25 Pieces That Inspire Me

With a deep appreciation of all things art, here is Madame Oyler's AP Art History Project in which I chose 25 pieces to discuss in this blog. In this brief yet all encompassing glance at pieces from around the world we will look at paintings, sculptures, photographs, and (my favorite) architecture. Each piece spoke to me in some way, and some of these pieces I've even been honored to see in person. With all of history before me, it was difficult to choose just 25 pieces to include. The process in trying to narrow all the world's pieces to a mere 25 that i found the most interesting was tremendously challenging. However, without further ado, I'll begin our discussion and delve into the beautiful, inspirational, and magnificent world of art. 

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Banksy)

Boy With Marker by Banksy

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• Banksy is known for Graffiti art.  The allure of a Banksy piece is always high, due to the fact that no one knows when or where he will strike next.  His images are usually a sardonic view of society and of 21st century culture.  Banksy has become ever more popular, and his graffiti art is admired by many.  In the movie "Exit Through The Gift Shop," viewers are given an inside look into the under ground world of Pop art and Graffiti art.
• The Banksy image above is a simple portrayal of a boy with a marker.  Like most Banksy pieces, the Graffiti image blends in with the surroundings and the pre-existing graffiti.  During a time when seemingly anyone can make "art," Banksy takes popular art to a new and symbolic level.  Banksy's very nature is ambiguous, mirroring the ambiguity of art in today's society.  By not revealing his identity, Baksy does not put a face to his art, making his art for the masses and not for his own fame. 
• Yes, Banksy's art is graffiti. No, that does not make it any "less art" than a piece painted on canvas or board.  In fact, I chose a Banksy piece because I wanted to go beyond what a book or a website says about art.  In all of his pieces Banksy includes an underlying message or symbol.  His graffiti paintings are exciting and wildly fun to hunt down and find.     

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Basin of San Marco from San Giorgio Maggiore)

Basin of San Marco from San Giorgio Maggiore by Antonio Canaletto; 1740. Oil on canvas. Located in The Wallace Collection in London.

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• This naturalistic landscape and cityscape painting was completed during the 18th century in Venice.  The painting was a product of the Enlightenment.
• The appreciation of nature is clearly seen in this piece.  However, Canaletto also used minute detail to portray the human life around the landscape as well.  The natural view and the care of detail are characteristically Romantic.  The painting also represents a new way of thinking introduced by Rousseau and Voltaire.  The Enlightenment was clear inspiration for this piece.
• I chose this piece because it is a tribute to free thinking and new ideas.  There is no hidden message or deep emotional value, the image exudes a sense of thought and knowledge.   

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (The Execution of Lady Jane Grey)

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche; 1833. oil on canvas. Located in the National Gallery in London.  

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• This portrait is a "romantic" portrayal of the execution of the young Jane Grey.  She kneels, desperately awaiting the moment of her death. 
• This image is so visually and emotionally stunning.  It is one of the most captivating paintings in the National Gallery in London, capturing viewers in its dramatic scene.  The lightest part of the painting is Lady Grey.  The darkness of the rest of the painting slowly encloses around her, eventually ending in her death.
• I chose this painting because of its stunning emotional effect on me as a viewer.  Lady Grey exudes such innocence, yet her head is just inches away from the chopping block.  The drama of the event enters the minds of every viewer, engaging them in another world and time.   

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Nike Alighting on a War Ship)

Nike Alighting on a War Ship; 190 B.C.  Marble. Located in the Louvre in Paris.

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• Nike belongs to the Hellenistic period of Greek art.  Characteristic to the Hellenistic style was a further humanization of figures and ideals.  The visual differences between Hellenistic statues and early Greek statuary are striking and great.
• Nike is the epitome of Hellenistic art.  Her wings still beat in motion, the wind sweeps her drapery, and her himation bunches in thick folds around her right leg.  The statue gives off a very theatrical effect, similar to that of Baroque pieces.  This statue, along with other Hellenistic statues, interacts with its environment and is an intensely dramatic portrayal of human movements.
• I chose this piece because it perfectly illustrates the evolution of Greek art from an Egyptian style of art to a highly emotional expressive style.  Hellenistic art set the precedent for the ideal form, its reach influenced the Renaissance, Baroque, and Enlightenment movements. 

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Still Life with Oysters, Rum Glass, and Silver Cup)

Still Life with Oysters, Rum Glass, and Silver Cup by Willem Claesz Heda.  Located in Museum Boijmans-Van Beuringen in Rotterdam.

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• "Still Life With Oysters" was completed during the Baroque period. Still life paintings were characteristically northern.  This piece portrays the wealth and abundance of the Dutch.  Images of accumulated material goods were a source of pride and a way to establish one's place in society.
• In "Still Life With Oysters" Heda portrayed the wealth of the Dutch, but at the same time incorporated a religious message.  This sense of religious piety was central to Calvinist beliefs in the north.  Heda was able to accomplish this religious message by including references to death and the fragility of human life.  The oysters, partially peeled fruit, broken glass, and the tipped silver cup are symbols of mortality and death.
• This is one of my favorite Baroque pieces because it portrays a new outlook towards material items, while at the same time incorporating a moral question.  Paintings that make me look beneath the surface are the ones that will become, and stay, my favorites.  The message within this still life is the heart of the entire piece.   

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Political Rally)

Political Rally, Robert Frank; 1956. Photograph. Currently not being exhibited (I saw his exhibit at MOCA: Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles).

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• Robert Frank is an important figure in American Photography.  His portrayals of American life in "The Americans," is a thorough representation of many life styles and American scenes.  His array of pictures are taken as if from an outside skeptical view of American society.  
• Political Rally, one of the most well known pieces of his "Americans," captures the audience by not revealing the man behind the instrument.  The photograph is able to capture American life, but with an ambiguous twist.  Frank went on a road trip for two years capturing 28,000 scenes; only 83 of those were actually used in his exhibit.  His quest to capture all facets of the American life caused him to engage himself in many sticky situations.  He ended up in jail twice.
• I fell in love with Robert Frank's blunt portrayal of America when I saw the exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.  I like the simplicity with which he captures people and places, and how at the same time he turns that simplicity into something engaging and captivating. 

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Doryphoros; Spear Bearer)

Doryphoros; Spear Bearer by Polykleitos; 450-440 B.C.  Located in Museo Nazionale in Naples.  (Not the actual version; replica)

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• Doryphoros can be attributed to the early classical Greek era.  His stance is a perfect example of new classical ideals in art and sculpture.  With most of his weight leaning on one leg, Doryphoros exhibits a new method of sculpting called contrappasto.  This stance is most important in establishing a more "real" image of the human figure. Later, in the Hellenistic period, Greek artists will take this practice even further to create incredibly lifelike figures.
• The artist behind Doryphoros, Polykleitos, created this sculpture seeking a perfect image based on proportions and rational ideals. Doryphoros is an example of his "canon" showing harmonious and balanced proportions.
• I chose this piece as one of my 25 because it exhibits a new take on art, one of careful observation and consideration.  It is the beginning of a movement in which most future Greek and Western artists will be seeking to create the most lifelike of images.  The canon is also one of the most influential factors in European art, reaching its influence in all forms of art, even in architecture.   

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (The Two Fridas)

The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo; 1939. Oil on Canvas. Located in Collection of the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City.

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• The Two Fridas was a product of the Surrealist/Fantasy Art period.  Kahlo was clearly a surrealist, incorporating the psychic and autobiographical issues she dealt with into her art.  
• The Two Fridas is one of the only large scale canvases Kahlo ever produced.  This self portrait seemingly portrays two versions of the same Kahlo.  However, the two are very different, one clearly distressed and injured, the other not.  The figures suggest two very different sides to the same person. 
• The Two Frida's is a very emotional painting.  Unlike other paintings that portray religious scenes or highly dramatic scenes, The Two Fridas is a portrait of how the artist really felt about herself.  I was drawn to the raw pain and separation of the painting.  What Frida really accomplished was a window into how she was actually feeling.      

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Garden of Earthly Delights)

Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch; 1505-1510. Oil on wood. Located in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

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• The period in which the "Garden" was created can be considered as northern pre-Renaissance art.  
• Bosch was a Flemish painter.  "Garden" is impossible to compare to any other work of his, let alone to any piece created during the same time period.  Bosch's purpose for creating this triptych is still unknown.  However, the effect he intended the audience to have when looking at the panels is clear and striking.  Bosch combines simple images such as the creation of Adam and Eve, and turns it into a wild image by placing the scene in some outlandish setting.  Bosch's portrayal of Hell also demonstrates a very vivid imagination.  The middle panel may suggest procreation, however, the orgiastic feel of the scene seems to act rather as a warning to viewers of sin and immorality. 
• I chose Garden of Earthly delights as one of my picks because it was different than all other pieces I had seen.  It was very uncharacteristic of the time period and created controversy when it was revealed.  It is intriguing to not know what Bosch was actually trying to say, making his triptych all the more engaging.    

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (The Tempest)

The Tempest by Giorgione Da Castelfranco; 1510. Oil on canvas. Located in Galleria dell' Accademia in Venice.

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• The Tempest was a product of Venetian High Renaissance art.  The most characteristic aspect of all Castelfranco pieces that makes each "Venetian" is his sense of poetry.  Also common of Venetian pieces is a smoky haze incorporated into the painting.  This haze, along with muted colors and a poetic nature were all characteristics of  High Renaissance Venetian art. 
• While no real story exists to describe The Tempest, Castelfranco's observation of nature and of beautiful nude women create a poetic sense.  There is a storm in the background, and a soft haze is cast over the scene.  The Tempest is clearly Venetian.
• I chose The Tempest as one of my pieces because I was greatly fond of the ambiguity of the painting.  The piece, at the same time, is extremely light and graceful. By looking at the the scene viewers aren't really sure what is occurring.  The only definite fact is the storm in the background.

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Just What is it that Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing?)

Just What is it that Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing? by Richard Hamilton; 1956. Collage. Located in Kunsthalle Tubingen.

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• Pop art was a sort of "rebirth" for signs, symbols, metaphors, allusions, illusions, and figurative language.  This art was very different than past classical forms of art, but it did reintroduce to the art world classical ideals that had been lost in the art of abstraction.  "Just What it is" is of course Pop Art.
• Hamilton combined fine art and popular art to create a meld of visual interaction.  This piece was mainly a form of advertisement, using popular art to attract the masses.  However, Hamilton's propaganda went beyond the price tag.  References to mass media, advertising, and pop culture are all present within this piece.  Most likely, Hamilton was glorifying these aspects in order to mock America on their reliance of these new social customs.
• This piece of pop art wasn't one of my favorites at first glance.  When I realized that Hamilton was reinventing art after World War II and trying to reprimand society for its frivolous nature, then i took a liking to this collage.  By using images that America loves, Hamilton is in turn slapping them in the face with those very images.  

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Portrait of the Artist's Sisters and Brother)

Portrait of the Artist's Sisters and Brother by Sofonisba Anguissola; 1555. Located in the Methuen Collection in Corsham Court, Wiltshire.

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• "Portrait" was part of the Mannerist period.  One clear aspect of Mannerism is the staged almost unrealistic way in which the artists captured their images.  Mannerists were also known to look to earlier art as reference instead of using direct observation. Commonly found in Mannerist pieces are strong traces of distortion, exaggeration, and heavy contrasts.  
• In "Portrait", Anguissola takes Mannerism and spikes it with cunning charm.  She creates an intimacy with the characters through slight tonalities of humor and informality.  With poses that would be more characteristic of photography, Anguissola's figures slap viewers in the face with childlike playfulness. 
• I was instantly attracted to this painting because of its stark quirkiness.  How could you not be?  The boy is holding a dog, the girl on the right has her lips pursed in a manner usually characteristic of older nannies, and the girl on the left is looking at the painter with an expression of tired annoyance on her face.  This portrait is simply wonderful.  It is a breadth of fresh air from stuffy and classical Renaissance pieces.   

25 Pieces That Inspire Me (Woman With the Hat)

Woman with the Hat by Henry Matisse; 1905. Oil on canvas. Located in the San Francisco Museum of Art in San Francisco.

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• Expressionism.  Words can hardly describe the movement that was known as expressionism.  The early 1900s saw a completely different take on art and how life should be portrayed through art.  A brief period within the Expressionist movement became known as Fauvism.  Fauves shocked the art world when they unveiled their techniques.  Fauvism was based on new intensifying color with startling contrasts of vermilion and emerald green and of cerulean blue and orange.  All these colors were held together by large sweeping brush strokes and stark patterns.  Fauves completely demonstrated color's structural, expressive, and aesthetic capabilities. 
• Woman in the Hat is clearly Fauvism.  Patches and splotches of color, many times contrasting with each other, were formed to create a likeness of Henry Matisse's wife Amelie.  Color, and color alone was what created the emotion and light in the painting.
• Woman in the Hat is one of the few expressionist pieces that I like. For some reason I took a liking to fauvism while I completely rejected most other forms of expressionist art.  Matisse's use of color, for me, does portray emotion.  Color used in this manner is not only very striking, but also greatly emotional.