Montmartre

To attract and keep the attention of the audience in a genre as stale and traditional as still life painting can be a difficult task, but many painters have risen to the challenge in the hundreds of years since its invention. These methods are numerous and involve the exploration of tensions such as those that exist between abstraction and representation, or moralizing versus hedonistic. Considered one of the lowest types of art by the French Academy, Still Life with a Bottle of Rum, Shoes, and Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill are three still paintings that have managed to rise above the typical wave that have been produced by artists of varying skills for centuries. Though looking at each alone does not truly illuminate the reasoning behind each aforementioned painting’s significance, comparison reveals the direct relationship between stylization and communication that these paintings probe so thoroughly—they are what drives a piece of art into being valuable, in terms of becoming significant enough for preservation. Pablo Picasso’s Still Life with a Bottle of Rum is a typical modernist painting as it depicts modern life and its vices, with his eponymous rum, as well as other items theorized to be a drinking glass and a pipe. His goal with the painting was likely not to celebrate or condemn the objects at hand, but simply to play with form, and create art for the sake of art. Shoes, by Vincent Van Gogh, shares the same attraction to portraying objects that…

Modigliani Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian Jewish painter and sculptor who never was successful during his lifetime. He mainly worked in Paris and his main subject was portraits and full figures of humans. He is known for portraying nude women in a modern style. In Paris, he met prominent Artist’s such as Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi. The movie basically covers his life in Paris, centering on his relationship with Picasso and his lover Jeanne. In this movie, Modigliani is being…

This sequence takes place just after Amélie returns the box of toys she found to their owner. Inspired by the effect this small act of kindness has, she is overcome by an “urge to help mankind”. Amélie has always had an interest in the small quirks that make life unique, so in this sequence, her act of kindness is to share them. This sequence shares the excitement and joy Amélie finds in seemingly minute details, not only with the blind man she walks with, but with the viewer, through the use of…

The making of poems, however, is never a solitary or isolated activity; it is both a part of life and an evaluation of life. To write poems with any seriousness at all means that one is bound sooner or later, to come upon some of the deepest, most vital experience of mankind . . . . What the poem discovers - - and this is its chief function- - is order and chaos, meaning in the midst of confusion and affirmation at the heart of…

give us a glimpse into the changing times in France include Vincent van Gogh’s Terrace and Observation Deck at the Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre (1887), Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877) and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s At the Moulin Rouge (1892/95). I encountered these paintings in the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection at The Art Institute of Chicago. While observing these paintings, I discovered objects and motifs that suggest modern advancements in…

façades and the dome. While you are here, you can also benefit from an open-air cinema on a nearby lawn. The Eiffel Tower’s night sensation The illuminated Eiffel Tower is a majestic sight both from the distance and up-close. If you take the suggested starting point (Saint Louis Islet), only the tower’s tip will be visible in the beginning. As you draw nearer to the tower while you follow the flow of the Seine, it will slowly emerge before your eyes. Make sure to have a clear view of the tower…

Alexandre Millerand. However, in 1881, Luce requested the restoration of his lower rank (soldier, second-class). Soon after, Carolus-Duran used his influence to get a transfer for Luce to Paris barracks. His stint in the military came to a close in 1883. In 1883, the newfound prevalence of the zincography printing press rendered Luce’s previous profession of xylography practically useless, so Luce shifted his primary focus to painting. In 1884, Luce was introduced to the Divisionist technique…

progressed with new inventions such as the steam locomotive and “Coca-Cola”, meanwhile artists were also progressing in art through styles, techniques and influences. The 19th century was the launch of the art movements known as Romanticism, Neoclassicism, and Impressionism. One artist that was influenced by the changes in this time period was Théophile Steinlen. Théophile Steinlen was born in a city of the French speaking part of Switzerland called Lausanne. Steinlen studied at the University…

pieces of art and treasure were lost during the time of the Holocaust. Losing art and treasure is like losing a piece to your culture. Up to 200,000 art works are thought to have gone missing during WWII. Luckily, a group called the Monuments Men saved or discovered more than five million works of art in Nazi hiding places. Without them many famous pieces of art known around the world wouldn’t be here today. The Monuments men didn’t save every treasure or piece of art, but there are some missing…

were considered a religion. The development of Cuban rhythms reached its peak in the 40s and 50s. 'Danzón', 'Son', 'Rumba', 'Bolero', 'Mambo', Cha cha cha'... musical styles for all tastes, with memorable figures such as Benny Moré, Trio Matamoros, Celia Cruz and Sonora Matancera, Olga Guillot and many others formed a unique musical panorama. It was the golden age of clubs and cabarets. In fact, during those years, there were over two hundred bars and nightclubs, plus two hundred fifty…