blog #8

A Sampler of Non-Western Arts and Culture

 Part 2

 Virxilio Vieitez, La Familia, Spain, 1958/2009

 

http://www.artnet.com/artwork/425989096/138083/virxilio-vieitez-la-familia.html

 My very favorite thing about this photograph, besides the fact that it  is a group family shot, is the little girl in the front.  I love the way she is posing for the camera with her skirt splayed out.  When I first looked at this work, she initially caught my eye.  As I looked at each of the family members, I kept coming back to the cute little girl in the dress.  I also enjoy the simplicity of this scene, the plain family table, and the bare hanging light bulb.  The forced half-smiles are reminiscent of the type of family gathering that we have all experienced at some point or another in our lives.  As always, I was drawn to the beauty of black and white photograph, and the way it tells a story.  It would be great to see a shot of the same group 10 or 20 years later.

Blog #7

A Sampler of Non-Western Arts and Culture
Artist: Charles Ijiomah, Ceremony, Nigeria, Africa, 2010 (http://www.africancolours.net/)

Ijiomah’s black and white photography is not only beautiful, he utilizes one of my very favorite mediums, as I discussed in many of my previous posts. I love that we are able to catch a glimpse of an African ceremony, and are given the chance to enjoy the insight it allows into another culture. I am not sure if this is a wedding ceremony, but the woman in the background, and her outfit, make me think of a modern day US bride. It is interesting that while completely different on a cultural level, there are similarities to Western life that one can relate to in this work. A really lovely shot, one I would enjoy having in my own home.

blog #6

Artists of the Pacific Northwest:

A Contemporary Virtual Exhibit

As a native Seattleite, I have always had a special place in my heart for the artisans of the Pacific Northwest.  I wanted to highlight different visual arts for this exhibit, and have chosen paintings, photography, and glass, that while vastly different, all have one thing in common: each one was created in the Pacific Northwest.

 Painting:

Max Grover is best known for the colorful, playful paintings he shows in West Coast galleries. He has illustrated many children’s books and his imagery is featured on greeting cards, posters, and promotional material for many prestigious organizations and non-profit foundations. Max’s primitive, naive painting style is full of charm and whimsy. As a painting teacher and public speaker, Max shares his secrets of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary with both children and adults. Max Grover lives and paints in Port Townsend, Washington (http://maxgrover.com/)

 Max Grover’s whimsical style appeals to the child in me.  It reminds me of visits to Pike Place Market, and the art I have enjoyed there over the years. I would love to decorate a kid’s room with these colorful and creative designs.

 

Max Grover, Red Car Driving Down Road, 1993, Port Townsend, Washington.http://www.fountainheadgallery.com/pages/artists/max%20grover/Grover%2011.06/Max%20Grover%20RedCarDrivingDownTheRoad1993.html

 

Max Grover, Table Top Airstrip,  1993, Port Townsend, Washington.http://www.fountainheadgallery.com/pages/artists/max%20grover/Grover%2011.06/Max%20Grover%20TableTopAirstrip1993.html

 Glass:

Dale Chihuly, who was born in Tacoma, Washington in 1941, has become an internationally celebrated personality in contemporary art and design whose prominence in the field of contemporary studio glass is unmatched. He is a generous and charismatic individual with a forceful personality, who ceaselessly promotes himself and his material—glass—to audiences around the world. For those who might question the influence of a single artist on what has become a sizable international community, try imagining what the early American studio glass movement—or international glass today—would be without Chihuly. It is impossible to deny the magnitude and pervasiveness of his influence.  (http://www.chihuly.com/essays/oldknow_2003.html)

Dale Chihuly’s glasswork amazes me.  The more I see, the more I cannot believe what he is able to create.  I especially love his public, and museum installations, that allow his works to be enjoyed every day, by everyone.  The impossibility of what he creates makes me look forward to any chance to view his works and contemplate his genius.

 

Dale Chihuly, GONZAGA UNIVERSITY RED CHANDELIER, 1995, Spokane, Washington.http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/Art/gonzagaB.html

 

Dale Chihuly, VENTURI WINDOW, 1992, Seattle, Washingtonhttp://www.chihuly.com/installations/sam92/Art/p2_Img0001B.html

 

Dale Chihuly, PINK AND WHITE SEAFORM INSTALLATION, 1987, Tacoma, Washington.http://www.chihuly.com/installations/tam/Art/CdTAM2_039_87.752.s28_XB.html

Photography:

Josef Scaylea was a longtime resident of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Josef served as chief photographer of the Seattle Times for 35 years. His incomparable photographs were the showcase of the Seattle Times Pictorial Magazine, making him the best known photographer in the region. He earned more than 1,000 commercial, pictorial and press awards including West Coast Press Photographer of the year (ten times) and one of the top ten Press Photographers of the Nation (again, ten times). His pictures have appeared in Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Life, The Saturday Evening Post, and numerous other leading magazines.“If my pictures give pleasure to people, that’s enough for me.”- Josef Scaylea                        (http://www.seattlegallery.com/bio.html)

Josef Scaylea has been a favorite of mine, ever since I met him as a child at my father’s frame shop.  His photographs capture some of my very favorite views of Seattle, and are particularly special for me.  His shot of the Blue Angels in Quintessential Seattle is the same view from my grandparents home, and is a sight I have enjoyed every year during Seafair.  Copies of Quintessential Seattle, Lake Washington Mist and Horses in Poetic Motion, hang in my grandparents home, and are beautiful reminders of all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.  I think that my love for black and white photography started with Josef Scaylea.

 

 Josef Scaylea, Quintessential Seattle, 1978, Seattle Washington. http://www.seattlegallery.com/index.html

 

 Josef Scaylea, Lake Washington Mist, 1962, Seattle, Washington.http://www.seattlegallery.com/index.html

 

Josef Scaylea, Seattle Spring, 1964, Seattle Washington.http://www.seattlegallery.com/index.html

 

 Josef Scaylea, Horses in Poetic Motion, 1960, Woodinville, Washington.http://www.seattlegallery.com/index.html

Blog #5

In the early modern age, photojournalism was a new and exciting way for photography to reach worldwide audiences. Technological innovations and advances in photography and film spurred a change from what had previously been cumbersome, and expensive. This new photographic technology allowed for relatively easy mass-market capabilities. One of the most popular photojournalists to emerge during this time, and one of the most famous women to dominate this field, was Margaret Bourke-White.

Margaret Bourke-White was a woman of many firsts. She was a forerunner in the newly emerging field of photojournalism, and was the first female to be hired as such. She was the first photographer for Fortune magazine, in 1929. In 1930, she was the first Western photographer allowed into the Soviet Union. Henry Luce hired her as the first female photojournalist for Life magazine, soon after its creation in 1935, and one of her photographs adorned its first cover. (http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/bour-mar.htm) In addition to utilizing the technological advances in photography, she was the premiere female industrial photographer, getting her start in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Otis Steel Company around 1927. (http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/bour-mar.htm)

In researching her works, I found one of her pieces particularly striking. Margaret Bourke-White took DC-4 Flying Over NYC in 1939 in New York City, New York. What is notable about the plane in this work is that aviation experts have identified that this specific DC-4 was unique because of the 3-wing tail. (http://www.gallerym.com/work.cfm?ID=99) In working with the advancements in photography, Bourke-White was able to capture a technological advance in aviation.

I find DC-4 Flying Over NYC to be particularly poignant given our nation’s history from 9/11. When taken, this work was nothing more than a purely beautiful view of aviation set in the skies of a budding metropolis. Today, the meaning is different for each of us, as we make connections to our memories, and view it through our own lenses.

blog #4

In the third grade, I did a report on Vincent van Gogh.  I was fascinated not only by his beautiful art, but also by the sadness, I perceived in his life.  What we would now likely describe as mental illness, was just erratic behavior during his lifetime.  From sacrificing his ear to an unrequited love, to his time in the asylum, van Gogh’s life was highlighted by beautiful artistry, and mental illness.  I have always liked to think that it was the quirks of his mind that made for such amazing art.  Something new that I learned (or re-remembered since the third grade) was that van Gogh is actually defined as post-impressionism.

In reviewing my love for van Gogh, I tried to think of something to compare the impressionist/post-impressionist movement with.  Realism is the easiest to compare, as we just studied it in the previous chapters.  I love the soft lines, and the blur of the visual that impressionism embodies.  The pastel colors, and the soft lighting only add to the appeal for me.  It is the exact opposite of the hard lines and, for lack of a better term, the realistic colors.  I guess it is my love for the dreaminess of impressionism, and the escape it allows from the “real(ism)” world, that makes it my favorite.

A few of my most favorites include Roses, painted in 1890 shortly before van Gogh’s release from the asylum at St.-Rémy. (https://classes.uaf.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_60839_1%26url%3d)

Another favorite is Self-Portrait painted 1889 at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy.  (https://classes.uaf.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_60839_1%26url%3d)  I love having a visual representation of an artists whose works move me  It makes the experience all the more powerful.

Finally, my personal favorite is Portrait of a Woman with Red Ribbon painted in 1885 in Antwerp. (https://classes.uaf.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_60839_1%26url%3d)

 I particularly love this piece because if you squint, and look at it in the most impressionistic way possible, it is the work of van Gogh that most resembles your truly.

blog #3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9jDl571rHU

Joseph Haydn appealed to me, as one of his works written in 1797, eventually became the melody for the German Nation Anthem: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (God save Franz, the Emperor; the melody was later used in Das Lied der Deutschen, which is still Germany‘s national anthem.) (https://classes.uaf.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_60839_1%26url%3d)

Having taken 2 years of German in High School, I am still fascinated by the German people and culture.  This is another piece that embodies the culture of today in it’s continued popularity.  This piece was politically on-time given the neo-classical movement that can be seen during this time frame.  It would have had a broad appeal to the upper and the middle class, and that appeal is still apparent today in it’s use in German society as an anthem. 

Creating a sense of society, regardless of the class system, is especially important to the middle class.  Haydn, and his politically motivated anthem helps to bring people together with the sense of community that he creates by bringing Germany together in song and country for hundreds of years.  I especially like that this recording is done in a cathedral with an organ – organ music is one of my personal favorites.

post #2

The influence of Peter Paul Ruben’s cannot be denied, and as we continue to describe a woman’s physique as “Rubenesque”, we can see clearly that his works are still important to society today.  One of my favorites is called The Three Graces.  My grandmother’s name is Grace, so the title made me take a second look at this piece. Rubens painted these beauties in 1639 in Museo Del Prado, Madrid, Spain. As I examined this work, I noticed something interesting about the three lovely ladies depicted: they are all at different angles.  We see the back of one, and opposite front side views of the other two.  When you combine these angles, it makes for one complete woman.  It is an interesting approach to take when viewing The Three Graces.  I like to think that in showing the various sides of a woman, Ruben’s was possibly expressing his own views on the many different “sides” that women can have. 

Ruben’s enjoyed a unique relationship with the royalty that were the patrons of his art.  “Rubens was appointed court painter by Albert and Isabella, the governors of the Low Countries. He received special permission to base his studio in Antwerp, instead of at their court in Brussels, and to also work for other clients.” (www.peterpaulrubens.org)  it is this special permission that allowed Rubens to not only paint royal portraits for the governors, but also allowed him to paint independent works like the The Three Graces.  I think it is this relationship that also points to the idea that Rubens enjoyed the ability to paint a work with a deeper idea and meaning than just royal portraits, or just three naked women.

In today’s society with our everyday depictions of women, it is refreshing to view a work that shows women as they are, lovely with curves and bodies that look real, instead of airbrushed.  I like the idea that in looking back, we can remember what things have changed and what remains the same in our impressions, and our visions of the female form.

Blog post #1

In looking at the works from these two sections, I wanted to focus on a female artist. On of my favorite parts of these sections is the emergence of female artists. While there were many that were interesting, the miniatures where particularly appealing to me. The fact that many of the miniature works are not just pieces of art, but double as a jewelry make them all the more fascinating to me. The combination of jewelry and art makes these works relevant to daily life. Something that is worn, and perhaps contemplated more often than a painting hanging in a hallway that is rarely used, passed only once a week and rarely seen. The influence of Royalty is apparent not only in the subject matter, but in the likelihood that it was only royalty, and the extremely wealthy, who could afford this type of art. Miniatures are typically commissioned, meaning that the wealthy would pay either a portion, or the entire fee up front in order to have something made that not only had the subject of their choosing, but was also subject to their exacting standards. This was no doubt the case with this miniature of Elizabeth I: Miniature of Elizabeth I attributed to Levina Teerlinc, c.1565, England.

I also liked this miniature: Miniature of a Maundy Ceremony attributed to Levina Teerlinc or Nicholas Hilliard, c.1565, England. But as there was some question as to the artist, it took second place for the purpose of this blog post.

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