A few years ago I traveled to the Czech Republic and Germany.  For a few days my group toured Prague.  We visited museums, cathedrals, and other historical sites.  All throughout my time there I was intrigued by the variety of art throughout the city.  I chose to narrow it down to Czech Contemporary Art (2000-present).

This sculpture, Entropa, was created by David Černý in 2009.  Černý, born in 1967, is a popular artists whose works can be seen in many locations in Prague.  He is became famous after painting a Soviet tank pink to serve as a war memorial in central Prague. Personally, I find his work strange such as his piece entitled A Tower Baby, in which giant babies are climbing a tower.  This piece, Entropa, was commissioned by the Czech Republic  to mark the occasion of its presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is an ironic jab at the issue of European integration and the stereotypes associated with each EU country. The sculpture is 256 square meters and weighs 8 tonnes.  I enjoy this sculpture due to the size and the detail in each individual piece.

Cat, painted by Petr Nikl in 2011.  Petr Nikl, born in 1960, is a Czech painter, musician, photographer, and dramatist.  Most of his paintings exhibit masks that resemble a strange animal. He has other more colorful paintings of a Parrot, Bat, Deer, and eyes.  This painting uses smooth lines, shading, and a little imagination to portray a fox. I like how simple and sleek it is. I checked out some of his other paintings and can see similar attributes in them.

This painting, Ohořelé dřevo, was done by Martin Mainer in 2012. Mainer, born 1959, is a Czech artist and professor.  In 1993 he received the Jindřich Chalupecký Award (the most prestigious Czech art prize). A majority of his pieces of geometric, colorful, and abstract. I could not find a valid description of the painting but it seems to be sticks and clouds. I love this piece due to its pattern appearance, 3D aspect, and the colors.  A list of his other pairings can be found here.

Works Cited

“Adam Gallery.” Mainer Martin -. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ragallery.cz/mainer-martin&gt;.
“Contemporary Czech Art | Prague Gallery.” Contemporary Czech Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. <http://www.prague-art.cz/catalogue/czech-contemporary-art/&gt;.
“Czech Republic.” Mapping the 20th Century: A Journey through Czech Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. <http://theculturetrip.com/europe/czech-republic/articles/mapping-the-20th-century-a-journey-through-czech-art/&gt;.
“David Černý.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2014. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_%C4%8Cern%C3%BD&gt;.

I came across this style of art while searching for themes. I found it amazing how artists could use items that we through away every day to create realistic pieces of art. Many refer to this style as “Junk Art.”  I will be showing you both large portraits and shadow art made out of trash.  This is a relatively new art style and I hope it catches on.  I chose to review the pieces by Zac Freeman, Vik Muniz, and Tim Noble and Sue Webster.

Zac Freeman 

He was born in 1972 and studied at Jacksonville University. His first art exhibition was in 2006 and has had one every year since.   His work primarily focuses on portraits that are created by assembling found objects, trash, and other things we consume in our society. He glues these pieces to a large canvas to create a realistic portrait.

The piece on the top left is entitled Garrett and was created by Zac Freeman in 2009.  On the right is a close up of one of his other pieces. On the bottom left is another one of his portraits called Angel done in 2012. The close up picture shows the amount time and detail put into each of his artworks. I love how how he is able to take all the pieces with their odd shapes and colors and create such a realistic portrait.Here is a link to some of his other pieces

pieces http://zacfreemanart.com/artwork/

Vik Muniz

Muniz (born in 1961) is a Brazilian artist and photographer. His work can be seen in the successful film Wast Land that premiered in 2010.  He uses objects such as diamonds, sugar, thread, chocolate syrup, and garbage to create his art. His work has been exhibited worldwide.  I will mainly be focusing on his work on one of the world’s largest garbage dumps, Jardim Gramacho on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.

 This is his most famous pieces from his Wasteland exhibition. The Gypsy (Magna) was created in 2008 in Rio de Janeiro.  It is an excellent representation of a woman who worked at the dump picking trash to help feed her family.  The actual portrait is completely made out of trash retrieved from that same dump.

This piece on the bottom left was created at the same time and place as the other and is called Marat. On the top left you will see the worker posing, imitating the classic painting The Death of Marat. I enjoy these pieces due to their massive size and the fact that he did them to raise awareness of work conditions in this country.  I’ve seen the film and really liked it. Here is a trailer for those who are interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyu8bLw9F8M

Tim Noble and Sue Webster

This collaborative duo take ordinary things including rubbish to make objects that are then used to project shadows in the form of portraits. They were born in 1966 and 1967 and have become British artists who are associated with the post-YBA generation of artists. Their fist solo exhibition, “British Rubbish”, was at the Independent Art Space in 1996. From there they have become well known for their shadow art made from trash.

This top piece as called Wild Mood Swings, 2009-10. It was made from 2 wooden stepladders, scrap wood. and a light projector. The other one is Nasty Pieces of Work, 2008-09. This piece is similar to the other but the use of broken tools were incorporated. In some of there other pieces such as Wasted Youth, 2000 the use of more common trash can be seen.  I find this way of art mind blowing.  I can’t imagine all of the time that was spent placing each piece to get that lifelike shadow.  I love their work. I would recommend checking out some of their other shadow artworks.

Works Cited

“Tim Noble & Sue Webster – CV and Biography.” Tim Noble & Sue Webster – CV and Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://www.timnobleandsuewebster.com/biography.html&gt;.

“Vik Muniz.” WASTE LAND :. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://www.wastelandmovie.com/vik-muniz.html&gt;.

“Zac Freeman Art.” Artwork. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://zacfreemanart.com/artwork/&gt;.

The Early Modern Era was a period of intense artistic experimentation.  New ways of expressing the artists feelings and views were portrayed through their art.  The Great Depression was a very influential event not only on the economy but also the arts. In this time, most of the country’s banks failed, consumer spending drastically decreased, all the while unemployment rates increased. During this time there were more effective ways to spread media to the people so these photos were very influential in that sense. There are many paintings and photographs that depict the hardships of the depression.

This photo is entitle White Angel Breadline, San Francisco. It was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1933. This photo is shows the weariness in his posture, the emptiness of his cup, and his overall sadness.  One out of 4 people did not have a job during the Great Depression. At this time, photography was becoming more widely known and they mainly depicted human interactions and life. This image would come to represent the face of the Great Depression.

“The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, West Branch, Iowa” is the title of this painting done by Grant Wood in 1931. This is a painting of a rural city in the Minneapolis on an autumn day. This paintings portrays another style of the Depression known as Regionalism.  He wanted to capture the ordinary life of the middle class. Paintings of this style make use of angles and geometric shapes to give there work a new look. I like how it has a very clean look with crisp transitions from object to object without using darker colors.

This painting was done by Mabel Dwight in 1931, New York.  In the crowd depicts the despair of six people during this time. This lithographic piece is an influential image that shows the emotions and struggles of the Great Depression.  I like this piece due to the abstract feeling and the use of shading.

Works Cited

“Culture and Arts during the Depression.” Culture and Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <http://depts.washington.edu/depress/culture_arts.shtml&gt;.

“The Great Depression.” The Great Depression. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <http://www.artsconnected.org/collection/146204/the-great-depression?print=true&gt;.

Introduction

Impressionist art is a style that began in the 19th century and still remains popular today.  In this type of art the painter captures the image of an scene as if you were to catch just a glimpse of it.  They use a wide variety of colors and are known for their  portrayals of outdoor scenes. Furthermore, the use of bold colors as apposed to minute details is what separated these pieces from the rest. Later on the Post-Impressionism era was were the art became more emphasized on geometric forms, distorted form for expressive effect, and the use of unnatural of arbitrary colors. Personally, I am a fan of, as most others are, Van Gogh.  He was a very influential Post-Impressionistic painter.  My favorite piece of his was The Church at Auvers, painted in 1890. It is a great example of Post-Impressionism.  I recreated this painting in my high school painting class and had a great time doing so. I love how he used those longer strokes throughout the painting to give it a cohesive feeling.

Post-Impressionism compared to Realism

In realism the artist attempts to represent the subject matter truthfully, without adding artistic conventions, exotic, or unnatural elements. Realism is meant to portray life without romanticizing it.  It shows the way people live. The focus was on livestock, middle class, farm workers, and other every day activities. This painting, Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet, by Gustave Courbet, in 1854, is a perfect example of a realistic painting. It almost looks like a photograph.

I respect this type of art because it required great attention to detail and clean brush strokes.  However, I would have to say that I am more fond of Post-Impressionism artwork.  As I stated earlier, it requires less attention to detail and a more flowing appearance. This style of art is not meant to be calm and collected. The viewer is supposed to be overwhelm.  With the extreme contrast of color and brush strokes it is more chaotic than realism but I like that.  As an amateur painter myself, Post-Impressionistic paintings are much more enjoyable and easier to paint.

Works Cited

“Catalog of Painting.” Vincent Van Gogh Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/&gt;.

“Impressionism.” Impressionism. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cs.ucf.edu/~MidLink/Impress.html&gt;.

“What Is Impressionism? | Dr. Lori Ph.D. Antiques Appraiser.” What Is Impressionism? | Dr. Lori Ph.D. Antiques Appraiser. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.drloriv.com/Tips/ID/22/What-is-Impressionism&gt;.

In the 1700’s advances in art and science opened the door for new ideas that lead to the Classical era. This was a time were knowledge was power. This mind set was apparent in the creation of the Encyclopedia, by Denis Diderot, which made it possible for the lower classes to easily access knowledge. Furthermore, the discovery of physics, Pompeii, and the invention of the piano helped make the transition from the Baroque era to the Classical era or the age of enlightenment.

  The painting above, The Oath of the Horatti, was created by Jacques-Louis David in Rome, 1785.  With the discovery of Pompeii an interest in older antiquities was renewed. After this discovery, clothing and hairstyles that were similar to Greece and Roman statues can be seen in the art pieces.  In this piece, you can see women off to the right wearing togas and the guards sporting togas, helmets, and sandals that resemble that of the Romans. The three brothers to the left are giving up their swords to their father and swearing to fight till death in the revolution(1). These ideas are easily comparable to the Greek beliefs of rationalism and heroism. Personally, I appreciate the clean paint strokes and contrast of color in this piece.

This piece, The Interrupted Sleep, was created by Francois Boucher in 1750 in France. This Rocco painting has simplicity but the complex composition of the two individual organized around series of intersecting diagonals gives it that visual appeal(2).  Rocco art works often depict themes of love, classical myths, youth, and playfulness as can be seen in this painting. I enjoy the playful aspect of this painting and the shading.

The piano was both a huge breakthrough for classical music. Bartolomeo Cristofori was the first person to successfully create a hammer-action instrument. He made it in Florence, Italy in the year 1720(43).  Instead of plucking strings, like the harp, the piano was made to hit the strings.  After this invention music drastically changed. It allowed composers to create new concertos that were beautiful and sophisticated. The piano gave composers a grater range of pitches and tempos in their music. Piano has become an instrument that is recognized world wide and I love it because of the simple concert as opposed to a saxophone. It is easy to understand how a piano works and most people love the crisp and smooth music it can make. The video below is a fine example of this new genre of music composed by Mozart.

1.. http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/david-oath-of-the-horatii.html

2. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/49.7.46

3. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/89.4.1219

Introduction

This mural can be found in the church of Sant’Ignazio in Rome. It was created in the 1680’s by the famous painter Andrea Pozzo.  He was an Italian Jesuit Brother, Baroque painter, architect, decorator, and art theoretician.  He is best know for his amazing technique called quadratura, which blends architect and painting to create a 3D affect for the viewer. If you stand on the marble disc at the center of the church, you will get the full effect of the perspective rendering.

Connection to the Council of Trent

Part of the Church’s reform from the Council of Trent was to educate its members in helping them understand more about their faith. They began to broaden their influence past the educated and to the illiterate.  This was accomplished by making religious art more direct, emotionally persuasive, and designed to encourage spiritual imagination. This can all be seen in this ceiling mural. The Trompe L’oeil ceiling commemorates the work of Saint Ignatius and the Society of Jesus in the world presenting the saint welcomed unto paradise by Christ and the Virgin Mary.  This style of painting gives the ceiling the appearance of a continuation of the church opening towards the heaven with angel and human characters everywhere. The four large allegorical figures represent the four continents across which the Jesuits wanted to spread the Christian religion.

Comparison to Renaissance

 A comparable art piece is the Sistine Chapel created by Michelangelo in the 1500’s.  They are both amazing ceiling paintings and contain many colors and characters.  However, this mural is focused on a more realistic representation of the human figure than the other mural.  Furthermore, this mural is composed of many smaller portrays and sceneries as opposed to the Trompe L’oeil Ceiling in which there is more flow from scene to scene. Personally, I like the piece from the Baroque due to the 3D aspect.

Aesthetic Appreciation

I was drawn to this piece while looking at other ceiling illusions from the Baroque era.  Andrea Pozzo was able to accomplish what most people today could not do using his architectural and painting experience to create this massive illusion. The piece is crisp and colorful. I am more intrigue by large murals like this one than smaller paintings and portraits.

Works Cited

“Michelangelo’s Painting of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling – ItalianRenaissance.org.” ItalianRenaissance.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://www.italianrenaissance.org/a-closer-look-michelangelos-painting-of-the-sistine-chapel-ceiling/&gt;.

“Sant’Ignazio.” , Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/santignazio.htm&gt;.

“The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period.” The Art of Manliness. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/10/18/the-basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/&gt;.

History    

This sculpture, entitled Four Crowned Martyr Saints, was sculpted by Nanni Di Banco in Florence, Italy, 1410-16. This particular piece was of the Stonemason’s Guild and was originally located in a exterior niche but was later taken inside for preservation.  This marble sculpture is a representation of four martyrs who were beaten to death by order of the emperor Diocletian. This was due to their refusal to carve an image of a pagan idol.

Influences

One of the biggest influences on this artwork was the Reformation of the church.  The long series of internal and external conflicts between various Protestant groups and the Roman Catholic Church had various affects on the artwork.  With this new focus on religion and literature artists, such as these saints, had a new respect and loyalty to their beliefs. When they refused the order to sculpt a sacrilege idol they stood up for their beliefs. This act could also be tied to the influence of royalty in this Renaissance.  The emperor and the church were not in full cooperation so incidents like this happened.

Personal Thoughts 

Personally, I loved this sculpture.  It is a great example of how sculptures such as Nanni Di Banco were able to put such amazing detail into their work with limited resources. Lifelike qualities such as the wrinkles in the robes, the individual strands of hair, and their bodily ratios gave this piece of art an overall perfect appearance. However, I was curious on why there pupils, as in most other older sculptures, where just holes in the eyes. After some research, I found out that this is because the artist wanted the viewer to look at it as a beautiful natural object, and not as an individual personality with ranging moods.

Works Cited

“Nanni Di Banco’s Four Crowned Saints.” – Smarthistory. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. <http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/nanni-di-bancos-four-crowned-saints.html&gt;.

“NGA – Monumental Sculpture from Renaissance Florence.” NGA – Monumental Sculpture from Renaissance Florence. N.p., 2014. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. <http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2005/orsanmichele/nanni.shtm&gt;.

My name is Daniel Bozone.  I am currently a sophomore at UAF, going for my Civil Engineering Degree. I grew up in Eagle River, Alaska and love it.  I enjoy skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. I also like playing most sports such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and frolf.  I have played trumpet for 7 years.  I performed with my school’s jazz, concert, and marching band.  In my senior year of high school I took intellectually challenging classes such as a year of pottery and a semester of painting. 

I have always had an appreciation for art. Whether it be music, sculptures, architect, or paintings.  Because I have experience in a variety of arts I can relate to art pieces I see. A few years ago when I was in Prague, Czech Republic I was amazed by the massive cathedrals with their stain glass and sculptures.  It’s crazy that they were able to build such structures without the advanced tools we have today. 

  This video is a collection of some amazing 3D street art.