The Amarna Period

Art that has been most prominently recognized over the years is usually that of the European or Western descent. However, as we dive deeper into the other areas of the world you can find that Art was just as much as an influence there. During the Eighteenth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, Akhenaten took over the reign of Egypt from 1352-1336 BC. During his time there he managed to change the traditional style of art that had been consistently the same for about 3,500 years. Originally ancient Egyptian art sought to preserve political and religious order as well as to “embodify life”. However, once Akhenaten came into power he stressed the importance of one deity named Aten (the sun god), rather than the other traditional Egyptian deities. Aten was known as the king of kings and the provider of light. Akhenaten wanted to be considered the Aten of earth, and told his followers that they could only communicate to Aten through him. This radically changed not only the culture of the Ancient Egyptians but also their Egyptian art. After having some time in power Akhenaten successfully transformed Egyptian art into portraying Akhenaten’s religious ideals. This period of change became known as the Amarna era. Which consisted of pieces that either were of Aten, Akhenaten himself, or the royal family.

This piece was created sometime in between the time of Pharaoh Akhenaten’s reign. Chief sculptor Bek created this sculpture but it is of Akhenaten himself. This piece is currently in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt. One things that made the Amarna sculptures different than the traditional Egyptian art was the accentuation of some bodily features. For instance in this sculpture above the face and neck is quite narrow, ears and lips are large, nose is slender, and the chin is very prominent. Although many of the full body sculptures of Akhenaten also made the stomach, hips, and calves quite big as well.  This was quite common amongst the sculptures later in this Amarna era. Originally the features of Akhenaten were proportioned quite normally, however it is thought that disease could have taken over and therefore changed his appearance and also the way people painted or sculpted him. One thing I have always enjoyed about Egyptian art was that it is very easy to distinguish apart from other countries traditional art. I particularly like how they portray people in a way that is different from other cultures perceptions of how people look. I imagine this is mostly because every culture see beauty differently and so they tend to portray through their art the standards of beauty in that culture. Overall, I really enjoyed this piece as it clearly reflects the effects Akhenaten had on the people and how the style of art changed once he came into power.

This art piece displays two of Akhenaten’s daughters the Amarna princesses. It is unknown when this piece was exactly made and who it was created by. Pieces such as this differs from traditional Egyptian art because it incorporates movement and activity, as well as equal skin tones between both sexes. Typically both sexes are given a dark brown skin tone, which is different from the normal dark brown/red for males and light brown/white for females. This piece is a good representation of the influence of the Amarna era as it displays some of the royal family and also shows some sort of activity happening between the two sisters. From what I can tell it appears the Amarna princesses are having a conversation with each other. I originally had difficulty figuring out if I was looking at a males, females, or aliens in this piece. Since even men are given feminine qualities in works of themselves it can be difficult to distinguish between the two. I really enjoy this piece as it is very simple yet displays a lot of history and meaning. I love the detail of the finger nails and toe nails that they incorporated in their feet and hands.  I particularly have always liked the dark eyeliner that the Egyptians would wear and show in their art pieces as well.

This piece here is what they call a relief. It is a sculptural technique that involves carving out the main points of the image. It is supposed to look as if the subjects are coming out of the background plane. It is unknown who carved this relief above or when it was created but it does portray Nefertiti, Akhenaten’s wife. During this Armanan era royal women were displayed in art pieces more than they ever were prior to this time period. Akhenaten and Nefertiti were viewed at the same level and so Nefertiti was the main subject in many different pieces of art. The relief above is significant as it shows Nefertiti under the light of Aten. In this image it appears she is worshipping and offering up an item of value to the sun god Aten. I really like the relief style of art in this image, it really brings Nefertiti and Aten forward as the main subjects of this piece. I love the incorporation of the sun rays and how they shine over all the people Nefertiti. I think this piece is a prime example of the Amarna period and how Akhenaten’s reign influenced the beliefs of the following Egyptians.

Works Cited

“Akhenaten.” Ancient Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Aug. 2015.
<http://www.ancient-egypt.co.uk/cairo%20museum/cm,%20akhenaten/&gt;.

“Amarna Art.” Ancient Egypt Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Aug. 2015.
<http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/amarnaart.html&gt;.

“Amarna Art.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Aug. 2015.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarna_art&gt;.

Perspective in 3D Art (Post Modern Blog)

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that 3D art is one of the most striking forms of modern art. I have personally never witnessed 3D art in person, however, I have often seen this type of art being shared across social media. What I find most fascinating about these works is how they are generally just temporary pieces. They aren’t meant to last forever, yet they leave quite the impression on its audience. The works take a lot of time to complete and require the artist to have an amazing ability to transform something that is 2D and give it the appearance of 3D. This form of illusion is also known as anamorphic art or one point perspective art. The most fascinating aspects of these art pieces for me is sometimes I have difficulty determining where the art piece begins and ends. As you can tell with some of the pieces below, the artist incorporates the surroundings so that the whole image could almost pass as being real. What all these pieces have in common is that they have a unique perspective for the viewer, as well as they require the artist to be able to put the piece in perspective so that they may bring it to life for the viewer.

Manfred Stader is one of the best and well known street artists. He is from Brecheln, Germany. He specializes in 3D street art and began his street art journey in 1980 in Italy. He was one of the few artists worldwide to have been awarded the title “Master-Madonnaro”. On top of all the street art he is known for, he is also a successful muralist, specializing in classical decorating painting as well as Trompe Loeil art.

Waterfall by Manfred Stader

This piece was made in the Dvur Kralove zoo in 2013. It was painted using acrylics and is 25×6 meters. What is absolutely amazing about this piece is how much of it is physically real. I am still debating on whether the rocks on the side are painted by Stader or are physically real. This piece is an excellent example of perspective as it actually looks like the there is a waterfall spilling into a fountain of water.

Waterfall by Manfred Stader

Waterfall by Manfred Stader was made in Berlin in 2010. It was made for the IFA, which is the biggest fair in the world for electronic products. It is 20X10m. This piece is another fantastic example of the use of perspective. Stader once again successfully turns a 2D piece of art into something that is seemingly 3D.

 New Waterfall by Manfred Stader (Lyon, France 2012) 6X15m

New Waterfall was made by Manfred Stader in Lyon, France in 2012. The piece is 6X15m. In both pictures one can tell the importance of the one point perspective. Looking at the picture upside down it is almost difficult to tell what the picture is even showing. This is because these art pieces are supposed to be viewed only in a specific spot. This spot gives them the 3D effect. Nearest to this spot the art piece is extremely detailed and well painted. However, farther away from this spot the painting doesn’t require as much detail.

Edgar Müller was born in Mülheim/Ruhr on 10th of July, 1968. He grew up in Straelen which lies on the western edge of Germany. He grew up having a fascination with painting and started with “paintings of rural scenes of Straelen”. Muller entered his first international street painting contest when he was 16 years old and won the contest when he was 19 years old. Like Strader, Muller has also held the “Master-Madonnaro” title.

The Crevasse by Edgar Muller

The Crevasse by Edgar Muller was created on August 21-24, 2008 in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. Muller transformed this piece of the East Pier for the Festival of World Cultures. In the making of this art piece Muller has to stress the importance of linear perspective. So that he can make the piece appear vertical or 3D to the viewer.

Lava Burst by Edgar Muller

Lava Burst was created in Geldern, Germany on August 2008. This painting was done for the 30th anniversary of the international street painting Festival in Geldern. This piece is one of my favorites because it brings me back to one of my favorite games as a child where I would avoid the floor because it was “lava”. Looking at this photo I also like the apocalyptic vibe it gives off a well. This piece is particularly done well as Muller uses more than just a flat surface and incorporates the curbs as well. He does all of this and yet still successfully makes it 3D. It literally looks as if someone could potentially misstep and fall right down into the lava pit.

Waterfall by Edmund Muller

Waterfall by Edmund Muller was made in Moose Jaw, Canada on July 2007. It was created for the Prairie Arts Festival. This painting involved literally “Turning Riverstreet into a River” (Edgar). Just like his other piece above, Muller also goes into incorporating more than just a flat surface and the curbs, but also uses the sides of the walls. What I love most about this piece is that looking at it directly from the bottom and center it also looks like a river flowing straight down into a vertical waterfall. However, looking from the sides of the piece the waterfall doesn’t look like it goes straight up and down rather it just looks like a stream of water.

Street Art is one of the most amazing art forms of the time period. It has amazed many people of this day and pictures of it are continually spread across the internet. These pieces wouldn’t be as successful as they are if the artists didn’t have a talent for perspective and the ability to transform their 2D work into something that appears 3D.

Works Cited

“Edgar Mueller.” Edgar Mueller. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2015.
<http://www.metanamorph.com/index.php>.

“Edgar Mueller – 3D Street Art.” Squidoo. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Aug. 2014. <http://www.squidoo.com/edgar-mueller-3d-street-art>.

“Edgar Müller.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 July 2014. Web. 04 Aug. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_M%C3%BCller>.

“Manfred Stader.” SAATCHI ART. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 July 2015.
<http://www.saatchiart.com/wandmaler>

Art and the Harlem Renaissance

The 1920s-1930s was a time of great change for many African Americans. In this time period many African Americans were migrating North to the more urban and industrialized areas. Their main motives for doing so was to escape racial prejudices and economic hardships so that they may obtain a higher social and economic status. An area that was especially changed during this “Great Migration” period was Harlem, New York. The new culture that appeared up in Harlem helped advance the New Negro movement. As it gained popularity it became known as the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was focused primarily on these three ideals racial pride, social power, and the importance of African culture. I chose these works below as a prime example of how the Harlem Renaissance had influenced such people as Aaron Douglas, William Johnson, and Jacob Lawrence. Through these works the African history is relived and their culture is celebrated which was the exact result of the Harlem Renaissance for many African Americans of this time. In all three of these pieces the Harlem Renaissance shines through. Each of these artists clearly had ties with the Harlem Renaissance as they depicted mostly African American culture and history.

Aspects of a Negro Life: From Slavery through Reconstruction by Aaron Douglas

Aspects of Negro Life by Aaron Douglas, was painted in 1934 along with a series of 3 other large-scale murals. These murals were made for the Works Progress Administration in New York Public Library’s 135^th Street branch. It is currently known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The Aspects of Negro Life included 3 other murals aside from the one depicted above. Those included the Song of the Towers, From Slavery Through Reconstruction, An Idyll of the Deep South, and The Negro in an African Setting. Aaron Douglas was a well known Harlem Renaissance, as he was one of the first people to encourage the movement. In the mural piece shown above, portrays the life of African Americans prior to the abolishment of slavery. In dead center of this photo it appears their is someone of high authority telling all the slaves what they should do and where they should go. From what I can tell the slaves are working in a cotton field. Art work such as this was very common in the Harlem Renaissance era as it highlighted the African American history. I think this art piece was a great reminder of the past for the African American’s as I also believe it inspired them even more to take part in the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance. I personally really enjoy this art piece as it provides less detail on the individuals and more on the chaos that is going on in the background. Despite there being no detail on the faces of the people it is easy to imagine simply through this image alone, what the people were feeling like at this time and place.

Going to Church by William Johnson

Going to Church by William Johnson was painted in 1941. John was a great example of someone who was influenced heavily by the Harlem Renaissance era. Originally he painted works that were similar to the Impressionism era and often depicted such things as landscapes, etc. He used long brush strokes that were visible and very common to the Impressionism style art. As you can see above, his style changed as he moved to New York and was directly influenced by the Harlem Renaissance movement. His artwork Going to Church is considered a block style painting. Johnson became known for painting what his culture and life was like back in South Carolina. In this piece above a family is being pulled on a wagon by some sort of ox or cow. The Harlem Renaissance influenced this piece as it encouraged Johnson to think about his life prior to coming up to New York. This piece received a lot of criticism as people thought it looked as if a child had made it. It was different from the Cubism art style as despite the absurdity of the art, it was still rather neat and consisted of straight lines. I really like this piece by Johnson as it is very simple and is easy to tell what is going on in the picture. I think the childish characteristics of the works is what makes it unique because even though the lines aren’t straight or even, the way the paint fills in everything makes it look very neat regardless. I also really like bright colors that were incorporated in this piece, as it really highlights the main points.

And the Migrants Kept Coming by Jacob Lawrence

And the Migrants Kept Coming by Jacob Lawrence, was painted in 1941. At the time Jacob Lawrence was only 24 years old. Since Lawrence was born in New Jersey in 1917, he was influenced by the Harlem Renaissance at a very young age. This art piece was apart of a series of art pieces called the Migration Series. In each of these pieces Lawrence depicted the move of the African American migrants from South to North. In the piece of art above, however, it shows African American’s waiting for the train. Lawrence is depicting the African American migrants of the South. He is portraying them as they are about to make their adventure up North so that they may escape the south and attain economic freedom. I imagine within their luggage is everything they own. The piece doesn’t show a face on any of the people however it is very clear as to how they are feeling. I imagine many of them were anxious to leave but also very nervous of this new life to come. I really love this piece because of its simplicity. The dark colors really sets of mood for the picture. As I was viewing this image I almost felt like I beginning to feel in the same way that the people in the image were feeling and that was uncertainty.

Works Cited

Cotter, Holland. “Visions Of a People In Motion.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Dec. 2007. Web. 19 July 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/arts/design/28lawr.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Libby. “Jitterbugs–William H. Johnson’s World on Paper at PMA.” Theartblog. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2015. <http://www.theartblog.org/2007/05/jitterbugs-william-h-johnsons-world-on-paper-at-pma/>.

The Harlem Renaissance. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County. 19 July 2015.

<http://cgi.umbc.edu/~insttech/arthistory/harlem/>

“Treasures of The New York Public Library.” Treasures of The New York Public Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2015. <http://exhibitions.nypl.org/treasures/items/show/170>.

Impressionism vs. Cubism

Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet

Impression, Sunrise is an oil on canvas painting that has the dimensions of 48X63 cm. This work of Monet’s was created in 1872 and is currently on display at the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris. Monet made the subject of this piece Le Havre which is his hometown that resides on the northern coast of France. This work is known to be the one that kicked off the start of the Impressionism style of art. This may explain why it drew in much criticism at first because at the time people thought that it looked like this art piece was unfinished or missing important details which was unlike other art of this time period. What I love most about this piece is its simplicity. Monet casts a thick haze over the sky and water below. Which throws off many of the fine details he could have included. It almost becomes difficult determining where the sky ends and the water begins except where you can see the boats emerging through the haze and the detail of waves towards the bottom of the piece. I enjoy pondering what is going on in this picture and questioning what may be the cause of this unsharpened view. So far I have come to the conclusion that it may be sea mist, fog, or possibly even industrial pollutes. Overall I love this piece and the eerie sensation that it gives off.

The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh is an oil on canvas painting. It was created in Saint-Rémy, France in June, 1889. This work depicts the view from inside van Gogh’s asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. For those of you that may not know van Gogh self admitted himself to the asylum after he self mutilated his own ear. The subject of his work takes place before sunrise and included the “idealized village” (Claude). Ever since 1941 this piece has resided in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art. This piece is considered one of the finest of van Gogh’s pieces and is also one of my favorites of his. I enjoy the impressive amount of detail he incorporated in this work despite his focus being on the night time aspect of the village. If I did not look into the background detail of what this work entailed or the title I would have thought that this was a city that was about to be engulfed by a tsunami.

The era of impressionism was a very unique time period and very different from the works prior to this era. The art prior to this era seemed to be focused more on fine detail and portraying subjects as they were. However, Impressionism rapidly changed this ideal in art. Impressionism applied a new style of art usually consisting of visible brush strokes that were small, thin, yet clean. The art of this period usually was in an outdoor setting and dealt with some sort of theme of lighting. For instance in Monet’s piece he incorporated the sun rising and its reflection off the water. While in van Gogh’s piece he stressed the lighting of the stars and moon and how it lit the earth even at night. Both these works represent what Monet was initially critiqued for, they seem to lack detail or seen as unfinished. I like to think that this is why these pieces are uniquely beautiful. They do not look like they took a lot of time and it seems the artists put little thought into the fine detail they were going to incorporate. Whether or not that is actually true, these paintings are painted in a way that makes it seem like the artists were simply given a quick glance at a photo and were told to paint what they saw. Since this was not the case, I am in awe that these artists despite being given the complete independence to provide as much detail as necessary, could look at the landscape or view of what they were painting and choose what they wanted to be the more prominent and beautiful points in their paintings. For instance in Monet’s piece he draws the viewers attention to the boat coming out of the fog and the sun shining out on the waters while the rest of his piece is a mix of dark blues and light grays, and some faded oranges and greens. While in van Gogh’s piece he focuses on the twinkling stars and the village beneath them while everything else is darkened.

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was painted by Pablo Picasso in 1907. It is a rather large piece that took about nine months to complete. Currently, the piece is being held at the Museum of Modern Art. For 9 years after this piece had been created, it had been called Le Bordel d’Avignon by Picasso. However, many viewed this piece to be immoral. So to reduce the possibility of the extreme effect that this piece could have had on general society, Andre Salmon who was in charge of this pieces’ first exhibition, decided to change the name to Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Despite this initial upset, this piece is looked at as the most famous representation of the art style called cubism. Picasso went against the expectation of painting  “idealized representations of female beauty” (Les) in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and instead distorted the women’s body and made them up of geometrical shapes. Picasso was greatly influenced by African art in this time period which explains Picasso’s inspiration for the Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. “Cubist painters rejected the inherited concept that art should copy nature, or that they should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective, modeling, and foreshortening” (Rewald). Which in turn led them “emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas” (Rewald) by breaking down subjects and putting them together in geometrical form.

Cubism and Impressionism were very similar in the way they portrayed their art. If I were to look at a piece from both eras up close I could see the lack of fine detail and how they both incorporated some abstract parts. The geometrical shapes in Cubism and the brush strokes in impressionism. However if I were to look from far away I could see the big picture of the works and know what the pictures were showing. Cubism and Impressionism worked with both dark and light colors that draws the viewers eye to the area that the artist wanted to emphasize. They were different in the sense that impressionism still had a very realistic sense to their works while cubism was of subjects that were portrayed as rather distorted and abnormal. I personally love both styles of art. I think they’re both very unique and are an eyeful to take in. I would love to someday see these pieces in person.

Works Cited

“Claude Monet, ‘Impression, Sunrise.'” Monet Giverny. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.interagir.com/?entryID=34&gt;.

“Impression, Sunrise.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impression,_Sunrise&gt;.

“Les Demoiselles D’Avignon, 1907 by Pablo Picasso.” Pablo Picasso. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.pablopicasso.org/avignon.jsp&gt;.

Pioch, Nicolas. “Monet, Claude.” WebMuseum, Paris. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/monet/first/impression/&gt;.

Rewald, Sabine. “Cubism”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cube/hd_cube.htm (October 2004)

“Starry Night.” Van Gogh Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/508/Starry-Night.html&gt;.

“The Starry Night.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starry_Night&gt;.

“Sunrise (Marine).” The J. Paul Getty Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/125556/claude-monet-sunrise-marine-french-march-or-april-1873/&gt;.

The Rising of the Middle Class and its influence on Classical Era Music

The rising of the middle class had great influences on the arts of the classical era. The arts of this time were different than the era’s before because they were not focused on the Church or the wealthy as much. This was the beginning of a new stage in life for everyone as the arts had expanded their scope to the middle class as well. This change inspired composers to write music that satisfied not only the upper class but the middle class as well. This resulted in music that was “simpler and less intense” (Estrella). The rising of the middle class also influenced many new forms of music in this era such as sonata, symphony, and solo concerto.Themes that were once popular like ancient myths were replaced with music that people could relate to (Estrella). The rising of the middle class became a prominent theme of this era as many of them sought to become musicians and be taught by composers as well.

Ode to Joy by Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most well known composers of this time. He was born in Germany but he spent his career living in Vienna. He was not known to compose any music for the sake of religion or royalty. Rather simply because he had fallen in love with music and he wanted others to as well. Therefore, his music wasn’t directed towards any religion, political group, etc but rather to share for the good of music as well as for all people to enjoy. Beethoven was a unique addition to this era of music as he worked fairly independently and did things his own way. In the video above shows Beethoven’s last symphony Ode to Joy. A symphony is a musical form that consists of an instrumental performing group. This piece was presented on May 27, 1824 in front of the public. I find this musical piece to be beautiful in a variety of ways as it was Beethoven’s final piece, his final good bye, and is known to have been a piece that marked the end of the classical era.

Piano Sonata nº 59 by Franz Joseph Haydn

Piano Sonata nº 59 by Franz Joseph Haydn was written in 1789-1790. In this piece Haydn dances between use of staccato and legato. He incorporates three movements into his piece the Allegro which lasts 5-6 minutes, the Adagio e cantabile which lasts 7-9 minutes, and the Finale: Tempo di Menuet which lasts 4-5 minutes. Haydn’s use of the sonata form amplifies the impact that the middle class had on the classical era and the new musical forms that were created because of it. His use of a single instrument in this piece indicates the simplicity of the music from this time period. A sonata consists of an exposition, development, and recapitulation. Sonata’s are usually performed with the keyboard instrument or a solo instrument that is accompanied by the keyboard. Personally, I cannot say I had heard of Franz Joseph Haydn prior to this class. But as I explored his music and picked a song I wanted to use in this blog, I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his composition. I especially enjoy how upbeat and catchy some of his pieces are.

Requiem by Wolfgang Mozart

Reqium by Wolfgang Mozart was composed in Vienna in the year of 1791, however it was left unfinished when Mozart died on December of that year. The piece was split into several movements I. Introitus: Requiem aeternam, II. Kyrie, III. Sequentia, IV. Offertorium, V. Sanctus & Benedictus, VI. Agnus Dei   VII. Communio. During the time of Mozart’s death only the vocal and orchestral parts of beginning (Requiem aeternam) of the piece was written completely. While in the Kyrie only the vocal and continuo parts had been completed. The Offertorium was only briefly done in the vocal parts and the continuo as well. However, in the sixth movement the piece broke off after eight bars and was left unfinished. This piece has seven movements that are fairly distinct. This piece is a prime example of the rise of the middle class as Mozart structured his work and broke up this piece into seven parts which was a direct influence of the middle class. This is yet another piece I had not heard until this class. There are some other more popular pieces done by Mozart that I could have chosen, but I decided that this would be the perfect time for me to immerse myself into some of his less common or known works. I find Mozart’s music to be soothing and quite pleasing to the ears. I was rather surprised by how long this piece was as I did not know that was common. I imagine in this time period this was a very big form of entertainment if people were willing to sit through hours of musical pieces.

In these three works it becomes apparent of the influences the middle class had on the music in the classical era. The rise of the middle class brought upon such musical forms through the creation of sonatas, symphonies, and solo concertos. This was done as a result of the desire people had for musical pieces they felt like they could relate to. This in turn led to simpler and more structured musical pieces.

Works Cited

Dobney, Jayson Kerr. “Nineteenth-Century Classical Music”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/amcm/hd_amcm.htm (October 2004)

Estrella, Espie. “The Role of Music and Composers.” About Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2015. <http://musiced.about.com/od/medievalto20thcentury/a/The-Role-Of-Music-And-Composers.htm&gt;.

“Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Biography.” Ludwig Van Beethoven. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2015. <http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html&gt;.

“Piano Sonata Hob. XVI/49.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_Hob._XVI/49&gt;.

“Requiem (Mozart).” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_(Mozart)&gt;.

Bernini’s “David” and the Council of Trent

Bernini’s David

Bernini’s David is yet another depiction of David from the Bible story of David and Goliath. Bernini started this piece when he was only 24 years old and it was completed between the years of 1623 and 1624 in Rome, Italy. Bernini had been influenced by the Baroque era as he chose to portray David in mid action. In this piece David is in the middle of pulling his arm back so he can release the stone on Goliath. This type of baroque artwork had been on the rise as it often made the audience of the piece sympathetic for the characters being portrayed. This gave this type of artwork a new sense of power as it often captivated its audience on an emotional level.

When Bernini was younger his artwork drew in Scipione Cardinal Borghese “a member of the reigning papal family” (Gian). With the support of the Scipione Cardinal Borghese, Bernini began creating “life size[d] sculptural groups” (Gian). Which in turn led Bernini to create his own version of David. Bernini was a devout Catholic which may explain why he felt driven to portray David in the way he did. The Roman Catholic Church had gone through some rough patches as it was the main group affected by the Protestant Reformation. Despite that occurring almost 100 years prior, the people who were apart of the Church were aware of the affects it had on the Roman Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation triggered the Catholic Church to form the Council of Trent in 1545. The Council of Trent was a Counter Reformation to the Protestant Reformation. Bernini supported the ideas of the Council of Trent, which makes me think that he used David to symbolize the the conflict between the Protestant’s and the Catholics. In what way he did this I am still torn to two separate ideas. Bernini may have used David to represent the Catholic church and their fight to preserve what they believe in while Goliath and his people represented the Protestants. While on the other hand Bernini may have used a more subtle approach by using the story of David to show the similarities between Catholicism and Christianity. This came to my mind because it seems that if David was trying to give the message to support Catholicism then he may have chosen to portray a saint, the purgatory, the Mother of God, etc. But instead he chose a story that doesn’t only follow the beliefs of Catholics but also Protestants as well. Keeping this in mind, I believe he used this as a reminder to both the Protestants and Catholics what really matters in their beliefs. Both Protestants and Catholics could have come together and viewed this art form with no conflict because they value and view the story of David the same way. The story of David is a great reminder of what faith can do and ultimately how believing and living for God is the most important thing. This runs true in both the Catholic and Protestant faiths, having a relationship with God is the foundation to both these beliefs. This could mean that Bernini possibly envisioned this art piece to be a reminder to the Catholics and even the Protestants what it means to partake in their religion.

Bernini was only one of the few historic artists that chose to do a sculpture of David. Michelangelo, a humanist, also chose to depict David in a way that supported his humanist believes that there is beauty, dignity, and integrity in man. He used the story of David to demonstrate how men can be independent and do not have to follow under the rule of anyone like the Catholic Church for example. On the other hand Bernini chose to depict David in a more aggressive way which may explain his aggression he felt towards the Protestants and how they may have affected the Roman Catholic Church.

I thoroughly enjoyed viewing Bernini’s David. I was fascinated by how he chose to depict him in an aggressive manor which was so different from the other depictions of David. He used an immense amount of detail in his facial expression and body position; his furrowed brow, concentrated face, and aggressive stance really told a story in itself. The piece was really interesting and I would like to see other works from Bernini.

Works Cited

“Bernini.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 June 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Bernini)>.

“Bernini’s David.” Il Marmo Spirante Sculpture and Experience in Seventeenth-Century Rome (2013): 189-203. Saylor. Web. 21 June 2015. <http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ARTH-207-BerniniDavid.pdf>.

“Council of Trent.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 June 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Trent>.

“Gian Lorenzo Bernini | Biography – Italian Artist.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 22 June 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/biography/Gian-Lorenzo-Bernini>.

The Role of Humanism in Michelangelo’s “David”.

David by Michelangelo

Michelangelo’s David is one of the most impressive sculptures from the Italian Renaissance era. Created between the years of 1501 and 1504, it was brought to life in the city of Florence, Italy. The marble statue stands at height of 14 feet, and depicts David from the story of David and Goliath in the Bible.In the Bible Goliath was a fighting champion to the Philistines and challenged the Israelites. He said that whoever dies in the battle would give their people to become servants and serve the winning side. Many of the Israelites cowered in fear over Goliath’s challenge. But David, a young sheep herder, accepted the challenge. Initially, Philistines had laughed at David and were almost insulted that the Israelites would send such a small boy to fight the all powerful Goliath. David is considered a “biblical hero” as he is known for conquering the giant, Goliath, with simply just a rock and a stone. Michelangelo used this sculpture to portray David prior to going to battle with Goliath. Through the years this sculpture has inspired many people as it is a great reminder of how both courage and faith can lead to great things.

Humanism was an era of change for many people as it promoted the idea that man has dignity, beauty, and worth. This ultimately changed people’s motivations and drove some away from the traditional religious motivations for art, works, and literature. David is a wonderful example of the humanism movement as the story of David demonstrates human independence. For the longest time people were expected to obey the laws and ways of the Church, and to consider your own rights or beliefs was considered sinful. David symbolizes independence because despite being scorned and made fun of prior to battle, he chose to turn away from the typical norms of the society simply because he felt God was calling him to do so. David was fully knowledgeable of what he was getting himself into and his plan of action was not to take this battle to brutal lengths. Another aspect of the sculpture that contributed to humanism movement was simply how Michelangelo portrayed David. Michelangelo does a fine job of capturing David’s beauty. He has enough detail to indicate that this was indeed a real person but not enough to show any flaws. Instead of stressing David’s weapons as a typical way to symbolize his manhood and bravery, Michelangelo uses David’s body in its entirety and most purest sense.

Michelangelo’s sculpture of David is my favorite art pieces from the Italian renaissance. This piece speaks louder than words and captures the determination, bravery, and innocence that David had with him prior to battle. The simplicity and the realistic aspects of this piece are absolutely surreal. His stance, the protruding veins in his hands, and the expressions of David’s face give way to his determination and his bravery. All the while Michelangelo’s choice to depict David as naked shows his innocence as it lets us see him in his entirety. His task of defeating Goliath was not done because he had any sort of superhuman powers but simply because he had God on his side throughout the battle.

Works Cited

“Michelangelo’s David.” Accademia Gallery in Florence. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June
2015. <http://www.accademia.org/explore-museum/artworks/
     michelangelos-david/>.

“1 Samuel 17 – David and Goliath.” Bible Hub. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2015.
<http://biblehub.com/commentaries/guzik/commentaries/0917.htm>.

Whittemore, Jessica. “Humanism in the Renaissance: Recognizing the Beauty of the
Individual.” Study.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2015. <http://study.com/
     academy/lesson/
     humanism-in-the-renaissance-recognizing-the-beauty-of-the-individual.html>.

My First Blog Post Ever!

Hello! My name is Sarah Jackson. I grew up in Fairbanks Alaska and am now attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks. However, this fall semester I will be attending the University of South Dakota to complete my BSN (bachelor’s of science in nursing). I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience at UAF and have further expanded my list of hobbies because of it. I have taken both ice climbing and winter camping courses throughout my time at UAF and now I am working as a student employee for Outdoor Adventures on campus. I have always had a great love for Alaska but I think it will be fun to broaden my scope and head down to South Dakota. I have honestly never been there so if you know of anything fun to do there you should let me know. 🙂

Caribou hunting in the Brooks Range. One of my favorite things to do with my family!

I have had little experience participating in theatre, music, and art. I once had to take a role in a play and I instantly discovered my fear of public speaking afterwards. I greatly admire those who are able to take their talents in the arts  to the public level as that is something that I have never had the confidence to do. Despite all this, I absolutely love immersing myself in the arts. I enjoy viewing ancient art and architecture, and going to musicals. My favorite musicals are Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, the Newsies, and Rent. My goal is to one day be able to go to New York City and see some of these musicals on Broadway.

http://www.broadway.com

Hello world!

This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Happy blogging!