#artandideas

[gchurton]

Studio Culture 2

For this module we were given 4 choices between, pop culture, abstract, body and landscape. We had to pick one as our top choice and the second if we didn’t get into our first choice.

I chose pop culture and body, I got given pop culture which I was really happy about. I find that there is a lot of things to talk about in pop culture, so I decided to do hipster subculture and how they’re stereotyped and how normal people see a hipster.

#artandideas

[mariahlstudios]

This design was inspired by the directions from a conceptual piece by Sol Lewitt entitled "Wall Drawing." I would a be a liar if I didn't mention that I was bored out of my gourd during the lecture on Conceptual art. Anyway how is your week going? I need to hastily read an essay from de Saussure before tomorrow. -xoxo mbl 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 #xoxombl #art #SolLewitt #ArtandIdeas #conceptualart #lines #WallDrawing #inasketchbook https://www.instagram.com/p/CKiD91HhxWS/?igshid=6eemqiscelkj

#xoxombl #art #sollewitt #artandideas #conceptualart #lines #walldrawing #inasketchbook

[jiggins03]

CONTEMPORARY ART ESSAY PART 1

Jack Higgins

Essay 2 Part 1

This essay will go in depth into a specific piece of contemporary art, followed by looking into a key modernist movement that clearly influenced the manufacture of that piece. Looking into the movements origins, beliefs and goals to find ties to the work I've selected. In summary, looking for characteristics within the piece that tie it to the movement.

The piece of contemporary art being evaluated is Damien Hirst's 'I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds'. Made in 2006 it is a 2134 x 5334 mm/84 x 210 in canvas that is entirely covered in household gloss and the wings of real butterflies. Part of his extensive selection of Kaleidoscope paintings, that all share the use of gloss and butterfly wings. The first Kaleidoscope painting, ‘It’s a Wonderful World’, was created in 2001. Originally inspired by a Victorian tea tray found by Hirst, the works are made by placing thousands of different coloured butterfly wings in geometric patterns into household paint. The ‘Kaleidoscope’ paintings reference the spiritual symbolism of the butterfly, used by the Greeks to depict Psyche, the soul, and in Christian imagery to signify the resurrection. The works are very reminiscent of, and even sometimes directly copy stained glass windows. Their titles similarly often reference Christian iconography.  

"I’ve got an obsession with death … But I think it’s like a celebration of life rather than something morbid" Damien Hirst was born in Bristol in the United Kingdom in 1965. He received his BA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths college in 1989. In the 1990's he was part of the Young British Artists group, or YBA's for short. He has gained much praise as well as infamy for his unique art projects which often include dead animals in some way. He has created works spanning from dead sharks: 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living' a large vitrine containing an Australian tiger shark suspended in formaldehyde. Sheep: 'Away from the Flock' shows a sheep that appears to have been frozen in mid run suspended in formaldehyde. Cows: Mother and Child (Divided) Four glass boxes each with one half of either the cow or the calf also suspended in formaldehyde, and more recently butterflies.  

The butterfly being one of Damien Hirst's most enduring triggers in this Kaleidoscope series he's differed from his use of it in his previous works. Previously he included live butterflies in his instillation 'In and Out of Love' in 1991, or whole dead ones in his butterfly monochrome paintings. These works and many others were influenced by a quote someone ounce said to him: “Butterflies are beautiful, but it’s a shame they have disgusting hairy bodies in the middle.” So, he chose to only use the wings of the butterflies in the Kaleidoscope paintings. Removing the ugly and leaving the only desirable part of the butterfly would show the everyday person glancing apon it should appreciate all animals no matter how ugly or disgusting they might appear.

Works from the ‘Kaleidoscope’ series were first exhibited as part of ‘Romance in the Age of Uncertainty’ at London, in 2003. In 2007, Hirst presented a major series of the paintings in the solo show, ‘Superstition’, at Gagosian Gallery, London Davies Street and Beverley Hills.

'I am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds' is one of the largest ‘Kaleidoscope’ paintings in existence it includes over 2,700 butterflies. Its title recalls the words of the American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who, on detonating the first atomic bomb in 1945 recalled the words of the Bhagavad Gita, part of the Mahabharata, “I am become death, the shatterer of worlds.” It sold for 2,169,250 Pounds, being a monumental sum of money for what many consider to be animal cruelty. These works have, not surprisingly drawn outrage from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who called him a sadist for one of his earlier pieces, and with this one being one of the largest he had drawn their attention again. The group also described his butterfly wing covered bicycle that he had made for Lance Armstrong as "Barbaric and Horrific." But Damien Hirst was never to be detoured as in an interview with the daily mail regarding the bicycle piece he said that he uses real wings because "I wanted it to shimmer when the light catches it like only real butterflies do." Much to the discredit of Damien Hirst he has never really provided an answer as to how he obtains the butterfly wings. Specifically, whether the butterflies were killed for the sake of art or had been collected after they were already dead.

Damian Hirst has long been scrutinised by many people to be psychotic and inhumane in his works, his fascination of life and death shines through all his work. Though many can appreciate seeing butterfly wings used out of context for creative purposes there are also many others who condemn his work as inhumane. He pushes the boundaries to what he can display in a gallery, in his instillation 'In and Out of Love' he has thousands of butterflies packed into a space where the floor Is littered of thousands of dead ones. PETA made the point of if the animal used in this instillation were dogs people that would've sparked a massive outrage, but because they are insects it is looked past. They are right depending on certain people opinion on the matter of animal rights but it's clear to see why Hirst receives all the negative attention, some would say he deserves it. But despite all the negative criticism and personal hatred towards him personally, he keeps going, creating more and more pieces that go against what many consider to be art.

References:

Tate. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hirst-mother-and-child-divided-t12751. [Accessed 16 March 2018].

The Guardian. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/apr/18/damien-hirst-butterflies-weirdly-uplifting.  

Damian Hirst. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.damienhirst.com/. [Accessed 16 March 2018].

treehugger. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.treehugger.com/culture/damien-hirst-artwork-made-of-thousands-of-butterfly-wings-sells-for-2-million-pounds.html. [Accessed 16 March 2018].

theartstory. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-hirst-damien.htm. [Accessed 16 March 2018].

#artandideas

[sabahasan]

just read an article by sadanand menon complaining about his vasudev and nambiar shows not being covered well in the mainstream media, well mainstream will cover what the mainstream will read but before attacking the skills of writers maybe the curator should look in the mirror. lot of the shows put up at museums and heavy weight galleries are dull curations with absolutely no relevance to the times lacking teeth and truth, thank god for journalists not falling for brand names or stodgy curatorial inputs, instead choosing to write about the art itself from their lens, giving space to newer ideas. i have as an artist often waited for the right curator to show a specific work and it has worked out for me particularly in videos and sound installations where the standard in the art world is zero while film and documentary makers have a long tradition and skill sets to curate and present such media. this is how art evolves mr menon not by constant hammering of the old but by freshness of people and their ideas and the responsibility is not the mainstream medias but the curators to get the presentation of the artist's work right. my pic from uma nair curated show " vriksh " #sabahasanart #artwars #contemporaryart #artistsoninstagram #artcritic #artandideas #mirror #haqeeqat #womenartists #hervoice https://www.instagram.com/p/CDDpkk6jRP9vg0o38WYLaruOTTeSgP92koDUzs0/?igshid=17hp95itkz4oe

#sabahasanart #artwars #contemporaryart #artistsoninstagram #artcritic #artandideas #mirror #haqeeqat #womenartists #hervoice

[wxxatson-blog]

the Gothic arts

Gothic art was a medieval art movement that arose in France in the early 1100's/1200’s through a particular architectural style and came to a gradual yet influential end around the 1600’s. Buildings such as the abbey of Saint-Denis and notre-dame de paris are both early examples of gothic architecture. gothic architecture was characterised by Grand, tall designs which escalated upward with hight and intricate grace. Although the word ‘gothic’ tends to be associated with dark, lifeless subjects the architecture itself aimed to create light, pleasant and spacious buildings. Before the gothic, architecture was at most functional. Gothic made it beautiful. Some of the finest examples of the style include the cathedrals of Chartres, Reims and Amiens. The term was also used to describe sculpture and painting that demonstrated a greater degree of naturalism.

      With the rise of gothic architecture came the birth of stain glass. During the Gothic period and the Renaissance stained glass was one of the foremost techniques of painting practiced in Europe. It may seem wrong to call stained glass a form of painting, but in fact it is. The surfaces of each piece of glass are painted in a wide range of dark tones. One of the most widespread forms of painting, stained glass inspired the lives of the faithful through religious narratives in churches and cloisters, celebrated family and political ties in city halls, and even decorated the windows of private houses some of the most powerful art produced in the High Middle Ages were stained-glass

     Gothic sculpture first came about along side its architecture through detailed carvings and figures created to decorate and characterize the buildings. The earliest forms of gothic sculpture were stone figures of saints and people that were considered ‘holy’. The figures depicted at  chartres cathedral are some of the earliest known Forms of gothic sculpture. Strasbourg cathedral houses a sculpture called ‘the adoration of maggie’. A much later made sculpture, It gives a short snap of the birth of jesus christ and the three kings. this not only is a form of sculpture and architecture, but it too tells a story. This same tale has been told through other sculpture and painting too. Much alike to most gothic sculpture, it is extremely biblical.

Early, Widely recognised gothic sculptures are gargoyles. Gargoyles are carved animal like figures with a spout (usually being the mouth) designed to convey water from the sides and roof of a building to avoid erosion. Gargoyles were often designed in a rather frightening aggressive way to ward off any evil spirits around the cathedrals.

After looking at gothic sculptural work it is clear that the main recurring subject is religion, more specifically bible orientated. This mainly being down to the fact that the architecture itself  was born through buildings that housed bible lead religions. In alot of ways i personally would consider gothic art to be a form of propaganda.

          Many artists and architects helped shape the gothic movement and leave too us the great chapels and churches of these times. Giotto Di Bondone was perhaps one of the most influential of these artists. Giotto was an italian painter and architect from the middle ages whos work resinates with the gothic style and movement. Giottos most famous artwork is the decoration of the Scrovegni Chapel, in Padua. Giotto and his team covered all the internal surfaces of chapel with frescos, including the walls and the ceiling. The largest element is detailed cycles showing the Life of Christ and the Life of the Virgin. The wall at the rear of the church, through which the chapel is entered, has a large Last Judgement. Not only does Giotto stay true to the grand uplifting colors and elements of the gothic style, but he shaped the way we view the art of painting as we know it today, introducing the technique of drawing accurately from life, wich was considerd wrong until this time.

                  Gothic painting. Much alike to its sculpture, grew through religious ideology and only became large scale around the 14th  century when it began getting used for decorating the ornamental panel behind the alter of a church. most Gothic painters worked on wooden panels. Nevertheless, some churches have mural paintings in chapels. These panels known as ‘retables’ were painted in tempera or in oils on a wooden panel. The color scale is richer and more varied than that of the Romanesque period beforehand. A fantastic example of this is the ‘westminster retable’. It is thought to have been donated by Henry III of England as part of his Gothic redesign of the westminster Abbey

The Gothic era produced many  small paintings on wood and canvas, and furniture with paintings on the inside. Miniaturists were also active, particularly during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In the fifteenth century, however, the discovery, first of the woodcut, and then of printing led to a gradual decline in their production. The calendar illustrations in the ‘Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry’ by the Limbourg brothers, are perhaps the most eloquent statements of the Gothic style as well as the best known of all manuscript illuminations.

       I began studying the gothic movement with a completely misinterpreted mind set. The movement itself bares absolutely no link with today's use of the word ‘goth’ or ‘gothic’ and should be considered as a movement, to be completely different.

Without the movement and the artists that influenced it today would be very different. gothic works of the early medieval ages paved the way for forms of literature and at after the movement was considered to come to an end. Bram stoker's ‘dracula’ is a fine example of gothic literature. The book itself was based on and inspired by the ‘whitby abbey’ a gothic 7th century christian monastery. Other book writers also drew much of their inspiration from gothic architecture such as mary shelley for ‘frankenstein’.

       What i find to be interesting, is how something designed and created to represent such mightiness and grace. Has influenced people in such a dark horrible way to produce works that would completely change the way we view gothic art but how we would create it from this point on.

#artandideas

[kayjacquelinex-blog]

The Renaissance

This essay will explore the idea that The Renaissance is a key moment in intellectual history, and discuss in detail the most influential artists during this time period – Giotto, Brunelleschi, Leonardo Di Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. The word ‘Renaissance’ was used by French Historian Michelet to describe a whole period of history, and was not confined to the rebirth of Latin letters or a classically inspired style in the arts. (Murray and Murray, n.d.) Renaissance means ‘re-birth’ and refers to the rediscovery of Greco-Roman culture.  The Renaissance is a period spanning from the 14th century to the 17th century, starting as a cultural movement in Italy in the late medieval period and later spreading to the rest of Europe. If the medieval period was built upon an understanding of Christianity, the Renaissance adopted a much more Humanist philosophy, which imagined men as the equal of all things. It emphasises the resurgence of science and culture through classical influences. Many people consider the Renaissance as a great time of beauty and Art; a fundamental assumption of the Renaissance movement is that the remains of classical antiquity constitutes an invaluable source of excellence to which debased and decadent modern times could turn in order to repair the damage brought about since the fall of the Roman Empire. (Youtube, 2015) There are many key thinkers/theorists associated with this time period. Pietro Pomponazzi (1462-1525) is considered one of the most influential and important philosophers of the Renaissance, as he had developed his views entirely within the framework of natural philosophy, maintaining the proof of intellects ability to survive death of the body. (Casini, 2017) During the early Renaissance in Central Italy, the artist who took the step away from the medieval style of spiritual representation in painting in the early 14th century is Florentine Giotto (1400-1495). Introducing a three dimensional look for the first time since the fall of Rome, portraying drama and expression into his paintings; the gestures and expressions on the faces of his subjects explore more theatrical approach to painting. He became the first artist to break away from Byzantine styles and move toward naturalism and a clear sense of space. Looking at Giotto’s work was like peering through a window to the real world (Scrovegni Chapel, Padua). The Renaissance style places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry, and the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architectural of classical antiquity and in particular ancient Roman architecture.  Architecture became not only a question of practice, but also a matter of theoretical discussion. From the observation of architecture of Rome came a desire to have symmetry and careful proportion in which the form of composition of the building as a whole and its subsidiary details have fixed relationships, each section in proportion to the next, defining exactly what those rules of proportion are. Filippo Brunellschi (1377-1446) is widely considered as the first Renaissance architect, being the first to use classical orders. Stating ‘Therefore, since nature has designed the human body so that its members are duly proportioned to the frame as a whole, it appears that the ancient had good reason for their rule, that in perfect buildings the different members must be in the exact symmetrical relations to the whole general scheme’. In the Middle Ages the Renaissance works of art were commissioned; they were ordered by a patron and then made to order. A patron usually entered into a contract with an artist that specified how much he would be paid, what kinds of materials would be used, how long it would take to complete, and what the subject of the work would be.  (The Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele, oil on wood, 141x176.5cm) This portrait shows the donor kneeling on the right of Virgin Mary and Christ child. The patron was usually referred to the donor usually asked to be placed into their commissioned works. Paintings of the Renaissance demonstrate the application of humanistic ideals learned from the ancients. In works from the middle Ages, saints and Biblical figures are arranged in unnatural and geometric groups. The Renaissance painter depicted the human figure as realistically as possible, often with backgrounds of the natural world. Many artists had to guess before Brunelleschi (one of the greatest painters of the Early Renaissance) introduced the linear perspective. Without this system artists wouldn’t have had the vanishing point or horizon line into their work. Consequently, Giotto’s paintings seem to have a shallow depth of field. Although Michelangelo was highly influenced by Giotto, who was born nearly 140 years after Giotto died and who painted the Sistine Chapel in the early 1500’s (Ortolanstudio.com, 2016). There are a mass variety of artworks that were created during the Renaissance, with many successful artists such as Leonardo Di Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giotto and more. Around 1505, Leonardo produced one of the most famous paintings of all time: the portrait of Mona Lisa; an elusive smile on a woman’s face, which is why it is also known as ‘La Gioconda’ or ‘the laughing one’. For Di Vinci, this piece was always a work in progress, striving for perfection. He was also an artist, poet, engineer, architect, inventor and his image of the last supper was tromp. (Khan Academy, n.d.) One of the most distinctive intellectual movements was ‘humanism’, which was found to be the renewed belief of the value and power of the individuals. The main emphasis of humanism was secular education using Greek and Latin classics, this introduced a whole new level of knowledge and was the start of education and how wealthy families supported the lower community through education. ‘The humanists were amateurs in theology or medicine, but avid professionals in grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, and the study of Latin’ (Murray and Murray, n.d.)  Furthermore, medieval paintings were often presented as a reflection of wealth or expression of religious devotion and status of its patron. In today’s society it would take a successful artist centuries to gain the extremely high status that artists gained during the Renaissance. The value of Art has changed dramatically. Art is now an expression of the artist, and the value of a painting is often the result of something completely different. Yet we haven’t given up, these ideas that famous artists/philosophers/writers have created we have adapted increasingly, taking inspiration from their works and interpreting it into our society.  

#artandideas

[emjmoss-blog]

Art and Ideas: Enlightenment

A powerful movement in art was Enlightenment. An Art moment taken place during the 18th Century, Enlightenment was an intellectual current taken place in Europe, labelled the age of reason. The word Enlightenment means understanding, an insight, awareness. This is what philosophers such as Kant, Goethe and voltaire believed in, these were at the forefront of the inspiration for this movement, they believed in the desire for human affairs to be guided by rationality rather than by faith, superstition or revelation. They wanted to make people aware of the restraints that confining by the rules of faith that held true artists and their abilities back, and unable to achieve all that they set out to do. It limited artists ability to express their own imagination and to develop anything they wanted. This movement was big step that helped shaped what art is today. The founders of this movement also believed in argument, criticism and debate, art triggers all of these factors with the fact it effects peoples minds and their opinions. With this movement they wanted to change society and liberate any restraints in place by the authority, religions and traditions, and to look more and take inspiration from more of a scientific background or a more personal experiences. Being able to do this effected the history of art and the idea of what art is as art was beginning to be accepted as being a personal expression than more of a commissioned display of work. It began a completely new way of thinking. Art became experimental and had more reason behind it.

The whole structure of Enlightenment is based on the idea of what if? what if men thought for themselves? what if there was another reason behind it? what if it didn’t quite work? what if it did work? Immanuel Kent, a great philosopher of the 18th century refers to enlightenment as: “Man’s release from his self incurred immaturity, by the use of his own reason, undistorted by prejudice and without guidance of others. The public use of one’s reason must always be free and it alone can bring about Enlightenment among men; the private use of reason may be quite often seriously restricted. what happens when men think without limits?” What if men were allowed to think without these limits religion and society placed upon them? This is the release most artists would have strived for, the freedom to create their own work using their own minds and no longer a chore or a slave to monarchy, only creating what they see fit. Using your own mind in this day and age seems like a given, everyone is able to express themselves much more clearly and without boundaries.

Neoclassicism was an art movement that became connected to Enlightenment by demontrating expressions of the philosophical movement, the idea of freedom of thought and making use of every person and individual’s intellect. Suggesting the revival of the styles and spirits of classical antiquity, e.g. returning to the idea of art from classic Greek and Roman times.

Locke who was a major influence on the thinkings and backgrounds of Enlightenment, he claimed there are no innate ideas and that our knowledge comes from our life experiences. He believed that we are born with a blank slate, this whole argument was called Tabula Rasa. We gain knowledge from around us and we are not naturally born with it. Everyday occurrences help to shape our unique minds. Writing “Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas; how come it to be furnished? When comes it by that vast store which the busy and boundless fancy man has painted on it with an endless variety? When has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this answer, in one word, from Experience.” I agree with Locke’s whole theory, my opinion is that we are born with a blank slate, granted with a handful of natural survival instincts such as sucking, grabbing reflects, our senses and communicating in its purest form, crying. Other than these we are born with a completely blank mind but also the ability to learn and absorb an absurd amount of information. This is what Enlightenment is, Enlightenment is the ability to understand, to learn, to be aware, to educate. It is then having the ability to pass this knowledge and teach it to others, to be guided by these teachings of experiences rather than by religion and superstition.

However there are arguments to say that this is not true and that we are born with our lives and own minds already set out for us. Jennifer Kunst argues that “We each come into the world with a pre-installed operating system—a particular type of temperament that varies from person to person” I do see sense in her argument as each person is different, some are much more timid than others and some are very outgoing, each person starts to show their own unique personality at a very young age, suggesting that they are born with it. I believe that this behaviour is a result of the behaviour we witness from our parents and influential figures in our young lives. Children have tendencies to pick up similar traits to one, if not both of their main guardians. This is taking knowledge from our surroundings and our experiences of what we see, allowed by the senses that we are born with.

#artandideas

[sophiesmiles20]

The Enlightenment Period

There are many themes and ideas that have been contributed to art for example religion and romanticism but one theme that caught my eye was Enlightenment.

The Enlightenment was an intellectual current that shocked Europe during the course of the 18th century. One interpretation of Enlightenment that I found is in a book called “The Enlightenment”, 1995 by Dorinda Outram. It says,

“Enlightenment was a desire for human affairs to be guided by rationality rather than by faith, superstition, or revelation; a belief in the power of human reason to change society and liberate the individual from the restraints of custom or arbitrary authority; all backed up by a world view increasingly validated by science rather than by religion or tradition.”

Enlightenment focuses on reason, rationality, order and science. It was a new way of thinking independently about myth, religion and tradition.  From experimentation and critical analysis came new methods of thought.

The Enlightenment academics believed in argument, criticism and debate. They felt themselves to be part of a great movement speaking for the highest aspirations and possibilities of mankind. John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau who are enlightenment philosophers all developed theories of government and went on to some or even all would govern. They also valued reason, science and religious tolerance, they called these “natural rights”- life, liberty and property.

The Enlightenment period and the art movement Neoclassicism became connected by aesthetic expression of the philosophical movement. The established principle was freedom of thought. Neoclassicism sought to make use of every individual’s intellect. It strived to return to the ideas of classical Greek and Roman Art. Neoclassicism is an art movement, it was all about revival of the styles and spirit of classical antiquity. It was directly inspired by the classical period, it reflected philosophy and other areas of the age of enlightenment and their developments.

The key artists that we associate with Neoclassicism and The Enlightenment period are Jacques Louis David (1748-1825), Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779) and William Hogarth (1697-1764).

The two artists that stood out for me were Jacques- Louis David and Joshua Reynolds. Jacques-Louis David and his painting called The Oath of Horatii (1784-85), is about three Horatius brothers that agreed to settle a war between Rome and Alba by personal combat with the Curiatii brothers. One brother survived and when returning to Rome after settling the personal combat discovered his sister mourning. She was betrothed to one of the Curiatii brothers. He killed his sister and was sentenced to death. He was spared death due to the admiration for his patriotism having avoided war with Alba. Within the painting, David focuses on the oath that the three brothers agreed on which meant sacrificing their lives.  David also uses displacement and isolation in the painting to separate the grouping of figures.  In the oath of Horatii David takes the groups of figures and contrasted them with each other also the reinforced expression contrasts. David takes this to the extreme. Joshua Reynolds produces portraits that are nonfiction, they are statements. They lack flattery and pretentious behaviour. His pieces of work have a quality of being open and communicate human contact, but not in a persuasive language which can be lacking in meaningful content which is not allowed because it can disturb the atmosphere. Neo-classical portraiture concentrated on essential truths rather than superficial appearances. They capture the abnormality of each person’s character. For example, Joshua Reynolds – Giuseppe Baretti (1774).

Locke wrote an essay in 1690 Concerning Human Understanding. It became a major influence on Enlightenment thinking, this claimed that there were no innate ideas and that all knowledge is derived from experience. This he referred to as the Tabula Rasa, essentially; we are born with a blank slate. People acquire knowledge from the world, for example what our senses pick up. The ideas we start off with are simple but then we combine them into more complex ideas. Locke argued this. Locke didn’t believe in the ability to understand something with a natural instinct or that the human mind is infused with natural understanding.

Within the essay, Locke wrote:

“Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas; how comes it to be furnished? Whence comes it by that vast store which the busy and boundless fancy man has painted on it with an endless variety? Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this answer, in one word, from Experience.”

In my opinion I agree with what he is saying, I think we are born with a blank slate in terms of our knowledge and our understanding of the world but we were born with these tools, with our senses to help us absorb everything we pick up even if we don’t understand it. This psychologist disagrees with what Locke is saying. As she said,

“we each come into the world with a pre-installed operating system—a particular type of temperament that varies from person to person”- Jennifer Kunst Ph.D.

I found one artist that is related to the Baroque movement but has produced a painting relating to a quote by the philosopher John Locke who I mentioned earlier which is Diego Velázquez and his painting Sibyl with Tabula Rasa (1648). This painting it shows a woman with a tablet. Within medieval Christian tradition, the tablet (tabula rasa) is used to portray with sibyls holding it to prophetesses the warning the Pagan Romans of the coming of Christ. The tabula rasa is blank but sibyls using their gift that God has given them they are able to help warn the Pagan Romans. Sibyls were not born with the gift of prophecy.

I understand what they are both saying and it’s a difficult one but our experiences help building up knowledge and understanding and as artists we use what we have learned and absorbed to throughout our lives to produce art. We were not born with the gift of being a great artist we had to learn and experience from what’s in the world using our senses, touch, taste, smell, hear and sight. Without these we would be lost.

#artandideas

[jessicawonta]

Art and Ideas essay.

Within this piece of writing I am going to be discussing the meaning of Art, ideas, the influences and impact they both have on the world. This piece is going to be from my own perspective and what art and ideas means to me.

The understanding of the term art. When people discuss or think of the meaning Art they just automatically presume fine art, to me fine art creates a boundary, a limitation you have to stay within. People typically think of paintings, drawings and sculptures, but only using certain materials to make the work seem more aesthetic and within that limit. when thinking about Typical pieces of work that I would say represent fine art, I think of the naked sculptures of Goddesses, for example Aphrodite. I only think this because most museums/ art galleries I have been to display this kind of work. It’s quite annoying as a woman because you never really see naked statues of Greek gods, especially during the roman period the Goddesses were very respected and now naked representations of them are in museums. To me Art does not have boundaries, it’s a way of expressing your emotions, yourself and ideas. Using any materials, any machinery, any tools. Your work doesn’t have to be labelled fine art for it to be art, or for every viewer to like, it is simply having the freedom to create whatever you like. People would argue at my view of art, but people all have their own perspective on what they would class as art. The first pieces/mark makings of art date back to the prehistoric times when caveman where around (30,000 B.C to -2500 B.C). Their way of communicating/talking was by drawing inside caves with stones, pebbles, twigs to make drawings and get there point across. This is basically what Artists do now, its starts of as an idea and gets drawn, painted or sculpted to be made as a visual for others to understand. After the prehistorical period then came the Egyptians with their afterlife artwork and tomb paintings (3100 B.C -30 B.C), I find that tomb paintings and caveman paintings are quite similar because of the way its presented on a wall and through symbolism to get the point across, leaving marks for the future to find. From the Egyptians to the Greek mythology time period, I find that this period was hard for normal women as the Goddesses set such a high standard. Back to my point of them being displayed indecent in art museums, there was a man named Acteon Hunter, he was killed by his own hunting dogs for trying to look at Aphrodite naked. so why are there paintings/sculptures of these worshipped goddesses naked? It just doesn’t make sense. Also, this meant that all normal women were frowned upon because they didn’t have these amazing gorgeous model bodies with no pubic hair. From Greek mythology this led to the roman era, this work was still very similar and there wasn’t that much difference except what people believed in and who people respected. As the time goes by this proves that religion, beliefs and the monarchy changed the type of artwork being created. I feel like all of this has made a huge impact on what art is now and the meaning/ peoples perspectives. Without all this history and research, we wouldn’t be moving out of the boundaries of what we think art is, there would be no questioning of what art even is. So as much as Art is a present thing ,it is just as much of a past. Art can have such a huge impact on people and the world we live, it’s the freedom behind art that creates it. As an artist I find it easier to express myself, my thoughts and my emotions through art. The capability to create whatever you want and not being scared of being judged, obviously some people may not like your work and your ideas, but this is where criticism comes into it and how it can actually be a good thing.

The understanding of how ideas shape the world. To me an Idea is a visual thought and then from that you would go on to make notes/a product/ piece of work or research. Everything in the world that is not nature or is naturally produced at one point would have had an idea and concept behind it. This could be a piece of technology to make somebody’s life style easier, this could then link with science and how organs, mechanical legs/arms are being made for people and this would have started off as a small idea and the possibility of it actually working, but that’s a different path to art. Even though it’s not the same subject, art still links in because for something to be created, somebody has sketched a quick idea to show somebody else for it to be created. In an art way all pieces of art have come from an idea and a plan, this could have even been sparked or influenced by another artists work, this happens all of the time because this time period allot of work has already been created or done, so to have your own original piece of work that hasn’t been inspired by anybody is very unlikely. But this is what artists do, we take small bits of inspirations, ideas, colours, themes and whatever you want, combine it all together to create something you feel confident enough to present and talk about correctly.

Discussing the relationship between art and ideas is quite simple, firstly you need an idea to create a piece of artwork. Even if it’s nothing to do with art in a plan there will most likely be drawings done to create a visual of what is going to be made. To create an outcome of a piece of work you have to gather information, come up with an idea, then experiment with the idea so you know it will work. So really an idea is more of an experiment for the success that will come after it.

#ArtandIdeas

[imogenportersart]

What is Art?

What is art? As people will question there is seen to be many different opinions of what it could be. Some people announce it as a communication of feeling, others believe it could be whatever is displayed in a Gallery or Museum as more go on to believe its self-expression. Art has a wide view of meanings from Painting to even Music and Dance. However, if we take into consideration the meaning of ‘Fine Art’ people will often include that with the concept of carefully drawn images and beautifully painted sculptures. Extreme examples a side, every time a new movement in the art industry starts to expand the definition of what is art, what could art be classed becomes challenged. I will discuss the different aspect of theories of Movements and explain my own theory.

Art is an Imitation of an Imitation. Representation, Form and Expression. From the beginning of Plato’s first development of the idea of art as ‘Mimesis’ which according to him he believed all artistic creations were some form of intimidation that which really did exists in the [Worlds of Ideas]. In his theory became religion as he sees it to be ‘created by God’ explaining that in his existence for example the perfect form of the cat, the table and chair this relating to that there is only one copy of these type of forms. Believing God can only create of the same. On another hand, he also perceived a hidden meaning within his cave allegory which included people chained and facing the wall of the cave. The people see only shadows of forms on the wall, projected from a burn of fire behind them. This is the closest the people can come to perceiving. To wrap up an overview of Plato’s thoughts to Art, he simply sees the creation of a good intimidation that has in a way undermined the stability of humans, making them depressed and sorrowful about life itself. And that the clear majority Is down to God. “not to render the visible but to render visible”.

Renaissance Began in the 14th Century which from a different perspective to Plato as they were trying to move away from this thought of religion. They began to look at new ways of describing and thinking about the world and Art. Art began to come to light as they began to re-establish Western Art especially Greek Sculpture and painting. Which Remained unchallenged. Throughout the many artist that carried this theory out. Leonardo Da Vinci impacted on the Renaissance a lot of area of interest varied from Painting to archetypal Renaissance man representing the humanistic values of the period in his Art. Michelangelo and Raphael were also key people to the success of the Renaissance, by encouraging the classical outlook on perfection. There was different views and opinions of what Art really is and these are two prime examples of the different between the two of the many thoughts and acts taken into consideration of Art/’Fine Art’. ‘Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.’

Opinion on Art.

Art is being seen in many different terms, the more movements that have been made from the 17th to the 20th onwards. Was looked at as rationalising people’s thoughts on Art itself. Today people are more open to the thought of expression in art and how it can be seen through the public eye. There has been a massive change in acceptation and appreciation of how Art is viewed and that remains on going throughout the years of the Art industry. This has included Music, Fashion, Dance, Theatre etc… It goes on and on in the form of Art. Art isn’t just perceived as a body of work anymore, From the time of Cave Paintings Which were simple carved in imagery used with blood and sticks, whatever they could find. Early Sculpture which tended to look quite similar in every shape and formation. Cycladic Art not thought out, Egyptian Art details put repetitive etc… we now have something more wonderful and honourable, the viewing of having creativity, Imagination and thought. In an Over view of all the work that is made today it isn’t just alleged to one place example, ‘the wall’, people image now floor space, sound, texture, motion, tone, rhythm. I think the harmony displayed back in the 17-20th was very limited in the sense of thinking outside the box of what Art could produce. Artists today are unique with their own distinct way of revealing a sense of Art and what it can be made of or from, or which category it can fall into or if it even has a category. However, I do think in time people will start to not see the movements as ‘real art’ example the classical art, I think in my opinion people will begin to turn away more and more from the traditional way of looking at art and become more dominant with their own type of style and verification of Art. I think in the future the more Art is explained in different movements and opinions the more people will split from the idea and begin to see it from their own thought and sense. Art is a lot more open and thoughtful now in a sense of creating and performing. Here is a short summary of what I think, I believe that Art is expressed that it can varies from a thought of sense, experience, mental illness, freedom, happiness, and its ways of showing this is assessable through any object, device, place, sound. So, what is Art? Art can be anything and express entirely your chose. How it has overcome and been over whelmed over a period of decays, people still link back to the movements studied then, now. But in all aspect, we are given more freedom to acknowledge the sense of expression and representation in the way we discover Art. ‘Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso, explaining my definition of Art.

#ArtandIdeas

[rachartwork]

Art and Ideas

Art and the ideas behind it have evolved throughout the centuries. The impressions expressed about art have evolved overtime globally. The definition of art has advanced beyond the literal meaning in Western society. Modern art cannot only be recognised as oil paint on canvas anymore, the stretch of possibilities have broadened throughout the years to the point that society is split between its decision on ‘what actually is art?’

Art fashions different opinions whether it should be seen as perhaps traditional painting or to serve a more creative purpose; something believed to be able to connect to the viewer on an emotional foundation. When living in western society, people don’t recognise how much they come into contact with art each day. It all links to the visual communication around us; in both urban and rural environments where things warn and alert us through art practices such as graffiti on walls and photography.

It is impossible to know when art began. One of the first creations that could be familiar with the concept of art is ‘Parietal art’ dating back 40,000 years. Picasso stated “after Altamira, all is decadence”. The Altamira was discovered in Spain, during the 19th century. It was seen as a man’s first way of interpreting the world, even though scientists believed they didn’t have the mental capacity to think like this.

The art around us determines how we interact with society. In early history, people who made paintings were not able to be recognised as ‘artists’.  From the Renaissance onwards was the time when artists were recognised and their work was able to be named. The Author Giorgio Vasari wrote a book entitled ‘The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects’, which helped artists to gain an income for the first time. Painting wasn’t just seen as a ‘craft’ or ‘grace’ anymore proving that people started to recognise art as a professional matter.

“There are beds and there are tables in the world.  You understand the idea of one form from the idea of the other.”- Plato. This Greek philosopher is one of the main academics that helped started the key ideas about art. He saw things as having a ‘third rate appearance’ if it was copied. Greece and Rome were mainly responsible for starting new philosophies which created the thought processes for western civilians. Compared to this, in the East, Alexander the Great generated the concept of Greco-Buddhist art around the 4th century BC. It travelled as far as Japan as a way of spreading new culture. There are ideas that have followed up from this, such as prejudices. An example of this is the Marxist view of visual representations.

The different ideas that started shaping the world proved to society that artists were not producing work in a cultural vacuum. Era’s such as the growth of Christianity, the Renaissance and Romanticism, interpreted the way that artists portrayed their work and shaped the opinions discussed in the culture at the time. Showing that artists had something to be inspired by evidenced how artists were not being formed in this cultural vacuum. It was during the Renaissance period when new inventions such as the printing press and learning about perspective and measurements helped produce perfection according to architects. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were enjoying the idea that the new fashion in art was to be seamless, which lead to the Mona Lisa and the sculpture of David by these two artists respectively. Romanticism was a response to the neoclassicism factor. Artists used this period to show how art can reflect more emotion in their work. Charles Baudelaire was an artist who thought like this as he stated "Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor in exact truth, but in a way of feeling."

Nature and beauty became an eminent topic in the world of art, it gave artists a new purpose to paint which lead to the idea of pantheism. A painting from Casper David Friedrich (The Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog) presented the beauty that was being captured in the paintings during this time. The fact the man was wearing elegant clothes to complete his journey reflected the comfort that he saw in life.

The ideas discussed when observing art work or something creatively produced helps change the interpretation of it. It makes it an interactive piece of art work. Some people prefer the idea that art should be kept to a traditional matter. As previously discussed, the different factors society have faced, such as early Christianity  made the people unable to show different views about topics such as paintings like Leonardo Di Vinci, The Last Supper. Compared to today’s views, society has become very flexible about the way each person thinks. Freedom of speech has allowed verbalisation of opinion.

Still life is one of the main factors that shows the interaction of art and ideas. People have always been obsessed with the ‘ideal body’. Form and shape started to appear in this way when using goddesses as a perfect representation of the human figure. Sculpturers were seen as being controversial artists for making models of the figures as it meant they wanted to portray the Gods differently. In modern day, it has evolved into having the ideal body represented in magazines. “I could have done that” is a response a lot of people say towards modern art. This is another example of how art and ideas cooperate. One example of work that received a controversial response is from San Francisco’s US Museum of Modern Art grew an audience when a teenager left a pair of glasses on the floor. It seemed that they tried to imitate the idea that modern art can be very similar to an object. Gavin Turk’s bin bag sculpture is another example of this. The ideas that speculated around this pair of glasses, something people called ‘genius’ showed how art is always interrelating with society.

The growth of art has become apparent during each stage in history. The idea that artists were only seen as people having a hobby and not getting paid for it compared to the modern day shows the significant importance art has had on society. It developed as people started to recognise that they saw their own critical reflection in paintings. Instead of conversing about the events that were happening at the time in prints and debates, artists had their emotional stance displayed in painted or drawn out compositions. 

#artandideas

[hworthington]

This video links into the question "what is art for" it isn't as depressing as it looks. Well worth a watch .

#artandideas

[wxxatson-blog]

Defining Art

For this blog post in particular i will be looking at what we consider to be art and why we consider it to be art. To my understanding art too its core is a form of expression, as is music, hence why we call music art and musicians artists. If i were to ask the general public what art is to them, doubtedly they wouldn't stretch much further from paintings of fruit bowls and paper Mache. A favoured quote of mine from Jerzy Kosinski is ‘the principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke’. If we are to create a piece of artwork, before we even put pen to paper we are putting ourselves into the art. Weather consciously or subconsciously, you are expressing yourself.

        Defining art past expressing yourself is when it becomes much more chaotic and complex. Many artists throughout history and still today challenge what we consider art to be by stretching to its borders of simplism and complexion. Artwork such as Duchamp's ‘fountain’ is a fantastic example of simplistic art. Although it entails close to no skill, Duchamp's ‘fountain’ is art. It contains the same properties of sculpture and was created with expressive intention (to challenge what we consider art to be). People may not necessarily like his work, but that does not mean it is not considered art.

        Where does the line between what is an object and what is a piece of art/sculpture start and end? To understand what art is, we must understand what makes it art. An object has a purpose. We use that object for whatever reason to assist us throughout life. However a sculptures purpose is to exist. A sculpture has many other properties; to make the viewer feel, think and understand. Although an object can do this too. The only true defining factor between the two, is the subject of existence itself. That is what seperates an object from an artwork.

        Art as a phrase or word, is used to emphasise the way we feel about a topic or a particular aspect of something. For example, golf to some is considered an art form, but to someone who has never played golf it is not. This brings me back to my starting point of art being art when it is expressive and in many ways personal. Art is so varied and widespread that 2 things that are completely different can still fall under the term ‘art’. This is why there is so much controversy over what art is. Humans try to understand, label and categorize everything. We do this because it helps us comprehend the world around us. We refuse to accept other people's views on what art is because our own views are so different.

          To truly deepen our understanding of an artwork we must consider the time and location it was produced in. To define and break down all of this, correlating art is often grouped into ‘movements’ so that art from a particular stretch of time and a similar style can be grouped together. These movements would also run through literature, philosophy and music etc..

        after the advancements of technology such as photography in the early 20th century artists looked for new ways to challenge it through their artwork. From this as well as other creative subjects abstract art was formed thus objectifying the fact that art can only be representational. The abstract movement ‘cubism’ arose bringing with it famous artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Cubism would alter the artwork in a 3D miss shapen way so that the subject is still visible but almost formless. The nineteenth volume (cubism), in the series ‘history of art’ reads

       ‘he is a newly-born putting order into the universe for his own personal use and also to facilitate his relations with his fellow men’.

     This was written in response to the work of Pablo Picasso. The full text looks at how he portrays the world around him through cubism and how people are able to relate to his work. In relation to what is art? Could it be that art is simply how we show people the world through our own eyes? And that's why art is constantly changing. Because so is the world around us.

       The earliest known cave paintings/drawings of animals are at least 35,000 years old from Indonesia. From here we are able to see how art has developed as well as changed alongside the changes in society and culture . People began carving, painting, sculpting and wearing artwork in response to their beliefs of gods and the afterlife which is something we still do to this day. Around the 1500s famous artisans would also be highly skilled mathematicians, scientists and illiterates. ///Sculpting and drawing were key means of understanding and cataloguing information and history at this point in time. To me this raises the question, did art exist at this time? We question what is art now and the variation is overwhelming. Since the 1500s we have discovered radio, television, photography and many other technological advances that replace a lot of the work originally necessary through art.

It would seem, that as the world expands and changes so does art.

          We see art day in day out without recognition, through advertising, TV and even in food. Restaurants organise the way food looks on a plate so it is more appetizing to the consumer. Art itself is embedded so deep into day to day life that we constantly overlook it.

          Defining art could be close to impossible. Not only does it mean different things to different people, but it is a constantly changing ideology that can be grouped and pinpointed with experience, reason and expression. To me it comes down to intention. Without intention anything can be art. A good example of this is when a student ‘Kevin Nguyen’ left a pair of glasses at the San Francisco museum of modern art. The glasses were repeatedly mistaken for an exhibition by the gallery viewers. However, the fact that they were placed there with intention made it ‘art’.

#artandideas

[kayleigh-anneart]

Greek artists perfected balance, body proportions and this was idealism they also built up architectural orders these were Doric, ionic and Corinthian. The art history of the Hellenic era is usually divided into four periods: the Protogeometric, the Geometric, the Archaic and the Classical with sculpture being further divided into Severe Classical, High Classical and Late Classical. The first signs of the artistic nature that defines ancient Greek architecture are seen in the pottery of the Dorian Greeks from the 10th century BC. The art is precisely geometric, and ordered neatly within zones. These skills manifested themselves not only through a millennium of Greek pottery making, but also in the architecture that was to thrive in the 6th century. The major development that occurred was in the growing use of the human figure as the major decorative motif, its mythology, activities and passions were depicted. The development in the depiction of the human form in pottery was accompanied by a similar development in sculpture. The tiny stylized bronzes of the Geometric period gave way to life-sized highly formed representations in the Archaic period. The Classical period was marked by a rapid development towards idealized but increasingly lifelike depictions of gods in human form. Statues were starting to be made of gods within human form and they had to be placed in something therefore temples emerged. A key moment I am going to study is ‘the allegory of the cave’ this was presented by the Greek philosopher Platio in his work titled ‘republic’ this was done to compare the effect of education and the lack of it within our nature. This was described a group of prisoners chained to a wall whom have known that and only that their whole lives. The prisoners watch shadows cast on the wall created by objects passing in front of a fire behind them, they give names to the shadows as the prisoners believe that this is their reality. The prisoners were freed from their chains one day to see the sun and realize that their reality was indeed not what they believed it was. Platio uses the fire behind the prisoners as an analogy for the sun as they cannot see behind it, much like the fire casting shadows on the wall of the cave the human condition is forever attached to what is depicted through senses. We cannot break ourselves of the forms within human conditions just as the prisoners couldn’t escape from their chains and if however, we miraculously escape this bond we would enter another ‘realm’ of which we couldn’t describe. The sun wouldn’t be the sun to someone who has never encountered it before. In the allegory there are many forms of symbolism. The cave represents the world and the prisoners inside represent those who inhabit the world. The chains that prevent the prisoners from leaving portray ignorance- stopping the prisoners from seeing the truth, shadows that were cast represent how people see the present world and the freed prisoner is an emblem of those who see the world for the illusion that it is. I feel Platios theory was internally thought out and has depicted a message that even we can relate to in the modern world. History events and the way of the world is portrayed through different mediums art plays a huge part within this as well as media, written articles and even religion everybody depicts the world as we are taught to and people see it in many ways. It also has a major impact on abstract art in the 20th century. Platio also offered a metaphor about art: there are three beds and three tables. If you ask a carpenter to make one of these he will do so as he has an idea of the use and reason for these objects yet, if you ask a painter to paint a bed or a table he will depict a form of the object and put it onto canvas. This meaning it is a false reality as it has no physical use to come out of it. Platio classed art as an ‘indistinct expression of the truth’. In Greek culture they were also extremely dedicated within the religion aspects this grew from the beliefs of earlier cultures yet unlike the other cultures this was. The mythology of the gods starts with the titans who eventually gave birth to the gods and goddesses of this period. Their names are Zeus, Athena, Hades, Apollo, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Demeter, Artemis, Ares, Hestia, Hermes and Dionysus. They looked up to the gods and goddesses although if they sinned they would come down from their realms and smite them. Beliefs such as this shaped the grounds for Greek art and culture. Statues of goddesses pictured nude and viewed by mortals was highly frowned upon and could have led to death. The body ideal was made by Greek culture depicting statues made with athlete and symmetrical body proportions and the women were perfectly lined slim and very feminine. This depicted a high rate of standards for the mortal body ideal and it even has today, currently body ideal standards are very much still around this involves films, male or female superheroes, magazines and celebrities. development in sculpture. The tiny stylized bronzes of the Geometric period gave way to life-sized highly formed representations in the Archaic period. The Classical period was marked by a rapid development towards Statues that were starting to be made of gods depicting them in a human form and they had to be placed in something - therefore temples emerged. One of the major works within this period is the Parthenon which is a former temple built dedicated to Athena whom the people of Athens considered to be their patron. It is fourteen meters tall and the architects who built this were Phidias, Ictinus and Callicrates. Construction began when the Athenian empire were at the peak of power. There were many temples built for each god and they were mostly in Doric order. There were also the nine muses who were the midi gods of entertainment chores. Calliope-epic poetry, Cilo-muse of history, Erato-muse of lyric poetry, Euterpe-muse of music, Melpomene-muse of tragedy, Polyhymnia- muse of sacred poetry, Terpsichore- muse of dance, Thalia – muse of comedy and Urania- muse of astronomy. We have more Greek culture within this day and age that we know. Museums got their name from the muses and most architectural buildings such as museums, courts and public libraries usually are built with the orders of Doric, ionic or Corinthian.

#artandideas

[tommykdoesthearts]

Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was a period from the 17th to the 19th century when some of the most crucial minds decided to look at the world differently. The Enlightenment thinkers felt they were shaping the world for the better and introduced the importance and significance of disputation. Enlightenment focused on reason, rationality and a more logical life. The Enlightenment required an attempt for humans to understand their place in the natural world based on science rather than religious or spiritual belief. To enlighten something means to shed light on an object, or in this case, make it clear. This suggests that the way of thinking before this movement was dim and unclear until Enlightenment came through with this revolutionary mind-set.

French philosopher and writer Francois-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), better known as Voltaire, was one of the most important thinkers from the Enlightenment movement. He wrote poetry and plays as well as producing historical and philosophical works. Voltaire was often in conflict with the French authorities for his politically controversial pieces of work which resulted in him being imprisoned twice and spending many years in exile. Voltaire was known for being a proponent of Sir Isaac Newton’s work in physics. The reason he was so interested in Newton’s work is because he did not find fault in his speculation as it followed a more logical path and had straight forward answers. However, Voltaire struggled to reason with impractical questions such as the existence of God, objective morality and anything that doesn’t come under tangible speculation. Voltaire is probably best known for his passion for the freedom of speech and famously quoted “I do not agree with a thing you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. I strongly agree with the work of Voltaire, I believe that we should focus more on factual information rather than something that isn’t 100% confirmed. 

The Enlightenment also included Englishmen such as Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704). Hobbes was a political philosopher which means he mainly wrote about government and law. Hobbes was interesting in the way he argued as he looked in to human nature. He believed that humans only thought of themselves and if it suits us, we are willing to hurt people to get what we want. Hobbes also said that all humans are equal because even the strongest man can be killed by anyone when he’s most vulnerable. Philosophers who are interested in government still read Hobbes’ books very careful today as they provide strong points that are just as relevant in today’s society. He said that a world without a government wouldn’t work, it would cause people to fight other resources, you would have to be worried for your safety, there would be no control and there would be no trust. John Locke was a philosopher who influenced the work of Voltaire. Locke’s theories revolved around identities and how we are born without thought meaning all the knowledge we have is directly and only from experiences (trial and error or ‘black slate’ theory). The difference between Hobbes and Locke is that Locke believed the natural world was the common property of all men although any individual can take what they desire by mixing their labour with the natural resources. This proves he was trying to promote a different type of government.

Rococo was an art movement from the 18th century that consists of elegant furniture, small sculptures, wall paintings, tapestry complementing architecture and reliefs. Most Rococo artworks tend to include shell-like curves, and soft/pastel colours. They also seem to have a theme of gardens which links in with Christianity and The Garden of Eden. If you look at the work of Jean Antoine Watteau, you will see the consistent use of a dreamy, almost fictional theme.

Neoclassicism was also a movement in the 18th century that focused on the philosophical uprising throughout the Enlightenment period which consisted of decorative and visual arts, music, literature, theatre and architecture. It was heavily inspired by classical antiquity. English painter Joseph Wright of Derby stands out to me the most as he focuses on the subject matter of science and logical thinking as it attempts to dethrone faith. I particularly like his work “An experiment on a bird in an air pump”. This beautifully detailed oil painting shows a philosopher demonstrating how you can deprive a bird of its oxygen using an air pump. The students or viewers have a mix of emotions, some of them are concerned for the bird but almost all of them allow curiosity and the demand to learn overcome that. I think Wright was trying to portray the growth of dispassionate detachment of the rise of scientific society. What I find most interesting about this piece is his use of light and dark. Most of his paintings include a very dark atmosphere that is strongly illuminated in certain areas; I believe this is supposed to depict the physical (and non-physical) “Enlightenment”. 

“The only gospel we should read is the grand book of nature, written with God’s own hand, and stamped with his own seal.” 

-Voltaire, The Important Examination of Long Bolingbroke (1767). 

What I find fascinating about this quote is the fact Voltaire still speaks of religion as a belief. For someone who is so strong willed and persistent on pushing science (and other answerable topics) to be prioritized he still speaks of religion as a “what if?” possibility. In my opinion Voltaire was the most important role in the Enlightenment movement as his theories and philosophies still apply today and had such a huge impact on the world including modern day attitudes to life. I also think that the Enlightenment was the invention of atheism as it was the most predominant pull from Christianity until Charles Darwin’s evolution theory which took place in the mid-19th century. I also think Enlightenment massively influenced politics as we know it, Hobbes for example thought for the idea of people banding together so that their concerns can be heard by the monarch. Hobbes even devised the term “voice of the people”. This is something we still use today as protests have often proven to be successful and we also vote for our leaders.

#artandideas

[michakristine-blog]

Christian art

“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.” (Albert Einstein) The essential unity of ecclesiastical and secular institution was lost during the 19th century, to the point of senseless hostility. The appreciation of art is certainly a means to ecstasy, and the creation probably the expression of an ecstatic state of mind. Art is, in fact, a necessity to and a product of the spiritual life. The emotion expressed in a work of art springs from the depts. Of man’s spiritual and those even who will hear nothing of expression agree that the spiritual part is profoundly affected by works of art. Art and Religion are, then, two roads by which men escape from circumstance to ecstasy. Between aesthetic and religious rapture there is a family alliance. Art and Religion are means to similar states of mind and if we’re certified to lay aside the science of aesthetics and going behind our emotion and its object, consider what it is in the mind of the artist, that art is a manifestation of the religious sense.

 The most influential theme in art for centuries was that of religion. Nothing has had the impact on the art world that religions has. Many of ancient art works were dedicated to the gods or other religious figures. The statues of the Ancient Egyptians were not just for beauty. Instead, they were representations of the gods and were meant to have significant meaning to the people who saw them. The beginnings of an identifiable Christian art can be traced to the end of the second century and the beginning of the third century. Christian art started after Jesus death in the first century ranging and ending to the fourth century AD. Christianity was integral to European culture, and the life of Christ was understood as an embodiment of Christian teachings. One of the biggest impact on religion was the Enlightenment, religion was an oft-discussed topic of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment marked the rise the idea of Deism, deism teaches that whatever supreme intelligence created and/or organized the cosmos does not intervene in creation. According to deism, God simply wound up the watch of the universe. The natural law, derived from man’s study of nature through the sciences, is what governs morality and human conduct. Religious texts like the Christian Bible are perhaps helpful moral guides but not genuine revelation from God. Enlightenment also became a period of religious tolerance. Throughout the 16th century to the mid 17th, countries across Europe had fought each other to impose their religious beliefs on their opponents. David Hulme 91711-1776) for one believed that a miracle is a violation of the laws of nature. He believed that our evidence for the truth of the Christian religion is less than our evidence for the truth of our senses.

 For centuries religion and art had a close symbiotic relationship. In the 19th century much artists endeavour was sponsored by on the church and nobility and, very few high-profile artists allowed themselves to depict exactly what they wanted to pass on to the world. Paintings with biblical themes flourished particularly during the Renaissance and Baroque period, some the world’s most iconic artworks such as Leonardo di Vinci’s Last Supper, a masterpiece of the Italian High Renaissance and one of the best-known works of Christian art.  The life Christ also offered artists the opportunity to experiment with less conventional subjects without losing institutional prestige and moral weight of Christian themes. Artists attracted to scenes less common in Italian painting forfeited claim to the strongest traditions but gained freedom to pursue independent artistic objectives.

 The rise of Christian art, it was said that if art expresses anything, it expresses an emotion felt from pure form and that which gives pure form its extraordinary significance. Christian art is not an expression of specific Christian emotions, but it was only when men had been roused by Christianity that they began to feel the emotions that express themselves in form. It was Christianity that put Europe into that state of emotional turmoil from which sprang Christian art. For a moment in the sixth century, the flood of enthusiasm seems to have carried to the Eastern world, even the official world off its feet. But Byzantine officials were no fonder of swimming than others. Soon after Justinian’s death the Empire began to divide itself into two camps. Appropriately, religious art was the standard of the popular party, and around that standard the battle raged. “No man,” said Lord Melbourne, “has more respect for the Christian religion than I; but when it comes to dragging in into private life…” At Constantinople they began dragging religion and art too, into the sanctity of private capital. There were people at Constantinople who took art seriously, though in a rather too literary spirit. Side by side with this live art of the Christian movement we shall see a continuous output of work based on the imitation of classical models. Byzantine officials indulged a taste for furniture, giving thereby an unintentional sting to their attack. Like the grandees of the Classical Renaissance, they degraded art, which is a religion to upholstery, a menial trade.

Art does affect the lives of men, it moves no ecstasy, so giving colour and moment to what might be otherwise a rather grey and trivial affair. Art for some makes life worth living. All moral, religious and aesthetic emotions are derived from physical needs, just as political ideas are based on that sociable instinct which is simply the result of a desire to live long and to live in comfort. We obey by-law that forbids us to ride a bicycle on the foot-path, because we see that, in the long run, such a law is conducive to continued and agreeable existence, and for the very similar reasons, says the man of science, we approve of altruistic characters and sublime works of art.

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