Wassily Kadinsky. From Sohail Kizilbash

Wassily Kadinsky, 1866-1944, a revolutionary artist, was born in Moscow at a time of cultural prosperity during the reign of Czar Alexander II.  His family had recently returned from exile in Siberia. Upon his return his father married a woman known for her intelligence and beauty but the marriage did not last long and Wassily was the only offspring. His parents divorced when he was only five years old and his mother’s elder sister brought him up.

Salvador Dali, the Surrealist. From Karen Capper

   
Salvador Dali, known for his extremely detailed photo-realistic paintings, is an international icon  for  surrealism movement.  Salvador Dali grew up in the Spanish province of Catalonia, near the French border.  Raised in a middle class family, where he regularly contended his banker father’s conservative, provincial views.  

Some Rafael Drawings

Good for the soul

- click here for more: Online Art Studio

follow up on Sohail's presentation: Chaos and Order, repetition, themes

Check out this older post on accidents and plans - Francis Bacon. It seems that our conversation went to distant levels of abstraction - this list of artists is my attempt to tie the discussion on the role of chaos and order back to drawing and painting [of] the figure.

real death - follow up on Matthew's presentation

Discussion follow up: Three examples for use of dead bodies. 

Different reactions when using dead bodies for knowledge, art, and beauty?

Gunter on Hagens - Body World: anatomy exhibitions with real bodies

Lovis Corinth, by Mellisa Romero

Lovis Corinth was born in 1838 in the town of Tapiau in East Prussia (now the Soviet Union), the son of a tanner. He was named Louis, but came to be called Lovis because he later signed his name with a Latin-style "u" which is written as a "v". Corinth grew up in a rural setting, with little or no exposure to works of art. From a very early age, however, he enjoyed sketching and painting. At the age of nine he was enrolled first in the public school in nearby Konigsberg and then at the Konigsberg Academy of Art.

CLAUDE MONET. By Richard Wiley

Monet is considered to be the founder of French Impressionist painting.  Born in 1840 and living until 1926, Monet filled his life with developing masterpieces of the impressionist movement.  Impressionism, philosophically means "expressing one's perceptions before nature."  

This is clearly evident in his work as reality appears to be an after-thought to what is actually put on canvas.  To me, reality seems to pass through his mind where he filters the colors, emotion, setting, and tempo and translates them into vivid depictions that are so much more than what is actually seen.  These depictions are governed by his use of color, brush stroke, composition, and balance.  

New interest in watercolor

 

Karen Mentioned in her presentation the new interest in watercolor - here is Marlene Dumas who became famous for her watercolors and watercolor-like oil paintings.. check the link:

http://christopherdavison.com/drawingseeing/?p=320

John Singer Sargent, the Sensualist, by Karen Capper

   As I have continued to study and work at watercolor, I have been introduced to John Singer Sargent, who is almost worshipped for his watercolor paintings.  He brings a freshness to painting that takes my, and most who desire pursuing the craft, breath away.

Art:21 | Kara Walker - more

Kara Walker, by Julian De Perio

Kara Walker was born in Stockton, CA 1969. She studied at the Atlanta College of Art, and then Rhode Island school of Design. Her works usually consisted of black silhouettes depicting black and white people engaged in a variety of shocking and explicit scenes. Her ideas as an artist most likely came from her time living in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where she experienced racism first hand. She began exploring sexuality as a subject of her works during college, part of her inspiration being pulp-fiction novels, many of which featured scenes of interracial love.

Umberto Boccioni, by Sohail Kizibash Alam

I had never heard of this artist before. I find his work vibrant, colorful and it has an innate quality to intrigue. Some of his paintings mean different things to me everytime i look at them.  It is a pity that he died quite young as it seems that he could have presented the world with many ideas as he was quite versatile. He started of as a sign painter and moved through different styles finally becoming an sculptor. Just as Piccaso changed his media and style so many times we could expect the same from Umberto.

B. 1882 Italy

D. 1916  at 34 years.

Painter/Sculptor

Often grouped under Futurists-his work centered on the portrayal of movement (dynamism), speed, and technology.

Studied Impressionist , post impresssionist styles.

Decided to become sculptor in only 4 years before his death.

William Kentridge on Art 21

http://www.pbs.org/art21/?gclid=CNq7_L2rl6QCFQIQbAodznkfGw

Shows, Events in Houston: LINKS

Gllastire

MFAH

CAMH

MENIL COLLECTION

Written assignment questions and EXTENSION

Hi all, there will be an extension on this assignment. It is due on November 5 instead of October 29.

Duchamp and Warhol:

Define modernism and postmodernism, to the best of your ability and in your own words. To do so, use these instructions:

1. 1. Consider what does each movement stand against? What does it posit? / What does it say yes/no to? / What are the cultural “sins” or mistakes that it tries to reveal? Whose mistakes are they?

2. 2. What would be a modernist/postmodernist novel, building, artwork or movie? What else can ‘be modern/postmodern?

3. 3. What are the criticism each movement has against its predecessor?

Analyze Duchamp and Warhol in the context of postmodernism. To do so use these instructions:

Questions for Duchamp:

1. 1. Describe Duchamp’s works: their physical attributes and the debates they evoked

2. 2. Why is Duchamp’s artwork not modernist?

3. 3. What are the questions Duchamp’s works raise about art?

4. 4. What are the questions and observations the work raise about society that they were presented in? Why are these questions new? Why are they significant? To who?

Questions for Warhol following Duchamp:

1. 1. Describe Warhol’s works: their physical attributes and the debates they evoked

2. 2. What does Warhol’s work take from Duchamp?

3. 3. What are the differences in Warhol’s approach to art comparing to Duchamp’s?

4. 4. Who is the audience for Warhol’s works?

5. 5. What are the questions and observations the artwork raise about society that they were presented in? Why are these questions new? Why are they significant? To who?

Questions for comparative analysis:

1. What is the difference in the approach each artist has towards: (a)repetition in the process of making art? (b)Towards popularity? (c)Towards history of art?

2. Given that Warhol and Duchamp are two of the most influential artists in the twentieth century, what does their success show about the culture they lived in?

3. What are the changes in approaches to art that are manifested in the works?

4. What does one need to know in order to evaluate their work?

Good Luck!

haha

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Originally uploaded by sambojones

Once again I am reminded ( after reading the lastest handouts ) of how ungrounded I feel. Sometimes, when I allow myself, I wish for a mind set that says this is the truth and this is what I should do and feel. I am jealous of the artists that have something they passionately feel and that they are trying ( or tried ) to express. All these "movements" in art are good in that they force us to think about what we believe. One of the "movements" I am diffinitely happy about is the move away from the domination of the "church" in our thinking about morality, science, and art. Later Winn