Category: 131R

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Cindy Sherman played an extremely important role in contemporary art. She is known as one of the most important artists in this movement. The 1980s was a period where mass media imagery was on the rise and Cindy Sherman was a key figure in socially critical photography.

After a time of American Feminism, she turned to photography in order to explore and depict different personas or social roles among women. She was so unique because for over 30 years, she used herself as her own model.

She would create her photographs by dressing herself up in different costumes. She would take on the role of not just the photographer, but the makeup artist, the costume designer, and the model. She created a series of headshots to depict film stars on there way to fame. She has created the most interesting series of work and has made it into the Moma Gallery in New York.

Her work has been called disturbing or distasteful, however, it has also been called amusing and intriguing. She tests the viewer to reconsider cultural assumptions. I really appreciate her work and think it is truly intriguing. It is unsettling and glorious at the same time. When you look at her pieces, it is absolutely remarkable how many people she can turn into and the way she captures their aura.

Taken from:

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1154

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/sherman-cindy/

Roy Lichtenstein was an artist who helped originate the movement of Pop Art. He was one of the most influential artists during the 20th century. He became known for his bold use of colour and American pop culture, such as parodies for comic books and advertisements.

Growing up in New York culture, he loved the American Museum of Natural History and the MOMA, which he is now exhibited in. He was very successful in commercial art. It was not until the 1960s that Lichtenstein decided to paint by focusing on the painting process instead of the emotional aspect of art.

He would take images and subjects directly out of comic books and advertisements and use these as his art. He would then convert these subjects into his own style which is resembling the printing used for commercial art. His style consisted of a series of dots, black outlines and bold colours.

I personally enjoy his work. The colours and way in which he stylises his figures is very inventive and bold. I do, however, know that some people disagree with the fact that his art is copied. I like how he twists something already existing and makes it more interesting. 

Taken from:

https://lichtensteinfoundation.org/biography/

https://www.biography.com/artist/roy-lichtenstein

Fernand Leger was an artist who developed a style called “machine art” which uses tube-like forms, bold colours, and mechanical imagery. Despite painting, he had also done worked with ceramics, stained glass windows, print, and even film and theater. He began his career as an architectural draftsman, as well as a photo retoucher.

 It was when he did schooling in Paris, however, that he was influenced by artists such as Cézanne, Picasso, and Braque. This is when he abandoned the fauvist and impressionistic style of painting, and started creating unique renditions of cubism. He used primary colours, curved and straight lines, and forms derived from mechanics to create his work.  

He eventually created the avant-garde film Ballet Mécanique and designed murals. His main art pieces he created near the end of his life were The Constructors and The Great Parade. He wanted these pieces to appeal to the general public, but unfortunately didn’t get the popularity he wanted at the time. 

Today he is greatly appreciated and has his work in many large galleries. I believe his work is bold, yet graceful. His take on the cubist style is very unique and adore his creativity and his bold use of shape, pattern and colour.

Taken from:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fernand-Leger

http://www.artnet.com/artists/fernand-l%C3%A9ger/

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/leger-fernand/

Raoul Dufy was a French painter, watercolourist, and printmaker who had dabbled in many styles. He initially began as an impressionist, however, discovered the brush strokes and bright colours of Fauvism. He discovered Fauvism through meeting Matisse and worked in a museum designing fabric and book illustrations. While Dufy was an exceptional painter, he also created woodcuts and designs for a textile company. He also briefly worked in a Cubist style.

After experimenting with different mediums and styles he decided to focus on painting in his own distinctive style. He painted with the most vibrant and bold colours often using lines that created a playful effect. I truly enjoy his landscapes and renditions of activities, as he makes life seem so wonderful in them.

It was said that “Dufy never painted a sad picture”, and I think his art shows this. I love how colourful and original his art is and how it seems so joyous and carefree. I commend him for that.

Taken from:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raoul-Dufy

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/dufy-raoul/

https://www.masterworksfineart.com/artists/raoul-dufy/biography

Pierre Bonnard

Pierre Bonnard was a French artist. He is well known for his use of colour, and in modern art, became regarded as one of the best colourists.

He was a painter, illustrator and printmaker and was a founding member of the Nabis, which was a group of post-impressionist avant-garde painters. He also became a leader of the Intimists.

His work was important because it was the transition between Impressionism and modernism. In his work, I can clearly see how much he was influenced by Paul Gauguin’s artwork and japonism due to the flat, yet bright colours, decoration, and stylized brush strokes.

Although the subjects for his paintings were rather simple, for example landscapes or portraits, he managed to capture such beauty with the flat depth and colour he used. I absolutely adore his choice of colour and how his style complements the compositions. 

Taken from: http:// https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Bonnard and https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/pierre-bonnard-781

William Blake

William Blake was an English man of many talents. He was a poet, engraver, artist, and visionary who has influenced a number of writers and artists throughout history. In the early 21st century, Blake was deemed as the earliest and most original Romantic Poet and thinker. Throughout his life, however, he was often misunderstood and dismissed as mad.

 The most significant influence on his work was the bible, as many of his pieces are influenced by an intense spirituality. 

When he was young he began experiencing visions, which he would either visualise through art or explain through his writings.

He was not recognized during his time, however, he had an everlasting legacy. I believe his artwork is really quite beautiful. His imagery is very powerful and I can see how much he was influenced by his visions of spirituality.

Taken from: https://www.biography.com/writer/william-blake and https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Blake/Last-years

George Stubbs

George Stubbs was a British painter from 1724-1806. He is most well known for his incredible paintings of horses, which are arguably the best horse paintings that England had ever seen.

However, he was just as outstanding at painting other animals.

He was a genius in anatomy which resulted in him becoming a teacher of this subject at a hospital in York. He knew the anatomy of horses so well that he decided to share his studies, and analyze horse anatomy in the form of a book.  His book was successful and his horse paintings soon became a hot commodity to rich men who wanted some of their own. 

Stubbs was a self taught painter; however, he briefly studied with an artist in 1741.  His most famous painting is of a horse being attacked by a lion. He managed to show the frightening emotions of the animals and the power that a lion has over the horse.

 I believe his paintings are truly outstanding. He was so great at what he did because he loved animals so much. He painted them in such a way that you can’t help but see their emotions. 

For example, in Horse In The Shade of a Wood, the stallion is without an owner and is free, however he looks sad. Stubbs depicts his animals in a way that people can understand them and wonder what they are thinking.  

Taken from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Stubbs, https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-george-stubbs, and http://www.artnet.com/artists/george-stubbs/biography

Jan Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was known as one of the greatest dutch masters. He was an artist who created some of the most beloved paintings that exist today around the world. 

In his life, only 36 paintings have been discovered to be painted by him, as he painted carefully and slowly. Before he developed his own style, he was believed to be influenced by Caravaggio, in his incorporation of mythology and religion. 

Unlike other artists during the Baroque period, he mostly painted simple scenes of ordinary life. The simplicity, however, let him achieve some of the greatest masterpieces of all time. 

One of which is “The kitchen maid,” which was painted with the most beautiful rendering of the still life and figure in the scene. It is incredible how he managed to achieve this realism and detail with how soft and delicate the painting is.

His most well known masterpieces was “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” This painting is my personal favourite of his, as it is truly captivating and has a certain glow about it. 

 Vermeer’s was not well known in his community when he was alive, however, he will remain one of the greatest dutch painters of all time.   

Taken from: https://www.biography.com/artist/jan-vermeer, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Girl-with-a-Pearl-Earring-by-Vermeer, and The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich

Hieronymus Bosch

Hieronymus Bosch was a painter from the Netherlands who lived from 1450-1516. He was known as “art’s first visionary genius”. Little was discovered about him, however, we do know that he was an independent master of painting compositions that no human had seen before.  He often painted religious themed landscapes filled with many interesting subjects and symbolic elements. He depicted mankind and the consequences of sinning in his work by illustrating unsettling pictures of hell and demons. No person had ever seen this visual representation between heaven and hell in the way that Bosch depicted it. The 3 paintings below are some of his major works that are all triptychs representing similar ideas with heaven on the left wing and hell on the right.

 His works often consist of exquisite detail and striking compositions. His paintings seem incredibly surreal as for his attention to detail. He was, in fact, considered to be the first modern surrealist due to his bizarre depictions of reality.

Bosch experienced some success during his life, however, he made a larger impact after his death. King Philip II of Spain started collecting his work and became a loyal fan. The paintings reminded him to stay on a righteous path.

Taken from: https://www.biography.com/artist/hieronymus-bosch, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/bosch-hieronymus/, and The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich

Simone Martini was an influential Italian artist who lived from 1284-1344. Although he was not as impactful as Duccio, he did an incredible job of popularizing Sienese paintings after him.

He impacted many, for example the local artists who imitated him in their paintings. It is assumed that Martini learned how to paint from the colour and figure styles that Duccio initially had painted with.

Comparing the two artist’s work, I notice that the faces and figures are very similar looking; however, Martini has added decorative lines and an extra elegance and beauty to his art.

His paintings from Siena were a very important aspect of Late Gothic artworks, as the Sienese people knew Martini to have painted the first nonreligious Sienese painting, which was a portrait of Guidoriccio da Fogliano on a horse.

It is no doubt that Martini created a number of iconic artworks and influenced many.

Taken from: http://travelingintuscany.com/art/simonemartini.htm and https://www.britannica.com/biography/Simone-Martini