Unit 5: Impressionism

It can be said that impressionism is one of those art reconciling eras of art between essence and evolution. If analyzed how the world suffered drastic changes of art tendencies, first neoclassicism integrated back ancient Greek art. Then, the world drastically jumped to realism that completely changed the way in which artists view the world from dreamy and mythical to crude and realistic. Then, impressionism came. The world forgot about the old and mythical.  During the impressionism era the artists’ view of the world challenged original painting techniques and rules. Its biggest exponent, Claude Monet used free brushing techniques, bright colors and thin lines to define shapes and forms. Thus, it changes the classical, detailed “fresco” appearance of paintings created previously. On the other hand, new century, new society and new idealism. Therefore, impressionist paintings where mostly portraits of people socializing in cafes, natural landscapes and all types of city views. Impressionism is also about modernity and independence, that is why perhaps today’s world is filled with the presence of the work of painters as Monet and Renoir anywhere.  Impressionism gave a quite change in people’s perspective of the world and art itself. At the end, impressionism portrayed the life of people form a modern view.

Unit 5: Renaissance.

As I have mentioned before throughout this blog, I found the renaissance era one of the best times that ever existed in the history of art and humanity. This, because most of my favorite painters as Botticelli, Donatello and Michelangelo rose at that time. It was an era of renovation. An era in which thankfully, the darkness and horribleness from the medieval times were taken away. Almost everything was going to be created from scratch and new inventions emerged. But, if talked about inventions and paintings, there is Leonardo da Vinci. It is laughable to notice that “La Giaconda” or “Mona Lisa” of da Vinci is the most known painting in the world and almost no one knows the era in which it was painted. I believe that if it was not because of the renaissance, the world of art and humanity would have never progressed. Thanks to renaissance, painting techniques, themes and materials, paintings became finer, delicate, more detailed, clearer and simply more beautiful. If it was not for “La Giaconda” of da Vinci or for “Venus” by Botticelli, the world of paintings, humanity and all kinds of art,  would have never find the light for progress. The renaissance era is for me, the light of the world.

Unit 5: Bernini

It is absolutely obvious that Bernini was a tremendous talented artist committed to give his greatest potential to the world. The way he defies gravity and captures vivid emotions and textures in his sculptures defines him as a unique and original sculptor. When I knew that his father was a sculptor from Florence I supposed that he was going to perfect his father’s surprising techniques but he surpassed everything and everybody actually. His work as an artists is magnificent and extraordinary. The “Ecstasy of Saint Teresa” and the bust of his beloved Constanza, I believe those are the most beautiful and realistic sculptures I have ever seen. The way that he is portrayed in the video allows people to get a superhuman perception of him. He was completely committed to his art, reputation and love life. What I think about what he really was, is that he was an extremely hard working person who loved to do what nature gave him as a talent. Thus, he did not have the necessity to avoid real life with substances and unrealistic problems such as Caravaggio and most artists, actually. Because Bernini worked hard enough to make himself a name and a reputation by making unconditionally what he loved to do, that make him move mountains in world of art.

Unit 5: Manifesto of Futurism

When reading the “Manifesto of Futurism” is easy to understand the concept of what the writer(s) want art to be.  Sometimes it is easy to get tired of beautiful and perfect things, such as museums and libraries as the manuscript recall. But, from my point of view there is no justification to get rid of beautiful and perfect things, given that those are the most appreciated things to have a happy human life. From the beginning of the time for art, all kind of artists have been trying to organize, perfect and beautify all forms of art. So, I do not find a reasonable reason for tearing down all what artists of all generations have been struggling for. The word “futurism” is a really eccentric word for whatever tendency the manuscript talks about. I think that the word “futurism” should represent progress and evolution of humanity and art. What the manuscript dictates is something absolutely not a list of principles that would take humanity and art to achieve progress and evolution, but all the contrary instead. Terms such as “scorn for women,” “violence,” “cruelty” and “ injustice” are things society fights and struggles everyday with. Because those things are bad situations. There is not even a little chance that people would accept something like this manifesto in their lives. Humanity is progress and evolution, a synonym for good, happier and easier, and art is a reflection of it.

Unit 5: Greek art

Greek art is one of the most beautiful and oldest manifestation of human feelings in the world. The fact that the tragedies, mysteries and taboos from Greek society were expressed in each piece of art is hard to digest all at once. From politicians, gods, goddesses, to ordinary people, Greek art showed that everything in the human world derives from art, feelings and beliefs. Although many cultures from superpower civilizations had conquered, transmitted and influenced great countries, there is no other like the Greek. As simply as it is, the Greeks not only created their own politics, literature, language and traditions, but their own type of art. I find Greek art as complicated as a human being. Its existence is pure and innocent at first, but it turns complex with the pass of the time. Love, passion, ambition, sacrifice and death happens. Some people say that Greek busts and pottery portrait the mythology and leaders only. What ii think is that busts and pottery, among other artistic creations from that time, show what human life is like. Greek art and mythology are pure manifestations of human beings.

Unit 5: Romanticism.

When romanticism approached people during the end of the eighteen century, they were somehow still influenced by the neoclassic era. What I think that happened, is that with the new rise of ideas of freedom, people wanted to be themselves pure as they could in literal and emotional aspects. So when the concept of freedom came to art, artists of all kinds felt the need to explore what they were really feeling and express it as deliberately as they could. Except when painting or writing about leaders. Because most of the paintings made during the romantic era where associated with heroic themes, leaders and courageous people where portrayed as something almost mythical. Perhaps that is why they called that tendency romanticism, artists tried to created something from nothing portraying their emotions as raw as possible, but at the same time, they gave their works an overthought and dreamy-like essence.  Though, when comparing prior art tendencies such as rococo and neoclassicism with romanticism, it can be said and noticed that romanticism turns to be the most crude and sincere kind of tendency ever adopted by society as a medium to express people’s feelings.

Unit 5: Neoclassicism.

I have come to believe that when humans do not know what else to do to express themselves, they just recycle whatever was used years and even centuries before. That is how I think that Neoclassicism rose from one second to the other. I find quite easy to believe that the Rococo era was a blast for all forms of art. What I do not find easy to digest is why people would choose to go back and take ancient Greek tendencies. It might be that I am saying this because the Rococo and Renaissance eras are the ones I like most. Rococo art was just a beautiful and almost magical representation of what the eighteen century was like. Rococo portraits would show their characters as immensely beautiful people in dreamlike places. Women would look like real life porcelain dolls and men as handsome as possible. On the other hand, neoclassicism brought back the coliseum like landscapes and disappeared the pastoral backgrounds. Everything was beautiful but simpler. So, I am not saying that Neoclassicism brought negative things to that era but, it was something not as progressive and evolutionary as I would have liked it to be.