Category: 131

Abstract Expressionism & Pop Art Contemporary, Post Modernism

Shantell Martin is an artist known for her stream-of-consciousness drawings. Born in Thamesmead London, she would start her education at St. Martin. After finishing her education she would travel over to Japan to have her work experienced through music in an avant-garde fashion at clubs. Martin would draw digitally live and have her work projected up on the walls of clubs and to singers at concerts. Martin describes her time in Japan as a little isolating, so the way she drew things in her sketchbooks would be more personal like a diary. All her illustrations were done in 0.05 pen, describing this style as more intimate, with just you, the pen, and the paper.

Martin’s work evolves with her environment over time. Like how her work became more intimate, smaller, and refined in Japan, once she moved to America her work once again evolved. She described New York City as “Everything is so big bold and confident.” Martin felt a need to fill this new larger space and her work followed suit.

When creating, Martin doesn’t plan out her compositions, her work is a meditative process of thoughts and feelings expressed through lines. “The pen knows where it’s going, and I’ve gotten very good at following” It’s not that Martin doesn’t have an idea what she’s going to draw, her intentions are there to make an artwork that allows her to connect with the world. Many of Martin’s works revolve around exploring themes such as intersectionality, identity, and play. Martin is a cultural facilitator, forging new connections between fine art, education, design, philosophy, and technology with her work. She draws on anything and everything including cars, shoes, planes, tables, walls, and even people.

She describes how colour can be used to direct people’s attention around an image. This is why Martin prefers to work in black and white, believing this allows each viewer’s eye to be drawn to a different place.

I choose to study Shantell Martin’s work because it’s not typically the type of work that I would think twice about. Personally, I think her work is interesting and nice to look at, but I wouldn’t feel a need to think deeply about it if I was it on the street. The simple and clean nature of her work makes me think it’s simple altogether; an art piece with no theme, just created to look cool. I wanted to look further into a type of work that I usually wouldn’t, end off the term broadening my horizons hopefully a little. I’m happy I did. Her philosophy about her work holds an interesting and unique perspective. I like how she communicates her own personal story as her work evolves. I also thought it was interesting that her work would adapt to her changing environments. There was a stark difference between the dainty and intimate sketchbook pages done in Japan, and the large bold wall murals completed in America. The lack of colour was what originally attracted me to her art, and I think it works really well for her intentions. Everything she doses feels much more thought out than it appears, even though the process of actually completing the work is described as meditative. After looking into her work more, I found she worked with the company TED a few times, even completing a TEDvTalk on the idea of individuality and the feeling of a blank canvas. It’s interesting to be researching a modern artist on who I can watch YouTube videos to explain their work. It gives me a level of understanding and context for the work that I wouldn’t otherwise get with an older artist like Diego Valazquez. Though, that would be interesting to watch. Overall, I gained a better application for the work, that is more than just aesthetically appealing but touches upon important topics in a unique and modern way with art.

Citations:

Martin, Shantell. “How Drawing Can Set You Free | Shantell Martin – YouTube.” YouTube, TED, 21 July 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzBUAY1wuw4.

Martin, Shantell. “No One Else You Could Be | Shantell Martin – Youtube.com.” YouTube, TEDxTalks, 8 Dec. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0rvNTC_fSM.

Martin, Shantell. “Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen.” Youtube, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ywYnk0-xUY.

“Shantell Martin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shantell_Martin.

“Shantell Martin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shantell_Martin.

Image Citations:

“Influential Voices: An Interview with Artist Shantell Martin.” BOOOOOOOM!, 18 Jan. 2018, https://www.booooooom.com/2018/01/18/influential-voices-an-interview-with-artist-shantell-martin/.

Martin, Shantell. “Drawing on People.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 17 July 2014, https://www.flickr.com/photos/shantellmartin/14674072534/.

“Newsletter Sign Up.” Empire, http://www.empireentertainment.com/project_detail.php?id=1055596.

“Shantell Martin – Work: X Kendrick Lamar.” Shantell Martin – Work: x Kendrick Lamar, https://shantellmartin.art/work/x-kendrick-lamar/.

Valintine, Victoria L. “Known for Her Free-Form Line Drawings, Shantell Martin Is Collaborating with the New York City Ballet.” Known for Her Free-Form Line Drawings, Shantell Martin Is Collaborating With the New York City Ballet, Culture Type, 26 Jan. 2019, https://www.culturetype.com/2019/01/26/known-for-her-free-form-line-drawings-shantell-martin-is-collaborating-with-the-new-york-city-ballet/.

Expressionism, Fauvism, & Early 20th Century Cubism, Dadaism, & Surrealism

Wassily Kandinsky was born in Moscow, Russia in December of 1866 to a family of businessmen. He grew up with European and Asian culture as a prominent aspect in his life and would travel often to explore around Europe. Kandinsky found himself drawn to the arts from an early age, learning to play the piano and cello, and would later take an interest in drawing. This would bring him to try painting and from there Kandinsky fell in love with the process of creating art. “I remember that drawing and a little bit later painting lifted me out of the reality”. This interesting perspective he had when creating art pieces and how he viewed colors would be a defining trait found in Kandinsky’s Expressionist works.

Even though Kandinsky had an inclination towards the Arts he went to study Law and Economics at the University of Moscow. During his time at the university, Kandinsky was sent on an ethnographic trip in the north of Russia. This is where he was introduced to non-realistic Russian Folkstyle painting. This is also where he was reminded of his love for art and colour. Yet, Kandinsky had always believed that “Art was a luxury forbidden to a Russian” and struggled with that mindset for years. Eventually, Kandinsky finished his degree to a doctorate level and was even offered a job as a professor for a university. At the age of 3o years old Kandinsky decided it was now or never and turned down the professor position and took the first train to Germany to become an artist.

Kandinsky enrolled in an Art course in Munich and began his art studies under the Professor Anton Azbé and Franz von Stuck. He would eventually garner a moderately successful career known for being a professional artist who worked with current trends. It wasn’t until he began to break away and invent his own art form entirely where he would cement his legacy.

Kadnisky was the first ever Abstract artist and was famous for his use of colour and emotion in his works. When describing how he pairs colors together he says, “each color lives by its mysterious life”. The way he uses and thinks about color is fascinating. He loved to create connections between paintings and music. Attempting to create a language with his work to bridge the gap between visual non-representational pieces and a visual language that could depict emotions, sounds, and actions. This was what would separate his work from mediocracy and pave the way for future Abstract artists.

Personally, I love the way Kadnisky thought about and used colour in his work. Music is also a large inspiration to me, so when looking at his paintings I would try to imagine what type of song he would listen to when creating each piece. Yet, most of all I appreciate Kadnisky’s bravery to pursue his passions, especially when his whole life seemed completely set out for him to be anything other than an artist. It shows it’s never too late to go after your passions with enough hard work and dedication. Art and art history would not be the same if Kadnisky hadn’t dropped everything to follow his dreams.

Citations:

McMullen, Roy Donald. “Wassily Kandinsky.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Nov. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wassily-Kandinsky.

“Wassily Kandinsky – 226 Artworks – Painting.” Www.wikiart.org, https://www.wikiart.org/en/wassily-kandinsky.

“Wassily Kandinsky Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kandinsky-wassily/.

“Wassily Kandinsky.” Wassily Kandinsky – 211 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy, https://www.artsy.net/artist/wassily-kandinsky.

“Wassily Kandinsky.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassily_Kandinsky.

Image Citations:

“Around the Circle.” The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation, https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/1985.

“Composition 8.” The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation, https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/1924.

“Composition X, 1939.” Wassily Kandinsky, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.wassilykandinsky.net/work-62.php.

“On White II, 1923 – Wassily Kandinsky.” Www.wikiart.org, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.wikiart.org/en/wassily-kandinsky/on-white-ii-1923.

“Several Circles.” The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation, https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/1992.

Realism, Pre-Impressionism, & Pre-Raphaelites & Impressionism & Post-Impressionism

Painter, John Constable revolutionized the genre of landscape paintings with his Romantic style that became popular in the late 18th century. Even though his paintings hang in the most prestigious of galleries, and sell for millions of dollars; within his own lifetime he didn’t garner much financial success. Yet, that doesn’t mean neither he nor his work wouldn’t have any impact. In fact, his work would help define future art movements and would elevate landscape painting to be taken seriously as an art form.

When Constable painted, he painted from life and not his imagination. “When I sit down to make a sketch from nature, the first thing I try to do is to forget that I have ever seen a picture.” He would make many sketches in the wilderness before even starting the painting process.

J.M.W. is another famous Romantic landscape artist whose name is often brought up in conversation along with constable. His works and ideas were created too early in time to be fully appreciated by the public and I enjoyed viewing the evolution of his art. I admire the amount of movement he captures in colorful thin layers of oil that he uses to transform a landscape beyond what the ordinary eye can see. I wanted to look into both artists because of how closely ties together their work is. J.M.W. became more famous for his revolutionary art after his time for good reason. Yet, after completing the recent landscape assignment, I was drawn to John Constable’s work. While I do appreciate the painting style of J.M.W. Turner, I found that when painting my own landscapes I started with thin washes of paint but ended up blocking in shapes with much more opaque paint and sticking to using more opaque paint. Constable contrasted Turner in many ways, the most notable in their work would be how grounded and opaque Constable’s landscapes feel. I admire his brushwork and felt it would be more beneficial for me to study Constable’s work than another artist in hopes that I can learn to incorporate some of his techniques and ideas into my future landscapes.

Even though his landscapes are beautifully crafted, one of my favorite parts about researching John Constable ended up being his written work. I loved reading his work annotations and the letters he left behind. It gave an insight into his thought process and allowed me to further understand him and what he valued in art. For instance, Constable states “The sound of water escaping from the mill dams, etc., willows, rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork, I love such things.” He talks often about his love for the countryside and enjoying the small details that add to the atmosphere. His genuine love for nature shows in his Plein air paintings and is overall really inspiring. He loved and painted nature so much that a part of the English countryside in Suffolk was named ‘Constable Country. He used painting as a way to understand his surroundings. In his own words, Constable wrote to a friend “painting is but another word for feeling”, and I think that’s a really beautiful way to look at creating art.

Work Citations:

“The Hay Wain.” The National Gallery, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/john-constable-the-hay-wain.

“John Constable.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Constable.

Lyles, Anne, and David B Brown. “’Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows’, John Constable, Exhibited 1831.” Tate, Mar. 13AD, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-salisbury-cathedral-from-the-meadows-t13896.

Riggs, Terry. “’Sketch for ‘Hadleigh Castle”, John Constable, C.1828–9.” Tate, Feb. 1998, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-sketch-for-hadleigh-castle-n04810.

“Unearthed John Constable Drawings Sell for £92K.” BBC News, BBC, 6 Mar. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-47470069.

Image Citations:

“The Hay Wain.” The National Gallery, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/john-constable-the-hay-wain.

Lyles, Anne, and David B Brown. “’Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows’, John Constable, Exhibited 1831.” Tate, Mar. 13AD, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-salisbury-cathedral-from-the-meadows-t13896.

Riggs, Terry. “’Sketch for ‘Hadleigh Castle”, John Constable, C.1828–9.” Tate, Feb. 1998, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-sketch-for-hadleigh-castle-n04810.

“Weymouth Bay: Bowleaze Cove and Jordon Hill.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weymouth_Bay:_Bowleaze_Cove_and_Jordon_Hill.

“The White Horse.” Art Object Page, https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.1146.html.

Blog Post #1 – Late Gothic & Early Renaissance – High Renaissance & Mannerism.

The famous Italian painter Raphael started out working under the mentor Perugino; a master painter in the high Renaissance, known for primarily religious paintings in tempera and oils on altarpieces or wood panels. Through his mentorship, Raphael was also able to master techniques such as sfumato, perspective, anatomy, and capturing emotions; these were key qualities that defined the high renaissance art style. Raphael was particularly known for using richer colors in well-balanced compositions as seen in his works like ‘The triumph of Galetea’,  ‘Disputation of the Most Holy Sacrament’, ‘Transfiguration, and my personal favorite ‘The School of Athens’.

Though these works highlight his greatest technical skills they don’t portray the qualities Raphael possessed that set him apart from other painters in the high Renaissance. Raphael’s arguably greatest skill accounts for his even-temper and tenacious work ethic to improve. He was comparably easier to work with and more well-mannered than the other great artists of the time such as Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci. Though in comparison he started off at a disadvantage technically, his soft skills of being able to work well with patrons gave him a great advantage in his career. His work ethic to improve is both inspiring to myself and the reason I choose to do further research on this painter. His technical skill is equally amazing but his tenacity to improve is a quality that I value deeply. It greatly paid off for Raphael, as he is now one of the most influential figures that defined art in the High Renaissance.

Citations:

Carrigan, Margaret. “The 10 Best Artworks by Raphael, Seraphic Genius of the Renaissance-Ranked.” Artnet News, Artnet News, 10 Aug. 2017, https://news.artnet.com/art-world/10-greatest-artworks-raphael-seraphic-genius-renaissance-ranked-1047047.

Gombrich, E. H. The Story of Art. 16th ed., Phaidon Press, 2021.

“Raphael Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/raphael/#:~:text=Raphael%20not%20only%20mastered%20the,that%20was%20distinctly%20his%20own.

“Raphael.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raphael-Italian-painter-and-architect.