Allegorical Images

Frank




The topic this time is about symbolic and allegorical images related to religion. Honestly speaking, this topic did give me a hard time since my knowledge about religion is so limited. I finally came up several images that take place constantly in art works.
No doubt, Christian cross is very common in art works. Through out art history, from our ancient ancestors to Renaissance in 14 century, from flamboyant Baroque style to a variety of modern art styles. The trace of cross is passing through from generation to generation as the faith is heriting. I'm sure that the image of Christian cross will keep passing on is art works. There is a wisdom in those old school painting when the figure of Jesus and cross are always shown together in the painting as the way it should be.




Thinking about next symbol, I was inspired by the painting hanging on the wall. Basically the painting is about the story of Noah's Ark, specifically, the landing moment of Noah's Ark. The focus of the painting is Noah's family which is gathering around in front of their colossus ark from which pairs of animals embarked on the earth. It is kind of incredible that the artist actually paint the figure of Jesus on top of a mountain watching what is happening in the world. The sad thing is I did not find this painting on line.
I found two more paintings related to this story on line. Although both of them are depicting the end of the story, the background setting are just totally different. The one on the top shows the darkness when storm and misery are about to come to its end. In contrast, the one at the bottom is the brightness and clearness shown from the painting. Isn't that amazing?






Another image that you may see in paintings in 14-16 century is a beam of light penetrating the clouds, mist or whatever it is, something really block the way between human and God.
In Giovanni Bellini's Saint Francis, which is the one right below this paragraph, is the picture of Saint Francis welcoming the coming of sun, some call it "a rendezvous with the sun" from the gesture of Saint Francis, it has been a long time since he saw sunlight. But that great amount of amazement can be only felt by Saint Francis because from the color in this painting, the sunlignt already fill this world with color and jubilance. Yellow is basically touching every corner of the world, warming the city far away like a blanket, swirling into the leaves, flashing on the face of rocks.




I'm not really sure whether I should include angels as an allegorical image because angels are not objects which is not belong to the genre I'm talking about. But in another perspective, angels' figures are far beyond their own meaning. Angel is becoming an image that can represent religious direction and meaning of a painting, although I do not try to deny that the presence of angels in some art works is more like a joyful character which has already lost its original meaning. Some artists even pick angel as the theme of a paiting.

My Article: Seeking Everlasting Halo In The Mist of Controversy

Frank




After spending hours and hours studying one of the most welknown artist in the world: Auguste Rodin, it took me so long to start an essay about my feelings and thoughts about his dramatically and legendary life.
At the very beginning, I thought the process of studying a famous artist's life would be really easy and smooth. All I should do is reading the biography of the artist and analysing his or her major art works, just like what I did when I study a piece of painting.






From the period between 12 November 1840 to 17 November 1917, Auguste Rodin started from the beginning as an normal art student and later became a notable sculptor in his years. His achievement in the field of sculpture is so illustrious that his other forms of art, including drawing, painting and prints were shadowed into blackness.
In the far-flung river of art history, Auguste Rodin is not only seen as a preeminent French sculptor of his time, but also considered as the progenitor of modern sculpture, in another word, the transmitter from traditional sculpture to modern art. "His one foot has already stepped into the door of modern art while the other foot was leaving in the room of traditional school of art."





Rodin's early life is so normal that he mostly gained his reputation in his later years. Just like a lot of artists, he depended on self-education when he was a little child. Then he went to a school specializing in art and the place where he learned the importance of the independence of thought and gained his appreciation of truth and reality through his eyes.
In the first twenty years, Rodin is hard working and willing to be an artist in the future. He was once depressed by the death of his sister and the rejection of the best art school within France. But he never gives up studying art and exploring the world of sculpture.
As a maniac of art and a "pencil artist" who value technical skill a lot, I was atracted by Rodin's craftsmanship(although I realized his other side of his artworks later on), I was greatly surprised that many of Rodin's most notable sculptures were roundly criticized during his lifetime.

"They clashed with the predominant figure sculpture tradition, in which works were decorative, formulaic, or highly thematic. Rodin's most original work departed from traditional themes of mythology and allegory, modeled the human body with realism, and celebrated individual character and physicality." Although Rodin was sensitive to the controversy about his work, he did not change his style. He just simply keep on working and finally his successive works brought increasing favor from the government and the artistic community.
Greatly influenced by Michelangelo, his early works, including his famous Age of Bronze, are so realistic and emotional."Michelangelo freed him from traditional style of sculpture."
Later on, his masterpiece, Gate of Hell marked his life and increased his reputation at the same time. His The Thinker and The Kiss were shown in the Gate of Hell as reduced figures.




In 1883, Rodin stared to supervise a course where he met the Camille Claudel who is only 18 years old. Surprisingly, Rodin fell in love with Camille, and Camille loved him back, they formed a passionate relationship and influenced each other artistically. Claudel inspired Rodin as a model for many of his figures, and she was a talented sculptor, assisting him on commissions. But Rodin and Claudel could never combine together for the reason that Rodin already has a kid with Rose Beuret, Rodin's former lover.
In the passion of his love, Rodin finished some of his masterpiece, like The Eternal Spring and The Eternal Idol.



I've read a lot of comments on Rodin's "eternal" works. Some people consider those two sculptures are inapprociate and even think they are erotic. In the sculptures, the skin to skin depiction of the couples and their passionate action become so controversy among the society. Boldly speaking, in my own opinion, I consider those two works are irrational and honest. What Rodin want to depict in The Eternal Idol is how a young man in love with a girl tries to show his frantic love to her. He admired her and shows his respect by tenderly kissing the girls stomach. Some may think Rodin was struggling in the balance between human's purity of love and the evil ideas. What I see is the best way to express this idea and his sculptures actually did the best job ever.








I do not try to deny that

during his later creative years, Rodin's work turned increasingly toward the female form. He concentrated on and produced numerous erotic drawings "without taking his pencil from the paper or his eyes from the model."
Anyway, I still think Rodin is a great artist and one of the best sculptors in this world. He interpretates human's love in a more honest and realistic way and did not avoid the depiction of human's deep thoughts.

Sources:
http://bbs.duote.com/viewthread.php?tid=131640&page=1&authorid=393801
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Rodin
http://news.xinhuanet.com/book/2004-10/25/content_2135436.htm
http://baike.baidu.com/view/17018.htm
http://images.google.cn/images?hl=zh-CN&q=%E7%BD%97%E4%B8%B9&rlz=1W1BJYT_zh-cnUS317&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=wWjUSbWgGseIkAWTmemGDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=5&ct=title
http://images.google.cn/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sj33.cn/ys/UploadFiles/200712/20071210235056296.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sj33.cn/ys/hhys/200712/13129.html&usg=__KtSc5mxnT81GKtTHPJOabRdoQrM=&h=1200&w=740&sz=129&hl=zh-CN&start=1&um=1&tbnid=N-Wkbok4bd12bM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%25E7%25BD%2597%25E4%25B8%25B9%26hl%3Dzh-CN%26rlz%3D1W1BJYT_zh-cnUS317%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1%26newwindow%3D1
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A5%A5%E5%8F%A4%E6%96%AF%E7%89%B9%C2%B7%E7%BD%97%E4%B8%B9
http://www.bbtpress.com/homepagebook/775/b01.htm

Body Portraits of Sculptors (Draft)

Power and Authority

Shixiong Wang (Frank)







Jacques-Louis David
Napoleon in His Study
1812
204 x 125 cm
Oil on canvas
National Gallery, Washington DC

The son of an iron merchant, David took a long time to build up confidence of being an artist who was later known as the representative and founder of Neoclassicism, and a brilliant teacher whose students include Ingres. He worked for Louis XVI at the beginning. Then after the Revolution exploded in Paris in 1789. He became deeply involved into politics which led to the divorce with his wife who remained loyal to David and helped to secure his release after David was imprisoned. Shortly after, he transferred his theme of art work to Napoleon.
In this masterpiece of Jacques-Louis David, he depicted the whole scene which looks like a propaganda in the way of a maganificent life-size portrait of Napoleon whose role in David's mind is a political hero.
The painting was perfectly balanced by putting Napoleon right at the center of the paiting with an eleborate tesk and a chair by each side, and the background of his study. The slow diagonal and potential line combined by the books, pieces of paper, Napoleon's feet and chair's legs, leads audience's eyes to Napoleon's room with book shelves. Another role the line played in the painting is the crossing composition with the perpendicular lines of the edge of wall, legs of furnitures and the clock.
Napoleon's military dress is basically the uniform of the famous Imperial Guard. Napoleon's pose is a charateristic gesture with a hand tucked into his waistcoat. He wears two medals: the insignia of the Legion of Honor and the Iron Cross of Italy. Scutinising Napoleon’s stockings, it is clearly to see that the stockings are wrinkled which potentially hinted the swell of Napoleon's legs.
Taking a close look at the furnitures in his study, you can find that David invented his special French Empire style. The throne-like chair in red with initial "N" inscribed on the top, and decorated dest are the representatives of this style. A white quill is slightly put on the edge of the desk. The precariously design suggested that it has just set down. It is said that "The document on the desk at which Napoleon has been working is the Code Napoleon, the codification of law that is the basis of the French legal system today. One of his greatest achievements was to establish an efficient system of civil administration throughout continential Europe." The book under the desk is Plutarch's Lives, a great book which depicts biographies of military heroes such as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. David is paralleling Napoleon's achievement with those of the great leaders of antiquity. The clock hands point thirteen minutes past four in the morning and the candles which were burned low together suggested that Napoleon has been working through out the night. Napoleon later said: "You have understood me, David. By night I work for the warfare of my subjects, and by day for their glory."


Reference: Great Artists Explained
Brief History of European Art

[My Article]Narrative Art:

Frank

I've just did a research on the painting below and written an analysing article about it.




















Peter Paul Rubens
Peace and War
c.1629
80x117 in(203.5x298cm)
oil on canvas
Natioanal Gallery, London

As a renown painter in early 17th-century Europe and representative of Baroque painting, Rubens cited the properties of Baroque painting in his own artworks.
Rubens's own successful and fulfilled lifestyle is reflected in the material blessings shown in Peace and War. He was happily married, never lacked material comfort, and become very wealthy.
Rubens worked extremely rapidly, and he employed a large studio of assistants, some of whom became famous in their own rights. Rubens worked out the basic ideal in rapid, fluent sketches, which his assistants would use to do the large-scale painting. Models would pose for the artists so that detailed drawings could be made from life. Rubens himself provided the finishing painting and final alterations. He was a prodigiously hard worker and was very strict to his assistants. Most of the time，his patrons were perfectly satisfied to have a painting produced in this manner. The idea that the artist should paint every brushstroke of his work is relatively recent and even Rubens would not accept.
In this representative work. Rubens depicted a scence of alteration from blessings of peace to the turbulence of war. The whole scene was apparently separated by two parts. On the left side, followers of Bacchus were shown, one carrying a basin which is full of golden cups and pearls, and the other dancing with a tambourine. Because of the glowing color of the skin of the followers. They become the eye-catching part of the left side. Complementaries are placed together to give colors heightened intensity. orchestrated color is one of the main proterties in this painting.
In front of the two followers, a satyr holds out a horn of fruit as an offering to the three children on the right. A winged cupid invites them to eat fruit. Right between the satyr and cupid is a lying leopard rolling around like a domesticated giant cat.
Another transition in this scene is Minerva, the goddess of wisdom who use her shield to hold Mars, the armored god of war.
The underlying design is a diagonal line from bottom right to top left. Above the diagonal are the gloom of war, bellow the diagonal are the brightness of peace. This is the most awesome composition I've ever seen!
In the Great Artists Explained, the author think the children who are shown in the scene is the beneficiaries of Peace and the older child among them is the god of marriage: Hymen.


Reference: Great Artists Explained and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque

Artist Statement(Advanced)[draft]

Artist Statement(Advanced)
[draft]
Shixiong Wang(Frank)

Honestly speaking, this is the second time that I force myself to think deeply about the reality as being an artist: Why do I make my art? How I make it? What my art is made out of? What my art means to myself?
Since I have been to America for more than two monthes. During this period of time which is so precious to myself that everyday I've been through was a special experience. When I think of the days which have passed away, sometimes I could not believe that I have overcome so many difficulties I have never imagined before and experienced so many kinds of sentiments which later provide me with great source material time and time again.
Once a period of time, I felt strongly emotional wave that I felt so helpless and lonely. Like what Akon had sung in his song "I'm so lonely. I have no body." Once one of my friends asked me if I missed my home. To my astonishment, the first sentence that slipped out is "I felt I've lost all the things I used to have in China." With a brave heart which is not brave enough to hold the responsibility of realizing my own dream and making my dear parents feel proud at the same time, I stood on the land that only an ocean away from my motherland alone. It is only a small step of an foreign student who is as normal as other foreign students, but it is truly a huge step to myself who chose to give up a cosy and warm home and challenge the reality in an completly different country.
When I was in primary school, a weird but true thought stemmed in my mind that "Black and white are enough to express all the feelings he/she wants." I used to hardly use color, exclude black and white in my drawings. Years have passed, I did not say that I was wrong but color,basicly played an important role in my first and second painting in America. The best illustration of this point: Remote Stare, truly change my opinion on color.
Till not, with my art teacher's instruction, my own diligence and most importantly, my passion. A series of art works have successfully shown to the public. I really cherish the chance I had right now for never before I have so much time that I can spend on art makings.
Basicaly, what I want to show the students and faculties of the school, in another word, the whole society I'm living in, is my way of expressing art and personal ideas.
Take on of my favorite paintings, the huge self-portrait, is an art work used to think of myself, a unique way to introspect myself as a person who tries his best to be his best in the perspective of an artist's way.
What is new to me is that almost every time I can have a chance to try a different kind of material. My self-portrait was drawn by using watercolor I seldom use when I was in China.I'm pretty sure that I will never attemp to use this kind of material instead of oilpaint if I were in China. To my surprise, I started to intend to use this new material and borrowed books learning it by myself. Results assured me that I can gain success if I can bravely try new things. For now, I feel excited to know I'm about to try something new, risk facing unexpectly failure at the same time.
As I was moving forward and kept painting, I realized what I have read can affect my art works. I gradually intended to combine meanings, actually they likely reflect my feelings and emotion, with my art works. When it comes to make a choice to keep it simple or depicting things in an complicated way, that really depends on the material I'm using and the theme of the work. Before I set the first strike on the paper, I'll think about the best way to reflect my intention through the composition and color. Avoid using the same way all the time, I deliberately obtain inspiration from those great artists'master pieces. Rembrant's portraits influenced how I use dark and light and leaders of modern symbolism gave me ideas of using symbles. Perhaps for the reason of my teacher's instruction or the ruless reality and complex emotion, I'm potentially turning my theme of art works from the assessment of the natural world to the exposion of my personal feelings.
Clearly to feel that I treat art as part of my life. I demonstrate the period from the day I entered Washington Lee High School to today as the explosion of my desire of doing art. Art, simply composed by only three letters, deligates a method of expressing feelings. More than a method, it symblizes an attitude of living in a certain perspective: sharing the beauty and harmony with others and brought joy to those who visulize the art work, in a brief sentence:"sharing is caring."

Research Project: Art Criticism

1.Internet Research
Liberty Leading the People
(French: La Liberté guidant le peuple)
Eugène Delacroix
Oil on canvas
102.4 × 128.0
1830
Louvre, Paris
2.Research Report
(1)Description
1)What elements did the artist choose to emphasize?
The actions of the major five characters and the color.
2)What were the results or effects of the organization of elements?
The whole emotion of the revolution is raised.
(2)Analysis
3)Describe the dominant art principles the artist uses to organize the elements of art?
It is organized by the pattern of triangle formed by the five figures. The triangle also made a kind of movement leading to the right corner.
(3)Interpretation
4)Describe what you think about the artwork is about in symbolic area.
The main figure of the painting, the bare breaste woman with a musket in one hand and a tricolor flag in the other, which symbolize liberty during the revolution. The reason why Delacroix chose a feminine figure as the centre of the painting is that he wanted to promulgate that women played a very important role in the rebellion against the king, Charles X.
(4)Judgement
5)Describe how contextual approaches is appropriate for judging the artwork.
The painting described the emotional scene happened when people fought against the greedy and tyrannical Charles X. The caps of the figures clearly show that the rebellion was raised from all classes, except the monarchists. The painting has its important meaning to the historians for the painting describes a true background of the political uprising in Paris in July 1830. The Notre Dame is hiden in the gunsmoke. It also shows the same emotion of people come from different classes of people from young patriot to college student.

Sources:
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People
Great Artists Explained
Delacroix

Art Research: Full Size Figures After 18 Centry

This is the research of the examples of full size figures after 18 centry, I did for my final self portrait.

#1:Portrait of Zola
Edouard Manet


#2:Execution of Emperor Maximilian
Edouard Manet


#3:Bonjour Monsieur Courbet
Gustave Courbet



#4:Mozes Tafelen
Gustave Dore


#5:Verwundeter Kuerassier Verlaesst Das Schlachtfeld
Theodore Gericault

My Artist Heroes

My Artist Heroes

Shixiong Wang(Frank)

1. Rembrandt Van Jijn
Key works:
1)Self-portrait
2)The Night Watch
3)Self-portrait with Sakia
4) Destructuon of Jerusalem
5)The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp
6)Head of a Mn in Oriental Costume
7)The Rising of the Cross
8) The Blinding of Samson
9)The Holy Family with Angles
Qualities: Rembrandt is a genius in using comparison, he gives up the common sense of making a group portrait. This quality was shown in his work: The Night Watch, which is Rembrandt’s largest painting and one of the most important works in 17th century European art. Rembrant’s creation played an important role in the paintings of that period, but his action led trouble to himself, those who were not depicted importantly as others flew to rages. At the same time, Rembrandt’s skill in painting human portraits is extremely great as well, namely, The Prophet Jeremiah Mourning over the Destructuon of Jerusalem and Head of a Man in Oriental Costume.

2. Jaques-Louis David
Key Works:
1) Death of Marat
2) The Sabine Women
3) The Coronation of Napoleon
4) The Oath of the Horatll
Qualities: Leading the beginning of Neoclassicism, his idea of putting Classicism of Roman times into his own paintings were shown in all his paintings, especially in his The Oath of the Horatll. The poses of the figures of it are just like the figures of Roman times: obvious outline and statue-like action. He indulges his passion for the antique and came into contact with the initiators of the new Classical revival.

3. John Constable
Key Works:
1) The Hay-Wain
2) Salisbury Cathedral
3) The Cornfield
4) Arundel Mill and Castle
5) Flatford Mill
Qualities: As one of the greatest British landscape painters, his works are famous around the world for his fantastic skill in capturing the reality of daylight and the smell of the dewy freshness of nature. In his early works, he painted every detail of what he had seen, this fact could be found in his well-known work: The Hay Wain. From the dog near the river to the men on the hay wain, from the man hiding in the grass, who is in red and black, to every leave of the plants.

4. Engene Delacroix
Key Works:
1) Liberty Leading the People
2) Barque of Dante
3) Massacre at Chios
4) Death of Sardanapalus
5) Lion Hunt
Qualities: Doubtless, Delacroix’s passion is well-known and that is why people gave him the name of The Lion of Romantism. Liberty Leading the People is his most famous painting. The highly controversial painting shows the classical scene that Parisians took to the streets in revolt against the greedy and tyrannous regime of the king, Charles X. The center of the whole scene is the bare breasted woman with a tricolor flag. A bunch of patriots ran around her and the cloud-like gun powder filled the background which lead the revolution into its climax.

5. Vincent Van Gogh
Key Works:
1) The Yellow Chair
2) Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear
3) The Bedroom at Arles
4) The Potato Eaters
5) Sunflowers
6) Starry Night
Qualities: Van Gogh’s tough experience set the background of his style of paintings. In his Starry Night, the painting shows an amazing scene of the night of a small village, stars shinning in the sky, compared with the cozy and quite sky and village. The fire-like pine tree expresses the lonely artist’s enthusiasm hidden in his heart.


Reference Books:
1) Great Artists Explained Robert Cumming