Impressionism/ Post-Impressionism

Impressionism is the impressions of what the eyes see, not just what the mind knows. Artists paint landscapes and ordinary scenes such as outdoors in varied seasons, times of day, and atmospheric surroundings. The post-impressionists see impressionism in a different way. Some do sketches and others use color and composition.

Pandora - Odilon Redon (French, Bordeaux-Paris)

Date: 1914, oil on canvas    size: 56 ½ x 24 ½ in (143.5x62.2 cm)

This painting represents the mythic beauties such as Venus, Andromeda, and Pandora. This painting depicts Pandora who is the woman fashioned from clay by the god Vulcan and sent to earth by Jupiter. She has a graceful postured with flowers. Pandora’s box is also shown in the painting which holds all evil inside. This painting also has bright reds, yellows and greens which is also balanced in color. the focal point is Pandora with the lightest color of yellow for purity with the white background. 

Irises – Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch, Zundert)

Date: 1890, oil on canvas   Size: 29x36 ¼ in (73.7x92.1 cm)

A bouquet of flowers which has a harmonious and soft effect by placing the violet flowers with the pink back ground with red pigments fading. the flowers are a nice blue with green that balance out with the foreground of the painting. theres also a linear perspective which is the green surface depicting a table maybe. This painting was also owned by his mother until she passed in 1907. 

Renaissance and Baroque Artwork

Archangel Gabriel; The virgin Annunciate

Artist: Gerard David, Netherlandish, Oudewater Ca. Bruges

Date: Ca. 1510        Size: oil on oak panel, 34x11 1/8 in (86.4x28.3 cm)

The two Annunciation panels are the depictions of the passion which decorated the reverses and originally formed the movable wings of an altarpiece. When wings were closed, the Archangel Gabriel and Virgin Annunciate were shown but when they were open on feast days, Christ carrying the cross and display the resurrection depicting the lamentation. The deep translucent colors and sensitive integration of figures and so much passion shown with use of space, expressions in the face and the gestures in their hands. The color of her hair shows a softer side other than the greys. I also noticed symmetry in this painting which is dividing the two figures with symmetrical balance using different objects.

Portrait of a Man

Artist: Velazquez, Spanish, Seville Madrid

Date: Ca. 1630-35      Size: oil on canvas, 27x21 ¾ in (68.6x55.2cm)

 This portrait is from the figure who gazes out from the far right, depicting the famous military successes. The figure in the painting is an informal portrait, not a highly-finished work and the head is more finished then the body and the background. He has layers of dark colors and the expression of the face is quite serious. X-radiography is used to see the rest of the painting. It has a special color that should be viewed through the x-radiography.

Design Principles

Artists unify their work using different patterns and colors to create variety. Many Artists use unity and variety to create a balance between the two elements. Artists also use directional forces which is used to lead the viewer’s eyes to a certain area or object in the artwork. Artists use Symmetrical and Asymmetrical to also balance their work. Symmetrical is when both sides of the artwork are the exact same in size and color. Asymmetrical is when one side is different than the other but is still well balanced.

This painting below is an example of how artists unify their work. As you view the painting you can see the artist used a little atmospheric perception at the bottom of the painting. There’s townhouses on the bottom left corner and the artist used the beauty of the sunset to set the mood of the painting. Using blues and yellows this artist create a balanced painting with asymmetrical balance also. This artist uses scale very well also with the half-faced figure which seems to be the sun rays and It looks like the sunrays are surrounding the figure in the focal point.

Artists create Asymmetrical balance by simply making one side of the painting different than the other but balancing it with the same colors and similar patterns used. For example, I have this painting called “strong falls” by Larry Seiler. He uses Asymmetrical balance very well because you can see one side of the painting is a huge rock surrounded by the water which also shows a sense of motion almost like the water is swishing back and forth. On the other side, it is slightly different but still balanced with the colors of the rock visible but the water is over the rocks on this side. He has the focal point in the center of the painting. The artist set up the focal point with a visual path that circles it which makes it almost unnoticeable.

Scale in artwork refers to the proportion of ratio which define the size relationships. Using scale in artwork can make a big difference in the story they are telling. Scale changes the perspective of the viewers by creating an illusion of size relationships between objects and figures. Depending on the size of the object in the painting, it can be overwhelming, interesting or even humorous to look at. In this painting of the giant baby, this artist used scale to change what people see normally. A baby is usually much smaller than the average human but in this painting the baby is bigger that the young woman in the background. The baby also has marks or maybe the illusion of blood after giving birth on the face and body which makes it feel realistic. The hair on the baby’s head also looks very realistic in the artwork.  

Egyptian, Roman/Greek Art

(Egyptian) Bust of Queen Nefertiti: 1340 BC

          This sculpture was found in 1912, by archaeologists. This sculpture has several layers of stucco on the crown and shoulders. Also some patches of stucco on the face. The bust is made out of limestone which is also covered with modeled gypsum. The eyes are inlayed with crystal and the pupil is made of black wax. The height of the sculpture is 50cm and was found in a place known today as Amarna. The face of the sculpture is very unique because she basically has one good eye. The crown is unique, it has a tall flat top that is decorated with the remains of uraeus. This sculpture represents a woman who has a harmonic and balanced beauty despite her eyes and the folds in her face and skin.  

(Roman/Greek) Head of a Goddess or Queen: 316-270 BC

         This sculpture is a life sized female head of the Ptolemaic queen Arsinoe or can be also the goddess likes Artemis and Aphrodite. This sculpture is made of stone and bronze with a height of 25.5cm. The hair on this sculpture is a wavy pattern separated with a ribbon or hair piece. She has very thin but long eyebrows. The lips however, was made of a different metal. The eyes are just sockets but has a heavy look to them. This sculpture also has a long nose with cracks on the chin and cheeks. It also has gashes and dents along the forehead. Many say that this sculpture’s style favor the influence of Skopas. Which is one of the leading Greek sculptors. The ribbon on the hair can be a diadem, which is a signature headgear of later Greek royalty. 

About Me

My name is Antoinette Joseph, Annie for short. I am a sophomore, early childhood education major. and proud mommy! My interest or hobbies are Dance, Drawing, and songwriting.