A2: Jack Tworkov

This is Jack. 1900-1982. He hung around with Pollock and de Kooning-- which I believe is evident in his work...


Seated Woman.

Wolfflin Polarities

Painterly- Ditto what you said. All of the colors flow into each other-- no paint by numbers.

Open- There is no real definition to the borders of the scene. It continues.

Planar- It's simplistic. It's as if Tworkov purposely made is so that the figure seemed out of sync with the rest of the scene. The fact that there is no definition between where the wall ends and the floor begins make the woman seem as if she herself has definition but her surroundings have no depth whatsoever.

Unity- Not the best of examples-- but the woman is definitely stuck to the chair.

Relative Clarity- Who is the woman? How did she get there and why? Many questions are left unanswered.


Still Life, 1945, oil on canvas, 24"x34".

A2 - Maria Lassnig

Maria Lassnig is a 90 year old woman living in Austria. I found her by searching the front page of Art in America, one of my favorite art magazines (Artforum is also a good place to look). While I am on the searching tangent, look at contemporary art museums as well. The museums will have good resources and you can search their exhibitions.

Okay, back to the artwork. Without more than a few moments spent with her artwork it is obvious Lassnig's work is about the human form. The first thing that came to my mind was Lucian Freuid's work, back to that later.

Maria Lassnig, Melonenesser, 1985

Application of Wolfflin:

Painterly: Okay, pretty much anything after Renaissance painting other than Mondrian is going to be painterly. Blended, no specific lines.

Planar & Closed: I am going to go out on a limb and say planar and closed. As we get into contemporary work many of the Polarities will become conceptual. Conceptually its piece is all about devouring the watermelon - nothing outside maters. To take one step back to the technical analysis of this piece, nothing structurally is pointing outside of the painting. The lines of the figure point towards that slice of watermelon (cheek lines, hands, arms, etc.).

Unity: You cannot separate the fragments.

Relative Clarity: Today, I am going with the simple definition of the idea that the subject is simply consuming a watermelon.

You or Me, 2005

Here is an interview with Lassnig about this piece and her current work, click here.

Painterly, very open (gun pointing at the viewer), recessional for the same reason, unity and relative clarity.

The World Destroyer

Here is an article about this piece, click.

I love that she is 90 and still working. From the quick glance I have had she reminds me of Georgia O'Keeffe but more comfortable with herself because she has the guts to paint more than just a copy of nature - she takes it a step further. She takes images we all abstractly see ourselves in and puts them out in the open.

With that, I need to go work on my own images. Let me know if you have any questions or if you need me to elaborate on anything. Do not worry about reading the articles if you don't have time, I just put them there for your interest. Try to do 3 complete analysis's at least.

Assignment 2

Before we proceed into A2 I would like you to take 5 minutes and write one sentence about each movement we discussed in regard to the Wolfflin Polarities. Just consolidate what you learned into one sentence for Renaissance and one for Baroque.

For A2 I would like you to apply what you learned from the Wolflin Polarities to a working artist of today. You can find anything. An article about the artist would be fantastic. You have some flexibility here but I would like some in depth analysis. Review a few pieces from the artist. If you do a lot of exploring and you are having a hard time post it anyways! We will learn from whatever you find.

Due Friday, 27 February, 10 PM EST

A6: The Milkmaid (B)

Vermeer. The Milkmaid. 1658

Painterly- The colors are all completely blended. The walls. Her clothing. The basket and pot thing-bob in the background.
Recessional- The angles and shadows of the painting give it depth and direction.
Open- Again, the way that this painting is laid out, it draws the imagination to the rest of the room etc.
Unity- I'm only saying this really because she fits totally with the milk jug and the table however, I don't believe that this painting is a very good example of unity vs. multiplicity
Relative Clarity- You know that it is a milkmaid, but there is no explanation for the whole scene-- who she is or how she got there

A5: A Faun Teased by Children (B)

Bernini, Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children

Painterly- Everything flows together. It's not simplistic enough to be called linear.

Recessional- The figures are in layers. The faun, the tree, then the children. There is depth.

Open- The figures are a part of something bigger. The ground and the faun's feet draw your attention to the openness of the scene itself.

Unity-The figures would not be able to exist without each other. They are all supporting one another.

Relative Clarity- You can't be too sure what is going on. Sure, a faun is being teased-- but why?

A4: Anatomical Lecture (B)

Rembrandt 1632 Anatomical Lecture

Painterly- Everything is blended-- the only real blocks of color are are the shadows of the black and even those are different shades of black

Recessional- There are clear levels because of the way the figures are arranged. The painting has depth.

Open- The mind is drawn to the concept of the room-- what does the rest of it look like?-- The figures are all coming in and out of the painting.

Multiplicity- This one is weird. It looks as if they could all come apart. Each of the figures is quite distinct from the next however, they are all sitting in one blob.

Absolute Clarity- An anatomy lesson.

A3: Judith and Holofernes (Late R)

Caravaggio's Judith and Holofernes (ca. 1598)

Linear- Since this piece is very late R early B, I think that it shows qualities of both linear and painterly. The sharp contrast of Judith's arms compared with the shadowy background and the blocks of the white color of her clothing make the painting seem linear. However, the shadowing of the bedsheets and of the red drapery seem more like painterly.
Planar- This painting is planar because all of the figures seem to be in one line. The only factor that gives the piece depth is the shadowing between where the figures are standing and the red drapery.
Open- Again, this piece demonstrates both R and B qualities. The painting is obviously open because Holofernes's body and the maid both go off.
Unity- Ditto B vs. R statement from above--- This piece demonstrates unity because the action of killing would not exist at all without the two figures of Judith and Holofernes.
Relative Clarity- This piece has relative clarity like the other painting of Judith and Holofernes by Artemesia whastername. You know that a man is being killed but the "why" is not present in the painting.

A2: Entombment (R)

Raphael. Entombment. 1507. Oil on panel.

Linear- The solid blocks of color (the red stands out to me the most)
Planar- Again, there is little dimension. Perhaps a bit more than in La Primavera, however the figures just look like they are standing in a line in front of a back drop
Closed-I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the figures are what close the scene off. They are leaning into each other in a perfectly symmetrical manner with the V in the center. Overall, I don't think that this painting best exemplifies closed vs. open.
Multiplicity- Each figure could be cut out. They do not support one another. When I said that they lean into each other-- it's like they're leaning in as far as possible without physically touching.
Absolute Clarity- Jesus just died

A1: La Primavera (R)

Botticelli. La Primavera.

Linear-Definite paint by numbers, solid color and line, effect
Planar- All of the figures seem to be standing in a line. There is no depth of motion.
Open- because of the way the blue Pan-looking thing is off the edge and that the cherub thing at the top is also not entirely part of the painting. However, if this is just a bad picture and in actuality those figures are part of the painting and everyone is enclosed within the borders of the branches, then I'd say it's closed.
Multiplicity- Each figure can stand on its own.
Absolute Clarity- I think it seems pretty clear. It's spring-time and the wood-nymphs are happy.

Wolfflin Polarities

Heinrich Wolfflin created a set of polarities to compare Renaissance (roughly 1400-1600) and Baroque (1600s) art. These tools are not only a wonderful way to identify differences and similarities between Renaissance and Baroque art but also to learn how to view art on a technical level.

First we will deal with the polarities in regard to their original purpose; Renaissance and Baroque art. In a nutshell, Renaissance is tight, in the line, strict to the rules of perception. Baroque reacted to Renaissance and did exactly the opposite; this art is loose, out of the lines, fluid. In the whole scheme of Art History Renaissance and Baroque art seems incredibly similar but if you look for the relationship described above you will see.

Here is a general description of each polarity with no specific application:

1. Linear(R) vs. Painterly(B).

Linear: Imagine a painting that was outlined first, like a coloring book, and then filled in. Paint by number. A little random fact. In fresco painting (painting on plaster for huge murals), the artists created huge cartoons of the images before painting them. Then they would use a pin and prick the outlines. So, the Renaissance artists were literally coming from painting in cartoons. Part of the change in medium was the surge in use of oil paint. They were not the first to use it but they made it popular (Jan Van Eyck who we will talk about later).

Painterly: Fluid, outside of the lines. If you tried to cut each color swatch out you would not be able to because they flow together.

2. Planar (R) vs. Recessional (B)
Planar: The entire image is on one plane.

Recessional: The image is on various planes, going back and forth, in and out. Depth.

3. Closed (tectonic) (R) vs. Open (a-tectonic) (B)

Closed: The piece has a closed for, something visual is enclosing it in a way that you cannot imagine anything outside of the picture plan. Many times something architectural will frame the pieces.

Open: Something in the picture plane suggests a world outside of the painting. A line of prospective that shoots right off of the page or subjects walking in and out of the piece.

4. Multiplicity (R) vs. Unity (B)

Multiplicity: This is very closely related to linear. These painting were made in parts in a way that each part of the painting could stand alone. This is a bit more of a conceptual play on linear. Each part is capable of standing as a free member.

Unity: Again, closely related to painterly. The subjects in Baroque paintings can not be separated from one another. They depend on each other to exists, you cannot tear them apart.

Just decide if you can use scissors on the painting to separate distinct pieces. If you can it's Renaissance, if you cannot is Baroque.

5. Absolute Clarity (R) vs. Relative Clarity (B) (in regard to the subject)

Absolute Clarity: You can tell exactly what is going on. No questions asked. The artists did not leave a lot of room for artistic interpretation by the viewer.

Relative Clarity: The artist left some information in the painting up to the viewer. There are some solid ideas but room for intellectual movement.

APPLICATION:


Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam, Sistine Chapel, 1511

Linear: In The Creation of Adam can you see the paint by number effect? Very solid lines between color planes and figures.
Planar: Michelangelo's piece is not the best example but this is all technically on one plane
Closed: The Creation of Adam is a unique example of the closed polarity because this painting is technically a snippet from an entire mural (Sistine Chapel). Each set of figures, Adam on the left and the other on the right, are in their own closed little pods of the mural. The lines of the ground and the shell frame each area.
Multiplicity: In Michelangelo's piece you can cut each figure out, they could all stand on their own.
Absolute Clarity: God and Adam bridging the gap between Heaven and Earth. It doesn't get much more clear than that.

Raphael, The School of Athens, 1511

The School of Athens is a fantastic example of closed form. A huge archway framing the entire piece. This is also a great example of multiplicity, do you know why?

Artemesia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, A WOMAN PAINTER

Painterly: In Gentileschi's piece, it is difficult to detect where the line of one figure or object and another coincide. Look at the drapery. Look at the darkness creeping in.
Open Form: In Judith Slaying Holofernes anything could be going on beyond these woman. We have a close up shot of a room. The man's body is even off the page.
Unity: The two women and the man in this painting must exist with one another to make any sense visually. It is also very difficult to dive them from one another (think of scissors)
Relative Clarity: We know a woman is killing a man. WHY? Relative Clarity. It makes sense in the composition but many questions are left unanswered.

This piece (I didn't look up the title and painter, sorry. I should know it bu I don't.) is a great example for recessional and open form. There are many different planes of activity (see the tiny man running towards the front?). Open form, look at the figures falling away from the page, we have no idea what else is going on in the scene.

Your assignment:

3 Renaissance and 3 Baroque paintings and identify the polarities in each. Some paintings will not have all, that's okay. Also, if you would like, give sculpture, music or poetry a whirl. The polarities apply to all.

House Keeping

A few thing:

First of all, I think that we can just plan week by week. Let's not lock in. Flexibility is better.

Secondly, you should invite whoever you would like to watch the blog. Mrs. Spearman, Mom, Dad, whoever. They might learn something too. They may also have ideas different from mine so you can learn even more. People commenting will help you learn more.

Blogging:

There are two things I want you to be aware of other than typing and pictures. The first thing is Labels. When you are creating a post you will see a place where you can type them in by category. Label every post with your name MOLLY and anything else: artists' names, if it a response or questions, whatever you'd like. Lastly, if you are responding with pictures I would like you to include them in the blog text. You can copy in a link or use a saved picture from your computer. If you want to reference text or a web page use the link button. Just type hat you want, highlight it then click the little link button. It is at the top in the tool bar to the right or the text colors. It looks like a green bull head with white horns.

Okay, I just thought of one more idea. Depending on your time I think this could be excellent. Lets say an assignment every week. One art historical and one contemporary. We both have to do each assignment. So for the history part I will give you things to research and study. The other week we both have to link an article about contemporary art. Anything. Any genre. This will grow as we go. We might need more time between assignments. I might have you identify certain things in the off week assignment. We'll see!

That's it, here come your first assignment.

Yes

Yes to all of that. We should proceed chronologically. Can we please start at Renaissance so that I do not have to refresh too much?

How often do you want to meet? Do you like the idea of one week a discussion the next a light assignment (application)?

Your blogging seems fine to me. What are your questions?

I want to start with Wolflin and Renaissance then we can go from there.

I just wanted to see if I could upload a picture...

I'm not sure if i'm doing this right---

Thoughts:

1. I know nothing about art (well maybe a little)

2. Learning how to blog should be moved to the top of the list

3. I'm particularly interested in symbolism in art-- it's my favorite thing

4. I would also like to become more familiar with paintings that most people know (renaissance type deals) So, like to understand what the significance of pieces by michelangelo and rembrandt

5. I'm going through a phase where i'm obsessed with the early twentieth century (edna st. vincent millay and eugene o'neil)

6. I'm giving you these topics just because i'm not at all familiar enough with visual art to select artists to study etc.

7. As far as the syllabus goes, should we proceed chronologically? by period?

List of Ideas from Kate

Photograph by Man Ray

1. Brainstorm topics
2. Create a syllabus (every other week, lecture one week, assignment the next)

*Henrich Wolflin Polarities

*Tie in music and art and poetry through Wolflin

*Learn how to dissect images from context clues

*Museum visits with Daddy

*Dada - Learn Kate's Thesis in parts

*O'Keeffe, Cassatt

*Womanhouse

*Learn to blog