27 thoughts on ““Reading” Art”

1. For my blog post I decided to write about Banksy’s wall painting of “There is Always Hope,” or as some call it “Balloon Girl.” Some may see his work as just graffiti, and some see it as art. The image is of a girl in black and white standing still, reaching up as her red, heart shaped balloon drifts away with the words “There is always hope” written behind the young girl. Banksy painted this image on a wall in London. Even graffiti can be art. It is not just vandalism on the street. Banksy shows us that with all of his artwork. He is not just using it to deface the streets around the world, he is using it to tell a story.

   Each and every painting he does tells a story, especially the balloon girl. Each story does not come right out and say what the meaning behind it is. You have to think critically and deeply into the image. You need to read the image. When you first see the image, you may assume that the little girl lost her balloon, or that she is reaching for the balloon, or you also might assume she let the balloon go. Everyone interprets the image differently. Personally, I believe that the image of the balloon girl represents youth reaching for love and hope. Others may interpret it differently, but that is what is so amazing about art. Art is all about the way you look at it, and what you make of it.

2. I chose to “read” a painting by Stephen Holland. It was a painting of the famous boxer Muhammad Ali. The painting was created after Ali’s (at the time his name was still Cassius Clay) fight for the heavyweight championship against Sonny Liston, which Ali knocked him out in the first round. Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers in history, he was well aware of it and was not afraid to verbally and physically express the skills he possessed. At the time the fight happened, there was still segregation laws. Which led to Ali resisting to fight in the Vietnam war because he felt that if his country will not allow him to do anything a white man can do he should not fight for his life for them.

   This painting truly represents the type of person Ali was. In this single painting it is clear to see his dominance, as stands above the unconscious body of Sonny Liston pounding his chest while looking down at him. It could be a general representation of what Ali did in his era of the sport, knocking down anyone who stood in his way. The painting of this particular moment captivates the viewers more than a photograph would, because the fight occurred in 1965 therefore it was still black and white color. It is very detailed, you can almost feel the excitement by the expression on Ali’s face and the way the fans’ mouths are wide open in awe because of what they just had witnessed.

3. I “read” a painting of The Beatle’s Abbey Road by Howie Green. The Abbey Road album cover was the most recognisable album cover in the history of pop music. Forty four years later, the picture is still drawing fans back to the road where they walked. The album cover was originally supposed to be posed in front of Mount Everest. The Beatles planned on flying a private plane to shoot the album cover. Paul McCartney had the idea of just simply stepping outside and shooting the picture there. The band was so eager to finish the album with all the confidence they had in it and wanted to get it out to their fans. Instead of flying all the way to Mount Everest and waiting longer, they chose Abbey Road in London. The original picture was taken on August 8th, 1969 around 11:30 am. The photographer took 6 shots of the band, going with the 5th shot because it was the most perfect one he got.

   The painting by Howie Green is a little more modern than the original picture used for the album cover. This painting captures the very famous Abbey Road pictures but turns it more colorful. It represents just how famous the album cover is and how popular The Beatles were back then and still to this day. The picture is very real because it was spontaneous and not all planned out like most album covers. Paul was so excited to share the album with the fans that he loves. Thanks to him, the world is aware of the very popular Abbey Road.

4. For the painting that I chose to “read” was painted by Isaiah Zagar. This famous artist created a place called the Magic Gardens made out of broken bottles, bicycle wheels, and ceramic tiles used for kitchen floors. He uses things that many people would consider “trash” in order to make something beautiful out of it. He does this and gives the impression that broken objects can be incorporated into something wonderful and inspiring such as the Magic Gardens. Different forms of art were created including sculptures and rooms that is filled with different paintings of his. A specific painting that he chose to create was on a wall that is a part of the building he designed with tiles. Words were painted that represented a “utopian” place, but it was ironic that the whole piece of art work that he painted is very abstract.
   The meaning that I get from this piece of art is that beauty if not symmetrical. The beauty of art is its uniqueness and originality. Zagar tends to use this tactic to promote his perspective on beauty compared to what others find beautiful. Each letter painted in the tiles pieces together his ideas just like the mosaic kind of art work he does. Everything in the Magic Gardens that was created is like a puzzle with a bunch of pieces that his audience has to figure out in order to find their own meaning. Art is flexible in the way that depending on the artist, the purpose of the art work may have more than one meaning. Zagar achieves this idea and engages his audience with his originality and creativity. What is considered “real” art is what is creative and inspiring and that is exactly what Zagar does throughout every piece of art he produces.

5. I choose to do my blog post on a painting by Pawel Kuczynski. He creates satirical paintings filled with thought-provoking messages about the world today. I could not find the name of the painting yet, it is one of his best works. The painting has a (I am honestly unsure) but, I’m going to say a little Mexican boy with ragged clothes and no shoes on, pulling a large train car filled will coal by the thinnest thread. Yet, while a fully dressed and accessorized white little boy has a small toy train to pull by a string. This painting shows one of the worlds biggest issues: White Privileged or discrimination.
   The painting purpose is to show what the natural eye can not see. In today’s world you are treated different due to what race you are. Mexicans are looked at or stereotyped as the underdogs, the workaholics or in the paintings case, they are people who are meant for labor. In the meantime, being white is looked at as superior to all race. Meaning just because you are white you can get through things the easy way or get the easy way out while, others has to work extra hard to get where they are at or for what they want. I am not saying these assumptions are true for everyone but, it is a big issue nationally. This image can give off different interpretations, others may read a different story when they look at the painting. Yet, I honestly believe that is the beauty of art and its purpose.

6. The painting I choose to read is a painting of the Last Supper from Leonardo da Vinci who is one of the most famous painters of all time. This painting is one of the most well known paintings in the world, which is a painting of Jesus with his disciples on one side of the table. The painting comes from the bible story about Jesus having his last dinner with his disciples before he was crucified. At the dinner Jesus said that he predicts that one of the apostles would betray him before the next morning. Then the twelve apostles all had different reactions to the news from Jesus with different levels of shock and anger, this was what the Last Supper portrayed. Leonardo da Vinci painted this mural in 1495 for the church Santa Marie Della Grazie in Milan, Italy. Leonardo da Vinci was given support from the duke of Milan.
   The painting by Leonardo da Vinci of the Last Supper was painted for the church Santa Maria Della Grazie. This painting comes from the bible story of the Last Supper in chapter in John 13:21. The painting captures how surprised and frustrated the apostles where when Jesus predicted that one of them would betray him and that how the apostles started to argue of who is the betrayer of Jesus. The painting represents a sense of sin which is betrayal and lies that comes from the bible where Judas was the one to betray Jesus and Peter also denies that he knew anything about Jesus. Also my interruption is that Jesus is angelic and kind where he was able to give his disciples hope even though he predicted that one of them will betray him. I can’t see myself any other person being able to sit down for a last meal with a group of people knowing at least one of them will betray me and that’s why I think Jesus is a messiah.

7. I chose to “read” a painting by Andy Warhol. The title of the piece is called “Details of Renaissance Painting”. This piece was made in 1984 as a depiction of the face of Venus from the earlier painting “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli that was completed in 1482. The piece is acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen. Warhol uses more colors in his work than Botticelli did. Venus’s face and neck are pink while her hair is black, red, orange, and yellow. In contrast, the background is a solid light blue color. In “Details of Renaissance Painting”, Venus’s face and hair are emphasized and the dominant elements are her hair because of the warm colors and her gaze.
   By looking at this photo you many notice the variety of colors. However, the main object in this picture is the women. Since this painting has already been done I believe the artist was trying to change the meaning behind the painting. I believe Warhol’s use of colors gives Venus a modern look instead of the traditional white color used in “The Birth of Venus”. As well as the pink color used for her body makes Venus seem bold and strong, not just good looking. He as well, only include the goddess head not her body like the original art did. Through his use of color, Warhol created a different symbol of boldness and strength for Venus instead of the traditional symbol of beauty. He may also have focused on how women have changed over time and now are strong individuals who shouldn’t be looked at as only for their body.

8. In this blog post, I choose to write about Vincent Van Gogh, the greatest Dutch painter, focusing on his first piece, “The Potato Eaters.” We all know Van Gogh for cutting off his ear and offering it to the woman he loved and being a famous artist. However, when Van Gogh was still alive, he was not the famous painter that we know today. During his time, he remained poor and unknown to the people. Only when he died is when his art became famous. He lived a depressing and manic life, which reflected in his paintings. His art is what kept him emotionally balanced. The first piece he created, “The Potato Eaters,” you could see Van Gogh’s emotional state. It looks as though there is not even any life coming from the people in the painting.

   The name of the painting itself, says a lot. “The Potato Eaters,” we do not think much about potatoes or people that eat them, but potatoes themselves can be a key term when looking at the painting. Potatoes are dirty, they come from the grown, their color is dark with some patches. Potatoes are stored in a cool dark place away from foods that have a strong scent, such as onions, they should be placed in a cardboard box or paper bag so that there is still airflow. Potatoes are a depressing food to look at and think about. Those characteristics could be interpreted from the painting.

   You can see the dark colors which also include dark patches that are the shadows, that symbolize the feelings that Van Gogh was going through as he was painting. You could see that his depression is reflected in the character’s visage. Just by looking at the painting, you could feel the emotion and can relate it back to Van Gogh. Them the small house that the people are eating in and the small table they are eating on. The painting just seems very depressing to look at. I feel that this painting truly illustrates the depressed state that Van Gogh was going through, and as the viewer we can feel it as well by looking at the lack of vibrant colors, the expressions on the people in the painting, the setting, and the title, “The Potato Eaters.”

   Reference:

   http://www.biography.com/people/vincent-van-gogh-9515695

9. I chose the Arnolfini Portrait painted by Jan van Eyck, dating back to 1434. This painting is one of the most controversial paintings in history because it hides the artist’s story behind it. Many look at this picture and first notice the two people holding hands inside an extravagant home. From this first perspective, one can assume that the man and woman are married and she is pregnant because she is holding her stomach. The overall image of this picture gives the reader a sense of holiness due to how the characters are dressed and the time era.
   However, what most people don’t notice is the mirror in the background. The images hidden “around” this picture are in the mirror on the back wall. When taking a close look, there are other people in the background. The people in the reflection are unknown, making the the painting more controversial. The dog in the seen image on the floor is not seen in the mirror, making the reality of whether the dog is really there or not, another probable question about this painting. Most of these objects painted represent wealth and give no identity through words who the people are. The meaning behind why the portrait was painted is unknown, leaving the painting so intriguing because the common assumption is that it it’s a marriage photo.

10. The painting I have chose to “read” is a mural on the walls of 236 E 3rd St, New York, NY at the Nuyorican Cafe. I have first seen this mural when I was eight years old and ever since I have seen it, I have loved the artistic painting of Reverend Pedro Pietri. This mural has been done by a man know by “Chico”, who has been doing local murals for decades (NYtimes.com). The painting has a deep blue, black color with lighter colors that forms the face of Pedro Pietri with thick black outlines that shows the curly length of his hair. There are five or six other human figures that appear in the mural. Their faces and skin blend in with the dark blue and black background with a royal blue glow around them. They are dressed in all white hat, suits and white coats. I believe the reason for dressed in all white is to symbolize the purity of the movement of Pietri.

    Reverend Pedro Pietri looks sad in the mural. His eyes looks similar to droopy dog eyes. There is the head of a microphone in front of his chin. It seems like he is talking but no one is listening to what he has to say which causes his sad eyes. The way the human figures are positioned behind him, may be his acolytes; the people that follow him even through dark times which is the reason Chico may have chose to make the background a dark blue and black color. The location is important because the Nuyorican Cafe has a lot of history and is a major landmark for Hispanics that grew up in New York. Pietri is Puerto Rican himself, which is why Chico decided to have a head shot mural of Pietri because it symbolizes he is the face of Nuyoricans.

11. For my blog post I decided to “read” a painting called “She Wore Red” which is apart of the artist Jacqui Faye’s collection of her Red shoes series. Jacqui is a self-taught portrait and contemporary painter. The inspiration for her Red Shoe series came from her earlier figurative paintings. The series portrays women in various ways, by emphasizing how mysterious and seductive women are, while also conveying a sense of innocence and confidence among women. The women are portrayed as playful, serious, or passionate, but they are faceless. This allows the viewer to identify with the subject, and to create their own meaning behind Jacqui’s work.

    The paintings that are apart of the series are more then just red shoes in Jacqui’s eyes. Each piece of artwork tells a different story or and gives off an attitude in the hopes that the viewers reaction will make them question the reason or meaning behind each piece. Some of the artwork in the Red Shoes collection features words that relate to her work that cause the fewer to think more deeply about the meaning behind each piece. Jacqui’s painting techniques are what make her stand out from other contemporary painters. Her use of color is accentuated by the light shadows and textures that make her pieces come alive, and is what causes the viewers to get lost in her imagery. Jacqui’s ability to compose the subject of her pieces along with the balances within the image is the main reason why viewers tend to want to take it all in.

12. The painting I have chosen to “read” for this blog post is one by Gustav Klimt. His painting is called “The kiss”. In this painting you see a man and a woman. The man is kissing the woman on the cheek. The full bodies of the man and woman are not fully there. They almost look like they are disappearing towards the bottom of the painting. The background is gold. There are many bright bold colors within the painting. Klimt started painting this piece in 1907 and finished a year later in 1908. The artist gives a dimension to the fabric that is on the male and woman. The painting is almost mosaic like. It is almost looks like the couple is unaware of the world around them. This painting shows an ideal beauty. One could say it represents timelessness, and union of selves that a kiss can engender. The colors show how bright and beautiful it is when you first kiss someone. It is all happy and cheery.

    One could also say in the painting though that thee man looks like he is forcing a kiss on the woman and she is trying to turn away but cannot get away. Almost a forced kiss on the cheek. There is a darker gold that looks like it is overcoming the couple. This could represent bad things coming for the couple in the future. A foreshadowing in a way. Showing a cloud of darkness or bad news for the couple. Maybe a breakup to come.
    That is the fun of this painting. One could say this is a happy couple or a not so happy couple. With all of the bright colors though I would think it to be a happy couple. The man and woman both look as if though they are satisfied. They both also look very safe in each others’ arms.

13. For this blog post I chose to “read” Starry Night buy Vincent Van Gogh. This is an oil painting done in 1889. The first thing you see in the painting is the distorted building and the stars and the moon painted in bright yellows that catch your attention. I think Van Gogh painted it they way he did to evoke the feeling of peacefulness.
    I believe that if it were painted in any other colors or at a different angle it would not give off the same emotions. I think that its meant to be looking down on the town and enjoying a nice night. The painting does not include any words. I think that the colors, angles , and texture do the talking for the artist. Artists have a certain message they want to show through their art but art can be taken in many different ways it just depends on who is looking at it.

14. For my blog post, I decided to choose a painting from the great American artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat. I chose a very unique painting called “Untitled Skull.” Since the painting had little to no background information except the year that Basquiate painted it (in 1981), I immediately jumped into the deconstruction of the beautiful artwork. What makes this painting so unique and completely different from other paintings that were created during this time period is that the painting is not neatly constructed. From a distance it looks a painting that one would find in a mental home or haunted house. However, when looked at closely, you can examine every little detail that Basquiate incorporated into the large skull.

    The canvas painting shows a patchwork skull that is broken up into several different sections. Each section has a different design pattern as well as a different color pattern that automatically draws your attention. In between the low restless eye’s of the skull lies a white line that separates two different sections of the skull. What makes this painting very different from others is that this is no ordinary human skull. The skull is partially deformed in certain areas, like around the ears and mouth. Also, the lower section of the mouth (right around the jaw area) is broken up and there are few teeth missing from the front of mouth. Based off of the different broken up sections from the skull, internally and externally; this person must have been someone who was battling they’re own identity. I say this because of the different hints given in the painting. The low restless eyes represent the fear and distress that person suffered from. The broken up sections that make up the entire skull represent the broken up ideas, emotions and thoughts running through their head continuously. The missing jaw and broken up mouth/teeth represent the pain they suffered from; from not being able to express their unstable emotions, ideas and thoughts running through their head. The skull is a cry out for help. It represents someone who is suffering from their own thoughts but can not physically express this suffering because they’re too frightened of something. What they are frightened of remains the question and unfortunately, we will never know.

    R.I.P Jean-Michel Basquiat

15. I chose to read a painting called “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer. It is a painting of a young girl, with a blue and yellow scarf wrapped around her head. The background around her is a solid dark color, which brings out her face. The young girl eye’s make her look naïve but curious. Her shiny pearls stand out to me the most. I believe the artist chose these particular details, like the pearl earring, to signify something important. I would assume he knew of this girl or had some sort of relation to her. The pearl earrings could have been a gift from him or something he admired on her.
    The details in the painting also gave me the assumption that it related to a time period sometime before the 20th Century. My curiosity, led me to do some research on the painting. Vermeer’s painting is very famous, but we do not know too much about him. “Girl with a Pearl Earring” inspired a historical fictional novel and later, a 2003 film. This painting is significant because no one knows the meaning behind it, let alone much about Vermeer. This painting allows you to imagine the story you want; I believe that is what makes photos and paintings so important.

16. The piece of art I chose to “read” and “deconstruct” is The Starry Night that was done by Vincent van Gogh in 1889. I chose to depict this painting because it is a very talked about painting and when observing it, it can be looked at in various ways. Some people may look at the picture and simply see a bunch of swirly colors thrown on a piece of paper and others may see beautiful artwork that consists of rippling hills and a very humble village that includes a church. This picture may also set back some confusion in understanding what exactly it is trying to portray. For instance, the tree in the front kind of resembles a fire like image. Vincent Van Gogh was very creative with the way he went about this drawing.

    What The Starry Night is actually portraying is a hushed village surrounding a church, whose steeple raises up into the dark-blue mountain in the background. The “fire-like” image in the front of the picture is actually a cypress tree that sits at the foreground of this night. The tree serves in between the land and sky. The Starry Night is based on Vincent van Gogh’s direct observations as well as his imagination, memories, and emotions. The steeple of the church resembles those common in his native Holland, not in France. The whirling forms in the sky, on the other hand, match published astronomical observations of clouds of dust and gas known as nebulae. Many people do not know the background in artwork but with further research can understand.

17. For this blog post I have chosen to “read” the famous piece “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gough. The first thing that stands out the most is the overwhelming sky that takes up most of the picture. The lines painted to be the sky are never straight, sort of forming a windy atmosphere. I feel as if the artist had an underlying meaning to never have the lines painted straight. To simply have the lines speak within the photo to demonstrate a demented village. To form a conspiracy of watching figures from above. I think the houses are secretive and painted very tiny to manipulate the viewer’s eyes to not focus on them as much. The village including the houses are dark, this is as if maybe the people living there are asleep and not curious about the night lighten sky, having a control over them to not be allowed to leave their houses at night. The background colors are yellow,blue,black,and brown. And all of the colors form the ideal way of what they should be colored in as. A person’s perspective on this painting could be confused of the mysterious underlying truth of the darkened society.

    The opposite meaning of this photo could express happiness of light being beautiful. The stars and the sky seamlessly communicate together to form a sort of intensity. It captivates the viewer’s vision to follow the curvy lines painted and admire the “starry night.” From a positive viewpoint, this piece makes one admire the nighttime and understand the reality of the stars at night and how special they really are. I feel as if this painting make’s one really question the universe beyond this planet, and what “really” could be out there. The distorted branch reaches into the nighttime to maintain a sense of ordinary, that trees so to say can block the site of stars.

    All in all, I feel as if this painting truly is something special to examine,and I had a great experience doing so!

18. For this blog post i chose to do a painting by Andy Warhol titled “Three’s a Party” painted in 1963. It is painted in different shades of blue with a man in the background and the words “but I always say, one’s company, two’s a crowd and three’s a party.” Warhol’s art more modern art with bright colors that catch a persons eye. He is very famous for his various painitngs of different celebrities, consumer culture and mechanical production that make his art more than ordinary. Warhol is very passionate about his paintings and although with the bright colors and crazy designs, it may look like graffiti, in reality, it is his own way of expressing himself and his personality through art.

    This paining in particular, expresses a feeling. Warhol doesnt usually put quotes on his paintings but this painting in particular has one. Looking at the painting, i notice the man has a distraught look on his face, almost making it seem that someone is not welcome. The different shades of blue make the mood more gloomy and depressed than happy. When looking at his paintings, you usually see bright vibrant colors like yellow, pink, orange and red, that would make someone seem happy, so when you see this painting you would almost think he is sad because of the different shades of blue and black. Warhol’s paintings were always unique and he always expressed himself and other artists in positive ways.

19. The photograph I chose is of an old house that is falling apart. However, there are two newer looking vehicles, therefore it is known that the picture was taken more recently. The image shows the large house on a slight angle. Most of the windows are punched out, the paint is peeling off, and the wood is becoming rotten. The picture makes me feel that this is not a place to live in. There are trees around and a mountain in the distant background. Also, the sky is a beautiful blue color. The setting is probably important because the environment is so beautiful and the house is falling apart. So, it is like the house takes away from the other beauty around it because it stands out so much.
    I feel that this house was once a beautiful, mansion-type home. The folks that lived there when the house was first build probably had a good social status. The house must have been very expensive due to the size and details on the house. The house having a red colored paint makes me feel that the owners wanted the house to stand out compared to other houses in the area. But now, the house stands out for the opposite reasons: being an eye-sore to viewers. Others may disagree and view the dilapidated house as beautiful, or even a historical land mark of some sort. Overall, I find the image beautiful and very mysterious. I have questions as to who has lived there and what it has once looked like. Also, I wondering if there are any ghosts or spirits because the house looks like it could fit into a scary movie. But, in the end it is just an image, and it is unknown to me what the building looks like presently.paint makes me feel that the owners wanted the house to stand out compared to other houses in the area. But now, the house stands out for the opposite reasons: being an eye-sore to viewers. Others may disagree and view the dilapidated house as beautiful, or even a historical land mark of some sort. Overall, I find the image beautiful and very mysterious. I have questions as to who has lived there and what it has once looked like. Also, I wondering if there are any ghosts or spirits because the house looks like it could fit into a scary movie. But, in the end it is just an image, and it is unknown to me what the building looks like presently.

20. For this blog, I chose to read Michelangelo’s painting “The creation of Adam,” but focused on the center of the painting which shows “the hands of God.” Michelangelo was a painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer. He lived in the 16th century and focused mostly on political and religious artwork. This piece of art was from the early 16th century where many different religions were formed and a majority of people had lost faith in God, just like today. In the painting, Michelangelo shows the hand of God to the right and the hand of society to the left.
    In my interpretation of the painting, the hand of God is reaching for the hand of society with all his reach and strength, while the hand of society is relaxed and not making much effort in reaching God. Through this, Michelangelo was showing that this is society as we know it. Since biblical times, or when the bible was being written, people have strayed away from their faith in God. While God is reaching for the society he created, the society is waiting for visual proof of his existence, and not realizing there’s proof all around us. In the painting, Michelangelo shows this, but also shows God’s patience and that he is not giving up on society.

21. For my painting that I decided to read I chose “the Last Supper” which was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the year 1498. It shows Jesus at the table with his 12 disciples during his last meal with them. This was a huge moment in history from the bible. Obviously the painting has great religious values to people that believe in Jesus Christ and and that he died in order for us to walk this earth today. Leonardo painted what he felt like the table was like during Jesus’ last supper with his closest followers.

    I feel like he painted it like this to show how chaotic it might have been. All the people around Jesus appear to be talking to each other rather emphatically. They have their arms flaring talking to each other. Jesus seems to be the only person at the table who is calm and nothing appears to be bothering him. This goes right with what people believed Jesus to be like. He had nothing to fear because he knew that what he was about to do would help the world forever. This was his last supper and not his disciples but he seems to be the only person who has complete control of his emotions.

22. For my painting, I decided to “read” a painting by Henri Rousseau painted in the year of 1908. The painting is called “The football players”. The painting shows four men playing football wearing odd uniforms. It seems that it is a nice afternoon it’s seems not too hot but not too cold and a bit cloudy which is not bad football weather. The uniforms these men are wearing are not typical uniforms football players today would wear. Also, in this painting by Rousseau many would think that since it’s a painting of football players that they would be on a football field. In this painting the four men are playing football in a forest and they are sorrounded by many trees.

    I feel as if Rousseau painted this so oddly and differently to draw more attention from other people to his painting. Since 1908 was the first international rugby game between France and England, I find it ironic that this painting was painted in 1908 and the painting really does not look like they are playing football, it looks like they are playing rugby. It is odd because the name of the painting is “the football players” and it seems as if they are playing rugby and not football.

23. I have decided to “read” the painting “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gough. While being know famously known for his paintings, Van Gough is also known for being a very depressed man. He even went as far as cutting his own ear off. In the painting it was a distorted image of the night sky. Below you can see houses with their lights on and possibly a church which is the tallest building.
    I think this painting reflects Van Gough because he could have easily done the sky when the sun was shining but he deliberately chose to do the night sky. I think his depression is what inspired this painting. From what I know about depression, which is not a lot, it is that the people usually feel in a dark place and alone. You can kind of get that vibe from “Starry Night” because looking from where the view is someone would have to be at a distance to see all those buildings. Or this could show how he feels, sort of like in the town with all these people he sees the beauty of it in the darkness and when he’s removed himself from everyone. But I’m not Van Gough so I can’t really speak about what he was thinking when he painted this but that’s just my guess.

24. The piece of art I chose to write about is the painting of “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso. Picasso has shown us the bombing of Guernica in 1937. The bombings were done by the Nazis during the Spanish Civil War. He is blatantly showing what exactly went on in Guernica and how much damage has been done. All of the people of the Guernica bombings were suffering greatly. The pain and horror that happened that day will never be forgotten.

    Picasso has painted this because this is an taste of what is soon to come around the world. The people need to be aware of the dangers of the Nazis. The painting shows people that are hurt and in pain. Everything in this painting just pops out and obviously shows something is wrong. I took note of the colors shown in this piece of art. It is all black and white and very plain. The use of these colors probably meant it was only one meaning to this painting, pain and suffering. Picasso has done many famous paintings that have meaningful motivation. This specific painting is a depiction of the things the people of Guernica had to go through on that tragic day.

25. For my blog post I decided to “read” a Rene Magritte painting called “The false mirror.” The image appears as a single eye. The pupil of the eye is completely black and the surrounding white area of the eye is an image of a blue sky with clouds in it. The pupil of the eye rests dead center in sharp color contrast to the white and blue of the sky, and also with a contrast of form – the hard outline of the pupil against the soft curves and natural form of the clouds. She made this painting to challenge the perceptions of the artist and the viewer.
    Something very interesting that Magritte does with her painting is that she made is nearly symmetrical. Both vertical and horizontal symmetry in a painting is extremely difficult. By choosing a human eye as a lens to look at the sky, Magritte raised the question about humans seeing, both literally and figuratively, the world. The way they view the world is based on how they understand the general human condition.

26. After the fall of the Roman Empire art, education, and other comeback to Italy and Europe. One of my favorite artist during this period of time is Michaelangelo. One of his most famous works is the Sistine chapel, which is the piece of art i’ll try to “read”. There are angels and demons, God and more things painted on the ceiling. What was his inspiration? It took him several years to finish that piece of art.

    The pope was one of the most influential and powerful people at the time. According to history he’s the one that made Michaelangelo paint the cielong of this Sistine chapel. If Michaelangelo was forced, then did he express him self through this painting? Or was it the pope’s desire? Maybe he was trying to imply that even Catholics can have a dark side and that’s why he punted some demons. Perhaps in that one painting of one guy trying to reach God’s hand means that some individuals will never reach god’s hand. The question will always remain, but one thing is sure, Michaelangelo suffered during this time because of how corrupted the Catholics church was at the time.

27. For this blog post I read the painting Progressive Current by Alexandra Pacula. This is a contemporary piece from 2010 of what I believe to be Times Square in New York. In the painting, the lights and colors of the night life in the city are blurred and circular. It looks as if Times Square was within a whirlpool. The painting shows the energy and the vibrancy of the city at night. How intoxicating the lights are. The painting shows the shadows of figures in the street but it is not about the people, it about how enticing the city is and how immense and trans-formative it can be.
    It is like stepping into a city for the first time in your life. The overwhelmingly tall buildings all around you. Towering over with neon signs and attention seeking advertisements. The spell-binding and unnerved feeling of new things flicker through this painting. It is like the nauseous thrill of an amusement park ride, not knowing where the sky ends and the earth begins.

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