Sherrie Levine Alabama Husband Farmer Wife Analysis

In “Ways of Seeing”, John Berger, an English art critic, argues that images are important for the present-day by saying, “No other kind of relic or text from the past can offer such direct testimony about the world which surrounded other people at other times. In this respect images are more precise and richer literature” (10). John Berger allowed others to see the true meaning behind certain art pieces in “Ways of Seeing”. Images and art show what people experienced in the past allowing others to see for themselves rather than be told how an event occurred. There are two images that represent the above claim, Arnold Eagle and David Robbins’ photo of a little boy in New York City, and Dorothea Lange’s image of a migratory family from Texas; both were taken during the Great Depression.

* Through the postmodern frame of reference, explain how artists have appropriated historical artworks. How has the artist incorporated parody and wit into the work? In what way has the artist questioned the values implied in the original artwork?

The innovative and passionate presence in both Jackson Pollock’s and Wassily Kandinsky avant-garde paintings exemplifies the redefinition of boundaries throughout their art making practices. Both artists challenged traditions both materially and conceptually using innovative and diverse approaches to materials and techniques when painting. Wassily Kandinsky goes against traditions and academies to create vivid, sensual and symbolic large-scale semi abstract expressionist oil paintings in a heightened state of mind. Many artworks of his convey bright and cheerful spontaneous colours that make the audience fully consumed within his works due to hypnotic and distorted semi realist shapes. Consequently, Jackson Pollock also goes against

In the first example, a painting done by Norman Rockwell, a girl is portrayed as “more kittenish than hoydenish” the girl and her appearance are described as “soft and tentative”. She is with a boy who is awkward, she touches just his hand and that is only to tell his fortune. The girl “looks into his eyes with confidence and no assumption of consequences to her boldness”. The girl described, was the first step away from “Mary Pickford” yet is still far away from “Flapper”. In the cover the next year, the boy and girl are shown again, this time already contrasting from the Mary Pickford type; the boy and girl share a closeness - “he is standing close in an attitude of embrace” where last time there seemed to be a line drawn in-between them. The girl’s appearance is beginning to change as well, “her dress is beginning to be tomboyish” she wears a sweater and a skirt opposed to a one piece dress and it is no longer soft and delicate. The girl has a “glance backward at the young man- awkward boy no longer- is more conscious of possible consequences of this exciting intimacy”. The stark differences in the looks that each girl is giving is enough to show the changing behavior of this new generation

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

question John Berger, critic of art and author of the Ways of Seeing, raised in his essay, and it is

Abigail Solomon-Godeau didn’t like the reproduction of the arts and she felt that this is wrong thing to do. She believed in seeing the real thing, which she prefers to see the original artworks display by the photographers and artists with a commitment of art photography and the true meaning of art. Also she believed that photography would act as an art form. However, Andy Grundberg was curious about the relationship between the nature of photography and the art world. He also questioning the meaning of Postmodernism and how it gained popularity in the artistic social media. He would like to obtain some interpretations and the critical reviews of Postmodernism in the larger art world from the photographers. They would bring the major debate

Barbara Kruger is truly one unprecedented artist. Most of her known pieces were done throughout the 80's and 90's. Not only are the meaning behind the images signature to a Kruger style, but so are the overall aesthetics of her artwork. Almost branding the classic black and white images juxtaposed with raucous aphorisms highlighted in a vivid red, you can always put a name her pieces. She strategically uses the colour red in almost all of her pieces, to evoke a feeling inside the viewer of anger, power, or love. Barbara pulls inspiration from the world around her. She consumes the issues, and then asserts her concerns into her pieces. She can shrewdly insert irony and humour into her pieces that even reflect somewhat taboo, and serious society relevant themes. Kruger's work acts as her own on going commentary on issues like misogyny, politics, corporate greed, abortion rights, and body image. To make the viewer step outside of themselves and acknowledge their own thoughts, she tends to use personal pronouns in the text ("I shop therefore I am", "Your Gaze Hits The Side of my Face"). Her art is considered postmodernism. Post modernism is not a style of succeeding the demise of modernism, but a historical condition, bringing forth new idea's and philosophies. The post modernism art movement happened

Throughout the time mankind has embarked on the journey of self-discovery by using art to activate the subconscious and mirror our souls. Many artists in their lifelong quest for self-realization, have effectively harnessed their rich creative processes to reflect and reveal not only parts of themselves, but also the world around them. American artist Jackson Pollock embarked on his own journey of self-discovery. Through the exploration of his unconscious mind he allowed his strong emotions to flow freely from deep within himself onto his paintings. Pollock expressed his inner energy in his iconic drip paintings, which were created by embracing new, radical techniques of dripping and pouring paint directly onto huge canvases laid down on the

Carrie Mae Weems and Hank Willis Thomas are two contemporary artists who are defying contemporary social and political categories and taking art photo into an engage era. The essays by Annie E Coombes provide a critical analysis of how the contemporary scene is moving beyond categories of post modern, and post race. Both are efforts to rescue contemporary artists who are dealing with forms of oppression from being described as old fashion or out of date.

Mr Berger stated in his writing that, the modern society can no longer make sense out of the arts of the past which a privileged minority has created to improve the ruling class. He also wrote that, the reproduction of different copies of the same art has eradicate the uniqueness of the authentic image,

An Old Master’s painting provides for the viewer the possibility of being part of the space created as an illusion of depth by the painters, and this in itself characterizes how these painters found their own different way of challenging painting compared to what it previously used to be, by breaking the limits of painting defined by the medium. And on the contrary, Modernist paintings focusing on the flatness of the pictorial plane give the viewer the possibility to travel through the painting “only with the eye” (experienced by Manet and Impressionist painters). But, Greenberg insists that being self-critical doesn't suggest that leading painting into the extreme abstraction is the answer to Modernist painting (he gives the example of Kandinsky and Mondrian).

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

Modernism has found new expressions in art which in turn have changed how people critic and understand art, in this essay I am going to focus more on abstract expressionism. Debates in this movement have gone as far as influencing many artists and the two well-known critics who have made this movement more remarkable and have changed the art world completely are Clement Greenberg and Ronald Rosenberg. On the writings of these two gentlemen about art I will try to draw out the differences in the idea of what abstract expressionism is and what it is supposed to be, compare and outline the similarities and the differences between the two critics.

Today, Art has gone through many changes. Abstract art dominates art today shows ambiguous life a man lives, in contrast to the unambiguous art of the past. Modern does not have spirituality and cultural values and beliefs in the past and is now a reflection of a materialistic life of today. Bill Henson, a portrait artist used his 12 year old Olympia as a nude model for his portrait drawing. This brought much controversy that he was exploiting the body of an under - age girl as his own gains. This shows that art is used for popularity and financial gain. The message behind art is to show ideas and ideas that are relevant to society. Art is meant to enliven life and things, though modern art shows more if life’s negativeness. Galleries, parks and museums view to the public with meaningfulness and with the appreciation for art. Art is still effective as hand written material was seen in the walls of Ancient Egypt. Modern art stimulates the thought and fosters greater