Aboriginal Art

Located on Eveleigh Street in Australia

It seems like people often associate high quality art with a high social status and the privileges associated with it. Luckily, this mindset is not widespread, allowing the popularity of somewhat primitive pieces to continue unhindered. Very little about this painting is can be found on the internet other than its location next to a railway station in Australia, yet that does not take away from the simple beauty of the work. Perhaps the most wonderful part of a piece like this is how people can dismiss their own personal stereotypes and appreciate the art for what it is. It doesn’t matter who painted it or how much money they have or what they used for ingredients in their paint, all that matters is the emotions that it invokes in the viewer. Aboriginal art is especially distinct due to its dotting paint affect. I honestly do not know what this is called, but the end result is an almost pixelated image that comes together in a very unique way and is unforgettable to anyone that sees it. The placing of geometric rings, bands, and their colors is also quite iconic of the pure Australian heritage that is aboriginal art

Non-Western Art

Dragon Pine-Wu Boli

I choose this hanging scroll from the Ming Dynasty to focus on for this week’s blog. It seems very appropriate to take a look at Dragon Pine penned by Wu Boli in the late 14th-early 15th century as Earth day was yesterday. This beautiful pine tree and its precise location are interpreted as the “perfect being,” which seem like a very noble and very accurate statement to me. The Daoist’s also believe that the mountain meeting the stream is a place where energy is created so the tree is located in the ideal location to be all that it can be. Based on this, it is little wonder that the artist intended the tree to signify “the moral character of the virtuous man.”

Early Modern Art

Out of the early Modern pieces of art, I believe that perhaps the most appealing is the Migrant Mother, 1936 photograph by Dorothea Lange. It is a very simple photograph, depicting the hard life of a family during the Great Depression. The father is not present in this photo so the viewer may conjuncture at will to his whereabouts. Personally I perceive him as a fallen war hero, forced to leave his family for the sake of his country. Obviously this is a completely blind, objective guess, but it is the ability to inspire these guesses that really draws my attention.

Migrant Mother, 1936 by Dorothea Lange

The situation that has befallen the fractured family is open to interpretation as well, though based on their surrounding and the condition of their clothing it is likely a safe assumption that they are living in one of the many tent cities throughout the nation. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this photograph is the mother’s facial expression. Clearly she is deep in thought, perhaps worrying about how she will support her little family through tomorrow, not seeing an end to their suffering but determined to endure it for as long as she must. I may be embellishing the story slightly, or perhaps i am underselling it, but that is the beauty of this photo. It encourages the viewer to look beyond and attempt to understand the family’s situation.

Impressionism

Personally I am not a very big fan of Impressionism, at least from an analytical point of view. It feels as if the paintings can be interpreted many different ways, personally connecting with a variety of different perspectives. While the mass market appeal of this is clear, I cannot help but feel that the authors true meaning on the canvas is lost. In many contexts this works to the owner’s advantage, particularly in public settings where many people can quickly view and appreciate the art. But as soon as any analysis is attempted it seems very easy to project your own interpretation over that of the author. The use of color and shape to define the painting rather than the lines seen in prior art styles just seems very open-ended to me.

Impression, Claude Monet (Musee Marmottan Monet 1872)

One of the best examples of this is seen in Impression Sunrise by Claude Monet, the forefather of impressionism. Personally, i interpret the painting as depicting survivors fleeing from a burning city, mainly because of the heavy use of reds and vague shapes in the background. However, I can also easily see how it could be a fisherman leaving port in the early dawn hours to catch a meal for his family. Or perhaps it is a young couple taking a romantic boat ride at sunset. Any one of these interpretations can work for this painting, the only reason we know that it is actually a sunrise is from the title.

Perhaps the artist’s whole point is to create a variety of interpretations for a wide range of viewers, but when compared to the clearly defined works of classical and baroque, I just don’t see how this can compare.

The Chair of St. Peter-Gian Lorenzo Bernini

The Chair of St. Pete by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

I choose to analyze the Chair of Saint Peter, which was designed 1647-1653 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Urban VIII. This work of art is the central piece in St. Peter’s Bascilla. I found this work to be particularly appealing not because of the chair itself, but rather because of the elaborate stained glass window design seen behind the chair. Perhaps I am somewhat ignorant of the true significance of the bronze encased chair, but i can see very little symbology in it. The design of the window and surrounding design seems to be much more accessible. The figures around the window itself are clearly souls of all kinds being welcomed into heaven. Central to the entire sculpture is the illuminated dove. This dove is most likely a representation of the divine welcoming his subjects. The straightforward nature of the design coupled with striking figures and real meaning are undoubtedly what most attracted me to this artwork.

The significance of chair itself was somewhat lost on me until i did further reading. As it turns out, St. Peter is a huge part of the Catholic religion. So big that anything connected to him is virtually priceless. “The Chair of St. Peter encased in bronze by Bernini in the middle of the 17th Century and placed behind the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is the second of two chairs used by St. Peter during his years in Rome.” (http://www.consecration.com/default.aspx?id=63) This being the last surviving chair, it is easy to see why this work is so important to so many people.

Connecting the Chair of Saint Peter to royalty is actually very dependent on how you interpret royalty. While neither St. Peter nor Pope Urban VIII were descended from a royal family, they have had just as much, if not more influence on the world than a traditional royal family. Personally I believe that the Vatican represents more power than any one ruler has had before, making Pope Urban VIII’s commission of it a much more significant connection.

Birth of Venus-Sandro Botticelli

Birth of Venus by sandro Botticelli

I choose to analyze Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. This painting was commissioned by the Medici family in 1490 in Florence, Italy. Personally I found this piece appealing because it seems to symbolize a connection between the gods int he sky and with man upon the earth. Additionally, with Valentine’s Day coming up rapidly it seemed appropriate to discuss a painting focused on the goddess of love.

Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is a rather interesting piece of art. While Botticelli is lesser known than the other master artists of the Renaissance this piece is instantly recognizable by anyone. Despite this recognition a viewer will be unable to truly appreciate Birth of Venus unless they have some knowledge of the myth that inspired the painting. The couple aloft to Venus’s left is actually the wind god and his wife, assisting Venus to the safety of the shore where she is to be received and welcomed by the summer goddess. The presence of these other deities as well as Venus’s delicate features help to emphasize her serene divinity and invoke emotion in any viewer.

A subtle aspect of this painting that can be easily overlooked in this painting is the presence of orange’s in the background. These oranges are surprisingly significant, as they imply that the painting was funded by the Medici family, one of the largest contributors to art in the Renaissance world. The fact that the Medici family sponsored Sandro Botticelli in this work does a great deal to demonstrate it’s value.

It is easy to imagine hidden meanings in Birth of Venus, particularly when considering the Medici family influenced it’s creation. Perhaps it is intended to be representative of the Medici’s self reflection, that they were so far above the common people that it was by the grace of the gods that those who walk the earth may even stand int heir presence. Obviously this is blind conjuncture, but considering the Medici influence it is a possibility. The fact that oranges appeared in almost all works commissioned by the Medici’s implies that there was at least some influence on the artist.

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