art history

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POST-IMPRESSIONISM: PAUL CÉZANNE

Overview

About the Artist:

The 1880s through to 1920, in France, were the

years of the Post-Impressionism Movement. This

movement embraced certain aspects of the

previous era, Impressionism; such as the

small/thin brushstrokes, open composition, real

depiction of light, along with “true to life”

subject matter. What the artist of this movement

did add was unnatural color and a strong focus

on geometric form. The artist that composed

this movement all uniquely had their own “style”

or techniques that differentiated them from the

rest.

French Artist Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) was one of the primary artists of this movement. Unlike most

Post-Impressionism artists, Cezanne preferred to work indoor rather than “en plein air”; however still

creating landscapes, with using strong brushstrokes, layers of paint, and undefined forms. Cezanne

technique was the result of a rare occasion in art where science and art arrive independently at

complementary altitudes.1 The theory added the variable of perception. Thus meaning that an

image changes or shifts as you are observing it, with the movement in your gaze. With the addition

of simplifying shapes so that they can be broken down to geometric shapes, a Cezanne

masterpiece was created.

Painting from nature is not copying the object; it is realizing one's sensations.

-Cézanne


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Artist: Paul Cézanne

Date: 1905

Technique: Oil on Canvas

Location: Staatsgakerie Moderner Kunst, Munich,

Germany.


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Continued…

Cezanne’s subject matter varied in subject matter. “The Bend in The Road” (1908) is

a landscape composed of hills and rocks in the distance, with a road disappearing

into the distance. With the technique of strong brushstrokes and layers of paint,

movement is created. Not only in the distant hills and vegetation, however as well

along the road and the sky. This adds a sense of realism to a not “traditional”

painting. The overall piece is very well balanced; with the bended road being in the

center of the canvas, and as well as the harmony between the multiple shades of

orange, beige, green, and blues. The use of similar hues in bold colors as used in

Cezanne’s painting, this unites all aspects of the subject matter, along with having

the most movement or contrast in the center horizontal section of the work. In this

specific piece, the use of contrast between dark and light colors creates depth and

perspective to the landscape, as well realism. At first glance, one cannot help but

feel at peace or “Zen” due to the remote and excluded outdoor area. The way the

road bends in behind the hills give optimism to the viewer, along with the natural

colors used. The value in color is used to focus in or draw attention to a specific

point in the subject matter; In Cezanne’s piece, it is evident that the dark colors of

green, black, dark blue are used to give the painting the effective “bend in the

road”. The texture of the trees is due to the large brushstrokes, as well as the clouds,

the road, and the hills. The shape presented in the dark oval shaped mass creates

negative depth between the road and the beige hills, thus representing that the

Post-Impressionist technique of geometric shapes and bold colors still held realism.


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Pellentesque:

Consectetuer:

Sed

venenatis, augue non

Artist: Paul Cézanne

Date: 1906


Location: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia

Size: 208 x 249 cm


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“The Large Bathers” (1906)

Female nudes have been a popular subject matter since the era of Classical

Antiquity. Just as every era or movement before Post-Impressionism, nudes were still a

popular subject matter. Unlike the classical nudes, Cezanne reproduces the non-

sensual female body. As seen in Cezanne’s “The Large Bathers” (1906) the image is

composed of, as what appears to be, thirteen females located by a river of some

sort. The foreground is composed of a faint image of a man and a horse walking

through a field, leading up to faint images of a church and vegetation. Due to the

think brushstrokes and almost watercolor appearing texture, there is movement

created in the trees and their green leaves, the clouds and as well as the waterfront.

Similar in color as seen in “The Bend in The Road” by Cezanne, the use of several

shades and hues in beige, green, blue and browns; the color harmonizes (unites) the

entire image. In addition to color, the placement of the subject matter unites the

overall piece. By using perception or depth, the image is given realism and relates all

aspects of the subject matter to one another. In this specific artwork, contrast is used

to create realistic lighting and define the form. At first glance, one can feel at ease

due to the nature setting, but as well an element of confusion because of the large

group of nude females being by the water as well as the way the they are located

on the side of a river in the trees, one would be curious as to where this is taking

place.


FAUVISM: HENRI MATISSE

Overview

About the Artist:

After the Post-Impressionism Movement, the Fauvism Movement (1904-1908) was born. The artists of this movement embraced the strong brushstrokes and layers of paint from the previous Movement, but added a new twist that would later have critics rejecting their new ways of expression through bold pure colors. The movement strongly embraced bright colors to express personal emotion and not being the true color of the subject matter, as well as vehicle of describing light and space and the artist’s emotional state1. These artists were later called “Les Fauves” meaning “The Wild Beasts” due to their refusal to imitate nature. Furthermore were taken as anarchist ideas due to their very expressional art. The founder of this Modern Movement, was Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was accused of hedonism due to the erotic subject matter of nudes, but enforced that “Les Fauves” did not have any politics or social issues, and only shared beliefs towards color and art.

Being the founder, Matisse played a huge role in the Movement, as well being the most influential artist of this time. Being inspired by the Post-Impressionist artist Van Gogh and Cezanne, Matisse used color of subject to express his mood and personal state. Matisse and other artists of this Movement rejected the “Fantastic Imagery” of Post-Impressionism and returned to more traditional subjects such as: landscapes, cityscapes, and scenes of bourgeois leisure.1 Matisse was not only famous for his bold and electric paintings but his drawing and sketches that he believed to be the most intimate means of expression; along with etching press, dry points and print making.

I don't paint things. I only paint the difference between things.

-Matisse


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Artist: Henri Matisse

Date: 1918


Location: Private Collection

Size: 90 x 71 cm


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Spending most of his holidays in Nice, Matisse produced many artworks due to this

inspiration of the beautiful landscapes that surrounded him daily. In 1918 he created the

landscape titled “The Bay of Nice”. The painting being composed of a side view from a

balcony window, looking out on the bay of Nice, containing few palm trees and hills as

the water wraps around the land. With the sea and sky being endless horizons of light

and creation1 the painting is true to the perception and depth of the way the piece of

land and shore line curve into the horizon. The strong brushstrokes as well create

movement to the painting; the palm trees, sea and sky. The soft pastel like tones of the

blues, green and yellow unites the thick strokes, with the use of black for the hills and

outline of what appears to be dock of some sort. The use of black adds a great amount

of contrast to the lighter colors and as well highlights them to the viewers’ eyes. Due to

the strong technique of perceiving color as the current emotion felt by the Fauvist, the

color used in Matisse’s piece portrays a feeling of content and relaxation, the type of

emotion one would feel having vacationed to this specific spot and looking out to this

wonderful landscape. In addition, the strong brushstrokes that create movement along

the water and trees add a true calm feeling to the artwork. Color, as in all fauvism

paintings, is a vehicle to inform the viewer of the specific or current emotion that was

being felt during the duration of creating the piece. In “The Bay of Nice” the soft blue of

the ocean give a calm and peaceful emotion, along with the soft pastel yellow used of

the side of the building and either the road or sidewalk beside the shore line adds a

tropical and emotion of happiness to the image. In addition to the mood, Matisse uses

color to create a fluidity of the pictorial space.1 Texture is portrayed through the strong

and thick brushstroke characteristic of the Fauves. In this artwork, the demonstrative

strokes along the mass of the water and vegetation add movement to the otherwise flat

image. The Line created along the shoreline and into the horizon is used to suggest

movement and a feeling of vitality.


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Artist: Henri Matisse

Date: 1908


Location: Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo, Norway

Size: 60.5 x 73.5 cm


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In 1907 Matisse created a bronze sculpture entitled “Reclining Nude I (Aurora)” which

inspired multiple paintings for the artist by incorporating the sculpture, such as “Sculpture

and Persian Vase” 1908. The oil painting is composed in an indoor space with the

woman reclining back on what appears to be the floor, with a table beside her with a

vase holding three red flowers. The painting holds little movement with the exception of

the female; the bold outlines give the illusion of movement. The use of deep orange

throughout the subject matter; the floors, walls and model, this creates a uniting

between all aspects. Furthermore the blue used for the table and backing, creates a

balance and not letting the oranges over power or “wash out” the image. The

demonstration of the case and dark green piece of the floor creates a contrast

between the overall subject matter, drawing the eye to the darker pieces and as well

creating depth to the image. At first glance, one may feel an erotic or some sort of

sexual feeling due to the passionate orange and reds; and due to the position of the

woman gives this sensual feeling. Furthermore, the sensual mood is given by the way the

sprout of the vase appears to be penetrating her body as a phallus.1 In this case, line is

used to outline the female’s body, and create curves, instead of it appearing to be a

mass of different shades of yellows. The value created by the use of different hues

highlighting the female, created a focal point to Matisse’s artwork, as well as placing

darker objects or subject matter around her. With the technique of strong and layers of

paint, the painting is given texture throughout the piece. Form in a painting can be a

certain piece of the subject matter, but it can as well be the mass around a piece of the

subject matter creating a focalization or depth. In this case, the dark contrast from the

vase, flooring, backdrop creates the eye to truly focus on the female.


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FUTURISM: NATALIA GONCHAROVA

Overview

About the Artist:

The Fauves opened the eyes of artists to different techniques and perceiving art in different ways than the traditional. In Italy between 1909 and 1916, the Social Movement “Futurism” was born. The artists of this Movement used futuristic forms of art such as paintings, graphic design theater, film, and architecture as well as the interior design such as in automobiles. The founder of this movement was the Italian writer, Filippo Tommasa Marinetti, who loathed everything old such as political views and art. Following the quote “However Daring, However Violent” in the sense of the liberation from the classical portraits and subject matter, the Movement encourage the Modern. Lines, division of light, repetition, rhythm, movement, bright strong colors, and the creation of illusions, to be original were the focus in the Futurism Art. Key artists such as Umberto Boccioni, Giacomo Balla, Gino Severini and Carlo Carra, along with Russian artist Natalia Goncharova were all fascinated by the modern way of life- society, urban, painting and graphic design.

Natalia Goncharova grew up in Russia in a creative environment that encouraged her creativeness. Towards the beginning of her art, she found inspiration in traditional Russian Folk Art and early Russian Icons and then began to break social conventions and rigid cultural canons. Natalia was famous in Russia for shocking the public with her casual cross-dressing attempts and sharp comments on Art and Society. But in the 1930’s Goncharova was the costume and stage design major stage productions world wide, including the Diaghilev Ballets Russes1, which she did a decorative cloth as a background entitled “Design for Final Backcloth” (1926).


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Artist: Natalis Goncharova

Date: 1926

Technique: Clothe and Paint


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The piece is composed of stylized Russian city of towers and minerets.1 Designed in

royal reds, blues and gold, the subject matter appears to be the hillside of a major

town in Russia. The cloth holds little movement due to the flat representation of the

city of towers. However, due to the texture of the sky, there appears to be little

movement in the background. There are many elements of the subject matter that

unite the entire piece such as: the constant use of the red, blue and gold, the similar

shapes of the many towers. Furthermore, having the brick wall holding in all of these

towers frames/balance the subject matter in relation to the sky framing. The lighter

shades of beige and gold against the dark blue sky, along with the royal red, create

a large contrast that highlights and almost illuminates the towers. At first regard, due

to the impressive and almost overwhelming subject matter one may feel in “awe”, as

well considering the details along each and ever tower. In this piece, color plays a

large role into how well or realistic the image appears to the viewer. The artist uses

color to add dimensions, by using darker shades, to give the image depth and

realism. This overall, gives the other wise flat image depth and truly gives the feel of

the chaotic and backed city. Shape can cause a piece of the subject matter to

stand out. In Gonchorova’s piece, the dark sky/rectangle shape at the top of the

cloth causes the pale beige, gold and deep reds to “pop out” of the image as well

focuses the eye to the towers and not the sky. Finally, line plays a role in the way that

when admiring the piece, the eye is focused onto the city and not what frames it, in

this case it is the brick wall that is holding in the city. Opposite to this very geometric

representation of the City of Towers, “The Cyclist” (1912) contains a large amount of

movement.


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Artist: Natalia Goncharova

Date: 1912



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Being that urban life and movement, “The Cyclist” (1912) is composed of a man riding

a bicycle on the classical European cobble stone streets. The background is

composed of what appears to be an abstract interputation of store windows and the

movement of the man passing by them. The painting holds movement throughout the

entire piece. The way the man on the bicycle has multiple “pieces” of him around him

demonstrates that he is moving as well as the curved black lines around the tires are

placed are perceived at movement. Furthermore, the way that the store windows are

chopped up and the font of one is on top of the man demonstrates the movement of

the man biking. Regardless of the amount of movement that is held in the painting, it is

still very well balanced and all subject matter is united, nothing looking out of place.

This is achieved by the way bold and strong colors are used throughout the subject

matter; from the black, brown, yellow, and blue, the subject matter contains

“togetherness”. Contrast plays a role in the realism aspect. The use of dark and light

colors creates depth and as well it catches the attention of the viewer, focusing the

eye on specific parts. At first glance, the mood of over whelming can be felt due to

the very busy representation of the subject matter, with the addition to multiple lines

(movement) and furthermore due to the top right corner is chopped with the font on

the biker. Texture is used in this piece to emphasis movement. In this case, the blurring

of the cobble stones and the human form is to push the sense of movement even

further and to be able to be seen; almost true to nature, how when something is

passing an individual their perception of it is blurred. The use of dark colors, such as the

black and dark blue, are used to create an emphasis on the movement being

demonstrated as well to grab the eye’s attention. Lines are used throughout the entire

painting to emphasis movement and truly illustrate it effectively. By creating multiple

lines “outlining” the moving objects motion is created.


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Artist: Natalia Goncharavo

Date: 1957

Technique: oil on canvas


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“Space” (1957) is composed of what appears to be an abstract representation of a

sunset that fades as the image rises into the night sky/space. The image is constructed of

strictly geometric shapes. There is little movement, which is demonstrated through colors

fading into one another. At first glance, the image appears to be balanced due to the

constant use of geometric shapes, such as rectangles and circles. But when the image is

closer observed, there appears to be little unitiation in regards to the black accent

triangles and rectangle that chops the artwork into pieces. There is a large amount of

contrast throughout the artwork of Gonchorova, with the use of pale yellows at the

bottom of the piece, and it fading into a royal blue then into black. As well having the

multiple yellow circles on top of the black background creates a contrast that they eye

automatically acknowledges. Furthermore, the use of the black triangles and rectangle

not only chops up with image, however adds contrast against the pale yellow and blue.

At first glance, the sense (mood) of overwhelming can be apparent due to the chopped

and busy subject matter, as well as being unsure of what one is seeing. Once the eye has

acknowledged the moons at the top, a sense of sublime is create; The same feeling one

would feel when admiring a starry night. The lines that give the sky a “puzzle”

appearance are created to give the painting an illusion of the sky being a puzzle.

Furthermore with the background being a sunset, as well as the night sky, lines are used

to have two subject matters (landscape) in one. Colors are used to create an emphasis

of the sunset transforming into the night sky. With the use of pale yellows and blue while

slowly incorporating a royal blue creates this focus on the sunset but in addition telling

the eye that it is a night setting. Space plays a role in the perspective of the image. By

over lapping the moons at the top right hand corner, this gives the illusion of the top

moon being closer to the viewer.

Being the first Social Movement, Les Fauves embraced all that was modern, and

décor as well; from the interior of cars to the architecture, they used lines, contrast in

light, rhythm, movement, strong colors and illusions through all of their art. They were

daring, original, and individual compared to every art movement before them. Facing

rejection from the public and people in the Art Society, they did not stop the birth of the

freedom to create.


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FAUVISM: PABLO PICASSO

Overview

About the Artist:

Every Era is a rejection of the previous, but once a movement is finished, the next tries to “one up” it by being even further from the traditional. That is exactly what Cubism (1907-1914) was about. This Movement was the most influential visual art style in the 20th century. This radical and new Movement was born in Paris with Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Georges Braque (1882-1963) being the founders of this radical approach of seeing art, which expanded the possibilities of art in the same way that technology was extending the boundaries of communication and travel for the world.1 The style consisted was the first Abstract style of Modern Art, which at first glance one had no idea what the piece of art was composed of however there was a possibility of figuring it out. The technique of dividing, dissembling and then reassembling the subject matter was the strong focus of Cubism along with the illumination of logic. The Cubism style was divided into two types: Synthetic and Analytical. Synthetic is where the subject matter is completely broken into pieces with the use of only monochromatic, in order the focus to be on the subject matter and not the distortion of it. Analytical Cubism is where the subject matter is larger and more decorative, with smooth and rough edges along with Collage.

The one and only Picasso was born in Spain and in his life time created 22, 000 pieces of art in all different mediums; Such as paintings, ceramics, mosaics, stage design, graphic design and mosaics. Throughout the early 1900’s he spent most of his time in Paris where Cubism was born with one painting, “Les Demoiselle D’avignon” (1907). This innovative painting was what started Analytical Cubism. While synthetic cubism was born in the 1920’s, Picasso was working with more classical themes, similar to the Art of the Classical Antiquity. During these years he produced monumental nudes and monsters.1

Painting is a blind man's profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen.

-Picasso


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Artist: Pablo Picasso

Date: 1907


Location: Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Size: 243.9 x 233.7 cm


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The First Wave of Cubism began when African Sculpture and Ancient Art

inspired Picasso in 1907 to create “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”. The painting is

composed of a geometrical and decorative five female nudes, who appear to

be mixed ethnological backgrounds. The majority of the females, painting in

pale pinks and reds, are in similar poses to those of the Greek Classical. The

painting holds movement in the drapery in the background as well that is

incorporated to the models poses. The combination of smooth and rough

edges and the division of the background into three parts (red, white, and

blue) unbalance and “chop” up with subject matter. Furthermore, having three

out of the five with a more realistic demonstration of their form, and the other

two being more abstract in the face, breaks the image further down into

separate parts. Having parts of the background in different colors creates a

contrast to the pale pinks used for the nudes’ skin tone. In addition, the models

on the left hand contrast the ones of the left due to their unrealistic or

geometrical representation. Due to the soft tones in color and the relaxed

expressions of the three females on the left hand side a sense of tranquility is

created; however as the eye drifts to the other two models a sense of

confusion and almost disgust emerges. Value is used to create shadows along

the skin of the human figures, which regardless of it being a distorted

representation, adds realism and demonstrates perceptive. By super

composing the images, layering, this gives the illusion of space and depth.

Lastly, lines are used throughout the painting to not only demonstrate the

shadows of the drapery, but to separate the subject matter.


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Date: 1903



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Very different to “Les Demoiselle d’Avginon” (1907), “Girl Before A Mirror”

(1903) is a much bolder representation of the female. The painting is

composed of background of geometric squares and circles with a female,

looking into her reflection; she is represented in strictly geometrical shapes,

lines and bold patterns. Even though there is dimension to the piece, the

image contains little movement. Except for the way the woman is

demonstrated in darker colors in her reflection could suggest movement.

What unites the busy subject matter is the constant use of bold and

energetic colors, with the background. Furthermore, by having the woman

on the left hand side and her reflection on the right balance the painting.

The use of such bold and bright colors with black used throughout the piece

to either outline or creates a pattern gives the piece a high amount of

contrast. A first glance, empathy is felt due to the almost sad facial

expression she is giving herself as she looks at herself in the mirror. However,

with the use of such bright colors and distorted imitation of the woman,

confused rises. In Picasso’s piece, lines are used to create a decorative

pattern throughout the image, from the background to the woman’s

garments. Texture is visible in the face of the woman, with the use of

different shades and brush strokes.


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Date: 1909


Location: MOMA, New York.

Size: 92.1 x 70.8 cm


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In 1909, while Picasso spent his summer in his native, Spain, he composed

a synthetic geometrical representation of his partner, Fernande Olivier,

entitled “Woman with Pears”. The painting is done with the classical

monochromatic colors where he strictly divides the subject matter into

geometric shapes. The background of the image is what contains the

most movement. Movement is achieved by using a gradient and strong

lines to give the illusion. By creating the image in monochromatic, this

promotes the entire subject matter being united and balanced

regardless of the large amount of shapes and lines used that cut the

image into segments. The orange tones and green tones increase the

amount of contrast in the already high-contrasted painting. The way the

eyes of the model are shadowed and her head is tilted to the side gives

an intriguing mood, however there is a sense of sadness in her eyes, and

the way they are lanky staring into “space”. Color, oranges and greens,

are used to illuminate the image and demonstrate the lighting that is

creating shadows. The use of space with the technique of layering

subject matter on top of one another to give the illusion of depth is used

with the placement of the table and pears in the background. Lines are

used throughout the piece to illustrate definition of the geometric shapes

and drapery behind the woman.


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ART NOUVEAU: ALFONS MUCHA

Overview

About the Artist:

"Nothing has changed in these past two thousand years. Only the names are slightly different." -Mucha

After Cubism and its rejection to the natural, Art

Nouveau (1890-1914) was born. The inspiration of the

artwork was natural lines, curves and the

environment. Similar to Futurism and Cubism, Art

Nouveau was the escape from the historical style

and tradition; grasping inspiration from organic and

geometrical forms along with natural curved lines

similar to those of plants and flowers. This Movement

focused on the new, such as urban life, modern life,

furniture, architecture and graphic design. Fellow

artist of this Movement was Alfons Mucha (1860-

1939).

Mucha was an unknown artist from Czech who lived in Paris most of his life. His art

focused on advertising and stage sets where he signed a 6-year contract with

Sarah Bernhardt, where he would create he posters for all of her works. His fame

began with the creation of “Sarah Bernhardt” poster created in December 1894.


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Artist: Alfons Mucha

Date: 1894

Technique: lithograph

Location: Private collection

Size: 216 x 74.2 cm


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The poster is composed of a woman with a decorative gown in the center holding a branch. The top section of the image contains a decorative arch containing the woman’s name, Sarah Bernhardt where the bottom has a decorative square with “Theatre de la Renaissance” labeled onto it. The image holds little movement in regards to the entire piece. However, when closely observed, one will notice the movement in the leaves of the branch and her floral crown. Furthermore the shadow on her left hand side gives movement to the lighting. Having the overall piece in harmonious tones such as gold, brown, orange, ect… unites the piece; As well due to the constant use of the floral/nature design used in the gown, and the square above her. By having a description box at the top and bottom of the image and the model in the center, this gives complete balance/symmetry. There is contrast with respects to the foreground and the background. Having the top square in a darker shade draws attention and creates a large amount of contrast with the model’s pale skin and hair and the floral crown. Furthermore, there is little contrast throughout the piece; this is due to the use of harmonious and similar shades in colors. At first glace, a mood of confusion and awkwardness is born. This is because of the unnatural pose of her left arm playing with her hair, with the combination of her looking at a point that is unsure from the viewers’ point of view. Lines are the biggest characteristic of the Art Nouveau artists. This piece strictly demonstrates the natural curved lines that are very similar to the ones of a plant. As well, the lines created at her feet and shoulder frames the gown, focusing the eye to the decorative pattern. Texture is achieved by the use of detail. All along her gown, texture is created by having such detail and adding in the brown for contrast; the same for the square above her. By having the little details of small tiles, and lines this gives the true texture of a mosaic piece. Color plays a role in the overall effectiveness of the image or to emphasis. In this case, color is used to create emphasis. The dark brown/orange draws the eye so that it is evident that this is not simply apiece of art but that Sarah Bernhardt is the true focus of the image.


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Date: 1897

Technique: Lithograph

Location: Austrian

Museum of Applied Arts,

Vienna.

Size: 110 x 76 cm


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“Monaco Monte-Carlo” (1897) is a poster composed with a female at the

center of the image with her hands to her face in admiration to the sky.

The background contains the Mediterranean blue sea, coastline and

mountains. The woman is surrounded by extravagant floral patterns. The

illustration holds a large amount of movement due to the floral pattern

that circles the woman, giving the illusion that it is growing by the second,

as well the way her gown has fallen on her knees as she kneels down

demonstrates movement. By incorporating birds above her, adds even

more movement to the illustration because they are hovering above her,

they are moving to stay there. The use of blue unites the image. By having

it present is in all subject matter, whether it is an accent color or tone, it

balances the image by relating the floral to the girl, to the background.

Due to the extensive use of floral and the combination of the facial

expression of the woman, one cannot help but feel in “awe” when

viewing the piece. Furthermore, with the Mediterranean background a

feel of relaxation and calm is created. In this piece, the color red is used

to emphasis the flowers and as well to draw the eye to the intense

flowers. Shape plays a role in the overall setting of the illustration. By

having negative space between the flowers and veins, this creates room

for the background to be seen and acknowledge the location. Texture is

demonstrated in the background, alone the mountains. The use of

brushstrokes with the combination of shading, a realistic mountain is

created.


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Date: 1898

Technique: Lithograph

Location: Private Collection

Size: 60 x 38 cm


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“Dance” (1898) is composed of a woman in the center, wrapped in drapery, with a

decorative circle framing her from the knees up. The background is composed of a

wash of pale beige, blue and white. The illustration contains a large amount of

movement due to the way the model’s hair is curved over by the “wind” and the

pedals that are floating around her/drifting to the ground. The use of similar tones and

colors, red, pinks, grey, and browns, unites and balances the image so that the overall

subject matter “flows” into one another. By having the background a pale color and

the more vibrant colors for the foreground creating a contrast between the two. An

erotic tone/mood is given to the illustration due to the facial expression of the woman

ho appears to be drawing in the viewer directly, and well due to her being nude with

drapery wrapped around her, with the wind in her hair. The use of lines adds realism to

the illustration. By adding lines along the drapery gives the cloth the illusion of

movement as well as being realistic. Color is used to create emphasis on the top half

of the piece, allowing the eye to focus on the female and the decorative aspects.

Lastly, value in color is used along the drapery to add movement and to demonstrate

dimension.


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ABSTRACT ART: MARK ROTHKO

Overview

Abstract Art is the creation of illusion, giving the

painting no direct subjet matter, causing the

viewer to look through the art rather than directly

at what one sees. It began in the 20th century and

is still present in todays art. The pieces created of

this style are a visual experience and as well is

completely unrecognizable. Abstract Art is

divided into two types, Expressionism and Color

Field. Famous artists from both styles were Jackson

Pollock (1912-1956), Ashile Gorky (1904-1948),

Mark Rothko (1903-1970) and Morris Louis (1912-

1962).

Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit, and the only means of making concrete the purpose of its varied quickness and stillness. -Rothko


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Artist: Mark Rothko

Date: 1953


Location: Museum of Contemporary Art, LA

Size: 115 x 92 cm


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“No. 61” (1951) is composed of three main colors, a rusted red, a bright blue

and a darker tone of blue. The image is separate into three sections all being

different colors. The image contains movement in regards to the layering of

color, giving more depth to the flat image. What unites all three sections is the

absence of definition lines creating a separating rather than the colors

blending together in this case. Furthermore by having multiple layers of color

present in all three sections, it unites them. There is a high amount of contrast

due red and blue being complimentary colors, and with the use of bright and

dark colors creates a contrast along the image. At first glance, one may feel

confusion due to the lack of subject matter, however, with the use of

contrasting colors of both dark and light, one may feel calmness due to the

similar appearance as to a sunset. The use of color plays a role in unity the

foreground to the background, causing no difference between the two.

Furthermore, color is used as a creation of depth, by over lapping multiple

colors together. Texture is achieved by this technique of overlapping colors and

strong brushstrokes. Lastly, form is achieved by the layering of colors in order to

give some depth to the image, rather than it being pure colors.

art history

Documents

postimpressionism movement

road bends

bended road

road disappearing

date postimpressionism

life subject matter

cezannes painting

cezanne technique