Art design and object history

Art Compare

The author of this report has been asked to answer two distinct questions as it pertains to some pieces that are in the Art Institute of Chicago. There are a total of three questions from which the author will select two. The selected question from the optional pair will be about the Aesthetic Movement pieces offered by Herter and Godwin. The other question will center on a compare and contrast between two pieces that are in certain galleries from both the American and European Decorative Art sections. The two works selected for the second question are to fall under the "related but different" paradigm such as two vases, two chairs or something else common. While the pieces of art in the European and American art galleries are quite different, they tend to be related in many ways as well including the motive behind the designs and how they looked towards the future of what was then modern design.

Analysis

Gerter vs. Godwin

The selected question from the first two options talks about the American piece from 1978 made by the Herter Brothers and the E.W. Godwin piece made in 1876 from the European gallery. The Herter offering is a cabinet while the Godwin offering is a sideboard. The pieces are in the same general realm of furniture and are from the same decade but they are vastly different in terms of how they look. Even so, the pieces are considered to be from the Aesthetic Movement and the author of this response is asked to explain why. Of course, the Aesthetic Movement happed roughly in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The movements as manifested in both Europe and the United States are glommed together for a major reason. The European reactions to this movement came from the Industrial Revolution that occurred in England. A similar movement happened in the United States at roughly the same time but there was also a showing of this European-inspired art in Philadelphia and other parts of the United States just before both of these pieces were made in 1876. As such, there were plenty of artists in both the United States and Europe that responded to much the same art and in much the same way. These two pieces show a looking towards the coming years and decades in terms of art and furniture. Indeed, the 20th Century was just about to come and artists were trying to push the envelope (AIC, 2016).

One source of inspiration for many (but not all) of the artists was from Japan and this can be seen in the Herter piece. Herter followed cues from the English trends of the day but Herter was one of those that wanted to "reform" upon the "poorly conceived and constructed" work that was being done at the time. Christian Herter aligned greatly with the Aesthetic movement in that he wanted to focus on "bold rectangular shapes, which they often enlivened, as in this case, with exquisite surface decoration inspired by Japanese art" (AIC, 2016). Family crests and other seals were commonplace on pieces that came from this genre. However, Herter also pulled from other and non-Japanese themes. For example, the "paw feet" on the piece are every Egyptian (AIC, 2016).

Godwin's piece was quite different in appearance but it was also inspired by Japanese themes. To follow a common theme from before, Godwin was inspired greatly but the 1862 London International Exhibition and also by the collections of good friends like those owned by Gothic revivalist William Burges. Also part of the inspiration was his love for Asian art and the work of the Japanese was among the most assertive in his inspiration. This piece represented a firm turn away from the typical Gothic revival work of the time and instead move towards a new art paradigm that extended over the next two decades. Much like Herter, there was a definitive and unquestionable shift away from the traditional works of the past and instead towards a reformation and reinvention of the themes that were commonly used. Gerter and Godwin both eschewed and moved away from the themes and trends that were present at that point and instead both wanted to set a new tone for the coming 20th century. This is why they are both lumped into the Aesthetic movement despite the fact that some of the pieces in the movement are wildly different even when the general piece in question is of the same or similar type (AIC, 2016).

Similar yet Different

The final question in this assignment asks the author to select two pieces from certain American and European galleries. The pieces are to be similar but yet different at the same time. The pieces will both be described individually but there will also be a compare and contrast of the two pieces of art. The two pieces that were selected were both in gallery 176 of the American wing of the AIC. The first piece is known as the Royal Flemish and it was created in 1889 by the Mount Washington Glass Company. The piece is a beautiful vase that is wider at the bottom and then narrows at the top with a little cap on the top that makes it resemble a shrine or other building of worship or opulence. There are three color schemes in place. There is red in gold on the round base below the fatter bottom as well as with the cap and just below it. The neck of the vase is mostly a whitish/ivory color with hints of red shapes that resemble dragon wings. The fatter part at the bottom is a mix of gold and jade. There are two pieces off of the neck and that attach to the top of the vase that seem to be for picking up the face without handling the prettier parts. The other vase is much more low key in design and was done by Ott and Brewer in 1882. The vase of the same basic shape as the other piece in that it has a fatter bottom and then it narrows to a neck at the top. However, the base and bottom part of the vase are one and the same part as there is no defined base like with the Royal Flemish. There is no cap on it either. There is the use of several defined colors like with the Mount Washington piece but there is no separation of colors of themes with the piece. The backdrop color for the entire piece is an earthy grayish color and there are leaves and other plants painted in shades of red and yellow/gold all over the base and neck. The pieces are similar in that they are both American, they are both roughly the same shape and they both make heavy use of color. However, the Ott piece is much less opulent and is much more "low key." Even so, they are of the same basic shape and, obviously, they share the same basic function. It is just that one is more grandiose while the other is more muted (AIC, 2016).