Amsterdam Central

 http://www.vmcaa.nl/victorekpuk/

“Amsterdam Central” by Victor Ekpuk (Amsterdam, 2007)

Victor Ekpuk is a Nigerian born artist who lives and works in Amsterdam. His focus is on traditional styled art of his homeland and he incorporates ancient symbols, hieroglyphics and shapes to create larger pictures, such as his “Amsterdam Central” work. His works emphasize that there is more than just the literal meaning to art and that symbols have more than just their semantic meaning. His artwork goes deeper than the literal and implied meaning and is an experience unlike any other. Ekpuk has talked about wanting to bring Nigeria to the Netherlands as so much of the Netherlands is in Nigeria. He wants to share his culture with the Dutch. But it is not only Nigeria that he seeks to share but many of the Africa cultures as he combines different Nigerian cultures, and even Egyptian hieroglyphics.

I chose the work because I found I was completely entranced by it. It is exceptionally hard to find pictures of and when I found the video I thought to myself “great this is 8 minutes of my life I will never get back”. However, as the video progressed I became more and more taken with the work. I love the geometric side as well as the symbolic nature of the work. I think that how the many lines and symbols combine to make bigger and bigger pictures that are uniquely beautiful. I feel as if I could stare at the finished piece for hours and still not see it all. I also found that I can see the picture and then I can see the picture. I just fell in love with this piece of amazing art and knew I had to share it. I just hope everyone else is as awed by the piece as I am.

Poet on a Mountaintop

“Poet on a Mountaintop” Shen Zhou 1427-1509 (date of creation unknown)

This work of art was created during the Ming Dynasty, a time of cultural restoration. This, like much of the accepted and “popular” art of the time, depicts a landscape. The picture represents the conformity of the artists of the period who works primarily for the court. Corformity was important during that time, especially for those who wanted the favor of the dynasty. The ideals and style that the piece represents is exactly what characterized the Wu School of artists in the Ming Dynasty. The lack of a palat of colors is typical of the time and of the painter himself. The painting includes a poem that relates to, and almost tells the story of the painting. The poem is the best clue we have as to the motivation and story of the painting as little is truly known about it aside from its creator.

The poem may be translated as follows

“White clouds sash-like

wrap mountain waists,

The rock terrace flies in space,

distant, a narrow path.

Leaning on a bramble staff,

far and free I gaze,

To the warble of valley brook

I will reply, whistling.” (http://cebuecommerce.info/an-analysis-of-shen-zhou%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cpoet-on-a-mountain-top%E2%80%9D/)

Shen Zhou himself was born into a rich family but chose a life of reclusion to focus on his art and the nature and beauty around him which are the main subjects of his paintings. Zhou was one of a founders of the Wu School of art as he lived in the transitional time between the Zhe and the Wu school. His works lean towards the Wu style and he has become an icon of that art.

The moment I saw this picture I fell in love with this painting.I have also sort of had a thing for the older style Chinese art but this blows all that I have seen out of the water. I chose to share this piece because of the beauty it shows through simplicity and peace. The piece is not complicated by an army of colors or several points of focus. The viewers eyes are immediatly draws to the man upon the mountaintop and only then does the viewer take in the rest of the painting. I love the layers of depth and ground that make this picture so amazing. Any person who has tried to make a painting or drawing with such depth will realize the talent it takes to do so. Everything about this painting is so tranquil and calm that the it draws me in. I hope that everyone enjoys this painting as much as I do.

Holes in the World

Holes in the World- Street Art Illusions

I wanted to focus on street art that is not only 3-D but appears to create holes in the ground so the viewer feels they can fall in. I chose I choose works that create depth rather than height and emphasize what I think of as “holes in the ground” art. Every one of these pieces is an illusion that make the viewer really feel like they are peering into a hole that either shows something below the surface of the ground, a indented landscape, or another world. Each of these paintings and chalking has one of these attributes along with their three dimensional optical illusion. I chose this topic because I think the way these artist can trick the mind is truly incredible.

Kurt Wenner is an American Born street artist who has worked all over the world. He creates 3-D illusionary street works with both chalk and paint. He started working at age sixteen and attended Rhode Island School of Design, a highly acclaimed art institution.  He was employed by NASA as an artist in the early 90’s but started working by commission by the mid 1990’s. He has become famous and has been feature in periodicals nationwide including National Geographic. He is still living and continues producing stunning street art.

Julian Beever is not only a street artist but also a fine arts painter. He is most well known for his street chalking which he has been doing since the 1990’s. Beever’s works are highly illusionary and create a sense of depth, height and distance. He has produced works in 15 countries in four continents. He is a freelance artist whose work is often commissioned by companies like his “Times Square” piece done for Levi. His mainly works with chalk but in murals, and collages he uses other mediums like oils and acrylics. He is still producing art today and has claimed worldwide accreditation for his incredible works.

Kurt Wenner’s “Mermaids” (2007)

This depicts several mermaids bathing in a water hole which seems to be lower than the surface of the ground.

Kurt Wenner’s “Iskander” (2008) located in the National Museum of Singapore. This work does not show quite as much depth as the other, especially in this picture but you still feel as though you can fall into the background behind the figures lounging in the foreground.

Julian Beever’s “Times Square on Times Square” (2008) in NYC. This is the perfect example of enormous depth and illusion. Just look at the little girl so cautiously peering “over the edge”.

Julian Beever “Beneath Every Street”. This is so cool! It  really seems like the side walk is torn up, exposing the pipes below, just the kind of illusion and eye trick I wanted to focus on.

Julian Beever “Holes in San Fransisco Pavement” San Fransisco, CA. This demonstrates the large scale optical illusino of giant crevices creates by an earthquake in San Fran. It looks so real it is actually a little scary.

Julian Beever. “Beneath Every Carpark” This is another great example where it looks like you are looking below the torn up pavement at an exciting discovery.

“The Entertainer”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPmruHc4S9Q

 

“The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin is a perfect example of African American Influence. Everyone has probably heard this lively piece at one time or another though maybe they do not know it by name. Until I was 10 I knew the song as “The ice cream truck song”.  Perhaps the reason I love this song is nostalgia, perhaps it is the jaunty rhythm. Either way there is no denying how catchy this song is.

                “The Entertainer” was written in St. Louis in 1902 by Scott Joplin, an African American man who would be dubbed the “King of Ragtime”. “The Entertainer” was written in the Ragtime style. Ragtime is a kind of music that is very African American in origin. One of the distinguishing features, especially at the height of its popularity, of ragtime is the syncopated rhythm. This syncopated rhythm is reminiscent of African music and became exceedingly popular in the early 1900s. Ragtime had characteristics that both influenced and carried over into the Harlem Renaissance. Scott Joplin himself eventually participated in the Harlem Renaissance when he moved to New York in the mid-1910s.  The strong African American influence of ragtime may have been overlooked in the post civil war period. Ragtime became popular in saloons and other establishments across the United States and the world and Scott Joplin and his renowned compositions were at the forefront of that popularity.

                I love and always have loved “the Entertainer”. I love the lively tune that is so recognizable to so many people. The syncopation just makes me want to dance around the room. It is so hard not to smile when you hear the bouncing notes. I believe the nostalgia is also part of the reason that I like this song. It reminds me not only of the ice cream man but it reminds me of trying so hard to figure out how to play this song on my grandparent’s piano. It reminds me of hiding behind the couch playing with my grandma’s music box that gave away my presence every time.  There are many other reasons that I adore this song that I can’t even put my finger on. What I do know is this; Joplin’s “The Entertainer” is a great American classic that will retain it popularity for years to come.

Impressionism

Impressionism: what can I say that already hasn’t been said? I personally like the style. For me art is an escape so when I view art I do not particularly want to be brought down. Impressionism is based on the idea of pleasant subject matter: a fact that makes me happy. While there are, of course, some artists and painting that I like better than others, as a whole I would say that impressionism is definitely one of my favorite styles of art.
                Impressionism lacks the ideals and moral tones of previous styles of painting and I believe that is ok. I like The renaissance styles with their beautiful depictions of bible stories but impressionistic painting hold they own stunning beauty. Art can be for pleasure and not for spreading and enforcing ideals. Impressionism generally lacks all of the luxury of the baroque era but rather shows decadence and affluence in another way. Impressionism shows the young, the beautiful, and the affluent in the pleasures of their lives rather than focusing on the surrounding grandeur like the Baroque, it focuses on the lives, the actions, and the past times. I enjoy the lack of drama in the paintings that is found in many other styles like the renaissance. The lack of gore like some of the rococo pieces of art pleases my eyes, my heart, and my stomach. I like both realism and impressionism but sometimes it is nice to see the world through the rose colored glasses of impressionism rather than to see the everyday, sometimes dreary, lives of the past.

                There are many things that I like about impressionism. I like the light colors. I like the overall style of the sketchy lines and blotchy paint that turns into a masterpiece. I like the focus on people that impressionism seems to taken. At the time of the impressionists the painters didn’t focus on the past, they didn’t focus on religious ideals, and they did not focus on subjects that would bring their viewer down. Oh, how I love the subject matter. I realize that it is often frivolous and highly unlike the real lives of the masses at the time but it is so enjoyable! For instance I adore Degas’ painting of the dancers. He catches the like and the beauty and the pure ecstatic joy that a dancer feels on stage. In the painting “The Star” (1876-77, Paris), Degas shows the true beauty of dance and everything else fades out around the edges. I have never before seen a better painted, or maybe even photographed, rendition of ballet. I like Monet’s nature paintings that seems so peaceful and real that you can almost hear the water run under his famous bridges(La Bassin aux Nympheas,1897, Giverny). Mary Cassatt’s many portraits of women and children leave me speechless! It is amazing how she painted so that the lines and color formed such recognizable and incredible pieces. Many of her paintings show the softness of the skin, and the moments of love and peace, of women and children in her portraits. Example of these paintings include, “Breakfast in Bed”(1897, Paris) and “Sara Holding a Cat” (1908, Paris).

I understand that impressionism does not “tickle everyone’s’ fancy” but it seem to do this to mine. I love everything about impressionism from the style and subject matter even to what it lacks. I have always enjoyed impressionism, and now that I understand it more I think I have a better basis to do so.

  

Serenade No. 3: Eine Kleine Nacht Musik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Eine Kleine Nacht Musik the common name for Serenade No. 3 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart written in 1787 in Vienna Austria is an incredibly piece that has retained popularity even today.

During the classical era music the rise of the middle class and their insatiable demand for music led many composers to create great and different works. The style of the day, that was most appealing in public concert halls, was music that was simpler than the baroque style, with a strong melody. This simplicity entailed repetition and patterns in the music as well as homophony. The masses also wanted serious music that was easy to understand and nice to listen to.

The piece Eine Kleine Nacht Musik presents everything the masses of the middle class in the classical era were looking for and more. The beginning is recognizable to people today, as I am sure it was to people of that era. The piece starts and ends in much the same way in the exact type of repetition that the middle class was looking for. The piece returns to the main theme again and again in course of the song. There is a very strong central melody without a lot of confusion going on around it. Many measures in the song repeat the rhythm pattern of the measure before with different notes. The music is beautiful but easy to understand, to listen to, and to flow with.

I chose this piece because it has been a longtime favorite of mine, not only to listen to but to play. I love how the music moves swiftly and seems to pick the listener/player up and carry them through the song effortlessly. The piece is vibrant and jubilant. The dynamics change at just the right time and serve to keep the listener on their toes. I like that there is very little background music so that listening to it I can focus on the melody. I think is it amazing how Mozart composed the piece in such a way that listening to the serenade is so enjoyable but it proves very interesting and fun to play rather than boring as one might think such a repetitive piece may be. All in all, I would have to say that Serenade No. 3 aka Eine Kleine Nacht Musik is, and will remain, one of my favorite pieces of music.

Because I am somewhat of a computer …idiot? Below is the link for an excellent rendition of the piece. I could not for the life of me figure out how to get the actual video on here. Sorry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKhH2hRa-WQ

“Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid” Vermeer 1670

 

When I came upon the piece “Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid” by Vermeer I was taken with the paradox that the painting seems to be. Is it deceptively simple, though at the same time created with painstaking detail.  The scene is quiet, though certain elements are liable to jump out at the viewer.  The light source shines directly onto the mistress of the house, emphasizing her vitality and life. Shadowed in the background stands the maid, who patiently waits, looking out the window. Though she stands in the shadows, the light shines onto her side, illuminating her face. This contrast of light and dark on one person draws the eye to her and make the character wonder. She seems to represent a quiet strength that is ready to shine into the forefront at any moment. While her face stares out the window the viewer can tell that she is ready for anything from her strong and stable stance.

            The scene itself does not represent grandeur but a quieter, more commonplace, upper middle class home. The room is not decorated ornately and the scene does not depict opulence. Rather the scene depicts a normal day in the life of the masses, many of which had some sort of wait staff. Mark Harden states “‘Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid’ exemplifies Vermeer’s essential theme of revealing the universal within the domain of the commonplace”. This is a great example of the rise of the merchant class. This painting does not revolve around religion, antiquities, or royal but a life that many more could understand.

            I love everything about this painting. I like the play of light and dark over the characters in the piece that draws and emphasizes certain aspects. I like the beauty of the everyday life that Vermeer represents. I like how the picture can be used to emphasize that beauty is not only found in royalty and riches but in the common pleasantries of looking out a window or writing a letter. I enjoy the attention to detail, especially in the texture and the floor and cloth in the scene that really adds a lot to the scene that often goes unnoticed. The detail and the expressions bring to life that day and moment. The entire composition is stunning.

Harden, Mark. “Vermeer in Washington.”Glyphs. 13 Oct. <2009 http:/

Blog 1: David (marble) by Donatello

http://www.museum-replicas.com/images/productimages/small/donatello-david-r.JPG

David with Head of Goliath is a stunning piece of art created by none other than Donatello. Donatello created the piece in Florence in 1408-1408, then revising it in 1416. The sculpture was originally made to be featured on the buttress of Il Duomo, Brunelleschi’s revolutionary dome on the chapel in Florence. This speaks of a link between Donatello and Cosimo de Medici. It is well known that the controversial and sexual sculpture “David” was created by Donatello for Cosimo. Rather than being sculpted out of bronze this David is made of marble. Brunelleschi was being funded and supported by the Medici for his work on the dome. Whether David with the Head of Goliath was commissioned by the Medici I cannot say, but the proven link between the two men suggests that may well be the case.

            In Florence in the renaissance period David was seen as symbolic of the republic. David flourished despite his many powerful enemies as did Florence. This work is representative not only of Donatello but of Florence itself during the Italian Renaissance. The face of David is young and humble, he does not seem proud nor happy that he has taken another life. David’s stance seems somewhat tired one hand at his side but he does not seem exhausted. His stance is also open, implying that he is ready for God’s plan for him, whatever that may bring. The hand on his hip looks like a challenge, that God had helped him once and now no one can go against him because God is for him, however this does not lead to pride or recklessness. Youth exudes from the face of David as well as from his small form, this emphasizes his dependence on God for his victory. While the sculpture itself is intricate the sling simplifies the statue reminding the viewer of David’s real status.The fact that he is clothed in this particular statue eliminates any sexuality but adds to the humility of the sculpture. It is incredibly different than Donatello’s later David.

            I enjoy this work for several reasons. First of all I love marble, marble sculptures, to me, are the most amazing. The work and time it takes to create one, especially of this texture, is incredible. Realizing this makes the work all that more impressive. I also like the look on David’s face in the sculpture. It seems like his face is saying that he is not prideful because the victory belongs to God.  I have always loved the story of David; from shepherd to king, and this is probably my favorite depiction of his victory over Goliath. I like the humility of this rendition and the many ways it reminds the viewer that it was God who allowed for David’s unlikely victory. Most of all I appreciate the entire form, from head to base, and the beauty and intricacy of the sculpture.

 

Citation:

Sullivan, Mary Ann. “Images of David by Donatello.” The Bargello, Florence Italy. Art History Webmasters Association, 1999. Web. 22 Sept. 2009.

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