Art Course Blog

  At this point, I think it is clear that current events of the time periods are a strong influence on the art being created. For the Early Modern Era, 1900-1939, I want to show some pieces that were influenced by the Great Depression.   Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936, by Dorothea Lange. This photo was taken by a photojournalist named Dorothy Lange, who was working for the Resettlement  Administration ( Chandler ).  This photo of a mother named Florence was incredibly famous for the time period. In this image, we see two young kids who are clearly dirty, have messy hair, and are hiding from the camera behind their mom. The story behind this family is Florence was 32 with 7 children, struggling to find work as a migrant field worker in order to get cash to feed her family (Chandler). I personally have seen this photo before in school textbooks and know that during the time it was taken, it was very popular. I love the art of photography and how it ...

   The two styles within the Romantic Era I want to focus on are Art Nouveau and Realist.  ________________ Realism was a style that came about in the 1800s, as a form of art against Romanticism ( Realism Movement Overview and Analysis). These pieces often include very ordinary concepts such as livestock, daily tasks, and middle-class workers. Gustave Courbet: The Stone Breakers (1849-50) This piece was made by artist Gustave Courbet. I chose to share this piece because I liked how there is so much movement in this piece. The men's clothes tell a story of hard work with little reward. The clothes look loose on the men and it's very easy to tell from the artists' techniques and use of shadowing to create movement in the clothes that match the actions the men are doing. The background is also very neutral and bland leaving the main focus on the faceless men. According to an article by The Art story.org, Courbet intended to make the men faceless to give " More atte...

  King Lear Weeping over the Dead Body of Cordelia  (c. 1786) by James Barry;  James Barry , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Within my artworks chosen, I want to discuss the elements related to the Revolution occurring during this time. First, is an artwork by James Berry, titled " King Lear Weeping over the Dead Body of Cordelia". This piece of artwork stood out to me because of the emotion that was depicted. There are men surrounding her body weeping and grieving for her death. The light colors used on her compared to the darker colors used everywhere else makes your eyes drawn to her, making you not even notice the other woman lying on the ground below her. Also, the artist made a point to give you a view behind the crowd of grieving men, to look up the hill at the continuing battle. I love how this shows that just because one person dies, a person of importance to others, doesn't mean the battle stands at a halt for them to grieve. If you notice King Lear to the ...

  Allegory of War by Jan Brueghel the Younger           This infamous painting was painted by Jan Brueghel at the end of The Thirty-Year War, in 1640. This war was the cause of over 8 million deaths across Europe. I love this photo and how there is so much going on and so much to look at. One thing the artist included was a great use of symbolism. There is a lot of weapons laid about within the photo to symbolize the countless deaths caused by this war. Also, there is a lot of animals fighting in this piece. The animals are there to signify zodiac signs, and another way to show the deaths that became due to this long battle. I love the colors used in this piece, the red really stands out to me as it is against a darker background, as well as a large contrast from the light colors used to show the sky. To me, this really shows how death and destruction are at the hands of humanity on earth and there is peace from the gods. Jan Brueghel also used th...

  Michelangelo, Pieta, c. 1498-1500, marble Background: This sculpture was created by Michelangelo in Rome the year of 1498. This was made after he was commissioned by  Jean de Billheres to make a piece of art for the St Peters Basilica. The sculpture is named Pieta and is carved with marble.  ("Michelangelo’s Pieta") Story of Pieta:   Michelangelo said the story of the art is that it is the Virgin Mary depicted holding the body of Christ after his crucifixion, before being placed in his tomb. This is known as  The Seven Sorrows of Mary and was said to be a key event within her life.  ("Michelangelo’s Pieta") I think this artwork is absolutely beautiful. I love his choice in media, using a stone as hard and beautiful as marble. There is so much emotion within Mary's face and it's amazing to think he was able to carve something as hard as stone and make it look soft like skin. Michelangelo said he sculpted Mary to be larger than the body of Christ and use...

  The Body in Art     Yvonne Chevalier, Nude ,1929     While searching for an art piece that really spoke to me, I came across the website for the National Gallery of Art. One of their current exhibitions is called "The New Woman behind the Camera." According to the site, the exhibition is showcasing " diverse “new women” who embraced photography as a mode of professional and personal expression from the 1920s to the 1950 s" ("The New Woman Behind the Camera, 2021"),     The black and white photograph above is of Yvonne Chevalier, born in France and lived from 1899 to 1982 ("The New Woman Behind the Camera, 2021"). It is not stated where the image was taken. In the image, Chevalier is posing nude in a grayscale shot. I love the choice in color for this photograph, the shades of black, with highlights of white and grey along the curves of the body give a great depth and insight into the emotions behind the piece. Black within the art can ...

  Robot built by my Dad, Jeffry Siegle using  scrap metals Hello Everyone! My name is Madison, in 21 years old and I just moved to Alaska last month with my husband and our dog. A few things about me, I am going to school to become an Elementary teacher. I worked at a daycare for a year and fell in love with working with kids so I decided to switch my major, again. I love spending time with my dog, Kali, eating yummy food and caring for my plants. I am originally from Pennsylvania, but spent the last two years in Kansas because my husband is Active Duty Military. We have been in Alaska for exactly a month, and we both love it! Were located in Anchorage and have been spending a lot of time checking out local businesses.  Art has always been a large part of my life, especially growing up. My dad went to college for Art and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. During my childhood, my dad had a large art studio downstairs with all the paints, chalks, and canvases you could imagin...