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Art
Gustav Klimt was at the forefront of the flowering of artistic expression that characterized the early twentieth century. Globalization and cross-cultural encounters made Eastern themes fuse easily with Western ones. Klimt, like many of the Impressionist artists contemporary with him, drew themes, motifs, and painting techniques from Eastern art. The art of early Christianity and of the Byzantine Empire made an indelible stamp on Gustav Klimt, perhaps more than any other artist of the twentieth century. Klimt transformed Byzantine symbols, motifs, and artistic techniques, turning them into a language for modern art. This research will examine the source of those influences, including the mosaics of Ravenna, and how Klimt incorporated them into twentieth century painting.
Klimt might not have been making a political statement by depicting themes like human sexuality and female sexual liberation using the austere motifs of Christianity. Therefore, I will argue that Klimt's golden period is accidentally subversive. Klimt is doubtlessly reacting to religious art, but mainly in a formal manner that takes technique to a new level. In his...
Byzantine art might have been previously valued only for its religious significance rather than for its aesthetic beauty. In fact, the Christian denial of the body and its physical pleasures parallels the possible repression of the enjoying of art for art's sake. Religious and mystical texts verify this claim. On the other hand, I will show that Klimt clearly follows the art for art's sake tradition, and created a series of delightful and bold paintings that express modern themes using traditional techniques.
The main formal elements Klimt borrows from Byzantine art include mosaic decoration, formal composition, and especially the use of gold, bronze, and other metallic colors. What Klimt leaves behind in Ravenna is the overt religiosity of Byzantine murals and mosaics.
In 1903, Klimt offers the first sign of the emerging golden period. "The Golden Knight" demonstrates the artist's early incorporation of Byzantine elements. For example, the titular knight is a bold use of gold leaf. While "The Golden Knight" seems less refined and is…
Sexuality becomes a more notable theme in later golden period paintings by Klimt. For example, in 1907, Klimt exhibits an extravagant use of gold not as a means of glorifying God as the Byzantine artists would have, but to display wealth ostentatiously. The Bourgeois woman in the portrait is ironically taking the place of Mary, as Adele Bloch-Bauer has no child in her arms. She is the new, modern form of the Madonna. Gold is depicting her obvious wealth. Mosaic technique includes Eastern motifs such as the evil eyes that adorn Bloch-Bauer's dress.
In 1908, Klimt completed one of his masterpieces, "The Kiss." In "The Kiss," sexuality is the main motif, as the couple is embraced tightly so that their bodies are one. Totally entwined, the bodies form a phallic symbol. The image is not about courting but about lust and sex. The mosaic-like effect and the gold are formal techniques and have no thematic allusion to Christianity.
On the other hand, in Klimt's 1909 "Tree of Life," a religious symbol is revealed in its mundane as well as its spiritual glory. The tree of life connects heaven to earth and is also a symbol of fertility: of mind, body, and soul. On the left of the tree is an Eastern woman who gazes dispassionately at a couple locked in an embrace almost identical to the one depicted in "The Kiss." Here, Klimt alludes to his own work as well as to the Byzantine art from which he drew. The primary sources used for this research include the Ravenna mosaics and Klimt's paintings, and secondary sources will be used sparingly.
4. Pablo Picasso (Oct. 25, 1881 - Apr. 8, 1973) Our first non-French artist, Pablo Picasso was born in Spain to an artist father. From an early age, Picasso demonstrated remarkable talent and zeal. After moving to Paris his art career exploded when he created the "Cubist" movement using shapes and dull colors to represent the subjects. Later he experimented with "Neo-Classicism" and "Surrealism." Picasso was not only a painter of
Upon the altar of which this piece would have been a part, the priests of the medieval age would have offered the sacrifice of the Mass -- in which the Body and Blood of the Christ would be offered in an unbloody manner through an act called Transubstantiation. This was a central portion of the Mass and was part of the belief system of the "age of faith" in
Art Appreciation Research Paper This paper focuses on artistic work that concentrates on the themes of love and sex. Although the two seem to be in tandem, at least in terms of application, the dominant theme is love. It refers to different arts and several artists who give their diverse opinions in support and against love. It is essential to highlight the deductions made in this paper reflect the thoughts of
sculpture of artist Henry Moore. Specifically, it will look at his art style and how events in his life affected his work Henry Moore was an influential English abstract sculptor who lived from 1898 too 1986. His modernistic works appear in museums and collections around the world. He was intensely preoccupied with two forms of sculpture above all others, the "reclining figure," which he reproduced dozens of times. Each one
George Durrie was an American painter who lived and worked during the 19th century (George). Durrie was a northerner who supported abolition and professed a concern over rampant industrialization which he believed diminished the natural landscape. Currie was most famous for his paintings of pastoral landscapes and country images which were later reprinted and sold as lithographs for the popular Currier and Ives Company, particularly his winter scenes which became
Art Museum: Case Study This case study involves a campus art museum that for many years had a competent director, but a relatively staid presence on campus. The last director had a far more populist orientation. He tried to bring schoolchildren into the museum on a regular basis, and bring in traveling art exhibitions that were of interest to the larger public. But he seemed more interested in advancing a radical