Post #11 - Abstract Painting - Photo - Definition - Reflection

Definition: A definition of abstract art to me is art that is made through lines, shapes, and colors that express what the artist is trying to share as it makes sense to them. It more often is done as a two dimensional style. 

Reflection: Throughout the creation of our abstract art, I learned that it isn't just putting things on a canvas. We have to actually think about it as it holds meaning to us. The piece that we call "Childhood Remembrance" is a piece that we created to really show off the things that we remember as kids. We used familiar shapes and lines as well as colors to really share that. Along with that, we emphasize the heart within our art. Alongside that, we each chose a shape or a symbol that we used to draw as kids as a way to remember the past. We also wanted it to be super colorful and really have shapes defined within, not just lines and blobs that don't mean anything. Our piece symbolizes our past as young students. After this piece, I believe that to create abstract and modern art we pull techniques and aspects from past art, it all plays into our interpretation of art and its creation. 

Our Piece "Childhood Remembrance":

Video process of our creation:

https://youtu.be/Z1XCfdYE7sc

Timelapse of the process:

https://youtube.com/shorts/6947oI5sRCs

Post #10 - Lecture - Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution changed the economy to become more modern, to now be based on large-scale industry. The changes started in the mid 18th century and went through the 19th century. Prior to the 19th century during the renaissance artists were most often commissioned, however, during the 19th century artists began to paint what they were feeling. Avant-garde is a term that is used to describe something as more cutting edge, similar to how the impressionists showed brush strokes in their paintings. The music during the 19th century represented social, technological, and economic changes. Modernism was used to break past ways and allowed fro new ideas to be born, It's where artists chose what to paint, experimented with new media, painted from their subconscious, and painted the modern industry. Impressionism was the first modern movement and was started by Claude Monet. It was where the casual actions of every day were captured and often had a sketchy or unfinished look to it, it was a radical avant-garde disassociation. Impressionists abolished the idea of using black and instead promoted the mixing of opposing colors to create shadows. Post-impressionism was born as people rejected the impressionist movement. During this time they used vivid colors, did thick application of paint with a palette knife, painted from life, used unnatural colors to express emotions, gravitated more towards geometrical shapes and distorted forms, and focused on symbolism and abstraction. Cezanne formed a connection between the late 19th century impressionism and 20th century by simplifying. He started the geometric style that Picasso turned into cubism. Pointillism was an art form from little dots to make up an image. Realistic style as seen before was rejected in the symbolist style as the focus was on imaginary dream worlds. Fauvism was the fist avant-garde movement in the 20th century where they wanted to use whatever color necessary to express emotion, and was defined by the expressive, intense, and non-naturalistic colors. Genre painting is of subjects from every day life. Picasso was well known for his creation of cubism and showed fragmented subject matter from different views. Surrealism is the moment where if you can imagine it, you can paint it. Abstract expressionism relies on lines, colors, and shape. They are two dimensional. Abstract art communicates through lines, shapes, colors, gestural marks, and forms. Systemic paintings are abstract art that uses flat shapes. 

Post #9 - Reading GRQ Discussion - Renaissance and Modern Art

 Guided Reading Questions: 

1. Portraiture
2. Window
3. Linear Perspective
4. Aerial Perspective
5. Masaccio
6. Brunelleschi
7. Jan
8. Leonardo
9. School of Athens
10. Birth of Venus
11. Stonebreakers
12. David
13. Modern
14. "Avant-Garde"
15. Autonomous
16. "Kitsch"

Discussion:

When talking about the Arnolfini Portrait people have mixed feelings about whether it is a wedding portrait or a memorial portrait. I believe that based on the evidence I believe it to be a memorial photo. The reason for that is mainly the color of the dress. In my research, tradition wedding dress colors at that time were pink, red, blue, brown, and black. In this portrait her dress is green which leads to the question of why,  therefore leading me to believe that it is a memorial portrait. Alongside the dress theory, I notice how her shoes on the bottom left are pointing towards the door as if she left. It could be she is standing there in spirits and not actually since it would be a memorial for her. Another thing that I think of is it could be a memorial for one of their aristocratic friends that passed away as the fruit and fabric symbolize wealth. 

Post #8 - Lecture - Renaissance - Realism

Renaissance was a focused period in Europe, and mostly Italy from the 1300's through the 1500's. It led to the relapsed interest of classical antiquity, humanist philosophy, human worth, etc. New technologies were born like the printing press. Humanism was a huge part of the Renaissance as the art was more life-like compared to the Byzantine art style. Byzantine art often emphasized religion whereas Renaissance focuses on the human body and the realism of it. Often Byzantine art looks flat and Renaissance art looks more real. Fresco was a common style of painting at this time - it is where they would wet plaster and paint with watercolor over it which is how it is so well preserved. Other Painting styles at this time are tempera and oils. Tempera was for small religious panels and oils was favored by most of the late Renaissance artists. Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the first celebrities from this period - in 1418 he was a part of the competition to design the dome for the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Two-dimensional was founded which used one vanishing point and where all lines looked to have converged. Renaissance artists believed that people should be painted of realistic size. Masaccio incorporated a degree of naturalism in his work. Alberti was the "Ultimate Renaissance Man" and he focused on the art of building (Basilica of Santa Maria Novella). Medici Family were a big patron of the arts. They often commissioned the art from this time as was done by the wealthy. In the Renaissance, artists didn't pick what they wanted to paint, instead they were told by the commissioners. Renaissance art hit big under Pope Leo X. Mythological life was introduced but still in a way to look real (like in the Birth of Venus). Leonardo da Vinci was also a key member during this time, he was an artist and an inventor. He made his money by being commissioned for art, but inventing was his passion. He is famous for the Mona Lisa and it is famous because the mastery of the Human anatomy and natural realism. Four modes of Renaissance painting: sfumato, cangiante, chiaroscuro, unione, and tenebrism. Michelangelo was one of the most brilliant, he was left handed despite being against societal norms. He pained the Sistine Chapel ceiling and often used shapes from human organs. Michelangelo sculpted David and started at age 26. Raphael started a new concept of erudite and scholar. He was a master printer and architect. His work was crucial for modern conception. Jan van Eyck waited with oil paints and created Arnolfini Portrait. Surrealism in this time was founded by Bosch - the "first surrealist". Camera Obscura because a breakthrough of this time - it was a natural optical phenomenon that allowed the image of a scene to be projected through a small hole. da Vinci published the first clear description of it. The Grid helped reproduce an image and was used to enlarge drawings. in Vitruvian Man, Leonardo depicts proper measurements of a person as god created. The printing press helped recreate letters and writing. Mannerist artists turned away the harmony and ideal proportions of the Renaissance. Mannerism is a painting style or sculpture or architecture that bridged idealized style of Renaissance and dramtic theatricality of Baroque.  Baroque art was characterized by movement - it creates drama. Rococo style welcomes freedom to enjoy life without control of religion. Romantic Art focused on emotions. 

Quiz 1

1. Animism
   
   
2. Storytelling
3. Teepees
4. Greeks
5. The Odyssey and The Iliad
6. The Iliad
7. Homeric Epic
8. Socrates
9. Allegory of the Cave
10. Skene
11. Theatre of Dionysis
12. Satyr Play
13. Protagonist, Antagonist
14. Golden Mean
15. Neoclassical Ideal
16. Romans
17. Pendentive
18. Gothic Cathedral
19. Baroque
20. Orchestra Pit
21. Operas
22. Opera
23. Akhnaten
24. Wagner

Post #7 - Reading, GRQ and Discussion - Theater of the People

 Guided Reading Questions:

1. Ancient Greeks
2. Homer
3. Iliad
4. Areté
5. Homeric Epic
6. Iliad, Odyssey
7. Gods
8. Inductive Reasoning
9. Socrates
10. Plato
11. Treatise
12. Glaucon
13. Dionysos
14. Satyr Play
15. Greek Comedies
16. Tragedies
17. Death, Dead
18. Thespis, Thespian
19. Protagonist, Antagonist
20. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
21. Dionysos
22. Plato       --Further Analysis Below--
23. Catharsis
24. The Golden Mean
25. Verisimilitude
26. Three Unities
27. Universality
28. Intermezzi
29. Opera
30. Nobility
31. Intermezzi
32. "Modern theatre" is often said to begin with Saxe-Meiningen, Ibsen, and Zola, "Modernism" 
33. Modernism
34. Wagner

**22 Breakdown**

Based on the reading below Plato is the answer you seem to be looking for, but reading further, I see that Alexander the Great was actually Aristotles student and Aristotle was Plato's student. 👇

"Aristotle was a student of Plato's. Recall that, for Plato, all reality is a mere reflection of a higher, spiritual truth, a higher dimension of Ideal Forms that we glimpse only through philosophical contemplation (see Fig. 5.13). Aristotle disagreed. Reality was not a reflection of an ideal form, but existed in the material world itself, and by observing the material world, one could come to know universal truths. "

Discussion:

Operas and Musicals have several differences. Musicals have a lot of both music and dialogue and encourage the use of a microphone whereas Operas are mostly singing and require projection and there are never any microphones used since it is such a craft to learn how to do. In operas they also have to hold their notes super high, there always seems to be a vibrato where in musical theatre there is a lot more straight tone. Many people do believe that Phantom of the Opera is an opera though it is more of a musical about an opera. Personally, I think that Phantom of the Opera is close to an opera, but I know it to be more of a musical as I have learned in the past. It contains vibrato as in opera, but there is some dialogue and done in a very similar way to a musical. I see it as a musical so I am not sure I would classify it as the "greatest opera ever", but I know that to be the closest thing to an opera that I know.

Post #6 - Lecture Baroque Theatre - Modern Opera

The Basilica in Italy has a dome that was created by Michelangelo, who could never see it since he died before it was built. In addition to the Basilica, St. Peters Square was added as a way for the Pope to address a whole crowd of maximum size of 300,000. The Baroque style came following the gothic architecture period, it can come in many forms such as music, theatre, art, and opera. This is where the first indoor theatre was introduced, the Krumlov Theatre. This is where shows would be put on as riggings were under the stage and the set was changed by the rotating walls on the left and right stage, and this was the first time the orchestra pit was below the stage level. Next we moved into Baroque Opera where it contained characters from Roman and Greek mythology, it was where singing and dancing came into play without the use of a microphone, the singers were forced to project as they sang. The castrati was a group of boys that were castrated before puberty so they could keep their high pitch since girls were not allowed to participate at the time. Farinelli was one of the most famous Castrati, and since barbers performed the surgeries, many got infections and died. Music was then changed by the risk takers like Cage and Barbarian. Cage was the one to say that anything is music - all sound. Barbarian was the person who accepted the Beatles for who they were. Eventually as TV was invented it helped spread Rock and Roll. Then in the 60's and 70's Musicals start to arrive, the difference from operas is that they use microphones and rely on the story and the music, not just the music like an opera. Operas became more expensive and are started to be remade, or are made based on true stories, like Anna Nicole.