The Physicality of an Artwork Is a Product of Its Time and Place.

You are required to discuss a work by a 20th or 21st century artist, photographer, designer, architect, film-maker, philosopher or writer and show how this work reflects, contradicts or extends theories of and attitudes to visual culture current at the time of its making.

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

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

Although examining art requires a huge knowledge, my intention in this essay is to analyze a piece of art, besides lyrics and the context, I’m going to examine it by following the steps presented by Alain de Botton.

And it is for that reason the painting received so much criticism. It was too real. The nude woman in the painting was not an idealized mystical subject like the woman in Titian’s Venus of Urbino anymore, but it was based on a real woman, Victorine Meurent. The reality of the piece brought all the harsh criticism onto itself, because it raised a lot of issues regarding prostitution and women’s place and roles in the French society. Another reason the painting shocked the crowd other than the realness of it is its style, how it was painted. Olympia was painted roughly with clear brushstrokes, poor details (everything was also very flat), and stark value

I was fortuned to have had parents who had a respect for all kinds of art and approached life with an open mind. Thus being furthered blessed to grow up near a metropolis which possesses a major art museum and galleries showcasing new talent, filling young eyes with wonderment. An art appreciation study early own in life would have been beneficial but alas, I burn with shame as one who falls in the class of “I know what I like” when asked about art. I am all agog for semester’s end to be better equipped to articulate on why I am moved by a particular piece. After listening to the first week lecture and reading the first two chapters of the course text, it was difficult to narrow the subject of my essay to one subject. But, Chapter Ones quotes

The main focus of the painting intended by Titian is a nude woman, Venus, looking straightforwardly at the audience. The young woman’s nipples are erect; with her left hand covers her pubic area, the sexuality of this painting is unquestionable. She is completely naked except for the ring on her little finger and the bracelet around her wrist. It is clear that the intention of this painting is to evoke sensual feelings in its audience.

Reclining nude female is a common subject matter in art history since the Venetian Renaissance, Titian’s Venus of Urbino painted in 1538 is one of the earliest reclining nude female in painting history. It described a beautiful young female laying on her bed with her sleeping dog, on the back ground is her maids looking for cloth or her in the cassone. Manet’s Olympia that painted in 1865 is a painting with a similar composition, A nude young female who was suggested a prostitute, behind her is her black female maid holding a big bouquet of flower which is possibly from her customer. On the same part of the composition, there is an animal as well, but this time it is a cat. Titian and Manet’s reclining nude female have a same composition and subject matter, however They are very different in art history, both stylistically and culturally.

This piece was created during a time of political and social change. Increased political awareness and a focus on celebrity demanded art that was more

Titian painted Venus and Adonis because of the tale called Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Basically, the tale was about the goddess Venus getting struck by cupid and her falling desperately in love with Adonis. Adonis, a hunter was leaving with his hunting dogs but the goddess Venus does not want him leaving. She foresees the hunt will be dangerous for him and tries very hard for Adonis not to leave. Titian grabbed the moment of the goddess Venus, giving of her warning, and Adonis’s death and basically painting the emotionally charged moment of Adonis’s departure for the hunt (Venice). The goddess Venus in this painting is portrayed as more of a frantic women rather than a dignified feminine ideal. Also the role is sort of reversed and the goddess Venus is portrayed more as masculine than feminine. Since she was struck by love so hard, she is depicted as sort of an aggressive women in

Venus of Urbino demonstrates a beautiful, young woman, Venus, lying nude on what appears to be a reclined couch or bed. However, the woman illustrated means much more than merely a nude woman. There have been many interpretations of this beautiful woman over the years but many art historians agree that the Venus of Urbino has to do unambiguously with the male sexual desire for the female nude body.

Twenty eight years after Giorgione’s death, as a close friend to him, Titian created another version of the reclining female nude, which is also one of the most famous female nude in art history - the Venus of Urbino in 1538. It was an oil painting on canvas, and now located at Uffizi gallery in Florence.

It is believed Manet's technique further inflamed the controversy surrounding Olympia. Rejecting his traditional art training, Manet chose instead to paint with bold brush strokes, implied shapes, and vigorous, simplified forms. "The paint sat there on the surface of the canvas...It wasn't just the fact that she's a nude and she's a lower class nude, but also the fact that she was painted in...what many people read as almost childish or unskilled fashion," explains art historian Anne McCauley in the film. "Olympia shocked in every possible way. That is to say formally, morally, in terms of its subject matter. It had the whole range of outrage," adds art historian Linda Nochlin.

The Toilet of Venus whereby for this work of art, several questions including the fundamental motivation for the visual art and the styles used in the paintings will arise. Art has always held an influential position in the social, economic, and political lives of humankind. Examining the relationship will open eyes for more studies on the specific implications of each style used in the life.

Art is all around us. There are many different forms of art. It can be something created, captured, or it can be already existent. Not a single person is to say what makes something art because there is a different definition for everyone. However, there are a couple factors that come into mind whenever someone decides to declare something as art. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting four different pieces of art. I will be discussing each art piece’s form, time period of creation, intention or purpose, and value. These four pieces of art are Michelangelo’s Pieta, Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, Mark Rothko’s No.61, and the “Oyster Dress” by Alexander McQueen. These works of art come in all different shapes and sizes but they are valued