Analyzing Campbell's Soup Cans

Art is a way for humans to express creativity and imagination in various mediums of work. Art can come in the forms but are not limited to paintings, sculptures, architecture, statues, dramas, plays, music, and dance. To me, art is something that causes the person observing the artwork to feel a certain emotion such as pain, love, fear, or sadness. A great piece of artwork can make the viewer almost feel like they can replace themselves with those involved in the medium and feel the exact emotion as those in the piece feel. An example of this would be viewing the play Cyrano de Burgerac, where the playwright or artist of the play makes it possible for the viewers’ hearts to break as Roxane tells Cyrano how great the words of

The art piece that I selected for my analysis is called The Triumph of Divine Love by Peter Paul Rubens. The artwork is an oil painting on canvas, circa 1625. This piece of art was commission by Isabella Clara Eugenia, Infanta of Spain and Portugal. The Triumph of Divine Love was one of eleven art pieces in a series portraying the Eucharist cycle, an important issue in the Catholic-Protestant strife. Its purpose was to aid in the Catholic Reformation and the artwork was to be displayed at the Convento de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid. (Ringling Museum n.d.)

Art, according to Webster's Dictionary, is a human skill of expression of other objects by painting, drawing, and sculpture. People have used art as a form of expression for a long time. From the Mesopotamian era to the Classical Greeks and the present. Art is expressed in many different ways and styles, and is rapidly changing, one style replacing another. Impressionism and Cubism broke away from the traditional style of painting. They were both looking for a new way to express everyday life. Time is an important tool that is used in Cubism as well as Impressionism. This element is expressed in Claude Monet's Sunrise and Pablo Picasso's Man with a Violin in different ways.

The thought of art is more than what you see it is what you feel and what you learn from looking at it. Art can heal the soul and create and new outlook on images we may see every day. Sadly, we may not always see the art in things, pieces, or, humans.

When discussing how one should look at art, paintings, or even sculptures to understand it for its full meaning Patrick Frank’s Prebles’ Artforms categorizes it in five ways; commentary, worship and ritual, commemoration, persuasion, and self-expression (Frank 23-34). I believe that these five categories can really help you when looking at any type of artwork because you can distinguish what message the artist is trying to convey and a deeper understanding of the work.

Art might not be viewed the same way as another individual could. Some people could “see” or “look” at a painting, distinguishing their perspective or interpretation of an artwork. When I “look” at Alma Thomas’ Gray Night Phenomenon, it’s with a goal to identify what the art depicts. I would probably glance at the painting, not taking my time to analyze its different features. At first glance, I register the painting as simply a piece of artwork with a blue background and yellow specks in a pattern, however I don’t take much thoughtful processes to take place and bring emotions into viewing the piece. When one “looks” at something, it is more routine-like and to figure its function, without much appreciation of the artwork. In contrast to “looking”

Describe the initial emotions you feel when viewing the art. Then list any adjectives that descrWhat category does the art fall under? How can you tell?

Art in general is a form of expression. Individuals use art to express emotions, passion, or make a statement. Society can have an impact on how an artist chooses to express his or her sentiments. The beauty of it all is that interpretation is what makes art so unique. The same piece of art can mean so many different things due to who is looking at it. Just like everything else, art changes with time. There has been different eras in art that have impacted society as we know it.

The first painting was of a women painting inside the painting, and it looked liked she was in Egypt, and in one hand the women was holding a compass and in the other was a paper with math on it. The second painting looked like a family traveling somewhere in the 17th century. Both of these paintings were representational art. And both of these artworks also tell a story in a unique way. And there also seems to be hidden messages scattered around these paintings but if you look closely they open a hole new meaning to the art. The second painting looked like it belonged to an artistic tradition due it being English. The first painting was called the Allegory of Geometry, and the artist who made this was Laurent de la Hyre. The second painting was called Landscape with Country Carts, and the artist who created this was Thomas Gainsborough. Thomas Gainsborough personality played a role in creating the art, he was a landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. He also surpassed his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds to become the dominant British portraitist of the second half of the 18th century. After doing a visual analysis of the artwork I noticed that the Allegory of Geometry was more sharp than the Landscape with Country Carts, it had more detail in it. A formal analysis can be useful to tell an artist's use of aspects such as color, shape, line, mass, and

Just like everything else in life, art has its critics. Art criticism is the expression used to describe the act of making selective judgments, both positive and negative, about an art piece. Just as art is so diversely expressed and interpreted, those who critique it also have various methods and use various standards when criticizing an art piece. There are many theories critics use to evaluate art but there are three basic theories most commonly put to use by professionals. The three basic theories are: formal theories, contextual theories, and expressive theories. Formal theories focus on the formalities of art. Critics using formal theories pay close attention to the making of a piece, how each section of the art piece works to form a visual experience that may or may not attract the attention of those who come across it. Formalists’ attention is centered on the formal organization rather than the themes, which they deem irrelevant. Contextualists, on the other hand, value the theme and its relevance to the times in which the artwork was created. The contextual theories deal with the context in which an art piece is used; what it symbolizes concerning the culture and values of the environment. Lastly, there are the expressive theories. Expressionists are more concerned with the artist and the personal expression put into the work. Also, because art is a method of communication, expressive theories

Campbell’s Soup Cans presents thirty-two duplicate paintings of different flavored Campbell soup cans. All of the paintings were painted on white canvas and displayed in rows as if, “resting on a shelf like groceries in a store” (MoMA). Each piece is nearly identical to the first with the main difference being that each name of the soup’s flavor is different, two specific soup cans with a ribbon across the seal stating, “NEW, GREAT AS A SAUCE, TOO”, and another with the words “Old-fashioned” above the flavor label. Each can has a black outlines and details, red upper half, brown centered seal, while lower half, read flavor name, black and gold “SOUP”, gold printed patterns, and a single red line. The MoMA states, “Warhole assigned a different

It’s troublesome to envision that Andy Warhol’s 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans painting has an insufficiency of connotation and significance. As I look at the painting I discover myself determined, strong-willed, and decisive to grasp sight on some hidden message. Although, I assume this was the objective Andy Warhol was trying to convey. He painted the modern culture and in essentially every pantry, ascertains a Campbell’s Soup Can will be detected. It is something everyone knows and at some level can relate to. Every can is shaped and designed the same, yet there are still a few differences. The flavor of the soup changes, not one repeats itself. The deeper meaning behind this could be that these particular soup cans may represent

The formal qualities of art work are somewhat important. I like paintings that flow smoothly with very fine brush strokes. I think some of the most beautiful art work is produced with a combination of canvas and oil paints. I like portraits that capture images I normally could not see otherwise. Portraits that capture the colors you can see when light reflects on a ripple of water amaze me. I do not know a great deal about art, but art seems to be much more opinion than

Andy Warhol did a lot of paintings, mostly comics of artist or ads. The one that became his favorite one was the Campbell’s soup cans. The idea of him painting this painting came through an ad he saw at a gallery. This painting is different than all the paintings he has done throughout his career because it’s comic-strip painting.

A work of art can capture a moment in a person’s life. When observing art it’s almost like a snapshot of a brief point in time. The artist tries to create this specific point, and within this creates a story or meaning. The art has something to say and the artist wants you to react or take something away from this experience. The reaction is the function of the specific work of art. Whether it’s a favorable or awful reaction, the viewer still walks away changed.