Surrealism

Surrealism

This movement had begun in Paris thanks to a small group of writers and artists who wanted to unlock the power of the imagination. They were influenced by Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx. Surrealism was a movement of the twentieth century that was very influential. In this movement there were two artists who had an important influence: they were Salvador Dali and Man Ray. They worked in fashion photography, advertising and film, and brought style to a huge popular audience. Following the end of Minimalism in the 1960’s, its influence was also on art.

References:

 

Surrealism Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2013. Surrealism Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm. [Accessed 19 May 2013].

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was the most dominant and influential artist of the first half of the twentieth century. Picasso is also associated with the movement of cubism, with Georges Braque. He also invented collage and made a lot of contributions to symbolism and surrealism. He saw himself as a painter, yet he also worked with materials like a sculptor, printmaking and ceramics. He was famous and had a charismatic personality. Picasso first emerged as a symbolist influenced by Edvard Munch and Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec. This shaped his so-called Blue period in which he liked to paint beggars, prostitutes and various urban misfits, followed by the brighter moods of his next period: the Rose period.

Reference:

 

Pablo Picasso Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works | The Art Story. 2013. Pablo Picasso Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-picasso-pablo.htm. [Accessed 19 May 2013].

 

 

De Stijl

De Stijl

The de stijl movement began in the 1917. De stijl was based on abstract and visual elements such as geometric forms and primary colours. Like other movements of the time, De stijl’s definition is “the style” in Dutch. This movement emerged largely in response to the horrors of the First World War and the wish to remake society as a consequence. The De stijl artists like Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian applied their style to a host of media in the fine and applied arts. These artists had envisioned nothing less than the ideal fusion of form and function and making De stijl in effect the ultimate style. In the end of this movement artists didn’t pay attention to fine arts  -only painting, sculpture, industrial design, typography, literature and music. This movement helped  give rise to the International style of the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Reference:

 

De Stijl Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2013. De Stijl Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-de-stijl.htm. [Accessed 19 May 2013].

Dada art

Dada art

Dada began at the time of the horror of the First World War. It was a literary and artistic movement born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1916. The artists were influenced by the ideas of Cubism, Constructivism and expressionism.  Its output was wildly diverse: the art was performed as poetry, photography, sculpture, painting and collage. This work had a powerful influence on artists in many cities, including Berlin, Hanover, Paris, New York and Cologne.

 

Reference:

Dada Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2013. Dada Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-dada.htm. [Accessed 19 May 2013].

Abstract expressionism

This movement began in the 1940’s and 1950’s and took place in New York. In this movement not only included those artists who filled their canvases with fields of colour and abstract forms, but also included those artists who attacked their canvases with vigorous flourishes of expressionism. In this movement the artists had a lot of ideas in common. They were influenced by the era’s leftist politics and came to value an art grounded in personal experience. Their art was championed because it was American in spirit, monumental in scale, romantic in mood and expressive of a rugged individual freedom. David Smith and Aaron Siskind – a sculptor and a photographer – help to unite the Abstract Expressionism movement.
 

References:

Abstract Expressionism Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2013. Abstract Expressionism Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-abstract-expressionism.htm. [Accessed 18 May 2013].

Japanese art in nineteenth century in Europe

 

When Japan started to trade with the west in the 1850’s, the Japanese style influenced the western artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec among others.  

 

Examples of artists that were influenced by Japanese art:

 

Edgar Degas

Degas began to collect Japanese ukiyo-e prints which these prints influenced his painting style. Sometimes his figures are placed uneven and on a diagonal and his compositions are cropped by the edge of the canvas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Edgar Degas - Woman combing her hair

 

 

 

Vincent Van Gogh

Even Van Gogh was influenced by the ukiyo-e printings. He painted his paintings with the reed pen.

 

 

 

 

 

                          Vincent van Gogh
            Japonaiserie: Oiran (after Kesai Eisen)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Toulouse-Lautrec was influenced by the Japanese art that he saw in Paris. He started to do posters by using the Japanese woodcut. His style was bold, flat and full of movement as he experimented with lithographic techniques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the Moulin Rouge: La Goulue and Her Sister, 1892
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901)

 

 

 

 References:

 

Japanese Woodblock Print. 2013. Japanese Woodblock Print. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.mylearning.org/japanese-woodblock-print/p-319/. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

 

 

 

Edgar Degas – The Ballet Class

 

Edgar Degas went to the Paris opera house not only to be part of the audience but as a visitor backstage. He observed everything that was in front of him such as the ordinary gestures, how the ballerinas relaxed from practicing and how the ballerinas’ teacher stood there. Degas managed to capture this moment perfectly and it looks like he took a photo. This painting is made with oil on canvas.

 

 

           

 

 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Divan Japonais

 

 

 

 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec did this poster for the Montmartre café concert that opened in 1883 that was called the ‘Divan Japonais’. From this poster one can see that the artist was influenced from the Japanese prints because there are flat colours and there are the black outlines. Here in this poster, the artist drew two of his friends that are watching the performance.

 

 

 References:

 

·         Musée d'Orsay: Edgar Degas The Ballet Class. 2013. Musée d'Orsay: Edgar Degas The Ballet Class. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/search/commentaire/commentaire_id/the-ballet-class-3098.html. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

·         Divan Japonais (1883) – Presentation | Inspired Ideas. 2013. Divan Japonais (1883) – Presentation | Inspired Ideas. [ONLINE] Available at: http://inspiredideasheresecondary.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/divan-japonais-1883/. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

 

The industrial revolution of Japan

The industrial revolution of Japan

 

In the 1750’s till 1914 began the industrial revolution in Japan. When the industrial revolution began, Japan didn’t change to accept foreign influences because that would harm its economy. With the help of the industrial revolution Japan’s economy improved, turning into a stronger nation and becoming more successful by introducing new technology to its society. From this industrial revolution, Japan benefited from a lot of advantages: the population increased, the society had better living conditions and a lot of schools opened.

References:

BBS APWORLD - Compare the causes and early phases of the industrial revolution in western Europe and Japan. 2013. BBS APWORLD - Compare the causes and early phases of the industrial revolution in western Europe and Japan. [ONLINE] Available at: http://bbsapworld.wikispaces.com/Compare+the+causes+and+early+phases+of+the+industrial+revolution+in+western+Europe+and+Japan. [Accessed 18 May 2013].

Japanese woodblock prints

Japanese woodblock prints:

In the late 19^th century these woodblocks prints were produced in Japan to represent the battles with diseases like cholera and small pox. In 1854 Commodore Matthew Perry forced ports to open because a big part of Japan was closed to western trade. The woodblocks show how Japanese people’s conception of sickness, health and medicine changed through early contact with westerns. Some of these prints became advertisements for medicines and others were seen as topical entertainment and decoration. The first two images represent cholera. In these wood block prints we can see people fighting and cannons spraying a liquid. In the print we can see a tiger that represents cholera because it is a fast-moving lethal affliction. Here the tiger is crushing most of the people under its weight, emphasising its heavily-built anatomy.

References:

Japanese Woodblocks: Prints depict methods of fighting cholera, smallpox.. 2013. Japanese Woodblocks: Prints depict methods of fighting cholera, smallpox.. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/03/25/japanese_woodblocks_prints_depict_methods_of_fighting_cholera_smallpox.html. [Accessed 18 May 2013].

Japanese art deco

Japanese art deco

Art deco began to become popular in the world of art after 1925. This movement wanted to make art that was commercially good for everyone. Japanese art deco was able to reach out to other parts with the help of mass communication that received a lot of appreciation from art critics and collections. This Japanese art deco was more welcome than the traditional fine arts that existed in Japan before the First World War. Japanese artists used art deco to strengthen in a way their national identity and importance. They did this by using modern decorations. The influence of Japanese art deco can be seen in the cityscape and in the names of the rich people. Most of the places are filled with Japanese art deco. These places are hotels, cinemas and night clubs. Japanese art deco portrayed a lot of glamour, fun and fantasy.

References:

 

Interesting Facts & Information: tourism, travel, culture, language, business, people. » Blog Archive » Japanese Art Deco. 2013. Interesting Facts & Information: tourism, travel, culture, language, business, people. » Blog Archive » Japanese Art Deco. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/japan/japanese-art-deco/1425. [Accessed 18 May 2013].

William Morris

William Morris was best known for his pattern designs, particularly on fabrics and wallpapers. Morris was a leading member of the Arts and Crafts movement. His vision was to link art to the industry. This was a key stage in the evolution of design as we know it today. As a designer he believed that a designer should know how to work with every medium. Like many designers of his era, Morris was skilled in a wide range of arts and crafts. Although he was famous for his wallpaper designs, Morris still found a need to publish high quality hand-bound books. Morris was an artist, designer, printer, typographer, book-binder, craftsman, poet, writer and champion of socialist ideals.

References:

William Morris - The Arts and Crafts Movement. 2013. William Morris - The Arts and Crafts Movement. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris.html. [Accessed 04 April 2013].

Cubism

Pablo Picasso and Georges Barques developed a truly revolutionary style of modern art called cubism. In 20^th Century, there was the beginning of the style of “Abstract”. Since the Renaissance, perspective had been the rule. During the period 1870-1910, inventions such as photography, cinematography, sound-recording, the telephone, the motor-car and the airplane led to the beginning of a new age. Modernity had replaced traditional art (like photography replaced painting as the tool for documenting the age and artists illustrating cars, planes and images of the new technologies). Artists wanted a new way of seeing, so cubism became the new way of seeing, and this was the first abstract style of modern art. In 1907 Picasso and Barque had ideas about cubism: in Paris, they shared a common interest in the later paintings of Paul Cezanne.

 

Reference:

Cubism - the first abstract style of modern art. 2013. Cubism - the first abstract style of modern art. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/cubism.htm. [Accessed 04 April 2013].

 

The Victorian era

The Victorian period began in the year that Victoria became queen in 1837 and it ended when Queen Victoria died in 1901. A writer and artist of the period described the Victorians as “prudish, hypocritical, stuffy and narrow-minded”, but this perception isn’t universally accurate and it is a large error to jump to this conclusion because the writer and the artist wrote this during the mid to late 19^th century. However this description can apply to the major part of Victorian English Society, particularly amongst middle-class. By 1830, the British empire had, of course, existed for centuries, and had already experienced many obstacles. The most significant blow occurred in the late 18^th century with a successful revolt of its 13 American colonies. This event eventually resulted in the formation of the United States. The British empire expanded its colonial presence in many parts of Africa, in India, in the middle-east and in other parts of Asia. This happened during the 19^th century. This process had a long-term effect – for example, it spread the English language outside of Europe and increased trade between Europe and distant regions.

 

Reference:

The Victorian Period. 2013. The Victorian Period. [ONLINE] Available at: http://faculty.unlv.edu/kirschen/handouts/victorian.html. [Accessed 04 April 2013].

 

Pop Art

In the mid 1950’s in Britain, Pop Art was born. The first application of the term “Pop Art” occurred during discussions among artists who called themselves the Independent Group. This group was part of the Institute of Contemporary Art in London and was formed around 1952-53. Pop art referred to the interest of a number of artists in the images of mass media, advertising, comics and consumer products. It coincided with the globalization of pop music and youth culture personified by Elvis and the Beatles. Pop art was modern and fun to the artistic establishment. This type of movement included different styles of painting and sculpture from various countries.

References:

Pop Art - the art of popular culture. 2013. Pop Art - the art of popular culture. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/pop_art.htm. [Accessed 04 April 2013].

Pop Art - Art History Basics on Pop Art - mid-1950s to Early 1970s. 2013. Pop Art - Art History Basics on Pop Art - mid-1950s to Early 1970s. [ONLINE] Available at: http://arthistory.about.com/od/modernarthistory/a/Pop-Art-Art-History-101-Basics.htm. [Accessed 04 April 2013].

Forth visit

On 2nd of April I went to visit an art exhibition. This exhibition was held by a french artist could Colette Marchant. There was a number of work that was abstract. I recorded some of it by taking some photos:

Third visit

On the 8th of March I went to visit an exhibition. This exhibition was about ceramics work. This exhibition was named Forces and there was some abstract work. This exhibition was held by the artist George Muscat. From this exhibition I recorded some work:

Second visit

On the 8th of March I went to visit an exhibition. The artists was Alfred Chircop. The name of this exhibition was "PAINTINGS 2013". In this exhibition there was a number of paintings of the abstract style. I recorded some of the works:

Daguerrotype

In France a man called Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguarre invented the daguerreotype process. This invention began on August 19, 1839. American photographers quickly began to use it because it was capable of a “truthful likeness”. Daguerreotypists invited famous people and celebrities into the studios, in order to become famous. Photographers always encourage people to go and see their museums, galleries etc. In 1850s, the daguerreotype became less popular because of a faster and less expensive process by the ambrotype. The process of the daguerreotype was direct-positive process. In this process you don’t have to use the negative  - you need to use a sheet of copper , plated with a thin coat of silver to create a highly detailed image.

 

References:

Daguerreotype Photographs: The Daguerreotype. 2013. Daguerreotype Photographs: The Daguerreotype. [ONLINE] Available at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/daghtml/dagdag.html.

 

Contemporary Designer: Alexander McQueen

Lee Alexander McQueen is a fashion designer. At the age of 20, McQueen was employed with the designer Koji Tatsuno. A year later he went to Milan and there he was employed as an assistant designer with Romeo Gigli. The shows of Alexander McQueen are known for their emotional power and energy, as well as the romantic but contemporary nature of the collections. McQueen put together contrasting elements: fragility and strength, tradition and modernity, fluidity and severity. He had an openly passionate viewpoint, respecting the arts and crafts tradition. McQueen’s collections combine a thorough knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, the fine workmanship of French Haute Couture and the excellent finish of Italian manufacturing. In less than 10 years, he became the most respected fashion designer in the world. McQueen became a chief designer in October 1996 at the French Haute Couture House Givenchy. His collections included women’s ready-to-wear, men’s ready-to-wear and fragrance.

In summer of 1999 he put together a fashion show. In this fashion show, he was inspired from the arts and crafts movement. The fabrics that he used for this fashion show are: brown leather for the corset, cream silk lace for the skirt and for the prosthetic legs he used carved elm wood. In this fashion show he used the contrast element of the colours of the fabrics, brown that is a dark colour and the white that is a light colour. In the second dress he used white cotton for the dress and white synthetic tulle for the under skirt. In this dress, the muslin was spray- painted. Alexander McQueen did a lot of fashion shows but one that he did in 2005 was called “It’s not only a game”. A fabulous idea in this fashion show was to make the runway not like usual but a giant chess board. In this fashion show the models had to wear puffball miniskirts and Empire waist dresses based on 18^th century styles that inspired McQueen. In this fashion show we see some styles like Japanese kimonos, moulded corsets and sci-fi suits that all were connected with the theme of the chess piece. Again in this show we can see the contrast between the power and vulnerability. The clothes were from Edwardian children’s wear to embroidered fairground horses. The designer, from this show explored different types of woman - Americans face Japanese on the board, redheads are placed opposite Latin Americans and so forth. 

 

 

 

References:

 

No. 13 | Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 2013. No. 13 | Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. [ONLINE] Available at: http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/tag/no-13/.

 

Alexander McQueen | Biography. 2013. Alexander McQueen | Biography. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.alexandermcqueen.eu/http://www.alexandermcqueen.eu/alexandermcqueen/experience/biography/AAD,en_GB,sf.html/AAD,en_GB,sf.html.

 

 

First visit

On the 8^th of March I went to a visit of the National Museum of Fine Arts. Some names of practitioners are Giuseppe Cali, J.M.W. Turner,  Antoine Favray, Valentin de Boulogne , Emvin Cremona, Filippo Paladini, Melchiorre Cafa, Jusepe de Ribera and Mattia Preti. These are some works that were recorded:



Antoine de Favray (1706-1798) The visit



Antoine de Favray (1706-1798) Portrait of Maria Amalia Grognet 

Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714-1789) Fire on the Tiber

 





Giovanni Odazzi (1663-1731)Triumph of Faith



Francesco De Mura (1696-1782) Allegory of Malta

 

Carlo Maratta Madonna and child with infant st. John the Baptist