¶ … Paintings
Sloop, Nassau" by Winslow Homer is a haunting painting of a small ship towing a boat on cloudy, stormy seas. The painting is peaceful, and yet the clouds are menacing somehow. While it would not seem emotional, it is, just because of the vibrancy of the colors and the thick brushstrokes of the work. It seems as if the two non-descript figures on board are sailing into harm's way, somehow. While Homer's painting is realistic if a bit stylized, Auerbach's work, "Head of Michael Podro," is entirely the opposite. The figure is fairly recognizable as human, but that is about all. Auerbach's angular lines and stark colors make the head of the person seem like an alien somehow, and Auerbach definitely does not work in realism. Like the "Sloop," Auerbach's work is disquieting somehow, but more because his portraits are so unreal and so ghostly, somehow.
A much prefer the Homer piece, even though it also makes me uneasy. It is more peaceful somehow than Auerbach's work, which seems to capture the person but also capture death, somehow. Both paintings are of a more modern school, rather than impressionistic or realistic, although Auerbach does incorporate some impressionist techniques into his works, especially in how he lays on thick, bold strokes of paint. Both artists use these bold strokes and lines as part of their message. I simply prefer the ocean scene to the more modern scene.
Both artists are historically significant. Homer is known as one of the best American painters of all time, and he usually painted maritime scenes which make the history of boating and sailing in America more real and more vivid. Auerbach manages to blend modern art with some impressionist techniques, such as laying on paint quite thickly. As a teacher, he was quite important to the art world and modern art's evolution from cubes and squares to angles, lines, and bold painting techniques.
Painting Read Monet's the Stroll Monet Monet's the Stroll, Camille Monet Her Son Jean (Woman With a Parasol) This painting epitomizes the impressionistic style and artistic philosophy in a number of different ways. If one looks closely at the painting by Monet one can see that the foreground, the sky as well as the dress and parasol are created by many short strokes of opaque paint. This gives the impression of a moment captured
Paintings Both Salvador Dali and Raphael incorporated Christian imagery into their paintings. Raphael renders a scene from the life of Christ in "Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints." The painting is rendered on wood, with oil and gold leaf. It was designed to be a panel installed in a church: meaning that the painting had a cultural, religious, and ritualistic context as opposed to being art for art's sake. In Dali's
Painting analysis of Jean Helion's 1948 painting "Grande Citrouillerie" (Big Pumpkin Event) Rather than a traditional harvest painting, as its title might suggest, "Grande Citrouillerie," or, in English translation the "Big Pumpkin Event," has the appearance of a poster or advertisement painted in an art deco fashion typical of the 19th century. The painting shows the form of a twisted, half cut open pumpkin with its inner seeds and hanging pulp
The black in the male cafe patrons' suits, renders an aura of sophistication. The combination of white and black grabs the eye and creates a sense of movement that corresponds with the lively dancing. Painted only 12 years later, Van Gogh's "Night Cafe" conveys a completely different cafe ambiance. Whereas Renoir's cafe is full of life and light, Van Gogh's is strikingly lonely, occupied by a few sullen drunks with
His work can be seen as fitting into a wider context of artists working to represent the France their generally well-off and comfortably middle-class and upper-class purchasers wanted to see and to believe in. The purchasers of Millet's works may never have visited the Normandy countryside for themselves, but they could share in its beauty and its spiritual and moral values through Millet's art and the art of other
Is this a simple soldier pulling away the cadavers of his companions or death itself taking away dear individuals into the unknown? Who is connecting the physical bodies with the symbolic meaning of the stripes painted with their blood? The characters in the background also play an important role in the creation of the painting. With their presence, they create an antithesis to the characters in the foreground. They are
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now