Rococo Art

Rococo art replaced Baroque Art at the beginning of the 18th century. With this new period of art came new subject matter. Artistic techniques, however, as well as style, remained the same for the most part. Instead of painting pictures relating to religion, artists now placed emphasis on the frivolity of life. The Swing (above) is an example of such work. It pictures a well-dressed woman in a carefree mood being pushed by a man assumed to be her husband. Another man who appears to be staring into her eyes (or looking up her dress) is assumed to be her lover. This portrays the themes of love and romance in these works of art. They were thought to be better subjects than history anf religion in this time. Personally, I don't care for this style much, but I think it's cool that the artists had the guts to break away from a strictly religious subject matter.

Baroque Art

Baroque art originated in the beginning of the 17th century in Italy. Many works of art in the Baroque era were either dances, music, sculptures, literary works, or paintings. This art generally had religious undertones such as Bernini's Ecstacy of St. Theresa (pictured above). Other elements characteristic of this style is portrayal of movement, energy, and contrast. Often, images of the commonplace portrayed as something beautiful made an appearance in paintings, like in Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer (below). I enjoyed watching the movie Girl with a Pearl Earring in class. I thought it was very interesting. People seem to hold as much fascination for it as with the Mona Lisa. The mystery of the painting is what captivates us.

Ukrainian Eggs

The art of Ukrainian eggs, also known as pysanky, is a traditional craft practiced for a history of thousands of years. They are made by painting a wax design on the egg, then dipping them in a colored dye. After the first coat of dye dries, more wax is placed on the egg to allow the first color to remain. This process continues until the artist gets the achieved effect of multi-colored designs. Afterwards, the wax is melted off by a candle or small flame. Various patterns and colors also symbolize different qualities and emotions. They are now referred to as a talisman, or a good luck charm. Overall, I enjoyed this egg-dyeing process and think these eggs are a beautiful way to carry on cultural traditions.

Renaissance

Leonardo da Vinci, The Mona Lisa

The Renaissance was a period of cultural "rebirth", as it translates in Italian. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Botticelli flourished in this era. Great works of art like the Birth of Venus, The Mona Lisa (above), and the various paintings of the Sistine Chapel such as Creation of Adam (below) were created. Michelangelo’s work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is his most famous, despite the fact that he wasn’t happy to paint it. Art, however, wasn't the only forte of the Renaissance. It was a time of knowledge and discoveries in all subjects--architecture, dance, literature, music, philosophy, and science to name a few. This was seen in da Vinci as the ultimate Renaissance man. He was not only a master painter, but also a skilled mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, and writer. His most famous work, the Mona Lisa, is a very mysterious piece because she has no eyebrows.

Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam