Alaska Native Arts: Traditional and Contemporary Non Western Art

During my last post, Rise of Feminist Artists, I had to narrow down my choices. Indigenous artwork was a choice during the assignment for our Mid/Post Modern blog exhibit. So I saved Indigenous artwork for our last post. I chose to explore traditional and contemporary artwork from Alaska Native artists. This semester I am also taking Alaska Native Studies: Indigenous Cultures of Alaska. I was inspired to learn about the traditions and cultural practices. After I watched this video for class,  Lineage: Tlingit Artists Across Generations. https://youtu.be/HIibbUVVJ74?si=Mak7YFRtVgmkKw93 I went exploring to find Lily Hope's exhibit of her completed Chilkat blanket for the Portland Museum and found many links with more information for you to explore and discover. Let's explore more female artists, who are being recognized for their cultural and traditional artwork. 

Resilience Robe

by Clarissa Rizal

2014, merino wool, 64 x 53 inches (Portland Art Museum) https://smarthistory.org/clarissa-rizal-resilience-robe/

Clarissa Rizal and Lily Hope are Tlingit Chilkat weavers who have been able to keep traditional weaving, as well as revive their tradition as a mother-and-daughter team. Above is Rizal's "Resilience Robe"  She learned how to weave from master weaver, Jennie Thlunalt. Chilkat weaving is practiced by Tlingit and other Northwest Coast peoples. 

There are initials ANB on the left and ANS on the right, these represent the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood. A civil rights organization. There are many more details on this ceremonial blanket. The links provided give a better understanding of how they pass on their tradition together from mother to daughter. 

 Below is Rizal's daughter, Lily Hope. They both have their artwork Portland Art Museum. I discovered this duo during my Alaska Native Studies class this semester. Hope was commissioned by the Portland Art Museum to weave a Chilkat blanket in 2016. She combines Ravenstail and Chilkat weaving techniques to create complex ceremonial robes. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alaska Southeast where she teaches Fiber Spinning, Natural Dye, Career Development for the Artist, and all levels of Chilkat Ceremonial Regalia-making (independently), and offers lectures on the spiritual commitments of being a weaver. Here is Hope's Chilkat blanket, "Between Worlds" for the "Sharing Honors and Burdens" at the Renwick Invitational 2023, at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

Between Worlds

by Lily Hope

Lily Hope, Between Worlds(Child's Robe). Installation photography of Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American, Photo by Albert Ting

"The Codes We Carry"

by Erica Lord

Erica Lord, The Codes We Carry (installation), 2023, at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution in Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023

Erica Lord is an Athabascan and Iñupiat contemporary artist. She grew up in Nenana and learned to dog sled. Her inspiration behind the beaded dog blankets is the from when dog sled teams brought medicines to Alaska Native communities. Lord’s dog blankets show beaded microarrays analysis tests of diseases that have profoundly impacted Alaska Native tribes, such as diphtheria, smallpox, ovarian cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, and COVID-19. Lord is also one of the six featured artists in Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023. The exhibition focuses on fresh and nuanced visions of Native American or Alaska Native artists who express the honors and burdens that connect people to one another. This is the first time Native Americans and Alaska Native artists have been selected for the Renwick Invitational, dedicated to showcasing emerging and mid-career makers deserving of wider national recognition. She is also a professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts. 

Below is a beaded burden strap. Traditionally a burden strap was used to adorn children in traditional Athabascan culture. Lord uses her beaded burden straps to raise awareness of the diseases that affect Indigenous peoples combining traditional Alaska Native art and raising awareness in a contemporary style. 

Leukemia Burden Strap

by Erica Lord

DNA/RNA Microarray Analysis, 2022, glass beads and wire, 7 1/2 × 94 1/2 × 1/4 in., Courtesy of the artist and Accola Griefen Fine Art. Photo by Addison Doty.

"In her community, woven or decorated hide straps are traditionally used to carry babies or heavy bundles. Lord reconfigured this technologically simple carrying device with materials and patterns representing diseases and conditions that particularly affect Native Alaskans today. Her transformation of customary burden straps and tuppies reflects the invisible and intangible things we carry: from love and pride in family and community to the burdens of historical trauma, colonialism, poverty, pollution, and environmental change."    

- Dr. Lara Evans, Independent Curator & Vice President of Programs, First Peoples Fund, from "Coded Burdens, Coded Honors," in Sharing Honors and Burdens (University of Washington Press)

Beaded Fur Heart

Amelia Simeonoff Medium: Beading, Skin Sewing

I came across this video, I am an Alaska Native Healer, after I finished watching Lord's YouTube video. Amelia Simeonoff is Alutiiq and an artist and traditional healer. Her journey began when her elder, Rita Blumenstein asked for someone to teach Alaska Native Arts at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. From there I found her artwork in a gallery in her hometown of Kodiak. The Alutiiq Museum is a non-profit educational organization governed by the Kodiak Alutiiq community. Their Mission is to preserve and share the heritage and living culture of the Alutiiq people, by celebrating heritage through living culture. Here is a link to the Artist Gallery to explore other local artists. She teaches how to bead and sew, and helps youth and adults through their grief through talking circles and drumming.

I would like to apply my art and social work degree in a therapeutic setting. Listening to Simeonoff talk about her experience while teaching beading and sewing to a student and them recognizing where they were healing their heart as they were stitching, shows how using the hands to create, helps mend a broken heart and heal mental health. Using the body to connect with the heart and mind. Watching her vlog helped me have a better visual and inspiration for helping others with their mental health.

Works Cited: 

Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/invitational-2023

Between Worlds. https://americanart.si.edu/blog/between-worlds

CCNA: Interwoven Radience - Lily Hope. https://youtu.be/YQUMVhBGECE?si=BrXk5Bk6p7HeOnzZ

I am an Alaska Native Healer | INDIE ALASKA. https://youtu.be/MyOIw78pwCA?si=TUSxcGZGWppnOGlT

Amelia Simeonoff. https://alutiiqmuseum.org/alutiiq-people/art/artist-gallery/amelia-simeonoff/ 

COLORES.Erica Lord, The Codes We Carry. Season 30 Episode 9 | 26m 23s https://www.pbs.org/video/erica-lord-the-codes-we-carry-iwxl8m/

Erica Lord. https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/invitational-2023/online/erica-lord

Rise of Feminist Artists

Roots, 1943 by Frida Kahlo

https://www.fridakahlo.org/roots.jsp

    Frida Kahlo was a remarkable woman. She took her adversity and turned it into art. Although they tried to label her a Surrealist, she refused to be labeled. Her remarks were that she paints her reality not dreams. As a Mexican artist, Kahlo painted herself in traditional Tehuana clothing. Self-portraits became her signature. She didn't hold back on the vulnerabilities she experienced. "Roots" was painted after she remarried her husband. The painting below is from her divorce.  Her locks of hair are strewn about and a pair of scissors in her right hand, and a braid in the other. The other braid beneath her yellow chair she sits upon. The words to a song written above. She is wearing her ex-husband's clothes to make an even loader statement of her broken heart. 

    It was really hard to choose 2 of Kahlo's works. She embraced all the life experiences she was facing. Being a woman during the Early Modern times had its own set of challenges. Having deformities from childhood diseases, before there were vaccinations for polio. She also had other physical effects from her accident when was bedridden. All these challenges led her to create portraits of herself and an outlet for the emotions she was feeling. 

    Having a creative outlet is so important. Processing emotions can get overwhelming. Painting allows the mind to speak when the words won't always form. I like the strength she shows in her "Roots" portrait. From all her pain, she birthed a new creation. She is reclined in the nirvana position like Shakyamuni  Buddha before he passed. Both these paintings reveal deeper truths and expose them for the reality as it is for her. She gives us portraits of the pains of a female during modernization. She wanted peace for her people as well.

    Can you relate to these paintings? It would be neat to go to The Frida Kahlo Museum. They turned her old studio in Mexico City into a museum for her artwork. These bold statements that Kahlo created still tell a story today. I would probably not have a copy of  "Cropped Hair". The story behind it, is empowering. When you love someone, there are sacrifices. Painting her hair being cut off allowed her to move through the hurt. Divorce was still frowned upon and Kahlo was not afraid to embrace the hard stuff. I would probably have a copy of "Roots" Here she shows us that she made it to the other side, and made beauty from heartache. Her relationship with her husband was tumultuous, and her paintings reflected so. Why not add some color to the mix, with some independence. 

Self Portrait with Cropped Hair - by Frida Kahlo 1940

https://www.fridakahlo.org/self-portrait-with-cropped-hair.jsp

Ladder to the Moon, 1958 by Georgia O'Keeffe

https://www.georgiaokeeffe.net/ladder-to-the-moon.jsp

    O'Keeffe says, "The images are all of transition: the ladder itself implies passage from one level to another; the moon is cut neatly in half by the bold slicing light, halfway between full and new; and the evening sky is in flux, still pale along the line of the horizon, shading into deep azure night at the top of the canvas. ”  She started out with abstract flowers and then later skulls from the bones she collected from around her ranch in New Mexico. There weren't any flowers so she added them. These later paintings are from her landscape collections. She was mesmerized by the shimmers in the clouds when she was flying in a plane. The colors of the landscapes are captured in that mesmerized gaze O'Keeffe saw through her eyes. 

    The abstract clouds are perfect. instead of trying to get them just right she puts them into a pattern and adds abstract sha to them. This gives the horizon the spotlight. "The Ladder to the Moon" isn't abstract, it's more of a landscape painting. Why is the ladder suspended in the sky? It definitely makes an impression on me. I would definitely enjoy a copy of each in my home. They give a daydreamy experience and you can let your mind drift away while contemplating whichever transition you are in life. O'Keeffee definetly painted her own way and didn't allow critics to sexualize her paintings of flowers. She lived to be 98 years old, with thousands of artworks. 

Sky Above Clouds IV, 1965 by Georgia O'Keeffe

https://www.georgiaokeeffe.net/sky-above-clouds-iv.jsp

Claire Zeisler 1970s

    Claire Zeisler and many other female fiber artists trailblazed a new avenue for the arts and craft world, by taking the craft off the loom and creating sculptures of threads. Zeisler was born in 1903 and studied at Columbia College in Ohio. When her children were older she returned to her studies at the Chicago Institute of Design, formerly known as the New Bauhaus, along with the Illinois Institute of Technology.  She studied with numerous former Bauhaus artists who had emigrated to the US. Zeisler is widely recognized as a post-Bauhaus pioneer. After mastering the loom during the 40s and 50s, she experimented with 3-dimensional space and started shaping different forms. She needed more freedom to explore off the loom. 

    How inspiring to read about Zeisler's life as an artist. She braved her world and made beautiful things out of threads. Her contemporary pieces brings you out of what is ordinary and shapes it into a work of art. A craft that mothers taught their daughters side by side. A tradition and cultural practice that gets passed down by generations. Now Females were being seen for more than their craft. 

1970s

    I couldn't find the title for this crimson waterfall of fibers. While I was exploring Zeisler's art work I was reminded of making friendship bracelets as a kid. Or learning how to work with yarns and fabrics with my mother.  The intentional bunches of threads flow at the bottom and leave an impression. At the top, all the red threads are tied together neatly, but the bottom is free and flowing in bunches. I would love to have a model of this masterpiece, but my cats would have way too much fun!  

Untitled, 1969

https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2023/09/12/off-the-wall-claire-zeisler/

During the Middle of the Modern Art Era, females were able to step into the spotlight. They were no longer hidden in the shadows. What was considered a woman's crafts, could not be shown for the true beauty.  Kahlo, O'Keeffee, and Zeisler are just a few women who paved the way for other female artist in this Post Modern World.

Works Cited:

Frida Kahlo https://artsandculture.google.com/story/rAUBPDLcNAzkJA?hl=en

Gerogia O'Keeffe. https://www.georgiaokeeffe.net/ladder-to-the-moon.jsp

Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women. https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/fiber-art-by-women

A New History Of Fiber Artists Who Tried To Turn Craft Into Art. https://www.wbur.org/news/2014/10/01/fiber-ica

Feminist Artists Whoose Work You Need to Know. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/AQURUC6SwwhEKw

The Early 20th Century: The Age of Anxiety

Broadway Boogie Woogie, by Piet Mondrian,1943

This Mondrian painting is actually a jazz score | Jason Moran | MoMA BBC | THE WAY I SEE IT

Piet Mondrian's work took nearly a lifetime to master. As it goes for most creative genius. As a young adult, he studied Impressionism and later developed a curiosity for cubism. After moving to New York City during WWII he fell in love with the boogie wooogie beat. Which inspired him to create balance and harmony, with color and light, and influenced by jazz music. The way Jason Moran sees it, Mondrian created a jazz score. By breaking down the very nature of the art form, he found inner peace with creating music in colorful cubes. He embraced the uncertainty, leaning into the rhythms of music, and found harmony in the spaces he created with bold lines in their purest forms. 

Mondrian's work evolved over his lifetime and continues to inspire abstract art. His later work became fabric prints for clothing and many other mediums. We can look back at his works of art and see the influences that helped evolve his artwork. During this era, the world was flooded with anxieties from so many different issues that were being exposed through media and modern warfare. 

Now that I know a little more about the influences of this painting, I really dig it even more. How neat that through the inspiration of the boogie blues beats, Mondrian was able to create a musical score through abstract art in its purest form. Music does have a way of uniting, and that is how to combat anxiety. Coming together in harmony to dance off those blues. Mondrian was able to paint his abstract thoughts, showing the word from a different perspective of a musical score. I would like to have a copy for home. 

Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Living Abstraction, 1922

https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/318/4118

Taeuber-Arp worked as a teacher of art and was part of the Dada movement. She used her skills in the crafts to express herself in several different mediums. She breaks free from traditional marionette styles, by using more geometric shapes and exposing the connecting joints.

The Dada movement was started in response to WWI. Artists fled to Switzerland during WWI, where they were able to explore new media to understand what led the world to war. Cabaret Voltaire became a safe space for exiled artists who formed the Dada movement, that spread through Europe and New York. 

Using readymade materials, artists created collages and other pieces of art to express what was going on around them. There was a lot of fear growing and uncertainties causing more anxiety around the world. Art became an outlet for expressing what was happening around them. Dadaism gave room for artists to process the growing anxieties of the 20th Century as modernization developed, so did the worries about the future. 

Although Taeuber-Arp was not recognized as an artist until 1977. She was a performer, architect, and many other trades during her career. I would enjoy studying her style of art. There is so much to learn from her works of art. During her time crafts were considered domestic work, but she worked to move beyond that mold with her abstract geometric marionettes. These dancing dolls on strings would be fun to have as replicas for exploration play in 3D art. You can explore her art at the Museum of Modern Art in New York or visit an exhibit video here.

Two Children are Threatened by a Nightingale (1924) by Max Ernst

Max Ernst's was part of the Dadaism movement and then moved into surrealism. This masterpiece is one of his known pieces. Surrealism used the study of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Using art, Ernst explored the unconscious and dreams. Painting things to be not always as they seem to give a different perspective. The red gate is coming out of the frame, welcoming you into the dream world. It seems peaceful until you look closer and see the gray figures. One reaches for the door knob and the other figure runs in terror with a knife. There is a long wall that brings you closer to see what's going on in the background. Ernst was able to use collage and paint with other materials to bring the frame into the painting as well. 

The title makes you think, "Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale"? Is this what anxiety looks like? How does anxiety feel during this time era? I can appreciate surrealism for exploring the subconscious by using art to access inner dialog to gain access to the root causes of anxiety. Using art to express emotion is a very helpful tool to process complex emotions. Especially during a time when there wasn't enough knowledge on how to process anxieties. 

I really admire Ernst's masterpiece, and not sure where I would put this piece of art. Maybe in a therapist's office? I wouldn't want to frighten a client though. Perhaps it's best to stay in New York at the Museum of Modern Art? This is a really catching painting or collage? It says it is made with oil-painted wood elements and cut-and-pasted printed paper on wood with a wood frame. I really enjoyed learning about all the different mediums artists explored during the early 20th century. Modernization gave lots of wiggle room to explore in the art world, which helped process all the anxieties that came with the turning of the century.

Works Cited:

Broadway Boogie Woogie. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piet_Mondrian,_1942_-_Broadway_Boogie_Woogie.jpg#/media/File:Piet_Mondrian,_1942_-_Broadway_Boogie_Woogie.jpg

MoMa. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78682 

Piet Mondrian's Artistic Evolution. The Canvas. https://youtu.be/ZRH4a5vzvEM?si=vTcvxKbHbNBOAgzZ. 

HOW TO SEE | Sophie Taeuber-Arp, The Museum of Modern Art. https://youtu.be/6jKnqBa15JA?si=XtKVwIefiWuvkMNf

Sophie Taeuber-Arp: An Introduction. https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/665

Sophie Taeuber-Arp. The making of the marionettes. https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/318/4118

Introduction to Dada. https://smarthistory.org/modernisms-1900-1980/dada-and-surrealism/dada/

Surrealism https://smarthistory.org/surrealism-intro/

Max Ernst, Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale. by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. https://smarthistory.org/ernst-two-children-threatened-nightingale/

Artchive. https://www.artchive.com/artwork/two-children-are-threatened-by-a-nightingale-1924-by-max-ernst/

Influences of Japonisme and The Impressionists

 

Japonisme 

Katsushika Hokusai, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” ca. 1829-1833

 Ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” helped influence and inspire the Impressionists during the Romantical Era. In 1874  French collector and critic Philippe Burty coined the term Japonisme. It was used to describe the woodblock prints that were beginning to influence European artist. Before this time frame, Japan had been closed off from the rest of the world. From the mid 1600s till the mid 1800s Japan refused to interact with Western culture. A strict social order was enforced. Merchants and artists were poorest until Dutch merchants began trading. A game changer indeed! Artist like Monet and other impressionist were inspired by ukiyo-e's. 

Katsushika Hokusai's " The Great Wave off Kanagwa" has become one of the most famous prints world wide. It was probably printed over 8,000 times or more and was a series of prints called, " 36 Views of Mt. Fuji"  Prussian blue had just become affordable and with the Industrial Revolution booming, paint was becoming easier to store as well. This gave a great contrast for print making and bolder lines in shades and tones of blue. Bringing sharper contrast and values to light. 

This picture of a floating world shows a giant wave engulfing three fishing boats hoping to make it to shore. While Mt. Fuji is the only shore you can see. An outside perspective of what Japan was enduring at the time. The blues give you an eerie cold isolating feeling. While the white caps highlight Mt. Fuji as a pillar of strength, and highest point of the island. The white snow capped peak is a beacon of hope.

I would love a copy of this print! My mother-in-love has a bathroom curtain in her winter home and made doing laundry more enjoyable during spring break ;) 

Here's a couple of fun video's, Ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking with Keizaburo Matsuzaki

and  The Great Wave by Hokusai is a 15 minute YouTube video with some fun details about this print.

*fun fact most prints were only the price of a bowl of noodles.

Impressionism and Post Impressionism

Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh 1889

Ah! My favorite Impressionist! My niece teases me that I'm a total fan girl. And if you're not, that's ok. He wasn't famous till many years later. Most of us know a bit about the man, and if you don't that's ok too. He was a Dutch artist who stayed mostly in France. His letters to his brother helped us understand his life work better and has left quite and impression behind. 

Although "Starry Night" is not a imprint on a block of wood, the style of painting looks like a carved out stamp. The bold dark likes, and contrasts of white and yellow swirls to highlight the night sky shows a similarity to a ukiyo-e. The Dark tower brings a bold perspective, and mystery to the painting. 

"The Great Wave" represents a daunting time for Japan. Much Like "Starry Night"  Van Gough was expressing his depression, "the blues". Depression is a silencer, a heavy sadness, but he was able to use his creativity to express his insides. Hokusai shows us the giant wave to express the feeling of being engulfed with angry white caps. Van Gough was able to use bright yellows with oil paints. Even if a yellow that bright was available in ink, I think white encapsulates the ink print perfectly.

Could Van Gough been inspired by "The Great Wave"? Possibly. I was reminded of "Starry Night" when I was studying "The Great Wave". I'm always in awe of the contrasts of blues and yellows. The night sky is dancing, the hills ae calm. A peaceful village sleeping. Ah what! A dark tower! Even the tower is whimsical. There is life in the shadows and our mind wonders, gets lost. The starry night sky gives us a nice reminder of light in the dark times. I especially like the reflection of light in the cloud like hugging the hills and shimmer over the town, even on the tower and it's shadow also.

Of course I have a copy! I got the baseball tee with this print. Wear it all the time!

The Scream, 1893 Edvard Munch 

The world was changing quickly and so was the art word. So much was happening! No wonder Edvard Munch was having anxiety. "The Scream" is part of Munch’s semi-autobiographical cycle “The Frieze of Life,” An Norwegian painter, 1863– 1944 who used symbolism to confront the nature of subjectivity and its visual depiction. Munch’s wrote in his diary on January 22, 1892  after strolling by the fjords during sunset. He felt like the sky was on fire and bloody he, "Sensed an endless scream passing through nature.” 

Using a simple form gave room for the use of color to express the emotions going on internally. The Neo Impressionism movement allowed for artists to explore subjects. Prior most styles were landscapes, historical or portraits. Munch felt like the sky was on fire. In real life it probably wasn't as dramatic, but inside the mind it can feel as depicted in his famous piece of work. If not careful you can be consumed by the flame. Perhaps the scream was the sigh of relieve when he was able to catch his breath. I know helping my son through his homework anxiety last night while trying to do my own was inspiration for choosing this iconic piece. I need a copy for my house. Facing fears no matter how big or small is scary, but when you can apply swirls of orange and contrast with dark tones of blues its becomes relief.

The Influence of Japonisme and Neo Impressionism wanted to document everyday life as all the changes were happening. Also an influence from the ukiyo-e style prints that showed pictures of daily life in Japan. The Industrial revolution opened up so many opportunities for the art world. Neo Impressionism allowed new styles to express the internal world. Even at the risk of horrifying. I can really appreciate their movement and how helpful it has been for me in this post modern world we are learning to navigate in still. As we can see history repeats itself. Learning root causes can be more fun through art and self discovery.

Art Nouveau

The Three Ages of Woman, 1905 by Gustav Klimt

Art Nouveau was popular from 1890-1910 during the Post Impressionism movement. The best part about creativity is getting messy and making mistakes. Learning from them as well. Neo Impressionist had a couple of leaders and were breaking free from the naturalists and the realists. Science also help with color exploration as well. Art Nouveau was a short lived style of fashion and art that was used to rebel against the acidemia. They thought art was more than math and science. It was meant to express the soul and the consciousness.

Also influenced by woodblock art and inspired by the flow of nature and her curves and twisted line. This new art wanted to adorn space with beauty. From books, play bills, to hand crafts and lamps. Especially bringing harmony and continuity to interior design and house hold items. 

Gustav Klimt is a Art Nouveau artist from Austria and was part of the Succession. A group of artist revolting from the academic. He wanted to capture the natural beauty of women. "The Three Ages of Woman" Shows a long slumped naked woman. All her wrinkles and weathered skin. I can appreciate this. There is a natural beauty for aging. The winkles tell a story. Each grove of a wrinkle comes from enduring womanhood. She is watching over the mother and child laying n a bed of flowers in circular shapes with black dots for the centers of the flowers. Klimt intentionally put a dark block behind the top part of the background. Was the background to bold and took away from the story being portrayed? The three figures become the center of the painting showing how easily time passes. 

I feel like Klimt's painting is kind of floating there like a ukiyo-e. I almost thought it was, but he uses all the space to fill with color and design to create harmony. There is a piece of silky fabric that swirls around the mothers leg that is draped around the baby and brings us to the the little handprint being left on the mothers heart. A mothers love is endless and the gift is the tiny hand prints left on our hearts. 

. 

Works Cited:

The Great Wave by Hokusai: Great Art Explained. https://youtu.be/IBcB_dYtGUg?si=jDCzw7g4dHI5JS8W. 3/25/24

The Unique History and Exquisite Aesthetic of Japan’s Ethereal Woodblock Prints

By Kelly Richman-Abdou on August 1, 2019. https://mymodernmet.com/ukiyo-e-japanese-woodblock-prints/. 3/25/24

How Japanese Art Influenced and Inspired European Impressionist Artists

By Kelly Richman-Abdou and Margherita Cole on June 24, 2022. https://mymodernmet.com/japanese-art-impressionism-japonisme/ . 3/25/24

Annenberg Learner. Art: The Scream. https://www.learner.org/series/art-through-time-a-global-view/dreams-and-visions/the-scream/. 3/25/24

Smarthistory. Edvard Munch, The Scream. by Dr. Noelle Paulson. https://smarthistory.org/munch-the-scream/. 3/25/24

Vincent Van Gough: Starry Night. https://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starry-night.html. 3/25/24

Learn About ‘The Starry Night,’ Van Gogh’s Masterpiece of Post-Impressionism By Kelly Richman-Abdou, Margherita Cole, and Jessica Stewart on July 1, 2022. https://mymodernmet.com/starry-night-van-gogh/. 3/25/24

The Art Story. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/klimt-gustav/. 3/25/24

Ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking with Keizaburo Matsuzaki. https://youtu.be/t8uF3PZ3KGQ?si=6G7K0pphmRLTSGoD. 3/26/24

The Pathways to Enlightenment

 

Les hasards heureux de l'escarpolette (The Swing)

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732 - 1806)

    This timeless classic work of art is Jean-Honoré Fragonard's most famous piece. "The Swing" was commissioned by an unknown person in the French court. This gave Fragonard a fresh new start for his career. He had been painting historical formal paintings for royal commissions and could now paint for private clients and freedom to explore a lighter subject matter and pleasure.

    Rococo has many characteristics, such as the wide use of flowers, warm pastels, and cream colors. Graceful lines and curves instead of symmetry. With references to Greek and Roman mythology in a park-like setting, giving an aristocratic lifestyle of luxury. 

    The private commissioner wanted a painting of his mistress in a dreamy garden, swinging over her lover, exposing her lacey skirts and garter. This risqué painting was created for a smaller space, like a cabinet or private study. Today it is widely studied and shows many hidden symbolisms. This gave Fragonard an opening to an inner circle of patrons, new clients, and fame.

    Fragonard was able to use the playfulness of the rococo style to enlighten the shadow side. While the young lady wants to break free from the constraints of an unwanted/forced marriage(the ropes of the swing and the husband in the shadows) she is still held back. However, in the illusion of her hidden secret, she swings forward toward her lover and enjoys suppressed pleasures. He also gives recognition to the rococo sculptor, Falconet. The lover is hiding in the rose bushes under the sculpture of "Menacing Love" with its finger to mouth to keep them secret lovers. 

    What really captivated me was the sunlight coming through the trees, and shining on the carefree lady on the swing in the spotlight. The artist really captivated the movement of swinging with the brush strokes in the skirts and using creamy whites for the skirts of the pastel silk pink dress of the aristocrat. The different layers of the shadows bring to light the freedom of indulging in the daily pleasures of life.

    It also reminded me of a scene from the book I just finished reading last semester, "Baron in the Trees" by Italo Calvino. I would love to have a copy of this painting in a room where I like to read. I think the size of the painting intended to be smaller for a more intimate setting was a good choice. I can see why it is still being discussed today.

Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso

by Angelica Kauffmann

Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso

oil painting by Angelica Kauffmann, 1782

    Kauffmann was born in Switzerland but made her reputation in Italy and England, where she was a founding member of the Royal Academy. This painting has a companion painting, "The Sorrows of Telemachus". They were executed in Rome for Monsignor Onorato Caetani, and also had his portrait painted by Kauffmann. She was among Europe’s most sought-after history painters. With a supportive father figure, Kauffmann was able to discover her talents at an early age. How inspiring are her achievements, especially at a time when women's rights were not yet equal.

    I choose Kauffmann's painting of Telemachus as an example of neoclassical painting. Neoclassical became popular in the second half of the Classical era from the influences of the unearthing of Pompeii. The inspiring ruins of Pompeii rebirthed the classics from ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, art, and science. Moving away from the vanity and gaudiness of the Rococo style. Humanism was able to make more progress from the Renaissance era, aiding toward thinking freely. Giving society a mirror to reflect on as society was transforming, and gaining enlightenment. The neoclassic belief was that art should express ideal virtues in life and help the viewer see the moralizing message. The revival of the classics made pathways for political revolutions for several governments.

    This painting depicts the story from, " The Adventures of Telemachus"by Francois Fenelon in 1699.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Aventures_de_T%C3%A9l%C3%A9maque#Themes  Telemachus is the son of Ulysses the Greek hero from the Trojan Wars. Telemachus goes in search of his father who hasn't returned from war yet. He has been guided by Athena, disguised as an old man. They have been washed up on the shores of an island inhabited by Calypso and her nymphs. Calypso falls in love with Telemachus from his mentor, and her nymphs distract the young man from his mentor. The book is from the gaps in Homer's Odysseus. Kauffmann was able to portray this vulnerable scene with a linear perspective. Using a soft skyline in the background, the dark cliff brings you into an intimate scene of Calypso pulling the goddess of wisdom and justice disguised as an old man guiding the young prince on his journey to find his father. The sea and sky are calm, but then you see the old man's face and it is stern. His hand is firmly saying "No!" as his rear foot hesitates to leave the young man alone with the nymphs. 

    I was really intrigued by the artist and her depiction of the author's story. I had a hard time picking from Kauffmann's collection. I settled on " Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso"  because I wanted to know more about the story. How hard it must have been for his mother to send her son off to look for his father who had been missing for twenty years. Telemachus' mentor practically raised him. Minerva is disguised as an old man trying to teach wisdom to a young prince who is naive and easily distracted by pleasure. To stay focused or indulge. History repeats itself unless we learn our lessons from the past. I think a copy of this painting would be nice in a study or library. The original should stay in its home at the Metropolitan in New York City. 

"Voltaire" 1778

Jean-Antoine Houdon, 1741 - 1828

    Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity and slavery, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, religion, and separation of church and state. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties and pretty much a rebel. 

    Jean-Antoine Houdon was a neoclassical sculptor, who sculpted portraits of the leaders of the Enlightenment movement. Voltaire turned out to be his most popular sculpture. Houdon was able to capture the genius's weariness from fighting for justice, yet encapsulates his spirit and compassion for humankind. The smoothness of the marble material gives the subject's face a gentleness. Using the classical style from the ancient Greek and Roman styles makes this sculpture ageless.

    The Classical Era was a busy time. Breaking free from aristocratic life and revolutions happening, being an artist during this era sounded exciting. Voltaire was exiled to Switzerland, and Houdon was making sculptures of the leaders of the Enlightenment movement. A lot was going on then and still more going on today. 

    Allowing ourselves to reflect on history and see different perspectives of these different eras, allows us a deeper lens to see our present times. When I look at Houdon's marble sculpture of "Voltaire", I see the spirit of a man who never gave up fighting for what is right, human dignity, and respect. I could appreciate a replica of this masterpiece in my study space. The original should stay at the National Art Gallery in Washington D.C. to be inspired by Voltaire's wisdom and Houdon's sculpting talents.  

Works Cited:

"The Swing". Jean-Honoré Fragonard. https://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org:443/eMP/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=65364&viewType=detailView. 3/20/24

"Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso". Angelica Kauffmann. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436810. 3/20/24

"Voltaire". Jean-Antoine Houdon. https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.46715.html#overview. 3/20/24

Mystery Girl

Johannes Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring. 1666

Vermeer was part of the Delft Painter's Guild in the Netherlands. but not quite famous until the 19th century. This portrait is actually a tronie, a painting of an imaginary character. Vermeer has 36 paintings, but this one is his most famous one. Of the 36 paintings at the Mauritshuis house in Hauge, 18 have pearls in them. Iconic for the Baroque era, translated from Portuguese origin, borroco, meaning irregular pearl. 

The rise of the merchant class gave light to the Dutch Golden Age. Maybe that is how Vermeer was able to get the color Ultramarine from Afghanistan. They say the lazurite stone was worth more than gold during this era. It's quite a mystery how he could afford such a rare pigment? This must have been one of his favorite colors and is found in many others of his paintings. Especially the shadows, with tiny dots of paint to reflect light. This dance of light and dark gives this artist the name, "Master of Light" 

On days that you feel like you're not good enough, let yourself gaze at upon the glimmer of hope from the Dutch Mona Lisa. At the time the Dutch had broken free from the Spanish powers and there was some religious freedom for the Protestants. Interesting that Vermeer was actually Protestant, but married into a Catholic family and had 14 children with his wife, Catalina. Now that the golden age had come, the art scene had more freedom as well and artists were able to explore different subjects outside religion. 

So why are we still intrigued with this make-believe woman? Three hundred years later a beautiful story was made from this painting. Then of course a movie. The Baroque era really was an irregular pearl. Breaking out of conformity and being your own shape. Much like this tronie of a simple girl, wearing a head scarf that is out of place for the time. With just a few simple strokes for a pearl earring to add to the mystery of  Who's that Girl? 

Thinking about the significance of pearls reminded me of the Birth of Venus, the goddess of love from the Renaissance era. Venus is being brought to shore on a shell from the ocean by a breeze of roses and being offered the finest garments by a maiden. Venus is a reminder that we are love and perhaps Vermeer and Botticelli wanted us to know we are all unique pearls and made of love. 

The Birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli 1445-1510

What do you think? Would you like to hang one of these masterpieces in your home? Maybe a replica? I think these pearls of history should be preserved in their proper places. I would love to paint Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, and discover my own story. It would be so much fun to work with Ultramarine and get messy and make some mistakes on the canvas and let my muse choose the strokes of light and dark. 

Works Cited

The Birth of Venus, https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/birth-of-venus

Girl with a Pearl Earring, https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/our-masters/johannes-vermeer/

Who's that Girl, https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/what-s-on/exhibitions/who-is-that-girl-with-a-pearl-earring/, 

The Rise of Humanism and the Dark Magi

The Adoration of the Magi,1510, by Hieronymus Bosch.

Photograph: DEA/G Dagli Orti/De Agostini/Getty Image

Balthasar in detail from The Epiphany

A Renaissance Review of the Dark Magi

Looking at the history of the many depictions of The Adoration of the Magi, from the Nativity story. We can put the puzzle pieces of the past together. I chose The Adoration of the Magi, by Hieronymus Bosch after searching further for the full view. I found a link to The Epiphany by Bosch from around 1500 BC. It has been in the Museo del Prado, Madrid since 1839. The story depicted has a Netherlandish backdrop of what farmland looked like in their present time. Only this painting has a more realistic model of what the King from Africa may have looked like centuries ago. This triptych alter piece was commissioned by a wealthy middle-class in the late 1400s. When the shutters are closed you can see a grisaille carved in shades of gray and pops of black robes and red hats. The grisaille depicts St. Gregory kneeling at the altar in front of the crucifix and angels dancing above. These oil painting panels give a deeper story to the story of Christ, giving true tribute to the Dark Magi. Adding color to the whitewashed depiction of the past.

The Renaissance Era brought the world out of the Dark Ages and onto the path of enlightenment with the rediscovery of classical literature and art. Humanism sprouted and trading was booming creating wealth and allowing exploration in the arts and science. Humanism began in Florence Italy, and traveled to Europe. With the rise of interest in ancient Roman and Greek scholarly pursuits, humanism was born with the belief in the dignity and worth of an individual. Arabic scholars preserved Greek knowledge leading to more opportunities for trade during the pursuit of reviving ancient knowledge that was preserved from the Middle Ages. Having a humanist perspective allowed one to think with a non-religious viewpoint and help develop the Reformation from the church and grow throughout the centuries with scientific revolutions and enlightenment.

During this revival of the arts, we begin to see the darkening of the third king in The Adorations of the Magi. I found a few good reads during my research on how reformation and humanism had an impact on the darkening of the magi from Africa. The Legacy of a Black King Who Visited Baby Jesus gives a perspective and representation of King Balthazar from the 5th century to the 15th century art reflects how the enslavement of Black Africans escalated in Europe during the Middle Ages. Another good perspective is The Blackening of Balthazar Epiphany and Race in the European Middle Ages. Using pictures from the past we are able to paint a better understanding as we piece together history in this current digital era. 

During the Renaissance painters began to portray the true color of the third magi. The paintings of the Adoration of the Magi by different painters reflect the changes in perspective. The Nativity story spread orally and northern Europe had not yet seen darker-skinned people till around the Middle Ages. It wasn't until around 500AD that the names of the wise men surfaced, from a Greek manuscript. Balthasar, Casper, and Melchior. As well as a text from a historian monk named Bede from northeast Europe who depicts Balthasar with dark skin color. Saint Bede The Venerable was considered a scholar of antiquities in the kingdom of Northumbria during the Middle Ages. 

We also have to take into consideration the influences of religion and politics as well as wealthy influencers who wanted recognition in the artworks they were commissioning. Families like the Medici were wealthy merchants and some were popes in the Roman Catholic church. 

Humanism began during the Italian Renaissance and spread to the North and continues to grow today. As a believer, I would love to have something like this on my home altar. There is an account in 1605 that this altarpiece was located in a monastery in Spain. I believe it belongs in the Museo in Madrid where it can continue to be preserved as a piece of world history. 

 

Works Cited

Saint Bede the Venerable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede# 

The Blackening of Balthazar Epiphany and Race in the European Middle Ages. Dontay M. Givens. https://comment.org/the-blackening-of-balthazar/ January 5, 2023

Head Study for Balthazar https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/balthazar/

How Enslavement Evolved the Legacy of Black King Who Visited Baby Jesus

The story of King Balthazar. https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/how-enslavement-evolved-the-legacy-of-black-king-who-visited-baby-jesus-4f7a7f57c1b5 Kamna Kirti. October 10, 2020

Heinrich Bünting’s Map of Africa from Travel through Sacred Scripture, Magdeburg, Germany, 1597 (Courtesy of Dr. Oscar I. Norwich Collection of Maps of Africa and its Islands, 1486 – ca. 1865, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries). https://smarthistory.org/images-african-kingship/

Northumbria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumbria

Myrrh mystery: how did Balthasar, one of the three kings, become black? Jonathan Jones

Mon 21 Dec 2020 06.48 EST. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/dec/21/christmas-cards-star-baby-jesus-myrrh-mystery-balthasar-three-kings-black-art