Though the start of artistic expression cannot be pinpointed to a specific date, the growth of art and its complexity cannot be denied. Two complex pieces of art which will be compared and contrasted within this essay are Mary Cassatt’s Portrait of the Artist and Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monkey. Though Cassatt belonged the Impressionist movement (Streissguth 48) and Kahlo who was labeled as a member of the Surrealist movement, which she later denied (Stremmel, Kerstin, & Grosenick 1940), both paintings have an equal number of similarities as contrasting elements. Each respective piece of art is no doubt a self portrait, but how each artist is represented in the two pieces is where the contrasting elements come into play. In Portrait …show more content…
Line proliferates both of these paintings. Line composes the two respective artists within their own paintings. In Kahlo’s work line is more apparent that in Cassatt’s work. One can see the sharp lines which carve out the facial features, the leaves in the background, and her garb. While the concept of line is present in Cassatt’s self portrait, they are not as defined as Kahlo’s lines are. Cassatt’s self portrait leaves her figure, the item in the bottom left corner, and what is on top of her hat open to interpretation. If Cassat’s liner were more defined like Kahlo’s those items would be more easily identifiable. These lines, whether well-defined or not, directly impact the shapes represented in the painting. Shape, another basic element of art, is something that is paramount in both pieces. While both pieces have the artist within the work, how the artist’s shape is defined depends on the intensity of the lines in the work. Kahlo has a very defined shape, while Cassatt does not. For example, in Kahlo’s work one viewing the piece and accurately determine everything within the piece; whereas, everything in Cassatt’s picture cannot be as easily identified due to the lack of intensity with the lines and …show more content…
It is undeniable the Kahlo’s culture played an eminent role in her work as an artist and world-renown icon. While Kahlo’s work was more representative of her culture and her feminist representations, Cassatt’s work leaned more towards depictions of herself and children. Theartstory.org states, “Cassatt’s art typically depicted domestic settings, the world to which she herself (as a respectable woman) was restricted…” Cassatt used her art to express her daily life as a woman; A woman who abided my the societal constructs of her time. The two purposes the artist used their talent for were essentially the antithesis of each other. Kahlo, who very proud of her heritage, proclaiming her strength in my womanhood where Cassatt was complacent and pleased with her frailty and
Frida Kahlo is known for the most influential Latin American female artist. She is also known as a rebellious feminist. Kahlo was inspired to paint after her near-death bus incident when she was 17. After this horrendous incident that scarred her for life, she went under 35 different operations. These operations caused her extreme pain and she was no longer able to have kids. Kahlo’s art includes self portraits of her emotions, pain, and representations of her life. Frida Kahlo was an original individual, not only in her artwork but also in her
Throughout history art has played a major role in society. It started out with paintings and went to photography and eventually to films. Artistic interpretation depended on whom the artist was and what he or she wanted to present to the audience. When it came to portraiture, whether it was paintings or photography, the idea of mimesis was very important. However important this may have been, the portraits were mostly products of the media and fashions during that time period. Whatever was popular during the time was used such as columns or curtains in the background. The face was the main focus in the painting and there was little focus on the body. Later on during photography the body was focused on more. Even though photography was used much later after paintings were used, it allowed the artist even more artistic interpretation because of the ability to play a different role and not having to be ones self. The artists that will be focused on are Frida Kahlo and Cindy Sherman. They lived during different periods and their artistic intentions varied because of that. They also had similarities in that they thought outside of the conventional roles. These women were both self-portraiture artists and although they were considered that their interpretations did not always make their portraits self-portraits. Traditionally the artist was an outsider, but when it came to self-portraiture they became the subject and the audience became the outsider. The similarities and differences of Frida Kahlo and Cindy Sherman’s art were tied into the strength and also vulnerability they had because of their roles as women. They wanted the audience to see a background story to the portraits and not just an image of a beautiful face.
She influenced young artists to not be afraid of what people think and to let all your emotions out on the canvas. She believed that at the end of the day, you are painting for yourself not others. It’s either that like it or they do not. Instead of being a doctor like she planned, she made paintings that had people talking for years. Along with confronting herself and the world around her, Herrera would argue, “Kahlo produced some of the most personal and original imagery of the twentieth Century.” (Herrera,
It appears to me that pictures have been over-valued; held up by a blind admiration as ideal things, and almost as standards by which nature is to be judged rather than the reverse; and this false estimate has been sanctioned by the extravagant epithets that have been applied to painters, and "the divine," "the inspired," and so forth. Yet in reality, what are the most sublime productions of the pencil but selections of some of the forms of nature, and copies of a few of her evanescent effects, and this is the result, not of inspiration, but of long and patient study, under the instruction of much good sense…
Both are side portraits of middle aged women which looks as if they are in deep thought or feelings. In Neilly’s, 24x36 palette knife oil painted portrait, the colors and type of paint she chose is easily determined by the marks on the woman’s face. The color choices that were chose are vibrant and bring life to the piece. Cool colors
The feminist art movement was a movement that set into motion to fight for equality, women’s liberation and women’s rights overall. The view of artistic production through the female perspective brought high visibility to the female artist, and was the beginning of many influential female artists whom made both political and strong social statements through the centuries. The feminist art movement became a platform in which female artists could rebel and express their opinions, views and ideas. By the 1960’s women had reached their tolerance level with being good enough to be placed on works of art for gawking purposes, but not good enough to be seen as an artist. This was a time when female artist began producing art that reflected the lives of females from their perspectives and not from a man’s
Imagine you can own one of the famous painting in the world. Which one would it be? What will you do with it? If I got to own a famous painting, I would hang it in my bedroom and I’ll show it to my family. In this situation, If needed to narrow it down it will be The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali or Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. These paintings are extremely different, and their artistic movement is opposite from one another. By the end of this essay, you’re going to know the differences and similarities of these paintings.
The historical painting I chose for my final, is an illustration of Bret Harte’s novel, Her Letter, His Response, and Her Last Letter, creatively illustrated by Arthur Ignatius Keller in 1905. The historical painting I chose for the comparison of Arthur Keller’s painting is another painting done by Arthur I Keller; illustrated for 54-40 or Fight by Emerson Hough, in 1909. Arthur I Keller is a very natural, elegant style painter, with an eye for natural beauty. Keller’s many paintings express intricate detail, and genuine quality. Although I picked two water color paintings out of Arthur Keller’s many collections of paintings, he also uses charcoal, acrylics, oils, and pastels to create other works of art. In both paintings I chose, Arthur Keller uses water color and gouache to paint people. Arthur’s first painting I mentioned, illustrating “Her Letter” is a more detailed painting. Keller uses water color to create a graceful look to his painting; his delicate balance of color, keeps the viewer’s eyes wandering around the painting. The focal point in the painting does not catch the viewer’s eyes because of heavy, dark colors, but because of the proportion differences of the people he implies. The painting gives off a very old fashioned feel, in a tasteful way. Arthur Keller’s second painting, illustrating “54-40 or Fight” has a completely different color theme, and gives off more of a mysterious, dark feel to it. The painting is detailed, but in a more simple way, and there is less negative space. As to where Keller’s “Her Letter” painting had a lot of open areas on the canvas, this painting, displays two people in a small enclosed dark room. The focal point is more dramatic, and a lot more obvious because instead of using sizing,...
The first difference between the two are the colors that were used. Van Gogh used bright blues and yellows to depict the night sky that stretches over the quaint town below. On the other hand, Kahlo used more neutral colors in hers. The sky in her painting is grey and stormy, giving the painting a melancholy feel, while van Gogh’s if full of swirling clouds and rather cheerful. The brush strokes in the paintings are vastly different as well. Van Gogh used thick, layered brushstrokes to give the painting an exaggerated, almost chaotic, feel. The painting technique that van Gogh used is called impasto, taking paint straight from the tube and onto the brush ("Van Gogh, The Starry Night"). This made his paintings more abstract while still keeping the subject obvious. You could always tell what he was painting, whether it was the night sky or his own face. On the other hand, Kahlo used a more realistic approach when painting, making her subjects clear and obvious. She studied biology and anatomy when she was in school, which was reflected in how well she could draw the human body and its parts like the hearts seen in The Two Fridas ("Kahlo, The Two Fridas (Las Dos
The neo-expressionist movement in America lasted from the late 70s and came to an end in the early 90s. The movement was a revival of expressionism, a style in which an artist portrays emotional experience into their work (Sandler, 227). It was also a response to the popular art style of the time called minimalism, which involved mostly blank canvases or lines. Neo-expressionism, on the other hand, was raw emotion and chaos. The main figures of the movement were Julian Schnabel, David Salle, and Ada Applebroog. A pioneer of the movement, and also the focus of this essay, is Jean-Michel Basquiat. His art referenced many famous artists and art pieces, from which he found inspiration. This inspiration was one of the features that made the movement
A self portrait is normally a painting of the painter itself. The painting is a tangible piece of art because it is
Aristotle once claimed that, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Artists, such as Louise-Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun and Mary Cassatt, captured not only the way things physically appeared on the outside, but also the emotions that were transpiring on the inside. A part no always visible to the viewer. While both artists, Le Brun and Cassatt, worked within the perimeters of their artistic cultures --the 18th century in which female artists were excluded and the 19th century, in which women were artistically limited-- they were able to capture the loving relationship between mother and child, but in works such as Marie Antoinette and Her Children and Mother Nursing her Child 1898,
In conclusion, the pieces have a variety of similarities as well as differences. Both pieces are double portraits that show the difference in time periods in which they were created and the way artistic tastes change over time. Both works of art seem to express differences between light and dark. Though both pieces have similar subject matters they vary in the use of medium and technique to create stark contrast with each other.
The turmoil began early for this young woman. At age six, she was stricken with polio, which left her walking with a limp. From the beginning Kahlo did not intend to become an artist. She was attending school at The Preparatoria (Preparatory) to become a famous doctor (Frida Kahlo n.d.). It was on September 17, 1925 that the most pivotal moment in her life occurred. Kahlo was on her way home from school when she became involved in a tragic bus accident. She was discovered by her boyfriend at the time, Alejandro Gomez Avais. Her slender body had been pierced by a hand rail (Lucie-Smith 1999). Many, including doctors, thought she wouldn’t make it. She proved wrong after surviving various surgeries. For a year she was put in bed to recuperate. The accident left her with a broken back, broken pelvis, and a crushed leg. During her recuperation she taught herself she taught herself to paint by studying Italian Renaissance (Frida Kahlo n.d.). She began painting portraits of family members and still life from her bed.
The contrasts between depth and surface, figure and landscape, promiscuity and modesty, beauty and vulgarity all present themselves in de Kooning’s Woman and Bicycle. Although the figure is a seemingly normal woman out for an afternoon with her bike, she becomes so much more through the artist’s use of color, contrast, and composition. The exotic nature of woman presents itself in her direct stare and slick buxom breasts in spite of a nearly indiscernible figure. It is understood that, on the whole, de Kooning did not paint with a purpose in mind, but rather as an opportunity to create an experience, however, that does not go to say that there isn’t some meaning that can come of this work. Even Willem de Kooning once said that art is not everything that is in it, but what you can take out of it (Hess p.144).