Jacque Louis David's Influence

In 19th century France, the Neoclassical art style arose, influenced by the classical artistic style of Greco-Roman society. Around this time, France encountered many political, social and economic changes brought up mostly by the lower class French citizens. Jacques-Louis David was a highly influential Neoclassical artist during this time. Commissioned by both Nobles and lower class citizens of France, he created artworks such as the Oath of the Horatii (image 1), the Death of Marat (image 2), and Napoleon Crossing the Alps (image 3). David's art represented the ideas of thinkers of that time rather than just the ideals of that time. The purpose of David's art was to gain the support of French citizens through artistic propaganda in order

David was the virtual art dictator of France for a generation. Extending beyond painting, his influence determined the course of fashion, furniture design, and interior decoration and was reflected in the development of moral philosophy. His art was a sudden and decisive break with tradition, and from this break "modern art" is dated.

Art is able to evoke different feelings and emotions to each person that sets their eyes on it. The act of ‘looking’ is simple, but a lot comes from it. Where the eyes are first drawn to, the duration that the eyes are focused on a specific detail, and the thoughts that flood one’s brain when viewing art is all significant. These actions say more than the piece itself, it reveals emotions of both the artist and the audience. Art can be expressed through infinite forms, but the underlying importance is not with the art itself. It represents a place in time, displaying what was noteworthy to an individual in their own life. It serves as a lasting creation representative of human imagination with the ability to bring out a multitude of emotions from whoever views it. When art is created it represents the creativity of the human mind compacted into a physical object. Art has little usage aside from pure observation, yet it has prevailed throughout time, showing its importance to humanity. Art provides a lens into humanity, showcasing the human ability over time. When studied through history, art is a view into the development of humans and their interests. Through something as basic as commonly using symmetry to transitioning to asymmetry, the European’s perspective following the Renaissance is revealed. The making of art is solely up to one individual and their creativity. It is the pinnacle of

Nature is not altered by humanity and instead is pure, creating inspiration for people to be original. Nature is “the greatest delight which the fields and woods minister, in the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable” (Nature 221). People who believe in transcendence see the importance

n reflecting on this week’s readings, I can see the connection between the previous readings on the Harlem Renaissance and the one on Abstract Expressionism, especially as it relates to art being used for social change. Just as our society was moving at a fast pace, so was our art. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how racism, women’s rights and war brought on so many different attitudes and the art of the 20th century represented these different ideas. As it relates to war, many people were concerned about the dangers of democracy, while others emphasized patriotism. In either case, you can see a split between people’s perceptions and beliefs. It’s clear that most of the artist of the 20th century that we discussed were always on the cutting edge toward cultural change. Their shocking and innovative techniques reflected the changing values that represented a forever changing society; and often times their art helped shaped our culture, and at the same time, reflected that culture back on to us. From all the different art movements discussed during this course, this week’s readings represents the changing role they art is beginning to play in the political area. I believe that art plays a vital role in democracy, by creating openness and the freedom of expression. It’s amazing how art, be that it through a painting, literature, sculpting or through music can bring about change. Art really makes an impact on our culture and society, from instilling values or by changing opinions. It seems at the heart of every major change throughout our history, you will find an artist that created that change through his or her works. We form our ideas by seeing,

Art has evolved and regenerated itself many times during our human existence. These differences are defined through changes in styles under various theories. During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, a style known as Expressionism became popular. During this movement the artists were trying to use their artwork as a tool of expression toward life. It was mainly dominant in the nonrepresentational arts, such as abstract visual arts and music. It also was probably one of the most difficult movements to understand because the whole point of the piece lay within the artist. Not only was it a movement, it defined the act of art as a whole. From the beginning of time, each work of art, excluding replicas, show a way of expressing

Throughout history, humans have been fascinated the inherent bond that exists between ourselves and Nature. During the eighteenth century, known also as “the Reformation” period, there was a push in European society towards science and reason being the epicenter of culture. During this time, Alexander Pope wrote the poem ‘Essay on Man’ which was intended to be an outline of perennial, universal truths. The emphasis was primarily on the nature of reason rather than Nature itself. After this time period came the Romantic period, lasting from 1785-1832. It was in 1818 that Mary Shelley wrote ‘Frankenstein’, also known as ‘The Modern Prometheus’, an imaginative tale about a monster created by man. The relationships between Nature and the characters are dynamic in that they change frequently. They appear, in many instances, to be a vehicle for expressing emotion. By examining and writing about the way humans interact with the Nature surrounding them, Pope and Shelley made it possible to analyze and highlight common relationships between humans and Nature during their lifetime; for Pope and his peers, it was more about reason and ___ (word for only coming to conclusions based on ur five senses), while during Shelley’s time period, people tended to have a more emotional relationship with Nature.

At the end of the 18th century, the idea of a revolution started to appear and spread throughout the French society. After years of a significant population growth, the numbers rose up to 26 million (Smitha, 2002-15), but the production of food remained the same. Periods of starvation and France going bankrupt due to the imprudence of the royal family caused tension, especially at the lowest socioeconomic layers, and eventually resulted in the French Revolution. At these times, French art was under the influence of many styles and movements, including Rococo, Enlightenment, Neo-Classicism, and Romanticism, and some of them played an important role in the revolution: Not only was art influenced by the French Revolution but was also used as a propagandistic medium for reinforcing the idea and guiding the conflict.

Nature has always been a controversial subject ever since the 1800’s when the artistic movement of Transcendentalism flourished. Transcendentalism refers to the intellectual movement that was developed in the 19th century, which declares that truth cannot be sought through plain observation, but is found through the “heightened consciousness” that allows an individual to reach the truth (Robinson 125). The “heightened consciousness” portrays spiritual guiding, letting the body dictate its own path to life. Eventually, key figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau emphasized the movement, discussing the relation between man, nature ,and transcendentalism. Over the course of the 19th century, transcendentalism links the value

Artists create an experience not just a painting. The painting of Jenne-Marguerite Lecadre in a garden shows bold impressionistic movement. Brash brushstrokes create movement within the still landscape. Fawning trees reach to the Heavens. A woman swaddled in a drapery of soft cream and white, stands eclipsed by the tranquility of flora. Calming overtones of floral color transcend beyond the lush backdrop. The powder blue sky creates a warm and serene softness. Spherical garden beds create an enthralling depth to the picture. And the draping shadows conjure a realization that this divine image will may only last a minute second.

Nature has always been a constant influence in the history of man. Whether it is appreciated, revered, ignored, or acknowledged, nature has been a prominent force throughout history. Analyzing literature across the years reveals the many different relationships man has had with nature. Despite it’s different interpretations, nature is a recurring theme from Native American literature, to Romanticism and its subcategory of Gothic Romanticism, to Transcendentalism, and to Realism.

Abstract Expressionism is making its comeback within the art world. Coined as an artist movement in the 1940’s and 1950’s, at the New York School, American Abstract Expressionist began to express many ideas relevant to humanity and the world around human civilization. However, the subject matters, contributing to artists, were not meant to represent the ever-changing world around them. Rather, how the world around them affected the artist themselves. The works swayed by such worldly influences, become an important article within the artists’ pieces. Subjectively, looking inward to express the artist psyche, artists within the Abstract Expressionism movement became a part of their paintings. Making the paintings more of a representation

The French Revolution began as an expression of rebellion against centuries of absolute rule in France. After an interim of experimental liberalism under the rule of Jacobins and Girondins and then the infamous reign of terror, the people of French were drawn to a man who promised them a return to stability, and  honor through the expansion of empire. France and it’s people had long yearned for this sens eof honour, it had seemed, and could finally sens eit in a lasting rpesence under the rule of their prodigious, unbeatable general, Napoleon Bonaparte. He would soon take the reigns of civil government as well and become yet another Absolutist ruler, yet this

Throughout the vast history of art, historians can find connections throughout the centuries. Artists from the beginning of humankind have been inspired by the world around them. From the Apollo 11 stones to present day, history and culture have provided inspiration and have been the focus of various pieces. Examining artwork from the 15th-18th century, viewers can be shown a whole world that would be unknown to us without these artist’s contributions. History, religion, and cultural events have sculpted the art world, and we can observe this through many pieces during the 15th-18th centuries.

For over two thousand years, various philosophers have questioned the influence of art in our society. They have used abstract reasoning, human emotions, and logic to go beyond this world in the search for answers about arts' existence. For philosophers, art was not viewed for its own beauty, but rather for the question of how art and artists can help make our society more stable for the next generation. Plato, a Greek philosopher who lived during 420-348 B.C. in Athens, and Aristotle, Plato’s student who argued against his beliefs, have no exceptions to the steps they had to take in order to understand the purpose of art and artists. Though these two philosophers made marvelous discoveries about the existence of art, artists, and