Category: Art 2722

Film Description

The limited universe of the Room is shown through the eyes of Jack. He is not too traumatized by everything he has experienced since he does not know another life. It is a film about the salvific power of solipsism, which, excluding a broad and understandable context for the viewer, helps the heroes escape from a hopeless situation. Superbly capacious image is Jacks hair. Since there are no sharp or cutting objects in the Room, mother and son walk around unshorn  and the boy is convinced that his hair is as strong as Samsons (his mother told about him; the second favorite hero of their bedtime stories is Edmond Dantes, the third is Carrolls Alice). This conviction will help both of them not only get out but also overcome the hardest experience later.

Gender Roles and Abuse in Families: Psychodynamic and Social Factors

An essential topic of dysfunctional relationships between the childs father and mother (and interpersonal relationships in general) is expressed in an exaggerated form of reproduction of patriarchal structures of violence. The category of power is key to understanding gender order. Discussion of inequality, control, discrimination, asymmetry of opportunity is a discussion of power relations. In feminist studies of the second wave, the problem of gender power is voiced in terms of patriarchy, which means the dominance of men over women, i.e., the system of gender relations, in which the man is the subject of power, and the woman is the object of oppression (DeKeseredy, 2020). Later, gender power is viewed as a multidimensional hierarchy of different types of masculinity and femininity, resulting from the intersection of several types of domination  according to the criteria of class, race, sexuality, and category of belonging by gender.

In these definitions of patriarchy, the exercise of power is understood primarily as oppression and exploitation, manifested in the mechanisms of coercion, violence, discrimination, and other forms of exclusion. In its classical form, the theory of patriarchy is based on the concept of power relations as a zero-sum interaction, in which all power is concentrated in the hands of dominant groups, and the oppressed are completely deprived of power (DeKeseredy, 2020). Thus, society is a dichotomy of dominant and subordinate, oppressor and oppressed, powerful and powerless. The complete dominance of men in society implies their responsibility for subordinates well-being (younger men and women). In a perverted form, this manifests itself in the dialog happening starting from the 18th minute:

• Nick: What is this smell?
• Ma: I just wasnt thinking.
• Nick: Thinking is surely not your strength.
• Ma: I know.
• Nick: Maybe if you stopped complaining and be a little grateful!
• Ma: Thank you for everything.
• Nick: You just have no idea about the world of today.
• Ma: No.
• Nick: Who pays for power bill, who pays for everything?
• Ma: You.
• Nick: If you happened to worry your little head just once&

Therefore, power is presented as the ability to exercise control over social actions and interactions or the ability to implement decisions within the framework of given rules using available resources. Nick, Jacks father, fully appropriates all the resources. By imprisoning Ma and Jack in the room, he prevents them from any access to resources and, thus, deprives them of the possibility of any access to control their actions. Nick ultimately sets the rules for interaction.

On the other hand, Ma and Jack oppose these rules of interaction from below. Differences in positions of power are reflected in the differences in strategies used to achieve goals. The strategies of dominant and oppressed strategies are fundamentally different. However, both are strategies of protection, i.e., chains of purposeful actions that contribute to preserving available resources and associated privileges and preventing access to these resources by other individuals or groups.

The power of subordinates is not strategic, but tactical in nature, is carried out in the reactive practices of adaptation to strategies; these practices are diffusely dispersed, their forms are changeable in time and space, and inventive (Jahantigh, 2019). However, they all have a similar shape; subordinates tactics are implemented through the manipulation mechanism, i.e., indirect and often individualized influence on those in power. The latter is manifested, for example, in the episode at the 22nd minute, when, in order to keep Nick away from the boy, the heroine calls the man to her bed. However, the range of resistance tactics is limited since the subordinates themselves are in the most limited physical space. Ma says to Jack: There is not enough room& Space, there is not enough space for a dog (4:00). Even the use of the word room is not available in the dire conditions in which a mother and child find themselves. So, according to Bourdieu, physical space is dictated by social relations.

Actress Brie Larson retired for a whole month and went on a strict diet to better understand her heroines psychological and physical condition (Hidayat & Indarujati, 2020). However, if physical abuse is easy to recognize, then psychological abuse is not so clearly manifested in the victims awareness and often leads to an inadequate assessment of what is happening.

Victims of violence tend to experience depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, persistent or recurrent feelings of anxiety and fear. A syndrome of emotional dependence, and an excessive need for love appears against the background of a feeling of self-doubt, neglect of ones needs may arise.

Gaslighting is the highest form of psychological violence, when one person manipulates another, trying to convince him of his own inadequate perception of reality. Gaslighting is a frequent technique of abusers: it is a way to establish total control over another person, the desire to make their victim lose contact with the outside world. This is the main feature that distinguishes abusing from gaslighting.

The psychological portrait of the abuser is full of maladaptive personality traits: aggressiveness, irascibility, lust for power, cruelty, anger, and others. They determine a specific attitude and perception towards oneself, others, and a decrease in social adaptation. The abusers portrait also includes maladaptive behavior, that is, the refusal of the individual to submit to the power of external coercive circumstances (Hidayat & Indarujati, 2020). Strong, independent, and confident people are often the victims. Abusers are not interested in starting relationships with weak partners. This thesis is confirmed by the further course of the plots development when the heroine finally manages to escape from the oppression of the room.

The Familys Structure and Socialization Issues

Proceeding from the fact that the family is a cultural-historical and socio-psychological phenomenon, today, there are many definitions, typologies, and models, with the help of which the familys essence and structure are revealed. The most basic typology of the family structure and essence is the division into traditional and modern. It is believed that the modern family is distinguished by greater independence in relation to the society in which it is located and by sufficient freedom in relations within the family, in contrast to the traditional model, where patriarchy is clearly expressed, a rigid distribution of socio-gender roles and functions (Dinisman, 2017). However, despite the actual timing, the family shown in the film is distinguished by the artificially created structure and traditional family functions.

Throughout the film, we see the transformation of the family from dysfunctional to complete and incomplete and less dysfunctional. Thus, the fullness of the family is obviously not an unambiguously desirable factor for the healthy development of individuals within it, and especially of a child. Research shows that maternal feelings as the primary source of a childs emotional well-being and psychological health do not depend in any way on whether the mother brings up the child alone or with the father (Dinisman, 2017). However, based on the plot of the film, it is difficult to conclude the future of the child because it is in the future, in adolescence, that mothers who have formed a stable bond with children find it most difficult to separate from them (Dinisman, 2017). Such a child-maternal attachment is formed even more exaggerated in the context of the heroes story because, for a long time, they were the only thing that each other had. If, for Jack, the new world turns out to be unknown, then for Ma, this world is known and represents a threat and danger.

The originality of the film lies in the fact that the world is portrayed through a small childs eyes. At the same time, everything is accompanied by the kids thoughts, in which, as strange as it may sound, there is its own logic and common sense. Later, having gotten out of the room thanks to his mothers cunning and ingenuity, Jack witnesses incredible miracles: he sees trees, people, animals, the sky. For the first time, he begins to realize that the life he saw on TV actually exists, that there is no space outside the room, as he had thought until now. There is the same world, which differs from its own in size and breadth of perception.

The film is divided into two parts: life in the room and outside. If for Joy, the world looks familiar, even if she was imprisoned for seven years and experienced some psychological problems after that, then for Jack, a new life represents joy, fear, and curiosity at the same time. At first, the boy withdraws into himself, is afraid of people, does not communicate with anyone except his mother. He is not used to a new habitat, although many toys are a loving grandmother. Jack misses his room, the locker in which he slept, hiding from Big Nick.

The parent-child relationship is characterized by vital emotional significance for both the child and the parent. In the relationship between parent and child, on the one hand, the parent must protect the child from the danger of interacting with the outside world, and on the other hand, give the experience of independence in interaction with the outside world. The parent should not only take care of the child but also teach him to take care of himself. The peculiarity of the parental attitude towards the child is that it should change depending on the childs growing up.

References

DeKeseredy, W. S. (2020). Bringing feminist sociological analyses of patriarchy back to the forefront of the study of woman abuse. Violence Against Women. Web.

Dinisman, T., Andresen, S., Montserrat, C., Strózik, D., & Strózik, T. (2017). Family structure and family relationship from the child well-being perspective: Findings from comparative analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 80, 105-115.

Hidayat, A., & Indarujati, I. (2020). An analysis of trauma of the main character in Room movie. EnNichi, 1(1), 55-67.

Jahantigh, H. (2019) Monarchy versus liberal democracy: A study of defense mechanisms in Shakespeare s The Tempest and Lenny Abrahamsons Room. Language & Translation, 6(2), 209-216.

Introduction

The art of the Renaissance is frequently considered to have the most unmistakable pieces and craftsmen. Be that as it may, the rundown of Renaissance painters, stoneworkers, and designers is ruled by men and their manifestations. It is possible to single out only a few prominent female artists who made an impact on Renaissance art with their artistic contribution. However, some ladies of the Renaissance time frame increased some acknowledgment due to their intentional effort to influence the perception of females as craftsmen rather than mere sexual objects. One of these ladies is Artemisia Gentileschi, a Renaissance painter from Italy, whose representations and artistic creations enabled her to turn into the primary female individual from the Italian Academia of Art and Design.

Gentileschis Brief Biography

The image of Artemisia Gentileschi is particularly interesting for modern Italian art scholars as the life experiences of this artist influenced her art in many ways. Namely, it is known that Artemisia Gentileschi was born into a creative family as her father was Orazio Gentileschi, a well-known Italian painter who was greatly influenced by the art of Caravaggio (Locker, 2015). It is also known from her biography entries that Gentileschi was raped by one of her fathers colleagues, but this detail was omitted in earlier sources on her life (Locker, 2015; Siciliano, 2019). As noted by Wilbourne, numerous of Gentileschis works were analyzed in the context of rape and examined for adequacy of her psychic state (Wilbourne, 2016). Clearly, this experience could have affected her both as a person and an artist. Interestingly, Gentileschi is one of a few well-known painters of her period besides Rembrandt and Caravaggio (Locker, 2015). In fact, Caravaggio had a strong influence on Artemisia Gentileschis artistic vision. Overall, it is safe to assume that Artemisia Gentileschi is a prominent female figure for the age of the Renaissance.

The skill of the young artist proliferated that by the age of sixteen she had become a real artist. Just like her father, her work was created under the influence of Caravaggio. In 1609, Gentileschi already created the picture of Madonna and Child. Her father believed that she needed to receive training on building perspectives from his fellow artist Agostino Tassi. Studying with Tassi, who was distinguished by reprehensible morals, turned into a sad story for Gentileschi: the teacher dishonored the student by raping her. The father, being aware of the incident, hoped that Tassi would marry his daughter, and for a long time, could not believe in the betrayal of his companion. Only after the persistent requests of his daughter did he sue Tassi.

Opinions of women were not perceived as valuable at that time, so Tassi wanted to exploit this advantage. He denied all the charges and claimed that it was Gentileschi who had seduced him into this activity. In court, it turned out that Tassi had been married for a long time, which neither Artemisia nor her father suspected. After the trial, Orazio married Artemisia to the Florentine artist Pierantonio States, and the wedding took place several days after Tassi was imprisoned. Artemisia rejected the surname of her father and did not accept her husbands surname. Afterward, however, she still signed her paintings with the last name of Gentileschi. A couple of weeks after the wedding, the newlyweds moved to Florence, where Artemisia proved to be a successful artist. In Florence, Gentileschi developed good relations with the most respected artists of the time and further popularized her most prominent artworks, including Judith (Christiansen, 2004). Later, she and her family moved to Naples because of its fame among artists.

After a ten-year stay in Florence, Artemisia returned to Rome and then moved to Naples, which was associated with the late period of her work. In Naples, she became friends with the great Spanish artist Jusepe de Ribera, who had a definite impact on her. In Naples, Artemisia worked on orders which encompassed altarpieces, but she was very original even when working on the most traditional subjects.

Artemisia lived in Naples and continued to compose paintings filled with female imagery. Having become a member of the Florentine Academy, she gained full legal independence and received the right to manage all her affairs on an equal basis with men. She broke up with her husband and began raising two daughters herself. However, it was a thorny way to success. Despite her regalia, she did not have the right to portray a naked male body: the church strictly forbade and tabooed this topic. Nothing prevented her, however, from embodying stories about legendary women on the canvas.

Gentileschis Art

Some cutting-edge researchers depict crafted by Artemisia Gentileschi as instances of early womens liberation, taking note that the subjects and visuals in her sketches are unique in relation to those of male specialists. Her artistic choices characterize her as a particularly emancipated character as Gentileschi was not afraid to reveal her creative skills through seemingly unusual imagery for a female artist. Namely, in the reviews of Artemisia Gentileschis works, many authors deem her art as particularly cruel, calling her a painter who could depict blood and gore dispassionately day in and day out (as cited in Och, 2017, p. 242). Other reviewers found it difficult to grasp that a woman could be the author of some of Gentileschis art (Och, 2017).

However, most scholars agree that the depiction of horror, as well as her intentional avoidance of delightful imagery, could be a manifestation of her inner female power. The artist often depicts victimized female personages, which is often viewed as a manifestation of her strong personality, but it is only one way of interpreting Gentileschis art. Later on, the painter moves away from Caravaggesque cruelty to a more idealistic style (Locker, 2015). Nowadays, her unique style of portraits is associated with accurate depictions of emotional states and sensitivity, which is quite typical for female artists (Dominguez & Ferrer, 2018). All in all, studying Artemisia Gentileschi is a potentially controversial process as the researchers might encounter debatable reviews related to the painters profeminist position.

That being said, graphical violence is not the only tactic used by the lady in celebrating her creative and powerful female identity. One investigation, composed, by Conn (2015), centers around the self-pictures of this craftsman to demonstrate that the subjects in the progress of Gentileschi were not unintentional. The analyst depicts that this painter expected to illustrate the situation of a female craftsman in a network controlled by men. While different students of history generally center around various works of Gentileschi, investigating the womens activist ideas in artistic creations that portray different scenes and people, Conn (2015) committed her consideration regarding concentrating self-representations of Gentileschi. Self-representations of Artemisia Gentileschi speak to the situation of female painters in the Renaissance time frame and demonstrate that early womens rights centered around residential topics as well as on ladies place in the expert world.

Proposal Topic

The role of females in Renaissance art is a subject of numerous controversies, which is due to the fact that the females were not generally perceived as worthy in any other area beyond their physical appearance. Conn (2015) composes that the fame of female painters during the Renaissance time frame was discolored by contemporary commentators, who saw workmanship by female makers as a non-genuine undertaking. Truth be told, numerous people gave more consideration to the physical highlights of female craftsmen, undermining their works. As per Conn (2015), numerous female painters of that period wanted to make self-representations where they would show themselves during work. Such activities demonstrate that ladies needed to be perceived as experts and not models for another persons work.

Womens activist researchers regularly focus on one of the most celebrated compositions of Gentileschi, called Judith Slaying Holofernes. Indeed, this work portrays a scene that numerous specialists may consider to be a piece of a ground-breaking womens activist story. Be that as it may, this work of art centers around close-to-home connections among ladies and men, while Gentileschis representations and self-pictures show ladies from an alternate perspective. The criticalness of self-depiction is regularly neglected for craftsmen that are well known for artistic creations loaded up with activity. In any case, the manner in which specialists see themselves can uncover a great deal about them.

Judith Slaying Holofernes was composed during the events that followed the rape. The story of Judith was famous among the painters of that time: Caravaggio, Botticelli, and others had worked on this subject. Judith is a Jewish heroine from the Old Testament, a widow who, according to the writing, beheaded the Assyrian commander Holofernes and saved her city. To do this, they went with her housemaid to the enemy camp and Judith seduced Holofernes, and when he drank the wine, they killed him together. The way Gentileschi depicted the scene in question is different from its typical illustrations. Firstly, few people had reproduced the very moment of the murder: Judith was usually presented as she was leaving the tent. Secondly, unlike the similar work of Caravaggio, Gentileschis painting is filled with realism: Holofernes is terrified, the blood is realistic, and Judith and her maid are doing the work together. With closer attention, one can notice that Judith is outwardly similar to Gentileschi herself.

Subjects, common in early womens liberation, regularly rotated around residential or recreational points, since ladies were not expected to take part in such everyday issues as governmental affairs, workmanship, or physical work. Along these lines, most scenes with ladies indicated them as delightful women. In addition, painters frequently utilized a female figure as an image or a theoretical thought. Conn (2015) noticed that while depicting female craftsmen, a portion of the creators painted the apparatuses  a brush and palette & close to the figure, yet not being used (p. 25). In this manner, a lady was not found in real life, which enabled the faultfinders to decipher such canvases as visual portrayals of female specialists being centered around their very own magnificence. Gentileschi, then again, depicted herself during work, with a brush close by, which demonstrated her expert side. Her method for portrayal enabled other ladies to see that they can likewise take an interest in such exercises. In addition, with these self-representations, Gentileschi set herself close by different painters, setting up her place in the workmanship world.

Therefore, the figure of Artemisia Gentileschi had a strong impact on the perception of females in art not only by their male counterparts but also by other women. The success of Gentileschi and her widespread popularity has reinforced the importance of females as independent skilled artists who can convey multiple layers of meaning through the use of vivid imagery and symbols. Gentileschis feminist inclinations possibly caused by her early life experiences might have shaped her as a person and later on, as an artist. The topic of female liberation and the celebration of their craftsmanship is one of the central themes of Artemisia Gentileschis art. While Gentileschi earned acknowledgment through different works of art and various characteristic features of her style, the ladys self-representations ought to likewise be viewed as a piece of early womens activist history as they show how a female craftsman of Renaissance set up her place in the realm of male painters.

Conclusion

In the history of world art, Gentileschi is the one who was so talented that, despite all social and discriminatory conditions, achieved fame and recognition. The creativity of this outstanding artist of the 17th century and her life are so intertwined that it is impossible to understand her paintings without the knowledge of her dramatic biography. It is also incredibly challenging to comprehend the art of baroque without learning about Caravaggio and his follower, Artemisia Gentileschi. When the voice of women was not heard, when the achievements of women were ignored, and when the women had almost no rights, a simple Italian girl was able to prove herself talented and capable. The influence of Gentileschi as a woman artist who struggled the difficulties, and both career and personal life challenges on the history of art, is undeniable.

Until the end of life, Artemisia was accompanied by misunderstanding, injustice, and financial difficulties. The interest to the proud and independent artist, who achieved European recognition, had many clients, supporters, and followers, gradually faded. Attention to the paintings of Artemisia Gentileschi has arisen relatively recently. Although some correctly emphasized the role of the artist in the spread of Caravaggism in northern Italy, for many years Gentileschis art was viewed only from a feminist perspective. There are several novels about Gentileschi and her art, and also a film adaptation.

References

Christiansen, K. (2004). Becoming Artemisia: Afterthoughts on the Gentileschi Exhibition. Metropolitan Museum Journal, 39, 101-126.

Conn, V. L. (2015). The personal is the political: Artemisia Gentileschis revolutionary self-portrait as the allegory of painting. Kaleidoscope, 8(1), 23-29.

Dominguez, S. C., & Ferrer, M. C. (2018). Ethics and aesthetics: Moral warnings by different female artists. In P. Kazmierczak & J. Rzegocka (Eds.), Moral upbringing through the arts and literature (pp. 261-271). Newcastle, United Kingdom: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Locker, J. M. (2015). Artemisia Gentileschi: The language of painting. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Och, M. (2017). The Advancing Women Artists Foundation, and women artists in the age of Medici. Early Modern Women, 11(2), 125130.

Siciliano, G. (2019). I know what I am: The true story of Artemisia Gentileschi. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books.

Wilbourne, E. (2016). A question of character: Artemisia Gentileschi and Virginia Ramponi Andreini. Italian Studies, 71(3), 335355.

Art from Roman Empire

• Title: Medici Venus;
• Date: Late 2nd century B. C.  Early 1st century B. C.
• Medium: Parian marble, lychnite variant;
• Current Location: Tribuna;
• Culture: Greek;
• Size: 153 cm (height).

Art defines every political, social, cultural, and economic state of a society or a community at a specific time that it was produced. Representation of women in art history discussed in this essay is as well particular to the period the art existed in the mentioned society. The female figure is the prominent topic focused on in this essay discussion. The essay consists of three images discussed from three different periods from ancient to medieval times, their meanings during the specific times, and their significance. The image discussion is based on the female figure from head to toe, the materials they are made of, and their representations in the specific cultures. The importance of the images at the particular periods in which they existed is also addressed.

Group 1 image is from the Roman Empire depicting the representation of the female figure in the empire. The image from group two is a female figure art representation from the early Christian describing the position and role of women in the mentioned era. Women and spirituality are addressed in the group 2 image. Lastly, the group 3 image is from Japan in the period before 1333. All the pictures from the three groups depict different representations of the female figure in the respective societies and communities at the identified periods. The chosen images illustrate the position and roles of women in the three communities. Modeling and expression of women characters are also depicted in the art history of the photos.

In Roman Empire, there were women legends that displayed many things, such as their virtue, that women from society were anticipated to copy. Every woman in the Roman Empire was expected to be aware of the kind of information and massage every legend was passing to them. There were women who were able to meet the standard and were appreciated, while those who did not take away their own lives.

The Roman Legend virtues were highly considered and continued until the end of Ancient Rome. Different legends displayed different information on the character of women; the displayed characters had an impact on real women during that period. Legends held a special place in the Roman Empire and were honored by everyone in the society. To date, the Romans still give special honor to the tales, especially women; their characters are still being shaped by the myths stories from the archives.

Venus de Medici is one of the Roman goddesses known in the Roman Empire, and his image is used to teach Roman women several things. This is because Romans granted great respect to their goddess to the extent that they taught their women to follow their virtues. The image of Venus is used to depict confidence as women were expected to be of courage, and this increased the kind of respect men offered to the female gender. The image motivated women to emerge as heroes that became legends in the Roman Empire. Because of this, men became insecure as their women progressed to be more robust (Franks, 2020).

The goddess in Rome displays virtues such as purity, maturity, and good morals. Hence, women who followed the goddesss virtues were treated with respect and treated in a better way than their men during that time. This is because Roman people respected their goddess; hence every woman following the virtue of the goddess had to be respected. Generally, the Vinci female figure helped in molding women into the high status and confident gender in the Roman Empire.

Women were not viewed as lesser beings if they followed Vincis examples. The image does not depict a natural person as it refers to a goddess in Roman Empire during the 18^th century period. The marble medium looks appealing to the female figure. The size of the image is primarily due to the marble medium used. From seeing the picture, courage is depicted by the portrait of the female figure. The female figure stands courageously representing how women were expected to be courageous despite the myth of women being fearless and weak.

Art from Early Christian Byzantium

• Title: Virgin Mary.
• Date: Circa 1425-1430.
• Location: Museum of Slovenia.
• Culture: European.
• Medium: Alabaster.
• Dimension: h. 37.2 cm.

Virgin Mary is depicted in Group 2 image. This particular image can be placed in the beginning of the Christian era, where it depicts both the role and position of women in accordance with their spirituality. Virgin Mary was the mother of Jesus, from biblical references. At the beginning of the Christian era, Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, therefore, giving birth to Jesus, the son of God. Both her humility and obedience to the word of God gave her a special image to all Christians, to even being chosen by God. Virgin Mary represented a virtue of purity among women in the Christian era since she was a virgin while being betrothed to Joseph, her husband. Virgin Mary was also known widely as the Blessed among all women and also Mother of God.

From the image, the Virgin Mary is seen dressed in a translucent gleam-colored dress, falling in a loose-fitting design. Her head is covered in a veil such that not even a strand of hair can be seen. The piece of clothing covers most of her body parts, save for the hands. The Virgin Marys image as a piece of art depicts a real person who existed between 18 B.C and 33 A.D. She was a Galilean Jewish woman from the town of Nazareth. Virgin Mary was the Holy Mother of Jesus and is considered the greatest and the most blessed being among all women. This particular identity of the Virgin Mary influenced the artist to depict her as a humble servant of God, yet human. The artist chose her as she was viewed as the most powerful intercessor among all saints.

The medium of the work used is alabaster. Alabaster material is a soft white stone, sometimes some are translucent. It is marble-like and finely grained. The choice of this medium is important because of its softness. Many elaborate and significant pieces of art can be carved out of alabaster because of their ease to be carved. As seen from the Virgin Marys image, the medium chosen, in this case, alabaster, influenced its color, to become white.

A subtle gradation of relief of varying depths was achieved in the sculpture solely due to the use of alabaster. The choice of color in this image is thought to be white to almost translucent. The color white depicted purity as was the case of The Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary is seen to be holding her hands close to her chest, her eyes closed and head facing down. This is depicted to show her praying. The facial features used show her face in deep meditation to a higher being. This was to signify the Virgin Mary as a woman of faith in the biblical era

Art from Japan Before 1333

• Title: Female Shinto Deity.
• Date: ca. 10001200.
• Medium: Wood with traces of color.
• Dimensions: H. 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm); W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm); D. 5 in. (12.7 cm).
• Culture: Japan.
• Current Location: Japan.

The female Shinto deity is an image of the female figure in Japan before 1333 depicting a noblewoman. The female Shinto is a goddess whose name is not known. From the figure, the female is dressed in a garment with long sleeves representing robes that were worn by deities who were female Buddhists. This depicts the nobility of women during that period in Japanese culture. The dress looks like a thick kimono. The Japanese society worships many spirits during this era that took the form of nature, such as mountains, trees, rocks, and waterfalls. In the 9^th century, the human form of the spirit was created to be a female Shinto deity.

The creation of the image informs of a female and not a male implied an exaltation of females as noble gender in the places of worship. The kind of Shinto image dressing from head to toe shows a worship style of dressing or rather a holy gesture (Tazuru & Sugiyama 2019).

From the image position of a spirit in the female figure, the Japanese community viewed women as channels connecting men and hearts. For men to perform the hearts will, they needed a connection to the spirit that was believed could only happen through women. Both women and men making the Japanese Shinto make a female figure goddess viewed priesthood as a role that should be performed. The female figure image shows royally, which justifies the Japanese belief during the 7th century that the emperors sisters could easily connect the emperors with the spirit. During the 7^th century, women assisted in the holy site of the shrine by acting as deputy priests. The female figure is dressed in a sacred appearance to mean that women could be allowed to participate in the religious activities of the shrine.

The image is not depicting a natural person; and it is a female goddess image. It is a goddess image; the artists depiction of the picture is influenced in a way that instead of it looking like an actual woman figure, it is overrated with wing-like structures around the hands and waist. The wing-like design makes the image look like a unique being among the spirits. In actual fact, a woman can never have wing-like structures on them. The goddess nature influences the womens depiction as highly spiritual and holy characters, though; women cannot fit being categorized among the spirit beings. The image looks large in size due to the wood material used. The wood used on the figure is a heavy thick material increasing its size.

Similarities

Status of the Women

All the three women as shown were held in high esteem. In ancient times, they were considered with respect and dignity. Women were the mirror of society. They were almost the moral compass of the whole community. Children were taught how to follow in their footsteps.

Considered Higher Beings

Both the three women were considered as goddesses. They were not viewed as normal human beings. They were either considered to be more spiritual or touched or influenced by God. They were even worshipped and thought as intercessors. Prayers were done through them, including sacrifices and gifting.

Differences

Medium of Sculpture

Venus de Medici is carved in marble because of the translucency and durability of marble. Its resistance to shattering, waxy look and finer grain make it suitable for the said sculpture. The Virgin Marys sculpture on the other hand uses alabaster. This is because of the alabasters ease of carving, its softness and relief of varying depths. The sculpture of the Female Shinto Deity uses wood with traces of polychrome. This is because wood offers strength and durability. Wood is also natural, warm and comfortable to work with.

Religion

Each of the images represents a different religion and culture. Virgin Mary is depicted in the Christianity religion at the beginning of the first century. She is the mother of Jesus, who is believed by Christians to be the Son of God. The female Shinto Deity on the other hand is hailed to be from Buddhism. Lastly, Medici Venus represents the Greeks in the Roman Empire.

Summary

Art has been used by different cultures to depict several figures. Women have been used so much in the art to display pretty pictures with different meanings. From ancient times women have been used in art history to explain the purpose of their appearance and roles in society. Arts of different cultures and societies portray different meanings of womens parts from head to toe. The materials used in women figures in art as well represent meanings specific to a particular community. Womens status in society has been defined by the different female figures in art.

Art and design play a significant role in history, as depicted in the cases of female figures discussed in the essay. The position of the female gender in the community is displayed from the three groups concerned specifically to the mentioned societies in the different specific eras. From history, arts help understand the current position of women in the organization derived from the ancient view. Though contemporary society views women as lesser in most areas, the use of art history can change this perspective. As well, women have currently deviated from the values depicted by the images, and digital people no longer refer to account. Art and history education should be adopted once more to bring back the nobility in women.

The female Shinto deity figure is the best of the three groups since it depicts a womans mobility. Though all the images show women with a lot of importance, the weight of the Shinto deity depiction is outstanding. The appearance of Shinto is more appealing compared with the other images. Shinto also displays that women are not any lesser than men; this is interesting as women get a sense of responsibility. Contrary to different societies across the globe that have always viewed women as lesser beings compared to men, the Shinto deity can be used as a figure to empower women. For sure, women are noble characters, and the world would not be a better place without them.

References

Franks, H. M. (2020). As Nature Formed It: Venus Sculptures and the Natural Waistline in Dress Reform Discourse. Classical Receptions Journal. Web.

Schlau, S. (2020). Immaculate Conceptions: The Power of the Religious Imagination in Early Modern Spain. Web.

Tazurú, S., & Sugiyama, J. (2019). Wood identification of Japanese Shinto deity statues in Matsunoo-Taisha Shrine in Kyoto by synchrotron X-ray microtomography and conventional microscopy methods. Journal of Wood Science, 65(1), 17. Web.

The first artifact that I chose is Mona Lisa by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Many believe that this masterpiece has been painted between 1503 and 1506 in the Italian Renaissance period. Now, this artifact is part of the permanent collection of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The second painting is Starry Night by Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh, written in 1889 when he was a patient at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole Asylum in France. Since 1941, it has been a permanent exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

The common theme of both artifacts is their manifestation of significant diseases that led to death. To begin with, in Mona Lisa, the portrait of wealthy silk merchant wife Lisa Gherardini was painted. At the beginning of the 21^st century, some medical workers pointed out the presence of a potential lipid disorder captured in the very detailed portrait of Lisa Gherardini. Mehra and Campbell (2018) revealed the connection between hyperlipidemia and consequent ischemic heart disease, which may have led to Gherardinis demise (p. 1325). Moreover, Richardson et al. (2017) found similarities while comparing schematic rendition of a transverse section through the human hippocampal formation and parahippocampal gyrus and a piece of Starry Night (p. 394). The scholars claimed that the painting might be the subconscious demonstration of van Goghs disease. Therefore, a framework of artifacts analysis bounds the discussion of art to its ability to manifest the sickness.

Arts ability to reveal the authors or sitters diseases is powerful and only strengthens my interest in medicine. The artifacts I have chosen to show that paintings (and other art products such as music, sculptures, and others) can be used as another way to diagnose health problems in humanitarian medicine. Besides, iconodiagnosis is a search for symptoms of possible health issues and further medical research of them in pieces of art and portraits. So, working knowledge of humanities may be applied in the medical coders career, as this experience may broaden the picture of complicated diseases. For instance, critically analyzing patients artwork in detail, as discussed above scholars did (Richardson et al., 2017), may help medical workers receive insights about possible health issues more quickly.

When I searched for helpful resources, I found out that there are not many resources on art, as my topic is mainly related to clinical cases pictured in art. I found sources that emphasize medical practice and included them in the report because it would not be right to ignore humanitarian medicine while analyzing my topic applying to art masterpieces. The main obstacle in doing the research was to filter the articles because some academic papers studied how diseases are pictured in the art pieces consciously and intentionally. As my topic is related to the subconscious picture of health issues, I decided not to include such resources in the analysis. The content of resources concerning Starry Night is similar, whereas the discussion of Mona Lisa raises debates.

It is claimed that Van Gogh was a post-impressionist, while in 1889, there was an impressionist rise. According to Vivian (2020), van Gogh was not a famous artist in his time, and his paintings were rarely sold because he explored his own aesthetic ideas and incorporated them into Impressionism, focusing on thought, and emotional expression (p. 134). Thus, Starry Night was not seen as a masterpiece in 1889 by impressionists and other art critics, and van Gogh was unrecognized. On the contrary, Mona Lisa was a valuable portrait from the beginning, as well as Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous artist among the Italian nobility. In the context of art history, this artifact is a product of the High Renaissance period.

Artifacts are different in their relation to the topic, as Mona Lisa demonstrates the illness of the model, while Starry Night shows the sickness of the artist itself. Scholars agree on temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) that influenced the artists mental condition and most of his masterpieces (Vitturi & Sanvito, 2021). They also highly emphasize the circumstance under which the artifact was created, namely the Asylum in France (Richardson et al., 2017). As for the Mona Lisa, there were debates about the diagnosis of the sitter: some claimed it was hypothyroidism that she had (Mehra, 2018); others, as Yafi (2019), argue that Ma Dona Lisa was euthyroid. However, the way symptoms can be seen in the picture is not contested: clinical signs of health issues are pictured right in the sitters face, more probably, unintentionally as a part of the models appearance. Considering Starry Night, The way the artifact is related to the topic is different: scholars see the unconscious demonstration of the authors disease (Richardson et al., 2017).

The way authors use the medium also differs: van Gogh, influenced by TLE, painted the view from the asylums window, applying his emotions, whereas Da Vinci pictured the wife of the wealthy merchant. However, different mediums usage can be explained by the period masterpieces were created: Impressionism or Renaissance. Analysis of paintings for signs of health issues can provide more profound knowledge about models and artists diseases, so it should be studied not only by medical but by humanitarian scholars too. According to Franco (2019), the representation of human body in paintings and sculptures can be analyzed with a medical look in order to find out any kind of diagnosable disease (p. 747). So, from hearing the message of my thesis statement, medical workers and scholars of art can benefit because the knowledge on art and health can be broadened by researching the junction of related sciences. Moreover, students may become interested in developing the sphere of medical art after hearing the message concerning the analysis of two artifacts: Mona Lisa and Starry Night.

References

Franco, V. (2019). Icono-diagnosis: A Challenge Between Medicine and Art. Senses and Sciences, 6(2).

Mehra, M. R., & Campbell, H. R. (2018). The Mona Lisa Decrypted: Allure of an Imperfect Reality. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 93(9), 1325-1327.

Richardson, B. A., Rusyniak, A. M., Rusyniak, W. G., & Rodning, C. B. (2017). Neuroanatomical Interpretation of the Painting Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Neurosurgery, 81(3), 389-396.

Vitturi, B. K., & Sanvito, W. L. (2021). The veiled intimacy between neurology and Vincent van Gogh. Revue Neurologique.

Vivian L. (2020). The Shift in Critical Perception on Vincent van Goghs Artwork and His Posthumous Fame. European Journal of Arts, (1), 133-136.

Yafi, M. (2019). Mona Lisa is euthyroid: a modern-day diagnosis. Hormones, 18(3), 331-332.

The adaptation process becomes even less plausible when taking the play by none other than Shakespeare, whose inimitable artistic style makes his works both relatable and very difficult to shape to fit the modern discourse. However, the 2019 Globe Theatre staging of A Midsummer Nights Dream directed by Dale Neill has shown that, by shifting the mood and the tone to make them blend the traditional classic with the Art Nouveau style, one can imbue the play with new implicit nuances while retaining the authorial intent intact.

The staging and lighting used in the described rendition of A Midsummer Nights Dream are pretty impressive. While being quite essential, they incorporate a unique color scheme and lighting, which transforms the scenes in the forest from traditionally dark and gloomy to colorful while retaining the initial impression of mystery and wonder. The characters are bright and lively, each being dressed in costumes that allow outlining their uniqueness yet do not distract from the play. One could argue that the customers could have been done more masterfully, yet their basic outlines convey the sense of naiveté and simplicity that makes the space incredibly charming.

However, the tone and the mood that it sets are noticeably different from the ones that the original play is expected to develop. While A Midsummer Nights Dream is scheduled to be a lighthearted mischievous tale, it contains hints at losing control over ones passion and the outcomes to which this loss may eventually lead (Pickering, 2016). The Globe Theatre representation of the play, in turn, amplifies the identified ideas, placing them at the forefront of the narrative. As a result, lightheartedness is balanced with the sense of emotional strain, which adds to the tension within the story and the depth of its impact. The tonal differences are created with the help of changes in lighting and changes in the actors performance, which ranges from explicitly nonchalant to emotionally charged (Globe Theatre, 2016). The play embodies the perfect balance between the somber and the lighthearted elements of its plotlines, keeping the audience invested despite being an extraordinarily well-known piece.

There are also certain parts of the play that are easier understood through the actors performance. For example, the changes in the pacing of the play, while feeling somewhat forced in certain parts, seemed an overall interesting tool for revisiting the space. The emotionality of the actors delivery was the critical factor that defined a difference in perception. Throughout the performance, several details stood out, the changes in the lighting as the leading indicator of shifts in the tone and mood being the key ones (Globe Theatre, 2016). Overall, the play left a sense of curiosity and the urge to search for new ways of interpreting Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream.

With an elaborate choice of stylistic devices, settings, costumes, and subtle changes in the acting technique, the rendition of A Midsummer Nights Dream staged at the Globe Theater in 2019 introduced its audience to a new version of the traditional plot and inspired new ideas. The delicate changes to the original play were balanced enough to keep the original message yet managed to create a unique mood that allows emphasizing the darker aspects of the space.

References

Globe Theatre. (2019). Globe Theatre: A midsummer nights dream [Video file]. Web.

Pickering, K. (2016). Shakespeare: A midsummer nights dream. New York, NY: Macmillan International Higher Education.

The Chicano Movement gave rise to a Chicano cultural identity with which many Mexican Americans associate themselves to this date. It constitutes a unique mixture of both American and Mexican cultural aspects which shape its basis. The Chicano culture is the result of the American Mexicans experiences and their ability to retain their traditional practices while living in an environment which is dominated by people of a different language and ethnicity. Art plays one of the essential roles in the Chicano culture and manifests itself in various forms, including sculpture, murals, paintings, and even novels which are often based on the ideas of community and activism. Rasquachismo aesthetic is an integral part of the Chicano culture which is extremely popular in the community and utilized by many individuals. It stems from the Spanish word rascuache, which has been used for many decades as a derogatory term for the visual culture of low-income Mexicans (Cooper, 2018). The artwork An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio by Amalia Mesa-Bains is an example of the Rasquachismo aesthetic, which can be analyzed to establish its key features.

Before starting the analysis of the piece, it is important to introduce some background information concerning the artist behind it. Amalia Mesa-Bains is famous for her both artistic and academic works dedicated to exploring the Chicano aesthetic, its history, and essence. Over the years, she exhibited at many venues, including international ones, and received numerous awards for her art pieces. Her works often feature autobiographical objects, as well as items which are popular among the members of the Mexican community. Yet, in the case of the Rasquachismo style, the authorship of artwork bears no significant relevance since it always reflects a larger context which goes beyond the artists characteristics. According to Mesa-Bains herself (2019, p 92), Rasquachismo constitutes for Chicano artists and intellectuals a vehicle for both culture and identity. Therefore, Rasquache artwork can be viewed not simply as a creation of one particular artist filled with their ideas but rather as a manifestation of the community values relevant for the Chicano culture. In other words, every Rasquache piece is instantly recognizable as one, and the authorship plays only a secondary role.

This idea can be observed in An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio, namely, in the theme, it is dedicated to. Dolores del Rio was a renowned Mexican actress who was admired by the members of the Chicano community since they felt that they shared the same identity with her. Certainly, Mesa-Bains her relationship with the actress and her own experiences with her movies and del Rio herself, which enabled her to create this installation. Yet, this altar can be easily imagined sitting in the house of an ordinary Chicano woman who was inspired by the actresss acting and beauty and decided to honor del Rios memory. Such universal nature of this particular artwork can be attributed to the Rasquache aesthetic and the aspects of this style and its features which make it an expression of the Chicano identity. The primary element of the installation is the ofrenda, or the altar which can be seen in many Mexican households during the Day of the Dead. This element, together with other home altars, have become integral for the Chicano community and the art of its members.

Another aspect of the Rasquache aesthetic which is relevant for An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio is the biculturalism which constitutes the essence of the Chicano culture and the source of inspiration for Chicano artists. Mesa-Bains mixes objects which have different legacies and represent different cultures, namely, the Mexican and American ones, and, by being featured together in one installation, they form a unique and spectacular ensemble. For example, the altar contains traditional day-of-the-dead figurines, a copy of the Mexican flag, a bottle of Mexican liquor, and at the same time, it features U.S (Figure 2). dollars and Hollywood film reels. The altar also has mass-produced items such as an Eiffel Tower trinket and perfumes, which symbolize American consumerism. This approach is common for the Rasquache aesthetic and constitutes the ability of the members of the Chicano community to fuse parts of different cultures. According to Tomás Ybarra-Frausto (2019, p. 86), Rasquachismo has evolved as a bicultural sensibility among Mexican Americans. The altar by Mesa-Bains reflects this idea by incorporating elements of the American and Mexican cultures and making them represent the Chicano identity.

Another important factor of the Rasquache aesthetic is the materials sourced by artists and ordinary members of the Chicano community to create their pieces of visual art or to simply decorate their houses and spaces. As noted by Amalia Mesa-Bains (2019, p. 92), In Rasquachismo, the irreverent and spontaneous are employed to make the most from the least. Thus, the Rasquache aesthetic principles imply that the objects created by people do not have to feature any rare and expensive materials or done by experts who spent half of their life perfecting their skills. In An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio, Mesa-Bains does not utilize any extraordinary items, instead, she uses objects such as flowers, a hand fan, a photograph, and a statuette of the Virgin Mary (Figure 1). Rasquachismo rejects the notion that art and beauty can be made only by a small group of individuals recognized as artists. Instead, it empowers ordinary people to explore the themes they are passionate about with the means available to them and feel proud about their work.

When put together, these objects create a whole which is perceived as coherent, unified, and aesthetically pleasing despite the fact that the altar consists of small unrelated pieces. An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio perfectly illustrates the spirit of Rasquachismo and the unrelenting desire of the Chicano community to adorn their environment and fill it with meaning. This can manifest itself in murals which highlight political issues or drawings on a car which depict the owners ideas. Another essential element of the Rasquache aesthetic, according to Tomás Ybarra-Frausto (2019, p. 86), is the profusion of textures and colors and a jumble of things. The purpose of this abundance is to attract the attention of the people who view the Rasquache artwork by causing them to become interested in the peculiar interplay of colors and objects. Similarly, the altar by Mesa-Bains invites the audience to study it and draw connections between the life and legacy of Dolores del Rio and the items featured in the installation. The authors idea here is to enable the viewers to interact and engage with the piece.

Rasquachismo is a style which is unique because it evolved to be a tool of the disenfranchised community, which helps present the attitudes and concerns of its members. When comparing it to kitsch, Mesa-Bains stated that Rachismo functions as the foundation of Chicano cultural identity while its counterpart has only material value. One of the objects from An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio can help explain this concept more clearly. Mesa-Bains features in her installation an Eiffel Tower, which, if perceived separately, is an example of kitsch, yet when immersed in the context of the artwork, it gains new meanings. It becomes clear that the artist put it near the portrait of Dolores del Rio to symbolize fashion and glamour, which are often associated with Paris, the city where the original Eiffel Tower is placed. Thus, in Rasquachismo, the value is placed on everyday objects which are repurposed to obtain significance in new contexts. This demonstrates the inventiveness and ingenuity of the Chicano culture and the people who belong to it.

An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio by renowned artist and scholar Amalia Mesa-Bains represents a perfect example of Rasquachismo, an aesthetic which is an integral part of the Chicano identity. It is a clear manifestation of the Chicano culture and the people who associate themselves with it since it demonstrates their enthusiasm and attitudes towards various phenomena. The artwork in question contains many features of Rasquachismo. For example, it features a mix of objects which are unrelated to one another, but when viewed together in the context of the altar, they gain meaning and coherence. Another element of the aesthetic relevant to Mesa-Bainss piece is biculturalism, which is shown through items which traditionally belong to Mexican and American cultures. In An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio, the artist managed to capture the Chicano sensibility and design an artwork which follows the principles of the Rasquache aesthetic.

References

Cooper, K. (2018). We should all be celebrating (and defending) this powerful Chicanx aesthetic. Clever.

Mesa-Bains, A. (1991). An ofrenda for Dolores del Rio [Installation]. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, United States.

Mesa-Bains, A. (2019). Domesticana: The sensibility of Chicana Rasquachismo. In J. A. González, C. O. Chavoya, C. Noriega, & T. Romo (Eds.), Chicano and Chicana art: A critical anthology (pp. 9199). Duke University Press.

Ybarra-Frausto, T. (2019). Rasquachismo: A Chicano sensibility. In J. A. González, C. O. Chavoya, C. Noriega, & T. Romo (Eds.), Chicano and Chicana art: A critical anthology (pp. 8590). Duke University Press.

Charlie Parker was one of the outstanding jazz musicians, who brought the unique rhythms and performance into the world of jazz. However, his uniqueness caused him many troubles as he was a heroin addict and mentally ill. Events that led to the addiction, his place of origin, and details of his personality attempt to explain how he became such a significant influence.

He lived less than thirty-five years but managed to alter the course of jazz music and become one of the most influencing characters in the musical industry. A Grammy-award winning saxophonist created a new style of jazz called bebop, which can be characterized by instrumental diversity, fast tempo, and complex chord changes. He had his unique style that not a single person could repeat; his leading influencers were Count Basie and Bennie Moten, as Parker respected and preferred their technique.

One of the points that greatly influenced Parker and left a mark in his life was a heroin addiction that he had to deal with in adulthood. An accident on the road that occurred in 1936 and threatened his life is being suggested as one of the reasons that led to drug addiction.

He started using morphine regularly after the accident and then moved on to heroin. There are many cases of addiction among musicians who had a significant impact on jazz music; however, their music was not defined by the addiction. Parker was spending hours practicing every day, and his temper was one of the causes of his success. That is the reason his life was a challenge for any bibliographer, according to DeVeaux, as he was a revolutionary creative artist, but also a scoundrel (89).

Moreover, Charlie Parker had a mental illness, which influenced his appearance on the stage. Mental illness can be a primary reason for what caused him the reputation of a rebel. Lonergan investigates how a creative mind is connected to the mental issues and states that such people had a mood disturbance during a certain period in their lives (4). It also means that creative people have to resist the forces that shut the creativity down, which could explain Parkers behavior.

It is fair to notice the influence of the time and generation the musician experiences, as the ability to discover a talent in the supporting environment can be vital. He was growing up during the development of the Harlem Renaissance in Kansas. Once Charlie grew up, he was able to move to New York and play in Savoy Ballroom, which was the most popular place for music dancing, located in New York City. He was surrounded by jazz musicians that were creating history, which gave him a space to discover his talent and develop it.

For musicians, an instrument can determine their future as it becomes an integral part of their personality. Selecting the correct instrument is crucial, and the choice for Parker was made by his mother when he was a teenager. His mother gave a saxophone to Charlie as a gift to cheer him up after a father has abandoned the family, and sax has been his instrument of choice since then.

Even though Charlie Parker had a mental illness and drug addiction, he managed to create a new style in jazz and become one of the greatest influencers of the Harlem Renaissance. However, it remains unclear whether such circumstances are what crafted him as a unique musician. His distinctive style and approach to music remains an integral part of jazz and still causes inquiries for bibliographers.

Works Cited

Lonergan, Ross. Was Charlie Parker Following His Bliss? Life As Human. 2014. Web.

DeVeaux, Scott. Bird: The Life and Times of Charlie Parker. Journal of the Society for American Music. 2018. Web.

The Most Beautiful Object in the Museum

For me, the most impressive object in Perez Art Museum, Miami, is the painting Oráculo created by Tomás Esson. This artist comes from Cuba. This work of art attracted me because of its bright colors and interesting elements. The artist has depicted a field of flowers. The green, red, and yellow hues are dominating in this picture. However, it was not only colors that attracted my attention. Each of the flowers seems to be so determined as if it is a human being with some solemn purpose in life. A particular emphasis is made in several places with the help of black color. None of the flowers is broken or even bent. All of them are straight and likely to accept any hardships life can bring to them. While watching the painting, I thought of the following questions:

1. Did the artist mean the central parts of flowers to remind of peoples eyes?
2. If so, where are these eyes looking?
3. Do black flowers represent some loss or did Esson just use them for emphasis?

The Most Interesting Non-European/Non-North American Work of Art

The most interesting piece created by non-European/non-North American artists at Perez Art Museum is called See Through. This work was done in 2016 by the Nigerian-born artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. The piece is in the form of a collage. In the piece, several techniques are used: acrylic paint, colored pencil, transfers, charcoal, and others. The first things that catch the eye are the bars on the window and the old-fashioned TV. The table is also worth paying attention to. Its surface is so smooth that it reflects the image on the TV screen. After watching the image for some time, I started doubting whether it was a window or just some picture behind bars.

While watching the work of art, I thought of the following questions:

1. Why is the person on the TV screen so sad and the one on the repeated pattern happy? What does this contrast mean?
2. Do holes in the bars represent the hope for freedom or the pain from trying to escape?

The Most Disturbing Work of Art

There was one work in the permanent exhibition of Perez Art Museum at which I could not look without some strange feeling of uneasiness or even fear. It was Kevin Beasleys figurative work called Untitled (Parade), created in 2016. Beasley is a young American artist who creates in such genres as a sound installation, sculpture, and performance art. The work Untitled (Parade) is represented by several house dresses and kaftans that look as though some women are wearing them. However, there are no bodies under these clothes the garments are entirely empty. The look of these kaftans made me think of the emptiness of some peoples souls or the lack of freedom of speech in the countries where women wear clothes like these. The questions I thought of when I looked at this installation were:

1. What would the age of the women wearing these clothes be?
2. Are these women praying?
3. If their faces were displayed, would they look happy or sad?

A Special Exhibition

One of the special exhibits currently displayed in Perez Art Museum is called For Those in Peril on the Sea. The creator of this installation is the British artist Hew Locke. The purpose of the exhibition was to present the sea life as it is: the variety of boats ate as if floating near the ceiling, copying the movement of ships in sea waters. All pieces of the artwork in the exhibit are wooden boats. However, each piece has different colors. Some boats have sails, and others do not. Most of them are decorated with flowers.

In my opinion, the object that is the most significant in the exhibit is the green-and-yellow boat with a red cabin on the top. As well as all the other pieces, this one was created by Hew Locke, the British artist. The work I selected does not have a title, like all the other works in the exhibit. However, I would call in Serenity. I find it the most important in the whole exhibition because it looks very comfortable and seems very livable. Since the entire exhibit is dedicated to boats, this one seems the most generic among them: simple but at the same time cozy and able to last through harsh weather conditions.

What I Would Take Home

If I could take one work home, it would be Hand of God by the American artist Hank Willis Thomas. This glass structure, created in 2017, demonstrates one of the most famous moments in the football history of all times. I would take this work to present it to my uncle, who is a huge football admirer. These weeks, he is watching all matches of FIFA. My uncle is Diego Maradonas fan, and I am sure he would be thrilled to receive such a present from me. The sculpture is very bright, and it would fit in almost any interior.

Banksys Biography

Banksy is a graffiti artist popularly recognized for his anti-authoritarian art. The artists identity remains unknown, but he was born in Bristol, England, around 1974 (Street Art Bio, 2021). Although the artist remains anonymous, many speculations linger that his real name was Robin Gunningham. He later moved to London in 2000, the time which correlates to the spread of his artwork. His profession as a graffiti artist began in the 1990s with the DryBreadZ gang. The street artist was well known in Bristol and London for his political themes and stenciled pieces (Meewisse, 2018).

Some of his most common subjects included police officers, children, rats, and royal family members. The piece that portrayed an elephant painted with a Victorian wallpaper pattern is among the artists most celebrated works that sparked controversy among human rights activists (Ellsworth-Jones, 2013). The artists social and political artwork bases have appeared on street walls and bridges in many parts of the world. Banksy installed his art pieces in the walls of major museums, including Tate Britain and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Exit Through the Gift Shop documentary has Banksy as the main subject, and it establishes the relationship between street art and commercial.

Banksys Artworks: Elements of Art and Principal of Design

Seasons Greetings is a two-sided graffiti piece appearing on two walls in Port Talbot. The city is densely populated and has a problem of pollution from the ashes from the old steel mills nearby. It has one of its sides showing a child who is tasting the falling snowflakes, and the other side reveals smoke and embers from a fire (Pownall, 2018). The artwork raises a disturbing image of the steelworks pollution looming over the city. Banksy creates art that needs decoding and amazes his audience when the painting is unlocked. He pays attention to playing the game of connecting the dots rather than actual art. The artist developed a unique iconography of highly recognizable images that communicate his messages.

Hammer Boy is a piece of art located on the upper west side of Manhattan. The artists had stenciled a simplified black image of a boy with a large mallet striking a red fire hydrant in front of him. The artwork is made from black paint cast against a beige wall. Its shadow draws attention to passersby since it is readily visible. He has merged graffiti art with performance and installation. Banksy uses the piece of art to motivate viewers to use urban spaces and objects freely. The element of value represented in the artwork is to remind viewers that they have the freedom to use public property.

Escaping Prisoner is another piece of art at the side of Reading Prison. The prison had been disputed locally, with some wanting it to be sold to a housing developer while others propose it be used as an arts hub. The principle of design is stenciling and spray painting. Banksys artwork takes the shape of multilayered stencils combined with media images (Auriemma, 2020). He often uses existing objects to turn his artwork into striking art installations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Banksy is an anonymous artist whose identity remains a baffle to many. His artwork is characterized by striking images, which are mainly freehand and stenciled designed. The artist combines his pieces with slogans to critique political greed and hypocrisy satirically. Some of his famous artworks include seasons greetings, hammer boy, and escaping Prisoner. He has incorporated elements of value and space in his artwork to convey his messages.

References

Auriemma, R. (2020). Banksy: The best paintings and the meaning of his art. Aural crave. Web.

Ellsworth-Jones, W. (2013). The story behind Banksy. Smithsonian Magazine. Web.

Meewisse, H. (2018). Art: An analysis of Banksy. The Find Mag. Web.

Pownall, A. (2018). Banksy paints Seasons Greetings mural on Port Talbot garage. Dezeen. Web.

Street Art Bio. (2021). Banksy Biography & Artwork | Artists. Web.

Kindred Spirits is a well-known work by Durand (1849) that uses the theme of nature. The painting depicts a beautiful mountain landscape and two friends (a poet and a painter) spending time together. It is possible to say that Durand uses the principles of composition in an effective manner. Rhythm, balance, and emphasis are implemented by the painter to make the work visually appealing. He also uses these principles to avoid unnecessary details that would make the two men look too small and unimportant. With their help, Durand encourages the audience to perceive dozens of elements in the picture as different parts of the unified whole.

As for the principle of equilibrium, the painter makes use of asymmetrical balance instead of strictly observing symmetry. It is evident from how Durand adds colors to maintain the right balance. To counterbalance a large green area in the top left part of the canvas, he uses prominent green elements, such as three young trees, in the right lower corner, thus unifying the composition. Rhythm is the principle that may involve the repetition of patterns and lines to create the illusion of movement.

Four tall trees in the left third of the painting are depicted in a very detailed way, with hundreds of leaves. Their bodies grow skyward and then bend towards the precipitous cliffs, as though they were leading the viewers eye through the painting and connecting the left and the right halves of the canvas.

The principle of emphasis is used by Durand in a very unusual way. The painter manages to unify the composition by making two opposite types of accents. On the one hand, the viewers attention is attracted to large objects along the edges of the canvas. For instance, tall trees in the left part take a lot of space and gain much attention due to being very realistic and detailed. On the other hand, the objects in the foreground create a frame around the relatively empty central part. This emptiness and pastel colors call attention to the central part of the canvas, thus placing the men in the center of attention.

Reference

Durand, A. B. (1849). Kindred spirits [Oil on canvas]. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR. Web.