Modernism and Post Modernism

Chuck Close-Maggie(1996)


Claude Monet-waterlilies(1920)

1. Outline the intentions of each artist.

Around the time Claude Monet painted this, he was losing his eyesight, so he painted what he saw and how he saw it. He wanted people to view his work and experience how he sees things.

Chuck Close translates a photograph that he has taken and paints over it in a pixelwise manner using various techniques. The artist chooses those that are interesting to him artistically, as well as the faces of his family and friends. he sees them as his major source of inspiration and this painting is of his daughter.

2. Describe the techniques of each artist

Monet uses very rough and fast brushstrokes to give the painting a rough and blury look, it gives the painting the effect that he intended on. Close paints over photographs and puts a grid over it diagonally and paints each square differently to give his painting the pixelated effect that he intends on. Each square is painted different colours and is blended towards the center of each square.

3. Find 2 quotes about each artists work, and reference them correctly.

"It took me time to understand my waterlilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them."

"Water Lilies is an extension of my life. Without the water, the lilies cannot live, as I am without art."-Claude Monet (Claude Monet watterlilies painting, n.d)

"Some people wonder whether what I do is inspired by a computer and whether or not that kind of imaging is a part of what makes this work contemporary. I absolutely hate technology, and I'm computer illiterate, and I never use any labor-saving devices although I'm not convinced that a computer is a labor-saving device." -Chuck Close (Chuck Close Biography, n.d)

4. Note 3 similarities of the work of both artists.

-They both don't pay attention to detail, there not finely detailed paintings
-Both paintings use bright clolours
-They both have to be viewed from afar in order to see the image properly

5. What are some differences between the artist's work. (at least 3)

-Monet paints landscapes and most of his paintings are about nature, whereas Close paints portraits of the people that inspires him (mostly family)

-there painting techniques are completely different, Monet is more of a rough painter and Close is more into his illusion-like paintings but detailed in a way.

-Monet concentrates more on the detail of his surroundings and the true colour of things, Close blends different colours in each square to create his images.

6. Describe your response to the work of both artists.

Both artists interest me in an artistic kinda view. There style of painting is different to what i would normally do. Close' style of putting a grid over a photo and painting each square individually is unique because of how it gives the viewer a whole different look at the painting as a whole because each square, if looked at individually, is different but together creates an amazing piece of artwork. Monet's style is different because he paints what he sees, he started to lose his eye sight and this think is how his style came about. He paints very roughly and almost rushed and his blending of his paint is visible with no fine detail which gives the painting that look.

7. Add any other comments you would like.

www.artquotes.net/masters/monet/water-lilies.htm

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=95934

http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/04/2008/hm4_1_191.html
http://metroartwork.com/chuck-close-biography-artwork-m-59.html 

The Industrial Revolution

1. What and when was the Industrial Revolution?


The era known as the Industrial Revolution was a period in which fundamental changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies and the social structure in England. This period is appropriately labeled "revolution," for it thoroughly destroyed the old manner of doing things; yet the term is simultaneously inappropriate, for it connotes abrupt change. The changes that occurred during this period (1760-1850), in fact, occurred gradually. The year 1760 is generally accepted as the "eve" of the Industrial Revolution. In reality, this eve began more than two centuries before this date. The late 18th century and the early l9th century brought to fruition the ideas and discoveries of those who had long passed on, such as, Galileo, Bacon, Descartes and others. (The Industrial Revolution by Joseph A. Montagna, n.d)
2. Research both Modernist paintings in order to comment on the subject matter, form and style used to celebrate the machine and motion in each painting. Answer the question in 2 parts for each painting.


Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, Oil on canvas, (89.9 x 109.9).  a dog on a leash running potraying movement, inspired by leonardo da vinci's drawing 'vitruvian man'.A diagram, showing possible alternative positions for a man's limbs. This image is designed to demonstrate how the human frame can be made to fit within both a circle and a square – just as Vitruvius, the Roman architectural theorist, said it could. Note that this is a drawing. At Da Vinci's date, you wouldn't find this kind of behaviour in a painting. (Great Works: Dynamism of A Dog on a Leash (1912) Giacomo Balla by Tom Bullock,2009).


Umberto Boccioni, The City Rises, Oil on canvas (6 ft 6 1/2 ins x 9 ft 10 1/2 ins). Rough, fast brush strokes, no fine detail. Warm colours used (Red, Orange, Yellows) shows how busy the painting is. Buildings in construction can be seen in the background with smoke coming out of the chimenys but most of the space is occupied by men and horses in the foreground. He emphasises some of the typical elements of futurism. this painting portrays the construction of a new city.




3. Research Cao Fei's RMB City (2007-9)  in order to comment on this work in more depth.
i.e what images has she used in her digital collage that refer to China's present and history, and why has she used these.


4. RMB City is described as a utopia/dystopia. Comment on what these terms mean, and how they can be applied to the work.

UTOPIA: literally it means <<place that does not exist>> and describes an imaginary world in which it is effective the social justice and where are underlined the rules and the principles that could guarantee it.

The utopistic narrative involves the descriptions of societies similar to the the author’s one but based on better principles. The author tries to stimulate the reflection of the readers about the differences between reality and fiction with the final purpose of improving reality itself.

DYSTOPIA: the term was coined in the late 19th century by some British philosophers in contraposition with UTOPIA and, like this, it indicates an indefinite world, in which the contradictions of the author’s society brings to a pessimistic vision of the future.

The characteristic elements of this kind of literature are: (Utopia and Dystopia by Matteo, Qian Shuo, and  Yu Lan, n.d)

Utopia and Dystopia are simply imaginary futuristic wolrds. RMB city by Cao Fei can be seen as some kind of Utopia beacause of its futuristic outlook of the future and what it may end up as. The statue in the water shows that the world is flooded, maybe after some massive tsunami or the end of the world. A futuristic city on a small island can also be seen as the re-building of a new world or 'Utopia'.


5. Although the Modernist paintings and the contemporary digital work have emerged from
different contexts, there are also many similarities. Comment on the similarities that you can see in the work. Look at the moving digital image at vimeo.com/4272260, if you have not
already researched it.



 

In the digital work we can see that its busy because of its layout and how it looks and in the painting, the artist use of rough and fast brush strokes to show the busyness and the feel of the painting. Some other similarities are the steam chimneys in the background that can be seen as a typical structure in a city.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/great-works-dynamism-of-a-dog-on-a-leash-1912-giacomo-balla-1781174.html
http://www.itiscannizzaro.net/Ianni/booksweb/sito1984/papers/utopiadystopia.htm