A New Perspective

Archibald Motley Jr. did not want to conform to a mold, nor did he wish to paint inside certain expectations, instead he expressed that, “in my paintings I have tried to paint the Negro as I have seen him and as I feel him, in myself without adding or detracting, just being frankly honest.” How we read into what we believe Motley’s painting “Mending Socks,” portrays, however, is entirely up to us as the viewers. If we do not know the artist’s intentions, then we are left to ourselves to ponder over what we want the piece of art to mean to us. In a few cases, however, what the painting is saying speaks out so loudly that we cannot help but take in the artist’s point of view along with our own. Motley made sure that his sentiments growing up as an African-American are portrayed in “Mending Socks,” as he uses his strong background and personal experiences, as well as various artistic techniques, to create a piece that tells a story.

Archibald J. Motley, Jr. used his life and career as an artist to speak to the public about his heritage and the values of his family and race. Motley did not appreciate the role that African-Americans most often took on in paintings, and he felt that, “for many years artists have depicted the Negro as the ignorant southern “darky,” to be portrayed on canvas as something humorous.” Nobody likes to be stereotyped, we all feel as if we are an exception to the rule, and Motley took the stereotypical assumptions of the women of African-American descent and painted them in a new light, in contrast to just showing the plight of the African-American race. As a resident of New Orleans, his goal was to portray the way things really were growing up as an African-American by painting with a heavy conscious of composition, realistic views, color, and lines.

Motley succeeded in this endeavor, and one exceptionally personal painting shows a portrait of his paternal grandmother. Adequately named “Mending Socks,” after the action his grandmother is performing in the portrait, it shows how much love he had for her and the morals she carried with her. “Mending Socks,” showcases a background of personal items, items that tell a story about who the woman in the portrait is, which in turn makes her more real to the viewer, regardless of race. The table is one that may be found in any of our homes, with commonplace items such as books and a bowl of fruit. The crucifix on the wall behind her head is a constant reminder of her faith, and also perhaps of the days of slavery gone by.Items of recognition hang in the background of Motley’s Mending Socks painting, especially recognizable to those of us from the South, with our deeply embedded values of religion, family, and food. These are the things we find important as a region, and Motley keeps this in mind as he places them in the painting. They are items we can relate to, and can picture in our own grandmother’s home, whatever background we come from.

By painting these things in a unique perspective, Motley succeeds in making the subject of the portrait more real to us. The viewer feels a connection to her and therefore is more likely to admit that she is not the stereotypical black woman. Motley feels that by raising this question, he can also raise the question of whether there really is an accurate stereotype. If his grandmother, a proud African-American woman does not fit it, who does?Motley paints using a technique of employing sympathy in his viewers to draw them in to the painting initially. By adding a personal touch, he is allowing the viewer to put the painting in perspective and realize that the portrait of the woman could be almost anyone’s grandmother, performing an everyday task.

The personal objects are not put painted into the limelight, but he does not try to subdue them either. The viewer’s eye is casually drawn around the room after first examining the small, elderly woman in the foreground.The composition of these symbolic items, and their placement in the background of the portrait, keeps the focus on the grandmother in the foreground and gradually draws the viewer’s vision to her surrounding keepsakes. After looking at her, the eye is slowly drawn towards the left and rests upon the large table there. Finally, the viewer’s sight returns full circle as it is drawn towards the door and then at last back towards the woman.

Upon first viewing the painting, it is possible not to even notice the socks on her lap due to their insignificant placement. However, after a second look, one can see where the painting gets its name.The colors that Motley chose to use are for the most part neutral, with variations of white, brown, green, and blue. Perhaps the most outstanding object is the woman’s shawl, as it is orange and contrasts with the beige background behind her. Motley’s choice of color for his grandmother’s shawl may be based on truth, as this could be a favorite article of clothing.

The lines that Motley uses in creating the painting are very obvious and adequately succeed in making the woman look aged and slightly tired. The edges of the walls, the wood grain in the door, and the rocking chair in which she sits are all comprised of very straight edge lines. By painting his grandmother slightly stooped over, with a curving back and downward face, he is showing her age and the way life has taken its toll on her.Also contributing to and affecting the way in which a person observes the painting is the slight imbalance of the painting. The woman looks so small and frail compared to the sturdy and strong-looking table to her left that at first it almost seems as if you are trying to look at too many things at once. The size of the table’s objects are in proportion to the size of the table itself, demanding the viewer to examine them as well as the woman.

Motley, Jr. succeeds in this painting at creating a piece of art that is unique from others that feature African-Americans. Much of African-American art concentrates on the hardships African-Americans have faced, including slavery and the slave trade. Motley, however, uses a variety of painting techniques to push the viewer to realize how dignified growing old and being of African-American descent has the potential to be.

http://www.ackland.org/art/collection/contemporary/58.1.2801.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Motley

A New Look at the Past

“Middle Passage: Voyage through death to life upon these shores,” a poem written by Robert Hayden embodies the message of Moyo Okediji’s “The Dutchman.” Visiting the Ackland Art Museuem, this painting stood out among the collections. At first glance, the painting appears to be a mass of different shapes because of its vibrant colors, however after further observation I felt a connection with the artwork by Okediji’s attention to detail. Closely examining the piece, bodies placed in different manners are recognized. Okediji portrays the misery faced by Africans who journeyed the Mid-Atlantic Trade.

Just as the colors overlap each other in the painting, so do the African bodies. Okediji depicts how Africans were intertwined and one body could not be distinguished from the other. However, the bottom of the painting shows two people on their backs and it appears their drowning. These bodies are interpreted as drowning in the Atlantic. Also, Okediji shows Africans being taken from their motherland, and end up drowning in uncertainty. The bottom left corner reveals two fish licking the Africans. Looking closely, it is clear that the fish have teeth which represent how Africans are bait to potential buyers as Dutchmen offer up Africans to the highest price.

The “Dutchman” at first glance looks like a collage of ripped paper. Once people take a step back these several layers form a story. One can see people who appear to be drowning in an endless sea. The mixture of warm and cool colors such as purple, blue, orange, and red show the contrast of how Africans felt on their journey to a new world. Okediji use the warm colors, such as red, to depict the anger felt by the Africans for being removed from home. Also, show the struggle the Dutchmen faced when confronting the Africans, which is clearly seen as the warm colors are spread out in representation of the aftermath of a battle. The cool colors, however, cover most of the painting to show the sorrow the Africans felt from leaving their home. Although the cool colors, even, show the peace felt for those that do not make the journey to America. In the mist of the bodies laid out across the artwork in the top left corner two white men whose backs where turned away from the chaos that is depicted. Okediji proves in this painting that even the “Dutchman” knew what they are doing as wrong.

Okediji keeps the painting interesting because each time a person looks at the painting one can find new images that can create a new story. As mention beforehand, when looking at the picture from away it appears to be random shapes and curves. However with the bright colors: yellow, blue, orange, red, purple, give the artwork motion. Once the person realizes the many faces pointing at different directions show a transition from one place to another. Many of the African faces are looking toward the left away from the Dutchmen. Okediji wants to display the grief of leaving the familiar for the unknown and the longing to return back to Africa. At the same time, the two Dutchmen, previously located; are facing towards the right. Okediji depicts the conscious blindness Europeans had to be unaware of the pain that they caused a whole race of people. Also, show they have an idea that what they are doing is wrong, but do not want to look in the faces of the people they are hurting.

People would argue that Okediji can not relate to the idea of having ancestors sent across the world. Even though Okediji originates from Nigeria, his visit to the United States and growing up as African led him to paint the “Dutchman.” He may not have ancestors that where forced to be slaves in a new world, however, he did have to grow up with stories of tribes turning against each other and helping the Europeans capture Africans and for them into servitude. These stories and the stories he heard while in America constitute for the overlapping affect of his artwork. The “Dutchman” shows that the hurt is the same for the Africans who left and the Africans who where left behind. Okediji clearly shows that pain caused from the Middle Passage is universal because both African-Americans and Africans lost a piece of their identity.

The entire painting has curvilinear lines that help depict the lost identity. By not having any straight lines in the artwork the audience does not have a certain object to focus on. Okediji shows what Europeans wanted when they brought slaves to the ‘new world’ because no one could identify with these people, which made them unknown and not even human. Also, the curvilinear lines display the constant trip Europeans made across the Atlantic Ocean to bring slaves to America. This contributes to “The Dutchman” to appear to be in motion bring it to life. Okediji even uses this wave-like motion to show the uncertainty of a slave’s life. A slave is constantly being sold and/or beaten, so a slave will either die or never call a place home. Okediji uses the curvilinear lines to further express heartache and sorrow that slaves constantly felt from the moment they where placed on a boat.

Moyo Okediji used Robert Hayden’s poem as inspiration for the creation of ‘The Dutchman.” Okediji creates a masterpiece that allows people to come to their own observation. Through the use of different artistic tools, the audience receives a never ending story that does not allow people to forget the turmoil slaves faced on their voyage to America.
“Middle Passage: Voyage through death to life upon these shores,” a poem written by Robert Hayden embodies the message of Moyo Okediji’s “The Dutchman.” Visiting the Ackland Art Museuem, this painting stood out among the collections. At first glance, the painting appears to be a mass of different shapes because of its vibrant colors, however after further observation I felt a connection with the artwork by Okediji’s attention to detail. Closely examining the piece, bodies placed in different manners are recognized. Okediji portrays the misery faced by Africans who journeyed the Mid-Atlantic Trade.

Just as the colors overlap each other in the painting, so do the African bodies. Okediji depicts how Africans were intertwined and one body could not be distinguished from the other. However, the bottom of the painting shows two people on their backs and it appears their drowning. These bodies are interpreted as drowning in the Atlantic. Also, Okediji shows Africans being taken from their motherland, and end up drowning in uncertainty. The bottom left corner reveals two fish licking the Africans. Looking closely, it is clear that the fish have teeth which represent how Africans are bait to potential buyers as Dutchmen offer up Africans to the highest price.

The “Dutchman” at first glance looks like a collage of ripped paper. Once people take a step back these several layers form a story. One can see people who appear to be drowning in an endless sea. The mixture of warm and cool colors such as purple, blue, orange, and red show the contrast of how Africans felt on their journey to a new world. Okediji use the warm colors, such as red, to depict the anger felt by the Africans for being removed from home. Also, show the struggle the Dutchmen faced when confronting the Africans, which is clearly seen as the warm colors are spread out in representation of the aftermath of a battle. The cool colors, however, cover most of the painting to show the sorrow the Africans felt from leaving their home. Although the cool colors, even, show the peace felt for those that do not make the journey to America. In the mist of the bodies laid out across the artwork in the top left corner two white men whose backs where turned away from the chaos that is depicted. Okediji proves in this painting that even the “Dutchman” knew what they are doing as wrong.
Okediji keeps the painting interesting because each time a person looks at the painting one can find new images that can create a new story. As mention beforehand, when looking at the picture from away it appears to be random shapes and curves. However with the bright colors: yellow, blue, orange, red, purple, give the artwork motion. Once the person realizes the many faces pointing at different directions show a transition from one place to another. Many of the African faces are looking toward the left away from the Dutchmen. Okediji wants to display the grief of leaving the familiar for the unknown and the longing to return back to Africa. At the same time, the two Dutchmen, previously located; are facing towards the right. Okediji depicts the conscious blindness Europeans had to be unaware of the pain that they caused a whole race of people. Also, show they have an idea that what they are doing is wrong, but do not want to look in the faces of the people they are hurting.

People would argue that Okediji can not relate to the idea of having ancestors sent across the world. Even though Okediji originates from Nigeria, his visit to the United States and growing up as African led him to paint the “Dutchman.” He may not have ancestors that where forced to be slaves in a new world, however, he did have to grow up with stories of tribes turning against each other and helping the Europeans capture Africans and for them into servitude. These stories and the stories he heard while in America constitute for the overlapping affect of his artwork. The “Dutchman” shows that the hurt is the same for the Africans who left and the Africans who where left behind. Okediji clearly shows that pain caused from the Middle Passage is universal because both African-Americans and Africans lost a piece of their identity.

The entire painting has curvilinear lines that help depict the lost identity. By not having any straight lines in the artwork the audience does not have a certain object to focus on. Okediji shows what Europeans wanted when they brought slaves to the ‘new world’ because no one could identify with these people, which made them unknown and not even human. Also, the curvilinear lines display the constant trip Europeans made across the Atlantic Ocean to bring slaves to America. This contributes to “The Dutchman” to appear to be in motion bring it to life. Okediji even uses this wave-like motion to show the uncertainty of a slave’s life. A slave is constantly being sold and/or beaten, so a slave will either die or never call a place home. Okediji uses the curvilinear lines to further express heartache and sorrow that slaves constantly felt from the moment they where placed on a boat.

Moyo Okediji used Robert Hayden’s poem as inspiration for the creation of ‘The Dutchman.” Okediji creates a masterpiece that allows people to come to their own observation. Through the use of different artistic tools, the audience receives a never ending story that does not allow people to forget the turmoil slaves faced on their voyage to America.

Experiencing a culture with a painful past...

When Rose Piper spent time traveling the American South, she had no idea how much cultural inspiration she would gather. Discovering new types of jazz music and experiencing another type of food in Louisiana allowed her to gather a collective understanding of the south’s uniqueness. After immersing herself culturally, she created “Slow Down Freight Train,” her most well-known work. Characterized by a folk song entitled “Freight Train Blues,” by Trixie Smith, one can find Piper’s inspiration for this painting from the long struggle of southern African-Americans. Piper uses modern styles, such as cubism, to depict the pain and story of the Great Migration.

The Great Migration of 1913 occurred when the Jim Crow south provided scarce opportunity for African-Americans. Many males began moving to the industrial north, searching for low end factory jobs and setting up a new life so that their wife and family could join them later. When later never happened, several families experienced pain even though the men had joined an unknown world in hopes of a fresh start. In “Slow Down Freight Train,” a man sits on the edge of a cargo car looking back. Head tilted back to show pain, he could be looking back towards home or towards God but regardless, one can tell he has left somewhere he loves. The pain shows the sting upon reality, and “Piper says that the title of her painting is “...a women's plea for the train to slow down so that she might go along with her man” (Ackland.org).

The African American experience is the inspiration for thousands of paintings and artwork. The rich history is one of pain, strength, and willpower. Piper’s work reflects cubism, “which is a painting of a normal scene but painted so that it is viewed from multiple views while the positions of some of the parts are rotated or moved so that it is odd looking and scrambled” (wikipedia.com). It is a modern technique that was popular in France from 1907 to 1914 where artists use geometric shapes and odd patterns to create depth to their artwork (wikipedia.com). Usually, there are pieces with different meanings that come together to form a bigger idea. It is also said about cubism that, “instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context” (wikipedia.com).

"Slow Down Freight Train" appears simple at first, but as one continues to delve into the meaning of Piper’s piece, one can easily see that it is abstract and deeply rooted. There is the African American man, the train, and the fields with telephone lines. One can easily see that the man represents struggle and a sense of unknowing. The train represents his passage to a new world and a new start. And I believe the fields with telephone lines are the most meaningful parts of the painting, because they represent his connection to home, a connection to where he has been and came from. It is certainly most important in one’s life that they never forget where they come from because then they essentially forget who they are. It is obvious to me that the African American experience is the big idea of this painting. As we know from Piper’s background and the background of cubism, her paintings are a reflection of her experience and style. By traveling through the American South during the 1940’s she gathered knowledge on exactly what African Americans were going through. Piper states, "...powerful passions and anguished recollections of the black experience. The abstraction of the human figure...arises out of a single moment of heightened expression. The attenuated form suggests the essence of longing” (Ackland.org). I think her depiction of this in Slow Down Freight Train, while only containing one man, says extensive amounts about what people were really looking for in a world torn by depression.

By using a contrast of curvilinear lines and warm colors, Piper presents a story; a story known by many, especially those living during that period. One would think that to convey sadness Piper would use a cool color scheme of blues and purples; yet, she paints with reds and yellows. This could symbolize the hope that a new start brings to families. The African American is wearing a red shirt, which is not typical dress during that period. According to Wikipedia red symbolizes anger, death, blood, passion and love (wikipedia.com). Many of those aspects such as anger, death, and love can be associated with the man in this work. Anger is reflected by those he is leaving, death by the possibility that his dream may die in the North and love because he is doing this for the love of his family. The picture can certainly be seen as having caricaturist features, but I believe this is the result of the modernistic, curvilinear approach.
Even at first glance, one can tell that this piece of art has a story deeply rooted in southern America. When I asked another student here at Carolina what they saw when they looked at this picture, they replied “it seems like the man is in pain and looks as if he is leaving something he loves.” There is no way for every person to understand what people in this situation had to go through, but Rose Piper certainly gives us a glance and evokes an emotion and attachment in the viewer. The African American experience translates such a powerful emotion, especially in those who are involved. Rose Piper’s "Slow Down Freight Train" certainly gives us a single glimpse of the past with a combination of modern art and old history. It is my belief that when you actually take the time to look into the meaning of a painting that you will feel satisfied afterwards and Piper certainly leaves us with a feeling that we have gained experience and understanding through her interpretation of the Great Migration.

A Deeper Look...

In search of a painting that interested me in the Ackland Art Museum, I found myself lingering for quite some time looking at a piece by Moyo Okediji. At first glance my eyes noticed the sorrowful face of an African American body in the middle of the painting and I felt the sadness and sympathy that Okediji may have felt as he tried to reflect the troubles of African American slaves. From this painting, The Dutchman, Moyo Okediji; a Nigerian born African American, expresses his feelings of the treatment of the African –American race through the prominent use of cool and warm colors, and curvilinear lines. Robert Hayden’s poem about the Atlantic slave trade entitled Middle Passage helped inspire Okediji to convey his connection to the enslaved African Americans through his painting.

The Dutchman contains a great deal of passion and turmoil. Okediji chose to show how the Africans endured the harsh journey from Africa to the United States just to become enslaved. Since Okediji grew up in Africa, one must assume that he feels compassion and distress for these Africans who were forced to make this long journey. In order to depict the commotion and uproar as the Dutchman shoved Africans onto a strange ship, Okediji used curvilinear lines. The curving lines and edges of the painting suggest a misguidance of some sort. The uncertainty of the slaves’ journey across the Middle Passage left them confused, as they headed towards a cruel death. At the same time the curvy lines represent the Atlantic Ocean that carries the traveling slaves. As the lines cover the whole painting, it suggests the constant tossing and turning of waves.

By continuing the curving lines across the bodies of the people in the painting Okediji is trying to make a point that the life of a slave was not held in high regard. If one somehow fell from the boat into the ocean no one rushed to save them or even realized that they had gone missing. He is suggesting to us as viewers that the life of a human being should never be taken for granted, or just washed away amongst the waves. Not only are curvilinear lines incorporated throughout the whole painting but in depicting the actual slaves Okediji used them as well. The mouths on the faces of the slave bodies are open and curved inward, suggesting a distressed cry being released from the mouth. The slaves are crying out for someone to save them but all around them is only ocean and the white man who remains their captor.

In drawing the hands of the slaves Okediji left them curved and open also. The most obvious depiction of this is the slave in the middle of the painting whose hands are open and outstretched as if he is reaching for the shore or a way off the horrible ship. Up in the top left corner of his painting Okediji placed another human figure wearing a curved hat on top of his head. He holds a pipe in his mouth and unlike the curved mouths of the slaves his expression remains stern. Here Okediji is trying to represent the white man, or “Dutchman” who is enslaving the passengers of The Middle Passage. Since he does not use curved lines in the expressions of the white man one assumes that the figure is unyielding and severe. In this way, Okediji reveals his sympathy for his long ago ancestors who were under the control of these men and could do nothing about it. By using curvilinear lines Okediji was able to expand upon his feelings for the slaves journeying on the Middle Passage and gain sorrow from the viewer.

In addition to the use of curving lines, and probably most important of all, Okediji incorporated a mix of warm and cool colors into his depiction of the slaves’ journey on the Middle Passage. At first glance, striking hues of blue hit the observer’s eyes. Blue, a cool color, holds duel signification in Okediji’s painting. To some, the color blue splashed across the canvas can suggest once more the Atlantic Ocean, upon which the slaves were traveling. By using different hues of blue, both dark and light, Okediji suggests the clear, blue sky above the ship and the dark, foreboding ocean below it. To the slaves, the clear, blue sky probably looked like freedom while the murky ocean symbolized death. Referring again to the slave depicted in the middle of the painting, his hands are outstretched into a light blue area of the painting, or in my eyes the sky of the painting. The slave is searching for freedom and looking to the heavens for someone to save him. The blue incorporated in the painting also refers to the African music sung by almost all slaves. The pain and sorrow at the heart of these songs later turned into “blues” music that we know of today. In this way, Okediji is reconnecting his ancestors to modern day African Americans who have not forgotten their sorrowful blues tunes.

In order to depict the troubles of the slaves on the Middle Passage Okediji also used warm colors in The Dutchman. Observing closely, the viewer can see that the background of Okediji’s painting consists of yellow-orange patterns. Among the pattern there are different shapes and the pattern looks like something one would recognize as being made in Africa. African paintings and different pieces of artwork often have patterns like this on their surface and including this as the background suggests what the slaves were leaving behind upon making their journey. Only small spots of the pattern can be seen and this reveals the fact that as the slaves traveled further and further away their country stayed further and further behind them. Once they were with the white man the culture of the slaves would be blotted out and replaced by the white mans’ culture. In his painting Okediji suggests this by covering up the African pattern with the cool colors that suggest the “ocean” or the “blues.” Throughout the painting there also seems to be hints of reddish-orange. To me this signifies blood from the slaves when they were whipped and tortured by their captors. It is known from Hayden’s poem, The Middle Passage that the middle passage was a “voyage through death to life upon these shores,” meaning that the slaves who did not die during the journey were most likely meeting their end once on the shore.

Overall, Moyo Okediji’s painting The Dutchman is inspiring yet sad. By basing it on Hayden’s poem about The Middle Passage Okediji is trying to make society more aware of the horrors and difficulties that slaves were forced into during the journey across the Atlantic. His use of curvilinear lines and mix of cool and warm colors signify many of these horrors and when one takes a deeper look at his painting there are a variety of other symbols within that have deeper meanings.

The Affect of Change...

Georgia O’Keefe, like Monet painted landscapes and captured the beauty of still lifes. Though her style is unlike that of Monet, she developed a stark individualism through her artwork. She once said, “I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are not aware of their own individuality, I can see myself, and it has helped me to say what I want to say in paint.” While O’Keefe’s work contrasted that of the abstract expressionists of her time period, many loved her simple ideas and often feminist approach. Although some believe that one should look strictly at an artists’ work, it is also necessary to look at their lives to see their inspiration.

In an article from the New York Times, Jed Perl addresses an author’s biography on O’Keefe by arguing that a student should concentrate strictly on the meaning of an artists’ painting. Yet one can certainly see that once O’Keefe moved to New Mexico, her paintings reflected her love of the land there. We see in O’Keefe’s early works still-lifes of the cities and places she lived. It is quite obvious O’Keefe drew inspiration from her surroundings and beliefs. Her strong feminist opinions are certainly reflected in her flower paintings like Petunia, Pansy, Iris, and Iris, which are for what she is most known. She began her “flower phase” the winter after she pressed into marrying Stieglitz. “As Hunter Drohojowska-Philp makes clear in her biography, O'Keeffe was exceedingly sensitive to her shifting critical fortunes” (Perl, 1). Perl’s thesis seems to be that Drohojowska-Philp gets bogged down in the personal accounts and affairs of O’Keefe’s life and never really seems to focus directly on her artwork (Perl, 1). While I have not read Philp’s account of O’Keefe’s life, I can say that it is my opinion that an artist’s life and background plays a major part in assessing their artwork. Although, Perl may be correct in his review of this particular book and Philp’s account may be horrible, Perl comes across as believing an artist’s experiences (affairs, marriage, life after the death of a spouse), did not affect the paintings of Georgia O’Keefe.

“Artistic invention and psychological self-invention were so tightly lashed together that the biographer who attempts to separate them runs the risk of diminishing the artist” (Perl, 2). It is obvious that Perl thinks O’Keefe’s imagery came from within herself and “psychological self-invention,” that her experiences never altered her state of psyche. Most people interpret her paintings as a portrayal of women’s sexuality. “Yet O'Keeffe clearly understood that her studies of growth and decay -- the luxuriant flowers, the parched bones, the canyons with their geological layerings and wind- and water-shaped rocks -- were reflections of her own evolution” (Perl, 2). To assess O’Keefe’s feelings while she painted each textured piece of art seems unfair, but since art is left up to one’s own interpretation it is only fair that we take into account the entirety of people’s assessments. It is obvious to me that O’Keefe’s husbands’ affair with a younger, well-to-do women, Dorothy Norman, could have been the spawn of her professed and expressed feminism, appearing in her paintings of flora; however, we do not know for sure. We can also see that when O’Keefe moved to New Mexico after her husband’s death her inspiration was shifted to the New Mexican landscapes (Ranchos Church, Ramshead with Hollyhock, and View from My Studio). “The work is mythologized autobiography, and a biographer like Drohojowska-Philp, who examines the life behind the fantasy, can leave us feeling that the artist has been sadly diminished” (Perl, 3). To say that exploring inspiration for artwork by looking at an artist’s life is diminishing seems a bit harsh. We have to explore all the possibilities of an artists’ inspiration to become fully aware of who they are and why they are painting.

The beauty of art lies in interpretation, but sometimes we delve so far into an artists work that we miss the true beauty. We, as observers, will never fully grasp the entire meaning of a painting, but we do try. It is for certain, in my opinion, that an artists’ life is a strong basis for their work. While Perl believed it “diminished” who the artist was, I believe it helps us understand. Either way, O’Keefe’s artwork is some of my favorite and her real idealism captures the world in which she lived through paintings with beautiful chromatic technique.

Works Cited:

Perl, Jed. "Flower Power." The New York Times 26 Sep. 2004: 1-3. The New York Times Previous Papers. Meredith Cook. Retrieval 9 Apr. 2007 .

Michelangelo the Storyteller?

In the article, Michelangelo’s Crescendo Communicating the Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Peter Gillgren, he asks the question of why Michelangelo’s work did not receive attention from art historians in the past. Gillgren shows that some historians like Hienrich Wölfflin believe that Michelangelo changed his style of painting after seeing what he had done to make the scenes more unified. This led to each scene to have larger figures of human beings. However as Gillgren shows, Michelangelo’s purpose for the figures in the Sistine Chapel starting small and ending big is to show the millions of sinners that come to worship Christ, as they witness God’s work from the beginning.

Michelangelo did a fresco style on the ceiling with cool colors to create a mood of relaxation. The use of blues and greens has a subtle impact as observers walk in the Sistine Chapel. They feel engulf in a serene world of peace which in fact is how people should be when they come into the house of the Lord.

Gillgren supports the idea that Michelangelo had a plan when started painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The idea of painting the ceiling was brought up in 1506, but Michelangelo did not get the contract till 1508. During that time Michelangelo thought about how he was going to design the ceiling, as reported there is “a sketch for the cartoon-head of Haman,” (Gillgren, 210). One idea that supports Michelangelo’s crescendo in iconology as it relates to theological ideas. Charles de Tolnay states: ‘”the spectator advancing from the main entrance toward the altar experiences from history to history a gradual ascension: freed from his bodily prison he leaves his earthly existence and attains a state of absolute freedom in infinity. The divine origin of the human soul becomes manifest,”’ (Gillgren, 211). So, when a person makes his way to the altar he is reminded how life is created and the awesome power of God.

As people enter the chapel the first scene, they notice is Noah’s sorrow. Michelangelo shows that all people come into the Lord’s house with some sin or pain they are trying to wipe away from their life. Therefore, the scene represents having to face God, which is extremely religious and biblical in context. As worshippers and observers make their way to the altar, the images show less action and take one back to the beginning of time. Once at the altar people witness the painting of the creation of Adam. I believe Michelangelo did this to show that we may all come into the house of the Lord together but in the end we must face our creator (God) alone. The ceiling starts out with several scenes and ends with Adam and God in an intimate relationship. This proves that Michelangelo wanted people to feel inspired by God, as was he, when walking through the Sistine Chapel.

Michelangelo created a masterpiece for all to marvel at. He wanted to create a place where people did not feel intimidated when they came to worship and he accomplished his goal. Michelangelo saw that paintings are another way for people to learn about the great stories in the bible. That is part of the reason why the Sistine Chapel Ceiling is looked at so much, beyond Michelangelo’s creative genius.

Works Cited

Gillgren, Peter. Michelangelo’s Crescendo Communicating the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a713788718

Agree To Disagree?

Upon seeing an art exhibit featuring Monet’s work along with two other artists, Adrian Lewis, an art critic, felt she had a grasp on what the exhibitionist intended for the showcase of Monet’s work. Lewis indicates that the aspect of light found in all three paintings in the exhibition tie them together for, “this device indicates the plot underlying the exhibition’s premise: that an impelling evolution connects stylistically three oeuvres in which light itself struggles to break free.” In disagreement with this statement, I find that Monet’s works are hardly struggling to evoke the feeling of light and radiance emitting from them, to the contrary, his paintings are the epitome of the use of light and perspective in art.

Lewis’s statement is hard to fathom, as many of Monet’s paintings are focused on one central aspect: light. The light found in Monet’s works is hardly struggling to break free, in fact, in many of his landscapes the light is what draws the viewer in to begin with. Monet’s painting, Impression, Sunrise lent its name to the Impressionist movement, a movement which is characterized by intense lighting and unique perspectives.

Monet’s landscapes of the scenic views from around his French home all have a variation of the light theme in common. Far from trying to suppress a light and airy feel to his paintings, Monet once remarked that he, “wished to paint the air.” It is hard to argue against the artist’s intentions. Even though many critics take it upon themselves to interpret works of art, what the artist meant while painting the piece ultimately produces what is accepted as the true meaning. Furthermore, Monet utilized other techniques to draw in viewers, such as putting unique perceptions on different landscapes, and not by relying on a dark and suppressing style of painting which was utilized by many of his contemporaries.

For proof of this light suppression, Lewis points to the fog found in several of Monet’s paintings. The fog, however, is not representative to a suppression of light. In contrast, it allows the viewer to look even more closely at the painting in recognition of the objects. Monet’s use of fog generally came into focus when he painted the lakes and other small ponds around his home, which are landscapes that it would be hard to admit that a sense of dreariness did not abide.

Also in these paintings, however, Monet may paint the sky and general upper half of the painting much darker than the actual body of water itself. In Monet’s painting, Water Lilies, the water lilies themselves seem to be radiating light throughout the rest of the landscape.

One of Monet’s favorite subjects, sunrises, can hardly be noted as not having enough light. A sunrise is the shedding of light on all things, and Monet painted them liberally, with warm colors. He did not shy away from having to shed light on things, in fact, he embraced it.

Monet’s paintings can hardly be classified as lifeless and dull. To the contrary, Monet was a founder of the Impressionist movement, and began the movement’s traditions of focusing on intense lighting. His use of light is unique, because by playing around with it, Monet was able to give the viewer totally separate vantage points to look at and understand his works. By taking away Monet’s light, it would be in effect taking away his work.

Total Shit or Total Masterpiece??

Much controversy surrounds artist Chris Ofili and his depiction of The Holy Virgin Mary. Representing the Virgin Mary as a black woman having elephant dung on her breast and cut outs of genitalia from pornographic magazines floating in the background, Ofili’s painting obviously invites criticism. The public gladly accepts this invitation as criticism of Ofili’s contemporary work can be found everywhere. Jerry Saltz, author of “Chris Ofili’s Holy Virgin Mary,” an article on artnet.com, criticizes Ofili’s painting saying it is “not his best painting,” and does not seem to understand Ofili’s reasoning behind the unusual depiction. However, in my opinion while Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary is very unusual and somewhat repulsive it is one of his best pieces and the iconography he uses has actual meaning behind it.

Upon first glance at The Holy Virgin Mary the viewer realizes that the artist has represented the Virgin Mary with a black woman. Saltz states in his article that this face has “almost always and only been white.” While this is true, I feel that Ofili depicted the Virgin Mary as African-American because he wanted to address the fact that there is no proof that the Virgin Mary was in fact white. Ofili himself, being a black man is embracing his heritage with his painting and showing pride in his race. Saltz also criticizes Ofili’s work saying that he is mixing the sacred with the profane with his use of pornographic images and elephant dung. However, according to Sean Redmond of the Brooklyn Museum of Art elephant dung is an African fertility symbol, giving Virgin Mary the aspects of a fertility goddess. I feel that this shows creativity in the work of Ofili because it requires the viewer to see unusual objects through the eyes of another culture instead of merely taking the painting at face value. Criticizing Ofili’s painting further, Saltz argues that Ofili paints in a loopy, cartoonish, semiabstract style, as if the viewer is in a dream. In my opinion, Saltz is not viewing Ofili’s work in the correct way. Ofili’s style of painting incorporates three layers of different painting techniques with collages and three dimensional elements. The background of the painting is yellowish-orange while the forefront is blue and green. This layering of cool colors on top of warm colors does not appear to be “cartoonish” at all. Since the Virgin Mary is painted in light colors set on a warmer background it is easy to see what Ofili wants the viewer to focus on. Often in cartoon drawings the main focus or character appears to be washed out, or blends with the background, and I don’t see this happening in his painting. At the end of his article Saltz again criticizes Ofili claiming that this painting begins an “uneven phase of his work” where he abandons his decorative all-over wild style for specific images. To me Ofili has done exactly the opposite in this painting. He seems to have embraced his decorative style by splashing icons across the canvas and representing the main focus as a collage. Using a collage reveals his ability to bring different shapes or colors together to create one picture, and this is how the image of the Virgin Mary is seen.

To sum up my disagreement with the critics of Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary, I feel that his painting was very unique and took much creativity to come up with. Unlike Saltz, who does not seem to find a deep meaning to any part of Ofili’s painting I found that there are many symbols in his work that require further observation. This conclusion could be the case with many works of contemporary artists and maybe we should all take a deeper look before turning the page.

For more of Ofili's paintings check this out!!
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~museum/armory/ofili.b.jpghttp://xroads.virginia.edu/~museum/armory/ofili.b.jpg

Works Cited:

Saltz, Jerry. “Chris Ofili’s Holy Virgin Mary.” ArtNet. (2007) 10 April, 2007. http://www.artnet.com/magazine_pre2000/features/saltz/saltz10-08-99a.asp

Master of Renaissance Art....or A Disgrace to Christainty?

There are those who see Michelangelo’s portrait on Sistine Chapel ceiling as an excellent interpretation of the Book of Genesis. Author James Romaine writes in “Scripture on the Ceiling,” that Michelangelo created an artwork in which people can come and worship. As John Writes mention that Michelangelo is “the least understood of great works of art," (Romaine, 1). Michelangelo wanted to tell a story of human action that foretold the story of the New Testament. Michelangelo’s fresco artwork combined Renaissance’s idea of unity between “Christian doctrines with philosophy of classical antiquity,” (Romaine, 2). However, when worshippers enter the chapel the stories from the book in Genesis are in reverse chronological order. According to Michelangelo, he wanted to show Noah’s shame to represent the shame people feel when they sin. Later Michelangelo was called back to do the Last Judgment to show the coming back of Christ and the various saints.

On October 13, 1541, Michelangelo’s picture of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel was revealed. From this moment picture showed unity amongst the saints. However, Michelangelo’s artwork also faced harsh criticism for several saints being nude, especially Saint Catherine of Alexandria. According to Cynthia Stollhans in her article, “Michelangelo’s Nude Saint Catherine,” understands Michelangelo’s portrayal of Catherine as a representation of how she was tortured several times throughout her life. Michelangelo faces harsh criticism for his depiction of Saint Catherine nude, even though, he follows traditional views.

Even though Michelangelo’s depiction of the Last Judgment received high praise from Pope Paul III at the time it was first reveal that did not prevent the portrait to be altered later in history. In 1564 according to Pope Pius IV, he felt that the saints “should be represented with decency and decorum,” (Stollhans, 1). So, Danielle da Volterra repainted Saint Catherine in a green dress. However, Michelangelo’s original work loses its appeal and does not have a same impact that it once had on an audience. For instance, Nino Serini wrote to his patron, Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga of Mantua, declaring the painting a work of beauty. At the same time poet, Nicolo Martelli was so moved by the artwork that he wrote two sonnets and a madrigal (Stollhans, 1). Still this did not prevent much criticism believing that the painting is indecent.

In 1564 Giovanni Gilio points out that in the Last Judgment that Michelangelo has placed Catherine “the saint of young, nubile girls” and Blaise “the saint of marriageable boys,” (Stollhans, 1). He claims that Michelangelo placed the two saints together as a way to make people laugh. However, he forgets that Michelangelo depicts the posture and the lack of clothing of Saint Catherine from Greek, Latin and Italian manuscripts. Ironically, as there are several stories that describe Saint Catherine nude, an author named Pietro Aretino opposed Michelangelo’s interpretation of Saint Catherine, however; he has written a book in which retells the story of how she was tortured and stripped of her clothes. As recorded since the 13th century Saint Catherine has been shown nude or partially nude.

Still what is more daring in Michelangelo’s painting is the position of Saint Catherine’s body. In the Last Judgment Saint Catherine is hunched over with her head down as she picks up the broken wheel. Michelangelo shows why Catherine is considered a saint amongst the others.

Works Cited

Romaine, James. Scripture on the Ceiling. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=9&hid=6&sid=6c48854b-ac40-4b3d-81f4-6debfbf6b754%40sessionmgr2.

Stollhans, Cynthia. Michelangelo’s Nude Saint Catherine of Alexandria. http://www.jstor.org/view/02707993/ap040036/04a00070/0.

From Campbell's to fame...

Andy Warhol could be considered one of America’s front runners in the American Pop Art Movement of the 60’s and 70’s. While he was an eccentric man who expressed himself in major artwork, he also had many other talents, including, commercial illustrating, filmmaking, music industry producer, and writer. He was a celebrity in his own time and used many famous icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, and Elvis as inspiration. He founded “The Factory,” his personal studio, early on in his career and later painted Liz Taylor, Judy Garland, Michael Jackson, and countless other pop icons. From the creation of the Campbell’s Soup labels to the contribution of a new era in American Art, Warhol became a quite influential man. While Andy Warhol, the man, is important, the artwork he produced is also influential and captured a large part of America’s pop culture.

In “Soup Can Mainia,” the author discusses Warhol’s influence on culture through his creation of the Campbell’s soup label and other major works of art. The nature of Warhol’s work is made clear when the author points out, “the repetitive nature of many of his compositions and series suggests an art of the assembly line, and Warhol’s expressed idea to make use of mass production techniques such as screen printing for his canvas and prints” (Kinsman, 1). This being the thesis the author goes on to discuss Warhol’s use of projection to paint directly onto the stretched canvas. Warhol wanted to distance himself from the Abstract Expressionist by adding a human touch to his artwork (Kinsman, 1). After frustrating attempts at cartoons, Warhol turned to a friend who suggested he use an everyday subject, like a can of soup. He then set out to create labels for Campbell Soup Company and gained instant fame (Kinsman, 1). The labels he created are the ones still seen on the cans today. That the screen print of a soup can could be considered art astonished many people and he became an instant success (Kinsman, 1). In a later interview, Warhol said that his favorite piece remained as the Campbell Soup labels (Kinsman, 1).

While this author credited Warhol’s fast fame to the soup can label, it seems that others believe his later works with celebrities to be much more important. In a contrasting article, the Artchive, an online art journal, states (referring to the period after the Campbell’s work), “From then on, most of Warhol's best work was done over a span of about six years, finishing in 1968, when he was shot. And it all flowed from one central insight: that in a culture glutted with information, where most people experience most things at second or third hand through TV and print, through images that become banal and disassociated by repeated again and again and again, there is role for affectless art” (Artchive, 1). They go on to support this idea by saying that Warhol was a conduit for a collective American state of mind in which celebrity had completely replaced both sacredness and solidity (Artchive, 1). While Kinsman argued that Warhol tried to add a human touch to his work, the Artchive suggests that Warhol wanted to create affectless art. “This affectlessness, this fascinated and yet indifferent take on the object, became the key to Warhol's work; it is there in the repetition of stars' faces…and as a record of the condition of being an uninvolved spectator it speaks eloquently about the condition of image overload in a media saturated culture” (Artchive, 1). This website has a distinct opinion about what Warhol’s work portrays and they also say that what some thought of as a humanizing touch was simply “routine error and entropy” since Warhol never bothered to touch up his work or correct his mistakes.

While there is no doubt that Andy Warhol gained fame with Campbell’s, what his artwork portrays is left to the individual. It is certain that he captured a Golden Age in America’s history, painting famous people that we still hear about today. As a contributor to the American Pop Art Movement, his eccentricity as a person contributed to the uniqueness of his work. Some people do not appreciate his work, but others believe him brilliant, whatever one’s opinion it is certain he had a profound impact on modern American art.

Works Cited:

Kinsman, Simon. "Soup Can Mania." Artonview (2007): 38-39. Wilson Web. 3 Apr. 2007 .
Andy Warhol. 2007. The Artchive. 3 Apr. 2007 .

I'm Impressed

Seeing art in person creates a new appreciation and interest for it, just like going to a concert and hearing a relatively unknown opening act that makes you want to go home and download his music as well. Upon visiting the Musée D’Orsay in France for the first time, it made more of an impact on me than the other more well-known French museum, the Louvre. For this reason, I became interested in the Impressionist movement and its defining artists.
Impressionism, a 19th-century art movement, focuses on noticeable brushstrokes, intense lighting, ordinary landscapes, and unique perspectives. When most people think of Impressionism, they think of Monet, and this is fairly accurate as the term Impressionism originates from one of Monet’s works, Impression, Sunrise.
Parisian-born Claude Monet is the prime example of many of the art works of Impressionism. Perhaps Monet’s more recognizable paintings are of various scenic landscapes from around his home, particularly his garden in Giverny, France and the water lilies, bridge and pond surrounding his estate.
Perception, art critic Mark Rollins says, is the most important aspect of appreciating and understanding Monet’s works. Monet stated, “I am pursuing the impossible. I want to paint the air.” Rollins feels that in order to do this, Monet must have been able to change the capacity in which people viewed his paintings.
In many instances, the public feels that it is practically impossible to agree on only one correct interpretation. However, most can also agree that the artist’s intention for the painting can provide the closest standard for what is correct or incorrect.
Rollins feels that Monet painted with the idea in the back of his mind that he had to change the way people normally looked at things. By seeing things in a different way, and paying primary attention to objects that would not normally stand out, Monet changed the way people viewed art. Rollins notes that by doing this, Monet achieved his goal, he was able, “to paint the invisible air,” which in a sense, “is to paint other, visible things in such a way as to exploit constraints on the visual system to produce a rich array of atmospheric, color, and shading effects.”
Adrian Lewis, another art critic, also agrees that Monet kept in mind the way his audience would be viewing his paintings. In order to achieve something different, Lewis feels that Monet worked exceptionally well with light in his paintings, which introduced various vantage points. Lewis notes that, “Monet’s impasted strokes lodged within the thinly swept and scrubbed paint indicate an aesthetic of embodying ‘sensations’ in the present,” which is to say Monet tried to bring out emotions from the people that contemplated his works.
Both critics agree that Monet was an exceptional Impressionist artist. His work attracted a new audience who wanted to feel “involved” in paintings and those that wanted to have something evoked, thought or feelings, upon looking at a piece of art. Monet’s beautiful surroundings did nothing to hinder his creativity, and both critics also agree there is no harm in regarding Monet as the father of the Impressionist movement.

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8357.2005.489_1.x

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=13047940&site=ehost-live

Appreciate the Arts !

Have you ever observed a piece of art and wondered if there were personal experiences and feelings that prompted the artist into creating it? This is a question that continues to arise among those who view the paintings of contemporary artist Keith Haring. Haring, a Pennsylvania native who died from AIDS at the young age of 31 expressed his own feelings and personal battles of living in New York during the 1980s through his artwork. The art history journal Art in America published an article in April of 1998 that brought to life an exhibit of Haring’s work at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The author, Brooks Adams said that Haring’s work evoked the exuberance both artistic and sexual of 80’s New York, and later went on to explain how Haring seem to include his own personal battles with AIDS in his pieces. Many other Haring “followers” feel the same, including Katherine Dieckmann, a writer for the ArtForum who spoke of the same exhibit. While she seemed to shed a different light on Haring’s work she agreed with Adams that Haring’s work made the observer aware of darker forces (drugs, AIDS, and the cruelty of daily living.) In agreement with these two writers, I feel that the work of Keith Haring has a deeper meaning that most people fail to see.

Brooks Adams, author of “Keith Haring: Radiant Picturesque,” an article in Art in America wrote about Haring’s exhibition in Miami’s Whitney Museum of American Art calling it a “traveling retrospective.” He praised the fact that Haring displayed 80’s New York through subway drawings, paintings, sculptures and historical ephemera. He claimed the exhibition had state-of-the art design and made the observer feel as if they were journeying through a dark labyrinth. As I stated before, Adams seemed to wonder what personal experiences went into Haring’s masterpieces as soon as he entered the introductory room. Adams described it as being the sunny exterior of an American clapboard house which he took to be the Pennsylvania home that Haring grew up. From then on it was as if the author of this article was traveling through the life of Keith Haring. He ended in a long black tunnel which he assumed suggested loneliness and isolation that Haring felt when he was diagnosed with AIDS at the young age of 31. Brooks Adams praised Haring for his daring creations and his ability to reveal his own feelings and experiences through his works. When observing an untitled painting created by Haring in 1982 I was able to recognize this ability of expression. The painting depicts two males embracing one another as if they are in love. Considering Haring’s personal life I assumed that he was expressing his feelings of love towards other men. Haring uses this self-expression in many of his pieces which make them come alive for the observer.

Similarly, Katherine Dieckmann, the author of “Keith Haring - art exhibit at the Whitney Museum, New York,” included in a 1997 issue of ArtForum commended Haring for his work but for other various reasons. Dieckmann described the Haring exhibit as an “array of iconography”, that embraced Haring’s pop passions as a form of libidinal projection and release. She defended Haring against his critics who often said that his work was nothing more than “pleasant downtown wallpaper.” Instead, Dieckmann saw a deeper meaning behind Haring’s decorative obsession. She felt as if Haring’s pieces were calling for widespread alertness and concern. This calling due to the fact that he felt others should become aware of life’s cruelties, including drugs and AIDS. Dieckmann feels others should embrace Haring’s use of effervescence and realism or the point of his work will be missed altogether.

Overall, the work of contemporary artist Keith Haring can be analyzed and compared to his own struggles with life. Through the eyes of two authors from prominent artistic journals it was made known that Haring was only trying to make observers become more aware of the pains and struggles some people must face each day. His use of varying line, shape and iconography helped him to project his own everyday struggle with the AIDS virus and critics should be aware of this before they begin bashing his pieces.

Works Cited:

Adams, Brooks. “Keith Haring: Radiant Picturesque.” Art in America. 86.4 (1998): 94-97 Bibliography of the History of Art. Eureka. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Undergraduate Library. 4 April 2007. http://eureka.rlg.org/Eureka/zgate2.prod

Dieckmann, Katherine. “Keith Haring-Art Exhibit at the Whitney Museum, New York.” ArtForum. (1997) Find Articles. LookSmart. 4 April 2007 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_n1_v36/ai_20197592

Keith Haring. The Artists.Org. 4 April 2007 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_n1_v36/ai_20197592