Pictures

Test 3 Question 3

The artwork created between the 6^th and 15^th century while highly religious based, did show amazing craftsmanship, use of color, and architecture. The knowledge of the Italian renaissance masters is still very helpful today. I do not feel that these works and artists influence the theme of my art, as I tend to avoid religious themes, however one can learn a lot from there sense of color, composition, and technical skills. I can also look at these pieces and learn from past artists mistakes. In pieces such as Virgin and Child Enthroned I feel that the central composition is boring and others do a better job at being more engaging and exciting. The illuminated manuscript’s calligraphy was incredible and I hope to be able to incorporate more beautiful text into my work. I was very impressed by the pages from the Book of Kells at which I looked. I loved the red, red, and gold ink and paint combination found in the Book of Kells as well as many paintings during the 14^th and 15^th century. As an art student I do not currently see many contemporary artists drawing up renaissance themes for their works as the overly religious paintings and sculpture have “gone out of style” as the church is no longer the largest art patron. However to this day every artist studies or has studied the work of the Italian masters, as they are still being recognized as some of the best painters and sculptors that the world has ever seen.

Test 3 Question 2

The pieces that interested me the most were pieces such as David by Michelangelo and his later created The Creation of Adam. I found these the most interesting as they were pieces that I Had heard of seen before throughout my entire life, to now understand their backgrounds and meaning was very interesting. The Creation of Adam is from Michelangelo’s fresco within the Sistine chapel and it depicts a scene from the book of genesis. With god’s hand almost touching Adam’s, the figures are incredibly well rendered and the colors are vivid. This piece today is one of the most recognizable and famous in the entire world. The reason I found it the most interesting was its influence on pop culture today and the number of time I had seen it before without ever discussing it. David is another well known piece which I had seen for years before ever learning about it.  Created after the hero David from the bible, the statue shows perfect form and an ideal man. As it represents that man who defeated a giant(Goliath) it became a symbol of civil liberties in the Florentine Republic in Italy.  To this day many have made replications of his work and one can see them all over the world. A replica now sits where the original once was, as it has been moved to the Accademia Gallery in Florence. These pieces were ones that I had heard of for years but never learned about. To receive this information makes the pieces all the more interesting as well as raising questions as to how such large perfect pieces were ever created by just one man. 

Test 3 Question 1

From the 6^th century to the 15^th, Europe and the Americas saw a huge change in art and architecture with an emphasis on religion. Thousands of pieces were commissioned by churches with the rise of Christianity as well as an increase in art patrons. The architecture in the Americas began to increase as large temples were constructed such as Temple I in Guatemala. In Europe we saw the rise of medieval and Romanesque art. Pieces such as the book of Kells and the Palace Chapel of Charlemagne were created. These were two good examples of the religious oriented pieces that were being created at this time, the book of Kells being created by monks and containing the four Gospels of the Old Testament. The Romanesque art created were all churches and cathedrals with elaborate carvings and decorations, modeled after the roman architecture that came before it. These cathedrals such as the abbey church of Notre Dame contained large arches where one can see the Romanesque styling. This period led onto the gothic art in which more cathedrals were constructed this time with beautiful stained glass windows and tall, complicated spires. The stained glass windows were very important ass they usually portrayed various scenes from the bible. During the 14^th and 15^th century in Europe many more religious paintings were commissioned. These paintings often were of Christ and a scene from the bible.  In paintings like Virgin and Child enthroned by Cimabue as well as Bondone’s one can see the central composition and muted blues and reds along with lots of gold with gave it a sacred feeling. In Europe the Renaissance and High Renaissance were deemed the reach of perfection for art, masters such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello led them. This time saw the best religious related work created. World renown pieces were created such as David and the Creation of Adam. During this time religious commissioned work reached its pinnacle.  

Pictures

Question 3, Test 2

The ancient artwork from the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine eras show an understanding of human form and detailed sculptural renderings. through looking at their work and trying to understand their techniques we can learn a lot. Although their proportions were not always correct they still emphasized detail while using very basic tools for carving and chiseling. the architecture during these time periods flourished as well. to this day we still have a hard time understanding how the buildings that were made were built. Architects and engineers to this day study the work in Greece and Rome in an attempt to unlock some of the mysteries that the buildings present. As they try to rebuild some of the more iconic structures, engineers and architects alike are finding themselves stuck in some places by the complexity that the buildings go into. To this day artists are influenced by the sculptural movement that happened hundreds of years ago. Artist Huma Bhabha clearly drew from classical sculptural elements in her very modern show “Unnatural Histories” at Moma Ps1 gallery in Queens, New York. While the show was very modern, her use of the figure and the materials she carved them out of had some very classical elements to it. I feel that he art from this time can influence my own in the sense that I draw from these sculptures and figures as well as the mythology that goes with them. I have always been fascinated with Greek and Roman mythology and now learning and seeing the artwork that went with it has been very enlightening.

Question 2, Test 2

The time period as well as the piece that interested me the most of all was the Colosseum. To this day it still remains the largest amphitheatre in the world. To me it is the most impressive work of Roman architecture and engineering. Only taking about a decade to build, and having been done so without modern technology makes it that much more impressive as well as the fact that it could seat 50,000 people. It was used to house gladiator fights, mock battles, plays, and other forms of roman entertainment to “please” the masses. I was very interested as well as curious as to how it was actually put together. Due to the fact that it is built on a slight incline, each piece within it was custom made and fitted together very specifically. Today as modern architects attempt to fix and rebuild the parts that were broken, they are struggling due to the complexity of the design and the fact that each broken piece belongs in a very specific location. I am also very interested with what went on in the Colosseum as I have always been interested and attracted to the gladiator fights that are notorious for taking place with the walls of the Colosseum.  Although this time period also saw many other great works of engineering and art, such as the Pantheon and the many great arches that were built, the Colosseum to me is still the most interesting with its history and complexity of design.