Modernism

Made in 1964, “Plastic Tree Plus City Hall” by David Hockney is an acrylic painting in which a vibrant palm tree towers against a streaky skyline whilst white ellipses trail off to a miniscule skyscraper. Through his depiction of a palm tree and a skyscraper, Hockney is able to juxtapose organic and synthetic forms, but it is through his color choice, scale, and arrangement that the organic nature of the palm tree is questioned. One way in which Hockey propels the concept of artificiality is by…

Matisse and Picasso’s Bathers Art and artists appear to be consistently striving forward to something new while still looking over their shoulder at what has come before. A clear example of this can be seen in a sequence of paintings from three different artists, each linked in some way with the prior and yet doing something new: Cézanne’s The Large Bathers, Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre, and Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. By examining each piece, I will show how one inspired the next and…

Discovery can encompass a philosophical and cognitive shift towards a new and deeper understanding of ones’ self and the world, this can occur through the results in a change in perceptions. (extending sentence - answer to Q. here) This transformation is examined in Simon Nasht’s 2004 documentary which follows the story of Australian ‘Frank Hurley - The Man Who Made History’ who was one of the last great imperial adventurers, who captured some of the greatest events of the 20th century and…

1. How would you describe the speaker’s work or practice? • Artist Mary Weatherford is one who creates a series of abstracted landscapes that painted on large canvas in combination with a neon light. She frequently uses tints of sapphire, pink and orange, and the neon signs on her paintings. 2. What seems to drive the speaker’s work/practice? • Artist Mary Weatherford believes the combination of colors and neon lights is motion. Since 2012, she created neon art inspired by the city, past, and…

Baotien T. Nguyen English 112 Professor Lin Nulman October 25, 2017 Surrealism Art Thesis statement: Surrealism is not only a form of art but also a cultural movement that was expressed through art, literature, and even politics. Brodskai︠a︡, N V. Surrealism: genesis of a revolution. New York: Parkstone International, 2012. Page 6-9. One thing cannot be doubted: Giorgio De Chirico’s paintings produced such an unforgettable impression that it became one of the most important sources in Surrealism…

Literary fictions can no more transcend history that real persons. Though certainty not universally acknowledged, in the current criticism this truth has replaced the former truth that literature was a thing apart. Once banned from the interpretation of books for violating the integrity of the imagination, considerations of race and sex (and of class) have entered into even the most formalist readings. Race and sex are now found organic to problems of organic form. As a result, those problems…

The name of the artwork is Art Beauty Shoppe, 1934, by Isaac Soyer and is a 42” x 49” oil on canvas, created in New York City. It is currently exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art. Soyer discovers meaning and beauty in any place he goes. His goal as an artist was to describe human beings and everything that is around him at that moment in an admirable way. This painter used some of his childhood friends in this art piece, which is the woman in the foreground getting a manicure and the man, in…

Differentiating Musical Exoticism Musical exoticism comes from the influence of non-European elements, often imitating styles from other cultures as a way to differ from the customs of the audience and creators. The motives for exoticism lie on a spectrum, ranging from pure exoticism to transcultural composing. Pure exoticism includes “othering” a subject, labeling them as different from one’s own group (Lecture 5/16). On the other hand, transcultural composing uses both non-western and western…

Bruce Nauman is a fascinating artist. His career spans over 50 years and he has worked in a variety of different styles and mediums. He creates works that aren’t necessarily aesthetically appealing in the traditional sense, but they are still works of art because of his intention and message behind it. Many of his works, incluidinf the ones that will be mentioned later, feature strange forms, odd angles, and lack color. He does not create work to please the eye. He creates work to get people to…

In his ode to the paintbrush, Góngora describes this tool as “nature’s valiant rival” (3), as it sets out to recreate it. He attributes various functions to the creation of the paintbrush—the painting: it fulfills a didactic role, serving as “the feet, the guide, / by which the world’s law bends” (23-24). Painting also establishes a dialogue between generations: “Through you, arranged by you, / the living converse with the dead;” (17-18). But perhaps one of the most important roles it fulfills,…