The exhibition of Valentin de Boulogne at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is impressive for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has a significant number of paintings of this artist whose work is decidedly difficult to find. Secondly, it displays these works in a manner in which there are a number of thematic devices within them that become manifest to the viewer. Finally, the Met is displaying these works for the next several months which is suitable since, in the humble esteem of this writer, de Boulogne's works require a substantial amount of time to fully absorb. Thus, it is possible for viewers to return to compare and contrast the painter's technique in some of his more notable works.Upon initial observation, the Met's Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio, is somewhat overwhelming. There are approximately 50 works of this artist on display in the various rooms in the museum (Christiansen, 2016). Although this number might not seem excessive, the level of detail, and the intricacy involved in it, that characterizes the vast majority of this work makes it difficult to ingest in a single viewing. Such a statement is perhaps a little paradoxical when one realizes that it is exactly this level of detail that gives this exhibition its strength. Whether viewed individually or collectively, the minute details that the artist ascribes to all of his works is certainly one of the most...
Many of this artists paintings render people in poses and activities that are undeniably naturalistic. In fact, there is a fluidity or "looseness" (Sauerwauld, 2016) and degree of motion found in these works that helps to animate these human subjects which imbues them with a degree of realism or, perhaps, surrealism. Valentin's ability to blend naturalistic qualities with an ethereal, otherworldly style is well exampled in Martyrdom of Saints Processus and Martinian. The elongated form of the central figure of this work, who greatly resembles Christ, has a sinewy, motion-like quality that is typical of many of the personages depicted in his works. Similarly, the life-like depiction of the angle on the right of this work conjures sensations of motion. This fact is particularly true in the curved right thigh in the foreground of the angel, which extends his shape to his outstretched right hand. The result is a starkness of imagery that captures moments of movements which are "transitory" and (Christiansen, 2016) true to life, yet somehow beyond it.
(Mulcahy and Wyszomirski 139) However, this is not art for art's sake; it is art for our children's sake. If one has to put on the back burner that Picasso was a cubist for the sake of challenging a child to look at a painting and just experience it, than so be it. The very act of simply experiencing the art of an artist can have profound effects on the
Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter argued in Collage City that the designer should intervene in the existing city by adding to and adjusting what is already there, a process more like collage than any other art form. (Barnett, 1996, p. 185) The city as "collage" is possibly the finest metaphor for the urban world. Nowhere else do so many different people and purposes come together as in the city. No other
West's art, although it is crafted is a kind of 'found' art, and his desire to demystify the process of artistic creation is yet another reason he brings the gallery owner into the process of artistic manufacturing, such as by asking the museum's director what color the Chameleon color of the walls and chairs will become, as the work moves from place to place. West classifies his fundamental artistic philosophy
Bauhaus remains one of the most important design movements of the 20th century. Many of the core principles of Bauhaus have become fully integrated with design and development, influencing city planning and public art as well, because the fundamental principle of Bauhaus is the integration of design with everyday life. Architect Walter Gropius started the Bauhaus movement in 1919 Weimar. In 1925, Gropius moved Bauhaus's headquarters to Dessau. Simplicity of
The above perception of the insanity of life is not at all apparent in the second painting of Georges Seurat. While it is mystical, it gives too much quiescence that is there with the impressionistic style. This like Picasso's painting above is a happy trip and does not exhibit as much negative energy as Picasso. He also does not seem to be trying to summon any primitive energies. Rather Seurat's
Art Culture: Public Space Art Public art like that of Koon's Train (2011), Serra's Tilted Arc (1981), Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1981), and James' Sea Flower (1978), ignite discussion to the point of its modification, re-arrangement, or removal. The reason for this controversial treatment of public art is its ability to embrace a variety of aesthetic practices. The adoption of different aesthetic values like poster art, outdoor sculpture, earthworks, multimedia projections,
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