Art Design and Culture
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Material 3 Art Influence
The renaissance was a revolutionary era that gave birth to
some of the greatest artist history has seen. With new techniques in drawing
and painting, art was revolutionized. We still try to recreate pieces like the
old masters did. We copy and try to achieve there techniques. The way they
crosshatched, built under paintings and glazed paintings, are all techniques we
use today. Pieces from Leonardo Da Vinci and Michael Angelo sometimes can seem
impossible to recreate. Figure drawing classes are almost completely based off
techniques taught by the old master. In fact, a lot of the classes actually
make you recreate pieces by the old masters. I had tried to recreate Leda and the
Swan by Leonardo Da Vinci. I failed horribly. I was not able to wrap my mind
around the complexity and detail in the work. People will spend years trying to
copy the old masters’ techniques. It is
funny, artist at the beginning were trying to push their art into the future,
and people today are trying to achieve techniques mastered in the past.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Material 3 Favorite Artist
The Book of Kells was what I found most interesting. It is
one the most complex of the illuminated manuscript. It contains some the most
beautiful and complex patterns with interlocking knots and a wide range of
colors. You are able to see the influence of Hiberno-Scottish or Anglo-Saxon in
the piece, with the presence of animal-styled figures and Celtic knots. I always
imagine how they thought of the patterns in the book. Did they get the ideas
from nature, or was it completely manifested from thought? It also holds some
the earliest depictions of religious figure such the Virgin Mary. I always
found interest in how the Book of Kells depiction of the Virgin Mary evolved
into modern day depictions. The Book was
believed to be created on the island of Iona, and later transferred to Ireland
for safety from Viking raids. It was later stolen. The Book was recovered at a
later time. The page had slight water damage and the cover had been torn off,
but the book was kept alive. I always wondered how it survived all the travels and
where it was taken when it was stolen. The making the Book of Kells was a long
and careful process that took great skill. I took interest in the process and
amount of effort it took to complete it. In short, the Book of Kells not only
interested me, but it inspired me.
Material S3 Summary
Art of the Americas
Humans
traveled to the Americas during the Ice Age, from Asia. The artwork resembled
that of Neolithic civilizations. It was here we find the origins of calendars,
mathematics and early forms of baseball. The Teotihuacan would build giant
grid-based cities, and the Mayans would build giant pyramids and structures for
ritualistic purposes.
Early Medieval Art in Europe
The Roman Empire fell, and barbarians
raided the lands. Angels and Saxons from Germany moved across Britain bringing
with them skills in metalwork and glass work. These pieces were created with
complex Celtic knots and intricate patterns. This style transferred over to
early Christian art in the British Isles. The same style could be seen in their
illuminated manuscripts.
Romanesque Art
Christianity
began to spread across Europe. Churches began to be built in many locations.
People would travel across Europe to visit these churches. They were built up
with long barrel vaults, curved arches, and large apse, which was seen before
in Roman architecture.
Gothic Art
Due to the emergence of
monarchy in France, we can see the rise of new architectural styles. Small
towns gained more prominence and became more focused in art, and new
technologies became present in architecture and design. Cathedrals were built
with large ribbed vaults, beautiful stained glass, flying buttresses, and
complex pointed arches.
Fourteenth-Century Art in Italy
Florence began to rise in
wealth and power. Art and Literature was thriving. The culture was changing.
Artist like Cimabue and Giotto were revolutionizing new styles of design. Art
began to move a way from the common roman style, into a new modern style that
was similar to Byzantine art.
Fifteenth-Century Art in Northern Europe
This growth of art culture
could also be seen in Northern Europe. A presence of new style could be seen in
painting. Realistic space was being set up through multiple perspectives.
Different lighting and shading techniques could be seen in the artwork. With
the development of oil paints and new rendering styles, artwork was becoming
more realistic. Artwork was now being developed for the individual and personal
accomplishments.
Renaissance Art
This was clearly a new age of
thinking and reason. With Florence becoming more powerful, wealthy figures like
the Medici family and the church began commissioning giant art projects. Artists
were able to completely focus on their skill. Art, science and literature was
main focus of the culture. This era gave birth to some of the greatest artist
in history. Michael Angelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Raphael were becoming
masters at sculpting, painting and architecture. Art was becoming used as a
tool of knowledge, instead of just being for beauty.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Material 2 Art Influence
The art that really influenced me was Greek and Roman architecture.
Their designs with temples and sanctuaries were really enlightening. I want to become a 3D Modeler for digital
applications, and the things I learned from studying the Greeks and Romans was
not only informative, but inspiring. The way that they would bulge the columns
at the bottom to create a greater sense of illusion, the way they used perfect
equations to make structures more pleasing to the eye, and the way that they
directed the viewers eye to specific points was incredible to say the least. I
have used these techniques in my digital models to get more pleasing results.
For example, I will set up views in my scene that showcases the entire
structure. I will also follow guidelines to Doric and Ionic order when I am
creating temples. It is almost funny how much Greek and Roman architecture
influences us today, just look at Washington D.C. The Capital building is built
up with giant columns with detailed capitals and strong bases. The dome on the
top resembles similar architecture in Rome like the Pantheon. The Supreme Court
building has tall columns holding up pediments that contain detailed relief
sculptures. All these building look very similar to these earlier Greek and
Roman building styles. It is easy to see how these historical buildings can
inspire other nations. I think it is important that we all take from the styles
and movements of the past.
Material 2 Favorite Art
The piece that I felt was most appealing was “Commodus As
Hercules”. There were several reasons why I thought that this piece was very
interesting. First was the technical approach the artist took. This sculpture
looks so real. There is a wide range of textures being showcased in this piece
creating a high level of interest that moves my eyes around the sculpture.
Going from the softness of his flesh to the contours out of the pelt, it is
hard to believe that this is all the same material. Another thing that
interested me was emotions conveyed in this piece. The relaxed, yet confident gesture of
Commodus really told me a lot about what kind of person he was. I just find it
interesting that in most portraiture in the classical periods did not reflect
the subject’s personality. But when you moved into the High Imperial period, I
really start to see a sense of individuality. There is also this kind of
comedic value to this piece. I really got a sense that Commodus was full of
himself. I could tell just by his expression on his face and the way he was
being portrayed has the great Hercules. It is almost kind of funny, because
there is a great deal of people in life whom I could relate him to. Overall, I find that not only the technical
aspect of this piece is amazing, but also the emotion and personality that this
piece expresses.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)