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Netherlandish Art.
This paper applies Roland Barthes's theorizing of word-image relations and the operation of systems of signs to Netherlandish art.
1,815 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 58.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Roland Barthes relates that the knowledge a viewer needs to understand the meaning of the image is bound up with perception and association, intangible and fluid cultural products, rather than with the stable carriers of meaning that constitute language. The author explores two Netherlandish paintings using this theory: "Still Life with Fruits and Flowers" by Balthasar van der Ast (late 1620s), which is in the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California, and "Banquet Still Life" by Abraham van Beyeren (1667), which is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California. The paper concludes that these still life paintings immediately present the viewer with two layers of potential meaning: The decorative and the symbolic, with the latter very often embodying religious messages.
From the Paper
"Van der Ast's painting has as its focal point a large shallow bowl filled with fruit, partially encircled by a ring of fruit, shells, insects and other objects, while on the left of the picture is a glass jar containing flowers. Flowers and fruit possessed a particularly wide range of significance, as well as being regarded as attractive objects in their own right, and accordingly they are often found in still life paintings of this period. On an aesthetic level the image is an appealing one, with a balanced but lively composition, depicting attractive objects, and providing the eye with a variety of textures and colours. This aesthetic level of appeal is itself a carrier of meanings - that such an image, of such content, was seen as appealing in the society of its time itself tells us something about the symbolic as well as the directly artistic nature of this image. It is a painting of goods rather than people, produced in a commercial society, and as Richard Leppert has observed, "still life's attention to goods - possessions, things one could 'have' and by having in part define oneself -guaranteed its popularity with and significance for an audience of principally rich buyers". The nature of this type of art, the "time-consuming, meticulous work" that such elaborate pictures demanded, was expensive and thus in itself symbolized wealth. The physical nature and appearance of the painting is thus tied to the layers of meaning that can be excavated below its surface."
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Photographer Alfred Stieglitz.
This paper discusses the life and work of Alfred Stieglitz, whose body of work extends from the 1880s until 1937, when he officially retired.
990 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Alfred Stieglitz, born in 1864, taught his generation that photography truly could be used not just as a historical curio, but also as an art form. The author points out that Stieglitz increasingly explored the boundaries of photography. His later development is best traced in the many portraits in which he demonstrated that it was not enough to photograph a subject; one must use the photograph to capture something that might otherwise be ignored. The paper relates that Stieglitz's focus on photographing New York City helped to archive an era when the city was changing, just as his portraits showed the changes in his society's view of individualism.
From the Paper
"As a patron of the arts, Steiglitz played an important role. Most of the recent exhibitions or explorations of his work, such as the documentary "The Eloquent Eye" or the shows at the Wadsworth Atheneum or the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, display his work along side those of his wife (the painter Georgia O'Keefe) and many proteges. "The current show focuses on Alfred Stieglitz as one of America's most important modernist photographers, and explores the considerable influence his work had on the American modernists he so passionately supported, exhibited, and promoted at his New York gallery,'291'."
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Josiah Wedgwood, 2005.
A look at the history of Wedgwood pottery and its designer, Josiah Wedgwood.
873 words (approx. 3.5 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
This paper offers a brief examination of the history of Wedgwood pottery and the man who started the product, Josiah Wedgwood. Discusses the most famous products and why they were best-sellers.
From the Paper
"In addition to the wildly successful Cream Ware, or "Queen's Ware" as it became known, Wedgwood would also produce two other innovations that would set its success in stone. These were Black Basalt a fine black porcelain, and Jasper. Specifically, with the Black Basalt, Wedgwood could turn out tremendous product to meet the new "neoclassic" tastes of fashionable society-and with the innovative Jasper Ware; amazingly successful due to its durability yet delicacy combined with heretofore unachieved purity of color."
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"The Market Street Railway" Mural, 2005.
Analysis of Mona Caron's mural depicting Market Street in the city of San Francisco.
1,762 words (approx. 7.0 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 56.95
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Abstract
This paper describes Mona Caron's mural, "The Market Street Railway," and how the scenes in the mural represent the historical, cultural, and communal aspects of San Francisco.
From the Paper
"The art of mural painting is one of the oldest and most primal art forms known to humans. Since the earliest days of cave painting, artists and scribes have found a particular attraction to this medium. The wall provides an open space that can be filled with beauty and information. Some of the greatest artists recognized today utilized the mural medium, such as Picasso and Michaelangelo. These artists also created public art, or art that is displayed in a public place for the free enjoyment of the people. Artists have an instinctual urge to express their tribal, or cultural, identity through their work, and this can be seen in ancient cave paintings as well as modern wall paintings. The murals of San Francisco are an expression of the culture and history of America. One Bay Area muralist, Mona Caron, brings a particular flair to the multicultural representation of the art of being Californian. A prolific muralist and illustrator, Caron beautifies the city with public works of art in her signature representational style. The Market Street Railway Mural is a particularly historical and multicultural piece, portraying not just one perspective on Market Street, but many historical samples of life in San Francisco. "This mural has won a 2004 San Francisco Beautification Award from San Francisco Beautiful. Additionally, it was awarded a Certificate of Honor by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, as well as a California Legislature Assembly Certificate of Recognition. It also received an SF Bay Guardian's 2004 'Best Of The Bay' award." (Caron, 2004) This remarkable piece is technically brilliant, historically rich, an expression of the artist herself, and and inspiration to the community."
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Beauty of Art, 2005.
A brief discussion about how beauty is in the eye of the beholder, especially in relation to art.
854 words (approx. 3.4 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper is a short discussion about the beauty of art and the abstract nature of beauty of art. Also looks at the history of art appreciation.
From the Paper
"Art is both perceptual and psychological, thus the "power of aesthetic perception is the interaction between the object and the beholder" (Chang Pp). Art creates emotion and so creates response. "The experimental aesthetic value of even the most successful art pieces is relative with changes in time and conditions of the society in which it resides" (Chang Pp). Because art is psychological, it involves both the conscious and unconscious processes of the beholder (Chang pp). This awareness and receptivity of a piece of art is referred to as the sensitivity of the beholder (Chang Pp). Art represents the past realities, as well as functioning as a predictor of societal evolution (Chang Pp)."
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Oriental Influence on Western Fashion.
This paper discusses the history of oriental fashion and its influence on Western fashion.
5,210 words (approx. 20.8 pages), 29 sources, MLA, $ 129.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that clothing is rarely recognized as a political force; yet fashion and design may be one of the most internationally regarded forms of trade, communication, and influence among countries worldwide. The author points out that the Orient has been a wellspring of fashion influence for both the Eastern and Western world since ancient times; the Edo period in Japan was the beginning of several Japanese styles that remain popularized by Western culture fashions for centuries, including the "Kamishimo," worn by both males and females of the Samurai warrior class during special occasions featured stiff shoulder garments that crossed the shoulders and chest, elements vital to the Samurai image held by Hollywood and other popular culture creations in the West today. The paper relates that today very young Japanese girls, as seen in exported Japanese movies, manga comic books, and anime television, are setting global fashion trends, including miniskirts, short pants flared out at the bottom, and loose, baggy socks deliberately allowed to lap over the tops of their shoes.
From the Paper
"Fashion evolves as quickly as any other fast-paced element of society, never becoming stagnant. Some people are critical of the movement and growth of the industry, claiming it encourages people to become materialistic, rushing at every opportunity to spend more and more money on unnecessary items. However, this change and growth is precisely what makes fashion a true form of human expression. Diversity, experimentation, expression, and metamorphosis are what define human culture and fashion culture. As cultures touch, fashions exchange and spread. The in-look for the young rebels is eventually passed on to the older generations. The styles of one region are sent to another. "Young people, enjoy the diversity that changing fashion can apparently provide, seeing the constant change as a way to satisfy their desire to experience 'new' and 'interesting' things. Note too though that fashion can change to enforce uniformity, as in the case where so-called Mao suits became the national uniform of Mainland China." "
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Vassily Kandinsky, 2005.
A look at why Vassily Kandinsky qualifies as a leading figure of the German Expressionist movement.
1,373 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper explains why the author believes that artist Vassily Kandinsky, despite being Russian by birth and nationality, deserves to be considered a true German Expressionist.
From the Paper
"Kandinsky lived and painted in Munich at a time when German society, and in fact the world, was greatly changing, during the run-up to World War I. Even before that war, German Expressionist painters had endeavored, based on their new theories of painting, which sought to capture within art, elements of real life, as well as abstractness and spirituality , to now paint not so much within a vacuum of pure art, but rather, to instead artistically express (by allowing their essences to flow, from within the artist, onto a canvas) influences derived from nature; music; architecture; sculpture, and from spirituality and philosophy, within their art as well. As Kandinsky's fellow German Expressionist Karl Jakob Hirsch stated: 'This is the beginning! In our hearts we were ready to throw everything away-the old fashioned ideas, the junk!' "
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Herb Ritts's Photography, 2005.
A look at how Herb Ritts's art of celebrity photography reflects modern times.
923 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how the contemporary photographer of celebrities, Herb Ritts, unquestionably took the medium of celebrity, or what is often called promotional or vanity photography, and rendered it into an art form.
From the Paper
"Another popular work was that of Ritts' photograph of Jack Nicholson in costume as the joker for the "Batman films." Nicholson was in costume, but the photograph seemed very intimate because it focused on Nicholson's eyes, giving the viewer a sense of the man 'behind the mask' and makeup. The 2002 BBC obituary of Ritts also showed more sensitive works, such as the Vanity Fair cover Ritts photographed, where Warren Beatty, the notorious Hollywood womanizer cradling the pregnant belly of his new wife Annette Benning."
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"After the Bath", 2005.
This paper discusses in detail Edgar Degas's "After the Bath," with respect to his stylistic choices.
1,748 words (approx. 7.0 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 56.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the subject matter and analyzes formal elements such as composition, line, texture, mass, and volume. It questions how Degas used color and light in this painting; how he organized design principles of balance, rhythm, and proportion; and whether this painting is telling a story or just simply a snippet into the reality of the subject like a photograph? Other questions include what symbolism and imagery is evident in the painting, how effectively the artist used the materials and formal elements to create a particular impression or illustrate a theme, whether Degas was successful, and what did this painting mean to him?
From the Paper
"I chose a work by Degas because I believe that for his time, he was an innovative thinker. Many art experts place his work amongst that of the Impressionists. Like some, I believe he was at the tail end of this movement, focused less on light and subdued choice of color and focused more on his subject's movement. This is not to say that he did not use light and color to convey his message. In fact Anthea Callen writes: "Degas' culture made it inevitable that he represent masculine desire and anxieties about masculine identity evoked by such desire through an apparently detached masculine scrutiny of the female body" (6). It is because of his blatant obsessions that such passion can be revealed to the viewer. His intensity is apparent throughout his depth of work and his critical way of pushing the envelope reflects his pursuit of "the great Neoclassicist's linear perfection" (Hartt, 850). According to the art historian Hartt, "Degas defined the goal of his own style succinctly as 'bewitching the truth'" (851)."
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The Future of Art, 2004.
An analysis of the future of artistic styles through a review of the history of art.
2,831 words (approx. 11.3 pages), 12 sources, MLA, $ 84.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the history of art from the Renaissance period through to post-modernism in an attempt to determine the future of art. The paper contends that changes in artistic style, subject, composition, technique, and movement are mainly a result of changes in the social and economic environment in which the artist lives.
From the Paper
"The Renaissance heralded in an entirely new tradition of art form during the 14th and 15th centuries, with a wide variety of painters, poets, writers and architects that literally and figuratively saw the world in a different light from the dark and dismal Middle Ages. Humanism developed in Italy in the field of literature, once again honoring the Greek and Latin classics for their scholarship and moral ethics. The humanists emphasized an enormous confidence in the power of reason as a source to understand human nature and its place in the world's order (Art: A World History, 215). The Reformation, a religious revolution with an emphasis on individual faith, was promoted by individuals or "protestors" such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and John Knox. Alarmed at the corruption of the Catholic Church, they wanted to return Christianity back to its earlier simplicity and biblical foundation."
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Pablo Picasso, 2004.
A biographical essay on the life and works of Pablo Picasso.
1,170 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the life and works of the most famous Spanish painter and sculptor, Pablo Picasso. The paper examines the development of his artistic style and claims that almost all aspects of his creative work are based on sensation and desire. The paper explores how Picasso transformed one of the currents of modern art.
From the Paper
"Pablo Picasso a Spanish painter and sculptor, is being considered as one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. (Pablo Picasso: Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society) Picasso had been famous as no artist had been ever, being a pioneer in every discipline he chose, a master and a protean monster, having his influence on every art movement during his time. Not even Michelangelo could be considered as famous as Picasso during his own lifetime. And no one will ever be again as famous as Picasso was. (Artists and Entertainers: Pablo Picasso) He was born in Malaga on October 25, in the year 1881 as the son of Jose Ruiz Blasco, who was an art teacher, and Maria Picasso Lopez. Picasso created more than 20,000 works during his lifetime. Picasso was a genius who could be understood from his early years itself, that by the age of 10 he had made his first paintings. (Pablo Picasso: Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society)"
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The "Pieta".
This paper explores Michelangelo's "The Pieta" and the relationship of Mary to the Catholic faith.
1,060 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 2 sources, APA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Michelangelo had a remarkable understanding of Mary; in his sculpture, "The Pieta," he shows Mary, eternally young, cradling the body of her dead son, Jesus. The author points out that Michelangelo never intended to create a literal interpretation, but rather to show Mary's transcendence and her ultimate understanding that, without her joy and her loss, the birth and death of her son, there would be no salvation. The paper concludes that one of the biggest lessons of Mary, as depicted in "The Pieta," is that real faith means still believing when reason tells an individual that all hope is gone.
From the Paper
"Mary's experience is almost incomprehensible. She becomes pregnant in a way completely unintelligible to anyone, but an angel tells her she carries the Son of God -- while she is alone, with no witnesses -- and she believes it. Presumably she has to go to her husband-to-be, Joseph, to tell him she is pregnant -- but still a virgin, never having laid with any man. Apparently, Joseph, demonstrating great faith, also believes her. Then she has to raise this wonderful child who dazzles the rabbis in the temple, knowing that God will take Him back. When he does, Jesus dies a terrible, drawn-out and agonizing death. After his death, we see in "The Pieta" that Mary cradles him in her arms, across her lap."
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