Concepts in aesthetics

Mundt’s work transcends the specialized limitations subject to contemporary painters, extending in both materiality and environment through the integration of everyday objects as the primary foundation. While the subject matters of the paintings vary from paradisiacal landscapes to female figures, the constant interaction between verticality and horizontality, portrait and landscape, subject and object is coherently recognized throughout. Her work is not only visually idyllic, but also…

“The Love Letter” is a painting by Jan Vermeer, made in 1669 during the Dutch Golden Age/Baroque period. It is an interior scene, typical of both Vermeer and Dutch art during and after the Counter-Reformation. Due to both the success of the Dutch Republic and the rebellion against the Catholic Church, Dutch art was generally more materialistic, everyday-life centered, and focused on wealth, as the Dutch enjoyed massive success as bankers and as seafarers. Many of these elements are incorporated…

Throughout the centuries, art has been one of the most valuable forms of communication for all sorts of people wanting to express themselves. More precisely, painterly portraiture allowed artists to offer an even deeper glimpse into the souls of their subjects, as well as their own, for anyone willing to take the time and look. As people have evolved over the centuries, art has progressed in a parallel motion. The style, subject, and intent of a portrait provide details into the lives of the…

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark," Hawthorne focuses on science vs nature, symbolism, and overall failure. Aylmer seems to believe science can achieve anything, and his craving to make his wife perfect is doomed from the start because only divine beings can achieve perfection. Aylmer is a brilliant but foolish scientist who decides to use science to make his beautiful wife perfect. Aylmer has accomplished many things that he seems to be proud of and willing to show off to Georgiana.…

Life is nothing more than a series of never-ending choices. Choices are made every morning, every evening, and in every step we take. Sometimes though, humanity has a tendency to make choices that are detrimental to society for the sake of nothing more than appearance. Appearance is everything. As long as someone looks happy, they have to be. As long as someone appears to be smart, they must be. As long as the pain does not show, it is not there. Why should truth, fairness, or good-will matter…

What does the word “beauty” really mean? It may not mean what you think it does. Has someone ever told you how beautiful someone was, and you begin to think, “He thinks she is beautiful? How is that even possible?” The meaning of “beauty” can greatly differ between people. In terms of how one person sees another as beautiful, people can view someone or something much more differently than another person, possibly because a person’s opinion about someone or something could change based on their…

Thomas Merton once said, “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” This quote is true, but it isn’t the whole story. A more appropriate description is: art gives the one looking at it an extraordinary feeling that is partially described by the quote above, but the only way to really know what that feeling is like is to experience it. In Mason City, we are very lucky to be able to have the chance to experience art in a variety of ways at our art museum, the Charles H…

There is a quiet crisis underway right now. It has nothing to do with religious extremism or global warming. It is rather a product of a modern life itself- constant strive for perfection (appearance, lifestyle), everything counts. Mass media is imposing unrealistic beauty standards today (even though Photoshop existence is not a secret to anyone), numerous shows share a luxury lifestyle secrets with us from a TV screen. We are constantly reminded that we must look picture perfect and be a…

In examining political agendas and critiquing art institutions and the power of the government, The Art Workers’ Coalition undertook a collective range of protests and political actions against these higher societies (Martin, 2004). On January 3, 1969, artist Takis Vassilakis removed one of his works from the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) exhibition “The Machine as Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age” (1969). However, the board of directors refused this, even with the revolutionary proposition…

slowly deflating inside. Many young people clings to the idea that physical perfection is attainable, yet they fail to realize human beings are imperfect creatures. Physical beauty plays a captivating role in amongst many young people yet true aesthetics are derived internally. “That's always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they're pretty. It's like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste,” John Green rationalizes. The…