Themes of Art; Chapter 3

                                      HENRI ROUSSEAU

The Dream

Rousseau's painting shown above is of pure fantasy depicting a woman who seems like a goddess of a forrest. Her body nude and free with the wilderness, sitting so calmly and just gazing into the view before her, this can be a male/ or female fantasy.

                                          MARIKO MORI

Empty Dream

Here Mori inserts herself into this fantasy scene on a beach as a mermaid while people stare and take pictures, she is seen as a goddess on display.

The similarity between the two is that they are both mere fantasies the artist creates. The difference is that Henri's work is more of a free environment with no interruptions, while Mori's is a fantasy of her own. The kind of fantasy that makes others aware of the object shown and gains attention from it.

What is Art? part 2

                                     KITAGAWA UTAMARO

Hairdressing

Utamaro's women are slightly stylized and do not strike us as particular people drawn from life but as types of women drawn from imagination. Although the color is light and simple, the lines tell us everything we need to know, they describe the faces we see, the robes, hair, and the folds.

                                          EDGAR DEGAS

Nude Woman Having Her Hair Combed

Edgar Degas works in a naturalistic style. The woman seems like a particular person, probably a model who posed for him in his studio. Faint lines describe the contours of her body and the chair she sits on, but these lines do not have a life of their own, as in the japanese work. The woman's body is very finely observed, whereas the outer area of the image is treated freely.

The similarities between the two images shown above is that they show the simplicity of a woman having her hair combed in their own style. The difference is that their style is different, Degas is more of a naturalistic artist yet Utamaro is more of imagination.

What is Art? Chapter 2

Art is something that has great value in our society, it is a universal visual language.



                                       ANDY WARHOL

Thirty Are Better than One

Warhol portrays Mona Lisa as a celebrity, someone whose instantly recognizable image circulates in the endless multiples through our mass media. He depicts other stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley in the same way, repeating their publicity photos repetitively. Warhol was fascinated by how celebrities have separate lives than what people see.

                                    LEONARDO da VINCI

Mona Lisa

The hype that Mona Lisa brings is that from Leonardo's contemporaries, to whom it appeared almost miraculously lifelike. Writer's and poets of the 19th century became mesmerized by what they say as a mystery and mockery of her smile, they described her as a dangerous beauty. Today the Mona Lisa attracts over five million visitors every year.

To compare the two artists i'd have to say that they both make ordinary people and emphasize them through art. The difference is that Andy Warhol's work depicts how celebrities are repetitive images through the media his artwork is focused on culture today. While da Vinci made an ordinary person into a celebrity for decades to come.

Living With Art; Chapter 1 part 2

                                         TIM HAWKINSON

Emoter

Hawkinson's work can be depicted as do-it-yourself experiemental projects. He uses creativity and unlikely materials to create emotion and generate expressions. I depict this piece as your mind and body are connected and work together to show that what is felt on the inside reflects the outside and vice versa.

                                        AUDREY FLACK

Wheel of Fortune

Flack's work is based on a knowing of tradition and her interpretations of them such as Wheel of Fortune.

The necklace, mirrors, powder, and lipstick are symbols of personal vanity. An hour glass, calendar page, and a guttering candle speak of time and it's passing while the tarot card evoke the roles of chance and fate.

The similarity between the two artists is that they both try to show the audience the means of physical appearance. They depict objects that have common association and then trust us to add up the evidence.
The difference between the two is that Flack connects tradition with the present, and Hawkinson uses simple objects to show us how they can affect our appearance.

Living WIth Art; Chapter 1

Today we are surrounded by many things in our lives; people, places, and things.
Amongst those things is art which also serves a purpose on the way we perceive life.

                                              MAYA LIN

"Each of my works originates from a simple desire to make people aware of their surroundings, not just the physical world but also the psychological world we live in," Maya Lin has written. 

"I create places in which to think, without trying to dictate what to think."

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

In my opinion this piece of work is to make her audience feel human and come to terms with life in an emotional sense that we as humans live and also die. With death comes grief and with grief there comes a time of healing. The purpose of this wall was to bring a community together to provide comfort to those that have lost a loved one. 

                                    VINCENT VAN GOGH

Van Gogh's art work reflects his thoughts and emotions on how he perceives things and gets the audience to share his vision in a way we wouldn't normally see. Even though some of his art is simple it also brings intensity of a whole new outlook to the human eye.

My comparison between the two artists is that they both want the audience to perceive life in a different view than what they're used to. The difference would have to be that Lin's work promotes human emotion yet Gogh's work leans more towards imagination and creativity.