Contemporary Art Blog 6

In the early 1960s, America became a great institute for many artists. During this era, many artists were able to express themselves on every view that had. “Pop art” was the big term for this period of time. Pop art was a movement and style that originally came from Europe and moved to the United States. Many artists painted what was “hot” or popular during that time. Many painted war themes or similar topic but did in a style that made it look cartoonish. Some of the great pop artists during that time were Richard Hamilton, Roy Lichenstein, Andy Warhol, and Jasper Johns. This particular painting was created by Jasper Johns.

Jasper Johns was a great foundation for this American movement. Johns’ creations were very simplistic and at the same time it made many people question his ideas. Johns explains, “There may or may not be an idea, and the meaning may just be that the painting exists.” Johns created his own series of symbols. Many of his paintings consisted of flags, maps, and simple numbers.

This particular picture is named 0 through 9. The colors that Jasper Johns used are playful and it is very colorful and bright. The basic colors intermingles with the blended colors is very intriguing. From a distance this painting just looks like colors being sprayed on to a canvas with no unique form. However, when you look closer, it looks like a disoriented number; however, it is a blend of all the numbers. It sort of looks like the perplexed numbers the doctors use at the eye doctor to test your eye vision. People were not used to this style of painting. It was as if the painting had no purpose or meaning. However, Jasper Johns did not always paint to have a meaning; he let the brushstroke be the subject of the painting. The brushstroke of this painting seems to be choppy and loose. The numbers appear to be chaotic and yet defined all at the same time.

I like this painting because of the simplicity and strangeness of it. It is odd to think that basic numbers could have such a complexity to it. The basic blues and reds that are intertwined to make a swirling sensation on the canvas is quite unordinary.

Contemporary Art Blog 5

This piece is called the Immortals Society created by George Grie. This type of art is called Neo-surrealism; this art illustrates the intricate imagery of dreams or the subconscious stage which is combined with unique forms in illogical space. It is very similar to surrealism except the focus is more on fantasy art; it is the “modern surrealism.” This is an example of a photography manipulation form of art.
This painting, when you first glance at it, has a chilling effect on the perceiver. It is very eerie and mysterious. When I first looked at the painting, it looked like a landscape portrait of one of the mountaintops during a cold and chilling winter night. However, as I looked closer you can see that the “clouds” do not resemble the typical clouds. After reading George Grie’s explanation of the painting, I was able to understand completely the entity of the painting.
This passage was written by the creator, George Grie: “Greek Immortals and Their Society. The Greek heroes served society by demonstrating the morals and values of the Immortal Gods in humanistic terms. All Greek heroes had similar characteristics and qualities as human beings. These qualities are an essential part of the hero’s make-up. Without them, the hero would not be able to overcome the challenges that life presented him. Along with specific qualities, Gods always played an important role in the creation of heroes. In fact, many of the hero’s fathers were Gods. Greek heroes shared the human condition of mortality. This quality of mortality made the heroes easier to relate to from a human standpoint. The quest was the heroes right of passage into glory. Every Greek hero needed a quest to become a champion among the Greek people. I believe Peruses is an excellent example of a hero meeting the needs of society by demonstrating qualities that where present in a hero. In the story of Peruses his immortal father was Zeus. Prometheus in Greek religion is one of the Titans and a god of fire. He was a master craftsman and a supreme trickster, and he was associated with the foundation of people. According to legend, Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. In retribution, Zeus created Pandora, who married Prometheus's brother and set free all the evils of the planet. Another story held that Zeus had Prometheus chained to a peak and sent an eagle to consume his liver, which regenerated every night so that he could endure the same torture the next day.”
He talks about how the evil spirits were released into the world. Like I stated earlier, this painting has a cold and eerie vibe to it. The “clouds” are the evil spirits that are damned to this castle, their home, at the top of the coldest, scariest looking mountain. In the middle of the foreground, you can see an American Bald Eagle flying. The eagle is symbolic for many concepts. It represents strength, power and freedom. This eagle in the painting represents the freedom the power the spirits have to roam around the world. I think the usage of colors and the way he intertwines the real images with the computerized images is truly breathtaking, in my own opinion. I think this picture is adds a new edge to surrealism; it not really a dream, but more of a nightmare. It is one of those reoccurring nightmares, which never seem to go away. Overall, I think this picture is unique and I like it.

Contemporary Art Blog 4

This piece was created by the great Spanish artist Salvador Dali. Dali was a major icon for many Surrealism artists. Salvador Dali made the images of the mind come to life; he created made painting as if they were something that came from a dream or even a nightmare. He was influenced by Freud, Cubism, Futurism, and metaphysical art.

This particular piece is called Cinquenta, Tigre Real. This piece has a mixture of so many styles and techniques. In this painting you can find these particular techniques: Cubism, Abstract, and Surrealism. When you first look at this picture, you can easily see the image of the tiger. The orange and red colors contrasted with the black in the background make you feel the emotion in this painting. At first glance you can feel the power and passion that this tiger holds. Perhaps, Dali is portraying that this tiger is the leader of the pack and holds all the strength and stability of his group.

When you look closer into the painting and look at the triangles you can see faces that Dali has painted. There are three faces that our blurred and yet distinct to the viewer at the same time. After seeing this part of the painting, it tells a different story, a different emotion. I see a man that may have so much aggression and possibly hatred or anger that he is holding in. This man has been holding it in for so long when he finally lets it out; his anger is so fierce and intense that it scares those who can see this aggression. Dali uses the squares as his main geometrical figure because the squares are bigger and draw the viewer’s attention right away.

I really like this particular painting because I really like the colors and the way that Dali uses a variety of styles in his piece. I like how he makes it look like cubism but at the same time it is abstract.

Contemporary Art Blog 3

Mark Buku finds most of his inspirations from Western Africa. The usage of bright colors and his brushwork outlines his Cubist trends. Buku comes from a family of artists who also gave him some inspiration. His painting varies across the spectrum of painting; from the one end of realism to the other end of abstraction. Buku says that his paintings are derived from every single emotion he is feeling and they just explode onto his canvas. He doesn’t believe in painting in one certain style because to him, that limits his chance to express himself fully.

This particular painting of Mark Buku’s is called “My Kind of Tunes” which was created in 2007. This painting is catching to the eye because of the vibrant colors and then once you look closer you can see the story in the painting. Buku paints in a cubistic way; all of his figures are tied with some geometrical form. This painting has such a warm and happy glow to it. Each color is invigorating and passionate; with these colors he is trying to explain the emotions of the people that are listening and intrigued by these musicians. It feels like a warm summer day and celebration is in the air; one can tell this by the body language of the figures, all upbeat and perky. The music being played has people dancing in the streets and crying for joy.

What is so interesting about the painting, is at first I did not even realize all of the geometric forms. The blending of colors made me surpass the circles, squares, and polygons at first and all I could see were the happy people. However, each line is part of something and intertwines the figures effortlessly. The two musicians on the left playing their instruments are noticed right away but then you look closer and they are just mere strokes of brush that created a line; a line that is more than just a line, but an instrument. Then the third musicians piano is simply lines floating in the air, however, right away I could see this beautiful keyboard lying across the floor as his fingers glides over them.

I truly like this picture for all the colors and I just love how culturally inspired this painting is. It is truly beautiful in my eyes and it tells a wonderful story.

Contemporary Art Blog 2

Belinda Eaton has developed her artistic view since the late 1970s where she first started at St. Martin’s School of Art in London. Eaton was born in Mombasa and went to school in Spain and London. After that she continued her life New York, France, Pakistan, and in Barcelona. As she traveled through these various cultures, Belinda found some of her painting to be inspired by the people and places she visited. She once said, "My paintings are my world, my fascination for people, plants, animals and colour, how I perceive things with all their energy." Belinda created her own world, “Belinda’s world: This world contained much colour, vivid characters, swirling spaces, uncontained energy that can’t be trapped by the limits of the canvas, images constantly on the move, living life, dancing, drinking, and eating.”

This painting is one of her more recent pieces of art; it was created earlier this year. The name of this picture is “Face III.” Belinda’s collection of artwork consisted of many painting of people and their face and she contorted the human figures sometimes to make them look unusual. Many of her paintings had a human figure paired with some sort of animal or food. This particular picture is very intriguing because the face of this young woman is so delicate and soft. Yet, the vines and flowers on her face that have this turquoise greenish color make it seem a little harsh and intimidating. The soft rosy cheeks of the woman make her seem flustered or scared. When you look into the girls eyes, they seem empty and unfulfilled. As if there is something missing in her life that she is searching for. This woman is constantly probing through life for that missing element and continues to be disappointed. This disappointment keeps growing and growing as time passes and her soul seems to be broken little by little every time she does not find what she is seeking out. It is as if the world around her continues in full speed and she has just slowed down to the point where she just watches the world around her evolve; it is sort of life mother nature as lashed on to her and will not let go.

I do like this painting and this artist’s style. I like Belinda’s recent paintings better than I like her earlier ones. The intenseness of this figure’s eyes is so captivating it holds me and I can’t break the stare for a moment or two. The colors or her face is so realistic it is breathtaking.

Contemporary Art 1

The name of this painting is “Evening Performance.” This painting was created by the artist Jane Crowell. Jane found in her inspiration from the Deep South and from the Native Americans. Spending the majority of her life in Louisiana, she developed a keen eye for the landscapes and the colors of the South. She studied in Texas and became fascinated with the techniques of the Natives. Many of her pieces are pastels on paper as well as oils on a canvas.

This piece captivated me from the moment I saw it. In this particular painting, I felt a sense of tranquility and at the same time I felt like a kid waiting for the shooting stars to come out. I perceived the artist’s mood as calm and collected and that perhaps she was happy at the time of this creation. The tints of blue explain that the night is cool and mellow; however, one must not take away from the red, orange and pink tones. The reddish tones symbolize heat and passion; it is also the color of love. The color white normally means pure and is usually considered a summer color. When the artist mixed all of these colors together it seems to me as if she is trying to portray a story.

To me this artist is representing a life story through her work of art. The darker color around the edges of this picture signifies something gloomy that may have happened in this artist’s life. I have interpreted this story as: Someone close to the artist has recently passed away and that the artist is saddened by the loss of a loved one. However, the brightness in the middle of the painting is telling the other side of her feelings. When one passes there is a moment where people feel pain and misery but then there’s also the feeling of a spiritual uplifting and that’s where the artist paints the lighter colors. The red, white and light blue colors coming down from the clouds can be viewed as the heavens are opening up to the earth to bring the deceased to their new home. The artist may have felt that the death their loved one may have been hard to accept at first but then realized they were in a better place. The lighter blue tints and the reddish tones can represent all the good memories and celebration of that person’s life. The night is not meant to be dark and dreary but it is meant to commemorate the beauty of this person’s soul and life.