Tuesday, 22 April 2014

Cubism

Cubism was a truly revolutionary style of modern art during the early twentieth century. It was developed by Pablo Picasso and George Braque between 1907 and 1914. It is often said that the work of Paul Cezanne set the stage for cubism.
Cubism depicted real people, objects and places not drawn from a fixed viewpoint but as if it were viewed from different angles. Cubist works are flattened, two dimensional, geometric forms. The colours consist of a fairly natural palette. Cubist painters rejected the traditional use of perspective and copying from nature and reduced and fractured objects into geometric forms and composition of planes. It was a new way of seeing which reflected a modern age.

Cubism had two distinct phases. The early phase called Analytical Cubism (1907-1912)  and Synthetic Cubism (1912 onwards).

Cubist research spread and new names emerged such as Juan Gris, Duchamp-Villion Raymond, Duchamp Marcel and Alexander Archipenko to mention a few.



Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) by Pablo Picasso

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon  marked the arrival of cubism. The painting depicts five nude female figures from the red-light district of Barcelona. The figures are composed of flat, simplified, angular forms. The faces were influenced by Oceanic and African masks. In this painting Picasso depicts human figures by making use of several viewpoints, which became one of the characteristic features of Cubism. The women's poses suggest sexual invitation. It is a rough line drawing, primitive and naive in which the woman have stylised faces and staring eyes. The figures and areas of the background are painted in colours ranging from whitish yellow to brown.The blue divides the right group from the left.


Le Portugais (1911) by Georges Braque

It is very difficult to grasp the subject when looking at the painting for the first time. It is a rendering of a guitar player in a Cafe. The guitar player which is a barely recognisable figure holds the guitar in his lap. The subject is depicted in many pieces of broken form. The vertical and horizontal lines form a web-like structure. Clues help us to reconstruct the image. The round, sound hole and the strings of the guitar enable the viewer to construct an image of a musical instrument. Braque also included the letters BAL and numerals. The palette is limited to brown and greyish tones. Typical cubist colours. Braque wants to convey meaning and ideas more than beauty in his painting.

Bibliography

(online) Avalibale at:< http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cube/hd_cube.htm (Accessed 22nd April 2014)
(online) Avalibale at:< http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/cubism.htm (Accessed 22nd April 2014)
(online) Avalibale at:< http://www.pablopicasso.org/avignon.jsp (Accessed 22nd April 2014)
(online) Avalibale at:<https://suite.io/alan-foljambe/3nfa2av (Accessed 22nd April 2014)
(online) Avalibale at:< http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/braque-the-portuguese.html (Accessed 22nd April 2014)

Books

Carsten, P.W.,2003.Picasso, VG Bild- Kunst, Bonn


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  





Friday, 18 April 2014

Impressionism

Impressionism began in the early 1860s in Paris. It was the first of the modern movements.  A group of artists including Monet, Degas, Pissarro, Sisley, Morisot, Renoir and others who had been working together, called themselves Anonymous society of artist, painters and sculptors. They were rejected by the art establishment and so they decided to set up their own exhibition in 1874.  It was during this exhibition that the group got its name.  The Art critic Louis Leroy took the name from Claude Monet’s work called Impression: Sunrise. The group became known as the Impressionists.


 Artists painted en plein-air. They painted landscapes, scenes from modern urban (city) and suburban (in the country) life.  The artists painted outdoors rather than in the studio.  Ready- made paint in the tubes made this easier for artists to work outside the studio. They used colours which were pure and bright. Scientific research made the artists experiment with complimentary colours.  Colours were also applied side by side and the colours were optically mixed by the viewer’s eyes.  They painted quickly and the rapidly applied brush-strokes are visible in their paintings. Impressionists did not paint in detail but painted in mass of colour and light. The Impressionists were influenced by the development in photography. They were also influenced by Japanese prints. 


Impression Sunrise by Claude Monet

Impression Sunrise is celebrated as the symbol of the Impressionist Movement. It was completed during the late nineteenth century in 1872. This painting was first shown to the public in the L’Exposition des Révoltés exhibition with Monet, Bazille, Pissarro and their friends.

This painting describes a calm feeling of a misty maritime scene. Small boats float in the bay in the early morning sun  rising over the foggy harbour with ships and other various boats at port. Shadows of the boat and figures reflected by the sun’s rays can been seen on the water surface. Monet uses in his palette mostly cool, dull colours of greys and blue. He also uses splashes of warm colours of red and orange in the sky.  To the left of the canvas a four-masted clipper ship enters the harbour while smoke-stacks of steamboats fill the atmosphere. On the right hand side there are cranes and heavy machinery.
Monet’s sunrise displays several different tones of colour.  Monet’s later works exhibit a wider variety of colour juxtaposed against one another. He would come to use layer upon layer of paint in his future paintings.  He applied many layers to succeed in creating the perfect combination of pigment, but also to cover layers of paint when he changed his mind in the process of completing a painting, which happened often.  Up to fifteen layers of paint have been counted in a cross-section by scientists who have analyzed Monet’s paintings.

The brush strokes in Impression Sunrise, create a sense of rhythm which reflects the feeling produced by the motion of the sea.  Other feature of Impressionist painting was the distinct application of colour. Colours are placed side by side and are mixed optically by the viewer’s eye.  This technique can be seen in the sky and water of Impression Sunrise. 




Bal du Moulin  (1876) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

 This painting was one of the most popular works in the mid-1870s of Renior's works. It was first shown at the Impressionist exhibition in 1877. Bal du Moulin de La Galette was an open-air dance hall and cafe that was very popular with many artists living in Paris. Renoir used to go to the Sunday afternoon dances and enjoyed watching the happy couples. This inspired him to paint this scene.

Most of the figures in this painting were Renoir's friends but he also used professional models. Around the table are Renior's friends Frank Lamy, Norbert Goeneutte and George Rivere.

In Bal le Moulin de La Galette, Renoir captures a scene of real life in Parisian culture. 

Renoir's dark colours contrast well with the bright colours of the clothes that are lit by the sunlight coming in from the trees. He bathes the figures in sun and shadow. No black is used and not even outlines. This is a traditional Impressionist technique.

 Bal du Moulin de La Galette was one of the happiest compositions of Renoir's paintings. It is exhibited at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and one of the most celebrated works in the history of Impressionism.


The Child's Bath by Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt was a leading figure in the Impressionist movement. In her paintings she concentrated on the human figure and also had a fascination with Japanese prints which she had seen at an exhibition in Paris.

The composition of this painting is typical of Japanese prints. The high viewpoint looking down upon the figures, closeness of the subject and the dress at the edge of the painting are all oriental features. Also the decorative patterns on the carpet, furniture, wall and jug. She depicted her models is unusual and very natural poses.   


Olympia by Edouard Manet (1863)
Musee d’Orsay, Paris.

A female nude, tended to by a maid, while a black cat on the right hand side gazes mysteriously out at the viewer.  The maid presents Olympia with a gift of flowers, presumably a gift from a lover.
Olympia’s adornments consist of boudoir slippers, a necklace, a bracelet, a flower in her hair and a string around her neck.

The nude model in Olympia, Victorine-Louise Meurant, was also the model for Dejeuner sur l-Herbe.
 Manet used a strong brushstroke and paid little attention to smooth modelling and tone gradations of the flesh tones.

There is contrasts between a dark background and the light tones of Olympia lying on her bed which shows more attention.



Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe by Edouard Manet 
Musee d’Orsay Paris
.
Manet was influenced by the Realists (Courbet) and drawing inspiration from everyday life .Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe was exhbited at the Salon des Refuses. The public was shocked at seeing a painting of a nude woman having lunch with two fully clothed men.
 In this painting, Manet laid the foundations of Impressionism by using large areas of flat colours to create stark, daring contrast, dark palette and strong brush strokes.




The Waterlily Pond by Claude Monet

Monet painted Waterlily Pond in his famous garden at Giverny, northwest of Paris.  It is one of his 'Series' paintings in which he recorded the same subject at different times of the day. Monet sought to record the impressions and feelings of painting outdoors- en plein air. 

In The Waterlily Pond, Monet used short, rapid brush strokes and dabs of paint to create a harmonious pattern of colour, tone and texture. Monet sometimes applied paint with a palette knife for the foliage.
The bridge with its gentle curve bisects the painting. It resembles the Japanese bridges in the prints of the Japanese artist Hiroshige.

The patterns of the sunlight on the pond's surface create an almost abstract effect. Mauves and pinks are depicted in the bottom half of the painting. The brushstrokes become smaller and lead the eye to the edge of the pond. Reflections of the trees and foliage can be seen in the water.

The waterlilies are depicted with dabs of thick white, pink and reddish paint.

 Biography

Anon, 2014. Dance at le Moulin de la Galette. [Online]
Available at: http://www.artble.com/artists/pierre-auguste_renoir/paintings/dance_at_le_moulin_de_la_galette
[Accessed 18 April 2014].

Yurasits, J., 2012. ANALYSIS OF CLAUDE MONET'S IMPRESSION,SUNRISE. [Online]
Available at: http://blogs.longwood.edu/incite/2012/01/30/analysis-of-claude-monet%E2%80%99s-impression-sunrise/
[Accessed 18 April 2014].

Books

Anderson, J., 2004. THE ART OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS. Bath: Parragon.
Janes, K. I. a. Z., 2011. Great Paintings. London



Monday, 14 April 2014

Exhibition - ' Xebgha Nies' at St James Cavalier

This exhibition was held at St James Cavalier  from 21st February till 30th March 2014 . It was a collective exhibition with nine different artists taking part. These artists were Debbie Caruana Dingli, Andrew Diacono, Steve Bonello, Moira Zahra, Mark Scicluna, Paul Scerri, Saviour Baldacchino and Kenneth Zammit Tabona. The name of the exhibition was Xebgha Nies. As the title states the subject was about people.  Each artist produced their own style of work. Each one used different media, techniques and ideas to explore the subject.



Andrew Diacono
Man on a Penny Farthing
Mixed media

Andrew Diacono exhibited three sculptures and three paintings.
My favourite art piece was the sculpture Man on a Penny Farthing. 
 Man on a Penny Farthing  is very original. It was the first time seeing a sculpture of a penny farthing.It is made out of paper, glue, paint and metal.The artist had to construct his work in such a way to make it balance. The base is probably heavier than the rest. The colours are dark with areas of orange.




Paul Scerri
The Braggart - Open your mind before your mouth

Paul Scerri exhibited seven ceramic sculptures.Each sculpture portrays a different idea. They all have a symbolic meaning.

I chose this particular sculpture of a man holding his arms up, his brain open. The arms seem to suggest 'stop'  The head opening is a drastic means of expressing to open your mind before your mouth, meaning think before you speak.






Saviour Baldacchino

First Painting Aim at Serb

Second Painting Breast of Agatha

Oil on canvas

Saviour Baldacchino exhibited six paintings in oil. All of his paintings have a religious theme including the Last Supper and paintings depicting the martyrdom of saints.

The first painting depicts Saint Sebastian tied to a tree and shot with arrows. He is not drawn realistically but cartoon like.The composition is mainly the figure of Saint Sebastian at an angle with the tree. The colours in the painting are warm with a background of orange hues.



The second painting depicts the torture of Saint Agatha. The painting shows the expression of Agatha's face. She is about to be tortured. She looks scared.The top part of her body is naked, Three evil men with different expressions on there face shows they want to cut of her breast because the men on the right
is holding big scissors and the man on the left is holding one of her breasts. 
This painting is also drawn cartoon like but it is very effective. Agatha has a beautiful face while her aggressors are grotesque looking. The colour range from flesh tones to grey and orange hues. 




Moira Zarha
Encounters
Pencil and Indian Ink

Moira Zarha exhibited five works using pencil, indian inks and watercolours.
This painting shows five people at a zebra crossing . They are all tall and slim. They are wearing winter clothes. The woman on the right is holding a large bug on a leash and holding a cigarette in her left hand. A woman is with her arm around a girl who also has a large bug print on her t-shirt. The man next to her is standing straight with arms folded. The person next to the traffic light is wearing a hat,coat and holding an umbrella.

The composition of the painting makes it interesting. The drawing is executed in ink on paper.  
The drawing is basic and cartoon like. The figures are drawn flat and each one has a distinctive character in the way they are dressed. The black and white are well balanced.

What I like about this drawing is its simplicity and it is not complicated. I don't like the pets because I find them strange and different.They make me feel uneasy.