
s in his country. I was interested to look at the art from this artist because I am a little familiar with him and his murals from movies that I have seen.
The particular peice that really stood out to me of his was The Arsenal – Frida Kahlo Distributes Arms created in 1928. I really like this piece in particular because it revolves around his love and his love handing out guns to those he felt needed them. It is a powerful image because the people who are receiving the guns are not just soldiers of an organized type but anyone and everyone who was willing to fight for their rights/opinions.
Africa
The artist that really attracted me to art in Africa was Moke. Moke was a poor African child born to the Republic of Congo who taught himself how to paint and make a living from it. His work is honored for its appreciation of everyday images and of everyday people, opposed to the violence seen in many other artists work from this time.
The peice that I chose to represent his artwork was Concurrence pour une femme created in 2000, just a year before Moke’s death. I really love this piece because it shows a comical occurrence between what seems to be a man and his mistress and the man’s wife walking away with all of his belongings.
I really like the bold lines and comical way that Moke has created the clothing of the people in the art. I also found it amazing how realistic the faces of the people in the painting were considering how unrealistic the rest of the art work is.
Liberal Feminist Perspective
Cindy Sherman Disaster 1988
Judy Chicago The Dinner Party 1975
Judy Chicago Female Desire Song of Songs 1997-1999
Judy Chicago Holocaust Project 1993
The theme of this collage is a liberal feminist perspective, which is the perspective that women and men are equal. I choose two artists’ works to represent this theme, Judy Chicago and Cindy Sherman. Judy Chicago is a very vocal and involved feminist who creates art that challenges the social norms of a white male dominated society. She is a well known minimalist artist who still selling sold out openings to this day. The second liberal feminist that is represented here is Cindy Sherman. While Cindy does not consider herself a feminist it is plain to say that her work reflects a questioning of the stereotypes seen of women in the media.
Judy Chicago’s Female Desire Song of Songs is a work that looks at the idea of a mutual enjoyment of the sexual experience. I really enjoy this work because it shows the idea that a women is not a slut for liking sexual relations anymore or less than a man would be.
Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party takes a look at all the women of past that have influenced history. It has 999 influential females names scrolled across its sides and suggests a greater force of women as a unified front opposed to women individually changing the course of history. I really enjoy this piece and its philosophical views which could be linked to a Kantian view, whom we studied earlier this semester.
Judy Chicago’s Holocaust Project is is a look at the consequences of male power. The subject matter itself is powerful but to me the way that Judy has issued the audience her opinion is captivating.
Cindy Sherman Untitled 250 1970's-1980's
Cindy Sherman’s Disaster represents a different image for each individual viewing it. It is dark and at the same time innocent. The piece shows the idea of women as a victim, which is a common theme in media, but the way the portrait’s face is fixated shows the victim as a person, not just a deceased object.
Cindy Sherman’s Untitled 250 is one that is easy to glance, and laugh at. One may look at this portrait and suggest that it is not art but comical. I find this art so intriguing because of its portrayal of women as a sexual object. the positioning of the arms are in a opening gesture and the legs are absent suggesting that they are not needed. The genitals are emphasized and the face is that of a mans which suggests that it is not the person that counts, it is the object, which here are the genitals.
Cindy Sherman Film Still 8 19070's
Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Still 8 is the portrayal of women as a human being. It is defying the social roles of women as a house maker and as a perfect wife. this piece suggests women as disheveled and unkempt. I love this piece and its discombobulated character.
Oakies
The piece i chose to write about was a piece of art work created by Dorthea Lange in Kern County, California from her collection of photos titled Migrant Farm Workers. The photo was captured during the Great Depression during the time of the movement of farmers from Oklahoma to California. This particular photo shows a family, husband and wife, who were farmers from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl and moved to California in search of work and food. If anyone is interested in this piece of history I recommend reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, it’s a long read but it has great detail in which i feel this picture portrays accurately. The time of the Great Depression was just such a horrible time in the lives of so many and I think through art present generations are able to see that.
I really love the look of this picture, it is very real looking. That is to say that, this picture allows me to relate to it not at it. I do not feel like I am observing a period in history but the picture itself allows me to feel like i am actually in the time frame myself. I feel that the way Dorthea Lange captures her subjects is what turns her photos into art.
Impressionism
I find Impressionism to be very breathtaking! The style really shows movement well and allows the viewer to really be in a particular moment that the artist is creating. Impressionism is unlike anything before it and is beautiful. My favorite works are by Claude Monet. One of his pieces that really stands out to me is Terrace at Saint-Addresse, which was created in Giverny at his house. This painting really capture the fleeting moment of the ship in the distance as the two individuals enjoy the day.
I feel the Impressionism really conquerors the previous styles during the Romantic Era because it is so different. It shows movement and light and weather where in the other pieces of art, like the art style of Realism is very “one setting”. That is to say, the popular depiction of farm workers in Realism is just and ordinary everyday, all the same, thing, where Impressionism is fast, and moving, and fleeting.
Classical Era
I chose to share with everyone Symphony No. 35 in D major, “Haffner” by Mozart created in 1783 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ROrHW7I8c ). This piece is a great example of how artists began to reach the masses due to its symphonic composure. The symphony in itself really took a step away from pleasing the royal families and towards pleasing the masses. The simple composure and rhythmic recognition of the piece is the main reason it is so loved by many. I really love the daintiness that is audible through the string instruments. While the piece is more on the mellow side it is by no means boring and keeps its’ listener wanting more.
Baroque Blog
This piece is actually a fresco by the artist Annibale Carracci titled Carracci’s Ceiling at the Farnese Palace. This piece really embodies the Baroque style of the times in the fact that it defiantly had the influence of royalty and displays nicely the naturalism that was beginning to take over in art work compared to the previously seen manneristic style.
The picture shown here is just one part of the fresco painted on the now French Ambassadors housing. The painting was commissioned by the Farnase royalty and is known as an illusion ceiling. I found the illusion ceilings to be my favorite out of all of the inventions during the Baroque period however this one in particular is amazingly beautiful. Each individual painting tells such an amazing story for the viewer and really does allow a more natural approach to the audience.
Humanism in Renaissance Art
This piece of art work is known as The School of Athens and was created in 1509 by the artist Sanzio Raffaello. The piece embodies the ideas of Humanism evolving in the Italian Renaissance.
Here is shown Plato and Aristotle walking through the Vatican discussing what it looks like to be the argument of the body and soul. This can be seen through the hand of Plato pointing upward in his ideas about the transcendent soul from the body and Aristotle’s hand pointing downward in his idea of earthly happiness as self actualization. I feel this piece really shows humanism because it is these two famous philosophers, walking though a religious place discussing not God or the ideas of God but discussing how man, himself, is responsible for the eternalness of his soul.
This painting shows the idea of human reason, and the human spirit exactly and is a great piece of art work. I also love the way the people who are in the painting are shown with an essence of mortal-ness, they are not creatures of God it appears but instead of themselves. They look very relaxed and calm and not at all religious.
First Blog: Introdutory Picture to Art Appreciation
This is simply a picture that I found on the web under images that I thought was interesting to look at. I suppose I am more into geometrical art that is interpreted to be whatever the viewer wants rather than art that shows a picture to be analysed. 
