Szenina Russo
1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.
I selected the first video, The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present, because of my lack of knowledge about Spanish paintings. I have a basic understanding of American and Italian painting, but not so much for Spain. I wanted to get more of an understanding of the style that has originated there, artists and other key concepts. I am aware of Pablo Picasso and Matisse, but there is more about the culture and arts that I would like to know. I think it is important to have an understanding of art and architecture around the globe. I am intrigued by all art forms, how they began, their involvement and the movements that have transpired from them.
For the second video, Expressionism, this appealed to me because of my fascination with this movement. I have learned a basis upon expressionism but am willing to always expand on my knowledge. I think that this topic is fascinating because of the negative attention that the public has given it. There is a lot to know about each art movement, this one is very abstract in theory. I really enjoy going over artists and diverse periods to gain more knowledge each time. I am interested in the aspects of this video that I do not already have a basic understanding about.
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present
As a motivator for arts in this areas of the world, war was the main culprit. A painter who painted bright, soft images of the court and masters, soon turned to dark images. Goya was alive when Napoleon invaded Spain, his response to what he witnessed would be the production of many paintings. He has intense emotion, movement and dark meanings of life. His work resembles not only war, but the horrors of what can occur during life. Suffrage seems to be the subject of a lot of the artwork made during the war. Intense, flesh anatomy are showing in some of his paintings. His successes were disappeared after his death, no one followed his lead.
In the 20th century, people became to look back at Goya’s work in the modern world. North East Spain, there was an economy boom and they wanted to separate from Madrid. Antoni Gaudi's architecture was the first major artists since Goya, but his style was very organic and natural. Goya was very against religion whereas Gaudi was the opposite. His most celebrated work was a cathedral, but would remain incomplete. The cathedral is funded by Japanese businessmen, making it a tourist attraction.
Picasso would spend much time in Paris, but his origins always remained with him. The subject matter was sensual, sexual and refers to intimate relations. Picasso's use of line makes his so distinct and diverse from other artist in Spain. He did many studies on religion studies, he was drawing genius drawings starting when he was fifteen. He started off creating paintings realistic and would spend the rest of his life trying to paint like a young child without guidance. He became very spiritual, mystical and unknown with his boundaries. There is always a sense of Christianity tied together with desires throughout life. Spanish culture relates to good, colorful food and a long, healthy life.
With the decline of religious subjects in paintings, surrealism prospered with the idea of mythical mind. Dali was influential to his style and architecture.Sex, death, food are included in many of the twentieth century paintings by Dali. Dreams, this was the main subject to his works and was so influential. He was also controversial due to his lean away from communism, and he was kicked out of the surrealist group. The civil war would break out, and some towns were left as is. In the 1930s, there was a bombing in a city and Picasso would document this through paintings. There was extreme horror tied with hope, Picasso hoped that his country would be saved. In 1939, the war ended and during Franco years people lived in exile. The north again would be the center of violence, even after the war. Frank Gehry is an example of a modern, cubist building that he created that still had roots of Spanish culture.
Expressionism
This video focuses on the fundamentals of expressionism art, which includes the use of color. Munch’s painting, Ashes, uses contours instead of detailed subjects, thin application of paint was used as well. The woman is the center of the painting, with the man contrasted in the corner of the painting. He lived in Berlin, and made many paintings reflecting the death of his mother. Sex, love, death and disease were main subjects of his work. Osloo Marc’s is another artist who uses color to depict humans as well as animals. He uses organic rhythms of the Earth intertwined with shape and color. He lived in Munich, he was involved in a group of intellectuals there. He was influenced by Kandinsky’s use of color. His subject matter seem to center around animals constructed of shapes and values that make them come alive.
Municho Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is another artist who inflicts emotion through color and use of line of the female figure. Light is very specific in his paintings, details are the main impressions of the paintings. Studio life is another subject matter that he focuses upon, short brushstrokes and darker colors become evident. Beckmann uses dark composition, shapes, color and impressions of the human form. Subjects such as suicide are evident in his paintings. Emotions are a main point of translation in his work, real events are also shown in many of his paintings. Life and experiences are represented in these types of artworks as well. Forms become hazy and almost lost due to the abstract shapes that make up with landscape or people. Antisocial and rebellious people are represented in expressionist paintings, using rough brushstrokes. Even parts of the painting are incomplete, deformed or gesture painted. With all of these attributes of paintings, they are reflect sense of conflict. Kiefer's Interior uses light, shape and color to moves one eye throughout a composition and convey emotions. The true meaning is unknown, but the use of geometric shapes are clearly stressed in this painting.
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The chapter in the book starts off with discussing art made of diverse materials in the 1800s. Many examples of pottery, figurines, fabrics and other objects with everyday use were common. The chapter talks about Neoclassicism, Romanticism, realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and then focuses on American art. This chapter has a lot of information, broad in countries producing art and the movements within them. The Spanish artists and he American subjects most closely tie with the videos I choose to watch.
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present
This video was very interesting to learn about. I did know about the basis of Spanish painters but I was quite unaware of the backstory of the culture. The video went through time periods, artists, concepts and the lives of the artists. I think that the video was informative, gave valuable information and kept my interest. He had facts about artists that I was familiar with that I did not know. I learned a lot about this video.
Expressionism
This video was very straight forward, I thought that it gave all that basic understanding points to the artists and their art works. Personally, I enjoyed the first video a little more than this one. I thought that the other video used visuals through traveling to enhance the video. I enjoyed this approach of knowledge rather than just showing the paintings of the artists. The other video was more stimulating but this one was precise.
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