Essay Topic #1 Identify define or describe, and finally compare and contrast two of the Expressionists groups of the early 20th century. Refer to specific artists and works to illustrate your points. “Expressionism is a tendency of an artist to distort reality for an emotional effect; its subjective art form.” (1) Expressionism was seen in many different kinds of forms which included literature, theater art, paintings, music and architecture. Expressionism developed in the late 19th centuries and in the early 20th centuries and they were academic standards which were overcome in Europe since the Renaissance which were between 1300 and 1600. (2) An artist tries to see the most compelling form in the piece of art.
Steampunk: An Aesthetic Revolution There are various possibilities in defining the word steampunk. Other than its obvious mixture of the Victorian Era with the technological advances of today’s society, Steampunk has an endless amount of ways to be described. By construing the “reality” of certain subjects and by offering the best of both worlds, Steampunk illustrates an alternative world different to the “reality” of history. Steampunk is a remix of the future mixed with a element of past. Using the knowledge and scientific dreams of the Edwardian and Victorian eras, modern day technology goes under the microscope to be changed and “Steampunkified”.
What exactly does ‘the age of technological reproducibility’ mean to art? Benjamin goes through these questions referring to a constellation of concepts like ‘aura’, ‘authenticity’ which eventually drives to the area of mass and politics. Although Benjamin’s intention might be throw a new conception of art under the new age, the writing has more confound meaning of what new technology especially the technology of reproducibility has brought changes to other aspects of society. In the end, Benjamin gives a discussion of Fascism Aesthetic and war and it seems strange that he jumped from art to war. But taking the whole background into consideration, it makes good sense that Benjamin ends his essay in this way.
The Contrast and Influence of Michelangelo and Da Vinci Charity Alexander ART 101: Art Appreciation Mrs. Willis February 08, 2013 The Contrast Page 1 In a world where the art of the past is considered to influence both the past and the future artists of the age, one would be remised to not include an examination of the works of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. These two artists greatly influenced the art and artists of the 16th century in Italy and Europe. Their works have been examined and used as examples of various techniques and subject matters. The first set of works to examine would be that of Michelangelo’s Leda and the Swan and Da Vinci’s Lady with the Ermine. In Michelangelo’s Leda and the Swan, the subject matter is the story of how Zeus, a Greek god, took the form of a swan and seduced Leda, who then gave birth to two children of Zeus, Helen and Polydeuces.
Museums have responded by taking on the role of memory keepers, to preserve and tell the story of this terrible period. Alison Landsberg in her book Prosthetic Memory – the Transformation of American Remembrance in the Age of Mass Culture, responds to the challenges of modernity and Churchill's concerns by providing a new theory as to how the utilisation of modern technologies, mass media and experiential museums allows viewers to absorb other memories as their own, despite never having directly lived through them as individuals. In this essay I will introduce Landsberg's concept and explain its position within the larger memory debate. I will offer opposing critiques to her theory of 'prosthetic memory' and refer to a specific 'Memory Museum' - The Holocaust History Museum at Yad Vashem, Israel's definitive museum and memorial to the six million victims of the Holocaust. I will explore the various techniques that Yad Vashem utilises in order to convey its message, particularly regarding how it mobilises Landsberg's concept to create empathy, to what extent it is effective and whether these methods can lead to a positive outcome reflecting Landsberg's ideals about the potential power of memory- making within the visitor.
Kim Judd Literature, Arts and the Humanities Competency 112.1.2 Comparison: Dada and Surrealism Western Governor’s University September 9, 2013 Comparison: Dada and Surrealism The creative process is challenged to constantly create new ideas and techniques. Artists form communities which allows them to discuss and compare their thoughts on art and world issues. The resulting art works are like a conversation without words, each new piece a reflection on the works that came before. Art is constantly evolving by this means, thus one movement in art leads to the next, which is how Dada evolved into Surrealism. Dada, 1916-1924 War was always a part of human culture, but with the advent of the machine age, it took on a whole new atrocity.
Realism was “a reaction to the excess of Romanticism and Neoclassicism” (Realism, n.d.). Gustave Courbet, whom many refer to as the founder of Realism “challenged convention” through his style of painting in a manner that portrayed everyday life realistically. Courbet's style was profoundly different than the popular Romantic art which dominated French Salons at this time (Gailitz, n.d.). In 1667 the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris began sponsoring an annual art exhibit in the Salon d'Apollon. The Salon became a cultural “hub” for the art world in France to which artists were reliant on for success for the next two centuries.
Rebellion and independence defined these movements, creating artist that were bound together by their unique style of creating art. The Impressionism art movement began late in the 19th century when a group of radical artists were rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts. An annual art show called, “the Salon,” which was sponsored by the Academy, set the standards for what was accepted as art(Dillen, 2011). The very opinionated panel of judges, thought to be experts, usually judged art based off of tastes and styles that hadn't changed in decades. Anything that was unfamiliar or considered new was seldom chosen and usually “crucified by the critics”(Janaro & Altshuler, 2009 p. 143).
The building was designed by the first headmaster, Henry Van de Velde. During the First World War, however, his Belgian status prevented him from continuing his administrative powers, therefore suggesting Walter Gropius, a leader of Deutsches Werkbund movement, to continue it. In 1919, the School of art and craft combined with Weimar Art Academy then became Bauhaus, School of art and design. Bauhaus is based on the principle of art meeting the needs of society due to German lose in the war, in monetary difficulties and economic problems leading to runaway inflation, which bankrupted the middle classes. [Anon, Iconic Interiors, 2009, Online].
For historians the modern era began with the Renaissance period. But for art historians, modern refers to a period and style that dates from the 1860s through to the 1970s. It is largely spoken of as primarily concerned with the style and the ideology of art produced during a period of time that started in Paris. The qualities of colour and flatness the artists used, and the increasing disinterest in subject is often a cause for intense discussion. During the nineteenth century, Paris became one of the most modern cities in the world.