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Breaking Boundaries- New Mediums & Techniques in the Post Modern Era

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 The Post Modern Era was all about contradicting rules, norms, and the utopian style of modernism. In many aspects of art, people were breaking the rules and boundaries. This was a time of innovation and excitement regarding new techniques and an increased sense of creativity. I will focus mostly on the new medias of art/ areas where art is installed in this exhibit.  New Mediums/ Technology Dark Matter  by Paul Friedlander Great Britain 1998     Paul Friedlander has created many art exhibits around the globe that use light as the medium. This technique was able to be made possible with the advances of technology from the 1990s and forward. He uses knowledge of physics and light to create masterful sculptures that captivate the viewers. I think all of his work is beautiful, and hard to understand how it works which is what makes it so intriguing to me. They all have very natural and flowing forms, paired with an interesting texture and vibrancy because of how th...
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Early Modern Art- the Influence of WW1

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      During the Early Modern Art era, World War 1 was a huge influence on most styles of art. This was a huge shift in culture, which is makes complete sense since this war effected so many lives, globally. A lot of the art that was influenced by the war are not necessarily pieces that I would want to hang in my house; but there are quite a few that are really beautiful, not in a conventional way, but instead in the way they capture so much emotion. I have chosen to focus on 3 different pieces within a few years of each other, but they are vastly different styles. This shows how different the effects of war on art are on different regions and people. A Battery Shelled Percy Wyndham Lewis Great Britain, UK, 1919     This piece shows the shift from hyperrealistic paintings to the more abstract world of modern art. The form is quite cubist with a lack of soft flowing lines. The harsh contrasts and shapes make it feel like a scene frozen in time to me. I think the ...
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Preferences and Perspectives- The Romantic Era

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      The Romantic Era was the birth time to a lot of the styles of art that are iconic to this day. A lot of these styles contributed heavily to the shaping of our art today. I personally am going to focus mostly on the Post Impressionistic style, and the Realist style, because these are the most interesting to me, even though realist art typically is not my cup of tea. Post Impressionistic Style     Post Impressionistic style art is one of my favorite because they are so unique in general, and specifically for their time period. It is clear that Post-impressionism helped revolutionize art and broke out of the more traditional box. Post Impressionism focused more on memory and the artists perception than a hyper realistic depiction of the direct world outside. I think this contributes greatly to the appeal of these works to me, it is interesting to try to decipher what within the artists head inspired these pieces. While I don't love every single piece of Post ...
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Classical Art & Morality

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      The Classical Era of art was very interesting and had quite the change in style during this period because of a multitude of contributing factors. I will be focusing on one of those important influences, the perception of morality.  During the first portion of the Classical Era, art was generally in the Rococo style. This was much more loose and light than the previous baroque and renaissance eras of art. Rococo style had a large influence from mythology and scenes of elegantly dressed people in park like settings, you see a lot of elements of nature. Later in the 1700s, there was a switch to Neoclassical style within the classical era. I believe that the newly expressed and updated version of "morality" played a key role in this shift. Neoclassical art was much more influenced by "moral acts" and political/military events.    Jupiter and Callisto Francois Boucher, 1744     This beautiful Rococo style painting by Francois Boucher captures th...
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Baroque: Caravaggio

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  The Death of the Virgin  Caravaggio 1605-1606           Caravaggio was an extremely influential painter during the baroque period. His birth name was Michelangelo Merisi, and was born in 1573 in Caravaggio, Italy, where he was later referred to as. His oil painting style was much more dramatic and less idealized than the characteristic paintings from the Renaissance period.  Detail and emotion are two of the most appealing characteristics to me of Caravaggio's paintings. His work is so much darker and more dramatic than anything else that was being created at this time. I think it is amazing how he develops so much depth and texture in the figures in this painting through utilizing tones and sharp contrasts in light. I also think that the soft blending effects from oil paints add tremendously to this painting. Although it is a very emotionally distraught scene, it adds a sense of sorrow, but at the same time, almost peace. The detail in t...
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The Renaissance: Albrecht Durer

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  The Four Horsemen from "The Apocalypse"   Albrecht Durer 1498               Albrecht Durer was a very influential artist during the Northern Renaissance. He is from Nuremberg, Germany and was an amazing artist, using multiple styles and mediums. Durer was one of the first artists to utilize prints for his artwork. I think this is partially why his work appeals to me so much, it is completely different than most of the art that was famous or influential during the Renaissance period. Although the subject matter is consistent with other Renaissance artwork, the sharp lines and harsh contrast really set his pieces apart.           Durers work is heavily influenced by christian humanism, and he had close personal ties to many of the leading humanists during the Northern Renaissance. He took a couple trips to Italy during the Italian Renaissance, further influencing his work. His art was also influenced by the...
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Julie Hart Beers Art Analysis

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  Looking Upon the River Julie Hart Beers 1880 https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262794/looking-upon-the-river      This oil painting titled Looking Upon the River  by Julie Hart Beers is very appealing to me, specifically through her use of color, tone, and texture. Julie Hart Beers was an American artist that lived from 1834-1913. This piece was created in New York in 1880.     One of the biggest appealing factors to me is the use of color. The palette she used for this piece is muted but still warm and bright in places of focus. These colors make this piece feel comforting to me. Tone is another element that was used beautifully in this piece, in my opinion. The variation in tone within the trees creates so much depth and dimension in the foreground of this piece, it feels as though you are walking through this woodland forest. The use of texture is another element that contributes greatly to the beauty of this piece. The texture of oil paintings ...
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