For this self portrait assignment, I would be discussing about the artist, the masterwork, and the movement he was involved in. The masterwork I decided to work for the assignment features one of Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic pieces, At Eternity’s Gates painted in 1890, featuring an old man sitting on a chair near a fireplace with his hands on his face wallowing in sorrow. The reason I chosen the masterwork relates to the exquisiteness Van Gogh presented when he painted the piece revealing his unique style and how he convey the emotions of the figure. Vincent Van Gogh remains an interesting figure in modern art with paintings the different periods of his life, he received an enthusiastic crowd with his artistic breakthroughs near the final years of his life mastering and fine-tuning his art skills. Van Gogh I had to worry whether the lighting would be sufficient enough to capture the essence of the masterwork, later I went to my grand aunt's home to use her fireplace. My fireplace at home did not turn on at all, and I even open up the bottom frame in order to turn on the mechanism to no avail the fireplace remain impossible to activate to year of gathering dust and neglect. I borrowed my uncle’s shoes to to replicate what the subject in Van Gogh masterpiece wore and used the chair from the dining area of the house. To take the shot I had opened the blinds halfway in order to place light in the photo. I brought along two friends to help assist me to capture the photo. The photos were taken at least 10 times to become entirely accurate to the original masterwork. Adjusting the iphone camera several times to match the position of the fireplace, the chair and subject. I did not use any Photoshop whatsoever to change anything, the photo remains the same photo as the day i had taken it several weeks
Throughout the history of art, there has always been a plethora of portraiture, no matter the time period or the medium whether is be sculptures, paintings or even carvings. Humans have always been fascinated with themselves and the way others look. But it’s not always about vanity, it means so much more and can be conveyed in many different ways. In some cases, the artists moved beyond that of a simple likeness and can instill different emotions in the viewer. That being said, in this essay I will compare and contrast two portraits. The first is an oil painting titled Man in a Red Turban by Flemish painter Jan van Eyck from 1433. The second work of art is Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud, a French Baroque painter. The portrait is from 1701 and is an oil-on-canvas painting. These two works of art both demonstrate a likeness of each of their subjects but use different styles, elements and emotions to captivate the viewer. In this essay I will detail why I believe Man in a Red Turban is the better portrait and why it is so effective.
Coming from a family greatly involved in art dealing, Vincent van Gogh was destined to have a place in the world of art. Van Gogh’s unique techniques and use of color, which clashed and differed greatly from the masters of the art world of his time, would eventually gain him the recognition as one of the founders of modern art. Van Gogh’s early life was heavily influenced by the role of his father who was a pastor and chose to follow in his footsteps. Although he abandoned the desire to become a pastor, van Gogh remained a spiritual being and was strong in faith. Plagued with a troubled mind and poor health, van Gogh’s life became filled with torment and isolation that would influence his career in later life as an artist. In his late twenties, van Gogh had decided that it was God’s divine plan for him to become a painter. His works would express through thoughtful composition and vibrant color, the emotions that he was unable to manifest in the real world. Van Gogh’s perception of reality and his technique would face harsh criticism and never receive full acceptance from his peers as a serious artist during his brief career. In a collection of correspondence entitled The Letters of a Post-Impressionist, Vincent confirmed these thoughts while writing to his brother Theo, “It irritates me to hear people say that I have no "technique." It is just possible that there is no trace of it, because I hold myself aloof from all painters” (27). His technique would later be marveled and revered by the art world. Vincent van Gogh’s legacy would thrive as it challenged the way the world envisioned modern art through his unique brush strokes and profound use of color as seen in his works The Sower and The Night Café. A brief look into...
To create this oil on canvas portrait, an observer can determine that the artist used a wet onto dry technique where certain parts of the picture needed to dry before more paint could be added. Because of this, the artist would not have completed the painting in one setting with what is known as a direct painting method. For example, the wrinkles in her dress have white highlights. In order to keep the white oil paint from blending too much with the black paint on the dress, the black would need to be dry. This artist did not leave visible signs of the texture of the canvas and does not appear to have built up layers of paint (Frank 123-124). The paint in the background and on the floor appears to use a technique of gradient blending where one color transitions gradually into another color. On the floor, the dark brown on the edge of the wall blends into a lighter brown towards the part of the floor in front of the dog and artist. On the wall, the gray color blends into white (Burke). The artist used vertical brush strokes to create the effect of a large ruffle on the bottom of the dress. Circular arc strokes were used to create layers of material on the dress skirt. Small brush strokes were used on the top part of the dress to create
What drove Vincent Van Gogh, born March 30,1853, to his mental illness and suicide? Could it have been the many things he tried, but failed at in his life? He failed in many different careers, in love, and even his artwork. Van Gogh sold only one painting his entire life. Because of his mental illness, he was considered a crazy person.
The life span of 37 years saw Vincent Willem van Gogh (Vincent) in creating beautiful works he dearly loved. Painting was an avenue, which allowed him to express his inner thoughts or vent his struggles. My decision to research on Vincent’s painting, Starry Night (1889) came with the inspiration from Don Mclean’s Song, Starry Starry Night where his lyrics spoke about Vincent’s life that further intrigued me in writing this paper.
We can see a clear representation of the impressionist that tended to completely avoid historical or allegorical subjects. In this painting, Monet’s painted very rapidly and used bold brushwork in order to capture the light and the color; include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes. An insistence on what Monet called “a spontaneous work rather than a calculated one” – this in particular accounts for the sketchy and seemingly unfinished quality of the Impressionist paintings. In the texture, he played with the shadow and light and created variation in tone, he employs patches of depth and surface. The light in the painting come from back to the windmill, it is a light shines softly behind the houses and the windmill. He was shown each brushstroke in the painting. Balance is achieved through an asymmetrical placement of the houses and the most important the
In present time, Vincent van Gogh is probably the most widely known and highly appreciated person of postimpressionism. During his brief lifetime, Vincent’s work went almost unknown to this world. His work now hangs in countless museums throughout the world and is considered priceless. His work became an important bridge between the 19th and 20th centuries.
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 article Artists Mythologies and Media Genius, Madness and Art History (1980) by Griselda Pollock is a forty page essay where Pollock (1980), argues and explains her views on the crucial question, "how art history works" (Pollock, 1980, p.57). She emphasizes that there should be changes to the practice of art history and uses Van Gogh as a major example in her study. Her thesis is to prove that the meaning behind artworks should not be restricted only to the artist who creates it, but also to realize what kind of economical, financial, social situation the artist may have been in to influence the subject that is used. (Pollock, 1980, pg. 57) She explains her views through this thesis and further develops this idea by engaging in scholarly debates with art historians and researcher, and objecting to how they claim there is a general state of how art is read. She structures her paragraphs in ways that allows her to present different kinds of evidences from a variety sources while using a formal yet persuasive tone of voice to get her point across to the reader.
Painted by Vincent Van Gogh during a final burst of activity in Auvers before his suicide in July, Houses at Auvers features many of the characteristic elements typical of Van Gogh; the experimentation with color, texture, and thick brush strokes. This painting depicts the view and landscape in early summer, highlighting the patchwork of houses and the rolling greenery. Van Gogh’s unique, thick brush strokes lead the eyes through the painting, create texture and patterns and also highlight and shadow objects in the early summer sun, while his experimentation with color creates contrast and a bright, vibrant image.
Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano Holy Trinity Clito Martyr Patricio Ruiz and Picasso was born October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain , parents of Jose Ruiz Blasco and Maria Picasso y López . Picasso had two younger sisters Dolores and Concepción , called Conchita , who died at the age of four. Conchita 's death affected Picasso in the coming years in later life . Picasso died in France in April 1973. Picasso 's family was middle class . His father, Ruiz , was a painter and most of his life Ruiz was a professor of art at the School of Crafts and a curator of a local museum. Ruiz encouraged his son and helped him with his art. Perhaps because of his parents work , Picasso had a love and a skill for drawing from an early age . In fact , his mother reported that his first word was pencil. His mother and father encouraged him to dream and both go their own way . "When I was a kid , my mother told me . ' If you become a soldier , you'll be a general If you become a monk you'll end up as the Pope ,'" recalled later. "Instead, I became a painter and ended up as Picasso. " ( Source A) It was obvious to her parents that Picasso had a natural ability as an artist and his ability only grew as he aged .
The composition of the painting takes place with the square of the canvas. The square is approximately 5' x 5'. A black frame surrounding the painting protrudes approximately 4" off the canvas. There is a 1" inlay between the canvas and frame. From this square, Reinhardt breaks the composition into six equal squares in three even rows. Texture is no where to be found in the painting. No visual indication of the artist's brush stroke is present. No varnished glare is given off by the piece. The entire work, including the frame, is completely matte. The squares take up the entire canvas in a checkerboard type arrangement. Each square is a slightly different shade of blue-black. It almost becomes impossible to see the difference between each square. The middle squares in the top and bottom rows shift more towards blue than the rest of the squares. The division of these middle squares become more obvious than the others. When the painting is looked at from a distance, it is almost impossible to see any of the squares at all. When looking from a far, all a viewer can see is a blackish blue canvas. As you stare longer into the painting, a halo begins to form around the corners of the canvas, creating a circle inside the square. Once you look away from the canvas, the circle is gone. With this observation in mind, we could say that the painting most definitely relies on the viewer. A viewer is required to look at the piece for its full affect. We could say that the squares in the painting are self-contained.
This painting by Vincent Van Gogh is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, in the Impressionism exhibit. There are many things going on in this painting that catch the viewer’s eye. The first is the piece’s vibrant colors, light blues and browns, bright greens, and more. The brush strokes that are very visible and can easily be identified as very thick some might even say bold. The furniture, the objects, and the setting are easy to identify and are proportioned to each other. There is so much to see in this piece to attempt to explain in only a few simple sentences.
chose this piece because I’ve always been a fan of Van Gogh’s art and I like his unique style
The painting selected for this assignment is a piece by Claude Monet, titled The Windmill on the Onbekende Gracht, Amsterdam. This artwork was painted in 1874, with oil on canvas, and the dimensions are 21 ¼ x 25 ½ in. (54 x 64.1 cm). The Windmill on the Onbekende Gracht, Amsterdam is housed at The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. The form of this painting is representational, and realistic.