Damien Hirst

I did not hear about Damien Hirst or his artwork for that matter until I took Art Appreciation this semester. Hirst is a prolific artist from the United Kingdom. His art can be best described as in your face and abrasive. When I first looked at his artwork I was like the wtf. Who buys this stuff and why would anyone want this in their house. Needless to say, I was not too fond of Hirst's work. But his work does remind of Salvador Dali, one of my favorite artist. There are some similarities between the two artist. I think both artist's work can be called abrasive and have a tendency to make people uncomfortable. One piece of artwork of Damien Hirst's that I did like was his Virgin Mother sculpture. I like how half of the woman's body shows the external features while the other half shows the internal features. It reminded of something that I would see at Nature and Science Museum. I thought it was pretty cool how Hirst made a woman's pregnancy, a common occurrence in life, into art. I may not be completely on the Damien Hirst band wagon, but I have no problem giving credit when it's due.

image: google images

Edward Hopper

I first came across Edward Hopper's artwork my senior in high school in an AP Lit. Yea, I know not the most likely place one would learn about art. The painting that we were required to analyze was Nighthawks. This is probably one of Hopper's most famous paintings. The thing stuck out the most to me about this painting was the eerie feeling it gave me. There are only four people in the painting: the waiter, two gentlemen, and a lady. But outside the diner it is barren and not another living creature in sight. It kind of has a I Am Legend feel to it except there are four people. It's just them in their own bubble; alone in this diner. If Hopper was trying to convey isolation with a 1950s diner theme, then he nailed it right on the head.

Edvard Munch...

I personally think that Edvard Munch is one of the most underrated artists. The only painting of Munch's that many of us are aware of is The Scream. It is probably one the most captivating pieces of art ever painted. It gives you an in depth look into the tortured soul of the figure in the painting or perhaps Munch himself. One of my favorite paintings of Edvard Munch, is his Madonna painting. It is very different from other paintings with a theme focused around a Madonna. They tend to be a religious ode to the Virgin Mary. Munch was able to think outside of the box and create a Madonna that was worldly and perhaps one that we could identify with. His Madonna painting is more sensual and has sexual undertone. This Madonna could have been a lover or whatever. It is more realistic in my opinion. I also like the colors that he uses around this nude figure. It is like she has an Ora or euphoric presence about her. I think Munch used these colors to give her saintly presence; a saintly presence that reflects the beauty of the woman and a more modern Madonna.

Images: google images

Salvador Dali: Soft Construction with Bolied Beans(Premonition of Civil War)

This is another great masterpiece by Salvador Dali. It has so much emotion, chaos, and destruction in it...it's amazing. It's violent, just like what war is in reality. Some people might find it disturbing, but I like because Dali does not try to sugar coat war. War is brutal and so is this painting. The two disfigured bodies demand your attention, this is not a painting that one would just take a quick glance at. The painting grabs you whether you want it to or not. That is the best thing about Dali's work; it is so disturbing and yet, so captivating at the same time. This painting represents the dark side of war that the media and government try to sweep under the rug. It's a bold painting and what Dali envisioned. If this doesn't make Dali the crowning jewel of the Surrealism movement, then I do not know what does.

image:www.artquotes.net

Simpson's take on Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali is one of my all time favorite artist. His interpretation of life and himself through his artwork is very intriguing. Salvador Dali was born in Figueres, Spain on May 11th, 1904 and died on January 23rd, 1989 (http://www.artquotes.net/). Dali is one of the greatest artist from the Surrealist art movement. His most recognizable artwork includes: "The Great Masturbator", "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bumble Bee", and "The Persistence of Memory". I will be looking at Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" and the Simpson's spoof of this famous painting. The original piece of artwork is very mind boggling because the painting consist of melted liquidity clocks in a vast, but kind of barren background. At first, the painting looks like it has something to do with time(hence the clocks),but the title suggest otherwise. To me, I think the painting is Dali's way of commenting on life. How time is always changing and seems to be passing us by, but the memory of those times remain. I personally think that the is a reminder of how mortal we are as humans and how everything must come to an end. On the totally opposite end of the spectrum, you have the Simpsons. The popular dysfunctional family that has been on TV for twenty plus years. The Simpsons have been known to do parodies of many influential things. This is no different. All characters,with the exception of Lisa, all have that melted liquidity vibe and they even add in Homer Simpson's two favorite things: a doughnut and beer. It's a lighthearted joke on a very famous painting and I got a kick out of it.

Archibald Motley: Another Man of the Harlem Renaissance

Archibald Motley is considered one of the major contributors to the artwork that was produced during the Harlem Renaissance. I chose this particular painting of his because it reminds of the Cotton Club...for black people. The people in this painting are not entertaining a white crowd with their "exotic" dance moves; they are having a good time and enjoying themselves. It's like their own little world where they can escape their problems. That's why I like this painting, it shows the good times that black people had in the 1920s...it's positive and a stark contrast to pictures of young black men being lynched that often circulated around the country at the time. The painting is simply beautiful and is one of my favorites. I like the colors that he uses, especially different colors that he uses for skin tone. There are different shades of black and it makes the not so diverse crowd look diverse. The details that Motley put into the painting is also very good. Not only does he put emphasis and detail into the people, but the bar as well. It's like Motley just sat down at club and painted what he saw, it's that realistic. Another painting of Motley's that I'm fond of is Mending Socks. It is a painting of an elderly woman mending a pair of socks. I like this painting because it reminds me of my late great- great grand mama Kaiser. She was very frail like the elderly woman in this picture and I can picture her mending the socks of my great-grandmother and so forth. It's painting that reminds me of my family and a part of everyday life that I did not get to witness because it was ahead of my time. Just like the painting that talked about earlier, Motley uses great detail to draw the viewer in. The items on the table, the picture hanging on the wall, and Jesus Christ on the Cross...all very vivid details of the room in which this elderly woman is sitting in.

Harlem Renaissance

So this blog is my short, yet oh so sweet ode to the Harlem Renaissance artist, Malvin Johnson. No I'm not talking about Langston Hughes or Zora Neale Hurston. This is about the painters, the sculptors, and etc. When I learned about the Harlem Renaissance my sophomore year in high school, we just focused on the writers and how they influenced the world of literature. James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Duke Ellington always get the praise and noteworthy attention, that no one ever stops to think about other African Americans who played a role in the Harlem Renaissance. For these individuals their canvas illustrated their stories and their thoughts. And yet, we hardly ever hear about them or their work. But that is about to change, starting with this blog. The artist that I'm blogging about today is Malvin Gray Johnson and his painting titled Negro Soldier. This painting is so simple, but the historical back story is what makes this painting so interesting. The broad shouldered soldier seems proud and very confident. The light colors that surround the soldier, give him an omniscient glow and makes him even more intriguing. He looks like any soldier that fought long and hard for freedom and democracy. However, unlike most soldiers in the 1920s, this black soldier isn't necessarily free nor does he feel like he lives in democratic society. This what makes this painting so interesting. You have his black soldier who probably felt more free and alive in Europe while he was being shot at than he ever did at home. His physique and lighting around him make him seem strong and brave and yet for a soldier who was on the winning side, his facial expression seems so complacent and lacks joy. But who would want to smile exuberantly knowing that you are not too inferior to die next to a white man,but too inferior to live like one.

image:www.tfaoi.com/cm/7cm/7cm51.jpg

Shamed Face Woman

This painting really stuck out to me. It's one of those paintings that is simple, but has a complex meaning behind it. The woman in the painting is so beautiful and ugly at the same time. Her face is calm and yet her and body language suggest that she is in a state of disarray. Her shame does not leap out of the canvas immediately,but I can tell by the look on her face, that she is contemplating what she is about do or just did. I like the painting because it is so easy to relate to. There are many things that I have done that I feel shameful about so I feel that this painting relates to me. It's like a song that you hear on radio and the lyrics fit your life or particular situation to a tee. This is what that painting is to me. I like how realistic the woman is and the situation that is as well.

image:photobucket.com

WE WEAR THE MASK

When I'm not looking at or blogging about political propaganda, I like to look at African American art. It is something that is very near and dear to my heart. African American art is very powerful and thought provoking and deal with various things that deal with the black community. This piece of African American that I' am blogging about to today reminds me of a Paul Laurence Dunbar poem titled We Wear the Mask. The poem is about how people put up this facade or mask to hide their pain and malcontent with world because the rest of the world won't be able to relate. The painting has a young African American male pealing off the white mask that once adorned his face. I think that this painting picks up where the Dunbar poem left off. In the painting, the man is finally able to take off the mask and be himself and be free. This painting represents where we are as a society are today. We are no longer afraid to voice our concerns,malcontent,etc. Now whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is entirely another. I think that this painting correlates perfectly with Dunbar's poem.

Image:http://www.artnsoulgallery.com