Albrecht Durer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a beautiful woodcut and while Durer is given credit for the drawing it is possible that he did not carve the tedious hatching lines himself. This print is phenomenal because of its intricacies. Considering it had to be carved into wood the detail is phenomenal and the scene, albeit a bit gruesome, is mythical as well particularly with the angel swooping amongst the clouds. Ironically, while the angel is swooping down from the top of the print, there are people being trampled underfoot at the bottom of the print and a beast with its mouth wide open, swallowing them.
Contrasting to Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is Raphael’s drawing The Judgment of Paris, engraved by Marcantonio Raimondi. This drawing is taken from mythology more so than Four Horseman of the Apocalypse yet it lacks the gruesome death of humanity. There is no disease in the drawing. In fact, the scene depicted does not even have the mortality of humans in it. Instead it is filled with the beautiful images of greek gods and goddesses. Coincidentally the “angel” in this drawing is in the upper center portion of the piece as well, only slightly lower than where Durer's angel is depicted. Only there are no horses following him. In fact in this drawing the horsemen are heading in the opposite direction and not gruesomely trampling humans underfoot which is always a plus.
Despite this, I prefer Durer’s woodcut. Raphael’s and Raimondi’s engraving is more ascetically pleasing and “beautiful” but every time I glance back at Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse I notice something new, something different that I had not seen the last time and it draws me in all over again whereas in The Judgement of Paris, my mind basically just sees a gathering of beautiful people. It just does not have the same illustrative quality.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Lecture Analysis: Identity
Identity is one of those things that vary from person to person. No one has the same sense of identity nor does anyone have the same level of identity. Most importantly though, not all people are happy with the identity that they are seemingly stuck with.
Second Identities, are not necessarily a reflection of ourselves (although they could be) but a reflection of who an individual would like to be. This is taken to an extreme in Avatar where wheel-chair bound Jake Sully is given an Avatar body to pilot and control where he can walk, run, jump. Not all second identities are as immersive as Jake’s though. Some can exist as a mere virtual character online, as we also learned. This character can be anyone, thick, thin, redhead blond, It does not even have to be human. The physical attributes can be the exact same as the person playing the character yet the personality can be different.
After all, compared to physical appearance it can sometimes be more difficult to change one’s personality as we often times act differently around different people thus distinguishing, in a sense, multiple identities. With friends, a person could be fun-loving, lazy, and loud, however when dealing with their boss that same person can become a quiet, dutiful hard worker, and then transform into the golden child or better yet, the rule breaker, when surrounded by family.
Overall I enjoyed the lecture. Not only did I get to watch Avatar in class (Huzzah!), but it left me with more thoughts in my head then when I entered a classroom which, to me, is very important.
Second Identities, are not necessarily a reflection of ourselves (although they could be) but a reflection of who an individual would like to be. This is taken to an extreme in Avatar where wheel-chair bound Jake Sully is given an Avatar body to pilot and control where he can walk, run, jump. Not all second identities are as immersive as Jake’s though. Some can exist as a mere virtual character online, as we also learned. This character can be anyone, thick, thin, redhead blond, It does not even have to be human. The physical attributes can be the exact same as the person playing the character yet the personality can be different.
After all, compared to physical appearance it can sometimes be more difficult to change one’s personality as we often times act differently around different people thus distinguishing, in a sense, multiple identities. With friends, a person could be fun-loving, lazy, and loud, however when dealing with their boss that same person can become a quiet, dutiful hard worker, and then transform into the golden child or better yet, the rule breaker, when surrounded by family.
Overall I enjoyed the lecture. Not only did I get to watch Avatar in class (Huzzah!), but it left me with more thoughts in my head then when I entered a classroom which, to me, is very important.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Chapter Seven: Artist Contrast 1
Zhang Daqian’s “Mountains clearing After Rain” Is a beautiful scroll done with ink and color on paper. It looks very much like water color. The majority of the piece is composed of cool hues or greens and smoky blues to be more specific. The images are vague and the colors bleed together beautifully with pigments of reds and orange intermingling with the blues and greens. There appears to be a buildings on a portion of the mountains and more buildings far below. At the bottom right hand corner foliage and trees.
In Comparison to this beautiful by Daqian, Pablo Picasso’s “Guitar and Wine Glass” is vague in a completely different sort of way and that way is meaning. The image itself, a collage and charcoal, is crisp an clean. It is composed of eight distinguishable items that are easy enough to point to tell where one begins and one ends unlike “Mountains Clearing After Rain” Where the colors blend and bleed with each other to create one indistinguishable object.
Picasso‘s choice and use of the colors in this collage is also very different as well. Instead of focusing on a cool color palette, Picasso uses primarily shades of browns in this piece with the exception of the blue rectangle shape in the very middle, the black half-moon at the bottom, and the white circle hovering just above it.
As stated previously, the primary similarity in the two paintings is that they both are very vague. It is unlikely that the true image that each painting depicts would be envisioned and coherent if not for the Artists’ helpful titles which clearly suggests what should be seen within the artwork.
Unfortunately in Picasso‘s case, even the title “Guitar and Wine Glass” Does not make the collage hint at a guitar and wine glass. However, this is not the case with Zhang Daqian’s wall scroll. After reading the title it is easy enough to make out the mountains clearing after a draught of bad weather, the lines that make up what could be buildings, and the rainy clouds off in a difference. In addition to this the choice of colors definitely gives it a “rainy day” sort of appeal and feeling.
In Comparison to this beautiful by Daqian, Pablo Picasso’s “Guitar and Wine Glass” is vague in a completely different sort of way and that way is meaning. The image itself, a collage and charcoal, is crisp an clean. It is composed of eight distinguishable items that are easy enough to point to tell where one begins and one ends unlike “Mountains Clearing After Rain” Where the colors blend and bleed with each other to create one indistinguishable object.
Picasso‘s choice and use of the colors in this collage is also very different as well. Instead of focusing on a cool color palette, Picasso uses primarily shades of browns in this piece with the exception of the blue rectangle shape in the very middle, the black half-moon at the bottom, and the white circle hovering just above it.
As stated previously, the primary similarity in the two paintings is that they both are very vague. It is unlikely that the true image that each painting depicts would be envisioned and coherent if not for the Artists’ helpful titles which clearly suggests what should be seen within the artwork.
Unfortunately in Picasso‘s case, even the title “Guitar and Wine Glass” Does not make the collage hint at a guitar and wine glass. However, this is not the case with Zhang Daqian’s wall scroll. After reading the title it is easy enough to make out the mountains clearing after a draught of bad weather, the lines that make up what could be buildings, and the rainy clouds off in a difference. In addition to this the choice of colors definitely gives it a “rainy day” sort of appeal and feeling.
Chapter Seven: Artist Contrast 1
In chapter seven the two paintings “young woman with a Gold Pectoral” From Fayun in 100-150 C.E. and “The School of Athens” painted by Raphael in 1510-11 caught my eye.
First off, “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” is an encaustic painting and is part of the reason why this painting is so interesting. This medium involves wax that is melted, mixed with pigment, and then painted, creating layers of varying thickness upon the painting surface. The textbooks likens it to wax candle drippings. Then, heat is applied swept over the final painting to further ensure the different hues blending. This Technique works well in “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” The colors are beautiful more natural and earthy tones as opposed to the flashy colors often seen nowadays. The subjects eyes are huge and dark, very much like the saying “mirrors to the soul”. This is part of the reason it caught my attention despite being what appears to be a simple portrait.
Although the color choice in Raphael’s “the School of Athens” are very similar to “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” with earthy tones of browns and beiges, the painting itself is very different.
Rather than being an encaustic painting, it is a Fresco, a painting done on still-damp plaster and whereas most mediums are still changeable after being put down, Fresco’s are permanent.
This particular beautiful mural features an entire group of people instead of just a simple portrait and focuses primarily on the depiction of the Greek Philosophers Plato and Aristotle .
Whereas “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” Her eyes could be mirrors into her soul, I think Raphael’s mural presents a different kind of mirror: a mirror into the mind. This is only strengthened by the appearance of the two well known philosophers.
Overall Both paintings are beautiful and stunning. The simplicity and textural quality of “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” grants the painting a unique quality and despite being anything but simple, Raphael’s stunning mural is not to be out done as it opens up into the great city of Athens.
First off, “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” is an encaustic painting and is part of the reason why this painting is so interesting. This medium involves wax that is melted, mixed with pigment, and then painted, creating layers of varying thickness upon the painting surface. The textbooks likens it to wax candle drippings. Then, heat is applied swept over the final painting to further ensure the different hues blending. This Technique works well in “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” The colors are beautiful more natural and earthy tones as opposed to the flashy colors often seen nowadays. The subjects eyes are huge and dark, very much like the saying “mirrors to the soul”. This is part of the reason it caught my attention despite being what appears to be a simple portrait.
Although the color choice in Raphael’s “the School of Athens” are very similar to “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” with earthy tones of browns and beiges, the painting itself is very different.
Rather than being an encaustic painting, it is a Fresco, a painting done on still-damp plaster and whereas most mediums are still changeable after being put down, Fresco’s are permanent.
This particular beautiful mural features an entire group of people instead of just a simple portrait and focuses primarily on the depiction of the Greek Philosophers Plato and Aristotle .
Whereas “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” Her eyes could be mirrors into her soul, I think Raphael’s mural presents a different kind of mirror: a mirror into the mind. This is only strengthened by the appearance of the two well known philosophers.
Overall Both paintings are beautiful and stunning. The simplicity and textural quality of “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” grants the painting a unique quality and despite being anything but simple, Raphael’s stunning mural is not to be out done as it opens up into the great city of Athens.
Chapter Six: Artist Contrast 1
Chapter six discusses drawing and the various drawing surfaces and mediums. Because most drawings are studies and non-serious work, this chapter offers an entirely different selection of artwork to pick from.
Drawings are wonderful because they often times are studies and can show how an artist begins the process of a thought or concept which is still identifiable in the finished product. A good example of this is Filippino Lippi’s “Figure studies: standing nude and seated man reading”. This particular drawing is done in metal point on pale pink paper. As titled, it is a study of the human figure and is realistically rendered with the metal point.
In contrast to this “Prince Among Thieves with Flowers” By Chris Ofili, is completed in Graphite rather than a study of figure, Ofili uses the pencils to draw attention to the portrait made up of small afro-haired heads. In the background he used harder pencils to create the lighter, sharper image of the flowers.
Ofili uses a newer technique and the resulting image is certainly cleaner and more modern. This is not just because of his choice of medium but also how he stylized the drawing.
Unlike Filippino Lippi’s figure study, where you might be able to identify a portion of the image without seeing the rest, in “Prince among Thieves with Flowers” if a small portion of the drawing was separated from the rest it is doubtful that the portion will remain recognizable and hint at the full image.
Also some-what coinciding with this is the fact that Lippi’s figure study is created to appear three-dimensional whereas Ofili’s drawing is flat and without the transitional use of value.
Drawings are wonderful because they often times are studies and can show how an artist begins the process of a thought or concept which is still identifiable in the finished product. A good example of this is Filippino Lippi’s “Figure studies: standing nude and seated man reading”. This particular drawing is done in metal point on pale pink paper. As titled, it is a study of the human figure and is realistically rendered with the metal point.
In contrast to this “Prince Among Thieves with Flowers” By Chris Ofili, is completed in Graphite rather than a study of figure, Ofili uses the pencils to draw attention to the portrait made up of small afro-haired heads. In the background he used harder pencils to create the lighter, sharper image of the flowers.
Ofili uses a newer technique and the resulting image is certainly cleaner and more modern. This is not just because of his choice of medium but also how he stylized the drawing.
Unlike Filippino Lippi’s figure study, where you might be able to identify a portion of the image without seeing the rest, in “Prince among Thieves with Flowers” if a small portion of the drawing was separated from the rest it is doubtful that the portion will remain recognizable and hint at the full image.
Also some-what coinciding with this is the fact that Lippi’s figure study is created to appear three-dimensional whereas Ofili’s drawing is flat and without the transitional use of value.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Lecture Analysis: Blind Contour Drawing
This evening we discussed drawing and how our brain often times interferes and makes the process of drawing infinitely harder by skewing what we truly see into what we think we see or how I brain processes what we see.
To get around this the whole class participated in a Blind Contour Drawing. This is a type of drawing done without looking at the paper. It is supposed to be completed without lifting your pencil from the paper or lifting it only the smallest amount of times possible.
Despite my dislike of this particular exercise, it is a useful thing to do. Much like a warm up before a work out, it can help ease the mind and sometimes can take a person to a complete other world. unfortunately, despite the benefits, most contour drawings do not exactly turn out pretty.
To get around this the whole class participated in a Blind Contour Drawing. This is a type of drawing done without looking at the paper. It is supposed to be completed without lifting your pencil from the paper or lifting it only the smallest amount of times possible.
Despite my dislike of this particular exercise, it is a useful thing to do. Much like a warm up before a work out, it can help ease the mind and sometimes can take a person to a complete other world. unfortunately, despite the benefits, most contour drawings do not exactly turn out pretty.
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