Making up the Rococo: Francois Boucher and His Critics

On his reading, Nudity a la Grecque in 1799, ___________ explains the controversy of one of the most famous paintings of the Neo-classical artist, Jacques-Louis David, the Intervention of the Sabines (1799). This beautiful and controversial painting was characterized by the juxtaposition of male and female nude figures, its impact within women fashion and their power of intervention on society, as well as the David’s intent to represent on his paintings the social and political transformations in France during that time.

Therefore, this introduction and analysis of fifteenth-century Italian painting arises from looking at social relations. Through the institutional authorization, Baxandall examines the integration of social, cultural and visual evaluations. The author explores visual art not only from a social construction, but also looks at the major role it plays in social orders such as interactions between individuals or between larger social groups.

Peter Paul Rubens’ masterpiece, Venus and Adonis, is not only a significant artwork of the baroque-period in Europe during the seventeenth century, but it also tells the mythological story that begins with love, and ends in tragedy. Displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this painting is admired for representing the unique baroque-style of this era, as well as Rubens’ particular use of the medium and how it reaches those who are viewing it. His attention to detail and crafty use of symbolism within the painting assist viewers in deciphering the story, along with the values of the period in which Rubens was living. In studying the composition of the work and noting the historical context from which it came, one can ultimately

Barna da Siena’s Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine and Other Scenes from 1340 is vastly different in content, composition, and a number of other attributes from Fra Carnevale’s 1467 painting Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple. It is clear between the roughly hundred years between when the two were painted that advancements in realistic painting soared and a further appreciation for realism and humanism developed. The need to portray more than just the holy subjects, and to show how far painting had evolved is evident in the differences between Barna and Fra Carnevale’s works. Although, the emotion behind Barna’s work, and its significance are, in my eyes, far greater than that of Fra Carnevale’s.

Since the first brush stroke was taken in Europe, the paintings that have been produced have played a vital role in revealing our world 's past, history, religion and daily lives of its citizens. Each time period and movement have influenced artists from its first existence to even this very day, creating an extraordinary timeline of art and history as one. Frans Hals ' Merrymakers at Shrovetide of 1615 and Francois Boucher 's Interrupted Sleep of 1750 are no exception. Despite their different time periods and movements, the two paintings each have many parallels and at the same time very distinct styles which play on how influential artists ' styles are upon each other. Even with all of the differences and similarities, both paintings are

In representing female subjects, both Pablo Picasso’s oil painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) and Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882) manipulate the formal techniques of composition and perspective to create new ways of seeing their subject, emulating their contemporary society’s shifting views of women and the individual. Les Demoiselles depicts five naked prostitutes, flaunting their bodies, and some wearing tribal masks. In comparison, A Bar at the Folies-Bergère represents a female, who may also be a prostitute, tending a bar. The depiction of previously ‘hidden’ female subjects alone was an innovation of the perception of the artist, however, the formal treatment in representing these subjects was an important break from tradition.

The main subject of the painting is Madame de Pompadour, who sits half reclining, engulfed by yards and yards of colorful fabrics, with gilded furnishings and flowers galore, a celebratory painting of a “femme savant” (Goodman 1), at ease in her surroundings. Books and papers fill the scene, proclaiming her intellectual prowess. An educated woman, Pompadour is

Art by its nature is a subject of the philosophical, social, economic, political or religious context surrounding its creator. More often than not, a work of art addresses a specific topic or somewhat revolves around a particular person. Therefore, it is impossible to separate the context of a piece of painting, either historical or cultural, to its intrinsic value or the artwork's meaning. On the other hand, different cultures and time utilized specific conventions that govern the representation of objects of creativity. This essay highlights various pieces of art and their relationship to particular cultural, political, economic, or social settings. Moreover, it pinpoints how different times influence art presentation.

The visual work I have chosen is the Bith of Venus and is one of the world’s most famous works of art. Painted by Sandro Botticelli between 1482 and 1485, it is the first example of painting on canvas. The written work I have chosen is the Stanze per la Giostra. It was written by Angelo Poliziano, written between 1475-8. Both works are examples from the Italian Renaissance era, during the Medici rule, and share the theme of beauty and humanism. The works I've selected share the same subject matter, Venus, and is the perfect example of beauty and humanism. She is the epitome of beauty and her birth from the sea is an example of her metamorphosis of humanism. For this paper, I will compare both works then discuss how the shared theme is seen in contemporary works. How does Venus and her beautiful metamorphosis fit into contemporary forms of beauty and humanism?

Painting portraits, portraits of women, youth and loved ones became more popular than scenery. Here, women are no longer mythological creatures and have stepped out into everyday life, although there is still an air of idealism around them. (Fig. 2)is a work of this period with an emphasis on the female element.

Bonheur was an important figure in women’s right; she herself reflects the social movement for women. She was a women that didn’t let society’s standards keep her down; she worked hard to build her career. Bonheur was the first woman in France to get a permit to wear pants.1 The police’s reasoning for allowing Rosa this permit was because of health, and her doctor co-signed the permit.1 The slaughterhouses and fairgrounds would dirty her dresses thus it was impractical for her to wear a dress. Bonheur was smart she knew what wearing pants would do to her career.1 She knew buyers would not purchase paintings that came from a woman who wore pants, so Bonheur would wear dresses to social events.

Beauty in art is the essence of detail and Boucher mastered in his painting, “Lovers in a Park.” He was able to create a very colorful garden setting combined with a hint of tension by the figures that quickly goes away with the beauty of the scene. The idea of love being an innocent but beautiful game is being told here. The light textures, silky look, cheerful style contributed to Boucher’s material richness work. The Rocco style was a reactive approach to the Baroque style that embodied light colors, asymmetrical ideas, and playful themes. It was a more graceful approach to the other style. Boucher was a French painter, draughtsman, and etcher who was perhaps the most celebrated painter of the 18th century. His career was hugely successful with many honors received and membership to the Royal Academy. His inspiration from other artists, patrons, and important figures in his life contributed to this style of work. Boucher’s Lovers in a Park captures the true beauty of what a Rocco style painting should look like.

The art world has been host to a vast menagerie of talent, intellect, and creativity for about as long as human culture has existed. It has grown, developed, and changed just as humanity has. Naturally, with such an impressively expansive history, various avenues of art are visited time and time again by new artists. Artists seek not only to bring their own personal flavor and meaning to timeless concepts, but to find new ways to approach them. While not every single creator and craftsman can make such a great impact on art or the world, their efforts have given birth to some truly magnificent and unique works. In an effort to create a more meaningful understanding, as well a deeper appreciation, of the nuances, techniques, and design choices employed in these attempts, a comparison will be made between Edouard Vuillard’s Interior With a Screen (1909-1910) and Henri Matisse’s Blue Nude (Souvenir of Biskra) (1907). In this essay, each artist’s approach to the subject of the female nude will be closely analyzed, compared, and contrasted, as will their styles of painting, handling of visual elements, and their use of the principles of design. An interpretation of each work and what the artist intended when creating it will also be provided.

Pierre Bourdieu was an acclaimed French sociologist, anthropologist and philosopher, who is still noted today as being one of the most prominent and influential intellects in recent years. He is famous for his contributions to many subjects and areas, and much of his work is still considered today as being classics. His work is considered to be some of the most innovative and groundbreaking bodies of theory and research in contemporary social science. He is still prominent today for his many great contributions to the field of sociology, and though he has many revolutionary concepts, this essay will focus on three; Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital and field, and a key sociological factor these concepts help to explain. These three

When one considers the term “Art Nouveau,” what comes to mind most immediately is “images of a European-wide invasion [characterized] by the restless dynamism of organic form”(Silverman 1). For me it is usually the work of Alphonse Mucha– his mysterious women surrounded by the beauties of nature. Often my Art Nouveau fantasies take shape in the odd fungal-shaped stained-glass lamps of Tiffany. Or sometimes they surface as the romantic Parisian posters I’ve seen at Pier One, advertising champagne or cats noir or bicycles or the like. But no matter what ones notion may be of what Art Nouveau looks like, there is a feeling that accompanies it that is at the heart of the style’s appeal. It is difficult to define or describe what