APAH UNIT 4 PIECES

Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure). Meret Oppenheim, 1936 C.E. Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon.

("The Luncheon in Fur"), known in English as Fur Breakfast or Breakfast in Fur, is a 1936 sculpture by the surrealist Méret Oppenheim, consisting of a fur-covered teacup, saucer and spoon • the most frequently-cited example of sculpture in the surrealist movement • noteworthy as a work with challenging themes of femininity • context: The work's concept originated in a conversation among Oppenheim, Pablo Picasso, and his lover and fellow artist Dora Maar at a Parisian café] where the café's social role was discussed,[5] and at which Oppenheim was wearing a fur-covered brass tube bracelet, the pattern of which she sold to the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. [1][6] Picasso had suggested that anything could be covered in fur, and Oppenheim remarked that this would apply to "even this cup and saucer".[4] Oppenheim was nearly 23 years old at the time. In a slightly more explicit version of the conversation, Picasso complements the young artist on her fur bracelet, and flirtatiously observes that there are many things he enjoys that were improved when covered in fur. Oppenheim responded, tongue in cheek, by asking, "Even this cup and saucer?"[ • She originally titled it prosaically as "Cup, saucer and spoon covered with fur", but the work was renamed by Breton in reference to Manet's painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Breton was the one who organized the exhibit where it was first shown) • Form (artistic choices): In true found object mode, the teacup, saucer and spoon are ordinary objects purchased from Monoprix, a Paris department store. [6] The fur covering is that of a Chinese gazelle • in 1936, the work appeared at the London International Surrealist Exhibition, where it was noticed by Alfred H. Barr, Jr.. [6] Barr then displayed the work as part of the "Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism" exhibition of winter 1936/1937 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, whose visitors selected it as "the quintessential Surrealist object."[4] Barr afterwards purchased it for the museum, where it remains in the permanent collection • interpretation(s): o One of the women Surrealists, Oppenheim in this work combines the domesticity of the tea set (part of the traditionally feminine decorative arts) with the eroticism and animality of the fur covering. o As in other surrealist works, a visual pun is implied, and the incongruity and impracticability of the combined elements is also highlighted.[9] o Will Gompertz, a former director at Tate Modern, writes of the sculpture: ▪ The sexual connotations of Object (Le Déjeuner en Fourrure) are obvious: drinking from the furry cup is an explicit sexual reference. But there is much more to it than a saucy joke. The image of a fur-lined cup and spoon would not be out of place in the first chapter of any book about anxiety nightmares, in which any pretense of being in control is subverted by sinister happenings. In this instance, a cup and spoon has grown hair, turning objects from which one should derive relaxation and pleasure into something aggressive, unpleasant and faintly disgusting. It has connotations of bourgeoise guilt: for wasting time gossiping in cafés and mistreating beautiful animals (the fur is from a Chinese gazelle). It is also an object designed to engender madness. Two incompatible materials have been brought together to create one troubling vessel. Fur is pleasing to touch, but horrible when you put it in your mouth. You want to drink from the cup and eat from the spoon—that is their purpose—but the sensation of the fur is too repulsive. It's a maddening cycle

Les Demoiselle d'Avignon. Pablo Picasso, 1907 C.E. Oil on canvas Video

96 x 92 inches Content: o five nude female prostitutes from a brothel in Barcelona o 3 on the left have Iberian style faces from Picasso's native Spain o 2 on the right are shown with African mask-like features Form: o angular and disjointed body shapes o The racial primitivism evoked in these masks, according to Picasso, moved him to "liberate an utterly original artistic style of compelling, even savage force." o In this adaptation of Primitivism and abandonment of perspective in favor of a flat, two-dimensional picture plane, Picasso makes a radical departure from traditional European painting o This proto-Cubist work is widely considered to be seminal in the early development of both Cubism and Modern art o Context: o Les Demoiselles was revolutionary and controversial, and led to wide anger and disagreement, even amongst his closest associates and friends. Matisse considered the work something of a bad joke, yet indirectly reacted to it in his 1908 Bathers with a Turtle. Braque too initially disliked the painting, yet perhaps more than anyone else, studied the work in great detail. And effectively, his subsequent friendship and collaboration with Picasso led to the Cubist revolution.[5][6] Its resemblance to Cézanne's Les Grandes Baigneuses, Paul Gauguin's statue Oviri and El Greco's Opening of the Fifth Seal has been widely discussed by later critics. o At the time of its first exhibition in 1916, the painting was deemed immoral.[8] The work, painted in the studio of Picasso at Le Bateau-Lavoir, was seen publicly for the first time at the Salon d'Antin in July 1916; an exhibition organized by the poet André Salmon. It was at this exhibition that André Salmon, who had already mentioned the painting in 1912 under the title Le Bordel philosophique, gave the work its present title Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (in preference to the title originally chosen by Picasso, Le Bordel d'Avignon) to lessen its scandalous impact on the public.[2][5][9][10] Picasso, who had always referred to it as mon bordel (my brothel), [8] or Le Bordel d'Avignon, [9] never liked Salmon's title, and as an edulcoration [11] would have preferred Las chicas de Avignon instead. o Picasso painted this after establishing himself in Paris with his "Blue Period" (poverty and desperation themed) and the "Rose Period" (hopeful and joyful depictions of Bohemian life) paintings including works considered to be "masterpieces" - inspired by other famous painters o At a gathering at Gertrude Stein's home/gallery, Picasso met Matisse ( who became his rival and later close friend) who was considerably more successful Les Demoiselles d'Avignon was vying with Matisse for the preeminent position of being the perceived new leader of Modern painting. Upon its completion the shock and the impact of the painting propelled Picasso into the center of controversy and all but knocked Matisse and Fauvism off the map, virtually ending the movement by the following year a response to Matisse's Le bonheur de vivre (1905-1906) It has been argued by critics that the painting was a reaction to Henri Matisse's Le bonheur de vivre and Blue Nude. Influences: The work is believed by critics to be influenced by African tribal masks and the art of Oceania, although Picasso denied the connection; many art historians remain skeptical about his denials. Several experts maintain that, at the very least, Picasso visited the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro (known today as Musée de l'Homme) in the spring of 1907 where he saw and was unconsciously influenced by African and Tribal art several months before completing Les Demoiselles. Picasso acknowledged the importance of Spanish art and Iberian sculpture as influences on the painting. In 1907, when Picasso began to work on Les Demoiselles, one of the old master painters he greatly admired was El Greco (1541-1614). At the time El Greco was largely obscure and under-appreciated. Picasso's friend Ignacio Zuloaga (1870-1945) acquired El Greco's masterpiece, the Opening of the Fifth Seal, in 1897 for 1000 pesetas. While Picasso was working on Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, he visited his friend Ignacio Zuloaga in his studio in Paris and studied El Greco's Opening of the Fifth Seal.The relation between Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and the Opening of the Fifth Seal was pinpointed in the early 1980s, when the stylistic similarities and the relationship between the motifs and visually identifying qualities of both works were analysed.

The Burghers of Clark. Auguste Rodin, 1884-1895 C.E. bronze

Content · 6 "burghers," or middle class people (people of the burgh/village) · Burghers promise their lives to the English king so that he'll save their city from occupation during the Hundred Years' War · Central character is Eustache de Saint-Pierre o Has large swollen hands and a noose around his neck o He's ready for his execution o Symbolizes the severity of the occupation/war in Calais/Paris Context · The town council of Calais, France rejected it; they wanted a statue of a single, allegorical figure · The English king (in 1347, Hundred Years' War) made the burghers wear sackcloths and carry the key to the city of Calais Form · All 6 characters were sculpted individually, then arranged by Rodin as best as possible to create a unified effect · Each figure represents a different emotion (fearful, resigned, forlorn) · The figures are emaciated; weak · Details of the figures are reduced by Rodin to emphasize the overall impression of the 6 figures' depravity · Figures meant to be seen at ground-level and close-up (to be relatable)

The Starry Night Vincent van Gogh, 1889 C.E. Oil on canvas

Content: Landscape view from artist's hospital room in St.-Rémy Mountains in the distanceactual steepness exaggerated in painting Composite landscape: Dutch church, crescent moon, Mediterranean cypress tree Wave-like movement flows left to rightbroken only by verticality of cypress and church steeple Cypress tree a traditional symbol of death and eternal lifereaches up to the sky, dominating foreground closest to artistsymbolism! Form: Oil on canvas Composite landscape short, thick brushstrokes parts of canvas can be seen through the brushworkdid not need to fill in every bit of the composition Function: A landscape study, or a study of the nighttime expression of the artist's internal turmoil (suffered from mental illness) Desire to experiment with stylized techniques Context: Struggle with mental illnesspainted during his convalescence at mental hospital near St.-Rémyfollowing breakdown in which he mutilated his own ear Post-Impressionist Characteristics: dynamic brushstrokes non-naturalistic vibrant color that exaggerates and accentuates, rather than representing reality painterly in quality inspired Fauvism (later movement)

Still Life in Studio. Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre, 1837 C.E., Daguerréotype Video

Content: Anatomy of a daguerrotype One-of-a-kind image on a highly polished, silver-plated sheet of copperHandful of still lifes, Parisian views, and portraits from the dawn of photographyImages of other works of artSculpture, painting, photography, etc. Context: Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787-1851)Daguerrotypes accompanied the invention of photography Less than 25 of his photos survive the devastating fire on March 8, 1839 Form:"Each daguerreotype is a remarkably detailed, one-of-a-kind photographic image on a highly polished, silver-plated sheet of copper, sensitized with iodine vapors, exposed in a large box camera, developed in mercury fumes, and stabilized (or fixed) with salt water or "hypo" (sodium thiosulphate)." Black and white; no usage of color, only grey areas in between Function:DualityMedium of artistic expressionPowerful scientific toolArtists feared photography would eventually supplant paintingPhotography was in itself an art form; even if not considered such at the time

Self-Portrait as a Soldier. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1915 C.E. Oil on canvas

Content: o Kirchner depicts himself in the uniform of the Mansfelder Feldartillerieregiment Nr. 75 in Halle/Saale. His face is drawn, a cigarette hangs loosely from between his lips, and his eyes remain unseeing and empty, without pupils and with the iris reflecting the blue of his uniform. The lost right hand and bloody stump stand for a terrible litany of losses: of his ability to paint, and of his creativity, artistic vision, and inspiration. In a larger sense, Kirchner also expresses anxiety for his potency and manhood Context: o fear that the war would destroy his creative powers and in a broader sense symbolizes the reactions of the artists of his generation who suffered the kind of physical and mental damage Kirchner envisaged in this painting o he became an alcoholic and in 1917 began to suffer from paralysis of the hands and feet and continued to paint - but as a recluse Form: o There is little compositional connection between the artist and the nude woman seen behind him o Bold expressive colors, some modeling of the forms, no sense of deep space

Slave Ship (Slaves Throwing Overboard the Dead and DYing, Typhoon Coming On). Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1840 C.E. Oil on canvas

Content:A ship (slave ship) sailing directly into a storm, abandoning the slaves that were thrown overboard to drownFiery sunset, writhing foam and wavesFish with teeth chomping at the slaves' chained limbsA wall of water and grey clouds dooming the ship to shipwreck (as punishment and vengeance for the death of slaves; upsetting of the balance of nature) "Turner's chaotic canvas shows a fierce storm. Body parts, still shackled and being attacked by sharp-teethed fish, can be seen in the central and right foreground." (Gateways, p. 544) Context:J.M.W. Turner (1775 - 1851)Twenty or so years before Impressionist movement; Turner uses techniques that are not yet popularMan vs. nature (popular theme during late 1700s and early 1800sSlavery was banned in Britain, but not in some of the countries it had colonized (e.g. the United States of America) Form: Abstract, fabricated qualityMakes it difficult to discern the subject matter and the action of the scene"Turner uses intense colors and turbulent brushstrokes to convey the heightened emotion of the event." (Gateways, p. 544) Function:Wanted to protest any reconsideration on the subjectPrevent slavery from ever becoming a normalized practice in the future with a harsh reminderTo shock the critics and general audience into seeing just how brutal slavery could be, and why it shouldn't ever come backTell a storyMoral of the story being you are morally condemned if you participate in such a horrific, dehumanizing practice Slave ship is doomed to wreck because of the actions of its captain 'Communicate sympathy and judgment'

Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) London, England, Charles Barry and Augustus W.N. Pugin (architects), 1840-1870 C.E. Limestone masonry and glass

Content:Augustus Plugin Interior designs + stained glassGothic style Context:Across from River ThamesAmong Houses of Parliament in LondonBuilt in the early Victorian eraThe Great Fire in 1834 burned down the original; had to be rebuiltCompetition held to see who could build the best replacement - won by Charles Barry and Augustus Plugin English 19th century Form:Was intended to be either Gothic or Elizabethan In the style of Gothic only (late medieval period; Shakespearean times) Function:Serve as the House of Parliament Primary function; practical and not based in aesthetic appearance, more so the reinforcement of traditional values Still today the seat of governmentHouse of Commons House of Lords

Liberty Leading the People. Eugene Delacroix, 1830 C.E.Oil on canvas. Video Les Miserables

Content:Personification of Liberty (central figure)Marching over dead bodiesLeading the way to freedomCarrying flag of revolution and a musket in her handsYoung boy holding two pistolsRepresents sacrificeUpper-class gentleman in a top hat, holding a rifleRepresents the rich's inability to stay out of the warMaterials - medium: canvas; oil on canvas Context:Romanticism/during Romantic periodBased on July Revolution of 1830 Lasted 3 days Form:Realistic, but with dramatic, theatrical lightingSoft, rounded lines that embody the figures depicted more so than the sharpness of their objectsDepth and foreground but little to no background; shrouded in a cloud of fog (theatrical effect?) Function:Glorification of everyday people who were involved in the war and the role of France's citizens in that war Acknowledgment of the sacrifices civilians made for the sake of revolution against a corrupt governmental regimeTakes on a poignant tone as the revolution would be thought by some to have been in vain; pre-Napoleanic rule

The Valley of Mexico from the Hillskie of Santa Isabel (El Valle de México desde el Cerro de Santa Isabel). Jose Maria Velasco, 1882 C.E. Oil on canvas

Context · Velasco was an academic landscape painter, specializing in panoramas of the Valley of Mexico · Velasco meticulously observed nature: rocks, foliage, clouds, waterfalls · Rejected the realistic landscapes of Courbet and Romantic landscapes of Turner Content · Mountains, lake, trees, clouds, blue skies, tiny human figures · All from the vantage point of the mountaintop village Guadalupe that looks over the Valley of Mexico Form · Atmospheric perspective and tiny human figures both create a sense of monumentality and awe of nature. · Viewer stands above the mountains; looks down to survey the scene. Function · Showcases the rolling red hills, magnificent blue skies, puffy white clouds, the lake, trees, and natural beauty of the Valley of Mexico · To glorify the Mexican countryside

The Saint-Lazare Station. Claude Monet, 1877 C.E. Oil on canvas

Context: Monet wanted to be remembered as an painter of the 'modern' world. Monet lived in Argenteuil, a province outside of Paris (rural) Monet commuted into Paris via the Gare Saint-Lazare, or the Saint-Lazare Station The station was a symbol of modernity and industrialized commuter railways. Produced in 1876-1877, just a few years before the first Impressionist exhibition. The roads and train stations of Paris had recently been renovated and modernized under Baron Haussmann Unusually modern and industrial for Monet; he usually painted water-lilies Emphasis on the Form Gritty texture Follows a traditional landscape painting Trees frame the center of the paintingDiagonal lines of the roof recede backwards into the painting Oil on canvas Function Emphasis on the painting's surface and paint. To capture the industrialization and modernization of Paris. For Monet to establish himself as a relevant, valuable artist in French society as it industrialized Industrialization was such a massive societal shift that it could not go ignored by anyone who felt themselves an engaged member of society. To capture a beautiful moment in time in the busy, urban streets of ParisComings and goings by train into Paris -- day-to-day Modern bourgeoisie emerging as center of the society Content Locomotive train pulls into the station, under triangular roofing Steam dissolves into the air Perspective lines and foreshortening used expertly to create the realism of the train NO traditional lines or contours; very innovative and atypical modeling.

Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks. Claes Oldenburg, 1969-1974 C.E. Cor-Ten steel, steel, aluminum, and cast resin; painted with polyurethane enamel

Context: A monumental tube of lipstick sprouting from a military vehicle appeared (content!), uninvited, on the campus of Yale University amidst the 1969 student protests against the Vietnam War o Oldenburg made the 24-foot-high sculpture in collaboration with architecture students at his alma mater and then surreptitiously delivered it to Yale's Beinecke Plaza o In Beinecke Plaza, the sculpture overlooked both the office of Yale's president and a prominent World War I memorial. Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks claimed a visible space for the anti-war movement while also poking fun at the solemnity of the plaza. The sculpture served as a stage and backdrop for several subsequent student protests. o It was not intended to be permanent . . . Artistic choices (Form): They made the base of plywood, and the red vinyl tip of the lipstick could be comically inflated and deflated—although the balloon mechanism didn't always work. The original remained in Beinecke Plaza for ten months before Oldenburg removed it in order to remake the form in metal. The resulting sculpture was placed in a less-prominent spot on Yale's campus, where it remains to this day. Oldenburg had experimented with lipstick forms earlier in the 1960s, pasting catalog images of lipstick onto postcards of London's Picadilly Circus. The resulting collages showed lipstick tubes looming like massive pillars over Picadilly's plaza. In the Yale sculpture, the artist combined the highly "feminine" product with the "masculine" machinery of war. In doing so, he playfully critiqued both the hawkish, hyper-masculine rhetoric of the military and the blatant consumerism of the United States. In addition to its feminine associations, the large lipstick tube is phallic and bullet-like, making the benign beauty product seem masculine or even violent. The juxtaposition implied that the U.S. obsession with beauty and consumption both fueled and distracted from the ongoing violence in Vietnam Lipstick was his first large-scale public artwork (he later made large sculptures of every-day objects) (It) blurred the lines between public and private, and between the war in Vietnam and culture of the United States. In doing so, it upheld Oldenburg's 1961 declaration that "I am for an art that is political-erotical-mystical, that does something other than sit on its ass in a museum [...] I am for an art that imitates the human, that is comic, if necessary, or violent, or whatever is necessary . ."

Nadar Raising Photography to the Height of Art. Honore Daumier, 1862 C.E. Lithograph

Context: Nadar was famous for taking aerial photos of Paris since 1858. Daumier depicts Nadar as a bizarre, daring photographer; Nadar's hat is flying off, and in his own excitement to capture the perfect shot, he almost falls out of his balloon. Daumier mocks the new declaration that photography could be equal to "high art;" it's an ironic artwork. Appeared in a journal called Le Boulevard. Content: All buildings in Paris below have "Paris" written on them. Form: Lithograph (printing from a stone or smooth metal plate to produce mass images.) Function: To mock Nadar; to show that ridiculous and dangerous means have to be used to elevate photography to the height and importance of "high art." Serves as a commentary on the 1862 court decision permitting photography to be seen as high art. Also foreshadows modern aerial-surveillance photography; Nadar's balloon was used in the 1870 Siege of Paris for intrusive photography.

The Stone Breakers Gustave Courbet, 1849 C.E. (destroyed in 1945). Oil on canvas

Context: Submitted to the Parisian Salon of 1850-1851 as a reaction to the labor unrest of 1848 (people had demanded better working conditions.) Emphasizes two figures, who will be poor their entire lives, to show the unforgiving passage of time and the lack of social mobility for people of the time. Form: Large canvas sizes were usually reserved for important historical paintings; Courbet instead states the importance of the commonplace workers. Content: Breaking stones down to rubble for pavement; theme of poverty; tattered, ripped, patched clothing; using hammers and smithing tools. Function: To "consider two men breaking stones on the side of the highway...to meet the complete expression of poverty." To show poverty and the struggle of working-class peoples in Europe around 1850, especially given recent injustices and the fact that they were never portrayed in art.

Olympia. Douard Manet, 1863 C.E. Oil on canvas.

Form: Imperfect, harsh style depicting a woman in a manner that does not fit the classical "ideal" and ethereal image of the body Flatly painted, poorly contoured, abrupt shift in tonality, lacking depth and washed out No vanishing point or recognizable perspective- hard to understand in space Loose, choppy brush strokes (clearly a painted representation) Function: Rebel from previous convention and depict harsh realities of Parisian life Ordinary people and unglamorous prostitution Commentary on racial divisions and the class system in Paris Content: Nude woman reclining on a chaise lounge with a black cat at her feet She stares with a cold, stark, indifferent expression at the viewer A black female servant stands behind her holding a bouquet of flowers (a gift for the prostitute from a client) Highlights the french colonial mindset and injustice in society the stark contrast of the black skin from the white highlighted racial division Depicts the world of Parisian prostitution Depicted marginalized people in society rather than the traditional Bourgeois and aristocratic subjects Context: This is a salon painting (academic painting) that defied tradition creating an artistic revolution This received extreme negative reviews from critics in 1865 at the Parisian Salon It "bewildered" the Parisians and was seen as scandalous and an insult to tradition, caused unease amongst viewers because he shamelessly and obviously depicts a defiant looking prostitute, which unnerved viewers Both a nude prostitute and a black maid was seen as inferior and animalistic sexuality Manet mocked the revitalization of classical style by using a contemporary, ordinary subject. He suggested that the classical past no longer had relevance in the modern world. Manet rejected controlled brush strokes and seamless illusionism Time of the industrial revolution (linked to the separation from the outdated, classical past) He recreated the Venus of Urbino but Manet's creation was believed to be disrespectful and insulting to it Manet referred to as the father of impressionism, his "rebellious" style inspired future work Considered the first modernist painter in his technique and subjects Manet's realist predecessor was Gustave Courbet and drew inspiration from Velasquez and Goya and Dutch painters The model was Victorine Meurent Manet highlighted the injustice of colonial viewpoints, the anxieties of the class system (since many rural people moved to the growing cities), and the uncertainty of the modern world "Olympia" was a common name for prostitutes Cross-Cultural Connections Venus of Urbino

The Coiffure. Mary Cassatt, 1890-1891 C.E. Drypoint and aquatint

Form: In the style of Japanese prints light brushstrokes sketchy reproducible print (on paper) Function: To make artwork more accessible to all classescreated easily reproducible printsless expensivewidespread availabilityCassatt was advised against this, critics said it would make her art less valuableshe insisted on this principle of art for the massesCassatt had a prescient understanding of how photography would come to affect the art worldart can no longer be elitist and elusiveit will be available "to the masses" whether artists like it or not, so it was smart of her to jump on board with the wave of technology rather than resist Content: female nude sitting in chair, facing mirror woman is fixing her hair decorative prints in background (carpet and wallpaper)sign of Asian influence Context: Female nudesCassatt, as a female, offers a truer, more intimate perspective on the female nudefemale nudes are generally painted by male artists, and the female body is intended for the male gazede-eroticizes the traditional boudoir scene (historically painted by men)makes it more functional, a noneventprivate, personala feminine moment (fixing her hairstyle), intended for women, to be seen and understood by women, painted by a woman Global expansion/influencesthis was a time of increased contact and trade with the EastEurope was fascinated with Japan and this showed especially Impressionist and post-Impressionist artshares characteristics with Japanese printswatery brushstrokes2-dimensionalrosy, faded colorsornamental, leafy/flowery patterning

The Scream Edvard Munch, 1893 C.E. Tempera and Pastels on cardboard

Form: Tempera paint on cardboardmixing traditional, high-quality tempera paint with flimsy, industrial everyday cardboard Vibrant, strong color contrast non-naturalistic, skewed proportions, everything swirls into itself lots of movement and uncertaintythis is to represent the feeling of the moment (SYMBOLISM) Content: androgynous, elongated figure screams with hands pressed to its face in the foreground two figures walk along the bridge into the background sea swirls into the sky, everything is streaked and blended and sketchypower of natural forms calling to an individual Function: Semi-autobiographican expression of the themes that preoccupied Munch:relationships, life, death, dreadrecounts an experience he had when walking with friendsstruck with a sense of melancholy at the shocking sunsethow to portray grappling with the intense cry of nature? A study in different mediumspart of a series of four renditions of the same scene, called "The Frieze of Life"each using different surfaces and materials (this final one being tempera on cardboard)wanted to experiment with these different mediums to see how they may represent a story or a feeling differently Context: (see "function" for semi-autobiographic context) Relation to SynesthesiaSynesthesia is the synthesis of the sensessome people may associate a smell with a musical note, or a color with a smellThe Scream's swirling synthesis of the forces of nature may reflect some understanding of or relation to synesthesia(or maybe just a general sense of being overwhelmed and pulled in different directions by natural senses) (see "symbolist characteristics" for context of the artistic movement) Symbolist Characteristics: Munch sought to express internal emotions through external forms dream-like, non-naturalistic key elements (symbols) are exaggerated and purposefully overshadow details that are not important to the essence of the painting color is key

The Oxbow (View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm). Thomas Cole, 1836 C.E. Oil on canvas Video

Form: View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm- The Oxbow 1886, oil on canvas, painting by Thomas Cole, 51 1/2 x 76 inches / 130.8 x 193 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) Realistic but cartoon in an exaggerated way; like a caricature Warm hues (yellows and greens) for nature, dark, cool colors for weather (grey, blue) Function: References the bend in the Connecticut River Reminder of humanity's insignificance in the grand scheme of things (as applies to many works created during the Romantic movement) nineteenth-century political ideology: this painting is about the widely discussed topic of westward expansion. This part of the painting depicts a virginal landscape, nature created by God and untouched by man. It is wild, unruly, and untamed. Content: the viewer can clearly see that Cole used a diagonal line from the lower right to the upper left to divide the composition into two unequal halves. Tree being bent: Symbol for nature being at the mercy of itself River, Clouds: Stormy in the foreground, white and clear sky in the background (far corner) This is enhanced by the gloomy storm clouds that seem to pummel the not-too-distant middle ground with rain. Context: Hudson River (Hudson River School founded by artist, Thomas Cole) "Thomas Cole (1801 - 1848) was the founder of the Hudson River School. In his painting The Oxbow, Cole has chosen a dramatic vantage point from which to view the twisting Connecticut River. A large tree in the foreground has been battered by weather, while the river is far in the valley below. Above the tree are fierce thunderclouds, while the distance shows the sky after the storm has passed. The only trace of man in this scene is the artist wearing a hat in the lower center of the canvas."

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Paul Gauguin, 1897-1898 C.E. Oil on canvas

Form: continuous narrativelike fresco, or friezes weird multi-perspective view in background Symbolistcolors play an important role2-dimensionalsymbolic meaning, expressive, non-naturalistic Content: Tahitian natives in scenes that show the stages of life (from right to left): infancy, adulthood, old age figures are partially unclotheddressed in a non-western fashion Function: enigmatic, multiple philosophical interpretations essentially a private work, whose meaning was only known most personally to Gaugin himself

The Oath of the Horatii.Jacques-Louis David, 1784, C.E. Oil on canvas

Form: Neoclassical Simplistic and Symbolic Rejection of Rococo Organized and structured Male Figures = constructed with geometric shapesFemale Figure = organic/realistic shapes Function: Show 3 sons taking an oath to their father Content: Depiction of a Roman Myth Three brothers swear on their swords to their father Women sits to the right grieving Figures are placed in a columned hall (Neoclassical) Context: Legend of Horatti Conflict between Rome and city of Alba Instead of declaring war, they sent 3 representatives to settle dispute 3 brothers of the Horatti Typical for battles to be won as men remain standing Held moral value in Roman culture Sacrifice for the defense of your city is a noble case Time of Painting France was on the verge of its Revolution and the end of the monarchy David picked up on the independent ideas resurfacing all over the world (revolutionary thinking)

George Washington. Jean-Antoine Houdon, 1788-1792 C.E. Marble Article

Form: Neoclassicism White marble Contraposto Symbolic details Form Washington is seen wearing street clothing (fatherly expression) Symbolized power and authority as he holds his sword not having the sword in hand = given up his military and presidential careers Function: Sculpture Content: Marble sculpture of George Washington Context: Made after the American Revolution At this time it was popular to commission the depiction of war heroes Washington;s depiction was inspired by his choice to retire from his military position and precedency in order to pursue farming instead and allow his country to develop Statue ordered = Virginia Governor Sculpted = French Artist No practiced American sculptors French people idealized the fore-fathers of America

Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Miguel Cabrera, 1750 CE, oil on canvas

Form: Realistic Similar to other portraits of the time Red curtains behind her were common in elite portraits (higher status) Religious garments = convey the deep connection she had with her faith Books = communicate her love for learning Function: A Portrait Content: Portrait of Sor Juana, a catholic nun and sister of the jeronimite order in New Spain Portrayed as a hero (Neoclassical) Intellectual rather than traditional Context: Neoclassical Work Sor Juana Sor Juana was considered one of the first feminist of the Americas because she joined a religious order and became a nun in order to pursue her intellectual interests Engaged in debate with philosophers and scientists of the time Instead of marrying, she decided to pursue her intellectual passion in a Carmelite convent before converting to the Jeroimite order (more freedoms) Despite being a nun, she defended her rights as a woman Eventually drew concern from the churchChurch forced Juana to sell her library and give up her pursuits She was made to sign a document declaring she would cease her education After being denied her intellectual abilities...Sor Juana served as a nurse in an infirmary She caught a disease and passed away Miguel Cabrera Portrayed the nun in a way that gave tribute to her religious AND intellectual purposes Painted after Sor Juana's death (probably based off of other portraits)

Improvisation 28 (Second version). Vassily Kandisnsky, 1912 C.E. Oil on canvas

Form: oil on canvas Function: to have the viewer respond to a painting the way one would respond to an abstract musical composition like a concerto, sonata, or symphonytitle derived from musical compositions; gave musical titles to his works like "composition" and "improvisation" Content:movement towards abstractionrepresentational objects suggested rather than depictedstrong black linescolors shade around line forms Context:Expressionisminspired by the Fauve movementDie Brüke (The Bridge) movementthey saw themselves as "the bridge" from traditional to modern paintingviolent juxtapositions of colorDer Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) movementgerman group, named because the founders liked horses and the color blueabstractiona way to conceive the natural world in terms that went beyond representationif there are recognizable forms then our conscious minds will take over, and we would close off our emotional ability to respond to color and formKandinsky big part of Der Blaue Reiterwrote essay called Concerning the Spiritual in Art which outlines his theories on color and form for the modern movementfelt that sounds and color were linked (synesthesia)art should express an inner spiritual necessityRussianone of the first artists to make non-objective, or completely abstract, paintings

Goldfish. Henry Matisse, 1912 C.E. Oil on canvas

Form: oil on canvas Function:use vibrant colors to evoke an emotional responsecontemplative relaxation for the viewer Content:still life paintingviolent contrasts of colorthinly applied colors—white of the canvas shows throughenergetic brushworkinfluenced by asian art? (so decorative) Context:Fauvismart movement that debuted in 1905 in Parisnamed from a critic who thought the paintings looked like they'd been painted by "Wild Beasts"inspired by post impressionists (Van Gogh, and Gauguin)stressed a painterly surface with broad flat areas of violently contrasting colormaximize expressive effects by suppressing figure models and color harmoniesMatissefrenchone of the biggest figures in the development of modern art (along with Picasso)loved to explore the expressive potential of color and its relation to formcolors are emotions, not realityfamous for decorative style, expressive forms, bold use of colormake art, dont imitate natureGoldfish?went to Morocco, and everyone would stare at goldfish contemplatively all day longrelaxed lifestylegoldfish became a symbol for paradise lost, a tranquil state of mind"an art that could be....a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair that provides relaxation from fatigue." - Matisse

The Kiss. Constantin Brancusi, Original 1907-1908 C.E. stone

Form:limestone Function:to express a subject in it's most pure form Content:intertwined figures with interlocking formswoman on the rightslightly thinner, eye slightly smallerbulge suggests breaststwo eyes become onethe structure of the limestone stays trueleaving the surface raw and archaicreturn to a primitive form after the exactitude of the renaissance and the baroque and the 19th century etcrejecting the academy Context:cubismbreaking the human form into angles and shapes Brancusi Romanian-born french sculptoroutsider in the art worldRomania: long tradition of stone/wood carvingdevoted to finding the simplest and most elegant way to express the essence of his chosen subjectworked in Rodin's studio (see Rodin's "The Kiss")Many versions of this work1st: One of Brancusi's earliest efforts at stone cutting2nd: plaster cast - exhibited at an art show3rd: used as a tombstone in paris over a suicide victim4th: done as a commission. In the Philly Museum of Artthere might be more undocumented versions

The Kiss. Gustav Klimt, 1907-1908 C.E. Oil and gold on canvas Video

Form:oil on canvas, golf leafFunction:suggest all consuming love and passion— permanence Content: a kissing couple on a precipicelittle of the human form is seenher facecalm and passive, but with eyes closed very passionatehis necka sense of physical power and desirelarge, richly designed patterning on clothingmale is more rectangular; female more circularreminds us of a religious icon with the gold - v byzantine, v medieval Context:Art NouveauBrussels, Barcelona, Paris, Vienna1890-WWIseeks to eliminate separation of artistic mediums and combine them all into onea lot of vegetal and floral patterns, complex design, undulating surfacesDuring Modernization of Viennain a time of chaos, an eternal and universal kiss

The Steerage. Alfred Stieglitz, 1907 C.E. Photogravure

Form:photograph function: to show the social divisions of societyto show photography as a fine art Content:Diagonals and framing effect of ladders, sails, steam pipes, etcdepicts the poorest travelers on a ship from US to Europevisas expired? turned away from the US?steerage = the part of a ship reserved for passengers with the cheapest tickets Context: 1902-1917 was Alfred Stieglitz's Gallery 291most progressive gallery in USPhotography showcased right next to avant garde and modern worksPhotography is becoming its own art formStieglitz arranged little in his photographs—took pictures of life as it happenedemphasized clarity and realism (aka, a camera's strengths)he was way more focused on the composition and the art of the photograph rather than the subject matterhe neglected talking about the subject matter because his political opinions on immigration were conflicting and he instead used the photo to argue that photography = fine artPhoto published in 1911 in Camera Workhe was influenced by cubists

The Portuguese. Georges Braque, 1911 C.E. oil on canvas

Functionto show all sides of a subject Content:neither naturalistic nor conventionalfractured formsclear edged surfaces on the picture plane—not recessed in spacenearly monochromenot a portrait of a portuguese musician, but rather an exploration of shapesonly realistic elements are stenciled letters and numbers Context:Analytical Cubism (1907-1912)first phase of cubismhighly experimental, jagged edges, sharp and multifaceted linesWorked with Picasso to develop this style"By breaking these objects into smaller elements, Braque and Picasso are able to overcome the unified singularity of an object and instead transform it into an object of vision" (Khan Academy - Analytical Cubism)

Monte Sainte-Victoire. Paul Cezanne, 1902-1904 C.E. Oil on canvas

Gauguin wrote about Cezanne, "his horizons are high, his blues very intense, and the red in his work has an astounding vibrancy." Cézanne's legend was beginning to emerge and a mountain ran through it. The mountain was right outside his cabin home Artistic choices: o In this work, Cézanne divides his composition into three roughly equal horizontal sections, which extend across the three-foot wide canvas. Our viewpoint is elevated. Closest to us lies a band of foliage and houses; next, rough patches of yellow ochre, emerald, and viridian green suggest the patchwork of an expansive plain and extend the foreground's color scheme into the middleground; and above, in contrasting blues, violets and greys, we see the "craggy mountain" surrounded by sky. The blues seen in this section also accent the rest of the work while, conversely, touches of green enliven the sky and mountain. Cezanne: ... is said to have formed the bridge between late 19th-century Impressionism and the early 20th century's new line of artistic enquiry, Cubism. Both Matisse and Picasso are said to have remarked that Cézanne "is the father of us all." Painted during his "mature' period only a couple years before his death

Memorial Sheet for Karl Liebknecht. Kathe Kollwitz, 1919-1920 C.E. Woodcut

In the political turmoil after the First World War, many artists turned to making prints instead of paintings. The ability to produce multiple copies of the same image made printmaking an ideal medium for spreading political statements • Context: o Artist rarely depicted known people - but on a rare occasion would to promote a cause o This work, In Memoriam Karl Liebknecht was created in 1920 in response to the assassination of Communist leader Karl Liebknecht during an uprising of 1919 o a period of social and political upheaval o she was not particularly sympathetic to his cause - but admired his charisma and was asked by the family to memorialize him, she agreed o other artists also memorialized him (and the other 'martyr') • Artistic choices (form): o Memorial Sheet of Karl Liebknecht is in the style of a lamentation, a traditional motif in Christian art depicting the followers of Christ mourning over his dead body, casting Liebknecht as the Christ figure o The iconography would have been easily recognizable by the masses who were the artist's intended audience o The composition divides the sheet into three horizontal sections. ▪ The top section is densely packed with figures. Their faces are well modeled and have interesting depth in themselves, but the sense of space is very compressed - the heads push to the foreground and are packed into every available corner of space. It gives the impression of multitudes coming to pay their respects, without compromising the individuality of the subjects. ▪ The middle strata contains comparatively fewer details, further emphasizing the crowding at the top of the printing plate. This section draws attention to the specific action of the bending mourner. His hand on Liebknecht's chest connects this section to the the bottommost level of the composition, the body of the martyred revolutionary. ▪ Mourning woman holding a child (detail), Käthe Kollwitz, Memorial Sheet of Karl Liebknecht (Gedenkblatt für Karl Liebknecht), 1919-1920, Woodcut heightened with white and black ink, 37.1 × 51.9 cm (Art Institute of Chicago)Above the bending mourner, a woman holds her baby up to see over the heads of those in front of them. Women and children were a central concern of Kollwitz's work, making her a unique voice in a creative environment dominated by young men (in fact, Kollwitz was the first woman to be admitted into the Prussian Academy).

The Migration of the Negro, Panel no.49 Jacob Lawrence, 1940-1941 C.E. Casein tempera on hardboard

Narrative painting When Lawrence began painting The Migration of the Negro in 1940, it was his most ambitious project to date, amplifying his earlier genre scenes and historical series on Toussaint L'Ouverture, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman Content/Context: Broad in scope and dramatic in exposition, this depiction of AfricanAmericans moving North to find jobs, better housing, and freedom from oppression was a subject he associated with his parents, who had themselves migrated from South Carolina to Virginia, and finally, to New York. Medium /artistic choices (form): Enthralled by fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italian paintings he had seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lawrence used their medium—tempera—with a craftsman's mastery. To keep the colors consistent, he placed the panels side by side and painted each hue onto all the panels before going on to the next color. Perhaps it was this approach that resulted in a sense of collective unity, even though each panel can stand on its own. o the works show only essential imagery. Flattened, angular forms, strong diagonals, and contrasts of light and shadow contribute to the dynamism of the images. o Although Lawrence used a limited palette, he arranged the colors to form focal points to direct the viewer's attention Context: Public acceptance for The Migration of the Negro has been strong since the series was first shown, demonstrating the continuing relevance of its theme. A seminal work in twentieth-century art, it was a manifestation of Lawrence's ethnic pride and his desire to reveal events that he felt should be known: "It was... so much a part of my life. I became conscious of these things when I was eight or nine years old, and this consciousness remained, and this is what you see in the Migrations."

Illustration from The Results of the First Five-Year Plan. Varvara Stepanova, 1932 C.E. Photomontage

Stepanova was a talented painter, designer and photographer. She defined herself as a constructivist and focused her art on serving the ideals of the Soviet Union. She was a leading member of the Russian avantgarde and later in her career, she became well known for her contributions to the magazine USSR in Construction, a propagandist publication that focused on the industrialization of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, a ruthless dictator who took power after Lenin's death and who's totalitarian policies are thought to have caused suffering and death for millions of his people. As its title suggests, this photomontage is an ode to the success of the First Five-Year Plan, an initiative started by Stalin in 1928. The Plan was a list of strategic goals designed to grow the Soviet economy and accelerate its industrialization. These goals included collective farming, creating a military and artillery industry and increasing steel production. By the end of the First FiveYear Plan in 1933, the USSR had become a leading industrial power, though its worth noting that contemporary historians have found that economists from the USSR inflated results to enhance the image of the Soviet Union. In this work of art, Stepanova has also used the tools of the propagandist. This photomontage is an ideological image intended to help establish, through its visual evidence, the great success of the Plan. In Stepanova's photomontage, everything is carefully constructed. The artist uses only three types of color and tone. She alternates black and white with sepia photographs and integrates geometric planes of red to structure the composition. On the left, Stepanova has inserted public address speakers on a platform with the number 5, symbolizing the Five Year Plan along with placards displaying the letters CCCP, the Russian initials for USSR. The letters are placed above the horizon as is a portrait of Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union. The cropped and oversized photograph of Lenin shows him speaking; his eyes turned to the left as if looking to the future. Lenin is linked to the speakers and letter placards at the left by the wires of an electrical transmission tower. Below, a large crowd of people indicate the mass popularity of Stalin's political program and their desire to celebrate it. Red, the color of the Soviet flag, was often used by Stepanova in her photomontages. She also commonly mis-matched the scale of photographic elements to create a sense of dynamism in her images. Despite the flat, paper format, different elements are visually activated and can even seem to 'pop out.' Several clear artistic oppositions are visible in The Results of the First Five-Year Plan. For example, there is a sharp contrast between the black and white photographs and the red elements, such as the electric tower, the number 5, and the triangle in the foreground. Our eyes are attracted to these oppositions and by the contrast between the indistinct masses and the individual portrait of Lenin, as an implicit reference to the Soviet political system

Woman, I. Willem de Kooning, 1950-1952 C.E. Oil on canvas

Style: Abstract Expressionism "Working, as was his habit, with numerous drawings and collage fragments, de Kooning filled his canvas with image upon image, only to scrape away the figure and repeatedly begin painting anew," Zilczer writes. "Elaine de Kooning estimated that some two hundred images preceded what is now the final state of Woman I." Subject: De Kooning described the figurative motif of this painting not as a representation but as a thing slapped on the canvas, liberating him from formal anxieties. Woman I "did one thing for me: it eliminated composition, arrangement, relationships, light, because that [motif] was the one thing I wanted to get hold of. I thought I might as well stick to the idea that it's got two eyes, a nose and mouth and neck." De Kooning arrive in the U.S. in 1926 as a stowaway he was an established successful artist well before doing the series of Women De Kooning's well-known Woman series, begun in 1950 the time after meeting his future wife and culminating in Woman VI, owes much to Picasso, not least in the aggressive, penetrative breaking apart of the figure, and the spaces around it. Picasso's late works show signs that he, in turn, saw images of works by Pollock and de Kooning.[6]:17 De Kooning led the 1950s' art world to a new level known as the American Abstract Expressionism. "From 1940 to the present, Woman has manifested herself in de Kooning's paintings and drawings as at once the focus of desire, frustration, inner conflict, pleasure, ... and as posing problems of conception and handling as demanding as those of an engineer."[7] The female figure is an important symbol for de Kooning's art career and his own life. This painting is considered as a significant work of art for the museum through its historical context about the post World War II history and American feminist movement. Additionally, the medium of this painting makes it different from others of de Kooning's time.

Fallingwater. Pennsylvania, U.S. Frank Lloyd Wright (architect) 1936-1939 C.E, reinforced concrete, sandstone, steel, and glass

The house was designed as a weekend home for the family of Edgar J. Kaufmann, owner of Kaufmann's department store o Edgar Kauffman, jr., studied architecture briefly under Wright In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the house the "best all-time work of American architecture" and in 2007, it was ranked 29th on the list of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA The total project price of $155,000, adjusted for inflation, is the equivalent of about $2.6 million in 2015. The cost of restoration was estimated to be $11.5 million in 2001 Fallingwater was the family's weekend home from 1937 to 1963 o In 1964, it was opened to the public as a museum. one of Wright's greatest masterpieces both for its dynamism and for its integration with the striking natural surroundings o organic o Japanese architecture was strongly reflected in the design of Fallingwater, particularly in the importance of interpenetrating exterior and interior spaces and the strong emphasis placed on harmony between man and nature o connection to the site o Integration with the setting extends even to small details

Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park. Diego Rivera, 1947-1948 C.E. Fresco

The mural was originally created at the request of architect Carlos Obregón Santacilia, and originally was displayed in the Versailles restaurant at the hotel Prado. When the hotel was destroyed in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, the mural was restored and moved to its own museum. The mural depicts famous people and events in the history of Mexico, passing through the Alameda Central park in Mexico City. Behind them float the things they each dream of. o Some notable figures include Francisco I. Madero, Benito Juárez, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Porfirio Díaz, Agustín de Iturbide, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Maximilian I of Mexico, Juan de Zumárraga, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Winfield Scott, Victoriano Huerta, José Martí, Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera and Hernán Cortés. The central focus of the mural is on a display of bourgeois complacency and values shortly before the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Elegantly dressed upper-class figures promenade under the figure of the long ruling dictator Porfirio Díaz. An indigenous family is forced back by police batons and to the right flames and violence loom. Rivera's wife Frida Kahlo is at the center of the mural, holding hands with a child version of Rivera and the skeleton La Calavera Catrina

The Two Fridas. Fridas Khalo, 1939 C.E. Oil on canvas

The painting was the first large-scale work done by Kahlo and is considered one of her most notable paintings (68 x 68 inches) Content: It is a double self-portrait, depicting two versions of Kahlo seated together. One is wearing a white European-style dress while the other is wearing a traditional Tehuana dress (some art historians have suggested that this is symbolic of her dual heritage: her father was German and her mother was a mix of Mexican and Amerindian) Context: o The painting was created in 1939, the same year that Kahlo divorced Diego Rivera o According to Kahlo's friend, Fernando Gamboa, the painting was inspired by two paintings that Kahlo saw earlier that year at the Louvre, Théodore Chassériau's The Two Sisters and the anonymous Gabrielle d'Estrées and One of Her Sisters. [ Kahlo painted about two hundred works of art, many of which are self-portraits o Beginning in her youth, in order to cope with these long periods of recovery (she had many health issues throughout her life), Kahlo became a painter. Nevertheless, the isolation caused by her health problems was always present. She reflected, "I paint selfportraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best." Artistic choices (Form): The two Fridas clasp hands tightly. This bond is echoed by the vein that unites them. Where one is weakened by an exposed heart, the other is strong; where one still pines for her lost love (as underscored by the vein feeding Rivera's miniature portrait), the other clamps down on that figurative and literal tie with a hemostat. o impact of two hearts, both vulnerable and laid bare to the viewer as a testament to her emotional suffering

Marilyn Diptych. Andy Warhol, 1962 C.E. Oil, acrylic, and silkscreen enamel on canvas

The work was completed during the weeks after Marilyn Monroe's death in August 1962. It contains fifty images of the actress, which are all based on a single publicity photograph from the film Niagara (1953). o The twenty-five pictures on the left side of the diptych are brightly colored, while the twenty-five on the right are in black and white. It has been suggested that the relation between the left side of the canvas and the right side of the canvas is evocative of the relation between the celebrity's life and death.[1][2][3] The work has received praise from writers such as American academic and cultural critic Camille Paglia, who wrote in 2012's Glittering Images lauding how it shows the "multiplicity of meanings" in Monroe's life and legacy. Artistic choices (Form): the top right panel has faded , this was done to show Marilyn's more mortal and realistic features

Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow. Piet Mondrian, 1930 C.E. Oil on canvas

a contributor to the De Stijl (The Style) art movement (co-founder/writer) He evolved a non-representational form which he termed neoplasticism Was taught drawing from his father at an early age, went to the Art Academy,and became a teacher (primary education) went to Paris 1911 (born in the Netherlands) and encountered the experimentation with cubism o he saw Cubism as a "port of call" on his artistic journey, rather than as a destination * back in the Netherlands (WW1) Mondrian published "De Nieuwe Beelding in de schilderkunst" ("The New Plastic in Painting")[15] in twelve installments during 1917 and 1918. This was his first major attempt to express his artistic theory in writing. Mondrian's best and most-often quoted expression of this theory, however, comes from a letter he wrote to H. P. Bremmer in 1914: * I construct lines and color combinations on a flat surface, in order to express general beauty with the utmost awareness. Nature (or, that which I see) inspires me, puts me, as with any painter, in an emotional state so that an urge comes about to make something, but I want to come as close as possible to the truth and abstract everything from that, until I reach the foundation (still just an external foundation!) of things... o I believe it is possible that, through horizontal and vertical lines constructed with awareness, but not with calculation, led by high intuition, and brought to harmony and rhythm, these basic forms of beauty, supplemented if necessary by other direct lines or curves, can become a work of art, as strong as it is true.[16] Went back to Paris (1919-1938) where he began to create his grid paintings for which he is most famous This painting is an example of his "grid" paintings Brushstrokes unique in each color , also layers of the color Went to London and then to NY (because of the spread and threat of Facism/WW2) Influential o Fashion, pop culture, architecture, music album covers

The Horse in Motion. Eadweard Muybridge, 1878 C.E. Albumen print Video

ontext: · Photography had advanced far enough to be able to capture moments that the human eye couldn't · Cameras took stills at evenly-spaced points on a horseracing track to create the illusion of continuous motion. · Used a device called a "zoopraxiscope" Function · Motion study of a racing horse and jockey · To establish the impressiveness and potential of photography · Bridged the gap between still photography and moviemaking Content · 4 rows and 4 columns in a rectangle · Each box is a still shot of a racing horse with a jockey · Each still captures a different moment in the horse's stride o Collectively, the photos create a sense of movement; the viewer envisions a running horse instead of a single-moment shot of a horse. Form · 16 still photographs combined in a series · Horse and jockey are in profile (seen from a bystander's view on the side of the track) · While each individual still of the horse and jockey is beautiful, the importance of the work lies in its numbers · Together, the images tell a story o Elevate photography from still to motion by multiplying the images represented

Villa Savoye. Poissy-sur-Seine, France, Le Corbusier (architect), 1929 C.E. Steel and reinforced concrete

represents the culmination of a decade during which the architect worked to articulate the essence of modern architecture o In 1920, he founded the journal L'Esprit Nouveau, and many of the essays he published there would eventually be incorporated into his landmark collection of essays, Vers une architecture (Toward an Architecture) in 1923 Throughout the 1920s, via his writings and designs, Le Corbusier (formerly Charles-Edouard Jeanneret) considered the nature of modern life and architecture's role in the new machine age The delicate floating box that he designed is both functional house and modernist sculpture, elegantly melding form and function He lavished praise on the totems of modernity—race cars, airplanes, and factories—marveling at the beauty of their efficiency. However, he also argued that beauty lay not only in the newest technology but in ancient works such as the Parthenon, whose refined forms represented, in his view, the perfection of earlier Archaic systems Le Corbusier sought to isolate what he called type forms, which were universal elements of design that can work together in a system By 1926, he had devised his Five Points of Architecture, which he viewed as a universal system that could be applied to any architectural site. The system demanded o pilotis (slender columns) to raise the building off the ground and allow air to circulate beneath; o roof terraces, to bring nature into an urban setting; o a free plan that allowed interior space to be distributed at will; o a free façade whose smooth plane could be used for formal experimentation; o and ribbon windows, which let in light but also reinforced the planarity of the wall The Villa Savoye incorporated these principles, and also realized many of the concepts expressed in Vers une Architecture

Spiral Jetty. Great Salt Lake, Utah, U.S. Robert Smithson, 1970 C.E. Earthwork; mud, precipitate salt crystals, rocks, and water coil.

15 x 1509 feet video at Khan Academy Construction was documented in a video o The video can be considered an "ancillary" (support of the primary activity) artwork Water level changes whether it is revealed or submerged Possible future issues: those interested in its fate have dealt with questions of proposed changes in land use in the area surrounding the sculpture and of the proper amount of preservation, if any. Artistic choices: o site based on the blood-red color of the water and its connection with the primordial sea. The red hue of the water is due to the presence of salt-tolerant bacteria and algae that thrive in the extreme 27 percent salinity of the lake's north arm, which was isolated from fresh water sources by the building of a causeway by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1959 o stark anti-pastoral beauty and industrial remnants from nearby Golden Spike National Historic Site, as well as an old pier and a few unused oil rigs. While observing the construction of the piece from a helicopter, Smithson reportedly remarked "et in Utah ego" as a counterpoint to the pastoral Baroque painting et in Arcadia ego by Nicolas Poussin Context: To move the rock into the lake, Smithson hired Bob Phillips of Parson's Construction of nearby Ogden, Utah, who used two dump trucks, a large tractor, and a front end loader to haul the 6,650 tons of rock and earth into the lake. It is reported that Smithson had a difficult time convincing a contractor to accept the unusual proposal. Spiral Jetty was the first of his pieces to require the acquisition of land rights and earthmoving equipment. The sculpture was financed in part by a $9,000 USD grant from the Virginia Dwan Gallery of New York. A 20-year lease for the site was granted for $100 annually. Smithson died in a helicopter crash in Texas three years after finishing the jetty.[6] The sculpture has been owned by the state of Utah since June 2011.[7] Previously, the area was leased by the Dia Art Foundation of New York, who acquired the piece by a donation from Smithson's estate in 1999.[8] The Dia Art Foundation is currently seeking a new lease from the state. exposure of the jetty to the elements and to the ravages of its growing number of visitors has led to a controversy over the preservation of the sculpture. o Some want to 'restore' it's original color and add more rocks to make it higher (so it will not be submerged or erode as quickly) o Smithson had express and admiration for entropy and his intension that his work would remain in a "state of arrested disruption and not be kept from destruction." Nearby proposed drilling (5 miles away) has been met with resistance from the art community

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson, Virginia US, 1768-1809, brick glass stone wood

Complete Identification: Monticello Thomas Jefferson (was the architect) 1768-1809 Brick, glass, stone, and wood Neoclassical Virginia Form: Marble Greek looking portico goes into a crucifix-like building There is a dome in the middle (closer to the entrance), but it is not massive There is marble fencing around the roof → assuming that it goes all the way around Long, rectangular windows are on the walls Everything is symmetrical around the central axis line of the door (vertical axis) Function: The building is meant to live in By helping to introduce classical architecture to the United States, Jefferson intended to reinforce the ideals behind the classical past: democracy, education, rationality, civic responsibility Content: Took inspiration from Classical and Neoclassical buildings in France when he was ambassador Remodeled the original two-story pavilion based on the Hôtel de Salm in Paris symmetrical single-story brick home under an austere Doric entablature West garden facade two-column deep extended portico contains Doric columns that support a triangular pediment that is decorated by a semicircular window balustrade (the fence thing on the roof) that circles the roofline provides a powerful sense of horizontality Classical European Structure = basilica plan Colonnades Pediment Persian windows Dome Transept = intersects like gothic church Steps = ancient Etruscan temples Gardens = French imitation Context: Studied at William and Mary → was interested in the campus's architecture But he was never formally trained as an artist Jefferson hated Britain, so he tried to stay as far away from British architecture as possible He was a Francophile → so he loved France Cross-Cultural Connections: Y'all its basically anything Greek or Roman Pantheon → the portico leading into the building leading into the dome Or any place that was meant for living → Machu Picchu, Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings Themes: Strength and power Democratic ideals Strength and pervasiveness of culture

Y no hai remedio (And There's Nothing to Be Done), from Los Desastres la Guerra (The Disasters of War), plate 15. Francisco de Goya, 1810-1823 C.E. (published 1863). Etching, drypoint, burin, and burnishing.

Form: Black and white Man wearing light-colored or white tied to a pole by his hands (behind his back) He is blindfolded The landscape has some depth and the scene is dark There is a firing squad behind the central figure facing similarly bound people (also tied to poles) On the central figure's right side → there is a body contorted on the floor → likely dead There are rifle barrels pointed at the central figure coming out from the right side of the painting The people holding them are occluded Function: Meant to protest the French occupation and the brutality against the Spanish people "Y no hay remedio" belongs to the first group of plates Show conflicts between French troops and civilians → consequences Showing that war brings out the inhuman in people Content: A man is tied to a pole → Alter Christus → an "other Christ" Behind him are other poles with men tied onto them and firing squads either firing or ready to fire The body on the ground is grotesque, mangled, with blood and brains leaking Eyes are gone, body is contorted Possibly showing that he was recently shot The rifles coming from the right side of the print are aimed at the central figure tied to the pole Context: Disasters of war was created from 1810-1820 82 images meant to protest against the French occupation of Spain by Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon tricked the king of Spain into letting his troops cross the border → then he usurped the king and put his brother on the throne There was an uprising and a lot of Spaniards died The French were pushed out after the Peninsular war → very bloody conflict Also satirizing Spanish socio-economy → which caused people to live in poverty First plates → effect of conflict Middle plates → effect of famine Last plates → disappointment and demoralization of Spaniards Their new monarch was also a tyrant and would not institute political reform Process of making the images Etch the plate → cover the metal plate with wax, carve out the shapes, dip in acid so that the acid goes into the incisions, melt off the wax and the incisions remain Drypoint → scratch lines on the surface with a stylus → create a less even line Then the artist pours ink on the plate and wipes it off so that it only remains in the spots where the acid burned or the artist etched Moist paper is put on the plate → run through a press Goya Worked as a painter for the French and Spanish royalty His work was so controversial Prints intended to install Spanish nationalism Went deaf and became a recluse Cross-Cultural Connections: Themes: Power and authority The human psyche Psychology, human monsters, the inhuman in humans Violence and terror Art as a form of protest

A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery, Joseph Wright of Derb, 1763-1765, oil on canvas

Form: Painted by Joseph Wright of Derby Medium is oil on canvas The style is an English taste for the natural Strong uses of color and lighting Lighting and shadow used to promote realism and illuminate faces and expressions Heavy contrast between general darkness of the painting and the light coming from the central orrery Red coat of the one man suggests influence, as he is the lecturer Function: Showcase the scientific advancements of the Enlightenment, such as the orrery that is central in this painting Also meant to illustrate the general feeling of curiosity and thirst for rational knowledge of the Enlightenment The work also shows that women and children were getting involved in the movement, as they are also surrounding the orrery Content: Scientists, note-taker, and kids surrounding a central orrery An orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system, depicting the orbits and relative relationships of the planets and sun Each person depicted is meant to be a specific, real person, but we do not know who they are The philosopher in red that is giving the lecture is believed to be modeled after Isaac Newton, yet another theory states that it is in fact a member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham Strong internal light source representing the sun, also symbolizing the Enlightenment and the new search for reason and rational thinking Painting also features women and children gathered around the orrery This likely is meant to suggest that these groups were also being given these opportunities for rational learning and higher education Context: During the Enlightenment, and meant to showcase a moment that captures the discoveries and vibrant learning atmosphere of the era The Enlightenment was a philosophical shift into a more secular, scientific way of thought. It deviated from the traditional and religious models on life and the universe that had been practiced during the Middle Ages. Of course, scientists and inventors were essential to the Enlightenment; however, artists and writers were also important to spread Enlightenment ideas and inspire rational thinking Joseph Wright of Derby actually became the unofficial artist of the Enlightenment Lived all his life in Derby, England, and spent much time discussing and learning about science Especially known for his usage of chiaroscuro Themes: Nature - planets, sun Time - orbit, cycles How do we understand the world? Scale - large vs. miniscule Location - sense of place Technology Cross-Cultural Connections: Navigation chart From the Marshall Islands of Micronesia in the 19th century, the navigation charts were made of wood and shells and were used to navigate the oceans and swells Similar to A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery because both illustrate advanced technology for the time and place. The orrery was a new device used to look at the orbits of planets, and the navigation charts were created and used for navigating the seas School of Athens 1510 painting by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael depicts many of the philosophers of the Classical era Similar to A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery because provides a focus on the new, scientific, and logical way of thinking that both of these periods emphasized so strongly.

Self-Portrait. Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, 1790 C.. Oil on canvas

Form: Naturalism Return to the more naturalistic ideals that appeared in the Renaissance Elisabeth is shown in a natural active position Function: Self Portrait Content: Self Portrait Contains Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun who painted herself She is wearing a traditional black dress with a very bright red sash She is painting in the self-portrait This portrait is probably of Marie Antoinette This painting shows off the intelligence, freedom, and greatness of this female artist who was revolutionary for the time Context: Not many female artists during this time Le Brun worked for the crown of France specifically for Marie Antoinette This was around the French Revolution so as a painter for the crown she was forced to leave France Due to her work, Le Brun became very rich for her very detailed and beautiful depictions of the royal family There was an emphasis on color and beauty in this time period and that is what she depicted Themes: Independence Beauty Women Intelligence Work Cross-Cultural Connections: Picasso Portraits Any self-portrait

House in New Castle County. Delaware, U.S. Robert Venturi, John Rauch, and Denise Scott Brown (architects), 1978-1983 C.E. Wood frame and stucco

one of the first prominent works of the postmodern architecture movement modest in scale In 1966, The Museum of Modern Art in New York published his first book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. o Venturi used the first chapter, sub-titled "A Gentle Manifesto," to express his strongly held belief that orthodox Modern architecture and city planning had run its course. o he highlighted historic structures that exhibit a "messy vitality over obvious unity" o For Venturi, how buildings look, and are perceived, was far more important than the techniques, systems, and theories used to plan and construct them Artistic choices (form): Rather than copy a specific style, he borrowed freely, juxtaposing, collaging, and reinterpreting forms from distinct periods and places It was a response to other buildings that came before - in particular modern architecture: In contrast to Andrea Palladio's Villa Rotonda or Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye (above), it neither crowns a hilltop nor hovers above a well-trimmed lawn. It may look conventional and familiar but on closer inspection the exterior is enlivened by a diverse array of mischievous and sometimes perplexing architectural features The "front" façade of the New Castle County House incorporates a floating arched screen that, like a highway billboard, rises somewhat awkwardly from the lower edge of the gable o Venturi claimed this curved feature had Austrian Baroque origins, like a garden gate or eyebrow dormers found on some Victorian houses, it functions as a sign, identifying the structure as a residence o The "rear" facade is even more curious and complex. While it, too, is dominated by a prominent arched screen, this screen is framed by the edges of the gabled roof. Supported by what appears to be a Doric colonnade, the four stubby columns are, in fact, almost flat. Thin as the outer walls, these cut-outs carry little weight and enclose the recessed porch. While the column on the far right grows seamlessly out of the adjoining wall, the left column appears split in half by the addition of an aluminum drain pipe. Classical in derivation yet slightly cartoonish, this somewhat awkward assemblage gives the house a simultaneously grand and whimsical appearance In photographs dating from the time of the building's completion the spacious interiors appear simple and comfortable, with wood decorations inspired by various 19th century design traditions. The painted arches in the vaulted music room , the quirky chandeliers, and perforated wall patterns exhibit a straight-forward craftsman-like quality, as if cut by hand or jigsaw.

The Bay. Helen Frankenthaler, 1963 C.E. Acrylic on canvas

Content / Artistic choices (Form): We see an imposing fluid blue promontory suspended in front of us. Its colors ranging from violet to indigo run into one another with a clear zone of navy near the top of the canvas that draw our eyes up to it. The blurring of the colors gives an immediate sense of the artist's process: paint poured onto the canvas when it was wet. We can almost watch as the blues meld into one another during this early stage giving the image its blurred and smooth finish. Is its subject what the title suggests—a landform of some kind with certain emblematic associations? Is the swelling amorphous blue mass floating amid that moss green and cream border meant to stand for something beyond itself? With many Abstract Expressionist paintings of the 1950s and 60s, it's important not to get too caught up with possible social and historical contexts and biography, but to focus on what's before us—the physical elements of the work itself because those elements can tell us so much about the painting. Form: When Helen Frankenthaler painted The Bay, she was already a well-regarded artist. She'd been the subject of a LIFE Magazine profile in 1956 and was one of the handful of women among the traditional all-boys' club of the New York Abstract Expressionists. The Bay was chosen as one of the paintings for the American pavilion of the 1966 Venice Biennale. Looking closely you can see that the shades of blues that run into one another are part of a specific process of pouring paint on to the canvas rather than painting the colors onto the surface with a brush, as the leading Abstract Expressionist painters, like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline, were so famous for doing. o Frankenthaler's approach here was to use a soak-stain method with diluted acrylic paint. Acrylics gave her more flexibility with viscosity and movement than oils, and allowed her more control as she poured that thinned paint onto the taut unprimed canvas so that it would get absorbed into the weave of the fabric. As a substitute for the action of the brush, Frankenthaler would lift the canvas and tilt it at various angles so that the paint would flow across the surface. She had to account for gravity and the ebb and flow of a liquid across a flat surface, so a fascinating aspect of Frankenthaler's method is the blend of the artist's control paired with the unpredictability of the forces of nature. o This kind of painting is often classified as Color Field painting, painting characterized by simplicity of line and a focus on color as the subject rather than as an add-on. The first generation of Abstract Expressionists, Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman were the first important Color Field painters, while Helen Frankenthaler is often classified as a secondgeneration member of the group o Frankenthaler was inspired by the drip method of Jackson Pollock who began painting on the floor in the late 1940s, but she knew she wanted to work differently . . . and her soak stain method inspired other painters Experiencing this art: Helen Frankenthaler described her process of conceptualizing her work: When you first saw a Cubist or Impressionist picture there was a whole way of instructing the eye or the subconscious. Dabs of color had to stand for real things. It was an abstraction of a guitar or a hillside. The opposite is going on now. If you have bands of blue, green and pink, the mind doesn't think sky, grass and flesh. These are colors and the question is what are they doing with themselves and with each other. Sentiment and nuance are being squeezed out. That last sentence, "sentiment and nuance are being squeezed out," is crucial. The colors on the canvas don't have to represent something in particular, but can have a more ambiguous, emblematic quality for the viewer. The basic act of responding to color, the way one would respond to a sunset, or to light from a stained-glass window, simplicity and pure emotion through clarity of color and form. o Frankenthaler said, it's important for us not to be too encumbered by context and speculation when we look at her work. We're to take from it what we will on our own terms

Narcissus Garden Yayoi Kusama, Original installation and performance 1966 C.E., mirror balls

Context: Her highly constructed persona and self-proclaimed life-long history of insanity have been the subject of scrutiny and critiques for decades. Art historian Jody Cutler places Kusama's oeuvre "in dialogue with the psychological state known as narcissism," as "narcissism is both the subject and the cause of Kusama's art, or in other words, a conscious artistic element related to content."[1] It is within this context that we examine Kusama and her infamous Narcissus Garden (narcissism is, in part, the egotistic admiration of one's self). The pinnacle of her succès de scandale culminated in the 33rd Venice Biennale in 1966. Although Kusama was not officially invited to exhibit, according to her autobiography, she received the moral and financial support from Lucio Fontana and permission from the chairman of the Biennale Committee to stage 1,500 mass-produced plastic silver globes on the lawn outside the Italian Pavilion Content: The tightly arranged 1,500 shimmering balls constructed an infinite reflective field in which the images of the artist, the visitors, the architecture, and the landscape were repeated, distorted, and projected by the convex mirror surfaces that produced virtual images appearing closer and smaller than reality. The size of each sphere was similar to that of a fortune-teller's crystal ball. When gazing into it, the viewer only saw his/her own reflection staring back, forcing a confrontation with one's own vanity and ego. o During the opening week, Kusama placed two signs at the installation: "NARCISSUS GARDEN, KUSAMA" and "YOUR NARCISSIUM [sic] FOR SALE" on the lawn. Acting like a street peddler, she was selling the mirror balls to passers-by for two dollars each, while distributing flyers with Herbert Read's complimentary remarks about her work on them. She consciously drew attention to the "otherness" of her exotic heritage by wearing a gold kimono with a silver sash. The monetary exchange between Kusama and her customers underscored the economic system embedded in art production, exhibition and circulation Her interactive performance and eye-catching installation garnered international press coverage. This original installation of Narcissus Garden from 1966 has been frequently interpreted by many as both Kusama's self-promotion and her protest of the commercialization of art. Influence: Her Narcissus Garden continues to live on. It has been commissioned and re-installed at various settings o Contextual change: The re-creation of Narcissus Garden has erased the notion of political cynicism and social critique; instead, those shiny balls, now made of stainless steel and carrying hefty price tags, have become a trophy of prestige and self-importance. Originally intended as the media for an interactive performance between the artist and the viewer, the objects are now regarded as valuable commodities for display.

Fountain (second version) Marcel Duchamp, 1950 C.E. (original 1917) Readymade glazed sanitary china with black paint

Dada an anti-rational, anti-art cultural movement, in New York City Fountain is a 1917 work produced by Marcel Duchamp. The piece was a porcelain urinal, which was signed "R.Mutt" and titled Fountain Submitted for the exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, in 1917, the first annual exhibition by the Society to be staged at The Grand Central Palace in New York, Fountain was rejected by the committee, even though the rules stated that all works would be accepted from artists who paid the fee o He was on the board . . . it was displayed, but out of sight. He resigned in protest from the board Fountain was displayed and photographed at Alfred Stieglitz's studio, and the photo published in The Blind Man, but the original has been lost. The work is regarded by art historians and theorists of the avant-garde, such as Peter Bürger, as a major landmark in 20th-century art. 17 replicas commissioned by Duchamp in the 1960s now exist.[2 Differing stories of origin - him or a female friend/artist The New York Dadaists stirred controversy about Fountain and its being rejected in the second issue of The Blind Man which included a photo of the piece and a letter by Alfred Stieglitz, and writings by Beatrice Wood and Arensberg. The anonymous editorial (which is assumed to be written by Wood) accompanying the photograph, entitled "The Richard Mutt Case,"[10] made a claim that would prove to be important concerning certain works of art that would come after it: o Whether Mr Mutt with his own hands made the fountain or not has no importance. He CHOSE it. He took an ordinary article of life, placed it so that its useful significance disappeared under the new title and point of view - created a new thought for that object o Duchamp described his intent with the piece was to shift the focus of art from physical craft to intellectual interpretation (one art historian argued) that Duchamp may have chosen Fountain as a readymade because it parodied Robert J. Coady's exaltation of industrial machines as pure forms of American art.[12] Coady, who championed his call for American art in his publication The Soil, printed a scathing review of Jean Crotti's Portrait of Marcel Duchamp (Sculpture Made to Measure) in the December 1916 issue. Hubregtse notes that Duchamp's urinal may have been a clever response to Coady's comparison of Crotti's sculpture with "the absolute expression of a—plumber" Why the original is missing/lost: Shortly after its initial exhibition, Fountain was lost. According to Duchamp biographer Calvin Tomkins, the best guess is that it was thrown out as rubbish by Stieglitz, a common fate of Duchamp's early readymades of readymades, Fountain is perhaps the best known because the symbolic meaning of the toilet takes the conceptual challenge posed by the readymades to their most visceral extreme o Duchamp did not select just any ready-made object to display. In selecting the urinal, his message was clear: Art is something you piss on Title: It is not clear whether Duchamp or Freytag-Lorinhoven (female art friend who may have bee nthe 'creator') had in mind the German "Armut" (meaning "poverty"), or possibly "Urmutter" (meaning "great mother").[19] If we separate the capital and lowercase letters we get "R.M" and "utt", "R.M" would stand for "Readymade" which is the fountain itself and "utt" when read out loud sounds like "eut été" in French (much like Duchamp's L.H.O.O.Q.).[citation needed] The name R. Mutt is a play on its commercial origins and also on the famous comic strip of the time, Mutt and Jeff (making the urinal perhaps the first work of art based on a comic).[citation needed] In German, Armut means poverty, although Duchamp said the R stood for Richard, French slang for "moneybags", which makes Fountain, a kind of scatological golden calf Legacy / Influence: In December 2004, Duchamp's Fountain was voted the most influential artwork of the 20th century by 500 selected British art world professionals.[20] The Independent noted in a February 2008 article that with this single work, Duchamp invented conceptual art and "severed forever the traditional link between the artist's labour and the merit of the work

Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building. Chicago, Illinois, U.S., Louis Sullivan (architect), 1899-1903 C.E. Iron, steel, glass, and terra cotta

Form/Content: Steel-frame skyscraper Tripartitedecorative, open, easily-accessible ground level and first floorinfinite number of stories for officesall should look the same because they serve the same functiondistinct attic story and cornice lineto cap/mark off vertical endpoint and set it apart from other buildings in the cityscapetweaks the tripartite form to serve a different purposehighlights the horizontal ground floor space rather than the usual vertical trajectory of the middle sectiongives ground floor larger windows to emphasize the shopping spacewelcoming, aesthetically pleasing, decorative Art Nouveau decorative programcast-iron ornamentation covers the corner entryway and ground level exteriorfloral, elaborate, intricateindustrial material reflects organic forms (characteristic of art nouveau) Function: Department storerather than emphasizing the upward, vertical lines to accentuate the height of the skyscraper (as would usually be done), Sullivan highlights the ground-floor level entryway to draw shoppers into the store Decorative program also served to distinguish the building from the others around it, as well as attract shoppers Context: Divergence from traditional vertical effect of the ideal skyscraper (even his own earlier skyscrapers) in chicago (birthplace of the skyscraper)form follows function Art Nouveauindustrial materials (Chicago boasts: steel manufacturing, train hub) reflect organic forms (aesthetic floral intricacies)

Seagram Building. New York City, U.S. Ludwig Mies van Rohe and Philip Johnson (architects) 1954-1958 C.E. Steel frame with glass curtain wall and bronze

The building stands 515 feet (157 m) tall with 38 stories, and was completed in 1958. It stands as one of the finest examples of the functionalist aesthetic and a masterpiece of corporate modernism It was designed as the headquarters for the Canadian distillers Joseph E. Seagram's & Sons This structure, and the International style in which it was built, had enormous influences on American architecture o It was a style that argued that the functional utility of the building's structural elements when made visible, could supplant a formal decorative articulation; and more honestly converse with the public than any system of applied ornamentation. A building's structural elements should be visible, Mies thought o Mies would have preferred the steel frame to be visible to all; however, American building codes required that all structural steel be covered in a fireproof material, usually concrete, because improperly protected steel columns or beams may soften and fail in confined fires Artistic choices (form): Concrete hid the structure of the building — something Mies wanted to avoid at all costs — so Mies used non-structural bronze-toned I-beams to suggest structure instead. These are visible from the outside of the building, and run vertically, like mullions, surrounding the large glass windows. This method of construction using an interior reinforced concrete shell to support a larger non-structural edifice has since become commonplace. As designed, the building used 1,500 tons of bronze in its construction o Another interesting feature of the Seagram Building is the window blinds. As was common with International style architects, Mies wanted the building to have a uniform appearance. One aspect of a façade which Mies disliked was the disordered irregularity when window blinds are drawn. Inevitably, people using different windows will draw blinds to different heights, making the building appear disorganized. To reduce this disproportionate appearance, Mies specified window blinds which only operated in three positions - fully open, halfway open/closed, or fully closed On completion, the construction costs of Seagram made it the world's most expensive skyscraper at the time, due to the use of expensive, high-quality materials and lavish interior decoration including bronze, travertine, and marble. The interior was designed to assure cohesion with the external features, repeated in the glass and bronze furnishings and decorative scheme it was the first tall building to use high strength bolted connections, the first tall building to combine a braced frame with a moment frame, one of the first tall buildings to use a vertical

La Grande Odalisque. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1814 C.E. Oil on canvas Video

''Grande Odalisque'', also known as ''Une Odalisque or La Grande Odalisque'', completed in 1814, is a Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres oil painting depicting an odalisque or concubine. It is currently housed in the Louvre, Paris.The painting was commissioned by Napoleon's sister, Queen Caroline Murat of Naples. Ingres drew for inspiration upon such works as Dresden Venus by Giorgione, and Titian's Venus of Urbino, though the actual pose of a reclining figure looking back over her shoulder is directly drawn from the 1809 Portrait of Madame Récamier by Jacques-Louis David. The small head, elongated limbs, and cool color scheme all reveal influences from Mannerists such as Parmigianino, whose Madonna with the Long Neck was also well known for its anatomical distortion. Break from Neoclassicism: indicating a shift toward exotic Romanticism Attracted wide criticism when it was first shown: elongated proportions and lack of anatomical realism o Too many vertebrae, pose study and measurements "taken on the proportions of real women showed that Ingres's figure was drawn with a curvature of the spine and rotation of the pelvis impossible to replicate" Commissioned by Napoleon's sister . . . Influenced by Venus of Urbino, Dresden Venus, and David's Portrait of Madame Recamier o Also influenced by Mannerists

The Swing, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1767, oil on canvas

Form: Epitome of Rococo Lightheartedness (subject and technique) Realism and Naturalism Emphasis on the natural background Intentional use of soft colors Ornate details (layers in her dress) Strong use of lines (eyes directed towards the woman) Lighting = woman bathed in sunlight Function: Shows a woman on a swing while her lover and a bishop stand below Content: Depiction of a fine lady swinging above her lover and a bishop Scene = dense garden with flowers and cupid statues Context: 1766: People of France were living better than population Wealthy and lavish living Women were major patrons of the arts Art was seen as a wealthy escape from issues that France was facing Art became exclusive to the rich Art served as an attractive way for nobles to express themselves

The Jungle. Wifredo Lam, 1943 C.E. Gouache on paper mounted on canvas

Wifredo Lam remains the most renowned painter from Cuba and The Jungle remains his best known work and an important painting in the history of Latin American art and the history twentieth-century modernism more broadly Context: In the 1920s and 30s, Lam was in Madrid and Paris, but in 1941 as Europe was engulfed by war, he returned to his native country. Though he would leave Cuba again for Europe after the war, key elements within his artistic practice intersected during this period: Lam's consciousness of Cuba's socio-economic realities; his artistic formation in Europe under the influence of Surrealism; and his re-acquaintance with Afro-Caribbean culture. This remarkable collision resulted in the artist's most notable work, The Jungle. Nearly 8 feet square enigmatic faces, limbs, and sugarcane crowd a canvas o The artist haphazardly constructs the figures from a collection of distinct forms— crescent-shaped faces; prominent, rounded backsides; willowy arms and legs; and flat, cloddish hands and feet. When assembled these figures resemble a funhouse mirror reflection o unorthodox landscape One part of the flora in this scene—sugarcane—is alien to the jungle setting suggested by the painting's title. Sugarcane does not grow in jungles but rather is cultivated in fields o While northern visitors enjoyed a permissive resort experience, U.S. corporations ran their businesses, including sugar production. Though Cuba gained independence from Spain at the end of nineteenth century, the United States maintained the right to intervene in Cuba's affairs, which destabilized politics on the island for decades Surrealists influence: Surrealists aimed to release the unconscious mind—suppressed, they believed, by the rational—in order to achieve another reality. In art, the juxtaposition of irrational images reveal a "super-reality," or "sur-reality." In Lam's work, an other-worldly atmosphere emerges from the constant shifting taking place among the figures; they are at once human, animal, organic, and mystical Santeria influence (Afro-Cubano): This metamorphosis among the figures is also related to Lam's interest in Afro-Caribbean culture. When the artist resettled in Cuba in 1941, he began to integrate symbols from Santería, an Afro-Cuban religion that mixes African beliefs and customs with Catholicism, into his art. During Santería ceremonies the supernatural merges with the natural world through masks, animals, or initiates who become possessed by a god. These ceremonies are moments of metamorphosis where a being is at once itself and otherworldly.