09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #1 - Mezzetin

Mezzetin, probably 1718–20 Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684–1721), Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In an art history class a few years ago, the professor had a free response question on an exam: "Choose your favorite art movement and tell me why you chose it." I surprised myself when I chose Rococo and proceeded to list the things that made my heart sing: pure entertainment, lots of pink putti, FABULOUS clothing, lovely soft colors oozing on the canvas, lots of outdoors romping, parties and last but not least, Love. Who would have thunk it!

The images this year begin with this lovely movement, Rococo. It's birth was in France, and Jean Antoine Watteau is credited for being at the forefront of the movement. An innovative artist, he painted in a looser, more painterly style than his contemporaries. His most notable contribution to art is the creation of a new genre the Académie des Beaux-Arts called the "fête galante" or gallant party. These paintings showed groups of elegantly dressed aristocrats enjoying outdoor gatherings. His submission to the Académie did not fit into their accepted genres. The hierarchy of the genres ranked the works according to their subjects: #1 history paintings, #2 portraits, #3 genre scenes and #4 still life and landscapes. The fête galante genre loosened up this rigid hierarchy and the Académie, which was historically very conservative, began to open up to new subjects and styles. It was important to individual artists to be accepted by the Académie for a successful livelihood as a professional artist.

Mezzetin shows us Watteau's interest in the theater as subject matter for his paintings. In this painting, Mezzetin (which means "half-measure") is one of the stock character actors in an Italian commedia dell'arte. There are a couple of not so subtle messages in this composition. The female figure in the background (a statue painted in the grisaillle technique) has her back turned to the wistful troubadour. He appears to be singing a love song, perhaps about unrequited love; he is fully engaged, lost in his own world.

The Louvre has a marvelous collection of Rococo art, both decorative arts and paintings. Can't get to Paris to see the Louvre's Rococo collection? Check out the virtual tour of the Watteau Room in the Louvre!

Portrait of Jean-Antoine Watteau by Rosalba Carriera.

Guess the Famous Painting and feed the poor!

Daumier, Honore, The Painter at His Easel, c. 1870-75, Oil on panel, 33.5 x 27 cm, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Wiliamstown

Thanks to Susan Benford creator of the fine art Masterpiece Cards set (see a link to her website in My Blog List), I followed the link to this great art game on the "Free Education and Free Rice" site. Click on the post title above to play the game. Here is what they say about their site:

FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. Our partner is the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

FreeRice has two goals:

* Provide education to everyone for free.
* Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who advertise on this site.

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your education can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself. Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you.

For those of you who love art history, this is a fabulous place to review your knowledge about fine art - it is so fun (and addictive) PLUS you are helping someone in the world and every little bit we can do to make the world a better place matters! See how you do!

My Summer Vacation

Puppy, Jeff Koons, 1992, Guggenheim Bilbao


I've been on vacation this summer and so has the blog! One of my favorite parts of my summer vacation was visiting museums in Spain as well as at home! Here's a list of the museums I visited this summer and what I saw there:

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain - a private guided tour of the permanent collection in all its glory!

Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain - Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe and the fabulous Richard Serra's "The Matter of Time" and the permanent collection.

Museo Picasso de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, "Kees Van Dongen" and the early works of the great Pablo Picasso.

My visits to the next 5 museums were part of the Museum Forum for Teachers sponsored by the Nasher Sculpture Center - a thrilling experience being able to spend an entire day in each museum with the education staff!

The Rachofsky House, Dallas, Texas, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" a site-specific installation by Ricci Albenda.

Dallas Museum of Art,, Dallas, Texas, "Private Universes" an exciting contemporary art exhibit.

Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas, explorations of the permanent collection.

Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, "Butchers, Dragons, Gods & Skeletons"an innovative installation marrying the permanent collection with beautiful films by Philip Haas.

Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, William Kentridge - Five Themes a survey of this South Africa contemporary artist.

It was a stimulating, exciting, enlightening summer and I'm ready to take it into the classroom!

Kimbell Art Museum's New Michelangelo Painting

Michelangelo, The Torment of Saint Anthony, c. 1487–88. Oil and tempera on panel, 18 1/2 x 13 1/4 in. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

What an exciting addition to the Kimbell's already stellar permanent collection! This painting by Michelangelo was produced after being permitted to see Domenico Ghirlandaio's print and painting collection. Michelangelo was placed by his father into apprenticeship with Ghirlandaio for three years in 1488 "under the following conditions: That the said Michelangelo shall remain with the above-named during all the said time, to the end that they may teach him to paint and to exercise their vocation, and that the above-named shall have full command over him, paying him in the course of these three years threnty-four florins, as wages..." (exerpt from Lives of the Most Eminent Painters) He was particularly interested in Martin Schongauer's engraving The Temptation of Saint Anthony. A young artist, he created his own version of the biblical story.

Here is quoted text from Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Most Eminent Painters regarding this very painting: "Now it chanced that when Domenico was painting the great chapel of Santa Maria Novella, he one day went out, and Michelangelo then set himself to draw the scaffolding, with some trestles, the various utensils of the art, and some of those young men who were then working there. Domenico having returned and seen the drawing of Michelangelo exclaimed, 'This boy knows more than I do,' standing in amaze at the originality and novelty of manner which the judgment imparted to him by Heaven had enabled a mere child to exhibit. For the work was, in truth, rather such as might have fully satisfied the artist, had it been performed by the hand of an experienced master. But if it was possible to Michelangelo to effect so much, that happened because all the gifts of nature were in him enhanced, and strengthened by study and exercise, wherefore he daily produced works of increased excellence, as began clearly to be made manifest in the copy which he made of a plate engraved by the German Martino, and which procured him a very great name. This engraving was one which had just then been brought to Florence, and represented St. Anthony tormented by devils. It is a copperplate, and Michelangelo copied it with a pen in such a manner as had never before been seen. He painted it in colours also; and, the better to imitate the strange forms of some among those devils, he bought fish which had scales somewhat resembling those on the demons; in this painted copy he displayed so much ability that his credit and reputation were greatly increased thereby."

Vasari is credited to have begun the history of art with this excellent accounting, though some say his narrative is biased. Be that as it may, I procured my volume from an estate sale and have not had the time to read it in full. I feel it rising to the top of book pile to be read this summer. Oh, happy day - a summer to read and a new masterpiece to see this fall when it arrives at the Kimbell. Check out the link in the post title to the Kimbell's page about the acquisition of the painting.

Artist of the Week - 6EMEIA

It's an unusually wet spring here in Dallas with lots of rain. I was awakened at 4:00 this morning by another storm blowing through. We take storm drains for granted, but the lowly storm drain keeps our streets from becoming rivers (at least most of the time). Check out the work of these South American artists! They are hard at work painting the cityscape they live in. It's great to have some color and humor on the street!

Artist of the Week - Ju Duoqi

The Vegetable Museum - 04, Ju Duoqi, 2008
The Third of May 2008
C-Print Size A: 120x150cm Edition: 6 Size B: 80x100cm Edition: 12

(Blogger's note: It was a subconscious act that I chose "The Third of May" for my Third of May post! Only AFTER I viewed the post did I see the cosmic nature of it. Those of you who know me well know how much I LOVE cosmic events!)

What is it about food art that we love so? I think it is because we love food AND art - when they come together it is fun and interesting. Ju Duoqi is a Chinese artist who reinterprets classic paintings using vegetables as her medium. She photographs the scene she has created and prints editions for sale. Click on the post title to go to a site that features The Vegetable Museum. She displays sensitivity and humor in her work. Before going, I'd like to leave you with one quote from the site that captures her feeling about her work: "Everything has a spirit, each vegetable, each person, and each second, under careful observation, has extraordinary meaning." Here is a link to a video interviewing the artist at work.

The Vegetable Museum - 07, Ju Duoqi, 2008
Napoleon on Potatos
C-Print Size A: 150x120cm Edition: 6 Size B: 100x80cm Edition: 12

Meadows Museum - Etruscan Temple and the Tomb

Diadem, Late 4th c. B.C., Gold.
From Populonia. Florence, National Archaeological Museum

Over spring break I visited the Meadows Museum on the SMU campus to see this incredible exhibit reflecting the Etruscan culture (it will be displayed through May 17, 2009). The exhibit has quite a depth and breadth with over 300 objects exhibited - it is the largest exhibit of Etruscan art shown in the United States, and it is right here in Dallas! The Meadows Museum is honoring the 15th anniversary of SMU professor P. Gregory Warden’s groundbreaking archaeological excavation in Poggio Colla, Italy with this exhibition dedicated to the great ancestors of Rome. The Etruscan culture served as a kind of bridge between the Greeks and the Romans, eventually becoming absorbed into the Roman culture.

This diadem, which is a type of crown or ornamental headband, is just one of the spectacular pieces in the exhibit. Made of gold, the leaves are delicate and soft. The gold is handled expertly and it is remarkable to me that it is in such good shape because it appears to be so fragile.

I attended a lecture that evening: Weaving as Worship: The Role of Women in Etruscan Religious Ritual given by Dr. Gretchen Meyers. I have been a weaver for more than 30 years. The archeological excavation mentioned above has produced scores of weaving implements and tools. It was interesting to see images of the site and hear the ideas Dr. Meyers had about the role of elite women in the production of sacred textiles. Women had great freedom and an unusually active role in the Etruscan culture. It's hard to describe the excitement I felt realizing that I have continued an activity that happened so many centuries ago. I feel a connection to those women and know what it might have been like for them to produce these fabrics.

Lekythos. Attic. Attributed to the Amasis Painter. Terracotta (Black Figure). Height: 6 ¾ inches (17.15 cm). Ca. 550-530 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art (31.11.10

Artist of the Week - Julian Beever

Anamorphic illusions are images that are drawn in a certain way so that when they are viewed from a special angle they appear three dimensional. This technique was used as far back as Renaissance times, but Julian Beever is well known for his sidewalk chalk drawings that utilize this method. You may have received an email that featured images of his work - I know he's cycled through my inbox more than once!

Let's look at one of his images in the "regular" view.....
Making Poverty History, Julian Beever

Here's how he has to draw it to get it look three dimensional....
Making Poverty History, Julian Beever

For my art history students, this oblique anamorphic technique is closely related to tromp l'oeil (which in French means "trick the eye") - actually, I think it is also tricking our brain!! You can only see the image as might expect to find it from one particular viewpoint. Remember Hans Holbein the Younger's work? It has an anamorphic skull in the lower section of the composition positioned between the Ambassadors. You see the distorted view as you look at the painting straight on:
The French Ambassadors, Hans Holbein the Younger, Oil on oak, 1533

Fascinating....

Art Technique - Watercolor

Fishing Boats on the Beach, Vincent van Gogh, Watercolor, 1888


One of my Freshmen Art I classes is playing with watercolor as we create our "head shots of the Gods" for the DMA student art exhibition in April. I have been encouraging them to play with the medium and discover what techniques they can incorporate into their skill set. Some think that watercolor is challenging because it is a lively material. It can be. The beauty of watercolor is the clarity of the paint and the "life" it has when it hits the paper. It definitely takes some practice to explore its qualities and it is easy to overwork the paint and end up with a muddy blob.

I am encouraging my young painters to check out this website and look at some of the painting demonstrations. It might give you some ideas that you will want to incorporate into your portraits! I've put two images in this post, one I did at a workshop and a watercolor by Vincent van Gogh. He handled the paint much like I have been demonstrating for our portraits - big patches of local color (a solid hue) with outlining to define shapes. I'm excited to see what you discover when we get back from spring break!

Snagged, Christine Miller, Watercolor, 2007

Artist of the Week - Louis Comfort Tiffany

Magnolias and Irises, 1908, Leaded Favrile-glass window, 60 1/4 x 42 in.

Louis Comfort Tiffany was a remarkable and versatile artist. He started as a painter but quickly expanded into a variety of media. Rising to prominence during the Gilded Age of the industrial rise in America, he was a contributor to the Aesthetic Movement which believed in the importance of the decorative arts. Interiors became integrated environments in which every object, surface and treatment related to the whole. Tiffany's workshop grew as private patrons, civic institutions and churches commissioned his work.

Tiffany was truly innovative. The type of glass available to him was very limited. Coming out of a painting tradition, it is no surprise that he saw glass as a medium that he could "paint" with. Because he did not have a wide variety of glass to work with, he was instrumental in having new types of treatment made to the glass such as opalescence, variegated shades, molded textures, tonal gradations and layered colors to obtain different effects.

His windows were narratives of biblical stories, portraits of his patrons, or were landscape scenes. Like Monet, he loved the garden and created verdant scenes of trees, flowers and water. All of his windows were carefully designed and assembled one piece of glass at a time. Check out this site about stained glass to see how these windows are made!

Artist of the Week - Salvador Dali

Galatea of the Spheres, Oil on Canvas, 1952

Salvador and his wife Gala had an incredible bond. He depended on her completely. Unable to cope with managing his life (like making change for a taxi or arranging for a meal for himself) Gala ordered his universe. She was everything to him, but one of the most important roles she had was as his muse. Dali painted his wife numerous times.

This painting is astounding - he portrays her classic beauty with emotion and grace. He does this as he visually shatters her image into perfect orbs that swirl in tandem with each other. They dance above the earth suspended between the sky and the tranquil sea. In the mid-twentieth century he was contemplating the theories of Freud in the new field of psychology as well as Heisenberg and physics. They were powerful influences on his art (as were many, many other things!).

Why did I choose Dali this evening - well, all things Spain right now (with my Spain trip coming up in June). Dali comes from Spain and you can see the dramatic Spanish terrain in many of his paintings. I guess I've been particularly interested in him in the last few years. I read a great biography about him. Though associated strongly with the Surrealist movement, Dali renounced any official affiliation. He was a loner.

Summer before last I had an opportunity to see his work in person. Mr. Miller & I visited the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Wow! It was fantastic! A museum devoted to Dali with a broad spectrum of his work displayed. I could have spent the day there (though it is not that large) just looking at his work (I only got about an hour). Complex, detailed, beautiful and enigmatic, you can study one piece for long periods of time drinking in every detail. Astounding, compelling and powerful, Salvador Dali's art leaves me breathless!

Smarthistory - An overview of the period 1907-1960 - AP Art History Assignment

René Magritte, La Condition humaine, 1933

Next in our series of blasting through modernism is this installment from Smarthistory (please listen to their podcast-link in post title). It's a wonderful dialogue that echoed many things we have been referencing in class - the modeling of the figure, classicism, and the use of dark and light (chiaroscuro). Plus there are some of the ideas we talked about at the last DMA Late Night - exploring the the nature of color, reducing objects down to their simplest forms, and manipulating the viewer's eye and mind.

Ah, the glory of art!! I do love it so! The "isms" this post covers are Picasso (they talk about cubism, though do not feature a piece from that movement in this podcast), surrealism and and "Neo-Plasticism" (a term Mondrian termed to characterize a non-representational form that consisted of a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines with the use of the three primary colors). Enjoy the ride, mis niños!

Dallas Museum of Art Technology Teacher Workshop

Janine Antoni Lick and Lather 1993 (made of chocolate and soap)

I'm attending a great workshop at the DMA designed to help teachers incorporate technology into the classroom. This workshop is focused on blogging. Blogging is so much fun! I LOVE using it in the classroom and this year I have used it more than I ever have before.

As part of this workshop, we have been exploring the Center for Creative Connections. The museum changes the focus of materials regularly and the space allows visitors to have a more tactile experience with materials that artworks are made from. There is lots of stuff to touch!

The label for this piece says: "Through intimate acts and her choice of materials that will eventually disappear, the artist confronts her relationship with herself." There is a lot to consider here: the body is constantly changing through cellular replacement and the regeneration of organs and systems; we change every single minute of every single day; these materials are common and precious (have you ever NEEDED soap or chocolate and they weren't available at that moment?); both materials are plastic (meaning they are pliable and formable) and can be either inexpensive or expensive; the sculpture uses an additive process (adding the material to create the artwork) and a subtractive process (taking material away to change the artwork); how do we use additive and subtractive processes in our lives; how successful are we in the relationships we have with ourselves? Consider these ideas in regards to your own relationship with yourself - are you:
Nurturing
Expanding
Controlling
Protecting
Questioning

What ideas or questions are generated for you?

One good food art post deserves another

Garden Bento by Sakurako Kitsa

So the Charm City Cakes post was so fun and yummy looking, I couldn't resist finding another fun food post. Really - food art is so groovy! The color, texture and edibility are all so irresistible! I'm posting another blog post that collects different food compositions. Why don't you try to make a creation of your own this coming weekend!

The Art of the Cake

Duff Goldman, Baker/Owner of Charm City Cakes

Ahhhh, the art of food. Lately I've been watching the Food Network and am truly amazed at the creations that very talented people create in the form of dessert. The Ace of Cakes is especially fun and amazing. They create really amazing cakes for all events - weddings, anniversaries, parties, celebrations for people of all ages, young and old. Their Starship Enterprise cake, an exact replica of the ship, is astounding. The post headline is a link to their website.

Their show features a few cakes in each episode and shows each baker in the process of building their masterpiece. There are many things they have to take into consideration as they created their sculptured confections (and a lot of problem solving!): how will they support different parts to keep the entire cake intact, what colors are appropriate, how do they scale the designs to be appropriate to the size of the cake, and what details will enhance the design? These cakes are truly works of art but meant to be totally consumed! In the end, each cake needs to be not only beautiful but delicious as well! Check out this link for their show on the Food Network and see some videos about their cakes.

Virtual tour of Sistine Chapel - Smarthistory

AP Art History students - please use this post to comment on the videos you watched from Smarthistory's website that are the virtual tours of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the wall of The Last Judgment. Here is the link to the Sistine Chapel Ceiling and for The Last Judgment. Can't wait to hear what you have to say!!

Artist of the Week - Barry B. Doyle

Flamingo at Rest - Image copyright © 2007 by Barry B. Doyle, used with permission.

One of our TAG parents, Barry Doyle, is quite the artist and I asked him if I could include his work in my blog. His son Colin ('05) and Tory ('06) both attended TAG and are also very artistic!

I specifically wanted to feature his photography for my AP Studio Art students. Several are going to use photography for their concentrations this semester. I recommend that my students look at the work of other artists in order to inform their own visual vocabulary. Digital cameras have made taking pictures so exciting! You can instantly see what image you have captured, download it quickly into your computer, move it about easily or modify it with the help of Photoshop. The key element in becoming a great photographer is developing a keen eye and learning how to frame the image for a striking composition. Check out his flickr photostream to see more of his work.

Barry has a book coming out featuring his photographs of Dallas - "Dallas Iconography" will be available to purchase from Amazon soon. Here's what the Dallas Visitor's Bureau says about his upcoming publication: " Just what we've needed and a fitting tribute to our beautiful city. The versatile Dallas Iconography serves as a useful guide for visitors, a valued commemorative gift and the perfect souvenir. And besides its utilitarian function, this impressive work of fine art and design makes an elegant coffee table book. --Jay Burress, VP Sales & Marketing, Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau". I'm excited to see his book - his work is evident that talented and gifted students spring from talented and gifted parents! Kudos, Barry!!

The Facade of the Gothic Cathedral

Rose Window, Chartres Cathedral

The glory of the Gothic Cathedral - I consider these architectural structures to be incredible testaments to man's ambition, devotion and pride. They are truly incredible structures, ever soaring, reaching higher and higher into the sky. Man's engineering skills were astonishing considering the tools and technology they had back in the time we call the Middle Ages.

The link in this post's title will take you to a wonderful video that explains how to "read" the facade of a Gothic Cathedral. Very nice and enlightening. Check it out...

Smarthistory - An overview of the period 1848-1907 - AP Art History Assignment Due 2/1/09

Works Discussed:
William Holman Hunt, Strayed Sheep (Our English Coasts), oil on canvas, 1852 (Tate Britain)
Claude Monet, Boulevard des Capucines, oil on canvas, 1873 (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City)
Vincent Van Gogh, Potato Eaters, oil on canvas, 1885 (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)

Art History students - remember the timeline I gave you that mapped from the Renaissance to Contemporary art movements? Well, Smarthistory has 3 podcasts that give a brief overview of the dates listed above. I want you to listen to the first podcast and respond. Please click on this Post title to navigate to the blog site, listen to the podcast then come back to my blog and post a comment about what you learned. Be sure to have your timeline with you and chart the progress.

For your added pleasure (& entertainment!), I added links to the individual artists. You can learn all about them and see the body of their work. Just to help you track them on your ISM Timeline, Holman was a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Monet was instrumental in the Impressionism movement, and Van Gogh is inseparable from the Post-Impressionism movement.

(This is a 4th 6 weeks homework blog assisgnment #1)

Art History DMA Late Night Modern Art Adventure

"Cathedral", 1947, enamel and aluminum paint on canvas, 71 1/2 x 35 in., Dallas Museum of Art

I HATE not getting to go to a party that I planned! And that's how it turned out for this month's DMA Late Night excursion with my Art History class. Kudos to those who went and poor me that I had this stupid virus for two days. Oh well. Anyway, I have NO IDEA what Jenny took you to see, what you did, what you said or what you thought! So I'm dying to know! As extra credit for the next six weeks, make a comment to this post and tell me about YOUR experience! What did you learn? Inquiring minds want to know.

Since I wasn't there, I decided to create my own experience and chose the Jackson Pollock that the museum owns. If you are in the mood for something fun, click on the post headline for an interactive Pollock site - you can make your OWN Pollock painting. Every time you click the mouse, the color changes. Try it - it's fun! Technology is soooooo cool - and this is a fun, fun blend of technology with an art history story!

Jackson Pollock certainly rocked the art world in the mid-twentieth century. A student of Thomas Hart Benton, Pollock tapped into his own energy for painting in a literal way. He believed that new times (this was shortly after the dropping of the bomb) required new techniques and ways of expressing ourselves. As so many other art movements, Impressionism, Cubism, Dadism, Pollock's radical way of painting and it's end result (someone dubbed him "Jack the Dripper") stirred controversy. But he was in a group of other change makers - Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning - the Abstract Expressionists. Check out this great, informative website about Pollock to get a better sense of his place in art history. To see Pollock in action check out this video made in 1951 that Pollock narrates. There is another video that features clips from the 2002 movie "Pollock" starring Ed Harris.

The Pantheon

How this place thrills me! Even before I traveled to Italy last summer and got this picture of the coffered ceiling, when I would get to the page in my art history textbook about the Pantheon, I would shiver. The innovative thinking and the flawless execution just blow me away when I think back to the building of this temple in the 2nd century A.D.

And to think I might not have made it! We had been touring Rome all day (can you imagine Rome in a day?) - the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's, the Forum, the Colosseum - I called it the Roman march. And it was hot! Marching, marching in the heat - pressing on to the next fabulous place to see. By the time we got deposited into some square, my group was exhausted. There was another group from our bus that was going to walk the few blocks to see the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. My group was pooped and wanted to have a gelato and sit. I didn't blame them one bit - I wanted to do the same.

But - this might be my only chance to see the Pantheon. How could I live with myself if I got back home and didn't make the supreme effort (that it seemed at the time) to go there? Would I ever forgive myself? NO! In a split second I knew I had to go - and was it ever worth it! The marble, the light, the sacred geometry enveloping me in its glory. It was truly a high point of my trip to Italy. The link in the Post title from the blog of Smarthistory.org is quite delightful - check it out! And, for my students, it also touches on the Hagia Sophia and the dome of Brunelleschi. Very nice!

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #18

From Spaniard and Black, Mulatto (De Espanol, Y Negra. Mulato) Attributed to Jose de Alcibar, 1760-1770, Oil on canvas, 31 x 38 1/4 in. (Art during the Colonial Era)

Ethnic mixing is not new - this work shows a common situation in colonial Mexico in which different races came together in marriage and produced a child that at that time was labeled "mulatto". The painting is a genre scene (showing an everyday happening). The woman is wearing a rebozo (see previous AcDec post about rebozos), which indicates she is of middle- or lower-class. She is cooking and gazing affectionately at husband and son. The father also gazes down on his small son with a loving expression.

The young boy is the focal point of the composition. He is lifting a brazier so his father can light his cigar. This skillful oil painting is careful in the portrayal of each subject's body positions and facial expressions. This piece (numbered 6) (you can see the label in the upper left hand corner) is one in a series that would have comprised a set. For someone to have owned a set of paintings this size, they would have been from the more wealthy social class.

The elite felt threatened by people who mixed racially, but race relationships were complicated and confusing because you couldn't always identify a person's race just from their appearance. People of European descent (and especially those from Spain) wanted to identify strongly with their white, European heritage to maintain positions of power.

Check out this PowerPoint about art in the Colonial era.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #17

Beaker, Maya Civilization, 600 A.D., Polychrome ceramic, 7 x 5 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

Have you ever made a pot using the coiling technique? You role out a long snake of clay and coil it into the shape you want. Then you use water and your fingers or a tool to smooth the surfaces. It's a fun way to make a pot! The Mayan potters used this technique because they didn't have a potter's wheel. After forming the shape, they would let it dry until it was leather hard, then paint it with "slip" (minerals and earth materials mixed with water to make a kind of paint.) They know this was made in the Classic period because it has so many colors.

Two males are seated, dressed in elaborate textiles and jewelry. They have make-up and headdresses. The smoke that seems to come from the figure in the front is meant to indicate speech or communication. The heiroglyphs above their heads could detail their identity or the nature of the ritual. Hooked noses were aesthetically pleasing to them. The figures are stylized but look naturalistic.

Here's a quiz you can take about the Mayan and a beaker. See how you do! There is also what appears to be a high school PowerPoint on the web that is related to the work chosen for AcDec - check it out! Scroll down the presentation to see the beaker slide, but check out the others! It has some great information in it!

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #16

Figure in Illuminated Doorway, Rufino Tamayo, 1960, Color lithograph, 65 x 50 cm (Art after Independence)

Tamayo, though he had contact with artists such as Siqueiros and Orozco, and was aware of the work of Rivera, took a different path, made work that was rather small and not political in nature. He lived and taught in New York and in Paris. In 1960 (the date of this lithograph), he moved back to Mesico until his death in 1991. He and his wife had an impressive collection of Pre-Hispanic art and left it for a museum in Oaxaca. Another museum (Ruffino Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art) opened in 1981 and houses his work along with other contemporary artists. (There is also a PowerPoint from another high school that references the work after Independence. It has highlights about the pieces.)

This type of print is unlike the etchings in the previous posts. This is a lithograph - check out MOMA's explanation of printmaking - you will learn about 4 processes here! THIS IS A FABULOUS FLASH DEMONSTRATION OF THE PRINTMAKING PROCESS - YOU MUST CHECK THIS OUT!! (You can tell I really like this site!)

Anway - he was interested in still life and genre scenes (images of everyday activities). This female silouette in in a doorway with one hand resting on the doorframe. It seems that her head is covered by a veil and is shaped kind of like a keyhole. His palette is simple - black, white, red and shades of yellowish-browns. The featureless figure could represent common experiences at key stages in life. Modern subjects often move towards themes that have broad universality with the viewer.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #15

Don Juan Joachin Gutierrez Altamirano Y Velasco, Miguel Cabrere, 1752, Oil on Canvas, 81 5/16 x 53 1/2 in. (Art during the Colonial Era)

This piece resides in the Brooklyn Museum. Notice the similarity in this Imperial portrait to that of Louis XIV of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud painted around 1701! Copy Cat! (In art we call it appropriation!)



What was more important in an imperial portrait was to convey the subject's status rather than an accurate likeness. (His powdered wig is a big status symbol.) He is portrayed as aristocratic with thin, refined features, long slender fingers and light skin - all traits valued by the elite in New Spain.

Oil paint on canvas was used to create this life-size portrait. Oil paints are perfect for creating tiny details. You can be sure this large portrait cost a pretty penny. Cabrera had a workshop with assistants: they helped him prepare the materials as well as paint the least important sections of the painting.

"Don Juan Joachin held the titles of the Sixth Count of Santiago de Calimaya and the Seventh Marquis of Salinas de Rio Pisuerga as well as maintaining a position of power within the Church. He was a wealthy landholder in both Europe and New Spain. His ancestors were explorers and conquistadores, and from them he ingerited the honarry title of High Governor-in-Perpetuity of the Phillipines (a purely ceremonial role)." Whew! No wonder he needed a huge picture of himself!!

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #14

Tikal: Temple of the Giant Jaguar, Maya Civilization, 731 A.D., Cut stone masonry, 144.4 ft. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

This site is located in Guatemala and was thriving in the Classic Maya time period. Unlike the previous city at Teotihuacan (which was laid out on a grid), Tikal is arranged in a more organic manner, clustered around separate courtyards. They seem to have been created on an as needed basis, without a clear master plan.

This city had pyramids, monumental palaces and thatched houses that were on earth and stone mounds. Tikal had six temple-pyramids, and though the Temple of the Giant is not the highest, it is one of the most important. The jaguar was revered as a powerful animal that demonstrated divinity and leadership. One of the Mayan leaders, Jasaw Chan K'awiil was buried in this temple and identified with the Jaguar's power. In his tomb were typical afterworld objects - containers for food and liquid as well as personal ojects made of jade and precious materials.

Here are some quotes from your AcDec Art Resource Guide, but also check out the link in the image title for a website about Tikal National Park. "...the Temple of the Giant Jaguar is constructed of rubble and limestone blocks. It is a stepped pyramid built on nine levels. The pyramid is tall and quite steep...The pyramid was probably covered with plaster, and there are indications that some elements were painted.....The pyramid was a burial site, and it contained narrow pasageways and rooms, dome decorated with fresco paintings. The small size of the passageways and rooms within the temple indicates that it was not designed to hold large numbers of people at a time......it was built during the Late Classic Period."

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #13

View of the Street of the Dead, Showing the Plaza of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan, 1-750 A.D. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

This city flourished at a time that was known as the Classic Period from 150-900 A.D. A lot of growth and development happened at this time leading the city to have great influence in the region. Because of the material culture left behind in their ruins, experts can surmise that there was a lot of trade and political domination. Teotihuacan (as well as Remojadas mentioned in a previous post) are in close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico.

The culture was sophisticated (and the 6th most populous city in the world in 600 A.D.). The city had religious and political rulers (along with the requisite warriors!) and was surrounded by peasant farmers. The Maya and Zapotec peoples had writing systems that were well developed. There were may gods that were worshipped who seem to have spun out of the Olmec deities. Some of these even became important to the Aztecs. As a result of the cultural development the people built monumental civic and ritual architecture to show their Power & Authority (a common theme in the Art History class!). We see the pyramid shape as a dominant shape for their temples and tombs (familiar???). Check out the hyperlink in the image title to go to an guide to the archeological site in Teotihuacan.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #12

The Flower Carrier, Diego Rivera, 1935, Painting, oil and tempera on Masonite, 48 in. x 47 3/4 in., (Art after Independence)

The history of Diego Rivera (and his wife Frieda Kahlo) is a wonderful, tragic love story of two artists that had a stormy and turbulent marriage. He was an established artist when they first met (she actually took her paintings to show him as a young woman, interested in getting his approval).

He is best known as a mural painter (using the technique of fresco), but he also produces smaller artwork such as this one. His paintings were of landscapes, still lifes, portraits and genre scenes (scenes of everyday life). Perhaps because he was used to creating such large works, the figures in this piece are monumental considering the picture plane - the fill the entire surface. He uses earth tones contrasted with the bright magenta of the flowers and the white costume of the peasant. Your AcDec Art Guide suggests that "the harmonious relationship between the two figures perhaps indicates an overall balance and stability in the rural life of Mexico."

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #11

Untitled (Our Lady of Guadalupe), a page accompanying a thesis submitted to the law faculty in Guadalajara by Joseph Turibius Gonzalez et Ramirez, Francisco Aguera Bustamante, Engraver, 1796, engraving, 11.1 x 7.3 cm (image) (Art during the Colonial Era)

This particular kind of image of the Virgin Mary is specific to Mexico and is still an very important symbol of national identity. She is reported to have appeared in Mexico in 1531 just after the Spaniards defeated the Aztecs. During this time, large numbers of Aztecs were converting to Christianity.

The narrative specific to this vision of the Virgin involves a poor Aztec man , Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1471-1548). He had already converted to the Catholic religion. One day on his travels, he experienced a vision of the Virgin on a hill. She sent him to the bishop with the request for a church dedicated to her in that spot. Not surprisingly, when he delivered his story of the vision and instructions, he was spurned by Bishop Juan de Zumarraga.

Juan Diego went back to the spot, waiting to see the Virgin again. When she made another miraculous appearance, she dispatched him to find a rare species of rose that would not have normally been growing at that time of the year. He set off on his mission and wrapped the flowers in his tilma (a type of cape). The virgin arranged the garment with the flowers and sent him back to the Bishop.

When he opened his cape to reveal the flowers, a miraculous image of the Virgin appeared on his garment, and the Bishop fell to his knees and agreed to build the church at the top of the hill where there had been an Aztec temple. The power of the miracle has transferred to this symbol as the patron of the masses.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #10

Standing Female, Jalisco, 200 B.C., Ceramic, 7 1/4 x 3 1/2 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

The top figure was excavated in the state of Jalisco, the bottom one in Michoacan. Both are made of clay.

The top figure is tall and thin and stylized with elastic-like arms. One of her arms rests on her waist while the other reaches in front of the body and touches the necklace she's wearing. The necklace and headdress are formed from coils of clay.

The bottom figure is short and squat and has more clay details on the figure. The four circles on her upper arms could be body adornment or scarification. She, too, has a necklace which may represent carved shells or stones.

Little is know about the purpose of these figures, though their location in mass graves indicates they were probably burial offerings. Check out more about the history of Pre-Columbian art.

Standing Female, Ancient Michoacan, 200 B.C., Earthenware, 6 x 3 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #9

Valley of Oaxaca, Jose Maria Velasco, 1888, Oil on Canvas, 41 7/8 x 63 1/4 in. (Art after Independence)

Jose Maria Velasco lived and worked in the mid-19th century in Mexico. He was trained as a painter and the style of the landscapes he painted was picturesque and idealized. He was dedicated to painting landscapes that were not only Mexican, but were also clearly identifiable to his viewers.

This painting is a large scale work from the peak of his career. He has a bird's-eye view of the valley. Natural flora and fauna are portrayed in the detailed foreground. The group of people are in indigenous dress and are of the peasant class. Notice the small wooden cross on the small hill behind the figures. Not only was Velasco a devout catholic, but religious imagery like this was common in the rural landscape.

Also we see the grid of the growing city portrayed with the use of linear perspective. He also used Leonardo's famous artistic device, atmospheric perspective (the colors in the background are more blue and the sharpness of detail is softened further away), to additionally create a vast depth of space on the two dimensional picture plane. Working with oil allowed not only for the precision of his work but also for the delicate shading of color to create this panoramic view.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #8

Codex Huejotzingo (Painting 5), Nahua Culture, 1531, Hand-painted document on maguey (a pre-European paper)(Art during the Colonial Era)

Sometimes art techniques are used for record keeping and as a documentary tool like this Codex page. Remember that a codex is an early form of a book. This particular page is a record of the tribute provided to the court by the town of Huejotzingo. Different objects and people are arranged carefully on the page in a straightforward manner. The focal point of the composition is of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child.

This visual list of tribute shows that payment included pots of amber, gold plaques, a banner and a standard with the image of the Virgin Mary and Child, loincloths, and metal-tipped darts. The people with rings around their necks and sticks protruding are slaves. Someone who was skilled at reading the visual symbols could quickly analyze the offering.

The maguey is made by stripping the inner leaves of the agave cactus. After it is dried it has a light silvery color. The colors are made from earth pigments with details from gold leaf (which was very expensive). Whoever created this page was highly skilled in handling these materials. Check out this link from Sharon Cohen, a world history teacher in Maryland and her approach to teaching this piece in her classroom.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #7

Smiling Head, Veracruz, Ceramic, 6 x 7 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

This piece of hollow ceramic work is considered unique in the Classic and Epiclassic period. Because this piece was found along with tens of thousands clay figurines at the site called Remojadas, the identifying classification "remojadas figures" is applied to such objects.

The shape of the head is stylized and reflects their idea of beauty at the time. Made of clay, it was shaped while in a plastic state and then fired. Some of the figures had the addition of paint on the surface emphasizing certain features. As with so many artifacts, the exact purpose of this object is unknown, but many of them were found in burials. But, smiling figures are very rare in ancient Mesoamerican art, so this smiling head must have had special significance. Be careful not to put your own cultural understanding of a smiling face as an expression of happiness in your interpretation, because this ancient culture may have had a very different significance for the expression!

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #6

La Calavera Catrina (Calavera of the Fashionable Lady), Jose Guadalupe Posada, 1913, Relief Etching on Zinc (Art after Independence)

The first thing I want to mention is that Posada produced at least 2,000 plates for etching in his lifetime! Ay caramba!!! That is prolific! His work is often satirical, and his calaveras (skull in Spanish) were shown in every kind of activity as social and political satire. Like so many other artists, though he spent his life expressing the world he saw around him, he died in relative obscurity. Diego Rivera told stories about Posada as his teacher, though the veracity of those stories is questionable.

This print is one of his most famous. The etching process involved engraving on a sheet of metal then treating that metal in an acid bath that left the lines in relief. Many copies were printed from that plate which made it economical and capable of being distributed widely. One of the factors in his lack of notoriety is that he was paid much like a skilled laborer instead of a fine artist.

This skeleton is dressed in the fashion of a wealthy woman with her elegant hat and fancy hair ribbons. But as is often portrayed in Art History, death is a stranger to no one, and for the working class there was an element of comfort knowing that the powerful would meet their maker as everyone else. The grin and festive attitude of the calavera reminds the living to not take life so seriously - it's only life, after all! Read more about Posoda, etching, Diego's connection and more here.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #5

Shawl (Rebozo) Late 18th c., Silk Plain Weave with Resist Dyeing and Silk and Gilt Thread Embroidery in Darning, Satin, and Outline Stitches; Knotted Fringe, 30 1/2 x 93 3/4 in. (Art during the Colonial Era)

This luxury garment, the Rebozo, is typical of colonial New Spain and post-colonial Mexico. This particular example is made entirely of silk: embroidery on a woven fabric which is done so expertly it is reversible (a very accomplished feat!). Many women of this time period spent lots of time mastering the art of embroidery. Time was not rushed and the many hours spent in producing a textile like this resulted in a garment that was highly valued. Silk was a luxury fiber then and this rebozo would have been owned by a wealthy woman, though the style was also produced in practical cotton affordable to women of the working and merchant class. These are not just decorative garments, but are also very utilitarian as this website demonstrates.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #4

Olmec Figure Sitting, with Spread Legs, Olmec Civilization, 2000-900 B.C., Low-fire earthenware, 9 1/2 x 8 3/8 x 5 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

This small sculpture has a mystery about its function, perhaps it had a special ritual use. The Olmecs made megalithic heads that are compelling and powerful. But this seated figure is also typical of their sculpture. The figure is soft and natural - almost boneless - and is genderless. The body is compact and sturdy looking and the face expressive and detailed. Made of earthenware, it was created using an additive sculpture technique then fired to make it hard. Because clay can crack if it dries out too quickly, the artist made small perforations in the eyes, nostrils and navel that provided air vents during the firing process. This hollow figure is somewhat rare in relation to the figures sculpted from stone.

Check out the "Seated Ruler in Ritual Pose" that the Dallas Museum of Art has in their collection. Compare the two: do the postures and materials communicate different ideas? How do simple marks create expression? Consider this statement from the Museum's info about this piece: "As one of several objects deposited in a burial cache, a greenstone figure such as this may have signified the renewal of life, especially when it was coated with cinnabar, a mineral whose red color represented the life force of blood." Do you agree with this thinking? We may never know all of the answers - even the scholars can only theorize about some of these ideas. All the more reason to do your own surmizing!! Click on the Post title to visit a site about the Olmec culture - it's packed with information!

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #3

Frieda and Diego Rivera, 1931, Oil on Canvas, 39 3/8 in. x 31 in. (Art after Independence)

This portrait of the couple, which looks like a traditional wedding portrait, does not reflect the stormy passions that affected their relationship. Frieda married Diego Rivera when he was an established artist. She was a fledgling artist at the time, but in this portrait looks submissive and demure - she was anything but! She did not take her husband's name, but kept her own - a very unorthodox thing to do in the early 20th century. So this portrait is appropriate in the conservative culture of Mexico: she was expected to be wife and mother. But - the inscription above her head tells it all. She states that she is the artist and that the work was not for personal pleasure but for an art collector, Albert Bender.

To read more about the life and times of Frieda Kahlo, click on this link.

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #2

Mosaic Skull and Jaw, Aztec Civilization 1350-1521, Bone, stone mosaic, and teeth (Pre-Hispanic Art)

This art piece is a human skull that is covered with small pieces of cut stone and shell, a mosaic technique. The pieces, called tesserae, are arranged in a deliberate manner over the surface of the skull. Notice how they are arranged in concentric circles around the eyes - even pieces of white shell or stone are used for the eyes and have been drilled to indicate the pupils. The turquoise used is valuable and communicates power. This skull was possibly used for ritual purposes.

Skulls like this are associated with human sacrifice. We know that the Aztecs thought that human sacrifice was necessary in order to satisfy the gods and keep their world in harmony. The Spanish, when they were invading the Aztecs, thought them to be barbarian - all the more reason to quickly eliminate them and exert their own authority. No doubt they collected these artifacts and took them back from their expeditions as there are a number of such skulls that are in museum collections throughout the world. Check out this site that has other jade and turquoise masks. Scroll down to see some that are similar to this example.

Art Daily - an Art Newspaper on the Internet

Okay, where have I been?!?!? This is the first art newsletter to be on the Internet since 1996 and I'm just finding out about it. Never mind.......thank goodness Mr. Miller sent me a link after he started Googling Eliasson. AND, that was a result of my taking him to the DMA to see the Eliasson exhibit, which he said was "tremendous". (see post made on 11/21/08)

As a studio art teacher, Art I teacher and Art History teacher, this website has something for EVERYBODY!! From the classic artists and paintings to the current, up to date exhibits and news, this site seems to have it all. There are even games and puzzles you can play to test (ahem!) your art knowledge! Explore, have fun, check it out, make it a daily delivery to YOUR inbox like I have!!

Andy Goldsworthy

"Photography is a way of putting distance between myself and the work which sometimes helps me to see more clearly what it is that I have made. " - Andy Goldsworthy

Our school library got Andy Goldsworthy's DVD "Rivers and Tides" and I showed it in class to the Freshmen on Friday. I was very moved by his work and the dedication he has to his art. The integration of his vision into the environment he installs it into is incredibly beautiful.

What did you think about his work? What about the process he goes through to create environmental art? Did you get a sense of the level of commitment he has to perfection? I loved the way his palette moves from intense, high contrast color combinations to subtle, sunbleached neutrals. Did you like the video? What were you impressed about? The link I have in the Title takes you to a Flickr portfolio of some of his work. Be sure to watch it in slideshow mode - link in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Student Work - AP 2D Studio Art

This is created by one of my students, Desiree, for an optical illusion assignment. Great piece of digital art!! I found this short video clip featuring other eye popping illusions. Check it out - click on this post's title - it's a doozy!

Art History DMA Late Night Olaf Eliasson Art Adventure

Okay - so for those who don't know, some of my Art History students and their friends met me at the Dallas Museum of Art Late Night (let me give a major shout out about that fabulous experience) to have a "learning lab" about art. We go to check out different parts of the museum (the permanent collection and special exhibits) at the once a month event in order to expand our study of art, but most importantly to see the art up close and personal.

Sooooooo......I asked my students to come to the blog and comment on their Friday night art experience. Guys - PLEASE DON"T make a comment until you go to his website and check out more of his work (it's linked in the post headline)! It is an INCREDIBLE body of work!!! (Oh, and a word about Eliasson's website - it is SUPER simple - a grey screen with links in white text. No visuals appear on the homepage - you have to go to images and continue clicking on the white text links until you got to the image list. The spareness of his website is a big contrast between the visual saturation of his work.) AND, check out the video that features an interview with the artist on his exhibit "Take Your Time" at the DMA.

How does seeing a larger selection of his work affect your opinion? Can you imagine being "in" those other pieces after your experience?

Here's my response to his work and the experience - I really loved it! Being bathed in colored light is a magical experience. Isn't it cosmic that we are studying Gothic stained glass windows and the Divine Light they produced? How did the light make you feel? Could the light Eliasson creates be considered "divine"? Our guide, Ms. Marvel, spoke about how his work reaches across Art History - can you make any other connections to work or cultures we have seen previously? I have a penchant for shiny things, so the glass and mirror installations caught my eye. I had no prior knowledge of Eliasson's work, so the experience was new and fresh for me as well.

We ended on the note of whether his work (or other work of the same ilk) is art or not. How is his work art (or not)? And, if you don't think it is art (which is a legitimate response by the way), why would a museum consider it to be art? How is conceptual art differenct from representational art? It was an awesome night, thanks again for taking time to come to the museum with me - I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it!?