Art200X Blogs

  by David Stone Martin; C. 1943 by David Stone Martin; C. 1943; Tom Lea 1944 Tom Lea 1944 by Robert Benney; C.1943 John D. Shaw 1944 I chose to do mid-modern art and chose WWII to make my exhibit about it. Each of these artworks is from WWII and depicts the war. WWII was, obviously, something that was well-known in the world around this time. I thought that doing a blog about it would be a good idea. WWII happened between the years of 1939-1945. It involved almost every part of the world. It began when Germany tried to invade Poland and France and Britain declared war on them. It ended when Germany surrendered, and soon after the bombs dropped on Hiroshima, Japan surrendered and the war ended.  Each of these artworks directly correlates to WWII as they were all captured during the war. The first two show men being bandaged up and cared for after being wounded in battle. The third shows men taking cover and keeping watch. The fourth shows a man on a ship, with explosions behind him. Th

  This is "On the Wire" by Harvey Dunn, 1918 in France. This is "Paths of Glory" by C R W Nevinson, 1917 This is"Back from the Fight" by Harry Townsend, 1918 in France. I chose to pick artwork in relation to and inspired by WWI. I chose to go this path because it was the most interesting to me out of the topics we were allowed to choose from. I think that the artwork from this era tells stories within the paintings themselves. The details and realism are astonishing and make you stop and look at it just a little longer.  For our first painting, "On the Wire", shows two soldiers carrying a third on a makeshift stretcher next to a barbwire fence with smoke/fog in the background. The soldier in the back has his head hung low, whereas the one in the front has his head up and is looking ahead. This painting shows a sad, emotional scene as these soldiers are carrying their fallen comrade out of the battlefield.  For our second painting, "Paths of

  Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies. Claude Monet, 1899 The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne. Alfred Sisley, 1872 Both of these artworks are impressionist styles. I love the way that both of these paintings look. They both are very bright, using lighter colors and blending them together well to create a warmth effect. They're very welcoming and inviting to look at, with no super harsh lines or colors. Both of these paintings are beautiful, and out of the two I would rather have the first one in my home, it would go with a lot more than the other painting.  Grandcamp, Evening, oil on canvas by Georges Seurat, 1885.  The Mont Sainte-Victoire by Paul Cezanne, 1904. Both of these are post-impressionism artwork styles. I liked these two less than I liked the two before. These ones feel duller, with darker colors and more shadows. It also feels like they have less distinct features, with the lines seeming to just blend into one another. This style is not as appealing for me to look at as

Revolutionary Art During the 1700's, a lot was happening in the world. In my blog, I'm going to be focusing on the American Revolution, also known as the U.S. War of Independence.  There is a lot of art from this, and I will be talking about a few paintings I find most interesting.  The Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775, by John Trumbull, 1786 This depicts The Battle of Bunker's Hill. This was the first major battle of the Revolutionary War, which happened a few months after the opening battles at Lexington and Concord, and also the beginning of the siege of Boston. As the patriots took up position on Breeds Hill, which overlooks Boston, the British sent three thousand men to try and take out the Americans and take the hill for themselves. The Battle of Bunker Hill was the subject of John Trumbull’s first canvas in a series of history paintings of principal events of the American Revolution.  A lot is going on in this painting, from the main focus being in the center o

  Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is an oil on canvas  painting thought to have been painted in 1665 in Delft.  I think this painting is a good example of tenebrism, as her face and upper torso are highlighted, and the background is dark and obscuring. There is a lot of shadowing, and it looks like the light is angled at the left side of her face. The colors are quite dull but still do the job of catching your eye. Her expression fills me with curiosity. What emotion is she trying to express? I think that everyone could interpret that differently.  During this time, wealth was coming to merchants, which led to the desire to collect and have paintings, artwork, and personal portraits. The wealth also influenced them to want to show off their prosperity, as having their own portrait painted was a symbol of wealth. Portraits were more popular than ever in this era. This particular painting is somewhat unusual for this era, as paintings and portraits are usually littered with

  This is  Hunters in the Snow (Winter)  by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565, Northern Europe Some elements in this artwork that have really stuck out to me are the colors. I love how they aren't super bright, but still eye-catching. The way that perspective is very spaced out makes this artwork enticing to me. I like that the focus is on the hunters and dogs, but there are still other things going on in the background that add depth to the artwork. There are a lot of aspects in this painting, and I love how the artist can show all of them. The way that the dogs have their head hung depicts an unsuccessful hunt, along with the hunter having his head tilted down, it shows sorrow and disappointment. People are playing on the ice, enjoying a crisp winter day.  I would probably own a copy of this painting, I think I would just have a hard time figuring out where to put it.  I think that this relates to humanism, as the village portrays regular life in the day of someone who lives there.