HMF ART200

  Environmentalism in Post-Modern Art      With increased knowledge and awareness about the impact that humans have on the environment, many artists have begun to create art that reflects the relationship people have to the environment. Environmental a rt comes in many forms. It can be a celebration of the natural world. It can be art made from the environment itself. It can be a statement on the effect of humans on the natural world, or any combination of these. The environmental art movement began between 1960 and 1970, but has continued to evolve into the post-modern works we see today. In the post-modern era, environmental art became much more conceptual and is of ten integrated into the environment itself.  Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrapped Trees  Foundation Beyeler and Berower Park, Switzerland (1997-1998)      Although the husband and wife team Christo and Jeanne-Claude did not actually create this work, they were responsible for designing and funding the idea to wrap over one h

  Art of the Great Depression      During the tragedy and bloodshed of World War One, art shifted from works that elicit positive emotions such as peace and joy to art that more accurately portrayed the feelings of the time. This trend continued into the Great Depression. Artists who were struggling to get by were funded by the Works Progress Administration to create art. Art often portrayed what people wanted the world to be like rather than the poverty and sorrow surrounding them. This era also brought forth abstract art that focused on the emotions behind the art rather than the actual content of the paintings. Themes of Great Depression art include loneliness and isolation.   Fall Plowing  by Grant Wood (1931) This painting was created in the artist's hometown of Viola, Iowa. It is a style of Great Depression era art known as Regionalism. This style focused on Midwest agriculture. Regionalist artists saw the industrialization of America and desired a return to America's agr

 Neo-Gothic Architecture vs. Art Nouveau Architecture Neo-Gothic Style St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York City, New York) Located in Manhattan, this cathedral took over twenty years to complete. The architect, James Renwick Jr., began work on the building in 1858. It was completed in 1879. This building is still used as a place of worship today.  Hungarian Parliament Building (Budapest, Hungary) This massive building, overlooking the Danube River was designed by the Hungarian architect Imre Steindl. He began designing the building in 1885, but the building wasn't completed until 1902. The Hungarian legislature meets here.  Art Elements:      One component found in neo-gothic architecture is tall, pointed spires extending far past the rest of the building. In both of the above examples of this style, these spires look like very tall, narrow pyramids formed by two diagonal lines that meet at the top. From a distance, these spires just appear to be long vertical lines. These lines

Art of the French and American Revolutions      The Classical era contained two major historical events that helped shape the art of the time - the French Revolution and the American Revolution. The time of these wars contrasted greatly with the early Classical period. The early Classical era was a time in which the wealthy and the nobility lived lavishly and there was relative peace throughout Europe and America. The neoclassical era was marked by an uprising against these aristocracies by the common people as they fought to free themselves from oppressive rulership. The art of the Early Classical and Neoclassical periods reflect the changes that occurred during the Classical period very well. The lavish portraits and architecture of the beginning of the Classical era made way for paintings displaying the heroism. loyalty, and bravery that were desirable at the time. The focus of the art of this time also shifted from the rich and important people to commoners and soldiers.  Oath of t

The Conversion of St. Paul ( The Conversion of Saul ) by Caravaggio        In my  Renaissance Blog Post  last week, I wrote about a painting called The Conversion of Paul  by Pieter Bruegel. Upon researching this painting, I found that there are many paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods depicting this scene. I thought it would be interesting to discuss a Baroque interpretation of Paul on the road to Damascus and compare it with Bruegel's Conversion of Paul .  About the Painting:      The Conversion of St. Paul  was completed by the Italian artist Caravaggio in 1601. It was commissioned by Monsignor Tiberio Cerasi to be placed in his funerary chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which is located in Rome. Caravaggio painted this work inside the church it would later be hung in. The painting above is Caravaggio's second attempt at the painting, as the first one was rejected by Cerasi. Today, the painting can be found in the Odescalchi Balbi Collection in R

  The Conversion of Paul (1567) About the Painting:      The Conversion of Paul  is an oil painting from the Northern Renaissance by the Netherlandish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Bruegel finished this painting in 1567 in Antwerp, Belgium. The scene depicts the Biblical account of God speaking to Saul (whose name was then changed to Paul) on the road to Damascus. Bruegel chose to portray Paul's army in the armor and clothing of the 16th century rather than in more historically accurate dress. Unlike other paintings depicting Paul's conversion, the main character of the painting is difficult to locate amidst the large crowd. He can be seen lying on his back in bright blue clothing in the center of the crowd.  Art Elements:       One element of art my eye is drawn to is lines. There are many diagonal lines dividing up the painting. The soldiers form a curving diagonal line from the bottom left to upper right portions of the painting. The trees and mountains are also formed f