Giorgio De Chirico

I will be analyzing the piece Aeneas and His Family Fleeing Troy. This artwork is currently being displayed at the San Diego Museum of Art, in Balboa Park near downtown San Diego. This painting was made in 1635 during the Baroque Period in France by Simon Vouet. Vouet was the most influential painter of his time and did much to make Paris an artistic center of Europe. Vouet was heavily influenced by Caravaggio who also heavily influenced other painters during Vouet’s time. In this paper, I will be exploring issues such as material, subject matter, scale, historical context, light, human figure, and finally museum context.

In analyzing the freigthning or sinister parts of four artistic works introducing us to darkness there we many things to point out, as there obviously is limitation to analyzing within a research of a text,

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe uses many examples of imagery, such as the descriptions of the carnival, characters, the walk through the catacombs, and much more throughout the story to build suspense and intrigue for the readers and add to the mystery of Montresor’s underlining actions of the revenge and deception of the foolish Fortunado.

The lights of the town were veiled in darkness, a mere inverted shadow amidst the gloom of the night. Distant thunderings, as those brought to mind with Dies Irae or the distant chattering of a great blaze could be heard, drawing nigh upon the trembling hands of the people frantically seeking a shade for the lights that would soon propagate should their brilliance stretch to the skies, but found difficulty locating even their hands at arm’s length, due to the cloud over the town, in the streets, as real and thick as the blanket of golden and crimson extending toward the town at a propeller’s rate, silencing the natural beauty of the countryside amid the sounds of death and destruction.

Towards the middle of the story during one of the most climactic scenes in the manuscript, it takes place in Louisiana. Most people are familiar with the thick, wet, dark surroundings of the Louisiana bayou, but because of its dense vastness, it continues to be a mystery to almost everyone. The real world mystery is extended to settings around the globe including the heavy fog of London or the deep, vast ocean; as if to say that nobody in is safe from the supernatural forces which are haunting the “story”. When absurd and unrealistic ideas are presented to us, he coats them in science or facts then further obscures them in dark references. Such as the way he describes the “clay bas-relief” locked barrier he was attempting to breach. Before he dove into obscurities, he brought in an expert opinion of an architect then described it very technically has an architect would; after that was established he referenced well known but the largely misunderstood art forms of cubism and futurism. He does this to help focus our imaginations on such an abstract form and keep it realistic enough to be scary. This is also done well when describing the cult he stumbled upon in the woods. Keeping with the theme of intellectual references, he is constantly referring back to prominent

Trissino became Palladio’s mentor and patron. Seeing Palladio as a man with great spirit and exceptional aptitude for science and mathematics, Trissino also encouraged Palladio to study humanist values, such as the arts, music, and philosophy. In fact, at this time, “music was the principal art” (Tavernor, 1991, p. 20). It was also at this time that Trissino began to introduce Palladio to the works and teachings of Vitruvius, a Roman architect, writer, and civil engineer of the 1st Century B.C.E. Vitruvius had urged that art should reflect nature, “For Nature leads to Beauty, which is fundamental to the practice of architecture, once Utility and Strength have been achieved in a building” (Tavernor, 1991, p. 12)

The first thing we are bound to notice when viewing Juan de Pareja is his face. The main object by which the light in the painting illuminates, it is also the most important part of the work. From afar, we can see pride and self-confidence in a man with an upright posture. But, as we take a second and closer look, the picture becomes much blurrier. Literally. The separation between light and color becomes much clearer, but the facial expression is harder to fully make out. We move away from pride and see a contained sadness with the facial features of Juan de Pareja. The bags underneath his eyes become clearer, the spark of light contained within his pupils are visible, his pressed lips start to appear as a frown. We may hurriedly pull away from such a graven image, when we see the full face in context. When viewing the juxtaposition of Juan de Pareja’s watery eyes and upright posture, a sort of bored suffering is

At first glance, Giovanni Paolo Pannini’s Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome (1757) reveals very little past the outsider-looking-in perspective we are given from Pannini’s perspective. In the center is the Duc de Choiseul surrounded by detailed views of Roman architecture including buildings, fountains, and monuments and several infamous sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries. While looking at the painting, it is hard to pinpoint one focal point within the composition when the walls of the gallery are filled with paintings from the floor to the ceiling. The focus becomes about the space Pannini has created and it does not focus on one specific object or figure. Each view of Rome seen in the imagined gallery adds to the illusion of Rome as an ideal city and to the idea of its beauty. By showing a space that reflects this beauty through the numerous paintings, sculptures, and architecture Pannini’s painting transforms into an allegory. Even though this painting was commissioned to commemorate Rome, he is able to portray the city and its architecture through a well respected and scholarly environment uncharacteristic of any known space or time. These characteristics cause the which allows it by creating a fictitious These allegorical characteristics do not become known unless you take a closer look at Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome (1757).

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a horror story about revenge and murder that occurred half a century ago. Through the haunting confession of the narrator, Montresor, the reader is able to feel what Fortunato had endured half a century ago. In this tale of revenge and murder the dark, damp, and bone-filled catacombs provide a contrast to life during the “madness of the carnival” (553).

The engulfing size of the painting (250.5 x 159.5 cm) drives the audiences mind into a hypnotic frenzy as they are overwhelmed by bright and sensual colours, which, have the ability to evoke deep emotions and realisations. Kandinsky has portrayed this through the disorientation of his own personal visions of society during the industrial revolution. The rough yet expressive outline of buildings, a rainbow and the sun gives reference to realism as it allows viewers to connect and understand underlying motifs and shapes yet is painted abstractly to move away from the oppressive and consumerist society. Thus, Kandinsky breaks boundaries through his innovative approach to his art-making practise concluded from his personal belief of ‘art for arts sake’. He believed that art should mainly convey the artist’s personal views and self-expressionism that translated a constant individuality throughout his work from an inner intentional emotive drive. This broke traditional boundaries as art in the renaissance period was meant to be a ‘narration’ or an artwork where an audience could learn and benefit from. This is evidently shown in Composition IV as it exemplifies Kandinsky’s inner feelings towards the industrialised society

Poe’s use of symbolism is very evident throughout the story of “The Masque of the Red Death”. Much has been made about the meaning of the rooms that fill Prince Prospero’s lavish getaway. One such critique, Brett Zimmerman writes, “It is difficult to believe that a symbolist such as Poe would refuse to assign significance to the hues in a tale otherwise loaded with symbolic and allegorical suggestiveness” (Zimmerman 60). Many agree that the seven rooms represent the seven stages of human existence. The first, blue, signifying the beginnings of life. Keeping in mind Poe’s Neo-Platonism and Transcendentalism stance, the significance of blue is taken a step further. Not only does blue symbolize the beginning of life, but the idea of immortality is apparent when considering these ideas. “Perhaps ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ then, is not quite the bleak existential vision we have long thought it to be”, expounds Zimmerman (Zimmerman 70). Poe’s use of each color is significant to the seven stages

As a matter of fact, the Minoans were remarkable engineers, building complex structures like the palace at Knossos with dozens of rooms and corridors centered around a central courtyard, without protective walls. More importantly, the Minoans were known for their “wet” frescoes, the application of painting colored tints on the interior plastered walls of the palace. This type of Minoan fresco presents a three-dimensional effect, like elegant forms represented in an impressionistic manner. Painting under the time constraints of the drying plaster, allowed for inventiveness, freedom, and graceful lines, which was new to the art. More often than not, the paintings were tailored into a frame of geometric shapes. The frescoes showed how the Minoans viewed the world, their cultural beliefs, rituals, artistic beauty, elegance, physical gracefulness, and how they lived in harmony

Giovanni Palestrina was an Italian composer who was born in Palestrina, near Rome. Giovanni was born on February 3, 1525 and died February 2, 1594. He studied with Robin Mallapert and Firmin Label. Giovanni went to school at St. Maria Maggiore. He spend most of his job in the city. Giovanni was influenced by the Northern European style of polyphony. He played organ for his church that he was deeply into.

Gothic literature’s desire to explore the unknown, the unexplainable, inexplicable and the terrifying can be seen as a reaction to the Enlightenment’s emphasis on the rational and knowable. The Enlightenment rejected the belief in superstition, and religion. Reason, deductive logic, and observation were the methods of examining the world. A clash of these two approaches is noticeable in Otranto. The novel violates 18th century

The area of art is popularly known for heightening emotions, challenging stereotypes, and ultimately providing insights into how individuals view the surrounding world. The artist and the observer time and time again see pieces in overwhelmingly different ways. Individuals may wonder why this is so. What could possibly create such a drastic change from one perspective to another? When it comes down to it, experiences are the answer. The artist and the observer have different