Les Demoiselles d'Avignon - Modern

                  

          Perhaps the most radical painting of the twentieth-century, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, hangs unobtrusively at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This large canvas, measuring 96" x 92", was to revolutionize modern painting by charting a new way of depicting reality. In 1907 its painter, Pablo Picasso, broke all of the rules that the "artistically correct" learned at the art academies: he disposed of three-dimensional perspective, abandoned harmonious proportion, used distortion, and borrowed from the art of primitive cultures. In fact, the painting was such a revolutionary statement that when the painting was first viewed by some French critics, the painter Derain even suggested to Picasso that he would one day commit suicide for the shame that he had brought on the art establishment.

                Firstly,for the emphasis five pink women are entangled in silver and blue draperies. Two of them stand with arms raised to flaunt their breasts, staring at you out of huge black eyes. The other three are masked: one in a fleshy brown wooden simulacrum of a face as she stands in profile at the left of the picture; the two at the right in African masks, one of them intruding from behind the jagged cloth while the other squats among fabric diamonds. On a plate, there is a collection of blatantly meaningful fruit: a scything blade of melon with testicular grapes, an apple and a pear. This is a painting of nudes in which there is scarcely a curve to be seen - elbows sharp as knives, hips and waists geometrical silhouettes, triangle breasts.

                  Second,for the proportion Les Demoiselles d’Avignon depicts five prostitutes in a brothel. At the centre of the bottom of the painting is still life – a pear, an apple, a melon and grapes. Picasso made a lot of sketches and studies in preparation for this painting, which looks like a work in progress. There is not a unified whole, each figure is drawn differently. The overall composition can be described as asymmetrical, unstable, chaotic and vertically oriented. The treatment of space and light is very unnatural. It is a rose-blue painting.The treatment of space and new concept of the depiction of the human figure are especially significant due to their predominant roles in the subsequent development of Cubism.

                    Lastly, for the variety  in Cubism, points out that this new approach can be seen in details such as the avoidance of normal anatomical proportions and the reduction of female figures to geometrical lozenges and triangles.In the works of Analytical Cubism Picasso removed bright colours from his composition. Colour schemes were simplified, tending to be nearly monochromatic .This picture Les Demoiselles d’Avignon the female figures are depicted in a rose-ochre tones and the background is blue.

Alexandre Cabanel The Birth of Venus - Industrial revolution

     

             The female nude is a timeless subject of high art, and for many represents the epitome of earthly beauty. This work is a replica of an 1863 painting by the same artist, which was originally shown at the Salon, and created a huge sensation. That particular Salon is known today as the "Salon of the Venuses" because so many paintings of the goddess were exhibited. The original (near identical) painting established Cabanel's reputation, and it was later purchased by Napoleon III for his personal collection. This work was one of the numerous replicas that the artist created after the orignal, and was commissioned in 1875 by the American banker John Wolfe. 

                Firstly, for the unity paintings were often rejected from the Salon for being too distasteful or indecent, but this work was celebrated for being such a clearly academic painting. It's polished surface finish, careful modeling and mythological subject contribute to making this work one of beauty, rather than being overtly sexual.The viewer has power and ownership of Venus’ sexuality.

                Second, for the proportion the painting itself depicts a nude woman, a theme frequently visited in other paintings of the Romanticism movement, sprawled across a calm ocean underneath many angels, depicted as children.Her breasts are fully exposed and her arms are away from the body as not to block its view.  Instead of using her hand, her knees are slightly bent as to hide her pubis in shame.

                 Lastly, for the space the Birth of Venus we immediately notice the nude female figure in the center of the work. Cabanel took as his subject a famous episode from classical mythology when Venus is born of sea-foam and carried ashore.For Cabanel, the mythological theme is indeed a pretext for the portrayal of a nude figure, which,is nonetheless depicted in a lascivious pose. This painting scene in which a naked woman was sitting between two clothed men, whilst another woman in shift could be in seen the background, made the public indignant. At the official Salon, another female nude was however received in triumph.

Venus at her Mirror (The Rokeby Venus) - Baroque

  

 

             This painting is the female nude was rarely represented in Spanish art, although the royal collection was rich in mythological nudes by Titian and other Venetian Renaissance masters. The Toilet of Venus, called the 'Rokeby Venus' after Rokeby Hall in Yorkshire where it hung in the nineteenth century, is the only surviving picture of this kind by Velázquez - one other, now lost, is recorded - and remained unique in Spain until Goya depicted the Naked Maja, which was probably inspired by it. Painted either just before or during Velázquez's second visit to Italy in 1648-52, the Venus was recorded in 1651 in the collection of the young son of Philip IV's prime minister, famous both for his womanising and his patronage of art. He was later to become Marqués of Carpio and later still Viceroy of Naples, and it must have been his standing at court which enabled him to commission such a painting without fear of the Inquisition.

               Firstly, for the proportion  It is the only surviving female nude portrait painting.The head of Venus in the mirror is also much too large, it’s roughly the size of her face, which would be impossible if the observer were standing relatively close to Venus . It should probably be at least half the size of the real thing. Venus is reclining on a bed and is viewed from her back side.  She has a small waist and curvy hips, which was a departure from the robust nudes of the time.  She is gazing into a mirror held by Cupid and pink silk ribbons are draped on the mirror frame and Cupid.

                Second, for the unity composition simply utilized mostly shades of red, white, black and grey.  The creamy, smooth and luminescent white color caressing Venus’ skin is a dramatic contrast to the black, grey and brown accents of the room. The use or portrayal of nude females during this time was frowned upon, paintings could be seized by the Inquisition and artists could be fined or banished.

                  Lastly, for the balance the skin color of the nude female radiates warmth against black linens, she wears no jewelry and her hair is neatly up.  The dark room is void of distractions, creating intense focus toward the sensual lines of the female.  It has been debated that it is physically impossible for Venus to see her own reflection in the mirror and even if she did, her head size is all wrong.  But these anomalies create greater interest for me and bring curiosity as to why every brushstroke was taken.

The Birth of Venus - Renaissance

    

   

               During the middle ages Christian symbols and clothed saints were the common subject matter of art, therefore when the Renaissance was born, it was shocking to suddenly paint pagan images.During the Renaissance Botticelli helped to develop a new technique for modeling in painting by which lighter parts seem to emerge from darker areas, producing the illusion of rounded sculptural relief on a flat surface. This subject has been traditionally recognized as the birth of Venus, even though modern criticism has drawn attention to the fact that the painting appears rather to illustrate the arrival of the goddess in Cyprus. It is points to the peoples returning interest in mythology. The Birth of Venus is the oldest large-scale painting on canvas to have been found inTuscany.

                 Firstly, for the balance of the characters in the painting keep balance. The painting expresses not praising the beauty of the Venus.The main character, Venus are located in the middle ground, and the others are located in the left, right ground of the painting. Major colors are beige, skin colors, pitch, pink, sky-blue, and greenish colors. These colors predominantly light especially in the center of the painting. But the side parts are slightly dark. The middle of the painting is quite bright in both value and the interest, but the left, right parts are dark. In the left side, there are two people the man is a Zepiros, god of the West wind, and his lover Cloris. In the right side, there is a woman; her name is Horai, god of season. In the middle ground, there is a main character, Venus.

                  Second, for the unity this art is a painting and the subject of matter is the birth of Venus. Dominant lines are curvy and some parts of lines are straight. Also, dominant shapes are curvy and naturalistic shapes. The major colors are beige, skin colors, and pitch, pink, sky-blue, and greenish colors. The major patterns are flower, and texture is soft, and smooth.

                   Lastly, for the proportion she stands on a surface of the shell unlikely to support a person. Also notice that although she stands at the very bow of the shell, it seems balanced as though her weight were evenly distributed. The strange background and lack of shadows make this a clear fantasy image.The proportions show their greatest exaggeration, yet the long neck and torrent of hair help to create the mystifying figure.

                 

The Burney Relief-Mesopotamia

               

                      

   

               The Queen of the Night relief was discovered by archaeologists – it was previously known as The Burney Relief before it was renamed, The Queen of the Night ~ in what appeared to be a personal shrine to The Goddess, in the Fertile crescent of the Middle East in what used to be ancient Mesopotamia , also known later on as Sumer; around the ancient city of Ur.

                There has been much that has been written about this sacred representation of a winged, crowned Goddess, standing on the backs of lions, or lionesses, and flanked by very large owls. Herewith my analysis of the relief, or plaque; and rationale for viewing the plaque as a representation of the Great Goddess of Death and Love.

                  For the proportion she is slender, well shaped, beautiful and nude, with wings and owl-feet.The body of the goddess is so naturalistic it could have been modeled from life, yet the owls are stilted in their stylization. The accentuated femininity of the figure suggests an earthy sexuality, but the rod and ring held above either shoulder are geometric abstractions and symbolic of universal laws.

              For the balance the serenity of the face and the symmetry of the posture are dignified in their composure. She stands erect on two reclining lions which are turned away from each other and are flanked by owls. On her head she wears a cap embellished by several pairs of horns. In her hands she holds a ring and rod combination. Evidently this is no longer a lowly she-demon, but a goddess who tames wild beasts and, as shown by the owls on the reliefs, rules by night.

                For the material the relief is the nude female figure is realistically sculpted in high-relief. Her eyes beneath distinct, joined eyebrows are hollow, presumably to accept some inlaying material – a feature common in stone, alabaster, and bronze sculptures of the time,but not seen in other Mesopotamian clay sculptures.The relief was then burnished and polished, and further details were incised with a pointed tool. Firing burned out the chaff, leaving characteristic voids and the pitted surface we see now; Curtis and Collon believe the surface would have appeared smoothed by ocher paint in antiquity.

Ivory figure of St Margaret of Antioch - Medieval

              

                  

       

                   This ivory figure of St Margaret shows her miraculous deliverance from the belly of the dragon that had swallowed her. The miracle occurs when, in her plight, Margaret prays to the cross. St Margaret was one of the most popular Virgin Saints of the later Middle Ages. Her ordeal became associated with the pain of childbirth, thus she has become the patron saint of women in labour.                

                Firstly, the proportion the ivory carver has portrayed the action as one continuous moment. Barely has the dragon swallowed Margaret ,part of her gown hangs from the open jaws of the beast than she bursts forth.Analysis has revealed the original polychromy beneath two later layers.The largest coloured surfaces tended to be the linings of robes.Blue was used to distinguish the eyes and red for the lips.

                Second,for the materials used in sculpture are diverse, changing throughout history. The classic materials, with outstanding durability, are metal, especially bronze, stone and pottery, with wood, bone and antler less durable but cheaper options. Precious materials such as gold,silver, jade, and ivory are often used for small luxury work.

                  Lastly, for the balance  St. Margaret in prison was swallowed whole by a dragon part of her dress hangs from its mouth. Various descriptions of her method of escape are given, but here the virgin martyr emerges unscathed from the back of the dragon-devil, constant in her faith.This partly gilded and pigmented ivory carving portrays St Margaret,swallowed by Satan in the form of a dragon, but in prayer bursting free from the dragon. Her escape made her the patron saint of midwives and women in labour.

The Venus of Capua - Roman

                       

               

             Venus's first temples were erected in Rome during the 200s B.C. to solicit her assistance in battles, and individual leaders later allied themselves with the deity. Julius Caesar and his heir, Augustus, forged particularly explicit ties to Venus, claiming descent through her son, the Trojan hero Aeneas. The goddess was repeatedly represented in civic architecture and on coins, and her attractive figure became symbolic of Roman power throughout the empire. 

   

               The statue at right was discovered at the amphitheater in Capua, in southern Italy. It is the largest example of a sculptural type that derives from a now-lost cult statue of Aphrodite in Corinth. Originally displayed holding a shield, the goddess stood for the desirability of military success and civic peace. Combining sexual allure and martial symbolism, the Venus of Capua evokes the Greek past, yet also bears new resonances in its Roman civic context.

                Firstly,for the proportion statue of Venus is perfect harmony of form and proportion. Venus is depicted standing, with her head turned to the left and arms extended in the same direction, and with her foot resting on a helmet. It has been suggested, because of the way in which her arms and hands are extended to the side, that she could have been holding the shield of her lover.The figure is undraped to the hips, and is of the Victrix type. It bears a strong resemblance to the Venus of Melos, but is distinctly inferior to that masterpiece. The head is encircled by a stephane.

                  For the unity the figure is still and self-absorbed, the composition disturbs her tranquility. The disposition of her limbs and the shadowed folds of her drapery set up contrary rhythms of conflicting axes, while the suspenseful contrast between soft exposed flesh and slipping drapery heightens the emotional impact and sexual potential of the heroically proportioned goddess. In addition, despite the predominant advantage of a three-quarter view which conveys an impression of the body’s mass, there is a flattening of the central torso which tends to draw the eye to the curving silhouette and away from the plastic volume of the figure.

                  Lastly,for the balance of the statue beauty of line in sculpture. It's great a sacrifice of the natural contours of the body. Its contours the statue stands alone. Sculpture is a realistic art; it presents us with the semblance of living forms.The predominance of a single type of line, the union of many lines to form a single continuous line, balance and symmetry of line, proportion of length and parallelism, are all to be found in sculpture.