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World of Art

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Submitted By ccoqueran
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Chezelle Coqueran
Prof. Jennifer Swoboda
ART 123 – Art Appreciation
24 August 2011
A World of Art
The world is full of art. Some art is easily recognizable and pleasant to the viewer. Some art work is challenging and confusing to the viewer. And yet there is still art work that is non-appealing and even controversial, but is still worthy of conversation or debate. In this art assignment I selected five different pieces of art, by five different artists. The art work has appealed to me for different reasons, whether it was the color or controversial matter, I feel like with art, it’s not like picking out a hair style or an outfit to put on where everything needs to make sense or match, it just needs to appeal to the viewer, and depending on the viewer’s mood at the time, the art pieces can be very different.
The first art piece I selected was from the Museum of Modern Art; The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897 by Henri Rousseau. (Rousseau) I liked this oil on canvas painting for its simplicity and calmness. Henri Rousseau, a toll collector by trade, was a French Post-impressionist self-taught painter; even though he was never properly trained his natural born talent was admired by other artist including more famed avant-garde artists like Pablo Picasso and Vasily Kandinsky. His type of art “derived from the style and subject matter of popular print culture”. (Rousseau) Rousseau described the painting of the gypsy as wandering Negress who played the mandolin. She was so tired that she fell into a a deep sleep under the moonlight. The lion was drawn in by her scent but did not attack her probably because of how peaceful she looked sleeping, and not threatening her demeaner. I loved the use of color that Rousseau used in this painting because it represented calmness. Rousseau used simple lines and sharp color distinctions that showed dimension and depth. The night sky is highlighted by the moon and he use contouring in the night line and horizon are precise.Every part of his painting complements each part beautifully.
The second art piece I selected was from the Art Institute of Chicago. This African piece from Central Ethiopia Triptych Icon with Central Image of the Virgin and Child, Late 17th century, reign of Iyyasu I (1682 – 1706) Tempera on linen, mounted on wood and bound with cord. (Unknown, Triptych Icon with Central Image of the Virgin and Child) This piece was painted in one of the Royal workshops of Gondar. The word “triptych” refers to a three-paneled icon with the side wings or shutters attached to the main panel. The sides can be folded in to shut over the central image. I like this piece because of the story that is told with each image. It gives an account of the life and death of Jesus by display key points in his life. The focal center piece is of Mary and baby Jesus, the image of the last supper with Jesus and the Apostles is depicted below that image. On the right panel is the crucifixion of Christ and on the left panel is the resurrection of Christ and St. George killing the dragon. Not much is known about the author of this piece however in my search for information took me to several similar pieces from different cultures.
The third art piece I selected was from The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Abduction of the Sabine Women, 1633-34 by Nicolas Poussin. (Poussin) Nicolas Poussin was a French painter of classical Baroque style. He painted this piece for the Cardinal Aluigi Omodei “who kept it until his death in 1685. His inheritors then sold it to Louis XIV”. (Kazerouni) This oil on canvas painting was captivating to me because of the intensity of the images on the painting. Similar to the type of interaction you would see in sculptures the images are all interacting with each other. The painting tells the story of the legend of Romulus and his warriors who after a failed negotiation of marriage with the Sabine tribe, orchestrated a ploy that enabled Romulus and his men to seize and carry away the Sabine maidens back to Rome to make them wives and mothers and populate the city. In the painting you can see Romulus standing at the top of the painting in his bright, bold red cloak overseeing the abduction of the Sabine women by the warriors. At the bottom of the painting you see a Sabine man fighting with one of the warriors while a woman and an elderly woman try to protect the babies who have fallen as a result of the violent raid. The warriors are all violently waving their weapons and carrying off all the Sabine women while the Sabine men struggle in the unsuspected attack.
The forth art piece I selected was from the Guggenheim Museum; Jeanne Hébuterne with Yellow Sweater, 1918-19 by Amedeo Modigliani. (Modigliani) I really liked this oil on canvas piece because it was a little mysterious. Modigliani has a collection of avant-garde style of paintings, all with figures who have elongated faces and bodies. Most of them were either lying down or sitting; their faces had blank eyes and expressionless features. This particular painting was of his female companion, who was pregnant with their second child has a tragic undertow because she committed suicide the next day. After reading about the tragedy, I found myself staring at the piece, trying to find some emotional indication that she was depressed. Modigliani was an Italian artist who worked in France. Known as a figurative artist for painting and sculpting modern styles, his artwork fancied his love of African masks. His collection of nude works was controversial and sometime even labeled as lascivious and pornographic because of his detailed depiction of body hair. I looked through some of his nude painting and didn’t feel they were crass or pornographic. In all honesty, I feel the sculptures of the Renaissances and Greek periods are more visually explicit.
The last art piece that I have selected is from the Louvre Museum; Mosaic of the Judgment of Paris, Between 115 and 150 AD Discovered in the Atrium House at Antioch on the Orontes (modern-day Turkey) in 1932. (Unknown, Mosaic of the Judgment of Paris) I really love this piece because I am fascinated by the detailed craftsmanship that goes into creating mosaic pieces. This particular art piece, which was part of a floor design of a dining room, is so meticulously made. This style of mosaic art is called opus verminculatum technique, which uses miniscule cubes of stone and glass paste. It allows the artist to be creative in using color shading and shadows. Each piece of stone, marble, glass and limestone, by color and size, is placed in a particular way to create a design that turns stone into an image. This mosaic piece was modeled after a Hellenistic Greek painting and tells the story of the Paris the son of Troy king Priam. Paris, the young prince in the piece tending to the sheep is approached by Hermes and asked to help Hermes select which goddesses was the most beautiful. His choices were Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. In the Mosaic piece, all the goddesses are poised and draped in rich clothing to show their beauty and wealth.
In conclusion, art is a part of life. It takes on many forms, styles, looks and designs. Artists create art for many different reasons. Some find peace, others release their demons. Artists create to make a statement or to make awareness, and some just create for the beauty of creating I feel like in learning about art, I have come across some real breathtaking artwork and some that really didn’t deserve a second look. But in looking at art throughout the centuries it is clear that the Artists will create art based on their era and will even cross the line if it inspires them to be greater than their predecessors.

Works Cited
Kazerouni, G. (n.d.). Louvre. Retrieved from Paintings: French Painting: http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673225745&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673225745&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500815&baseIndex=49&bmLocale=en
Modigliani, A. Jeanne Hebuterne with Yellow Sweater. Solomon R.Guggenheim Museum, New York.
Poussin, N. The Abduction of the Sabine Women. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Rousseau, H. The Sleeping Gypsy. The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA Highlights. Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Unknown. Mosaic of the Judgment of Paris. Louvre, Paris.
Unknown. Triptych Icon with Central Image of the Virgin and Child. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.

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