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Black Artists in the Early Modern Era

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Introduction       The Early Modern art era took place in the 20th century, and was influenced by the nature of a world in motion. It was an ever-changing time period as World War I unfolded, the Great Depression devastated America, the rise of fascist leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini shook the world, and innovations in religion, science and invention birthed many prominent collaborative artist groups and distinct styles. One of the communities that emerged as a result of this explosive atmosphere were the artists of the Harlem Renaissance , a group comprised of Black musicians, artists and intellectuals. They were originally united by the attraction that former slaves had to industrialized cities due to job opportunities after the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation took effect. The city that they called home was New York, and they forged a space for black culture to blossom like it was never able to before. They showcased their talents in nightclubs and cafes, where singers
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Morality & the Classical Era

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Introduction       The moral revolution that took place in Europe in the 1700s was a culmination of multiple cultural shifts and events that changed the path of art. After the blatant expression of values based around materialism, classism, wealth and exclusivity flaunted in the dominant era that preceded, Rococo, people began to question their rulers and churches. They began revolting against the shallow, harmful ideas and returning to the strong, virtuous morals represented in classical art. This, combined with the empowerment the Enlightenment brought through emphasis on intellect, reason, and humanism created art that embraced the Greco-Roman antiquity a time before and set a new moral standard for society and the art that reflected it. This can be illustrated through Psyché Revived by Cupid, The Oath of the Horatii & Portrait of Anna Pitt as Hebe .  Psyché Revived by Cupid       Psyché Revived by Cupid is a marble sculpture created by Italian artist, Anthony Canova. It was cr
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Romanticism V.S. Realism

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Introduction During the Romantic Era, which began in the late 1770s and ended , a multitude of different artistic and cultural movements emerged, opposed one another, overlapped, and blended together. Among others, there were Romanticism and Realism, both with a lot to say about the chaotic world around them.  Romanticism Romantic art was an opposing reaction to Neoclassical art. The artists that composed this movement wanted their art to be less direct and more subjective than the era before them, allowing viewers to let the works take them places emotionally, ultimately reaching a message. These strong messages ranged from political and educational to naturalistic and awe-inspiring. Whichever it was, art from this period was seen as strikingly intense and highly emotion. It often depicted atrocities, dreams, landscapes and historical events. Some of these depictions were metaphoric and fictional, some were dramatizations of real life events. Two pieces that exhibit this range are Th
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Christ in the House of Martha and Mary

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Introduction            Christ in the House of Martha and Mary , created in collaboration with Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Breughel the Younger , two masters of the Baroque era, is an oil-on-oak painting that illustrated  the stronghold of the  Catholic Church during what were historically turbulent times using a classic story from the Bible.  This piece was created in 1628 and currently  resides in the National Gallery of Ireland. It was most likely created in Belgium.  Although  Peter Paul Ruebens spent time in Italy absorbing the art and culture, he eventually returned. Since both collaborators are Flemish, it was probably made in when he returned home from this excursion. Backstory        Jan Breughel Younger, who painted the landscape and still life, and Rubens, to  whom the figures are attributed to,  speak of a people’s struggle to honor and hold on  to the only beliefs they had never known at that time, those of the Roman Catholic   Church. In this scene the artist refer to a ver
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The Rape of Europa

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Introduction     The Rape of Europa  is an oil-on-canvas painting by Italian Renaissance artist Tiziano Vecelli, more commonly known as Titian. The painting was created between 1560 and 1562 in Venice, Italy. It now lives at the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the last of a collection of work commissioned by Philip II called  Titian's Poesie,  meaning "Titian's Poems" in French, which is how he saw the works. They were a series of dark, erotic mythologic paintings illustrating the events of  Ovid's Metamorphoses . The stories were taken from Greek and Roman mythology, and gave Titian the opportunity to paint interactions between mortal and immortal beings.  The Backstory      The painting conveys a story of abduction, where Zeus transforms himself into a docile white bull with the intention of kidnapping the beautiful Phoenician princess, Europa. Her family tries to find her, but their mortal abilities don't hold a candle to th
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Elements of Art

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Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee One of the most immediately striking paintings I've seen, by far, is  Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening . This is a surrealist painting made by famous artist  Salvador Dalí in 1944, while he was living with his wife in America and painting very little. It is now at the  Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, Spain.  The painting depicts multiple different  storylines as they are unfolding: a fish coming out of a pomegranate, tigers coming out of the mouth of the fish, those tigers flying towards a posed nude woman, and a long-legged elephant with a sail on its back in the background. The nude woman is Dal í's wife, Gala, and the painting is of a is of a dream she had.  This is a busy painting, but each different scene evokes thoughts and elicits feelings using an array of different artistic elements to do so.  Shape One of the major factors that play into the enjoyment of this painting a
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Something Interesting...

The Love Affair Between Fashion and Art   This in-depth study of the relationship between art and fashion was really interesting to me as someone who loves fashion. One of my favorite fashion designers is Alexander McQueen (Rest In Peace.) He often said he wanted people to be scared of the women who wore his clothes so they could have one moment where they didn't feel like prey. I believe his clothes and the clothes of many other designers definitely qualify as art! 
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