Formal Analysis of a Lustre Jug Dated to 1185, the lustre jug is made of glazed terracotta by an unknown artist. Despite its age, the jug is remarkably whole, missing only a small fragment on its rim. In order to view all its designs, viewers would have to observe the jug from multiple angles. This essay will analyse how the artist used lines, shape, and colour to explore the dichotomy of containment and stasis in contrast to energy and movement. The jug has a limited but warm colour palette of mostly brown and white, which imbues it with a dignified and understated elegance. Despite its restrained earthy colours that suggest stability, the use of spirals and kinaesthetic imagery evokes the ideas of energy and movement. Upon closer observation, viewers notice that the lustre of the jug has cracked in several places and acquired different hues in other spots, probably due to age. Such subtle changes in colour, in addition to its glossy surface, slightly dramatize the muted main colours of the jug. This adds to a feeling of dynamism that paradoxically emanates from a stationary object. …show more content…
It appears rather squat, with a large horizontally bulging middle. The jug is symmetrical, composed of a vertical axis that runs downwards along the handle from the neck to its base. However, the middle portion of the jug has a horizontal pattern that disrupts the harmony of its symmetric shape. This dissonance between the volumetric and exterior properties of the jug instils it with a semblance of volatility, diminishing the sense of balance achieved by its symmetrical shape. Viewers would also notice that the jug’s interior is glazed along its rim. The artist may have done so deliberately to make the jug more aesthetically appealing when viewed from a distance, as there would be a completed and symmetrical brown
There are three different colors on the jar: the natural color of the terracotta, the brown paint and the black paint. Since terracotta is a neutral color it provides an excellent background for the painting. Black is a very dark color and it makes the people and the designs stick out. People use black paint when they want their design to be important. Brown is a neutral color and it is used to show the not so prominent part of the image. The little bit of brown paint shows the ground the people are standing on. It also unifies the other places where it appears. Looking at the top there is a pattern painted with both the black and brown paint to show contrast. After contrast is seen unity is also seen with lines.
The presentations of glass objects as well as pieces of furniture are the next stop in the exhibition. We view a couple of lamps which have exquisite detail. The Lamp Bearing Youth (see Fig. 3) which was utilized as a home decoration seems to be more of an artifact. A young and fit man, presumably Apollo, stands in the now prominent cross balance posture. We then see objects such as the two Table Supporters and the Four Flasks. The two table supporters are very intricate objects, for they portray an almost devilish animal with a lion’s leg. On the other hand, the four flasks express the beauty of glass blowing with the exquisite colors and movements of lines. At the end of this room we are taken to The Moregine Triclinium which is a beautiful room with an empowering color of red. The room has what seems to be the second
In this essay, I will compare and contrast two different sculptures from two different contexts of art. The first being an Olmec Colossal head (monument 1), from the context of “Art of the Americas,” and the second sculpture being ahead from Rafin Kura. The head from Rafin Kura comes from the context of “Art of Africa.” Both sculptures come from two different time periods and parts of the world. They also are both made with natural materials and have their own symbolic meaning.
Throwing the cup, this shows that he has come to realize that there is no more drink, there is no more potential. Instead of going to recover the cup, or put it down, the vessel, symbolizing Julius, is thrown— Adrian does not realize that Julius’ potential cannot be replenished, rehabilitated. The cup, as it flies through the air, is observed to “revolve, revolve”: this symbolizes that the diminishment of potential in Native American heroes recurs over and over again. Juxtaposed by the sun, which “rose straight up above us and settled behind the house”, this is to further emphasize that this cycle is occurring at all times, when the sun is high, and when the sun is
The use of imagery, figurative language, and tone are used to describe the juggler and reveal the speaker’s own views about the world.
Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Global History, Fourteenth Edition, Volume II.
In the 1949 poem The Juggler by Richard Wilbur, the speaker describes the juggler who brings a feeling of pleasure and enchantment to humans that have succumbed to the predictability of life. Through the use of poetic elements such as diction, tone, and figurative language, the speakers own feeling towards the subject is revealed. Essentially, he believes that his life has become rather boring and lost all of its fascination and someone as eccentric as a juggler is worthy of admiration due to how awe inspiring the jugglers performance is.
Martin Robertson and Mary Beard’s manuscript, Adopting an Approach, focuses on the study of Athenian pottery. The manuscript begins, by describing Sir John Beazley and his revolutionary method of studying Greek vases. The Beazley Method focuses on the technical conventions of Greek Vases such as naming the artist, dating the pieces and then grouping them based off of similar characteristics. Beazley “provided for the first time a comprehensive framework of analysis for Athenian painting, and a way of dating and classifying.” (Pg. 16) However, what Beard’s main argument suggests is that it is not the artists that help us understand the importance of the vases because even if a vase is assigned to a specific time period or artist, there is
This essay aims to investigate two different time periods in the history of art. It will scrutinize the influence that the respective societal contexts had on the different artists, which in turn, caused them to arrange the formal elements in a specific way. I will be examining an Egyptian sculpture of the god Isis nursing Horus, her son, as well as the Vladimir Virgin icon, which dates from the Byzantine era. Experts vary on the precise ‘lifetime’ of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, but according to Mason (2007:10) it existed from 3100 BCE up to 30 BCE. The Byzantine era, which
This vase could have been used as a container for water or wine and perhaps as a drinking vessel.
Visualize a ball of clay, perfectly round, cold, and anxiously waiting for its potter to form it into a masterpiece. The ball is prepared for molding and the process begins. The strong hands of the potter pull the ball, squish the ball, and rubs out any imperfections. The potter brushes the newly shaped clay with glaze that seems to be dull and lacks beauty at every angle, but little does the viewer know that this pot holds secrets because their eye deceives them and doesn’t allow them to see the lively color lying beneath the surface. The potter makes yet another examination of the pot to be sure that he has erased any blemish or imperfection before gently placing it into the kiln. The kiln fires the pot allowing the pot’s colors to come through
Our world is full of so many grandiose monuments, eye-catching sculptures, and stunning statues, each having an individual story to tell. Thousands of them have been created however, only a small number of them are actually extraordinary and picture-worthy. This paper will compare and contrast two of those picture-worthy sculptures. Furthermore, I will examine the aspects of each of these sculptures. I will compare and contrast what each of them represents, the differences in texture, their size and their tone.
Imagine pondering into a reconstruction of reality through only the visual sense. Without tasting, smelling, touching, or hearing, it may be hard to find oneself in an alternate universe through a piece of art work, which was the artist’s intended purpose. The eyes serve a much higher purpose than to view an object, the absorptions of electromagnetic waves allows for one to endeavor on a journey and enter a world of no limitation. During the 15th century, specifically the Early Renaissance, Flemish altarpieces swept Europe with their strong attention to details. Works of altarpieces were able to encompass significant details that the audience may typically only pay a cursory glance. The size of altarpieces was its most obvious feat but
Art History is the study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts. The history of art, we feel, can sometimes be confused with art criticism. However, Art History is concerned with finding the value of the artistic piece in respect with others in the same category of art or movement, and art criticism is more of an evaluation of art. The art examined best represents the culture during the time period, visions the artist imagined, and history behind an event. It also represents society in a specific area, beliefs the people may have, writing that tells a story, the natural world and environment, conflict between people and areas, and the human body. With these representations, artwork overall represents the life in which we live (d). Each piece has its own genre, design, format and style to it. This makes each piece extremely different, yet pleasing to the eye. They also vary between paintings, sculptures and architecture. These different types also make a variety of artwork to be seen by all people. The art pieces that I chose, Jar, Bottle and Glass by Juan Gris, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí, and Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, seemed interesting to me and I believe to best represent the context in which they were created, along with the major artistic movements of the time. I went on to research them more thoroughly to better understand the history behind them,
When I went to Museum of Metropolitan of Art, I saw many interesting works of arts. I was so amazed by all of the art-work. It was a tough decision to choose one work to focus on for my art paper, but there was one sculpture that caught my eye; it was Nataraja of Shiva (11th century) from Ancient Southeastern Art located on the 2nd floor of the museum. The main message of this sculpture is focused on the idea of the boundaries of cosmos and the destruction and rebirth of the world. This paper will employ close visual analysis of this sculpture and describe how the visual elements of the work relate to its main theme. In my opinion, this sculpture is very beautiful and I was so surprised to find it in the museum. As I was growing up in