Good Blog Post

On Art Blog by Bob, I found a great piece about Pierre August Renoir that stemmed from a pice on Abbeville Press. It wasn't focusing on a specific painting as much as it was focusing on Renoir as a painter. Bob argues that since rising as a prominent painter within the Impressionist generation, Renoir has had to defend his work against those that accuse it of being pretty, but not stylistically challenging. Bob refers to it as a "beauty without brains label". I like this blog entry so much because I agree with what Renoir is arguing. He says, "For me, a picture, since it is easel paintings that we have to paint, should be something lovable, joyful, and pretty: yes, pretty!". Just a few months ago, when the grade took a trip to the Frist, I saw modern art that wasn't pretty at all, which is my opinion. But for me, art is meant to be beautiful, it is meant to be enjoyed, and to evoke a feeling of pleasure, rather than make a commentary on the misfortunes of society. And when looking at different pieces of Renoir's work, I see the beauty. His work is beautiful, and while I don't know enough about art to comment on the accusations his work has received, the beauty is enough for me.

The link to Bob's blog is: http://artblogbybob.blogspot.com/

The Abbeville Press link is: http://www.abbeville.com/bookpage.asp?ISBN=9780789210579

Ecstasy of St. Teresa

The Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Bernini was created for the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. Bernini's piece brings together architecture, sculpture, and theatre into one complete work of art. It was finished in 1652, about half a century after the Baroque style gained popularity. This particular style was created and heavily endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church, which demanded that paintings and sculptures in church contexts should speak to the illiterate rather than to the well-informed. The Baroque style employed an iconography that was direct, simple, obvious, and dramatic, as opposed to the humanist, classical direction of the Renaissance. In addition, Baroque gestures are broader than Mannerist gestures, in the sense that they are less ambiguous. Baroque gestures have a point and they are seen very easily.

The Ecstasy of St. Teresa is the central sculptural group in white marble that sits elevated in the Cornaro Chapel. The two central sculptural figures are of St. Teresa and an angel with the spear described in St. Teresa of Avila's description of God. The two figures are illuminated by a hidden window in the Chapel, which when paired with the fact that St. Teresa lies on a cloud, creates an image of divine mystique. On the side wall, the male members of the Cornaro are pictured in high relief sculptures. Bernini created a mixing of the divine and the real by placing the ecstasy of St. Teresa and the angel alongside the commissioners of the work.

Favorite Work of Art: Part 2

Van Gogh wrote to his brother saying, "This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big." His painting, Starry Night is rooted in both imagination and memory. The painting is literally churning; its thick, sweeping brushstrokes evoke movement. Its subject matter embodies his response to nature, in which a dominating cypress unites the swirling sky and the peaceful village below. The village is said to be partly invented. The church spire is reminiscent of the Netherlands, Van Gogh's native land.

The painting remains wildly popular for many reasons. While the subject matter of the painting is familiar enough to appeal to a wide audience, it affects viewers individually. The part most are first taken with is the sky, which is filled with swirling clouds, stars surrounded by their own orb of light, and a bright, crescent moon. The brushstrokes keep the viewer's eyes moving about the painting, following the thick lines. The movement within the painting is exaggerated, keeping the viewer involved. Below the horizon is a small town. The center point of which is a large steeple, reigning prominent over the town. The steeple is said to cast a sense of stability over the town, creating an idyllic scene. To the left of the painting is a massive dark structure. Most historians agree that the shape is a tree, a cypress to be exact. But it is still the focus of some controversy. The structure is much larger in scale than anything else in the painting, creating a sense of depth. The outer contours of the structure mirror the sky in that the curving lines seem to tie all the different aspects of the scene together.

I have now determined that Starry Night is my favorite painting because of the brushstrokes. I feel as if the thickness of the stokes and the many different colors that remain evident in them are refreshing in comparison to typical oil on canvas works. I especially like how you can trace the exact strokes Van Gogh made, which went first, and what colors were placed where (since there is little blending). His methods keep the viewer extremely involved. It's easy to imagine him actually painting Starry Night, and that is why I love it so much.

Favorite Work of Art: Part 1

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh was the first piece of art I remember seeing. The swirling design captivated me then and still manages to do so today. I loved the colors when I was younger mainly because blue was my favorite color. But today, I love the colors because of the way they're incorporated. The different shades of blue swirl around each other, varying in stroke thickness. It's always been the sky that I've liked the most; I hardly give a second glance to the town that lies below it. I also love the way the moon and stars seem to erupt with an inner light, as if their own bodies aren't big enough to keep all of it in. The lines are completely mesmerizing. I can follow the path of the sky, the way it loops around itself and the stars, the way it barely touches the mountains and then loops inside itself, for hours. Out of all the paintings I've studied thus far, I still like this one the most. It's definitely an aesthetic value for me, but I'm excited to learn about the genius of Van Gogh and what makes this painting so famous.