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Your Favorite Artists/Artworks?
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Many, many. Samples: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Dali, Chagall, Mattise, Picasso, Goya, Monet, Kandinsky, Degas, ...
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I'll start with the standard I-don't-know-anything-about-art favorites Picasso, Bosch, and Dali. Especially Picasso. And I can appreciate what Jackson Pollock does.
My girlfriend also turned me on to Goya's The Disasters of War series (which is ****ing stunning), and the work of Klimt.
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Like books and music, I go through art phases. Right now, I'm on a Poussin kick.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...me_c._1640.jpg
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
stlukesguild
Since ftil keeps pushing the issue, let's see who are your favorite artists and what are your favorite works of art.
You can limit yourself to 10 each... or go for more if you wish. As an artist and someone who has long studied art history I don't think I could limit myself to less than 50:
As I said many times, you have the unique ability to make me laugh. Thanks.
It is so easy to make you react. Not a good sign.
My list of favorite artists is long too but I am not going to waste my time for Photobucket or post links. I have much more interesting things to do.
I may post here when I will be inspired to do so. :smilewinkgrin:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
ftil
As I said many times, you have the unique ability to make me laugh. Thanks.
It is so easy to make you react. Not a good sign.
My list of favorite artists is long too but I am not going to waste my time for Photobucket or post links. I have much more interesting things to do.
I may post here when I will be inspired to do so. :smilewinkgrin:
Ahh the internet where one can say what one pleases without fear of actual human contact rendering their words ridiculous...
It seems from what I see that St.Lukes did you a favor by answering your question and answering it with detail and thoroughness; and your response was, as is expected when a relative stranger does one a favor, an exercise in cruelty and narcissism.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
J.Steerforth
Ahh the internet where one can say what one pleases without fear of actual human contact rendering their words ridiculous...
It seems from what I see that St.Lukes did you a favor by answering your question and answering it with detail and thoroughness; and your response was, as is expected when a relative stranger does one a favor, an exercise in cruelty and narcissism.
LOL! Another person who speaks up on behalf of St. Luke. Don’t you think that St. Luke can argue on his own without your help. It is undermining his intelligence.....if you think otherwise.
BTW, it is your third post. So you are new, or perhaps,...... the answer is more prosaic. :reddevil:
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ftil has her own agenda... whatever that may be. Mine, here at least, is to simply explore some of the artists and artworks that I like before the thread is inevitably closed again.:rolleyes:
After a long day in the studio, my studio-mates and I often play something of a game (preferably over beer) is which we are asked to "Name the 10/20 paintings you wish you could own." Often we play with limitations: "Name your 10 favorite paintings by a living artist." "What are you 10 favorite landscape paintings?" "What are your 10 favorite non-Western works of art?"
Perhaps I'll start a similar dialog by asking:
"What are your favorite portraits?"
I'll wait this out for a while, before posting my own rather lengthy list of candidates.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
stlukesguild
ftil has her own agenda... whatever that may be. Mine, here at least, is to simply explore some of the artists and artworks that I like before the thread is inevitably closed again.:rolleyes:
Oh, St.Luke you really can make me laugh. So you have accused me of “ pushing the issue”which is not true but your assumptions. Then you have asked me about my list of painters. When I refused…… you have made another assumptions that I have an agenda. I thought that you can do better than that. :lol:
I hope that this thread will never be closed. But it is up to you….if you take a serious, or a better word, an honest look what has happened on your previous art threads. :smilewinkgrin:
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Accck!!! An artist I most certainly should have included in my top 50:
Odilon Redon:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps44126137.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2f218b50.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psd258dce4.jpg
Redon was a masterful colorist; his imagery was fantastic and fairy-tale like; he had a poetic... visionary touch, and only Degas handled pastel with a greater degree of absurdness and originality. I cannot help but love his work... which I had the pleasure to see in person in a great retrospective in Chicago some 10+ years ago.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
stlukesguild
Accck!!! An artist I most certainly should have included in my top 50:
Hm….I would never keep him on my list. But I would keep Gustave Moreau as I like many of his paintings and George Frederick Watts’ Hope.
A few of G. Moreau's paintings.
Gustave Moreau, The Tatooed Salome
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=8109
Gustave Moreau, The Apparition
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=8027
Gustave Moreau, Goddess on the Rocks
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=8062
Gustave Moreau, Desdemona
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=8105
George Frederick Watts, Hope
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:As...rt_Project.jpg
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Here's mine. It's 194 pictures from my Art History set on flickr. One artwork per artist, including painters and sculptors.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4725704...7623244816627/
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
mortalterror
I have noticed that you as well as St. Luke have posed Turner.I love his art.
A few of his paintings.
William Turner, The Lake of Thun, Switzerland
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=21435
William Turner, Landscape: Composition of Tivoli
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=21451
William Turner, Dido Building Carthage
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=20906
William Turner, Eruption of Vesuvius
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=21447
You have also posted Franz Marc's painting, The fate of the animals I like.
Franz Marc, Fate of the Animals
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=20980
Another of my favorite.
Franz Marc, Tiger
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=20972
I didn't know that he painted Orpheus with Animals.
Franz Marc, Orpheus with Animals
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=63860
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As stlukesguild already said, t's very difficult naming just a few artworks and artists.
As I've pointed out somewhere else, I have to say Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son" seems to me one of the most amazing paintings ever created; the strenght of the representation, the concise use of symbols, the use of colours, Rembrandt just seems to have the ability of drawing together every element to a perfect, and yet warm, synthesis.
I love everything by Rembrandt, but his last works seems to me the epitome of humanity, the same way as Michelangelo was able to depict the divine, Bosch the degradation and Rubens mythological subjects!
I could say pretty much the same for some of the late works by many italian painters, above all Tiziano and Caravaggio.
Titian's late works seems to me beyond simple beauty, they just seems to have gone through the annihilation of matter, so that it becomes difficult differentiate the artist from his very artwork. Think of Titian's The Flaying of Marsyas and tell me if it doesn't bear a similarity to Michelangelo's own portrait as S.Bartolomeo in his Last Judgment!
Another dense painter I admire very much is, of course, Raphael. Raphael is not the painter I like the most as I feel his conception of art, his divine perfection to be beyond my tastes: that's not to say he is not warm, as he may be as warm as many other great painters if not warmer, but, if you get what I mean, I still feel him someway distant.
Anyway his Madonnas are probably the best ever painted making difficult to choose just one work.
Another painter I truly like is Picasso, but in his case is just impossible to have one favourite work or a most representative one, as he probably was the most variable painter I've ever seen...
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4 Attachment(s)
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Otto Diz, Jankel Adler, Rudolf Bauer, Max Ernst, Paul Klee ................................................
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5 Attachment(s)
Jan van Eyck
I took this picture of the Ghent Altarpiece (also known as Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) while in Belgium last year:
Attachment 8647
Joan Miró
Attachment 8648
Edvard Munch
Attachment 8649
Monet
Attachment 8650
Canaletto
Attachment 8651
Goya
Delacroix
Dalí
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Portraits:
One of the primary goals of painting and sculpture has been to record the likeness of beloved or "important" individuals. As such, there are a wealth of portraits from across the span of time and from around the whole of the world. Among some of my favorites are the stunning portraits of Egypt:
King Akhenaten:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...pse009d4b7.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psae8eed2e.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psed84182f.jpg
His wife, Nefertiti:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6e12acf7.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps068ec15a.jpg
The funerary portrait mask of Tutankhamen, the son of Akhenaten:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psc48b3611.jpg
The colossal portrait of Ramses II:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6dc1d5cf.jpg
And then there is the touching... delicate... almost fragile portrait of Queen Hatshepsut, the first known female ruler of any major state:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psb2133f0a.jpg
These just touch on the contributions of the Egyptians. Quite honestly, outside of Egypt and to a lesser extent, the art of Persia and the Islamic world, I am but a novice when it comes to non-Western art. To delve through the endless examples of portraiture from Africa, India, Persia, China, Japan, Korea, the Americas before Columbus, the Pacific Islanders, etc... is far more effort than I am willing to currently put forth. As such, I shall limit myself to exploring what I feel are the finest portraits from within the confines of Western Art History.
1. Funerary Portrait of Mausolus of Halicarnassus
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6bef95cc.jpg
The funerary portrait of Mausolus of Halicarnassus is one of the oldest... and one of the most stunning portraits in the history of Western Art. The sculpture was created as part of the famous Mausoleum at Halicarnassus... a tomb erected in memory of Mausolus by his sister and widow, and one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World."
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps42dffdec.jpg
Mausolus was placed atop the Mausoleum and portrayed in his chariot beside his wife, Artemisia, and behind a team of four horses. The sculptures on the Mausoleum were recorded as having been created by Scopas of Paros, Leochares, Bryaxis and Timotheus. The portrait of Mausolus is one of the first examples of the so-called "Greek Baroque" style, emphasizing realism in the portrait of Mausolus and stressing drama and motion. The deep undercutting suggests that the drapery of Mausolus robes wraps around his body and flutters in the wind as his chariot sallies forth.
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps83cda090.jpg
Where the Greeks were idealists, the Romans were realists... and as a result we have far more portraits by the Romans. Roman sculptors set out to capture the truth of the appearance of both the high and mighty and the loved ones of those able to pay the price. One of the most interesting developments of Roman art, was that of the portrait bust. In spite of our Romantic admiration for the fragmentary sculptures of ancient Greece...
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3eed1bbd.jpg
... the Greeks themselves would have thought these an abomination. The integrity of the human body as a whole was not to be cropped or fragmented. The Romans, however, developed a distinct admiration for portrait busts. Well-to-do Romans filled their homes with portrait busts of their ancestors as we might fill ours with photographs:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps232bb6ae.jpg
The Romans did not avoid the less than ideal features of the people they portrayed:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psee61a451.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0fce26a8.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps60e747e9.jpg
Of course there are certain portraits that stand out far more than others. Among these, I would include:
2. Augustus of Prima Porta:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...pse24d14d0.jpg
(No idea who the woman is. She just happens to be in one of the finest reproductions of the work available online)
The statue was discovered in the villa of Augustus Caesar's wife, Livia Drusilla. It was almost certainly the creation of a Greek artist working in Rome. The sculpture merges elements of Greek idealism and classicism with Roman realism. Augustus face is shown as bearing the signs of age, which the Romans valued as proof of wisdom, yet the body and pose allude to the strength and youth of the idealized Greek art. Here, at the start of the Empire, the Romans wished to draw a connection between themselves and the great achievements of the Greeks... especially those of Alexander the Great.
3. Antinoös
One of the most idealized portraits is that of Antinoös, the "pretty boy" lover of the emperor Hadrian. Antinous drowned in the Nile in October 130. The death was presented as an accident, but it was believed at the time that Antinous had been sacrificed or had sacrificed himself, and Hadrian "wept for him like a woman." Hadrian went through the process of deifying him soon afterwards, a process previously exclusively reserved for imperial family members rather than friends or lovers of non-Roman origin. The grief of the emperor knew no bounds, causing the most extravagant veneration to be paid to Antinous' memory. Cities were founded in his name, medals struck with his likeness, and cities throughout the east commissioned godlike images of the dead youth for their shrines and sanctuaries.
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps90025d9a.jpg
4. Pompey
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psd965e1c9.jpg
Once a son-in-law and ally of Julius Caesar, Pompey came to an unkind end during the civil war. This round, chubby face conveys such a sense of smugness. It reminds me of the portrait of the painter Francis Bacon by Lucian Freud which Robert Hughes described as a grenade about to explode. Pompey's face suggest something of this compact tension.
Another favorite Roman portrait is:
5. Portrait of a Patrician Lady
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psd05e98b6.jpg
What is especially intriguing about this portrait is the contrast between the simplicity and idealized classicism of the face that echoes the softened "impressionistic" features in the works of Praxiteles, and the drama of the outrageous coiffure. One cannot help but think of Medusa... or the high piled wigs of the Rococo.
Some of the finest portraits are those of some of the most despicable individuals... perhaps proving once again, the aesthetic merits of a good villain. The mannered portrait of Commodus...
6. Commodus as Hercules
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psf8804e63.jpg
... presents the somewhat effete Commodus as the mythological hero, Hercules, wearing the skin of the lion he had defeated.
Commodus was the ultimate megalomaniac. In opposition to the Roman Senate, he proclaimed himself to have god-like powers and physical prowess. He ordered innumerable statues to be erected around the empire portraying him in the guise of Hercules, reinforcing the illusion of him as a demigod, a physical giant, a protector and a battler against beasts and men. As Hercules, he could claim to be the son of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Roman pantheon.
In 191, the city of Rome was extensively damaged by a fire. Seizing upon the opportunity, he declaring himself the new Romulus, ritually re-founded Rome. He renamed the city Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana. All the months of the year were renamed to correspond exactly with his twelve names: Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius, Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius. The once proud Roman Senate was now entitled the Commodian Fortunate Senate, while the Roman people themselves were all given the name Commodianus.
Commodus also had a passion for gladiatorial combat, which he took so far as to take to the arena himself, dressed as a gladiator. The Romans found Commodus's naked gladiatorial combats to be scandalous and disgraceful. In the arena, Commodus always won since his opponents always submitted to the emperor... or would be made to submit by his ever present Imperial Guard. Commodus raised the ire of many military officials in Rome for his Hercules persona in the arena. Often, wounded soldiers and amputees would be placed in the arena for Commodus to slay with a sword. Commodus's eccentric behaviour would not stop there. Citizens of Rome missing their feet through accident or illness were taken to the arena, where they were tethered together for Commodus to club to death while pretending they were giants.
Commodus was also known for fighting exotic animals in the arena, often to the horror of the Roman people. According to Gibbon, Commodus once killed 100 lions in a single day. Later, he decapitated a running ostrich with a specially designed dart and afterwards carried the bleeding head of the dead bird and his sword over to the section where the Senators sat and gesticulated as though they were next. On another occasion, Commodus killed three elephants on the floor of the arena by himself. Finally, Commodus killed a giraffe, which was considered to be a strange and helpless beast.
These outlandish acts of violence went against the Roman code of honor, and ultimately may have spurred on his long overdue assassination.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus
Caracalla was an equally brutal emperor. Following his father's death, he and his brother, Geta, were proclaimed joint Emperors. In 211 at a meeting arranged by their mother Julia, Caracalla had Geta assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard loyal to himself, Geta dying in his mother's arms. Caracalla then persecuted and executed most of Geta's supporters as well as his ex-wife Fulvia Plautilla, her brother and other members of the family of his former father-in-law. He then ordered a damnatio memoriae pronounced by the Senate against his brother's memory.
Gibbon in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, describes Caracalla as "the common enemy of mankind". Caracalla had a reputation as a brutal tyrant. In 215 he unleashed the Roman legions of Alexandria, looting and pillaging the city for some days, resulting in a reported 20,000 deaths.
Caracalla was most at home with the military. He increased the pay of the average soldier and lavished many benefits on the army which he both feared and admired, remembering the advice of his father, Septimius Severus, who had told him on his deathbed to always mind the soldiers and ignore everyone else. Caracalla did also attempted to win the trust of the military with popular gestures, such as marching on foot among the ordinary soldiers, eating the same food, and even grinding his own flour with them. He forgot even the proper dignity of his rank, encouraging their insolent familiarity.
His official portraiture marks a break with the detached images of the philosopher–emperors who preceded him: his close-cropped haircut is that of a soldier, his pugnacious scowl a realistic and threatening presence. This rugged soldier–emperor iconic archetype was adopted by most of the following emperors who depended on the support of the military to rule:
7. Portrait of Caracalla:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps977ae685.jpg
All that remains of 8. The Colossal Sculpture of Constantine are fragments:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8e277691.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps05913095.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...pse72966b1.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psa607cc2c.jpg
Still these fragments remain undeniably impressive... and evocative. I cannot help but think of Shelley's Ozymandias:
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desart. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
More portraits to come...
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Thanks so much. Very interesting.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
stlukesguild
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo is on your list. I don’t like his art. However, his art is interesting as he painted many mythological themes. I know his Apollo and the Continents but I didn’t know about Prince-Bishop Carl Phillip von Greiffenclau and Würzburg. As I said before, your posts are quite inspiring.
Karl Philipp Freiherr von Greifenclau zu Vollraths (1690–1754) was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1749 to 1754.
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince-Bishop
In December 1750, Tiepolo, accompanied by his sons Giandomenico and Lorenzo (1736-1776), arrived in Würzburg where, at the invitation of Prince-Bishop Carl Phillip von Greiffenclau, he was to fresco the large dining room - known as the Kaisersaal, or Imperial Hall - in the newly-built Residence of the Prince-Bishops designed by the architect Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753). The decorative programme of the Imperial Hall comprises the central ceiling fresco - an allegorical portrayal of the Genius Imperii, towards whom Apollo is conducting the Burgundian bride - and two historical scenes, The Marriage of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to Beatrice of Burgundy and The Investiture of Herold as Duke of Franconia by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa at the Imperial Diet in Würzburg in 1168, on either side of the room.
The Prince-Bishop was so pleased with the finished decoration of the Imperial Hall that, in 1752, he also invited Tiepolo to fresco the ceiling of the stairwell.
In April of that year, Tiepolo presented the Prince-Bishop with an oil sketch, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The sketch outlines the basic essentials of the themes of the work, which would later be realized: the four known parts of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa and America) are arranged along the sides of the picture, with Apollo and the deities of Olympus at its center, representing the sun rising over the world.
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Apollo and the Continents
Stairwell of the Residenz, Würzburg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...-_WGA22323.jpg
Apollo and the Continents detail
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-_WGA22324.jpg
Apollo and the Continents (Europe, overall view)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...-_WGA22331.jpg
Apollo and the Continents (America, left-hand side)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...-_WGA22325.jpg
Apollo and the Continents (America, right-hand side)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...-_WGA22326.jpg
Apollo and the Continents (Asia)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...-_WGA22329.jpg
Apollo and the Continents (Africa)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...-_WGA22328.jpg
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A big thank-you to stlukesguild for introducing me to Odilon Redon a couple years back!
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A big thank-you to stlukesguild for introducing me to Odilon Redon a couple years back!
Your welcome. I first discovered Redon in a small back room at the Cleveland Museum of Art (Pastels are often fragile and placed away from more direct lighting). The painting was that of Ophelia.
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps44f356a9.jpg
I was struck by the poetic as opposed to literal approach to the theme, the brilliant mastery of the medium and color, the almost magical decorative aspects that reminded me of medieval book illuminations or Persian/Islamic paintings.
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Portraits... Continued...
Before moving on to later periods I should add a couple great Roman portraits which I forgot to include... as well as a couple of marvelous older pieces. Let's start with the older work first.
9. Etruscan Sarcophagus Lid Portrait of Married Couple from the Tetnies Family:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7e9b745f.jpg
This is an absolutely unprecedented work of sculpture. There is nothing similar to this portrait until the tomb sculpture of the European Middle Ages. The Mausoleum of Mausolus presented an image of Mausolus and his wife, Artemisia, as husband and wife rulers for all time...standing side by side... but lovers clasping one another beneath the sheets...? The Etruscan artist offers us something quite new... and unexpected in ancient art: an intimate and touching image of a husband and wife... bound together as lovers... for all eternity. The middle-aged couple press close together... their feet poking out from beneath the sheets. A relief on the side portrays a wedding procession with the couple at the center... stressing the concept of eternal love. Undoubtedly, the fact that the Etruscan women were far more liberated... and seen far more as equals with men... than they were by the Greeks and Romans allowed for such an image.
The son of the man in the above sculpture had a similar tomb sculpture created for himself and his wife, although this later sculpture shows a greater influence of the Greeks. Here, the man and wife are shown younger... more idealized... with Greek hairstyles. The relief sculpture on the side is also less intimate or personal... portraying battles of the Greeks and Amazons.
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...pscf47d104.jpg
The husband and wife sarcophagi sculpture became something not wholly uncommon to the Etruscans:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...pse891b161.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8f545d94.jpg
This image of an older couple lying in bed together is quite unique.
Perhaps the greatest of the Etruscan sarcophagi of couples... if not the greatest work of Etruscan art period... is the
10. Terra-Cotta Sarcophagus of Married Couple:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8807ab2c.jpg
This tomb portrait presents an intimate image of a husband and wife reclining upon their couch. His arm is around her shoulder and both husband and wife exhibit hand gestures that suggest the couple is engaged in a discussion. Like the earlier portrait of the lovers beneath the sheets, this portrait suggest a true intimacy... and a relationship that speaks of equality or a partnership quite unique.
The terra-cotta or clay shows traces of paint suggesting that the image was likely brightly colored... like Etruscan painting:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psbaf0c92f.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...pse06cf93f.jpg
11. The Equestrian Portrait of Marcus Aurelius
Among the Roman works I forgot is the brilliant Equestrian Portrait of Marcus Aurelius. Nothing like this equestrian portrait would be again achieved until Verrochio and Leonardo da Vinci... and unfortunately Leonardo's equestrian works were either never realized in bronze... or destroyed. The Marcus Aurelius sculpture might have suffered the same fate at the hands of the Christian heirs of Rome. A great many Roman sculptures of the pagan gods and goddesses were destroyed, and endless bronzes melted down and turned into something new. Bernini's Baldacchino in St. Peters was famously made from bronze looted from the ceiling of the Roman Pantheon:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps50c3f1aa.jpg
The Equestrian Portrait of Marcus Aurelius combines the best of the Greek and Roman tradition. The portrait conveys a classicism and elegance worthy of the finest Greek bronzes... or even the portrait of Mausolus. The portrait itself suggests the honest realism of the portrait busts of the Roman Republic merged with the drama of late Roman statuary such as the Portrait of Commodus as Hercules:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps340ff203.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3ff56600.jpg
12. Portrait of an Aristocratic Boy
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps306eb3b2.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psa7d62f5d.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4c72954a.jpg
Another marvelous Roman portrait... in bronze... Honestly, I must say I am somewhat surprised at the number of Roman portraits I have included among my list of favorites, considering I have never been overly fond of Roman art. MortalTerror should be quite pleased. To be fair, I should note that the apparent weakness of Roman art owes much to the loss due to destruction by the early Christians... and we can certainly understand the Christian's aversion to humanist art of the Romans... as well as their lack of desire to preserve the memory of a culture that had brutally persecuted their ancestors. As a result, a good deal of what has survived is second rate (at best) mechanical copies... often of Greek originals. Looking upon brilliant original bronze works such as the Portrait of Marcus Aurelius or the Portrait of an Aristocratic Boy suggests just how much was lost.
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Quote:
Originally posted by stlukesguild
To be fair, I should note that the apparent weakness of Roman art owes much to the loss due to destruction by the early Christians... and we can certainly understand the Christian's aversion to humanist art of the Romans... as well as their lack of desire to preserve the memory of a culture that had brutally persecuted their ancestors.
Could you please provide the references based on which you have made your opinion. Very interesting indeed but very different from what I have been studying. :lol:
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I imagine the gist of this thread is to post artists that have redefined the foundation of artistic creativity at its core.
The title of this thread does not imply that we should post work of big names only, so I would like to diverge from the overall trend this topic has taken.
My particular fascination lies in ultra-current digital art. My personal favorite artist deals in vector design, abstract digital paintings, surrealism, and transcendentalist pieces. He goes by the 'street' name of Wiki and the only thing that stuns me besides the face that he isn't famous is that he is 2 years younger than me! (20)
Here is a very small glimpse into his impressive catalogue of work:
http://stwiki.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=0
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SLG- To be fair, I should note that the apparent weakness of Roman art owes much to the loss due to destruction by the early Christians... and we can certainly understand the Christian's aversion to humanist art of the Romans... as well as their lack of desire to preserve the memory of a culture that had brutally persecuted their ancestors.
Could you please provide the references based on which you have made your opinion. Very interesting indeed but very different from what I have been studying.
Outside of my use of the word "weakness" in describing our perception of Roman art based largely on second-rate copies and second/and third-rate originals, I expressed no opinion in the above statement. I think if you did a bit of your own research you would not have to look far to discover comments by critics and art historians concerning the relative poor quality of many Roman sculptural copies vs the originals that have survived. The fact that a great deal of Roman art was destroyed by the Christians who inherited the city is not opinion. Neither is my statement of the early Christian's aversion to the humanism of Roman art or their desire to preserve the memory of their persecutors.
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My particular fascination lies in ultra-current digital art. My personal favorite artist deals in vector design, abstract digital paintings, surrealism, and transcendentalist pieces. He goes by the 'street' name of Wiki and the only thing that stuns me besides the face that he isn't famous is that he is 2 years younger than me! (20)
Here is a very small glimpse into his impressive catalogue of work:
http://stwiki.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=0
My own personal interest lies with traditional painting, drawing, print, sculpture, architecture, etc... I'm not overly interested in digital art because unfortunately so much of it looks the same... and too often relies on softwear generated imagery than on any real creativity. There are, as always, exceptions. You might be interested in San Base:
http://www.sanbasestudio.com/
http://www.sanbase.com/
http://www.sanbase.com/demo/demo.htm
You might also like Ray Caesar, who creates what appear to be traditional paintings... in a sort of dark and twisted Neo-Victorian/Neo-Rococo manner... using the computer:
http://www.raycaesar.com/
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
stlukesguild
Another marvelous Roman portrait... in bronze... Honestly, I must say I am somewhat surprised at the number of Roman portraits I have included among my list of favorites, considering I have never been overly fond of Roman art. MortalTerror should be quite pleased. To be fair, I should note that the apparent weakness of Roman art owes much to the loss due to destruction by the early Christians... and we can certainly understand the Christian's aversion to humanist art of the Romans... as well as their lack of desire to preserve the memory of a culture that had brutally persecuted their ancestors. As a result, a good deal of what has survived is second rate (at best) mechanical copies... often of Greek originals. Looking upon brilliant original bronze works such as the Portrait of Marcus Aurelius or the Portrait of an Aristocratic Boy suggests just how much was lost.
I'm always pleased to see the Romans get their due share of glory. Even though you and I have different favorites for the period we can both agree that the bronzes of Aurelius and the aristocratic boy are remarkable. Besides the sculpture and the architecture, how wonderful are the Portland Vase and the murals at Pompeii? Roman painting and glassware get even shorter shrift than the sculpture, but as you say it is a shame so little has survived. There's actually a passage in Polybius where he mentions the looting of a city and the destruction of it's art, though in this case it was the Romans sacking Greece.
"The incidents of the capture of Corinth were melancholy. The soldiers cared nothing for the works of art and the consecrated statues. I saw with my own eyes pictures thrown on the ground and soldiers playing dice on them; among them was a picture of Dionysus by Aristeides---in reference to which they say that the proverbial saying arose, "Nothing to the Dionysus,"---and the Hercules tortured by the shirt of Deianeira. . . "
It's a miracle as much Greek pottery survives as it does, though that might be due to the habit of burying them with the dead. Historically, those sorts of things don't make it out of wars intact. I'm reminded of how in relatively recent history Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine was found with the boot print of a Nazi soldier across it. The Last Supper suffered from bombing even though it was covered and shielded, and the top of the Ludovisi sarcophagus was destroyed the same way. So I don't think that we can lay all of the blame on Christians and their bonfire of the vanities. A lot of the spoilage has to do with the fragile and flammable nature of paintings in general. Christians didn't set fire to the Camposanto frescoes in Pisa. Meanwhile, we fish another Apoxyomenos or Riace warrior out of the sea every couple of years.
Not quite as durable as the sculpture, but some of the mosaics do tend to hold up well.
http://i47.tinypic.com/wsmiic.jpg
And one other thing. I remembered you used to play that mystery masterpiece game before reverse image searches took all the fun out of it. Well, I've had this photo of a cherub and a satyr playing under a fountain for years which I've never been able to identify. I found it in the Julio Claudian art group on flickr. The pic only mentioned that it was taken in Rome, and part of me wonders if it's actually ancient Roman at all or if that style is more baroque. Thought I'd run it by you and get your opinion on it.
http://i45.tinypic.com/fkmyc1.jpg
Also, how do you smallerize your pictures?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
stlukesguild
Could you please provide the references based on which you have made your opinion. Very interesting indeed but very different from what I have been studying.
Outside of my use of the word "weakness" in describing our perception of Roman art based largely on second-rate copies and second/and third-rate originals, I expressed no opinion in the above statement. I think if you did a bit of your own research you would not have to look far to discover comments by critics and art historians concerning the relative poor quality of many Roman sculptural copies vs the originals that have survived. The fact that a great deal of Roman art was destroyed by the Christians who inherited the city is not opinion. Neither is my statement of the early Christian's aversion to the humanism of Roman art or their desire to preserve the memory of their persecutors.
I was asking for the references not for your opinion. :lol: You don’t know when and how you may inspire me.
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I agree there are some fine examples of Roman painting and certainly architecture that have survived. I quite admire the Pompeii Dionysian Cult frescoes... and you can easily see why artists such as Matisse were struck by the large, graphic fields of red:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psf7aa3126.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5a8ebdda.jpg
My focus at present, however, is upon portraiture.
Certainly, I agree that one cannot blame the early Christians or the Catholic Church for the whole of the losses suffered by Roman art. I wouldn't even begin to suggest such.
I agree that the Cherub and satyr under a Fountain is a puzzling piece. The manner in which the figures turn in space (especially the Satyr) suggests Late Renaissance (Post-Michelangelo) or Mannerist... if not Baroque. I'd lean toward Mannerist Baroque due to the odd pose of the covered face and the obvious anatomical mastery... yet the work suggests something Roman. Perhaps a reconstruction from an original that was highly fragmentary? The face of the child is blandly idealized (Pseudo-Roman/Greek... or just the work of a duffer?) while the face of the Satyr... from what we can see... appears far more animated and naturalistic. No info on either TinEye or a Google Image Search. Let me know if you find anything further.
Shrinking the images is easy... I simply upload whatever images I plan on using to Photobucket which then allows me to copy and paste the code for a clickable thumbnail or a full size image. In the past it seemed Photobucket was populated by little old ladies from the church' Sunday School auxiliary and the most innocuous nudes (Blake, Degas, etc...) were reported and deleted. lately they seem a bit more liberal with art... although if I have my doubts, I use Flickr, which is a bit more difficult. With Flickr I must copy the code for a thumbnail sized reproduction then paste that to the "Insert Image" feature. Then I must highlight that on the LitNet page, copy the code for the full-sized image from Flickr and attach that to the "Enter URL of Link" feature wrapping around the previous code. Its a bit of a pain in the butt, and so I primarily use Photobucket. Now if everyone on LitNet would get up to speed with a high-speed connection we wouldn't have complaints about images slowing down the load times.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
stlukesguild
Now if everyone on LitNet would get up to speed with a high-speed connection we wouldn't have complaints about images slowing down the load times.
Was it a reason to change to small images? Every forum I have had visited didn’t have that problem and fully enjoyed the original sizes of the paintings. On another forum, I have only heard one person who complained that I posted too many images and he had problems to down load. Interestingly enough, I posted much more images on art thread……without complaints. He was disturbed by mythology and religion in art. I am still wondering why.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
mortalterror
...how wonderful are the Portland Vase and the murals at Pompeii? Roman painting and glassware get even shorter shrift than the sculpture, but as you say it is a shame so little has survived...
...Well, I've had this photo of a cherub and a satyr playing under a fountain for years which I've never been able to identify. I found it in the Julio Claudian art group on flickr. The pic only mentioned that it was taken in Rome, and part of me wonders if it's actually ancient Roman at all or if that style is more baroque. Thought I'd run it by you and get your opinion on it....
As for Pompeii, fortunately many of the murals, sculptures and mosaics are now preserved at the archaeological museum in Napoli
http://cir.campania.beniculturali.it...t_language=it/.
As you walk through the ruins of Pompeii, you will see a few fragments of murals, and mosaics left in place.
I spent a little time searching your mystery piece after work, but no luck. I searched under baptismal and holy water fonts along with a few interior images of churches around Rome.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gilliatt Gurgle
...I spent a little time searching your mystery piece after work, but no luck. I searched under baptismal and holy water fonts along with a few interior images of churches around Rome.
Mortal,
I followed my Holy water hunch and found this much: It is located at "St. Paul Outside the Walls" - the Papal Basillica in Rome.
I searched "Holywater font cherub and devil" and found this link:
http://willyorwonthe.blogspot.com/20...1_archive.html
Scroll down and you will see quite a few shots of the sculpture, but still no author of the piece.
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Portraits:
Continuing on my perusal of favorite portraits I find a real lull of nearly 1000 years during the Middle Ages. The lack of great portraiture is not due to a lack of artistic genius. The concept of the "dark ages" is belied by the visual splendour of the art:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps817ab388.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psc1ffe69f.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps93114c2f.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psf7a8f462.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3d363991.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...psa12397df.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps064c1b03.jpg
In spite of the remarkable craftsmanship and artistic originality exhibited throughout the Middle Ages, there were several reasons for the dearth of portraiture. In the thinking of the period, humanity was divided into "three estates." The "First Estate" was made up of the Church or the Clergy. The "Second Estate" was that of the Nobility. The "Third Estate"... everyone else... consisted of the peasants. Only those high-ranking Clergy or Nobility would have had the financial ability to act as patrons of art... and only they would have been deemed "important" enough to be worthy of being commemorated in portraiture. But there was another hurdle to be confronted...
To the Medieval man, the Church and Spirituality were central in all walks of life. The Humanist notion of the value of the human individual and materialism were frowned upon... or at least such was the message conveyed. Even when artists portrayed the human individual, the material reality of the human body... anatomy... was not of central concern. An ability that is not valued and thus not practiced, becomes lost... and thus we find that not long after the fall of the Roman Empire there are few (or no) artists having the mastery of anatomy and rendering or sculpting the human form that we saw among the Romans and Greeks.
Even so... there were some intriguing portraits to be found in the Middle Ages. Among these, I might include:
13. The Mosaic Portraits of Justinian and Theodora and their Retinues:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3e028409.jpg
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps850048b6.jpg
Justinian was the last Roman Emperor to speak Latin, and one of the most important of the later Emperors. He strove to rebuild Roman and re-establish Roman control over the western Mediterranean. Justinian's ambition to restore the Roman Empire to its former glory was only partly realized. In the West, the brilliant early military successes were followed by years of stagnation. The dragging war with the Goths was a disaster for Italy which eventually fell to the Lombards after Justinian's death. Africa would be forever lost for the empire to the Muslim Caliphates. Historians have suggested that in his efforts to renew the Roman Empire, Justinian dangerously stretched the Empire's resources while failing to take into account the changed realities of 6th-century Europe. Paradoxically, the grand scale of Justinian's military successes probably contributed in part to the Empire's subsequent decline.
Justinian's wife, Theodora, was a famous... or rather infamous figure. Her mother was both an actress and a dancer at a time in which both professions were akin to working in the "sex industry". There are historical suggestions that Theodora followed her sister's example working in a Constantinople brothel serving low-status customers and performing "indecent exhibitions" on stage and providing sexual services off-stage. providing sexual services off stage. In the "sleazy entertainment business in the capital", Theodora earned her living by a combination of her theatrical and sexual skills. In one account, Theodora made a name for herself with her salacious portrayal of Leda and the Swan. Rumors of Theodora's sexual appetites abounded... including suggestions that she would f*** a dozen Roman Centurians into unconsciousness in a single evening... and then turn to the page boys and peasants.
In 522 Theodora reportedly abandoned her former lifestyle. Her beauty, wit and character (and undoubtedly the reputation of her sexual abilities) drew attention from Justinian, who desired to marry her. However, he could not: He was heir of the throne of his uncle, Emperor Justin I, and a Roman law from Constantine's time prevented government officials from marrying actresses. Empress Euphemia, who liked Justinian and ordinarily refused him nothing, was wholly against his obsession with Theodora and so Justinian was only after Euphemia had died and Justin had repealed the law.
Theodora was one of the most powerful women of the Byzantine era... both through her considerable influence over Justinina... and independently. Due in part to the laws which she passed, increasing the rights and status of women, she has been seen as pioneer of feminism.
Justinian and Theodora are famously portrayed in mosaics housed in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna. The portrait of Justinian portrays the emperor denoted with a grand halo usually reserved for portrayals of Christ. Justinian stands in the middle of the mosaic, with soldiers on his right and clergy on his left, emphasizing that Justinian is the leader of both church and state of his empire. (First and Second Estates). The Mosaic of Theodora shows he posed solemn and formal, with golden halo, crown and jewels, and a train of court ladies. She is almost depicted as a goddess.
14. Portrait of a Byzantine Lady:
http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1a58d327.jpg
Another of the finest portraits of the Byzantine era is surely the Portrait of a Byzantine Lady, carved in ivory, now to be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This delicate, sensitive carving with a highly polished finish (suggesting that it was carved in Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine empire) presents an image of a pensive woman with a compelling gaze. She holds a scroll, the symbol of an educated person. Her long fingers draw attention to the scroll in her hand, indicating her pride in being recognized as among the educated elite in an era that prized learning for both men and women.
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If all goes as planned, we are slated to head over to the Kimbell today to view; Wari - Lords of the Ancient Andes http://wari.kimbellart.org/
If I can motivate the others, we'll then swing by the Amon Carter to see Romare Bearden A Black Odyssey http://www.cartermuseum.org/exhibiti...-black-odyssey.
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Did you get to the Kimbell... proof that there is Art south of the Mason-Dixon (albeit in limited amounts)?:D I had to pass on a day trip to Washington D.C. and the National Gallery on our way back from my daughter's wedding in North Carolina as we were hauling the Mother-in-Law about. Not only would sh not have been able to make the trek physically, she would have undoubtedly turned it into a unique form of torture.:mad5:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
stlukesguild
Did you get to the Kimbell...
...as we were hauling the Mother-in-Law about. Not only would sh not have been able to make the trek physically, she would have undoubtedly turned it into a unique form of torture.:mad5:
We did and it came with its own ordeal. I have to admit, I saw it coming.
This is wordy, but you can appreciate this, I’m sure you’ve been through similar rings of hell.
You see, the three of us were all on board for the Kimbell Wari exhibit-no problem there. My son is interested in anthropology/ archaeology especially pre Columbian South American cultures. The old lady goes along primarily for the traditional Bloody Mary’s that await us at Lucile’s’ following a Fort Worth excursion. (I have to agree, the Bloody Mary’s are to die for)
Well, I had my own MO by adding a visit to Beardon’s Black Odyssey next door at the Amon Carter Museum. Unbeknownst to them, I strategically parked the car so we would have to pass by Amon Carter on the way back from Kimbell.
The moment of truth came as we neared Phillip Johnson’s shell stone entrance, I mentioned I wanted to run in to see the Beardon exhibit and all hell broke loose with sudden foot fatigue, moans, nagging, “I’m hungry” wah, wah…
Anyhow, I was only able to make a cursory view of Beardon’s exhibit. I’ll see if I can work in a solo visit at some point.
The Wari exhibit was amazing.
Btw the exhibit is organized by and recently exhibited at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A few examples of their pieces:
http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd2ddbe23.jpg
Image from National Environment for the Humanities website
http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/a...psee3ada0d.jpg
Image from Kimbell website
http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps362418c3.jpg
Image from Kimbell website
http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfa9285e9.jpg
Image from Kimbell website
We do have art down here!
Fort Worth is the place to be south of the MD, with Phillip Johnson’s - Amon Carter, Louis Kahn’s - Kimbell, Tadao Ando’s – Modern and soon to open at the end of this year, Renzo Piano’s expansion of the Kimbell, kept at a respectable distance from Kahn’s masterpiece.
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I wouldn't surprised at the participation of the Cleveland Museum of Art in any exhibition of Pre-Columbian Art. First of all... the museum is still in the process of a major renovation and has been loaning works frequently in order to gain the "points" needed to borrow works for temporary exhibitions as a means of maintaining interest in the museum during this long drawn-out process. The CMA is known for its Non-Western collections. One of my art school professors built an internationally renowned collection of Pre-Columbian Art back in the day when no one was interested in such artifacts that were seen as having little more than archaeological/anthropological value. I suspect a good portion of his collection was deeded to the museum.
Of course Texas has art. Art always follows money. The difference between Texas and the other centers of "new wealth" is that they came too late to the game to ever even begin to compete with the great collections of Chicago, Detroit, New York, Washington, Boston etc... with regard to building a real survey of Western Art History. I remember leaving the Frick Collection with an artist friend of mine last year and I asked him how much did he think the collection (a private collection) was worth? He agreed that it might be in the range of $100 Billion... but even if it far less than that, no one living today could amass a collection of equal merit... not even Bill Gates. There simply isn't that much art of such merit available on the market. Today one could certainly build up a solid collection of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Contemporary Art... with a solid body of descent examples of Modernism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism... although certainly not the best work of such. But who could pull off a collection in which a couple of major Rembrandts... all light glowing in the shadows...
http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/o/...er-ca-1655.jpg
http://www.hermanstudios.com/quiz%20...raits/King.jpg
... could be balanced by a pair of major Turners... where the few darks stand out against the blinding light?
http://www.allartclassic.com/img/Jos...ner_TUJ016.jpg
http://www.allartclassic.com/img/Jos...ner_TUJ012.jpg
Who could lay their hands on not one... but 3 Vermeers... including one of the finest?
http://0.tqn.com/d/gonyc/1/0/O/D/TFC...r_19111127.jpg
One of the absolute finest paintings by Ingres?
http://p8.storage.canalblog.com/89/0...0/45737114.jpg
A near matching pair of the Renaissance master, Veronese's allegorical paintings?
http://silverlakeblvd.typepad.com/.a...0d6a970c-400wi
http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/u/E/02_Veronese.jpg
A stunning portrait by Velazquez...
http://www.fineart-china.com/upload1...20y-399695.jpg
... that is perfectly complimented by one of Whistler's finest:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XwRCoG9Isd...81132_2000.jpg
The entire "love nest" of Louis and Madame Pompadour:
http://idiommag.com/wp-content/uploa...3961621242.jpg
And so much more:
http://www.legatusmagazine.org/wp-co...09/07/more.jpg
http://www.dutchartevents.com/site/w...2.18.59-PM.png
http://aclassicallife.files.wordpres...lton.jpg?w=403
I can't imagine being without museums which can boast of a major collection of works from Egypt, "Classical" Greece and Rome, the Persians, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, etc...
On the other hand... I often suspect that there is little real support in many of the Northeaster cities for local artists and contemporary art.
