Exploring Non-Western Art: Japanese Woodblock Prints

Don’t let the name fool you, this is not about art printed onto wooden blocks. Woodblock prints were a form of printing before the invention of the movable type printing; it grew in popularity during the Edo Period (Japanese Edo Period: 1615-1868). The artist would draw the image onto washi (a form of Japanese paper) and then glue it to a plank of wood (usually cherry). The wood would then be cut away based on the outlines of the drawing, creating a sort of wooden stamp. This was dipped in ink and a small, hard wooden object, called a baren, was used to press paper against the wood, thus printing the image onto the paper. At first, this technique was done by hand; although, eventually complex wooden mechanisms were developed in order to simplify the process (this came in very handy when colored inks were added). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodblock_printing_in_Japan#Technique)

The most famous woodblock print was created by artist Katsushika Hokusai in the early 1830′s (estimated between 1830 and 1832) in Japan. More than likely you know of this print, it is called The Great Wave at Kanagawa. (http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/asian_art/the_great_wave_at_kanagawa_from_a_series_of_thirty_six_katsushika_hokusai/objectview.aspx?collID=6&OID=60013238)

 

 I absolutely love this painting. I remember stumbling across this painting in elementary school and being awe-struck. Today, I find it just as remarkable. There are a lot of key points to look at in this piece, so let’s start with the most obvious.

The waves in this painting are hard to miss. Not only do they dominate the painting, they have such fantastic texture. The edges curl into liquid fingers, curling towards the boats. There are foaming splashes and sprays. The water is violent and powerful.

The boats can be easy to miss amongst the waves. They leave you wondering whether the oarsmen are rowing into the waves or away from them. Either way, they seem determined to get where they are going. The boats, like the waves, impart a feeling of action and urgency.

In the back you see a mountain, looking majestic and calm amongst all of the action. This is Mount Fuji. It is placed at the center of the painting for a reason, it is meant to draw your focus. This mountain is actually the intended subject for this piece.

The Great Wave is just one of a series of thirty-six woodblock prints that make up a set, entitled Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, and is arguably the most popular. This set, all created by Hokusai, was created between 1826 and 1833. Hokusai was well known for his work in the Ukiyo-e style of woodblock printing. Ukiyo-e style, or “pictures of the floating world”, is focused around images of everyday life. (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/hokusai/)

Hokusai learned his skill by entering into the instruction of fellow Japanese artist, Katsukawa Shunsho, in 1775. Between 1796 and 1802, he used his talent for printmaking to create a number of book illustrations and color prints (possibly in the range of 30,000) based on the lives, traditions, and legends of Japanese people and culture.

His works became very popular in the mid-19th century when they were imported to Paris. There they found homes with many of the popular impressionist painters of the time, including Monet, Degas, and Toulouse-Lautrec, all of which were heavily influenced by his work.

Another thing I like about this Hokusai’s work is that is expresses many different ways of looking at the same object. For the rest of the images, go here: http://www.man-pai.com/Grandes_series/Hokusai_Fuji36/hokusai_36_vistas_monte_fuji_e.htm

Exploring Non-Western Art: Ming Dynasty Landscapes

I don’t know why, but I have always found myself fascinated by the landscapes in the wall paper at Pagoda. (Go ahead, laugh, I find it funny too.) Throughout the many years of my patronage at the restaurant, I always seem to find myself looking at the scenery in the wallpaper. Of all the things to be fascinated with at an amazing Chinese food place, I stare at the wallpaper. Anyway, that wallpaper is what inspired me in this assignment.

Personally, I find the beauty of Chinese landscapes (of the Ming Dynasty era) to be in the wide array of technicality. Some are beautiful because they are so simplistic. Others are beautiful because they are incredibly detailed. The main thing I love is the texture. Every landscape is textured. Some depict jagged, towering mountains; some happy, little trees (Yes, that was a tribute to Bob Ross, I loved his happy little trees); and some show you flowing rivers and streams. Each of these environmental influences require a different texture and feel, and I think that the landscapes artists of China’s Ming Dynasty managed to capture that.

Shaded Dwellings among Streams and Mountains was painted by Dong Qichang. This painted scroll was created with ink on paper (rather than ink on silk, as some paintings were done). I think the paper allows for more details that perhaps silk does not. Artist Dong Qichang was considered the foremost landscape painter of his time (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1979.75.2), who sought to reconstruct classic and simplistic artistic styles. This painting emulates the work of Dong Yuan from the 930-960′s.

Dong Qichang was born in 1555 to a poor, but scholarly family. This could be why he aspired to be so great. Aside from his work as an artist, he was also a calligrapher, theoretician, and politician (http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/asian/Dong-Qichang.html ). At the age of twelve, he secured a spot in Government School by passing a civil service exam. At the age of seventeen, he took the imperial service exam and placed second for his poor calligraphy. He was known as a perfectionist, and because of the remarks regarding his calligraphy skills, he spent the next few years training to be a famous calligrapher. By the age of thirty-five, he had become a high-ranked official in the imperial government who was known for his superb calligraphy skills.

In 1590, he became the tutor, under the service of the Imperial Academy, to the prince of China. After being involved in a political fallout he opted for early retirement. However, he didn’t stay retired long. In 1604, he returned to the Imperial Academy; within a year, while proctoring an exam, the students held an uprising against him, forcing him yet again into early retirement. He was declared innocent, but chose to stay retired.

He faced even more turmoil (of his own creation) when, after too many women left his home bruised and battered, a mob burned his home to the ground. After this, Qichang stayed in retirement until 1622, when he was commissioned to assemble a history of the Ming Dynasty. In 1631, he returned to tutor the prince again, retiring again in 1634. He passed away in 1636.

His impact on the art world of the Ming Dynasty was great. He divided Chinese painting into two “schools”; the Northern School and the Southern School. The Southern School emphasized a sudden, intuitive realization of truth, whereas the Northern School taught a more gradual acquisition of such insight. Artists of the Southern School were known as “literati” and were thought to be amateur painters who painted simply by natural talent or intuition. Artists of the Northern School were considered professionals and painted without giving away the artist’s inner nature (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/608970/Dong-Qichang).

Regardless of being a bad person, as history would lead us to believe, Dong Qichang was a brilliant artist. Most of his paintings were done during his retirements. This one, Shaded Dwellings among Streams and Mountains, in particular appealed to me. I enjoy the combination of texture that this gives. It has the sharpness of the mountains, combined with the softness of the trees. The water, although simple and  lacking detail, flows through the painting. The little homes are simple and nestled into the trees, as if the forest provides extra shelter. I think this landscape looks inviting, regardless of the daunting and almost impenetrable looking mountains. Overall, I think it’s a happy painting and I enjoy it a lot.

The Return of the Pin-Up: A Virtual Exhibit

Accident-prone and absolutely gorgeous, the classic Pin-Up Girl was the embodiment of these things. Often seen as the wind pushed up her skirts or as a swimsuit strap was breaking, the pin-up girl image has become iconic of the 20th century, specifically of the 1940′s and 1950′s. However, the pin-up girl became dramatically less popular when the second-wave of the feminist movement began in the mid-1960′s.

A few loyal artists and fans clung to the image of the pin-up throughout the next few decades. The images evolved with the times but did not reappear in mainstream art until more recently. In contemporary art we are seeing the return of the pin-up girl (in a BIG way). Modern pin-up girls are becoming a movement all their own. They’ve expanded from the quirky girl-next-door images of the early 20th century into sub genres ranging from “geek chic” to zombies. In this virtual exhibit I am inviting you to explore with me the return of the pin-up.

If you are unfamiliar with pin-up girl art, I encourage you to look to the works of artists like Gil Elvgreen, George Petty, Alberto Vargas, and Zoe Mozert (amongst others).

The Pin-Up’s Triumphant Return

During the second wave of feminism (beginning in the early 1960′s and lasting through the early 80′s), pin-up art survived mostly through commercial work. Many pin-up artists created pieces for novel covers, advertisements, and even Wheaties boxes (see Mayo Olmstead’s piece featuring 1976 gold medalist Bruce Jenner). In the 1980′s an artist named Olivia de Berardinis cleared the way for future pin-up artists. An American graduate of the New York School of Visual Arts, she did not gain a following until after she met her husband in the late 1970′s. They worked together to start a business out of her artwork and slowly gained a following. Her work became so popular that in 1987 the Tamara Bane Gallery in Beverly Hills opened up a showcase of her work (http://www.thepinupfiles.com/olivia1.html). Olivia is most well-known for her extensive collection of Bettie Page images (in fact, you may recognize some of these).

The above piece was painted in 1980 and entitled Zebra Girl 1. The next two images from Olivia you are likely to recognize, especially if you’ve ever set foot into a Hot Topic store. Below is Bettie’s Shoes painted in 1980.

This last one from Olivia was done in 2004, it is called Don’t Tread on Me, and it inspired a costume designed by Olivia that Bettie Page herself approved before she passed in 2008. Olivia’s Bettie Page series of pin-ups are the pinnacle of contemporary pin-up art, in my opinion. Her work has become not only popular, but it has spawned the birth of an entire movement of pin-up artwork.

Thanks to artists like Olivia de Berardini, we are experiencing a retro revival in popular culture. This revival has been dubbed “Rockabilly”. Trends are popping up from the 1940′s and 1950′s in clothing, music, and art.  The Rockabilly trend has become exceedingly popular in alternative and punk fashion, sprouting clothing companies like PinUpGirlClothing, Bettie Page Clothing, and Dixiefried. With the resurgence of retro styles there has been a call for retro styled models.

Enter the modern Pin-Up Girl

The modern pin-up comes in a variety of flavors. One of the most popular versions of the modernized pin-up is the photography pin-up movement that has been led by the creation of The Suicide Girls (You may have heard of them). Dubbing themselves “Beautiful naked girls with tattoos”, the Suicide Girls have sprouted a trend in the pin-up world (http://suicidegirls.com/). Founded in 2001 by Missy Suicide, SG (short for the Suicide Girls) celebrates the beauty of alternative girls (alternative meaning pierced, tattooed, punk, goth, geek, or just out of the ordinary). SG has become a very popular starting point for hopeful new pin-up models and photographers. Having been a potential SG model myself (pregnancy put a big stopper in that fantasy), I can appreciate the artistic quality of their photography sets. There is, however, a controversy around SG. Some pin-up fans consider it to be pornographic rather than artistic, others claim the exact opposite. Let me remind you that one of the most famous pin-up models, Bettie Page, was considered pornographic in her day but is now considered an ideal of pin-up perfection. What side of the fence do you fall on? I’ll let you think on that for a while. Since there is such a controversy over the possible pornography of SG images, I’ll refrain from posting any, if you’re interested I suggest you look them up.

Modern Pin-Up Sub-Genres

Since its return to the art world, pin-up art has taken on a variety of forms. Allow me to give you a brief overview of some of the highlights (and my personal favorites).

Zombie Pin-Ups

I figured that one caught your attention in the beginning. Zombie pin-ups are a relatively new sub-genre of pin-up art. Combining the grotesque images of decaying corpses with the classic beauty of the feminine body. Thanks, in part, to a boom in zombie films, books, etc. this sub-genre is quickly gaining popularity. Zombie pin-ups offer a dark twist on the classic-style pin-up. Personally, I find these to be wonderful, satirical, and artistic. They’re one of my favorite sub-genres.

Photograph from Chad Savage, taken in November of 2005, entitled Bunny. Chad Savage is an American contemporary horror artist who specializes in haunted, dark, and halloween artistic themes. He currently resides outside of Chicago. In his younger days his work seriously worried his parents who are Southern Baptists as they noticed that he preferred Halloween to Christmas and horror to happy endings.

Photograph from Robyn Malter and Shalaco Sching, taken in 2008, entitled She’ll Eat You Alive! Featured in this photograph is Jaylin Suicide (gee, doesn’t that name sound familiar?), she is a model for the Suicide Girls and is one of many to pose for Malter and Sching in their Zombie Pin-Up Calendar (http://www.myzombiepinup.com). Robyn Malter and Shalaco Sching started their career together as wedding photographers. In 2008, they decided to take their photography in a new direction with their zombie pin-up calendar. Each of their shots are done without the use of photoshop. It requires days for each prosthetic mold to set and hours for the “zombification” process to be completed. All of their zombie pin-up shots are based on specific classic pin-up images from the 1940′s and 1950′s. They still do wedding photography on the side.

Pin-Ups Go Geek

As coincidence would have it, geeks and nerds have grown in popularity at the same time pin-up art has. It’s no longer an insult to be called a geek or a nerd, in fact many, myself included, consider it quite the compliment. Women as geeks haven’t exactly been a front-runner in the beauty department though. This all changed once women realized that they can be smart AND sexy (thank you feminist movement). However, this is not a new concept. There are numerous images of pin-up librarians and teachers from the early days of pin-up art. Is it coincidence that with the return of the pin-up we see a return of the chic geek? Due to the locked down protected images on their website, I’m afraid I can’t post the photographs. However, you can feel free to check them out at NerdGirlPinups.com. Although NerdGirlPinUps is not the only source of geek chic photography, it is the best combination of geek and pin-up. If you were ever a fan of comic books, libraries, or if you can read binary, you’ll likely enjoy their sets as much as I do.

Fetish and (more) Erotic Pin-Ups

Fans of classic pin-up art will tell you that the fetish and bdsm pin-ups are not real pin-up art. Personally, I disagree. I believe that, when done right, this is an interesting sub-genre that sheds light on a darker side of sexuality that most people choose to ignore. After all, what is pin-up art, if not controversial and erotic? I think if any sub-genre gets the same initial response that classic pin-up art did, it is this one. In the early 20th century, people were shocked at the overt sexuality of pin-up art. That happens to be the same reaction that this sub-genre is getting now. This sub-genre can actually claim its roots in the work of Bettie Page and her infamous bondage and bdsm series.

For example, the following piece is Bettie Page, circa early 1950′s, likely from her time with photographer Cass Carr.

Jump forward to May 2009, and you can see Evan Rachel Wood in a set she did for GQ Magazine. I think she was trying to pull off a modern version of Bettie’s work. Don’t you agree?

The Final Stop in Our Exploration

Not all contemporary pin-up artists have strayed so far from the original styles. In fact, quite a few have done their best to pay homage to the classic pin-up masters through their work. Kent Steine is one of those artists. Using an airbrush technique, Steine creates pin-up art reminiscent of the 1940′s. Currently residing in Wisconsin, Steine also teaches art at a college level, authors his own books, and consults to the History Channel and other national networks (http://kentsteine.com/page2.htm). He is self-taught. Although, I find myself to be a fan of how pin-up art has evolved, I must admit that I am happy to see that some artists are still holding on to the classic imagery that made pin-up art popular in the first place.

Ho-Kus-Pok-Us, painted by Kent Steine, date unknown (his website does not provide one), currently residing in the collection of Paul Dini.

Bottoms Up, painted by Kent Steine, unknown date, currently residing in the collection of Harry Wallace.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this virtual exhibit on the return of the pin-up to contemporary art. If nothing else, I hope you learned something new about this genre. Thanks for spending some time here!

Early Modern Music

I had a difficult time choosing a piece of art for this time period. I have so many faovrites that hail from the early 20th century. Salvador Dali is by far one of my favorite artists. Duke Ellington has long been a musical hero of mine. However, instead of choosing one of these, I decided to choose a lesser known artist. Let me rephrase that, lesser known to the average Joe, but very well known to me.

Gustav Holst wrote a very extensive collection of music entitled The Planets Suite. After learning about the extreme response to Stravisky’s Rite of Spring, one can only imagine the response people had to The Planets Suite. The Planets Suite was comprised of seven movements, each corresponding with a planet in our solar system. The suite goes as follows:

You first hear the violent sounds of Mars: The Bringer of War (the piece I’ll have you listen to in a moment).

In stark contradiction to the previous piece are the more mellow sounds of Venus: The Bringer of Peace.

The quickness of Mercury: The Winged Messenger.

This is followed by Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity (a song played at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding, and at the funeral of Diana).

Next comes Saturn: The Bringer of Old Age, a slow and powerful movement.

Completing the Suite are the movements, Uranus: The Magician and Neptune: The Mystic.

(side note: There was no movement for Pluto, as it was not discovered until 1930)

Before I get into any more details about the suite, you should probably listen to it. This is the video for Mars: The Bringer of War, the most popular movement of the suite.

Much like Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, this piece is laced with violent, powerful sounds. Surprisingly, this piece was written before the First World War It was first performed in 1918 (although, written in throughout the 19-teens during his many trips to England), which puts it right at the beginning of the Early Modern Movement.

One of the most interesting parts of this piece, in my opinion, is the back story. Gustav Holst was inspired by his friend, an astrologer named Clifford Bax, to learn more about astrology. He had in his library a book by Alan Leo, called The Art of Synthesis. Each chapter of the book was based on a planet and its characteristics. Each movement of Holst’s suite corresponds with the chapters of the book; in fact, Neptune: The Mystic shares a name with one of the chapters. Holst was also very influenced by Stravisky, Schoenberg, and Debussy (http://www.gustavholst.info/compositions/listing.php?work=18).

Although this piece was written before World War I, I can’t help but wonder if maybe during his many trips to Europe, he picked up on the pre-war tensions and used those to help fuel this movement. Mars is riddled with violent, harsh tones that summon up images of war, fighting, and troops marching into battle.

Perhaps, now you can see why this is one of my favorite pieces of music from the Early Modern Era. Oh, and before you ask, yes, in my band geek days I did perform this piece. Much to my surprise, it is just as powerful to me now as it was back then.

I highly recommend you listen to the other movements of this suite! If you choose to, here are the links to get to them:

Venus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1f8HjIkU3M

Mercury: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXSQnSF0K8s

Jupiter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUx3G6YHp7Y

Saturn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb79SiZrzvw

Neptune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSJub1A1aIk

Uranus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5G6ffAOJUk

Other sources that I didn’t quote mid-blog:

http://classicalmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/gustav_holst___the_planets_

http://www.aquarianage.org/lore/holst.html

 

Impressionist Art

I’ll admit it, after the previous styles of art Impressionism seems chaotic. It’s unstructured, the brush strokes seem careless and sloppy, and at first it appears to be a splattering of random colors. So I chose to do what any other patron of the arts would do, I took another look. Impressionist art isn’t something you can appreciate up close. However, if you take a step back and you really look at the painting and a whole, the image is much more clear. After that initial dislike, this style begins to grow on you.

Here’s what I want you to do (bear with me here), move closer to your computer screen. Come on now, don’t just sit there and give my blog the “You’re an idiot” look. Position yourself to within inches of your screen (I know it’s an awkward position). Now look at the following painting.

Okay, you can move back now. What did it look like when you were so close? To me it appears to be a big mess of colors. Now that you’re sitting back and you have a better view, you can see the image more clearly. It is Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, painted in 1872 during his stay in Argenteuil, a village on the Seine near Paris (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/monet/). This is the painting that really captures this whole style.

Feel free to try out that up close and far away viewing technique with the following pieces.

This is another example of Monet’s Impressionist work. It is entitled La Promenade, and was painted in 1875 in Argenteuil (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/monet/).

This piece was painted by Alfred Sisley in Paris in 1880. It is called The Chemin de By through Woods at Roches-Courtaut, St. Martin’s Summer (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/sisley/). 

The Swing was painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in Paris in 1876 (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/renoir/). Something I noticed about this piece is their eyes. Everybody seems to be looking in a different direction. I also noticed that the woman on the swing looks sad.

This last piece I’m showing you is called The Red Roofs. It was painted in  1877 by Camille Pissarro(http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/pissarro/redroofs/).

After viewing a few examples of Impressionist art, do you see why I called it chaotic and a mess of color? If you’re struggling with this let me reference a painting to compare it to. Before Impressionism took hold of the art world we saw much more detailed and precise paintings. Take Francois Boucher’s Diana Leaves her Bath, painted in 1742(http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/anc_bou_di-ba.html).

This is an example of art from the Classic era. Look at the extreme detail. Now compare that very precise, very exact, very structured detail with the loose, chaotic splashes of color that is Impressionist art. I can see why art critics of the time disapproved of the dramatic change that Impressionist art provided.

I’m not, however, expressing my dislike for Impressionist art. I’ll admit, my initial reaction wasn’t the most positive, but I’ve grown to enjoy Impressionism. Instead of seeing wild, loose chaos, I can see the paintings as controlled chaos. This is something I can appreciate. As a parent my life revolves around a sense of controlled chaos. There are times that I may seem a mess with an unruly child, but once you take a step back and a second look you can plainly see that I’m not so much a mess as I am slightly disheveled and my child is not so much unruly as he is energetic. So as a person living in a world of controlled chaos, I can appreciate it when I see it in art.

Classical Music

Please listen to this piece, or at least a small portion of it.

   

The piece you have just heard was the 1st Movement of The Destiny Symphony. You may better know it as Ludwig van Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. It gained the title of The Destiny Symphony due to the words written about the first bars of the first movement, “That’s how destiny knocks at your door.” These words were written by Beethoven’s biographer, Anton Felix Schindler (http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/symphony5.html). 

  

Beethoven’s 5th Symphony was composed in 1808 during his four-year return to Vienna (http://www.lucare.com/immortal/after.html). At this point in his life, Beethoven had lost most of his ability to hear. However, he saw his growing deafness as a feat to overcome. It is for that determination, that I so greatly admire him.  

The reason I chose this piece is not because of my admiration for Beethoven or because it is highly recognizable. I chose this piece because it’s truly my favorite piece of the period. You see, once upon a time, I was a band geek. My years in band gave me a greater musical perspective and taught me how to better appreciate music. Beethoven’s 5th is definitely a piece to be appreciated.  

Close your eyes and listen to it again. You can almost feel the drama and excitement of the piece. What imagery do you imagine when you listen to it? My mind creates all sorts of  stories for me when I hear this piece. For me, that’s the selling point for a piece of instrumental music. I love that I feel pulled and swayed by the darker tones. At points I get this whirlwind imagery, as if the melody is spinning. The whole piece flows together seamlessly.  

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, describing why a piece of music appeals to you is difficult. Sometimes you’re not even sure why you like it, but you do. In most cases this would be true for me, but in the few instances that it isn’t I can honestly say that I enjoy the music because of the story I imagine it tells.  

I think this is why Beethoven’s work, this piece in particular, was so popular.  The middle class could envision a story to go along with the music. Another reason for this piece’s popularity could simply be because it is so memorable. Those beginning bars of the first movement aren’t ones you’re likely to forget.  

Part of his popularity likely came from his younger days in Vienna when he would participate in a type of musician’s duel. Pianists would pit themselves against another to see who was more gifted, imaginative, and creative. Beethoven typical stood triumphantly at the end of each one (http://www.lucare.com/immortal/ascent.html). This gained him fame and notability amongst the nobles and the crowds. This rise in public recognition gave him a larger fan base in the beginning of his career as a composer that only grew with each symphony.  

If you’d like to hear the other movements of this symphony, here are links to them:  

2nd Movement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQIVWhKhwPA  

3rd Movement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mvbRe5JOWk  

4th Movement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAyUzxDB9eE  

Baroque Era Art

I found it difficult to choose a favorite piece for this era. As I am fond of music my first thought was to choose Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” and gush about my love of this piece, including stories of dancing around in a tutu at the age of five while listening to it and hearing it’s influence in more modern compositions like “Nutcracker Suite” by Tchaikovsky… However, I decided if I chose that one I’d be forced to then share pictures of me at that age, wearing the tutu, and dancing… So I quickly thought better of it.

So I choose to share with you my favorite piece of visual art from the Baroque era.

This magnificent painting, done by Claude Lorrain, is entitled “Ulysses Returns Chryseis to her Father”. It was painted in 1648 while he resided in Rome.  Claude Lorrain gained the patronage of Cardinal Bentivoglio and Pope Urban VIII (http://www.claudelorrain.org/biography.html). This tells us that he was accepted by the church. I assume that it was thanks to his realism, emotion, and underlying moral stories portrayed in his art that gained him the favor of the church. All three of these artistic ideals were highly looked upon by the church after Council of Trent convened to discuss the counter-reformation.

During the Council of Trent’s last session in 1561, it was decreed that religious imagery was welcomed as a support to the religious teaching of the church (http://witcombe.sbc.edu/art-theory-baroque-Fall-2008/style3.html). The Council of Trent also laid out the guidelines for what they viewed as appropriate art. These guidelines were simple:

1. Clear

2. Realistic

3. Emotional

Many artists of the day incorporated these guidelines into their artwork.

 Although this painting by Lorrain is not religious in nature, it does tell part of a story. It also adheres to the aforementioned guidelines. The story illustrated in this painting is of Homer’s Ulysses. In the story Chryseis is the daughter of a priest of the god Apollo. She is captured by the Achaeans and is given to their leader, King Agamemnon. As it turns out, this greatly angered the god Apollo. After the warrior Achilles is informed of this by a prophet, he passes the news along to Agamemnon. Fearing the wrath of Apollo, he gives Chryseis to Ulysses so that he may return her home to her father. In the painting you do not see Ulysses or Chryseis, but the Greek (or Achaean) flags on the main ship are the tell-tale sign.

 The extreme detail combined with the Greek mythology and the nautical theme really drive this painting home for me. You can see the detail he put into every building, right down to each individual brick. Each wave is crisp and defined. Even the ruts in the dirt surrounding the people at the seaport are shown in detail. Lorrain often painted the landscapes and then sometimes hired other famous painters, such as Courtois and Filippo Lauri, to paint in the people. He is said to have remarked to his patrons that he was selling them the landscape, the figures were gratis (http://www.claudelorrain.org/biography.html).

 I thoroughly enjoy Lorrain’s work because he painted a lot of Greek mythology. Everything from Dido to Mount Helion can be found in his collected works. He also painted a large number of sea ports.

 ”Ulysses Returns Chryseis to her Father” can now be found in the Louvre, Paris, France.

Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”

Please see one of my favorite pieces of Renaissance art: Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”, painted in Florence 1485 (some sources say 1482).

This is one of my favorite pieces from the Italiaan Renaissance because I feel it is one of the most recognized unknown paintings. What I mean by this is that most people recognize this painting, they see it and can call it by name, “The Birth of Venus” but they don’t usually know much more about it, let alone that it was painted by Botticelli.

Botticelli was highly supported by the Medici family. In fact, according to artchive.com quoting from The Bunfinch Guide to Art History, this painting was comissioned for Lorenzo Medici, a close friend of Botticelli (http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/botticelli.html). Lorenzo employed Botticelli to decorate his palace with Greek myths, “The Birth of Venus” being the more popular of those (http://www.botticellibirthofvenus.com/biography.php). To this day “The Birth of Venus” still resides in Florence in the Uffizi gallery, a gallery built at the request of Granduca Francisco de’Medici, son of Cosimo I.

For me, the most appealing part of this painting is how Botticelli painted a nude Venus with such beauty and grace. She’s covering herself, but she’s not ashamed of herself. Venus was supposed to be the embodiment of beauty, and I think Botticelli really captured that here.

Hello world!

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Hi there. Welcome to my blog. As you’ve likely guessed my name is Nita and this blog is a part of an Art course I’m taking. If you haven’t guessed that, please refer to my About page for more information. To help you get a better grasp on who I am, this is my life:

I’m a single mom and that’s my son. I work full-time and I go to school part-time. Anyway, that is all I plan to write for this first blog. You can expect to see more in the future though.