German Expressionism

These friends, later joined by others such as Degas and Renoir, shared painting techniques, collaborated on projects, and encouraged each other when their work was rejected by art critics. There were points in which almost all the members of their group would be refused by the Salon, while a few were accepted. “Pissarro became…opposed to the standards of the École des Beaux-Arts and the Academy throughout the 1860s, and he occasionally took part in lively debates with younger artists such as…

“As a question of architectural ambition, art museums are the new churches…” Jason Fargo states his point rather decisively. But what would induce one to agree? How does Fargo present his case in a way which attracts the reader to both continue reading and eventually, support his statement. Fargo targets an assortment of points with intelligent wordage, elaborate historical background, evidence, and emotional appeal. He paints us a picture to gaze upon, and, eventually, praise. Pathos:…

Painted in 1891 by Paul Gauguin, “Tahitian Women” (also known as “Tahitian Women on the Beach”) is very popular oil on canvas painting. It features both bold vibrant colors, as well as many subdued tones. Other notable aspects of this painting include its visual texture, the people portrayed, and the overall subject matter. Although there may be some story behind this artwork, it is up to the viewer to decide what they believe the piece is about. Focusing on the colors, it is obvious that some…

Throughout our lives, we encounter many people, groups and ideas who leave a sort of impression on us, both positive and negative. Similarly, in art history there have been multiple preceding artist movements like the impressionists, who have impacted artists that were a part of other subsequent movements, like the fauvists or expressionists. The similarities between Maurice de Vlaminck's "Chatou Bridge" (1907) and Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" (1889) reflect some impressionism qualities…

Paul Cezanne was a talented artist that both Matisse and Picasso have said; they owe Paul Cezanne much respect and gratitude for getting them to the levels that they achieved. In this short paper we will look at what was important to Paul Cezanne and how he constructed his works of art, and then compare this to works of art by Matisse and Picasso. We will pull out examples of how Cezanne inspired these two artists and also how these two artists were trying to break free from Cezanne and become…

Many things in our life that we know, we know because we can directly experience it. We know the general form of a chair because we have seen it or sat on it. We know the taste of chocolate milk because we have drunk it before. However, how we can know things that transcend reality? How can we gain truths about the human condition without experiencing it in nature or interacting with others? A solution to this seems to be through art. Art is considered to be the special expression of ideas,…

The decisions an artist makes are typically determined by the materials they use, and the techniques that the artist apply to those certain materials. The combination of materials and techniques these artist use are called media. All media is art, and artist use it in their works to visually communicate a message to their audience. Media describes the items that the artist used to make that particular art. Vincent Van Gogh is an artist who used two mediums; oil and drawing to create his work of…

Venus’ body doesn’t look like a human bodily figure and it’s not supposed to. Her body wasn’t supposed to be exactly the same as the human body, it was supposed to be structural and flow within each other. For example her shoulders run down into her arms in an unbroken stream of movement like her floating hair. It looks like she’s standing but she is supposedly floating on top of the shell. Her body is very in proportionate with her elongated neck and torso. She stands in a classical stance that…

Alex Colville’s piece titled Horse and Train from 1954 depicts a dark horse, viewed from the rear, galloping past the viewer’s right and toward a black train, which emerges from the works horizon to face the viewer. This painting is a gift of the Dominion Foundries and Steel Ltd. and can be found hanging on the walls of the Art Gallery of Hamilton. This piece combines contrasting shapes and lines to aid viewers in imagining the speed of both the horse and train. High-speed objects utilize…

ainting Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2) by Marcel Duchamp is more thought-provoking and artistically relevant than Dorothea Tanning’s painting Birthday. These pieces were painted in different time periods, when different styles of art were common, but when the viewer considers the aesthetic qualities of the piece, the historical value and the ease of which one can draw an interpretation of the piece Duchamp’s is more thought-provoking. Though both pictures have compelling titles that…