Pablo Picasso

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (born October, 1881 - died April, 1973) is considered by many to be the most important figure in 20^th Century art. During his lifetime Picasso created over 22,000 works of art using a variety of mediums including sculpture, ceramic, mosaics and graphic arts.

Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes said of Picasso “Before his 50^th birthday…, (Picasso) had become the very prototype of the modern artist as public figure. There was scarcely a 20^th century movement that he didn’t inspire, contribute to – or in the case of Cubism…, beget.” Picasso’s works of art are usually attributed to several overlapping periods, such as the “Blue Period”, the “Rose Period”, the “African Influenced Period”, Cubism, and Surrealism.

The beginning of Picasso’s famous “Blue Period” is believed to have started after Picasso found out about the suicide of his close friend, Carlos Casagemas, in 1901 and lasted until 1904. This period received its name because of Picasso’s use of only blue or blue-green colors, although he did infrequently incorporate other, warmer colors into some of his paintings. The work Evocation – the burial of Casagemas was chosen as the painting to represent this time period because of the importance of Casagemas’ death on Picasso. In the painting you can see the funeral for Casagemas in the lower half, while the upper half could be seen as Picasso’s view of heaven.

Although the painting is composed of almost entirely blue colors Picasso still uses the shades effectively in portraying the mood. Notice the use of bright, aqua blue in the heaven portion of the painting. Although no expressions are detailed on the on-looker’s faces their body language portrays the mourning in the death portion. This painting is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, France.

The “Rose Period” (1905 – 1906) shows use of a lighter palette, giving a more cheerful tone, and works were often of circus life. His circus theme is primarily attributed to his frequent visits to Cirque Médrano near his studio. “La Toilette” represents a distinct style of Picasso during his Rose period in which he painted large male and female figures with distinct profiles, often compared to early Greek art. It is regarded as one of the best paintings by Picasso done in the particular style.

This piece was chosen because of its representation as the transition point from the blue period to the rose period. The girl on the right, dressed in blue, is holding the mirror towards the nude woman painted in flesh tones, typical of the rose period. This seems to represent the focus of attention from the gloomy blue period onto the brighter rose period. The painting has clear symmetry of the figures about the center. The background is also very basic, with a singe horizontal line separating the ground and sky. This painting is currently on display at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, NY.

He also began producing engravings and sculpture during these years. Cubism was created through collaboration between Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in 1907. Cubism was an innovative style of art that Picasso would become renowned for. The fundamental idea around Cubism was showing different views of the subject all in one picture. There are two main types of Cubism, Analytical and Symmetrical, where Analytical Cubism was more conceptual and Symmetric Cubism was more visual. Picasso’s first painting in this style was “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” in 1907.

“Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” was chosen for its significance in the creation of Cubism and modern abstract art. Cubism can be seen in various places such as in the bottom right corner where a woman is clearly facing with here back to the viewer but her head is seen from the opposite view. This also explains the noses of a couple of the women painted in a profile view while they are facing the viewer as done in many cubism paintings. This panting not only represents Picasso’s cubism period but also his concentration on sexual free thinking, which would appear in his paintings throughout his lifetime, as evident in each one of the paintings shown here.

In his later years, Picasso created works of comic invention and fantasy. He produced thousands of drawings, illustrations and stage designs as well as works in sculpture and ceramic. Picasso also painted variations on the works of other masters, such as “Las Meninas”. He continued works of Cubism until his death in 1973.

Pablo Picasso was definitely one of the most influential painters who ever lived. He defined his own unique style of painting and influenced other styles of the 20th century. His paintings can be easily recognized and identified for the particular period in which it was painted. Picasso has become a household name and defines paintings that are regarded as priceless in their contribution to the innovative world of art.

"The Raising of Lazarus" - Duccio Di Buoninsegna

Duccio Di Buoninsegna was a fourteenth century painter that focused much on the Byzantine painting style. He painted “The Raising of Lazarus” as part of a much larger painting known as the Maesta, which means Majesty. The Maesta was for the alter of the Siena Cathedral. The Maesta was separated into pieces in 1771 thus creating “The Raising of Lazarus”. When looking closely, in the bottom right corner of the painting horizontal lines from another layer of paint are seen coming through the where the paint has thinned over the ages.

This painting depicts a scene of Jesus after he has brought Lazarus back from the dead. He is surrounded by followers. There are distinct lines, both diagonal and horizontal connecting the originating from the sun. Also, there are distinct lines that help draw attention to the golden ring around Jesus’ head. I am not sure whether this is a religious symbol that always is shown around Jesus or not but it definitely defines which one in the crowd is Jesus. A psychological line is created by Jesus’ hand making a line to Lazarus. Organic shape is shown in the mountains and the trees in the background. These mountains also display deep shadows that make them appear less 2D. Shadows are also used to define the clothing the people are wearing. Also, the light originates from a natural source and comes from a realistic direction.

There are many colors in the painting. One dominant color is a golden yellow. This is used to cover the entire sky, especially bright at the origin of the sun as well as the ring symbol around Jesus’ head. This could very well be symbolism representing Jesus as the Son of God. The bright yellow gives a mood of glory or holiness. Clothes that the witnesses are wearing are complimenting each other with red and green or blue and orange.

There are different implied textures throughout the painting. The lines and shadows give different textures from the rest of the painting in the symbol around Jesus head as well as Lazarus’ rapping. In the symbol, it appears as though distinct symbols are shown. This painting shows symmetry with Lazarus and the mountains on one side and Jesus and the witnesses on the other.

There are a few things in the painting that emediately catch your eye. Lazarus, being the only character on the right of the painting draws attention, Jesus with the bright symbol around his head draws attention and the tip of the mountains where the sun shines through draws attention. When first looking at the painting, a geometric triangle can be seen starting at the tip of the mountains, going to Jesus and leading through his arm to Lazarus. A triangle can also be made with Jesus, Lazarus and the woman at Jesus’ feet. She brings a lot of attention with the solid red clothing she is whering.

There is rhythm in the painting shown in the hair color of most all of the people. This helps group the people together. The type of paints used were tempera and golden panel. The type of paint used obviously gave the symbol on Jesus head shining capability.

Much like other Byzantine paintings, this painting shows the miracles and the power of Jesus. Though originally part of a much larger masterpiece, “The Raising of Lazarus” is a masterpiece in itself.

"Book with Wings" By Ashley Hoover

Anselm Kiefer, German born 1945, sculpted Book with Wings in 1992. The sculpture is suspended in air by a pole. There are several lines in the piece. The book and wings are diagonal suggesting the book is in flight at the moment. The book has thin pages that are not flat, showing a page turning or that as the book is in flight the wind is turning the pages. The shape of the book is flat and the shape of the wings is volumetric as they expand. There is no empty space without objects in this sculpture. The book is at the center with the wings emerging from it. The piece is not life size; it dwarfs us. The book itself is huge and the wings expand a great deal. As far as light goes in the piece there is shadowing along the turning pages of the book and also along the bottom of the wings. The sculpture has only one color, gray. The book has a smooth texture except for the turning pages which are rough. Also, the wings have a rough texture. The wings are rough implying feathers fluttering in the wind. The sculpture has symmetrical balance. Each side of the open book is the same and both wings are identical. There is more than one area of interest, the book and the wings. One’s eye may first be drawn to the center, the book, then follow along to the wings. Also, the wings may catch the eye first and then one will discover the book at the center.
The sculpture is a model of knowledge. Book with Wings could possible illustrate the old phase “a book gives you wings”; how a person can take flight through a book. A person can escape their world for awhile and venture into another. Or, the piece could illustrate that a book itself has wings. A book’s knowledge can travel the world.

"White Birch" by Georgia O'Keeffe

Me in front of Amon Carter Museum

"White Birch"

Oil Painting by Georgia O'Keeffe
Vicki Galati

"White Birch", an oil on canvas painting completed by Georgia O’Keeffe in 1925 is an abstract rendering of a white birch tree found on the Alfred Stieglitz family estate in upstate New York. The artist was quoted as saying "A little way from the dock there was a big old birch tree with many trunks. To see the tree at its best I was up early and out in a rowboat under the trees as the sun came up over the mountains across the lake. The trunks were whitest in the early sunrise – the foliage a golden yellow with a few leaves standing out sharply here and there."
The trunks of the tree create a vertical line up the center of the painting and then branch left and right while curving around each other. The four main trunks are thick and long with smaller limbs branching off at the top of the painting.
The bright yellows used for the foliage not only represent the bright yellow hues of birch leaves in the fall but also gives one the impression of the brightness of the sun shining through the branches and foliage of the tree. The darker gold and umber colors within the foliage lend depth and give one an idea of the thickness of the foliage. The heavier texture of the strokes used on the darker gold and tans and the spacing for use of those colors gives one the perspective of sitting under the tree looking up or looking through the spaces between the trunks.
The brightness of the white of the trunks also gives one an idea of the brightness of the early morning sun. The smoothness and softness of the shades of tan accentuate the graceful sweep of the trunks of the tree.
The symmetrical balance of the painting is created by the trunks moving vertically up the center of the piece with gold, yellows and umbers on either side used for foliage. The eye of the viewer is initially drawn to the four trunks in the lower center of the painting. Two areas (one on each side of the twisting trunks) of leaves painted with sharper edges and specifically identifiable in an otherwise abstract view of foliage are secondary focal points on either side of the center of the painting. The final point of emphasis is found in the top center of the painting where darker colors and the addition of several smaller branches pointed in several directions give one the impression of additional size and thickness of foliage outside one’s view of the painting.
Ms. O’Keeffe, as is usual within many of her paintings, utilizes the entire canvas to emphasis the size of the tree. Usually Ms. O’Keeffe’s paintings are magnifications of the subject painted. In the case of "White Birch" however, the utilization of the entire canvas is to emphasize that the painting only reflects a small portion of a very large tree and that as one stands or sits under the tree looking up, one is dwarfed by the size of the tree.
"White Birch" is an abstract view of a birch tree as seen by someone standing under the great tree early in the morning of a crisp fall day. The unusual clarity of some of the foliage within the branches of the tree is a somewhat shocking sharpness in an otherwise soft and graceful perspective of the majestic tree. The use of bright yellow hues and softer darker hues of gold and umber identifies the time as sunrise and leaves one with the feeling of a warm but crisp and bright morning.

The Geography Lesson - Louis Leopold Boilly

by Jonathan Freeman

The Geography Lesson is an oil painting done by Louis Leopold Boilly in 1812. This portrait depicts Monsieur Gaudry, a French Paymaster, His Daughter and their beloved dog. Boilly was regarded as one of the greatest painters in France during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.
This painting is intriguing because of the great detail of the character’s faces. Notice how much more intense the colors of Monsieur Gaudry and his daughter are than the colors in the back ground. The foreground is full of flowing shapes and lines of the characters' features and their clothes while the background is very geometric with the lines of the fire place, the rectangular trim, and the round globe. The rectangular shapes are repeated throughout the background similar to Las Meninas. Boilly conveys the depth or multidimensional aspect by scaling down the fireplace in the background. He also isolates the foreground by placing the light source directly above the center of the characters while keeping the background very blended, dark colors.
Boilly also moves the viewer’s eye through the painting with the bright colors in the foreground. The viewer’s eye is drawn to the warm red shoes of the Monsieur, books on the table, and even pattern on the carpet. The bright white dress, shirt, and stockings also cause the eye to move through the area of interest of the painting. A key element in this painting also appears to be the eyes of all three figures.
Notice that the painting ties in the viewer with the eyes of the dog looking straight out of the painting. Even as the dog looks up as if someone has just entered the room the eyes of the father remain focused on the girl and hers eyes seemingly fixed on the material on the table. This helps to create the substance of the painting and convey the element of teaching to the viewer. Notice also the position of the girls hands, positioned on her father's shoulder, as if he is supporting her. This help to convey his role as more than just a teahcer but as a father also.

Boilly helps to present the characters as a family by placing them all side by side at a uniform depth. This helps to also create an implied horizontal line from one character to the others, giving a relaxed tone to the painting. The pose of the Monsieur also help to give action to the painting. As he looks towards his daughter it appears he is in the middle of explaining something. This would not be an action he would hold for any length of time and places a sense of expectation of what the previous and post events to the one portrayed are.
This painting is part of the permanent collection on display at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Although it is in the company of paintings by Monet and Picasso it stands out as an incredible painting. It has been a part of the Art Museum since 1990 and is hung seemingly tucked away in a corner in the European collection.

The Cardsharps, by Scott Higgins

The Cardsharps by Caravaggio is an interesting and stimulating piece of art that portrays the “art” of scamming someone while playing a game of primero, a forerunner to poker. The reason I was drawn to this picture was because of the theatricality of the piece and the representation of the morals and behavior of the society at the time. Through the use of artistic elements, media, and technique, Caravaggio created this unique piece while he was in Rome.
The painting shows a scene of two men who are in the process of scamming another man by the use of marked cards. To distinguish the different characters one can use visual clues created by the artist. For instance, the man being duped is the one who is wearing fashionable clothing and concentrating on his cards. We know that he has more money than the other two men because during this time period clothing is a representation of an individual’s wealth. We also know this man is important because Caravaggio creates two main focal points for the viewer: the first is the cards being held by the man being duped, while the second is the cards that the accomplice is reaching for.
Caravaggio employs a realistic approach when it comes to the style of the piece, most likely because it was a real event that theoretically could have occurred. He places the vantage point from behind the cardsharp accomplice, that way the viewer can witness the deception taking place. Color and pattern is used to differentiate and group the men being portrayed. The gentleman wears dark, noble colors while the two cardsharps wear lighter colors with vertical stripes. This could perhaps symbolize the flighty nature of the cardsharps and represent their lack of grounding in society, morally or physically. In addition to the accomplice pulling the cards out of his breeches, the older cardsharp has fingertip exposed gloves which also help inform the viewer that they are scamming the gentleman by using marked cards. Both cardsharps’ faces display a sense of nervousness and strict attention which convey how important the situation is and how vital it is that they are not discovered.
The light source for the piece comes from out of the picture in the upper left and subsequently creates a shadow on the right side of the people and objects. Going in line with the realistic styling, the shadows are not distorted but portrayed true to life. While the younger cardsharp is fully illuminated, the older cardsharp stands behind the gentleman and is covered by a slight shadow, giving the viewer another reason to suspect him of dishonesty and cheating. It is also clear that he is making hand gestures to his accomplice, who then responds by pulling a specific card out of his breeches. Due to the straight-forward vantage point of the viewer there is no vanishing point, but depth is achieved by the placing of the younger cardsharp in front of the table and the other men.
The artwork ultimately brings attention to a rather shady business that occurred during this time, quite in contrast to typical paintings of landscapes and activities which displayed more acceptable social behavior. No doubt Caravaggio created this piece to inspire discussion and provoke thought about the society in which he lived, and in turn allowed future generations to experience and analyze this seemingly innate human conduct of taking advantage of others for personal gain.

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