Questions and Topics for Your Blog Posting:
1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
Expressionism
The artwork "Ashes" painted by Edward Munch in 1894 deals with the theme of sexuality and relationships between two lovers. I can't think of a better theme for expressionism. Love embodies a plethora of emotions, happiness, giddiness, sadness, anger, perplexity. The woman' face is distraught, her eyes widened with sadness and almost a hint of horror, her hands grasping at her hair as if to try and find some sort of reasoning. The man lay hunched, his hands over his head. The top of her white dress is unbuttoned revealing a stark red shirt beneath. The man is clothed in nothing but black. According to the narrator these color's were used as symbolism. Which is the basis of expressionism. It plays off the human mind of equating colors with certain emotions. Black. White and Red equals Sorrow, Innocence and Passion. The Blue Horse, shows that the artist gave a color to the horse intentionally not found in nature so that it would stand out and be unlike any other house seen. The shapes are crude and almost elementary in a way, but the standout of the portrait is the color. Bold and unforgettable. Again it insights emotions due to the colorful nature of the piece. Whether it be anger that the horse is blue or wonderment at seeing such a majestic animal. Either way the onlooker is forced to feel something by just the simple act of color. Max Beckmanns oil on canvas painting called THE ACTORS (1942) shows just that: actors. There is a king who is dressed in a light blue suit with a muddled yellow cape who is for lack of better terms about to commit suicide. Yet there is a distance put between the artists character and the person looking at it. The colors are soft and not screaming out at you. There is no pain on the face of the king. He seems to be doing this matter of factly, staring off into the distance. the rest of the actors are unaware of his doings including the ones painted right next to him. I like how this video is divides each painting into its own section to be discussed. It gives each painting the time it deserves to discover all the different aspects that the artist was trying to convey. I really like the way that this was set up. This relates to the text in the book spot on. The definition in the book of expressionism is "describes a style where the artists subjective feelings take precedence over the object being observed". I think the video did a great job of picking artists and paintings that display expressionism.
Dance at the Moulin de la Galette
I picked this video because it reminded me of a painting that I have been obsessed with since I was a young girl at my grandmothers house. All of the artwork in her home is representative of her Sicilian roots. Heavy, ornate and just downright gaudy gold mirrors, giant, beyond huge paintings that take up the entire length of a wall and light up when you turn a switch on the side. Fountains and Sicilian weapons are found throughout. Massive pieces that fill every room. However there is one painting tucked away in the corner of one hallway that I have stared at since as long as I can remember. It is of a ballroom, with beautiful woman dressed to the nines, their hair and make up done, the man dresses as fancy as can be, everyone laughing and dancing or fanning themselves as they watch the others. I longed to be one of those woman, pursued by a well dressed gentlemen with my hair done up and my dress down to the floor. It is literally written in my grandmothers will that I will become the owner of that painting. So needless to say I was very interested in learning about Renoir's Dance at the Moulin de la Gallete. It was sold in 1990 for an astounding price of 78 million dollars! It is considered the quintessential impressionist painting of all time. it was even painted by Renoir himself twice, the only difference being the size of each painting. This shows how much dedication and admiration that Renoir himself had for his own work. The smaller of the two paintings has been kept in a secret location and is rarely seen in public. The dancehall was representative of something extremely close to Renoir's heart and it is thought that he never missed a sunday there. The dancehall became an important aspect of his life as it is where he found refuge after the tragedy of losing his childhood home. I think this is why he felt such an infinity for the painting and why it is so highly regarded and controversial. The dancehall back then was equated to the Revolutionists. He chose to only display only he niceties of the dancehall and omitted the prostitution and unkempt working conditions. He sued several of the woman that in real life appealed to him, and they have also been painted in some other pieces of work. This gives the painting a more personal meaning and it captures the true beauty of the woman at that particular time period. The woman are all rosey cheeked and in pretty dresses. The man are all in suits. He even included his closest friend. He wanted the dancehall to depict the joy that he got out of it, and how the men and women of different classes came together for fun and a night of innocent dancing, although it is known that much more sinister things had gone on at that time. The constant gazes of all of the people painted give the piece its life. Whether they are looking out at the audience at their partner or each other, the gazes can be found all over the place and focused on different objects. Eventually in 1990 the painting was bought by a Japanese millionaire. He bought it through Sotheby auction house and he kept it stored for 7 years in a climate controlled warehouse. This angered many people in the art community because it was felt this painting was meant for public display to be enjoyed not holed away somewhere. It was then soled again in 1997 after the death of the owner in a private sale. No one knows who bought it or where it remains. This adds to its valuableness and the fact that it is so sought after. The people who enjoy this painting comment on the fact that it just makes them "so happy" when they look at it. The smiles on their faces shows just how much they identify with this piece of work. I guess I identify with it as well since my favorite painting is that of a ballroom dance. There is just something about the beauty and delicacy of woman dressed up trying to attract men and the men donning suits and hats ready to find the women they want to spend the night dancing with. It really is a beautiful painting.
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