Art History
Artist Biography -I picked Vincent Van Gogh. -He was born on March 30, 1853, in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands. -Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890. He killed himself using a gun. He grew up in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands, but later he moved to London than Belgium. After training he moved to south France. A little while after Van Gogh cut off his ear he was moved to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. After the exhibition in Brussels Van Gogh moved to Auvers. -In 1880 Van Gogh moved to Brussels to become an artist. He had no formal art training, but his younger brother supported him financially. Van Gogh began taking lessons on his own. Later he took lessons from Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pissarro. Van Gogh was inspired by the colors and light of impressionist art. He was also influenced by Japanese art. -Van Gogh made prints and drawings, but his paintings with bright colors and texture are most famous. -Museums that show his work are the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Kröller-Müller Museum, Museum of Modern Art in New York, and many other museums. -Van Gogh’s work was first exhibited in Brussels -Originally nobody really liked Van gogh’s works. No one wanted to buy them. -One work of Van Gogh's is Starry Night. This is a painting of swirling stars, galaxies and nebula over a city. The color scheme is mostly blues with areas of white and yellow. You can see the individual brush strokes and layers of different colors. Movement is shown greatly with the direction and shape of the brush strokes. - other works by Van Gogh are, Irises, Sunflowers, Basket of Oranges, Church at Auvers -Some his works have sold for up to $53.9 million, or $82.5 million. -I think he was trying to show emotions of different objects or landscapes. Also capture the colors and movement of objects or landscapes. -Van Gogh was part of post impressionism -Post impressionism art moves away from the more lifelike and realistic qualities of impressionist art. Otherwise it is very varied. Different artists do their own thing. -An unusual thing about Van Gogh is that he was depressed and mentally unhealthy. At one point he cut off his ear. -I would like to ask how Van Gogh chooses what to paint. Many paintings are landscapes, but there are a few portraits and still lives. -I would definitely buy a work from this artist. I really like the combinations of colors and textures to his pieces. -I don’t know if I would have been friends with this artist. I admire his persistence at making art how he wants to even if no one else likes it, but he didn’t seem very mentally stable. It seems like he could get scary at times, for example when he cut off his ear. -Varied, rages, normal, persistent, but depressed -I think you should know that Van Gogh wasn’t completely by himself. His brother Theo for example, cared about him and supported his work. -Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul. -Vincent Van Gogh -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Printmaking Research What is a print? 1. A piece of art made with ink and paper, but through an indirect transfer process. 2. What are the 4 types of printmaking? Woodcut, Screenprint, Etching, and Lithography 3. Describe the history of Woodcut: Earliest technique for printmaking. First appeared in China during the 9th century. Came up in Europe in the 1400s. Used for textiles, fabrics, and playing cards . By the 16th century it was an important form of art. Late 1800s woodcuts went under a major revival. Lithography:Invented in 1798 by Aloys Senefelder. Became widespread in the 1890s. One of the most direct forms of printmaking. Etching: Developed in the early 16th century. Linear medium- made of a network of lines. Screenprint: Form of stenciling. During the 1930s American artists made art with screen printing. Screen Printing became more popular in the 1960s. 4. Explain the steps to Woodcut: Cut out areas of wood where you don’t want ink, raised areas are inked with an ink roller, a sheet of paper is placed on top an is pressed to the wood ( by press or spoon.) The paper is lifted off and the final image is printed in reverse. Lithography: The block of limestone is drawn on with special crayons or ink, The stone is wiped with a chemical solution, This chemical solution causes the greasy areas to want ink, and the open areas to repel ink, The stone is wiped with a solvent to dissolve most of the original drawing, the stone is dampened with water, oil based printing ink is applied with a roller, The stone is placed in a lithographic printing press with damp paper and it is padded with a board, the paper is lifted off with the final image in reverse. Etching: A waxy acid resistant “ground” is put on the metal plate, an etching needle is used to expose some of the metal, the plate is submerged in a pan of acid, the acid eats away at the exposed metal creating incisions, the plate is removed from the solvent, and the ground is removed with a solvent, the whole plate is inked, the surface is wiped only leaving the incisions with ink, the plate is placed in an etching press with damp paper and a blanket for padding, the paper is lifted away, the image has been printed in reverse, the printing press leaves a plate mark or indentation on the paper. Screen-print: the artist cuts an image into paper or plastic film, the stencil if fixed to a screen made of fine mesh fabric stretched on a frame, paper is placed beneath the screen, ink is placed across the top of the stencil and screen, a squeegee (rubber blade) is used to push the ink into the cut out areas of the stencil, the screen is lifted, the image is not in reverse. 5. Pick your favorite example of each (include artist and title) and explain why you picked it. Woodcut: Savage Breeze by Frankenthaler I liked the bright colors and abstract shape. It was interesting the it almost looked like layered paper. Lithography: Untitled by Celmin I liked this print because the waves look very realistic. I also just like the ocean/ body of water theme. Etching: Note 1 by Twombly. I really liked that the print looked like a note, but you couldn’t read what it said. Screen-print: Untitled by Riley I like the effect of more of an optical illusion. I also like the contrast between the white and the black. 5. What technique do you find most interesting and why? I think the etching method sounds the most interesting. It seems like you could be very exact. Also the acid brings in an element of chemistry. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Surrealism Research 1. Find examples of Morphing: or one object changing into another Perpetual Motion- Rene Magritte 1935 The Wonders of Nature- Rene Magritte 1953 The Explanation- Rene Magritte 1952 2. Find examples of Levitation: or something being put up in the sky like its floating La Golconde- Rene Magritte 1953 Meditative Rose- Salvador Dali 1958 The Lover or Observatory Time- Man Ray 1936 3. Find examples of Dislocation: or rearranging a person or object The Chess players-Marcel Duchamp 1911 The Double Secret-Rene Magritte 1927 Galatea of the Spheres Salvador Dali 1952 4. Find examples of Transparency: or being able to see through something Manifesto of Surrealism-Andre Brenton 1924 The False Mirror- Rene Magritte 1928 A Friend of Order- Rene Magritte 1964 5. Find examples of Reversal of Natural Law: or defying the laws of physics/ Changing what is seen in nature The Listening Room-Rene Magritte 1952 Ship with Butterfly Sails-Salvador Dali 1937 Butterfly Windmills-Salvador Dali 1947 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cartoon Research 1. Describe the cartoon. What is it’s theme? The cartoon shows two airplanes. One airplane fires something at the other airplane and it explodes. Both planes look like military planes. 2. When was it published? 1963 3. Who is the cartoonist? Give a little biography (minimum of 3 specific things about them) Roy Lichtenstein. He was born in 1923 and died in 1997. He an important figure in the new pop art movement. His subjects came from mythology, american history, and folklore. 4. Why did you pick this cartoon? I chose this cartoon because I am interested in airplanes, and one of my favorite characters from books was an amazing pilot. 5. How does the cartoonist incorporate the elements and principles? Some shades of value are used so objects look more like a form, even though they aren’t photo real. Color is used to emphasise, and show emotions or feelings. All the parts of the cartoon tell the story so they are unified. 1. Describe the cartoon. What is it’s theme? It’s a peanuts cartoon. The great pumpkin one. I like the storyline, but its not the style of drawing I would do. The characters aren’t happy, but the reasons why are funny. 2. When was it published? 1950-2000 3. Who is the cartoonist? Give a little biography (minimum of 3 specific things about them) Charles Schulz. He was born in 1922. In 1943 his mother died, and he had to go to war. After the war Schulz decided to become a professional cartoonist. 4. Why did you pick this cartoon? I have seen the Great Pumpkin animated short, so it was cool to see a cartoon strip of it. 5. How does the cartoonist incorporate the elements and principles? The lines of the leaves, and hair show texture. 1. Describe the cartoon. What is it’s theme? This cartoon is about an orphan named Annie. It was later adapted into a movie and musical. 2. When was it published? During the 1930s 3. Who is the cartoonist? Give a little biography (minimum of 3 specific things about them) Harold Gray was born in 1894, and died in 1968. Grey made the comic “Little Orphan Annie” with Joseph Medill Patterson. The character “Daddy Warbucks” often expressed Gray’s political opinions. 4. Why did you pick this cartoon? I have seen the movie and musical Annie, and enjoyed them a lot. 5. How does the cartoonist incorporate the elements and principles? The cartoons are colored, some value is used turning shapes into forms, texture is shown in Annie, and her dog’s hair. |
Artists to follow
3) Julian Beever I really enjoy the works of this artist. They all seem to tell a story. This artist creates three dimensional drawings on pavement. These drawings, when viewed from a certain point are like an optical illusion. It really looks like something is there. It amazes me how well he is able to cover up the cracks in the pavement. http://www.julianbeever.net 2) Conrad Jon Godly The works of this artist are beautiful textured mountain landscapes. On many the paint actually hangs off the painting. In all of his works the brushstrokes look effortless, but they form pristine mountains. I really like the three dimensional quality of Godly's works. http://www.conradjgodly.com/ 3) Dale Chihuly This artists work interests me greatly. I like glasswork a lot, and Chihuly works with glass. Also The concepts for his pieces and how they look in general is intriguing. I liked seeing the different things he did with different collections. For example the glass thread drawings in 'Cylinders' or the glass crystals in 'Jerusalem Cylinders.' http://www.chihuly.com/ |