Datasets:

naist-nlp

/

ExpArt

like 3

0901_T

Super Mario Clouds

How does Super Mario Clouds elucidate its Production and exhibition?

Soon out of college, Arcangel shared the original Super Mario Clouds video and code on his website in 2002. As originally designed, the work was meant for sharing rather than exhibition. Cognizant that he could not display in galleries, it was Arcangel's first work for the Internet and was intended for Internet virality. The artist was more interested in sharing how the modification was done than in the final product's aesthetics. Its Internet presence led to offers to show the work in real life.The next year, Arcangel displayed the work as a multi-channel video installation at Team Gallery in New York, with the modified Nintendo Entertainment System console in view. He exhibited the same set up the following year at the 2004 Whitney Biennial. One of the work's five editions is in the Whitney Museum collection.In 2005, Arcangel created The Making of Super Mario Clouds as an instruction manual and video. He published the code in zine-style publications with a Creative Capital grant.

0901_NT

Super Mario Clouds

How does this artwork elucidate its Production and exhibition?

Soon out of college, Arcangel shared the original Super Mario Clouds video and code on his website in 2002. As originally designed, the work was meant for sharing rather than exhibition. Cognizant that he could not display in galleries, it was Arcangel's first work for the Internet and was intended for Internet virality. The artist was more interested in sharing how the modification was done than in the final product's aesthetics. Its Internet presence led to offers to show the work in real life.The next year, Arcangel displayed the work as a multi-channel video installation at Team Gallery in New York, with the modified Nintendo Entertainment System console in view. He exhibited the same set up the following year at the 2004 Whitney Biennial. One of the work's five editions is in the Whitney Museum collection.In 2005, Arcangel created The Making of Super Mario Clouds as an instruction manual and video. He published the code in zine-style publications with a Creative Capital grant.

0902_T

Puebla de los Ángeles (sculpture)

Focus on Puebla de los Ángeles (sculpture) and analyze the abstract.

Puebla de los Ángeles is an outdoor sculpture installed in the city of Puebla's Zócalo, in the Mexican state of Puebla.

0902_NT

Puebla de los Ángeles (sculpture)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

Puebla de los Ángeles is an outdoor sculpture installed in the city of Puebla's Zócalo, in the Mexican state of Puebla.

0903_T

The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (Caravaggio)

In The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (Caravaggio), how is the History discussed?

Caravaggio painted Saint Ursula in 1610 in Naples for Marcantonio Doria, a 25-year-old nobleman from Genoa. Doria had become an ardent collector of Caravaggio's work, and he commissioned the painting to mark the entry of his stepdaughter into a religious order as Sister Ursula. The date of the painting can be located at shortly prior to 11 May 1610, when Doria's procurator in Naples, Lanfranco Massa, wrote to his master that the painting was finished. There had been a slight accident, the agent wrote, when he had tried to hasten the drying by leaving it out in the sun the day before, softening the varnish. The agent told Doria not to worry as he would take it back to Caravaggio to be fixed and, in fact, Doria should commission more works from the artist as "people are fighting over him and this is a good chance." However, this may be a reference to another artist Marcantonio had also commissioned work from. The original source document is unclear. The painting was received in Genoa on 18 June and Doria was delighted, placing it with his Raphaels and Leonardos and his vial of the authentic blood of John the Baptist. In his will of 19 October 1651, Marcantonio left his art collection to his eldest son Nicolò, Prince of Angri and Duke of Eboli. The estate was transferred to Naples by Maria Doria Cattaneo in 1832. The painting is listed in the inventory of Giovan Carlo Doria's inheritance, taken in 1854–55, in the Palazzo Doria d'Angri allo Spirito Santo, Naples.Caravaggio had arrived in Naples from Sicily in September or October 1609. Within days he was attacked outside a restaurant by four armed men, leading to rumours that he had been killed or facially disfigured. It is probable that he took a long time to convalesce, and it is difficult to link more than a handful of works, and most of them hesitantly, to this second stay in the city. The Saint Ursula, however, can be positively identified. It marks yet another change in style: in Sicily he had continued the compositional scheme introduced with The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, a small group of figures dwarfed by massive architecture, but Ursula marks a return to a scene which brings the action directly into the space of the viewer, at the very moment when the Hun king lets fly his arrow, and Ursula looks down with an expression of mild surprise at the shaft sticking out of her chest. To the right and rear a few onlookers stare in shock, one of them, the upturned face behind Ursula, apparently Caravaggio himself. Everyone who had seen the painting had been stunned, Doria's agent reported. Doria himself might have been glad to see his favourite artist, unmarked despite all the rumours. Saint Ursula was one of the last paintings ever made by Caravaggio. In July he set off by boat to receive a pardon from the Pope for his part in the death of a young man in a duel in 1606. But instead of the pardon, he died; exactly how is unclear, although a fever is most frequently quoted as the cause, at Porto Ercole, on the coast north of Rome. A discussion of his death is given under the article on John the Baptist.

0903_NT

The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (Caravaggio)

In this artwork, how is the History discussed?

Caravaggio painted Saint Ursula in 1610 in Naples for Marcantonio Doria, a 25-year-old nobleman from Genoa. Doria had become an ardent collector of Caravaggio's work, and he commissioned the painting to mark the entry of his stepdaughter into a religious order as Sister Ursula. The date of the painting can be located at shortly prior to 11 May 1610, when Doria's procurator in Naples, Lanfranco Massa, wrote to his master that the painting was finished. There had been a slight accident, the agent wrote, when he had tried to hasten the drying by leaving it out in the sun the day before, softening the varnish. The agent told Doria not to worry as he would take it back to Caravaggio to be fixed and, in fact, Doria should commission more works from the artist as "people are fighting over him and this is a good chance." However, this may be a reference to another artist Marcantonio had also commissioned work from. The original source document is unclear. The painting was received in Genoa on 18 June and Doria was delighted, placing it with his Raphaels and Leonardos and his vial of the authentic blood of John the Baptist. In his will of 19 October 1651, Marcantonio left his art collection to his eldest son Nicolò, Prince of Angri and Duke of Eboli. The estate was transferred to Naples by Maria Doria Cattaneo in 1832. The painting is listed in the inventory of Giovan Carlo Doria's inheritance, taken in 1854–55, in the Palazzo Doria d'Angri allo Spirito Santo, Naples.Caravaggio had arrived in Naples from Sicily in September or October 1609. Within days he was attacked outside a restaurant by four armed men, leading to rumours that he had been killed or facially disfigured. It is probable that he took a long time to convalesce, and it is difficult to link more than a handful of works, and most of them hesitantly, to this second stay in the city. The Saint Ursula, however, can be positively identified. It marks yet another change in style: in Sicily he had continued the compositional scheme introduced with The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, a small group of figures dwarfed by massive architecture, but Ursula marks a return to a scene which brings the action directly into the space of the viewer, at the very moment when the Hun king lets fly his arrow, and Ursula looks down with an expression of mild surprise at the shaft sticking out of her chest. To the right and rear a few onlookers stare in shock, one of them, the upturned face behind Ursula, apparently Caravaggio himself. Everyone who had seen the painting had been stunned, Doria's agent reported. Doria himself might have been glad to see his favourite artist, unmarked despite all the rumours. Saint Ursula was one of the last paintings ever made by Caravaggio. In July he set off by boat to receive a pardon from the Pope for his part in the death of a young man in a duel in 1606. But instead of the pardon, he died; exactly how is unclear, although a fever is most frequently quoted as the cause, at Porto Ercole, on the coast north of Rome. A discussion of his death is given under the article on John the Baptist.

0904_T

Election Day in Philadelphia

Focus on Election Day in Philadelphia and explore the abstract.

Election Day in Philadelphia is an oil-on-canvas genre painting by American artist John Lewis Krimmel (1786–1821). It was painted in Philadelphia in 1815. Purchased with funds provided by Henry Francis du Pont, the work is held in the permanent collection of the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. The painting depicts grassroots democratic participation in the early Republic, with a raucous crowd gathered outside Independence Hall to celebrate and engage in electoral politics.

0904_NT

Election Day in Philadelphia

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

Election Day in Philadelphia is an oil-on-canvas genre painting by American artist John Lewis Krimmel (1786–1821). It was painted in Philadelphia in 1815. Purchased with funds provided by Henry Francis du Pont, the work is held in the permanent collection of the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. The painting depicts grassroots democratic participation in the early Republic, with a raucous crowd gathered outside Independence Hall to celebrate and engage in electoral politics.

0905_T

Election Day in Philadelphia

Focus on Election Day in Philadelphia and explain the Background.

Krimmel painted the scene in 1815 at the encouragement of his friend Alexander Lawson, an engraver who commissioned the painting or purchased it to engrave. Lawson spent two years working on the engraving but for unknown reasons never completed it. In 1887, Lawson's daughter Mary donated the unfinished copperplate to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which made prints based on it. Collector James L. Claghorn donated Krimmel's watercolor version of the painting from 1816 to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1873. The Winterthur Museum, using funds offered for this purpose by Henry Francis du Pont, purchased the original painting in 1959, and it has remained in Winterthur's collection ever since.

0905_NT

Election Day in Philadelphia

Focus on this artwork and explain the Background.

Krimmel painted the scene in 1815 at the encouragement of his friend Alexander Lawson, an engraver who commissioned the painting or purchased it to engrave. Lawson spent two years working on the engraving but for unknown reasons never completed it. In 1887, Lawson's daughter Mary donated the unfinished copperplate to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which made prints based on it. Collector James L. Claghorn donated Krimmel's watercolor version of the painting from 1816 to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1873. The Winterthur Museum, using funds offered for this purpose by Henry Francis du Pont, purchased the original painting in 1959, and it has remained in Winterthur's collection ever since.

0906_T

Election Day in Philadelphia

Explore the Description and analysis of this artwork, Election Day in Philadelphia.

Election Day in Philadelphia is a genre painting of a "bustling streetscape" on Chestnut Street outside Independence Hall. Highlights include a parade towing an election float shaped like a longboat, a man pasting flyers on a wall, a brawl spilling out of a tavern, a drunk sprawled in the gutter, children and dogs playing in the street, and many groups of men and women in animated discussion. The crowd is a mix of upper-class folk and laborers, including at least three African Americans. The figures are crisply rendered in great detail given the painting's relatively small size. Despite this "raucous tableaux" that echoes William Hogarth's satirical election series (1754–55), the flying of three American flags outside a landmark of American independence "legitimize[s] popular democracy ... by tying it to the patriotic ferment of the American Revolution."In 1834, William Dunlap characterized Election Day as "filled with miniature portraits of the well-known electioneering politicians of the day." Ross Barrett has criticized this "misreading" that "elided the democratic crowd at the picture’s center" and reflected the "politicized foci and blind spots that republican aesthetics inscribed into the visual field of early American art." Edgar P. Richardson called the painting one of the "most important views of American civic life that we have from the early Republic."

0906_NT

Election Day in Philadelphia

Explore the Description and analysis of this artwork.

Election Day in Philadelphia is a genre painting of a "bustling streetscape" on Chestnut Street outside Independence Hall. Highlights include a parade towing an election float shaped like a longboat, a man pasting flyers on a wall, a brawl spilling out of a tavern, a drunk sprawled in the gutter, children and dogs playing in the street, and many groups of men and women in animated discussion. The crowd is a mix of upper-class folk and laborers, including at least three African Americans. The figures are crisply rendered in great detail given the painting's relatively small size. Despite this "raucous tableaux" that echoes William Hogarth's satirical election series (1754–55), the flying of three American flags outside a landmark of American independence "legitimize[s] popular democracy ... by tying it to the patriotic ferment of the American Revolution."In 1834, William Dunlap characterized Election Day as "filled with miniature portraits of the well-known electioneering politicians of the day." Ross Barrett has criticized this "misreading" that "elided the democratic crowd at the picture’s center" and reflected the "politicized foci and blind spots that republican aesthetics inscribed into the visual field of early American art." Edgar P. Richardson called the painting one of the "most important views of American civic life that we have from the early Republic."

0907_T

Statue of James A. Garfield (U.S. Capitol)

Focus on Statue of James A. Garfield (U.S. Capitol) and discuss the abstract.

A statue of James A. Garfield by Charles Henry Niehaus stands in the United States Capitol's rotunda, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. The marble statue was gifted by the U.S. state of Ohio in 1886.

0907_NT

Statue of James A. Garfield (U.S. Capitol)

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

A statue of James A. Garfield by Charles Henry Niehaus stands in the United States Capitol's rotunda, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. The marble statue was gifted by the U.S. state of Ohio in 1886.

0908_T

The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius

How does The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius elucidate its abstract?

The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius is an altarpiece by Italian artist Carlo Crivelli showing an artistic adaptation of the Annunciation. It was painted for the Church of SS. Annunziata in the Italian town of Ascoli Piceno, in the region of Marche, to celebrate the self-government granted to the town in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV. The painting was removed to the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan in 1811, but passed to Auguste-Louis de Sivry in 1820, and had reached England by the mid-19th century. It has been housed in the National Gallery in London since it was donated by Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton in 1864.

0908_NT

The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius

How does this artwork elucidate its abstract?

The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius is an altarpiece by Italian artist Carlo Crivelli showing an artistic adaptation of the Annunciation. It was painted for the Church of SS. Annunziata in the Italian town of Ascoli Piceno, in the region of Marche, to celebrate the self-government granted to the town in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV. The painting was removed to the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan in 1811, but passed to Auguste-Louis de Sivry in 1820, and had reached England by the mid-19th century. It has been housed in the National Gallery in London since it was donated by Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton in 1864.

0909_T

The Siege of Asola

Focus on The Siege of Asola and analyze the abstract.

The Siege of Asola is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance master Tintoretto, executed in 1544–1545. It is in a private collection.The canvas portrays two scenes. From the left to the middle is, in the foreground, a clash of knights occurred during the siege of the Venetian town of Asola by the troops of the Austrian emperor Maximilian I in 1516. Among the clashing soldiers is the banner of Asola, the fortress itself being shown in the background. On the right is depicted to homage of the citizens of Asola to the Venetian provveditore (curator) Francesco Contarini, the nobleman who organized the city's defence and forced Maximilian's troop to withdraw.

0909_NT

The Siege of Asola

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

The Siege of Asola is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance master Tintoretto, executed in 1544–1545. It is in a private collection.The canvas portrays two scenes. From the left to the middle is, in the foreground, a clash of knights occurred during the siege of the Venetian town of Asola by the troops of the Austrian emperor Maximilian I in 1516. Among the clashing soldiers is the banner of Asola, the fortress itself being shown in the background. On the right is depicted to homage of the citizens of Asola to the Venetian provveditore (curator) Francesco Contarini, the nobleman who organized the city's defence and forced Maximilian's troop to withdraw.

0910_T

Statue of Christopher Columbus (Bridgeport, Connecticut)

In Statue of Christopher Columbus (Bridgeport, Connecticut), how is the abstract discussed?

A statue of Christopher Columbus is installed in Bridgeport, Connecticut's Seaside Park, in the United States.

0910_NT

Statue of Christopher Columbus (Bridgeport, Connecticut)

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

A statue of Christopher Columbus is installed in Bridgeport, Connecticut's Seaside Park, in the United States.

0911_T

Les Arènes

Focus on Les Arènes and explore the abstract.

Les Arènes is a painting by Vincent van Gogh executed in Arles, in November or December 1888, during the period of time when Paul Gauguin was living with him in The Yellow House. The bullfight season in Arles that year started on Easter Sunday 1 April and ended on 21 October. Van Gogh's painting is therefore not a study from nature but done from memory. Gauguin encouraged van Gogh to work in the studio in this manner. The painting may not be finished as the paint is very thinly applied, and patches of bare jute show through in places.It seems that members of the Roulin Family are depicted in this portrait, and the woman in Arlésienne costume has the profile of Madame Ginoux.A matter of weeks after painting this canvas, van Gogh cut off part of his own ear. One of the many theories about this notorious incident is that the bullfights (or "bull games" as they are called in Arles) made a deep impression on van Gogh, in particular the custom of severing one ear of a defeated bull. The victorious matador circles the arena displaying this prize to the crowd, before presenting it to a lady of his choice. There is some doubt as to whether the bulls were killed in this fashion in Arles in van Gogh's time.

0911_NT

Les Arènes

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

Les Arènes is a painting by Vincent van Gogh executed in Arles, in November or December 1888, during the period of time when Paul Gauguin was living with him in The Yellow House. The bullfight season in Arles that year started on Easter Sunday 1 April and ended on 21 October. Van Gogh's painting is therefore not a study from nature but done from memory. Gauguin encouraged van Gogh to work in the studio in this manner. The painting may not be finished as the paint is very thinly applied, and patches of bare jute show through in places.It seems that members of the Roulin Family are depicted in this portrait, and the woman in Arlésienne costume has the profile of Madame Ginoux.A matter of weeks after painting this canvas, van Gogh cut off part of his own ear. One of the many theories about this notorious incident is that the bullfights (or "bull games" as they are called in Arles) made a deep impression on van Gogh, in particular the custom of severing one ear of a defeated bull. The victorious matador circles the arena displaying this prize to the crowd, before presenting it to a lady of his choice. There is some doubt as to whether the bulls were killed in this fashion in Arles in van Gogh's time.

0912_T

Jewess with Oranges

Focus on Jewess with Oranges and explain the Description.

It was painted in oil technique between 1880-81 in Warsaw. The painting shows a Jewish shopkeeper, whom the artist immortalized in another image Jewess with Lemons. The woman has poor clothing, a cap on her head, and a scarf on her shoulders. She is carrying two baskets of oranges. The background depicts the roofs of Warsaw houses. The woman's face is serious. Her highlighted cheeks as well as prominent wrinkles heighten the effect of sadness and helplessness, which emanates directly from her character. In contrast, there are the oranges whose color is a reference to life, heat, and the southern climate. The painter signed his name in the lower left corner and put the name of the city where he painted the picture.

0912_NT

Jewess with Oranges

Focus on this artwork and explain the Description.

It was painted in oil technique between 1880-81 in Warsaw. The painting shows a Jewish shopkeeper, whom the artist immortalized in another image Jewess with Lemons. The woman has poor clothing, a cap on her head, and a scarf on her shoulders. She is carrying two baskets of oranges. The background depicts the roofs of Warsaw houses. The woman's face is serious. Her highlighted cheeks as well as prominent wrinkles heighten the effect of sadness and helplessness, which emanates directly from her character. In contrast, there are the oranges whose color is a reference to life, heat, and the southern climate. The painter signed his name in the lower left corner and put the name of the city where he painted the picture.

0913_T

Jewess with Oranges

Explore the History of this artwork, Jewess with Oranges.

The image originally belonged to the antique store Dom Sztuki in Warsaw and was purchased by the National Museum of Warsaw on 23 February 1928. During the World War II looting of Poland, the painting was stolen by German forces. Since 1945, Poland sought the discovery of its whereabouts and its return. On 26 November 2010, the painting appeared in an antique market in Buxtehude, Germany. The Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage began negotiations to bring the painting back to Poland. The talks were successful, and on 15 July 2011, after compensation was paid by the Polish PZU Foundation to the German owner, Jewess with Oranges returned to the National Museum. The amount paid has not been disclosed.

0913_NT

Jewess with Oranges

Explore the History of this artwork.

The image originally belonged to the antique store Dom Sztuki in Warsaw and was purchased by the National Museum of Warsaw on 23 February 1928. During the World War II looting of Poland, the painting was stolen by German forces. Since 1945, Poland sought the discovery of its whereabouts and its return. On 26 November 2010, the painting appeared in an antique market in Buxtehude, Germany. The Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage began negotiations to bring the painting back to Poland. The talks were successful, and on 15 July 2011, after compensation was paid by the Polish PZU Foundation to the German owner, Jewess with Oranges returned to the National Museum. The amount paid has not been disclosed.

0914_T

Drawing Hands

Focus on Drawing Hands and discuss the abstract.

Drawing Hands is a lithograph by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher first printed in January 1948. It depicts a sheet of paper, out of which two hands rise, in the paradoxical act of drawing one another into existence. This is one of the most obvious examples of Escher's common use of paradox. It is referenced in the book Gödel, Escher, Bach, by Douglas Hofstadter, who calls it an example of a strange loop. It is used in Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Harold Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman as an allegory for the eval and apply functions of programming language interpreters in computer science, which feed each other. Drawing Hands has been referenced and copied many times by artists in different ways. In tech culture, robot hands draw or build each other, or a human hand and robot hand draw each other.

0914_NT

Drawing Hands

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

Drawing Hands is a lithograph by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher first printed in January 1948. It depicts a sheet of paper, out of which two hands rise, in the paradoxical act of drawing one another into existence. This is one of the most obvious examples of Escher's common use of paradox. It is referenced in the book Gödel, Escher, Bach, by Douglas Hofstadter, who calls it an example of a strange loop. It is used in Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Harold Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman as an allegory for the eval and apply functions of programming language interpreters in computer science, which feed each other. Drawing Hands has been referenced and copied many times by artists in different ways. In tech culture, robot hands draw or build each other, or a human hand and robot hand draw each other.

0915_T

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

How does Alma Mater (New York sculpture) elucidate its abstract?

Alma Mater is a bronze sculpture by Daniel Chester French which is located on the steps of the Low Memorial Library on the campus of Columbia University, in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. French designed the statue in 1901, and it was installed in September 1903. It is a personification of the alma mater, which represents Columbia in its role as an educational institution; since its installation, the statue has become closely associated with the image of the university.

0915_NT

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

How does this artwork elucidate its abstract?

Alma Mater is a bronze sculpture by Daniel Chester French which is located on the steps of the Low Memorial Library on the campus of Columbia University, in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. French designed the statue in 1901, and it was installed in September 1903. It is a personification of the alma mater, which represents Columbia in its role as an educational institution; since its installation, the statue has become closely associated with the image of the university.

0916_T

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

Describe the characteristics of the Commission and installation in Alma Mater (New York sculpture)'s History.

Plans for a statue in front of Low Memorial Library began upon the completion of the building in 1897. When Charles Follen McKim, the building's main architect, designed a set of stairs that would lead up to the building, he included an empty granite pedestal in the middle on which a statue might sit. Only three years later, Harriette W. Goelet offered the Trustees of Columbia, on behalf of herself and her children, up to $25,000 to install "a bronze statue representing 'Alma Mater,' to be placed upon [said] pedestal" in memory of her husband, Columbia College alumnus Robert Goelet, who had died in 1899. The Trustees accepted her proposition, and with McKim's recommendation commissioned Daniel Chester French to create the statue. Until this point, notable works of French's had included The Minute Man (1874) in Concord, Massachusetts and John Harvard (1884) at Harvard University. He also sculpted The Republic for the World's Columbian Exposition, a statue which would come to bear a strong resemblance to Alma Mater. It has been speculated that Audrey Munson, who was a prolific artist's model during the early 20th century, may have been the basis for the statue, though it is more likely that the model for Alma Mater was actually Mary Lawton, an actress and a friend of French. Given the commission, French's stated aim was to create "a figure that should be gracious in the impression that it should make, with an attitude of welcome to the youths who should choose Columbia as their College." French went through several designs: the original plaster model he made for Alma Mater showed her with her hands in her lap, with her left hand holding the book that lay on it, and her heels touching. Though Goelet and President Seth Low were "greatly delighted" by French's first draft, their critiques led French to change her arms to be outstretched and holding a scepter. His final design for the statue was approved on March 4, 1901, by the Trustees, and the price to be paid by the Goelets was determined to be $20,000. McKim, who was greatly worried about the quality of the statue given its prominent location in front of Low Library, was reportedly "delighted", describing the statue as "dignified, classic and stately... exhibiting as much perception of the spirit and freedom of the Greek as any modern can."Despite expectations that the statue might be completed in time for the university's 1902 commencement ceremony, delays in French's work (in part due to critiques from Augustus Saint-Gaudens, but largely due to strikes at the Jno. Williams, Inc. foundry) postponed the unveiling until September 23, 1903, the first day of classes for the 1903–1904 school year. At the ceremony, a prayer was given by Henry C. Potter, the 7th Bishop of New York and a trustee of the university, before the statue was formally presented to President Nicholas Murray Butler by Dean John Howard Van Amringe. The Goelets were not in attendance, having departed for Europe earlier.In 1904, a four-foot plaster reproduction of Alma Mater was borrowed by the university from French to be displayed at the Grand Sculpture Court of the St. Louis World's Fair. However, the university neglected to return it until it was rediscovered in the basement of Low Library and sent to French's daughter, Margaret French Cresson, in 1950.

0916_NT

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

Describe the characteristics of the Commission and installation in this artwork's History.

Plans for a statue in front of Low Memorial Library began upon the completion of the building in 1897. When Charles Follen McKim, the building's main architect, designed a set of stairs that would lead up to the building, he included an empty granite pedestal in the middle on which a statue might sit. Only three years later, Harriette W. Goelet offered the Trustees of Columbia, on behalf of herself and her children, up to $25,000 to install "a bronze statue representing 'Alma Mater,' to be placed upon [said] pedestal" in memory of her husband, Columbia College alumnus Robert Goelet, who had died in 1899. The Trustees accepted her proposition, and with McKim's recommendation commissioned Daniel Chester French to create the statue. Until this point, notable works of French's had included The Minute Man (1874) in Concord, Massachusetts and John Harvard (1884) at Harvard University. He also sculpted The Republic for the World's Columbian Exposition, a statue which would come to bear a strong resemblance to Alma Mater. It has been speculated that Audrey Munson, who was a prolific artist's model during the early 20th century, may have been the basis for the statue, though it is more likely that the model for Alma Mater was actually Mary Lawton, an actress and a friend of French. Given the commission, French's stated aim was to create "a figure that should be gracious in the impression that it should make, with an attitude of welcome to the youths who should choose Columbia as their College." French went through several designs: the original plaster model he made for Alma Mater showed her with her hands in her lap, with her left hand holding the book that lay on it, and her heels touching. Though Goelet and President Seth Low were "greatly delighted" by French's first draft, their critiques led French to change her arms to be outstretched and holding a scepter. His final design for the statue was approved on March 4, 1901, by the Trustees, and the price to be paid by the Goelets was determined to be $20,000. McKim, who was greatly worried about the quality of the statue given its prominent location in front of Low Library, was reportedly "delighted", describing the statue as "dignified, classic and stately... exhibiting as much perception of the spirit and freedom of the Greek as any modern can."Despite expectations that the statue might be completed in time for the university's 1902 commencement ceremony, delays in French's work (in part due to critiques from Augustus Saint-Gaudens, but largely due to strikes at the Jno. Williams, Inc. foundry) postponed the unveiling until September 23, 1903, the first day of classes for the 1903–1904 school year. At the ceremony, a prayer was given by Henry C. Potter, the 7th Bishop of New York and a trustee of the university, before the statue was formally presented to President Nicholas Murray Butler by Dean John Howard Van Amringe. The Goelets were not in attendance, having departed for Europe earlier.In 1904, a four-foot plaster reproduction of Alma Mater was borrowed by the university from French to be displayed at the Grand Sculpture Court of the St. Louis World's Fair. However, the university neglected to return it until it was rediscovered in the basement of Low Library and sent to French's daughter, Margaret French Cresson, in 1950.

0917_T

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

In the context of Alma Mater (New York sculpture), explore the Later history of the History.

Alma Mater, given its symbolic connection with the university, has been at the center of many protests at Columbia. During the student protests in 1970 in reaction to the Cambodian campaign and the Kent State shootings, the statue came to represent the failures of the university's administration, which included the continued gentrification of the Morningside Heights neighborhood. In the early morning hours of May 15, 1970, a bomb was planted on the statue. The resulting explosion caused significant damage to Alma Mater's throne. The damage remained until 1978, when the statue was removed from Columbia, the throne was recast, and the sculpture was cleaned, refinished with a new patina, and returned to the Low steps.Other noteworthy instances of protest involving Alma Mater include during the Columbia University protests of 1968, when the statue was routinely vandalized and a sign which read "Raped by the cops" was placed on Alma Mater's lap, and during the protests against the Iraq War, when students draped a black shroud over Alma Mater's head and connected wires from her hands to the ground in reference to the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal.Alma Mater has also been at the center of many pranks, including one instance in 1928 when the crown atop her scepter was stolen (and later returned), as well as in October 1984, when the scepter was removed in its entirety by Cornell students. It appeared on the doorstep of the Dean of Students of Cornell in a shoebox two months later, and was returned to the university by hand by a Cornell professor the next day. In retaliation for the theft, the Ezra Cornell statue on Cornell's campus was doused in Columbia blue paint soon after the return of the scepter.

0917_NT

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

In the context of this artwork, explore the Later history of the History.

Alma Mater, given its symbolic connection with the university, has been at the center of many protests at Columbia. During the student protests in 1970 in reaction to the Cambodian campaign and the Kent State shootings, the statue came to represent the failures of the university's administration, which included the continued gentrification of the Morningside Heights neighborhood. In the early morning hours of May 15, 1970, a bomb was planted on the statue. The resulting explosion caused significant damage to Alma Mater's throne. The damage remained until 1978, when the statue was removed from Columbia, the throne was recast, and the sculpture was cleaned, refinished with a new patina, and returned to the Low steps.Other noteworthy instances of protest involving Alma Mater include during the Columbia University protests of 1968, when the statue was routinely vandalized and a sign which read "Raped by the cops" was placed on Alma Mater's lap, and during the protests against the Iraq War, when students draped a black shroud over Alma Mater's head and connected wires from her hands to the ground in reference to the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal.Alma Mater has also been at the center of many pranks, including one instance in 1928 when the crown atop her scepter was stolen (and later returned), as well as in October 1984, when the scepter was removed in its entirety by Cornell students. It appeared on the doorstep of the Dean of Students of Cornell in a shoebox two months later, and was returned to the university by hand by a Cornell professor the next day. In retaliation for the theft, the Ezra Cornell statue on Cornell's campus was doused in Columbia blue paint soon after the return of the scepter.

0918_T

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

Focus on Alma Mater (New York sculpture) and explain the Reception.

Alma Mater was largely praised upon its unveiling. The Columbia Daily Spectator described the statue as "characterized by a queenly dignity and repose", and stated that it "expresses the highest type of intellectual womanhood. In pose and gesture she invites the student of the University and gives him the welcome of Alma Mater." The New York Times, though it did not comment directly on the artistic merits of the work, recognized that the sculpture was "for technical reasons an extraordinarily difficult piece of work." Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper called the work "French's masterpiece of sculpture", while The Catholic Union compared the figure of Alma Mater to the Virgin Mary, incorrectly claiming that the work was an imitation of a "Mother of Christ" statue in Bonn, Germany, exclaiming, "How closely is not the Catholic Church associated with all that is noble and tender in the mind and heart of man!" However, French was reportedly unsatisfied with the amount of attention the sculpture initially received, stating that it did not make a "ripple on the surface of New York". In 1903, Charles Henry Caffin praised Alma Mater as "beautiful... unquestionably", though not necessarily one of French's best works. He described her as follows:The face is of a familiar type of American beauty, corresponding with the very modern suggestion of the whole figure. Yet the sculptor has invested the head with an air of dispassionate refinement which gives it a certain aloofness; scarcely more, however, than the self-possession, consciously unconscious, with which the American woman can carry her beauty. It is almost as if one of them had mounted the pedestal and, with a ready wit embracing the situation, were enacting the part of patroness to the university. Every student will love her and her influence will be altogether one of sweet nobility... [Alma Mater] is distinguished by a pure and poignant serenity, by a monumental feeling penetrated with a sort of gentle sprightliness; for the expression which he puts into the modeling of the limbs can scarcely be characterized by a word of more sensitive application. More recently, The New York Times has dubbed Alma Mater the "grand old lady" of Columbia University, who "reigns in queenly splendor in front of Low Library." The AIA Guide to New York City described it as "an evocative statue" where "the enthroned figure extends her hand in welcome as she looks up from the mighty tome of knowledge lying open in her lap." Alma Mater's placement in front of Low Library in particular has been praised for its role in welcoming students to the university and highlighting the university's relationship with the city of New York. As Professor of Historic Preservation Andrew Dolkart notes:After passing Alma Mater and reaching the campus level, the seeker must climb an even longer stairway, symbolically a "stairway to knowledge," to reach the entrance to the library. From the top of the stairs, members of the select Columbia community could turn and look out over New York, secure in the belief that they were contributing to the rapid transformation of their city into a world center of intellectual and professional endeavor.

0918_NT

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

Focus on this artwork and explain the Reception.

Alma Mater was largely praised upon its unveiling. The Columbia Daily Spectator described the statue as "characterized by a queenly dignity and repose", and stated that it "expresses the highest type of intellectual womanhood. In pose and gesture she invites the student of the University and gives him the welcome of Alma Mater." The New York Times, though it did not comment directly on the artistic merits of the work, recognized that the sculpture was "for technical reasons an extraordinarily difficult piece of work." Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper called the work "French's masterpiece of sculpture", while The Catholic Union compared the figure of Alma Mater to the Virgin Mary, incorrectly claiming that the work was an imitation of a "Mother of Christ" statue in Bonn, Germany, exclaiming, "How closely is not the Catholic Church associated with all that is noble and tender in the mind and heart of man!" However, French was reportedly unsatisfied with the amount of attention the sculpture initially received, stating that it did not make a "ripple on the surface of New York". In 1903, Charles Henry Caffin praised Alma Mater as "beautiful... unquestionably", though not necessarily one of French's best works. He described her as follows:The face is of a familiar type of American beauty, corresponding with the very modern suggestion of the whole figure. Yet the sculptor has invested the head with an air of dispassionate refinement which gives it a certain aloofness; scarcely more, however, than the self-possession, consciously unconscious, with which the American woman can carry her beauty. It is almost as if one of them had mounted the pedestal and, with a ready wit embracing the situation, were enacting the part of patroness to the university. Every student will love her and her influence will be altogether one of sweet nobility... [Alma Mater] is distinguished by a pure and poignant serenity, by a monumental feeling penetrated with a sort of gentle sprightliness; for the expression which he puts into the modeling of the limbs can scarcely be characterized by a word of more sensitive application. More recently, The New York Times has dubbed Alma Mater the "grand old lady" of Columbia University, who "reigns in queenly splendor in front of Low Library." The AIA Guide to New York City described it as "an evocative statue" where "the enthroned figure extends her hand in welcome as she looks up from the mighty tome of knowledge lying open in her lap." Alma Mater's placement in front of Low Library in particular has been praised for its role in welcoming students to the university and highlighting the university's relationship with the city of New York. As Professor of Historic Preservation Andrew Dolkart notes:After passing Alma Mater and reaching the campus level, the seeker must climb an even longer stairway, symbolically a "stairway to knowledge," to reach the entrance to the library. From the top of the stairs, members of the select Columbia community could turn and look out over New York, secure in the belief that they were contributing to the rapid transformation of their city into a world center of intellectual and professional endeavor.

0919_T

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

Explore the Design of this artwork, Alma Mater (New York sculpture).

The statue represents a personification of the traditional image of the university as an alma mater, or "nourishing mother", draped in an academic gown and seated on a throne. She wears a laurel wreath on her head and holds in her right hand a scepter made of four sprays of wheat which are capped by a King's Crown, a traditional symbol of the university. A book, representing learning, rests on her lap. The arms of her throne end in lamps, representing "Sapientia et Doctrina", or "Wisdom and Learning"; on the back of the throne is embossed an image of the seal of the university.An owl, a symbol of knowledge and learning, is hidden in the folds of Alma Mater's cloak near her left leg. There has been some speculation on the exact meaning of the owl, including by history professor Dwight C. Miner, who believed that the owl was a reference to the Psi Upsilon fraternity, of which Miner believed French to have been a member. In 1953, French's daughter, Margaret French Cresson, clarified in a letter to The New York Times that it "represents no fraternity and poses no labyrinthine riddle. The owl is the age-old symbol of wisdom and was used by the sculptor to convey that interpretation." She also clarified that the statue was not a depiction of Pallas Athena or Minerva, but simply a personification of the university.When Alma Mater was originally installed it was gilded, although the original gilding wore away with time. In the late 1920s, French suggested re-gilding the statue, though this was not done; the few remaining flakes of gold were removed in 1950 in order to catalyze the statue's patina. In 1962, the university made the decision to apply a new bronze veneer. However, after protests, including by President Grayson L. Kirk, the new finish was removed and the patina restored. In 2002, the statue was restored again, changing her more uniform green patina hue to the green and brown mix that is seen today.The design of Alma Mater inspired a 1919 statue of the same name at the University of Havana in Cuba by Mario Korbel, who had lived in New York City from 1913 to 1917. Additionally, the Alma Mater statue at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign may have been inspired by Columbia's Alma Mater, according to its sculptor, Lorado Taft.

0919_NT

Alma Mater (New York sculpture)

Explore the Design of this artwork.

The statue represents a personification of the traditional image of the university as an alma mater, or "nourishing mother", draped in an academic gown and seated on a throne. She wears a laurel wreath on her head and holds in her right hand a scepter made of four sprays of wheat which are capped by a King's Crown, a traditional symbol of the university. A book, representing learning, rests on her lap. The arms of her throne end in lamps, representing "Sapientia et Doctrina", or "Wisdom and Learning"; on the back of the throne is embossed an image of the seal of the university.An owl, a symbol of knowledge and learning, is hidden in the folds of Alma Mater's cloak near her left leg. There has been some speculation on the exact meaning of the owl, including by history professor Dwight C. Miner, who believed that the owl was a reference to the Psi Upsilon fraternity, of which Miner believed French to have been a member. In 1953, French's daughter, Margaret French Cresson, clarified in a letter to The New York Times that it "represents no fraternity and poses no labyrinthine riddle. The owl is the age-old symbol of wisdom and was used by the sculptor to convey that interpretation." She also clarified that the statue was not a depiction of Pallas Athena or Minerva, but simply a personification of the university.When Alma Mater was originally installed it was gilded, although the original gilding wore away with time. In the late 1920s, French suggested re-gilding the statue, though this was not done; the few remaining flakes of gold were removed in 1950 in order to catalyze the statue's patina. In 1962, the university made the decision to apply a new bronze veneer. However, after protests, including by President Grayson L. Kirk, the new finish was removed and the patina restored. In 2002, the statue was restored again, changing her more uniform green patina hue to the green and brown mix that is seen today.The design of Alma Mater inspired a 1919 statue of the same name at the University of Havana in Cuba by Mario Korbel, who had lived in New York City from 1913 to 1917. Additionally, the Alma Mater statue at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign may have been inspired by Columbia's Alma Mater, according to its sculptor, Lorado Taft.

0920_T

Omnibus (painting)

Focus on Omnibus (painting) and discuss the abstract.

Omnibus is an oil-on-canvas painting created during 1891–92 by the Swedish artist Anders Zorn. There are two versions of the painting – the first one is exhibited at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and the second in Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.Omnibus is an impressionist painting representing contemporary urban life in Paris. It depicts 4-5 people sitting in a public trolley. In the foreground there is a young woman with a square box. Behind her, a prostitute can be seen. Both women represent the modern life with its commercial attractions and dangers.

0920_NT

Omnibus (painting)

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

Omnibus is an oil-on-canvas painting created during 1891–92 by the Swedish artist Anders Zorn. There are two versions of the painting – the first one is exhibited at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and the second in Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.Omnibus is an impressionist painting representing contemporary urban life in Paris. It depicts 4-5 people sitting in a public trolley. In the foreground there is a young woman with a square box. Behind her, a prostitute can be seen. Both women represent the modern life with its commercial attractions and dangers.

0921_T

Bracero Monument

How does Bracero Monument elucidate its abstract?

The Bracero Monument by Dan Medina is installed in Los Angeles, California. The 19-foot-tall monument features a bronze sculpture of a Mexican migrant and his family (wife and son).

0921_NT

Bracero Monument

How does this artwork elucidate its abstract?

The Bracero Monument by Dan Medina is installed in Los Angeles, California. The 19-foot-tall monument features a bronze sculpture of a Mexican migrant and his family (wife and son).

0922_T

A Woman Walking in a Garden

Focus on A Woman Walking in a Garden and analyze the abstract.

A Woman Walking in a Garden was painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1887. As the title indicates, it depicts a woman walking through a garden. Greenery is everywhere and numerous trees can be seen in the background. In 1886 van Gogh left Holland for Paris never to return. His brother Theo, a successful Parisian art dealer, provided van Gogh the support and connections for an immersion in modern art. In the two years, from 1886 through 1888, van Gogh emerged as a sophisticated, thoughtful and provoking artist.During 1886 van Gogh was introduced to Impressionist artists and their works, such as Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac. In 1887 van Gogh continued to make important connections with other artists who he befriended and exchanged paintings with, such as Louis Anquetin, Émile Bernard, Armand Guillaumin, Lucien Pissarro and Paul Signac. Having been introduced to Impressionism and Pointillism in Paris, van Gogh began experimenting with related techniques.Van Gogh also utilized complementary colors to allow the formation of vibrant contrasts which enhance each other when juxtaposed.

0922_NT

A Woman Walking in a Garden

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

A Woman Walking in a Garden was painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1887. As the title indicates, it depicts a woman walking through a garden. Greenery is everywhere and numerous trees can be seen in the background. In 1886 van Gogh left Holland for Paris never to return. His brother Theo, a successful Parisian art dealer, provided van Gogh the support and connections for an immersion in modern art. In the two years, from 1886 through 1888, van Gogh emerged as a sophisticated, thoughtful and provoking artist.During 1886 van Gogh was introduced to Impressionist artists and their works, such as Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac. In 1887 van Gogh continued to make important connections with other artists who he befriended and exchanged paintings with, such as Louis Anquetin, Émile Bernard, Armand Guillaumin, Lucien Pissarro and Paul Signac. Having been introduced to Impressionism and Pointillism in Paris, van Gogh began experimenting with related techniques.Van Gogh also utilized complementary colors to allow the formation of vibrant contrasts which enhance each other when juxtaposed.

0923_T

The Colossus (painting)

In The Colossus (painting), how is the abstract discussed?

The Colossus (also known as The Giant), is known in Spanish as El Coloso and also El Gigante (The Giant), El Pánico (The Panic) and La Tormenta (The Storm). It is a painting traditionally attributed to Francisco de Goya that shows a giant in the centre of the canvas walking towards the left hand side of the picture. Mountains obscure his legs up to his thighs and clouds surround his body; the giant appears to be adopting an aggressive posture as he is holding one of his fists up at shoulder height. A dark valley containing a crowd of people and herds of cattle fleeing in all directions occupies the lower third of the painting. The painting became the property of Goya's son, Javier Goya, in 1812. The painting was later owned by Pedro Fernández Durán, who bequeathed his collection to Madrid's Museo del Prado, where it has been kept since 1931.

0923_NT

The Colossus (painting)

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

The Colossus (also known as The Giant), is known in Spanish as El Coloso and also El Gigante (The Giant), El Pánico (The Panic) and La Tormenta (The Storm). It is a painting traditionally attributed to Francisco de Goya that shows a giant in the centre of the canvas walking towards the left hand side of the picture. Mountains obscure his legs up to his thighs and clouds surround his body; the giant appears to be adopting an aggressive posture as he is holding one of his fists up at shoulder height. A dark valley containing a crowd of people and herds of cattle fleeing in all directions occupies the lower third of the painting. The painting became the property of Goya's son, Javier Goya, in 1812. The painting was later owned by Pedro Fernández Durán, who bequeathed his collection to Madrid's Museo del Prado, where it has been kept since 1931.

0924_T

The Colossus (painting)

Focus on The Colossus (painting) and explore the History of the painting.

The painting became part of the Museo del Prado's collection in 1931, when it was donated by the estate of Pedro Fernández Durán. The first documented attribution of the painting to Goya dates from 1946 when Francisco Javier Sánchez Cantón published the inventory of the estate of Josefa Bayeu, Goya's wife, on her death in 1812. The inventory describes a painting of "a giant" with the same measurements as The Colossus, which was identified with an X (Xavier Goya) and the number 18.The painting was passed into the ownership of Miguel Fernández Durán Fernández de Pinedo y Bizarrón, Marquis of Perales, as he left it to his great-grandson, Pedro Fernández Durán on his death in 1833. The painting is listed in the notarised estate of Paula Bernaldo de Quirós (Marchioness of Perales and Tolosa and mother of Pedro Fernández Durán) on her death in 1877. At this time the painting was described as "A prophetic allegory of the misfortunes that took place during the War of Independence, Goya original, measuring 1.15 by 1.[0]3 (global measurement units) ( having a value of one thousand five hundred pesetas".More recently, the questions raised regarding the authorship of The Colossus and its absence from the Prado's exhibition Goya in wartime have focussed attention on, among other matters, Goya's etching of the same theme, which was included in the same exhibition (exhibition catalogue number 28). In an article entitled "Artistic technique as a research method relating to Goya's 'The Colossus'" (in the journal Goya No. 324) Jesusa Vega established the relationship between the etching known as The Giant (of which there is second copy in the Spanish National Library in Madrid) and The Colossus in these words: "the giant, moves from resistance / defence, proud and erect, to slumped melancholy, reflecting the mood of many Spaniards, a collective feeling shared by its creator". If the painting is attributed as being painted between 1808—the start of the Peninsular War—and 1812—when the painting is recorded as being among the goods divided between Goya and his son Javier—then the print should be dated as originating after the end of the war due to the technique and materials used in the series of etchings The Disasters of War.

0924_NT

The Colossus (painting)

Focus on this artwork and explore the History of the painting.

The painting became part of the Museo del Prado's collection in 1931, when it was donated by the estate of Pedro Fernández Durán. The first documented attribution of the painting to Goya dates from 1946 when Francisco Javier Sánchez Cantón published the inventory of the estate of Josefa Bayeu, Goya's wife, on her death in 1812. The inventory describes a painting of "a giant" with the same measurements as The Colossus, which was identified with an X (Xavier Goya) and the number 18.The painting was passed into the ownership of Miguel Fernández Durán Fernández de Pinedo y Bizarrón, Marquis of Perales, as he left it to his great-grandson, Pedro Fernández Durán on his death in 1833. The painting is listed in the notarised estate of Paula Bernaldo de Quirós (Marchioness of Perales and Tolosa and mother of Pedro Fernández Durán) on her death in 1877. At this time the painting was described as "A prophetic allegory of the misfortunes that took place during the War of Independence, Goya original, measuring 1.15 by 1.[0]3 (global measurement units) ( having a value of one thousand five hundred pesetas".More recently, the questions raised regarding the authorship of The Colossus and its absence from the Prado's exhibition Goya in wartime have focussed attention on, among other matters, Goya's etching of the same theme, which was included in the same exhibition (exhibition catalogue number 28). In an article entitled "Artistic technique as a research method relating to Goya's 'The Colossus'" (in the journal Goya No. 324) Jesusa Vega established the relationship between the etching known as The Giant (of which there is second copy in the Spanish National Library in Madrid) and The Colossus in these words: "the giant, moves from resistance / defence, proud and erect, to slumped melancholy, reflecting the mood of many Spaniards, a collective feeling shared by its creator". If the painting is attributed as being painted between 1808—the start of the Peninsular War—and 1812—when the painting is recorded as being among the goods divided between Goya and his son Javier—then the print should be dated as originating after the end of the war due to the technique and materials used in the series of etchings The Disasters of War.

0925_T

The Colossus (painting)

Focus on The Colossus (painting) and explain the Analysis.

The large body of the giant occupies the centre of the composition. It appears to be adopting a fighting pose due to the position of its one visible arm and its clenched fist. The picture was painted during the Peninsular War so it could be a symbolic representation of that war. Nigel Glendinning states that the picture is based on a patriotic poem written by Juan Bautista Arriaza called Pyrenean Prophecy published in 1810. The poem represents the Spanish people as a giant arising from the Pyrenees in order to oppose the Napoleonic invasion. Goya's painting The Eagle, which was found in the possession of Goya's son in 1836, is similar in size and allegorical character to The Colossus. Nigel Glendinning considers this proof that Goya conceived of paintings with a similar concept to The Colossus.The giant's posture has been the object of a number of interpretations. It is unknown if it is walking or firmly planted with legs spread apart. The giant's position is also ambiguous, it could be behind the mountains or buried up to above its knees. The subject's legs are also obscured in Saturn Devouring His Son and the subject is even buried up to its neck—or possibly it is behind an embankment—in The Dog, which in Spanish is sometimes referred to as Perro Semihundido (Semi-submerged Dog). Some experts have suggested that the giant appears to have his eyes shut, which could represent the idea of blind violence. In contrast to the erect figure of the giant are the tiny figures in the valley that are fleeing in all directions. The only exception is a donkey that is standing still, Juan J. Luna has suggested that this figure could represent an incomprehension of the horrors of war.The technique used in this painting is similar to that used in Goya's Black Paintings, which were originally painted on the walls of Goya's house, Quinta del Sordo. A later date for the painting of the picture has even been suggested, which would mean that The Colossus mentioned in the inventory of 1812 is a different painting. However, Nigel Glendinning has refuted this later dating with arguments solely based on stylistic features of the painting. Glendinning argues that all the stylistic features found in The Colossus are already present (although not to the same degree) in Goya's previous paintings from The Meadow of San Isidro in 1788, which contains small figures painted with quick strokes; to Los Caprichos (1799) numbers 3 (Here comes the bogeyman) and 52 (What a tailor can do) for the theme of an oversized figure that is frightening. As well as some drawings found in Goya's sketchbooks such as A giant figure on a balcony, A hooded giant and Proclamation Dream of the Witches (Gassier and Wilson No.s. 625, 633 and 638). A series of parallel themes also exist in Disasters of War and the eponymous unnumbered print The Giant or Colossus, dating from between 1814 and 1818, which shows a giant seated in a dark and desolate landscape with a crescent moon in the top corner. However, the giant's posture and the darkness of the night express a solitude that is different from the aggression shown in the painting and the print is not obviously related to war. It is not possible to ascertain if the giant's eyes are shut in the print, but it appears to be listening out for something. That is, the giant is doing something that perhaps Goya, who had been deaf since 1793, longed to be able to do. Or perhaps the giant's posture reflects the alert attentiveness of someone who is deaf or blind or both. What is certain is that the oil painting is stylistically similar to the Black Paintings. The colour black predominates, the touches of colour are minimalistic and applied with a spatula and the theme appears to be related to certain German works belonging to the Storm and Stress (Sturm und Drang) movement of early Romanticism. Goya's emphasis on the emotional element of the panic that has caused the chaotic flight of the populace also reflects this early Romanticist aesthetic. As does the symbolism of the giant as the incarnation of ideas of identity in the collective consciousness or Volkgeist. Especially when this consciousness is linked with aggression that was seen as coming from outside forces. These ideas arose with idealist German romanticism and they were widespread in the Europe of the early 19th century. The era's patriotic poetry, such as Pyrenean Prophecy, was known by heart by many Spaniards, including Goya, who was also friends with well-known Enlightenment writers and pre-Romantic thinkers.Other interpretations regarding the meaning of this painting have also been offered. Regarding the emblems, it has been suggested that the giant may represent an incompetent and arrogant Fernando VII of Spain where the mountains act to emphasise his arrogance. In addition, it has been suggested that the stationary donkey represents an ossified aristocracy that is beholden to an absolute monarchy. Studies of representations of giants in satirical cartoons of this period or of the mythical figure Hercules have suggested that the giant in the painting represents the Spanish monarchy opposing the Napoleonic regime. Investigations that have used X-ray analysis of the giant's posture have suggested that the figure is similar to the Farnese Hercules represented in etchings by Hendrick Goltzius or the Spanish Hercules painted by Francisco de Zurbarán in his The Labours of Hercules series, which is found among the great paintings of battles found in the Salón de Reinos in the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid. However, Glendinning has insisted that the idea of a giant is common in the patriotic poetry of the Peninsular War. The idea is prefigured in the Spanish Golden Age by the allegorical figures of the baroque theatre (The Siege of Numantia by Miguel de Cervantes contains a passage in which Spain is represented in a dialogue with the River Duero) and many of these figures are apparitions blessed by God (such as Saint James or Saint George in important battles against the Moors) in order to motivate the soldiers involved in battle. There are similar giants in Manuel José Quintana's patriotic poem To Spain, After the March Revolution, in which the giant shadows cast by such Spanish heroes as Ferdinand III of Castile, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (El Gran Capitán) and Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid) urge on the resistance. In a poem by Cristóbal de Beña the shadow of James I of Aragon (Jaime I el Conquistador) is invoked for similar purposes. In the poem Zaragoza by Francisco Martínez de la Rosa, General Palafox commander of the Siege of Zaragoza (1808) is encouraged by his predecessor Rodrigo de Rebolledo. Finally, the victor in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, the king Alfonso VIII of Castile is mentioned in the hymn celebrating the Battle of Bailén written by Juan Bautista Arriaza. Despite all the aforementioned, there are still unknown elements in the painting. There is no convincing argument regarding the direction that the giant is moving in (if it is moving at all), and it is impossible to see the enemy that it is opposing. However, on the latter point some authors consider it highly likely that the mountainous terrain hides the enemy army on the other side of the valley that the civilians are fleeing along. It has therefore been proposed that the painting most probably shows a confrontation between an invading French army and the giant, representing the defending Spanish forces, as described in Ariaza's poem. The giant's willingness to fight with his bare hands and without weapons is also described by Arriaza in his poem Memories of the Second of May, which stresses the heroic nature of the Spanish nation. The giant's heroism contrasts with the fear of the rest of the population, who are fleeing and dispersing in many different directions, only pausing occasionally to help someone who has collapsed or due to the legendary stubbornness of a mule. In terms of the axis of the composition, there are a number of signals that dynamically represent the directions in which the multitude is fleeing, which is mainly towards and beyond the painting's lower left hand corner. There is another opposing axis shown by the stampede of the bulls to the right. Amongst all this movement there are some figures that are attending to a fallen person or someone in difficulty, which provides a counterpoint to the movement and emphasizes the impression of chaos. The giant is separated from the foreground by the mountains, thereby providing a feeling of depth. It is turned away and facing to the left creating a perspective further removed from the viewer and forming a diagonal opposition to the direction of the fleeing crowd.The effect of the light, which possibly indicates sunset, surrounds and highlights the clouds that encircle the giant's waist as described in Arriaza's poem: Encircling its waist / clouds painted red by the western sun This slanting light is fractured and interrupted by the mountain peaks increasing the sensation of disequilibrium and disorder. The effect is similar to Luis de Góngora's famous "dubious daylight" (Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea v. 72.). Instead of a centripetal composition where all the indications point towards a central nucleus, in this painting all the lines of movement shatter the unity of the image into multiple paths towards its margins. The painting can be considered to be an example of the many Romanticist paintings with an organic composition (in this case centrifugal), in relation to the movements and actions of the figures within the painting. This can be contrasted with the mechanical compositions found in Neoclassicism, where angular axises are formed by a painting's contents and imposed by the rational will of the painter.

0925_NT

The Colossus (painting)

Focus on this artwork and explain the Analysis.

The large body of the giant occupies the centre of the composition. It appears to be adopting a fighting pose due to the position of its one visible arm and its clenched fist. The picture was painted during the Peninsular War so it could be a symbolic representation of that war. Nigel Glendinning states that the picture is based on a patriotic poem written by Juan Bautista Arriaza called Pyrenean Prophecy published in 1810. The poem represents the Spanish people as a giant arising from the Pyrenees in order to oppose the Napoleonic invasion. Goya's painting The Eagle, which was found in the possession of Goya's son in 1836, is similar in size and allegorical character to The Colossus. Nigel Glendinning considers this proof that Goya conceived of paintings with a similar concept to The Colossus.The giant's posture has been the object of a number of interpretations. It is unknown if it is walking or firmly planted with legs spread apart. The giant's position is also ambiguous, it could be behind the mountains or buried up to above its knees. The subject's legs are also obscured in Saturn Devouring His Son and the subject is even buried up to its neck—or possibly it is behind an embankment—in The Dog, which in Spanish is sometimes referred to as Perro Semihundido (Semi-submerged Dog). Some experts have suggested that the giant appears to have his eyes shut, which could represent the idea of blind violence. In contrast to the erect figure of the giant are the tiny figures in the valley that are fleeing in all directions. The only exception is a donkey that is standing still, Juan J. Luna has suggested that this figure could represent an incomprehension of the horrors of war.The technique used in this painting is similar to that used in Goya's Black Paintings, which were originally painted on the walls of Goya's house, Quinta del Sordo. A later date for the painting of the picture has even been suggested, which would mean that The Colossus mentioned in the inventory of 1812 is a different painting. However, Nigel Glendinning has refuted this later dating with arguments solely based on stylistic features of the painting. Glendinning argues that all the stylistic features found in The Colossus are already present (although not to the same degree) in Goya's previous paintings from The Meadow of San Isidro in 1788, which contains small figures painted with quick strokes; to Los Caprichos (1799) numbers 3 (Here comes the bogeyman) and 52 (What a tailor can do) for the theme of an oversized figure that is frightening. As well as some drawings found in Goya's sketchbooks such as A giant figure on a balcony, A hooded giant and Proclamation Dream of the Witches (Gassier and Wilson No.s. 625, 633 and 638). A series of parallel themes also exist in Disasters of War and the eponymous unnumbered print The Giant or Colossus, dating from between 1814 and 1818, which shows a giant seated in a dark and desolate landscape with a crescent moon in the top corner. However, the giant's posture and the darkness of the night express a solitude that is different from the aggression shown in the painting and the print is not obviously related to war. It is not possible to ascertain if the giant's eyes are shut in the print, but it appears to be listening out for something. That is, the giant is doing something that perhaps Goya, who had been deaf since 1793, longed to be able to do. Or perhaps the giant's posture reflects the alert attentiveness of someone who is deaf or blind or both. What is certain is that the oil painting is stylistically similar to the Black Paintings. The colour black predominates, the touches of colour are minimalistic and applied with a spatula and the theme appears to be related to certain German works belonging to the Storm and Stress (Sturm und Drang) movement of early Romanticism. Goya's emphasis on the emotional element of the panic that has caused the chaotic flight of the populace also reflects this early Romanticist aesthetic. As does the symbolism of the giant as the incarnation of ideas of identity in the collective consciousness or Volkgeist. Especially when this consciousness is linked with aggression that was seen as coming from outside forces. These ideas arose with idealist German romanticism and they were widespread in the Europe of the early 19th century. The era's patriotic poetry, such as Pyrenean Prophecy, was known by heart by many Spaniards, including Goya, who was also friends with well-known Enlightenment writers and pre-Romantic thinkers.Other interpretations regarding the meaning of this painting have also been offered. Regarding the emblems, it has been suggested that the giant may represent an incompetent and arrogant Fernando VII of Spain where the mountains act to emphasise his arrogance. In addition, it has been suggested that the stationary donkey represents an ossified aristocracy that is beholden to an absolute monarchy. Studies of representations of giants in satirical cartoons of this period or of the mythical figure Hercules have suggested that the giant in the painting represents the Spanish monarchy opposing the Napoleonic regime. Investigations that have used X-ray analysis of the giant's posture have suggested that the figure is similar to the Farnese Hercules represented in etchings by Hendrick Goltzius or the Spanish Hercules painted by Francisco de Zurbarán in his The Labours of Hercules series, which is found among the great paintings of battles found in the Salón de Reinos in the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid. However, Glendinning has insisted that the idea of a giant is common in the patriotic poetry of the Peninsular War. The idea is prefigured in the Spanish Golden Age by the allegorical figures of the baroque theatre (The Siege of Numantia by Miguel de Cervantes contains a passage in which Spain is represented in a dialogue with the River Duero) and many of these figures are apparitions blessed by God (such as Saint James or Saint George in important battles against the Moors) in order to motivate the soldiers involved in battle. There are similar giants in Manuel José Quintana's patriotic poem To Spain, After the March Revolution, in which the giant shadows cast by such Spanish heroes as Ferdinand III of Castile, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (El Gran Capitán) and Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid) urge on the resistance. In a poem by Cristóbal de Beña the shadow of James I of Aragon (Jaime I el Conquistador) is invoked for similar purposes. In the poem Zaragoza by Francisco Martínez de la Rosa, General Palafox commander of the Siege of Zaragoza (1808) is encouraged by his predecessor Rodrigo de Rebolledo. Finally, the victor in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, the king Alfonso VIII of Castile is mentioned in the hymn celebrating the Battle of Bailén written by Juan Bautista Arriaza. Despite all the aforementioned, there are still unknown elements in the painting. There is no convincing argument regarding the direction that the giant is moving in (if it is moving at all), and it is impossible to see the enemy that it is opposing. However, on the latter point some authors consider it highly likely that the mountainous terrain hides the enemy army on the other side of the valley that the civilians are fleeing along. It has therefore been proposed that the painting most probably shows a confrontation between an invading French army and the giant, representing the defending Spanish forces, as described in Ariaza's poem. The giant's willingness to fight with his bare hands and without weapons is also described by Arriaza in his poem Memories of the Second of May, which stresses the heroic nature of the Spanish nation. The giant's heroism contrasts with the fear of the rest of the population, who are fleeing and dispersing in many different directions, only pausing occasionally to help someone who has collapsed or due to the legendary stubbornness of a mule. In terms of the axis of the composition, there are a number of signals that dynamically represent the directions in which the multitude is fleeing, which is mainly towards and beyond the painting's lower left hand corner. There is another opposing axis shown by the stampede of the bulls to the right. Amongst all this movement there are some figures that are attending to a fallen person or someone in difficulty, which provides a counterpoint to the movement and emphasizes the impression of chaos. The giant is separated from the foreground by the mountains, thereby providing a feeling of depth. It is turned away and facing to the left creating a perspective further removed from the viewer and forming a diagonal opposition to the direction of the fleeing crowd.The effect of the light, which possibly indicates sunset, surrounds and highlights the clouds that encircle the giant's waist as described in Arriaza's poem: Encircling its waist / clouds painted red by the western sun This slanting light is fractured and interrupted by the mountain peaks increasing the sensation of disequilibrium and disorder. The effect is similar to Luis de Góngora's famous "dubious daylight" (Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea v. 72.). Instead of a centripetal composition where all the indications point towards a central nucleus, in this painting all the lines of movement shatter the unity of the image into multiple paths towards its margins. The painting can be considered to be an example of the many Romanticist paintings with an organic composition (in this case centrifugal), in relation to the movements and actions of the figures within the painting. This can be contrasted with the mechanical compositions found in Neoclassicism, where angular axises are formed by a painting's contents and imposed by the rational will of the painter.

0926_T

The Colossus (painting)

Explore the Attribution of this artwork, The Colossus (painting).

In June 2008 the Museo del Prado issued a press release in which Manuela Mena, Chief Curator of 18th-Century Painting and Goya, stated that the painting was "with almost complete certainty" the work of the painter Asensio Juliá who was a friend and collaborator of Goya. The analysis undertaken in January 2009 concluded that the painting was the work of one of Goya's disciples without being able to state for certain that this person was Juliá.The Goya expert Nigel Glendinning rejects the idea that the picture was painted by Asensio Juliá, stating that the arguments supporting Mena's views are "totally subjective" and that the brush strokes that Mena claims are the signature "A. J." are actually the first digits of the inventory number 176 that is visible in old photographs of the painting. It is also possible to see other numbers in these old photographs such as the number 18 that is alluded to in the sentence "A giant with the number eighteen" used in a description of the painting A Giant which was the name used for the painting in the inventory of Goya's works carried out in 1812 after the death of the painter's wife Josefa Bayeu. In 2012 Jesusa Vega published an article entitled "The Colossus is by Francisco de Goya" in which she shows how the strokes of various figure eights drawn by Goya correspond to those visible on The Colossus. Vega rejects the basic premise that initially threw doubt on Goya's authorship of the painting. In addition, she shows that the other findings of the study carried out by the Prado have all indicated that the picture was painted by Goya; these included the analysis of pigments and binders, assessment of the artistic techniques used and the theme and composition of the painting along with its similarity to Goya's other Black Paintings. In 2009 the art historian Valeriano Bozal, after seeing Mena's press release, stated that "the report is not conclusive". He later unsuccessfully tried to hold a congress of international experts with the objective of arriving at a consensus, declaring in June 2010 that "Goya's authorship has been removed on the basis of weak irrelevant evidence. The heritage of the painting has been mutilated without conclusive evidence". Other scholars, restorers and former directors of the Prado have indicated that they disagree with Mena's hypothesis. On the other side of the argument Manuela Mena refused to definitively conclude that the letters A. J. were the signature of Asensio Juliá, one of the main arguments supporting the attribution of the painting to the Valencian painter. In March 2009, Nigel Glendinning and Jesusa Vega published an article in the academic journal Goya entitled "A failed attempt to delist The Colossus by the Prado Museum?" in which they question the methodology and arguments of Mena's report:In summary, the arguments in favour of delisting The Colossus put forward in the report are not only unconvincing but ultimately they are scandalous due to the errors made and the sophistry used. To publish a document of this type under the protection of the Prado, as if that institution had already accepted its conclusions, is a seriously misguided move that calls into question the trust that society places in the Museum. Ever since 2001, Juliet Bareau-Wilson and Manuela Mena have questioned Goya's authorship of the painting, postulating that Goya's son, Javier, painted it. In addition, they attribute The Milkmaid of Bordeaux to the goddaughter of painter Rosarito Weiss. However, in an article entitled The problem of the allocations from the 1900 Goya Exposition Nigel Glendinning and the then-director of the Museo del Prado, Fernando Checa, reject these claims. In 2004 Nigel Glendinning also published an article entitled Goya's The Colossus and the patriotic poetry of its time, establishing the relationship between Goya's ideas regarding the giant represented in the picture and the literature that aroused patriotic fervour in a population that had survived the war provoked by Napoleon's invasion of Spain. This conjunction of ideas would not have existed if The Colossus had been painted later, which is an argument that Glendinning uses to refute Bareau-Wilson and Mena's hypothesis. This hypothesis tries to distance the painting from the inventory of the estate of Goya's wife, Josefa Bayeu, on her death in 1812. The inventory lists a painting with the same dimensions as The Colossus, which is called A Giant and which has traditionally been identified as the same painting. In July 2009 Spanish universities and numerous Goya experts signed a declaration in support of Nigel Glendinning, defending the use of the scientific method in the study of art history and attributing The Colossus to Goya.In 2021, the Prado Museum changed its position and declared that the painting is attributed back to Goya.

0926_NT

The Colossus (painting)

Explore the Attribution of this artwork.

In June 2008 the Museo del Prado issued a press release in which Manuela Mena, Chief Curator of 18th-Century Painting and Goya, stated that the painting was "with almost complete certainty" the work of the painter Asensio Juliá who was a friend and collaborator of Goya. The analysis undertaken in January 2009 concluded that the painting was the work of one of Goya's disciples without being able to state for certain that this person was Juliá.The Goya expert Nigel Glendinning rejects the idea that the picture was painted by Asensio Juliá, stating that the arguments supporting Mena's views are "totally subjective" and that the brush strokes that Mena claims are the signature "A. J." are actually the first digits of the inventory number 176 that is visible in old photographs of the painting. It is also possible to see other numbers in these old photographs such as the number 18 that is alluded to in the sentence "A giant with the number eighteen" used in a description of the painting A Giant which was the name used for the painting in the inventory of Goya's works carried out in 1812 after the death of the painter's wife Josefa Bayeu. In 2012 Jesusa Vega published an article entitled "The Colossus is by Francisco de Goya" in which she shows how the strokes of various figure eights drawn by Goya correspond to those visible on The Colossus. Vega rejects the basic premise that initially threw doubt on Goya's authorship of the painting. In addition, she shows that the other findings of the study carried out by the Prado have all indicated that the picture was painted by Goya; these included the analysis of pigments and binders, assessment of the artistic techniques used and the theme and composition of the painting along with its similarity to Goya's other Black Paintings. In 2009 the art historian Valeriano Bozal, after seeing Mena's press release, stated that "the report is not conclusive". He later unsuccessfully tried to hold a congress of international experts with the objective of arriving at a consensus, declaring in June 2010 that "Goya's authorship has been removed on the basis of weak irrelevant evidence. The heritage of the painting has been mutilated without conclusive evidence". Other scholars, restorers and former directors of the Prado have indicated that they disagree with Mena's hypothesis. On the other side of the argument Manuela Mena refused to definitively conclude that the letters A. J. were the signature of Asensio Juliá, one of the main arguments supporting the attribution of the painting to the Valencian painter. In March 2009, Nigel Glendinning and Jesusa Vega published an article in the academic journal Goya entitled "A failed attempt to delist The Colossus by the Prado Museum?" in which they question the methodology and arguments of Mena's report:In summary, the arguments in favour of delisting The Colossus put forward in the report are not only unconvincing but ultimately they are scandalous due to the errors made and the sophistry used. To publish a document of this type under the protection of the Prado, as if that institution had already accepted its conclusions, is a seriously misguided move that calls into question the trust that society places in the Museum. Ever since 2001, Juliet Bareau-Wilson and Manuela Mena have questioned Goya's authorship of the painting, postulating that Goya's son, Javier, painted it. In addition, they attribute The Milkmaid of Bordeaux to the goddaughter of painter Rosarito Weiss. However, in an article entitled The problem of the allocations from the 1900 Goya Exposition Nigel Glendinning and the then-director of the Museo del Prado, Fernando Checa, reject these claims. In 2004 Nigel Glendinning also published an article entitled Goya's The Colossus and the patriotic poetry of its time, establishing the relationship between Goya's ideas regarding the giant represented in the picture and the literature that aroused patriotic fervour in a population that had survived the war provoked by Napoleon's invasion of Spain. This conjunction of ideas would not have existed if The Colossus had been painted later, which is an argument that Glendinning uses to refute Bareau-Wilson and Mena's hypothesis. This hypothesis tries to distance the painting from the inventory of the estate of Goya's wife, Josefa Bayeu, on her death in 1812. The inventory lists a painting with the same dimensions as The Colossus, which is called A Giant and which has traditionally been identified as the same painting. In July 2009 Spanish universities and numerous Goya experts signed a declaration in support of Nigel Glendinning, defending the use of the scientific method in the study of art history and attributing The Colossus to Goya.In 2021, the Prado Museum changed its position and declared that the painting is attributed back to Goya.

0927_T

Play-Doh (sculpture)

How does Play-Doh (sculpture) elucidate its Analysis?

The title refers to the modeling compound named Play-Doh which is used for arts and crafts projects by young children. In reference to the sculpture Play-Doh Koons has said that he tries to "make objects that you can't make any judgements about". In the same commentary Koons said "If you take Play-Doh apart... they're organic shapes that all stack on top of each other... so that these surfaces are meeting on the inside and you never see that... the public doesn't see it but I think that you feel it and it has kind of a Freudian quality to it. I really thought that Play-Doh captures the twentieth century and you have this aspect of Freud with this mound of Play-Doh and the way the organic shapes are on top of each other... and within art you have this abstract expressionism... you have this aspect of DeKooning or something..."

0927_NT

Play-Doh (sculpture)

How does this artwork elucidate its Analysis?

The title refers to the modeling compound named Play-Doh which is used for arts and crafts projects by young children. In reference to the sculpture Play-Doh Koons has said that he tries to "make objects that you can't make any judgements about". In the same commentary Koons said "If you take Play-Doh apart... they're organic shapes that all stack on top of each other... so that these surfaces are meeting on the inside and you never see that... the public doesn't see it but I think that you feel it and it has kind of a Freudian quality to it. I really thought that Play-Doh captures the twentieth century and you have this aspect of Freud with this mound of Play-Doh and the way the organic shapes are on top of each other... and within art you have this abstract expressionism... you have this aspect of DeKooning or something..."

0928_T

Play-Doh (sculpture)

Focus on Play-Doh (sculpture) and analyze the Concept.

Koons explains in Highsnobiety, in a video associated with Christie's, that he originally conceived "Play-Doh" to be a polyethylene sculpture. Koons eventually felt that he could not get the undercuts that he wanted using polyethylene. Koons was unwilling to compromise on the superrealism that he aimed for and opted instead for aluminum. Koons wanted the sculpture to be believable as a mound of Play-Doh. Koons was concerned in the sculpture's development that angles not be too sharp and organic forms not be too organic. This was with the aim of reproducing the appearance of the "Play-Doh" modeling compound on which the sculpture is based.

0928_NT

Play-Doh (sculpture)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Concept.

Koons explains in Highsnobiety, in a video associated with Christie's, that he originally conceived "Play-Doh" to be a polyethylene sculpture. Koons eventually felt that he could not get the undercuts that he wanted using polyethylene. Koons was unwilling to compromise on the superrealism that he aimed for and opted instead for aluminum. Koons wanted the sculpture to be believable as a mound of Play-Doh. Koons was concerned in the sculpture's development that angles not be too sharp and organic forms not be too organic. This was with the aim of reproducing the appearance of the "Play-Doh" modeling compound on which the sculpture is based.

0929_T

Play-Doh (sculpture)

In Play-Doh (sculpture), how is the Exhibition discussed?

One of the five iterations of the sculpture was auctioned for 20 million dollars on May 17, 2018.

0929_NT

Play-Doh (sculpture)

In this artwork, how is the Exhibition discussed?

One of the five iterations of the sculpture was auctioned for 20 million dollars on May 17, 2018.

0930_T

Abraham and Isaac (Titian)

Focus on Abraham and Isaac (Titian) and explore the abstract.

Abraham and Isaac, also known as the Sacrifice of Isaac (Italian: Sacrificio di Isacco), is an oil painting by the Venetian painter Titian. It was made in about 1543–1544 for the church of Santo Spirito, but is now in the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute.

0930_NT

Abraham and Isaac (Titian)

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

Abraham and Isaac, also known as the Sacrifice of Isaac (Italian: Sacrificio di Isacco), is an oil painting by the Venetian painter Titian. It was made in about 1543–1544 for the church of Santo Spirito, but is now in the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute.

0931_T

Abraham and Isaac (Titian)

Focus on Abraham and Isaac (Titian) and explain the History.

It was about the beginning of the 1540s that Titian received commissions for a great number of pictures from the brothers of the church of Santo Spirito, who possessed the work of his early career, the San Marco Enthroned. One altarpiece represented the Descent of the Holy Spirit, but having been damaged had to be restored later by Titian. The picture on the same subject, which is now in the Church of the Salute, belongs to another period in Titian's activity. The whole collection of art treasures from Santo Spirito was transported to the Church of the Salute in the seventeenth century, where they remain today.In the ceiling of the sacristy of the Salute, above the altar, are three creations of this period (c. 1543–1544): Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, and David and Goliath.

0931_NT

Abraham and Isaac (Titian)

Focus on this artwork and explain the History.

It was about the beginning of the 1540s that Titian received commissions for a great number of pictures from the brothers of the church of Santo Spirito, who possessed the work of his early career, the San Marco Enthroned. One altarpiece represented the Descent of the Holy Spirit, but having been damaged had to be restored later by Titian. The picture on the same subject, which is now in the Church of the Salute, belongs to another period in Titian's activity. The whole collection of art treasures from Santo Spirito was transported to the Church of the Salute in the seventeenth century, where they remain today.In the ceiling of the sacristy of the Salute, above the altar, are three creations of this period (c. 1543–1544): Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, and David and Goliath.

0932_T

Abraham and Isaac (Titian)

Explore the Analysis of this artwork, Abraham and Isaac (Titian).

Georg Gronau writes of these three pictures collectively:We shall easily perceive the connection between these subjects; all are scenes fitted to display passionate movement, and in each there are only a few—two or three—figures. Talent and temperament alike urged the artist to choose these themes; his artistic insight prompted him to limit the number of the figures for the sake of simplicity of design—unless, indeed, his patrons had themselves suggested the subjects. The surroundings are almost the same in all three pictures—brown soil, rocky cliffs; we feel ourselves transported to mountain heights; above and behind the figures the sky is gloomy and heavy with clouds. From this background stand out in strong relief the colossal human forms, brownish-yellow in colour. Here we see a falling man still trying to defend himself feebly with one arm; over him about to renew the blow is Cain, with his foot on his victim. There we see the tall, erect form of Abraham in twofold action—his left- hand rests on the neck of the boy who is kneeling on the pile of wood, his right hand brandishes the sacrificial knife, and at the same time he turns right round to the angel who has stayed his movement, light across the whole of the third picture lies aslant the body of the giant; over him stands the boy David, who raises his arms in gratitude to Heaven; a ray of sunshine breaks through the heavy clouds.For grandeur of conception Titian here—if anywhere—approaches Michelangelo. These human beings, with their great strength of muscle and their heroic action, are called into existence by his power as a draughtsman; but the scheme of colour is peculiar to himself; we notice how the predominating sombre tint puts together the strong local colours, and how the composition in colour contributes not less than the composition in line to produce a solid effect of powerful life. … [T]he "Sacrifice of Isaac"—the Divine reward of unquestioning faith—is brightened by changeful lights, which shine on the edges of the clouds and blend together the central point—Abraham's robe, of deep orange colour—with the reddish-violet to the right and the grey-blue in the left-hand comer.

0932_NT

Abraham and Isaac (Titian)

Explore the Analysis of this artwork.

Georg Gronau writes of these three pictures collectively:We shall easily perceive the connection between these subjects; all are scenes fitted to display passionate movement, and in each there are only a few—two or three—figures. Talent and temperament alike urged the artist to choose these themes; his artistic insight prompted him to limit the number of the figures for the sake of simplicity of design—unless, indeed, his patrons had themselves suggested the subjects. The surroundings are almost the same in all three pictures—brown soil, rocky cliffs; we feel ourselves transported to mountain heights; above and behind the figures the sky is gloomy and heavy with clouds. From this background stand out in strong relief the colossal human forms, brownish-yellow in colour. Here we see a falling man still trying to defend himself feebly with one arm; over him about to renew the blow is Cain, with his foot on his victim. There we see the tall, erect form of Abraham in twofold action—his left- hand rests on the neck of the boy who is kneeling on the pile of wood, his right hand brandishes the sacrificial knife, and at the same time he turns right round to the angel who has stayed his movement, light across the whole of the third picture lies aslant the body of the giant; over him stands the boy David, who raises his arms in gratitude to Heaven; a ray of sunshine breaks through the heavy clouds.For grandeur of conception Titian here—if anywhere—approaches Michelangelo. These human beings, with their great strength of muscle and their heroic action, are called into existence by his power as a draughtsman; but the scheme of colour is peculiar to himself; we notice how the predominating sombre tint puts together the strong local colours, and how the composition in colour contributes not less than the composition in line to produce a solid effect of powerful life. … [T]he "Sacrifice of Isaac"—the Divine reward of unquestioning faith—is brightened by changeful lights, which shine on the edges of the clouds and blend together the central point—Abraham's robe, of deep orange colour—with the reddish-violet to the right and the grey-blue in the left-hand comer.

0933_T

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

Focus on Mercury and Argus (Jordaens) and discuss the abstract.

Mercury and Argus is an oil painting on canvas executed ca. 1620 by the Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens. It is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. It is the first of many versions that Jordaens painted of Ovid's rendering of the mythological story of the murder by Mercury of the giant Argus. Some of the other versions depict other scenes of the story.

0933_NT

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.

Mercury and Argus is an oil painting on canvas executed ca. 1620 by the Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens. It is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. It is the first of many versions that Jordaens painted of Ovid's rendering of the mythological story of the murder by Mercury of the giant Argus. Some of the other versions depict other scenes of the story.

0934_T

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

How does Mercury and Argus (Jordaens) elucidate its History?

Jacob Jordaens (also known as Jacques Jordaens) was born in Antwerp, the Habsburg Netherlands, in 1593. He grew up in a rich family and received a good education, proven by his biblical and mythological knowledge. In 1620, he painted Mercury and Argus and started collaborating with Van Dyck and Rubens. The Mayor of Lyon Jean-François Termes acquired the artwork in 1843 for the sum of 2,000 francs (US$1,990). It was restored in 1991.

0934_NT

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

How does this artwork elucidate its History?

Jacob Jordaens (also known as Jacques Jordaens) was born in Antwerp, the Habsburg Netherlands, in 1593. He grew up in a rich family and received a good education, proven by his biblical and mythological knowledge. In 1620, he painted Mercury and Argus and started collaborating with Van Dyck and Rubens. The Mayor of Lyon Jean-François Termes acquired the artwork in 1843 for the sum of 2,000 francs (US$1,990). It was restored in 1991.

0935_T

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

Focus on Mercury and Argus (Jordaens) and analyze the Background story.

The painting depicts a scene from the myth of Mercury, Argus (Argos) and Io as told in The Metamorphoses written by Ovid (I, 583 ; IX, 687). In the story Jupiter (Zeus) has fallen in love with Io, a priestess of Hera, his wife, who quickly discovers the affair. Jupiter transforms himself into a bull and transforms Io into a beautiful, white heifer in order to hide from Hera's wrath. Hera sees through this scheme and demands the heifer as a present. To end their affair, Hera puts Io under the guard of the giant Argus Panoptes, who has 100 eyes. Jupiter commands his son Mercury (Hermes) to set Io free by lulling Argus to sleep with an enchanted flute. Mercury, disguised as a shepherd, is invited by Argus to his camp. Mercury charms him with lullabies and then cuts his head off.Jordaens depicts in the picture the moment when Mercury stealthily picks up his sword to murder the sleeping Argus. The protagonists of the fable are not shown in their divine condition. He has turned Argus into a tired and shaggy old man who does not have 100 eyes and has lost his frightening aspect. Mercury is a simple shepherd with dirty feet who has just numbed Argus' vigilance by playing a flute which is lying on the ground.

0935_NT

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Background story.

The painting depicts a scene from the myth of Mercury, Argus (Argos) and Io as told in The Metamorphoses written by Ovid (I, 583 ; IX, 687). In the story Jupiter (Zeus) has fallen in love with Io, a priestess of Hera, his wife, who quickly discovers the affair. Jupiter transforms himself into a bull and transforms Io into a beautiful, white heifer in order to hide from Hera's wrath. Hera sees through this scheme and demands the heifer as a present. To end their affair, Hera puts Io under the guard of the giant Argus Panoptes, who has 100 eyes. Jupiter commands his son Mercury (Hermes) to set Io free by lulling Argus to sleep with an enchanted flute. Mercury, disguised as a shepherd, is invited by Argus to his camp. Mercury charms him with lullabies and then cuts his head off.Jordaens depicts in the picture the moment when Mercury stealthily picks up his sword to murder the sleeping Argus. The protagonists of the fable are not shown in their divine condition. He has turned Argus into a tired and shaggy old man who does not have 100 eyes and has lost his frightening aspect. Mercury is a simple shepherd with dirty feet who has just numbed Argus' vigilance by playing a flute which is lying on the ground.

0936_T

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

In the context of Mercury and Argus (Jordaens), explore the Description of the Analysis.

The framing is narrowly focused on the figures; the canvas is cut on the right-hand side and there is little room left for scenery. The heifers are located on the upper part of the painting. Their bodies form an upside down triangle and form, along with the bodies of the characters, a chiasmus (heifer, human, human, heifer) that appeals to the eye. The background is in fact a foreshadow of the murder; the colours of the sky and the bushes are dark, and three of the heifers are looking at the spectator. Mercury, disguised as a barefooted young shepherd with a straw hat, is gazing at Argus (who, unlike the myth, has only two eyes) and is about to strike a lethal blow. Argus is asleep, his hand on his stick. Argus' dog is also present, but seems sheepish and impassive. In fact, the dog is looking at the hidden knife under Mercury's leg. Mercury's movement with his knife, from the bottom to the top in a circular way, is highlighting the impression of movement and reinforces the suggested dramatic tension.

0936_NT

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

In the context of this artwork, explore the Description of the Analysis.

The framing is narrowly focused on the figures; the canvas is cut on the right-hand side and there is little room left for scenery. The heifers are located on the upper part of the painting. Their bodies form an upside down triangle and form, along with the bodies of the characters, a chiasmus (heifer, human, human, heifer) that appeals to the eye. The background is in fact a foreshadow of the murder; the colours of the sky and the bushes are dark, and three of the heifers are looking at the spectator. Mercury, disguised as a barefooted young shepherd with a straw hat, is gazing at Argus (who, unlike the myth, has only two eyes) and is about to strike a lethal blow. Argus is asleep, his hand on his stick. Argus' dog is also present, but seems sheepish and impassive. In fact, the dog is looking at the hidden knife under Mercury's leg. Mercury's movement with his knife, from the bottom to the top in a circular way, is highlighting the impression of movement and reinforces the suggested dramatic tension.

0937_T

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

In the context of Mercury and Argus (Jordaens), explain the Colours and lights of the Analysis.

The colours are dark: there are brown and dark green tones for the bushes at the left bottom corner, on the right hand side and in the middle; dark blue and shades of grey for the sky, but also very light colours, typical of the baroque style with the chiaroscuro technique, that enlighten the characters and the action and highlight their anatomy. The light of the artwork is similar to the light of a thunderstorm; the sky is dark and the light is raw. The sky confirms this feeling of a calm before the storm and sets a dynamic characteristic to the artwork along with curves that set an impression of movement. The leaves and the heifers also give a gloomy impression because of their very dark colours. While the landscape is a foreshadow, the scene is not violent because the murder is on the verge of happening. Mercury is dressed in blue and white while Argus is dressed in red, and these two colours are opposed. Blue refers to Mercury's divinity and white his feigned innocence. The red colour announces Argus' death because it is the colour of blood, but it also is an echo of Caravaggio's Saint Jerome whose red robe represents the colour of wisdom. It can also be interpreted as the colour of lust, as if Argus, charmed, was in the same time perverted by Mercury. The colours of the heifers are in opposition too; while Io is white, the colour of purity, there is also a black one, a symbol of fatality and death, that covers a corner of the painting, showing a point of no return.

0937_NT

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

In the context of this artwork, explain the Colours and lights of the Analysis.

The colours are dark: there are brown and dark green tones for the bushes at the left bottom corner, on the right hand side and in the middle; dark blue and shades of grey for the sky, but also very light colours, typical of the baroque style with the chiaroscuro technique, that enlighten the characters and the action and highlight their anatomy. The light of the artwork is similar to the light of a thunderstorm; the sky is dark and the light is raw. The sky confirms this feeling of a calm before the storm and sets a dynamic characteristic to the artwork along with curves that set an impression of movement. The leaves and the heifers also give a gloomy impression because of their very dark colours. While the landscape is a foreshadow, the scene is not violent because the murder is on the verge of happening. Mercury is dressed in blue and white while Argus is dressed in red, and these two colours are opposed. Blue refers to Mercury's divinity and white his feigned innocence. The red colour announces Argus' death because it is the colour of blood, but it also is an echo of Caravaggio's Saint Jerome whose red robe represents the colour of wisdom. It can also be interpreted as the colour of lust, as if Argus, charmed, was in the same time perverted by Mercury. The colours of the heifers are in opposition too; while Io is white, the colour of purity, there is also a black one, a symbol of fatality and death, that covers a corner of the painting, showing a point of no return.

0938_T

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

Explore the Esthetic and reception about the Analysis of this artwork, Mercury and Argus (Jordaens).

The contrasts and the movements are highlighted by a low angle shot point of view of the scene. There is no supernatural aspect and the painting is clearly influenced by realism, as if the scene could happen in real life. There is a precision in the traits of the human characters, precision that can be found once again in paintings of Caravaggio. There is a true study of anatomy, shown in Argus' shrivelled up skin. Mercury's muscles are prominent. This precision reinforces the baroque style of the artwork. The 16th-century Flemish painter and art theorist Karel van Mander gave an example of interpretation of Ovid's myth; more than a conflict between two generations, there is a lesson of morality. Argus is charmed by Mercury who represents lust and desire, and finally dies by his hand. This shows how lust weakens man’s ability to reason and undermines his sense of duty. Jordaens likes to give an echo to morals in his paintings, even in those with prosaic subject-matters. Mercury and Argus is a representation of the myth, but also renews it with a very baroque style influenced by realism that re-establishes the myth in reality and popularises it.

0938_NT

Mercury and Argus (Jordaens)

Explore the Esthetic and reception about the Analysis of this artwork.

The contrasts and the movements are highlighted by a low angle shot point of view of the scene. There is no supernatural aspect and the painting is clearly influenced by realism, as if the scene could happen in real life. There is a precision in the traits of the human characters, precision that can be found once again in paintings of Caravaggio. There is a true study of anatomy, shown in Argus' shrivelled up skin. Mercury's muscles are prominent. This precision reinforces the baroque style of the artwork. The 16th-century Flemish painter and art theorist Karel van Mander gave an example of interpretation of Ovid's myth; more than a conflict between two generations, there is a lesson of morality. Argus is charmed by Mercury who represents lust and desire, and finally dies by his hand. This shows how lust weakens man’s ability to reason and undermines his sense of duty. Jordaens likes to give an echo to morals in his paintings, even in those with prosaic subject-matters. Mercury and Argus is a representation of the myth, but also renews it with a very baroque style influenced by realism that re-establishes the myth in reality and popularises it.

0939_T

Two Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a Trumpeter

How does Two Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a Trumpeter elucidate its abstract?

Two Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a Trumpeter (c. 1650–1655) is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch painter Pieter de Hooch. It is an example of Dutch Golden Age painting and is now in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich. The painting was documented by Hofstede de Groot in 1908, who wrote: "278. Officers resting in a Stable. Two jovial officers are resting in a stable. A comely woman offers them a jug of wine. At the door stands a trumpeter blowing his trumpet. Through an open door at the back are seen people at play. Panel, 30 inches by 26 inches. Sales. H. A. Bauer and others, Amsterdam, September 11, 1820, No. 55 (61 florins, Meusardt). P. J. de Marneffe, Brussels, May 22, 1830, No. 148."This scene is very similar to other paintings De Hooch made in this period:

0939_NT

Two Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a Trumpeter

How does this artwork elucidate its abstract?

Two Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a Trumpeter (c. 1650–1655) is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch painter Pieter de Hooch. It is an example of Dutch Golden Age painting and is now in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich. The painting was documented by Hofstede de Groot in 1908, who wrote: "278. Officers resting in a Stable. Two jovial officers are resting in a stable. A comely woman offers them a jug of wine. At the door stands a trumpeter blowing his trumpet. Through an open door at the back are seen people at play. Panel, 30 inches by 26 inches. Sales. H. A. Bauer and others, Amsterdam, September 11, 1820, No. 55 (61 florins, Meusardt). P. J. de Marneffe, Brussels, May 22, 1830, No. 148."This scene is very similar to other paintings De Hooch made in this period:

0940_T

Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III

Focus on Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III and analyze the abstract.

Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III is a kinetic artwork by American artist George Rickey and located at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture was made in 1970, and it is constructed from stainless steel.

0940_NT

Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III

Focus on this artwork and analyze the abstract.

Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III is a kinetic artwork by American artist George Rickey and located at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture was made in 1970, and it is constructed from stainless steel.

0941_T

Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III

In Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III, how is the Description discussed?

The pendulum-inspired design of Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III is typical of Rickey’s geometric, kinetic artwork. Measuring by the greatest extension of the sculpture's "arms," its size is 31' x 42' x 8'. It is constructed from at least five primary, stainless steel components which have been welded and bolted together to form linear shapes. The overall form is a Y-shaped stationary piece with two wind-powered moving pieces. The stationary piece is square at the base and tapers up to the split of the Y. The ends of the Y are equipped with rotating joints by which the smaller moving pieces are attached to the sculpture. Each moving piece is a triangular, tapering beam that is connected at a point approximately one fourth of its length away from the wider end of the beam. Small greased bearings keep the sculpture moving freely. Rickey relies on random wind currents to introduce movement into his sculptures, similarly to other kinetic artists such as Alexander Calder. In contrast to the biomorphic forms of Calder's mobiles, however, Rickey's linear, oscillating forms trace paths in space that reject organic motifs in favor of geometry. The large scale of Two Lines combined with the gracefulness of the sculpture's movements emphasize the relationship between space, movement, and time.

0941_NT

Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III

In this artwork, how is the Description discussed?

The pendulum-inspired design of Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III is typical of Rickey’s geometric, kinetic artwork. Measuring by the greatest extension of the sculpture's "arms," its size is 31' x 42' x 8'. It is constructed from at least five primary, stainless steel components which have been welded and bolted together to form linear shapes. The overall form is a Y-shaped stationary piece with two wind-powered moving pieces. The stationary piece is square at the base and tapers up to the split of the Y. The ends of the Y are equipped with rotating joints by which the smaller moving pieces are attached to the sculpture. Each moving piece is a triangular, tapering beam that is connected at a point approximately one fourth of its length away from the wider end of the beam. Small greased bearings keep the sculpture moving freely. Rickey relies on random wind currents to introduce movement into his sculptures, similarly to other kinetic artists such as Alexander Calder. In contrast to the biomorphic forms of Calder's mobiles, however, Rickey's linear, oscillating forms trace paths in space that reject organic motifs in favor of geometry. The large scale of Two Lines combined with the gracefulness of the sculpture's movements emphasize the relationship between space, movement, and time.

0942_T

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Focus on Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki and explore the abstract.

The Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki (北野天神縁起絵巻, "Scroll on the foundation of the Kitano temple and the life of Sugawara no Michizane", "Illuminated scroll on the history of the god of Kitano", or more simply "Legends of Kitano Tenjin Shrine") is an emakimono or emaki (painted narrative handscroll) from the beginning of the 13th century, in the Kamakura period of Japanese history (1185–1333). An illuminated manuscript, it narrates in eight calligraphed and painted scrolls the life of Sugawara no Michizane and the construction of the Kitano Tenmangū shrine in his honour after his death.

0942_NT

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.

The Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki (北野天神縁起絵巻, "Scroll on the foundation of the Kitano temple and the life of Sugawara no Michizane", "Illuminated scroll on the history of the god of Kitano", or more simply "Legends of Kitano Tenjin Shrine") is an emakimono or emaki (painted narrative handscroll) from the beginning of the 13th century, in the Kamakura period of Japanese history (1185–1333). An illuminated manuscript, it narrates in eight calligraphed and painted scrolls the life of Sugawara no Michizane and the construction of the Kitano Tenmangū shrine in his honour after his death.

0943_T

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Focus on Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki and explain the Background.

Originating in Japan in the sixth or seventh century through trade with the Chinese Empire, emakimono art spread widely among the aristocracy in the Heian period. An emakimono consists of one or more long rolls of paper narrating a story through Yamato-e texts and paintings. The reader discovers the story by progressively unrolling the scroll with one hand while rewinding it with the other hand, from right to left (according to the then horizontal writing direction of Japanese script), so that only a portion of text or image of about 60 cm (24 in) is visible.The narrative of an emakimono assumes a series of scenes, the rhythm, composition and transitions of which are entirely the artist's sensitivity and technique. The themes of the stories were very varied: illustrations of novels, historical chronicles, religious texts, biographies of famous people, humorous or fantastic anecdotes, etc.The Kamakura period, the advent of which followed a period of political turmoil and civil wars, was marked by the coming to power of the warrior class (the samurai). Artistic production was very strong, and more varied themes and techniques than before were explored, signalling the "golden age" of emakimono (the 12th and 13th centuries). Under the impetus of the new warrior class in power, emakimono evolved towards a more realistic and composite pictorial style.

0943_NT

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Focus on this artwork and explain the Background.

Originating in Japan in the sixth or seventh century through trade with the Chinese Empire, emakimono art spread widely among the aristocracy in the Heian period. An emakimono consists of one or more long rolls of paper narrating a story through Yamato-e texts and paintings. The reader discovers the story by progressively unrolling the scroll with one hand while rewinding it with the other hand, from right to left (according to the then horizontal writing direction of Japanese script), so that only a portion of text or image of about 60 cm (24 in) is visible.The narrative of an emakimono assumes a series of scenes, the rhythm, composition and transitions of which are entirely the artist's sensitivity and technique. The themes of the stories were very varied: illustrations of novels, historical chronicles, religious texts, biographies of famous people, humorous or fantastic anecdotes, etc.The Kamakura period, the advent of which followed a period of political turmoil and civil wars, was marked by the coming to power of the warrior class (the samurai). Artistic production was very strong, and more varied themes and techniques than before were explored, signalling the "golden age" of emakimono (the 12th and 13th centuries). Under the impetus of the new warrior class in power, emakimono evolved towards a more realistic and composite pictorial style.

0944_T

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Explore the Description of this artwork, Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki.

The Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki narrates the life and death of Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), as well as his deification as Tenjin and the foundation in his honour of the Kitano Tenmangū temple in Kyōto, an important Shinto shrine. In its original version, it consists of eight scrolls 52 cm (20 in) high and 8.45 m (27.7 ft) to 12.05 m (39.5 ft) long, although the end is unfinished. The first portion of the text in the original version includes a claim that it was painted in about 1219; that version is commonly referred to as the Jōkyū (or Shōkyū) version, 1219 having been the first year of the Jōkyū era. The majority of studies of the work focus on the Jōkyū version, which is recognised as a National Treasure of Japan.The narrative of the Jōkyū version is divided into four unequal parts. The first part relates the life of Michizane, a scholar and statesman who was influential in the Heian-kyō court despite his humble origins, and who became a popular literary figure. Subsequently, the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by Fujiwara no Tokihira, he was wrongly convicted and died in exile. From the start, he was credited with a divine origin, for he "appeared" as a child in his father's garden; the divine child remains a popular myth of Buddhism, referring to the historical Buddha. Later, his intellectual as well as physical capacities were emphasised, for example through the composition of poems or participation in archery. He died in 903. In the second part of the Jōkyū version, the vengeful ghost of Michizane returns to earth after his death to torment the actors of the conspiracy, in the form of a god of thunder. Several incidents occur in the years following his death, in particular fires in the capital (Kyōto) and the deaths of his opponents; these misdeeds are swiftly attributed to the spirit of Michizane. More precisely, a priest named Nichizō describes having conversed with him while he crossed the six realms of existence (rokudo), notably the underworld, before returning from the afterlife. Contrary to the original story, Nichizō's journey is recounted in detail, in a fantastic, even Dantesque way.The court finally decided to build the Kitano Tenmangū shrine in Kyōto in 947 in honour of Michizane in order to calm his mind, a passage recounted in the third part of the work; he is worshipped there under the name of Tenjin, a protective god of arts and letters. Finally, the last part relates various miracles related to the temple. The narrative and context of the time suggest that the original work was created for spiritual purposes. The Tendai Buddhist school is particularly highlighted in it, so much so that the paintings probably had a didactic value, serving as a support for the teaching or the recitation of Buddhist legends. Sessions of explanation of religious paintings (e-toki) were common in the Kamakura period. In addition, any such didactic aspect would also explain the unusually large height of the scroll and the large number of versions. The esoteric beliefs of the time may also suggest that its function was to appease tormented spirits.

0944_NT

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Explore the Description of this artwork.

The Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki narrates the life and death of Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), as well as his deification as Tenjin and the foundation in his honour of the Kitano Tenmangū temple in Kyōto, an important Shinto shrine. In its original version, it consists of eight scrolls 52 cm (20 in) high and 8.45 m (27.7 ft) to 12.05 m (39.5 ft) long, although the end is unfinished. The first portion of the text in the original version includes a claim that it was painted in about 1219; that version is commonly referred to as the Jōkyū (or Shōkyū) version, 1219 having been the first year of the Jōkyū era. The majority of studies of the work focus on the Jōkyū version, which is recognised as a National Treasure of Japan.The narrative of the Jōkyū version is divided into four unequal parts. The first part relates the life of Michizane, a scholar and statesman who was influential in the Heian-kyō court despite his humble origins, and who became a popular literary figure. Subsequently, the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by Fujiwara no Tokihira, he was wrongly convicted and died in exile. From the start, he was credited with a divine origin, for he "appeared" as a child in his father's garden; the divine child remains a popular myth of Buddhism, referring to the historical Buddha. Later, his intellectual as well as physical capacities were emphasised, for example through the composition of poems or participation in archery. He died in 903. In the second part of the Jōkyū version, the vengeful ghost of Michizane returns to earth after his death to torment the actors of the conspiracy, in the form of a god of thunder. Several incidents occur in the years following his death, in particular fires in the capital (Kyōto) and the deaths of his opponents; these misdeeds are swiftly attributed to the spirit of Michizane. More precisely, a priest named Nichizō describes having conversed with him while he crossed the six realms of existence (rokudo), notably the underworld, before returning from the afterlife. Contrary to the original story, Nichizō's journey is recounted in detail, in a fantastic, even Dantesque way.The court finally decided to build the Kitano Tenmangū shrine in Kyōto in 947 in honour of Michizane in order to calm his mind, a passage recounted in the third part of the work; he is worshipped there under the name of Tenjin, a protective god of arts and letters. Finally, the last part relates various miracles related to the temple. The narrative and context of the time suggest that the original work was created for spiritual purposes. The Tendai Buddhist school is particularly highlighted in it, so much so that the paintings probably had a didactic value, serving as a support for the teaching or the recitation of Buddhist legends. Sessions of explanation of religious paintings (e-toki) were common in the Kamakura period. In addition, any such didactic aspect would also explain the unusually large height of the scroll and the large number of versions. The esoteric beliefs of the time may also suggest that its function was to appease tormented spirits.

0945_T

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Focus on Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki and discuss the Dating, author and sponsor.

The story in the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki is based on a text (an engi, or story of the founding of a temple) said to have been written shortly before 1194, about 30 years prior to the Jōkyū version's creation.Apart from an abandoned theory which attributed the Jōkyū version to Fujiwara no Nobuzane, no clues about the artist of the Jōkyū version have survived. However, the texts, present only in the first six scrolls, could be attributed in part to the sponsor, Kujō Michiie, according to Minamoto Toyomune.Kujō Michiie donated the Jōkyū version to the Kitano Tenmangū shrine, probably to strengthen the political position of the Kujō family in the early 13th century (an unstable period).

0945_NT

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Focus on this artwork and discuss the Dating, author and sponsor.

The story in the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki is based on a text (an engi, or story of the founding of a temple) said to have been written shortly before 1194, about 30 years prior to the Jōkyū version's creation.Apart from an abandoned theory which attributed the Jōkyū version to Fujiwara no Nobuzane, no clues about the artist of the Jōkyū version have survived. However, the texts, present only in the first six scrolls, could be attributed in part to the sponsor, Kujō Michiie, according to Minamoto Toyomune.Kujō Michiie donated the Jōkyū version to the Kitano Tenmangū shrine, probably to strengthen the political position of the Kujō family in the early 13th century (an unstable period).

0946_T

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

How does Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki elucidate its Historiographical value?

Besides its historical and religious content, the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki offers insight into everyday life, not of the time of Michizane, but of that of the artist 300 years later. The latter painted, for example, various rites and birth ceremonies or the outfits of young monks in the temples.A scene from the first part of the work shows a boat propelled by six rowers, testimony of medieval Japanese ships of which no example remains.More generally, the architecture of the characters' habitats, their internal layout, the clothes, the festivities, the wooden bridges, the graves, the pets, the children who appear very frequently, and a multitude of other details are revealed by a study of the work by the Kanagawa University.

0946_NT

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

How does this artwork elucidate its Historiographical value?

Besides its historical and religious content, the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki offers insight into everyday life, not of the time of Michizane, but of that of the artist 300 years later. The latter painted, for example, various rites and birth ceremonies or the outfits of young monks in the temples.A scene from the first part of the work shows a boat propelled by six rowers, testimony of medieval Japanese ships of which no example remains.More generally, the architecture of the characters' habitats, their internal layout, the clothes, the festivities, the wooden bridges, the graves, the pets, the children who appear very frequently, and a multitude of other details are revealed by a study of the work by the Kanagawa University.

0947_T

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Focus on Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki and analyze the Legacy.

Over thirty later versions of the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki can be identified, created especially during the 14th and 15th centuries, both by amateurs and by famous painters such as Tosa Mitsunobu, because of the growing popularity of the cult of Tenjin.Among the best known of the later versions of the work are the Kōan version (1278) by Tosa Yukimitsu, whose light-coloured style would influence several later scrolls, as well as the Matsuzaki version (1311) by Dōchō and Ryūshin, a very elegant and decorative work, with several differences from the original Jōkyū version.From the point of view of the narrative, the various versions are generally divided into three branches, according to the introductory sentence in each version: in the first branch is the original Jōkyū version, as well as the Sugitani Jinja and the Egara Tenjinsha scrolls (1319); then come in particular the scrolls of the temples at Tsuda Tenman jinnja (1298) and Kitano Tenman-gū (1503); and the last branch intersects with another version of the Kitano Tenman-gū as well as the Matsuzaki Tenjin (1311).The original version of the scroll also influenced other types of paintings, such as the famous Screens of the Thunder and Wind Gods by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, as well as possibly other paintings depicting the ways of existence (rokudo-e and jikkai-zu), in the form of a kakemono at the Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji temple in Kyōto.

0947_NT

Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki

Focus on this artwork and analyze the Legacy.

Over thirty later versions of the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki can be identified, created especially during the 14th and 15th centuries, both by amateurs and by famous painters such as Tosa Mitsunobu, because of the growing popularity of the cult of Tenjin.Among the best known of the later versions of the work are the Kōan version (1278) by Tosa Yukimitsu, whose light-coloured style would influence several later scrolls, as well as the Matsuzaki version (1311) by Dōchō and Ryūshin, a very elegant and decorative work, with several differences from the original Jōkyū version.From the point of view of the narrative, the various versions are generally divided into three branches, according to the introductory sentence in each version: in the first branch is the original Jōkyū version, as well as the Sugitani Jinja and the Egara Tenjinsha scrolls (1319); then come in particular the scrolls of the temples at Tsuda Tenman jinnja (1298) and Kitano Tenman-gū (1503); and the last branch intersects with another version of the Kitano Tenman-gū as well as the Matsuzaki Tenjin (1311).The original version of the scroll also influenced other types of paintings, such as the famous Screens of the Thunder and Wind Gods by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, as well as possibly other paintings depicting the ways of existence (rokudo-e and jikkai-zu), in the form of a kakemono at the Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji temple in Kyōto.

0948_T

Large Torso, Arch

In Large Torso, Arch, how is the abstract discussed?

Large Torso Arch (LH 503) is a public art work by English artist Henry Moore located at the Lynden Sculpture Garden near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

0948_NT

Large Torso, Arch

In this artwork, how is the abstract discussed?

Large Torso Arch (LH 503) is a public art work by English artist Henry Moore located at the Lynden Sculpture Garden near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

0949_T

Large Torso, Arch

Focus on Large Torso, Arch and explore the Description.

The bronze sculpture is an abstract, organic bone-like archway; it is installed on the lawn.

0949_NT

Large Torso, Arch

Focus on this artwork and explore the Description.

The bronze sculpture is an abstract, organic bone-like archway; it is installed on the lawn.

0950_T

Halo (sculpture)

Focus on Halo (sculpture) and explain the abstract.

Halo is a wind powered kinetic sculpture in Sydney, Australia. Located at Central Park, the artwork is part of a major mixed-use urban renewal project to redevelop the old Kent Brewery site in Broadway.It was designed by artists Jennifer Turpin and Michaelie Crawford of Turpin + Crawford Studio while engineering firm, Partridge, was responsible for the delivery. The sculpture consists of a 12-metre diameter tapered yellow ring held by a 6-metre-long (20 ft) silver cantilevered arm pivoting off-centre atop a 13-metre-high (43 ft) angled silver mast. The arm also serves as a sail, allowing the ring to turn and tilts in response to live winds.Commissioned by the developers of Central Park in collaboration with the local government, Halo was officially opened on 14 August 2012 and has since been donated to the City of Sydney as part of its City Art Collection.

0950_NT

Halo (sculpture)

Focus on this artwork and explain the abstract.

Halo is a wind powered kinetic sculpture in Sydney, Australia. Located at Central Park, the artwork is part of a major mixed-use urban renewal project to redevelop the old Kent Brewery site in Broadway.It was designed by artists Jennifer Turpin and Michaelie Crawford of Turpin + Crawford Studio while engineering firm, Partridge, was responsible for the delivery. The sculpture consists of a 12-metre diameter tapered yellow ring held by a 6-metre-long (20 ft) silver cantilevered arm pivoting off-centre atop a 13-metre-high (43 ft) angled silver mast. The arm also serves as a sail, allowing the ring to turn and tilts in response to live winds.Commissioned by the developers of Central Park in collaboration with the local government, Halo was officially opened on 14 August 2012 and has since been donated to the City of Sydney as part of its City Art Collection.