Art is the Solution

What a Golden Beak! Source: Philadelphia Museum of Art I want to return to talking about one of my favorite subjects in art: Francisco Goya’s Los Caprichos series. Today I want to touch on the 53rd etching in the series, Que pico de Oro! (What a Golden Beak!) As I’ve noted before, Spain was slow to adopt the social and intellectual advances of the Enlightenment movement. The Spanish intellectual class was rather conservative, and was thus often decades behind the academic and scientific progress. What a Golden Beak! presents a criticism of Spanish scholars. Here, a group of men surround a parrot, perched on a raised dais. The men, open mouthed and idiotic, look up at the parrot intently; the image was sarcastically described by Goya as “an academic meeting” in the Prado Manuscript, which contains his contemporary descriptions of each piece. Goya’s title plays off the phrase “golden beak,” which a contemporary Spanish dictionary defines as “a speech given with energy, discretio

Drowning Girl Source: Museum of Modern Art I don’t know much about pop art, but I’ve always been a big fan of Roy Lichtenstein’s most famous painting, Drowning Girl . If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might have gathered that I’m an admirer of drama in art, and this painting has a simply incredible amount of inherent drama. As the MoMA explains , Lichtenstein was inspired by the melodramatic and highly emotional plots of comic books. The painting itself is actually an adaptation of the cover of a real comic book with a few small changes. Lichtenstein himself noted, “I was very excited about, and interested in, the highly emotional content yet detached, impersonal handling of love, hate, war, etc. in these cartoon images.” At its heart, the painting questions what art is. When you think of fine art, comic books probably aren’t the first things that come to mind. According to my research , contemporary critics were skeptical of the piece, questioning whether

The Chess Game Source: Wikipedia More than almost any other painter of the Renaissance, Sofonisba Anguissola had a flare for depicting personality and emotion. When you encounter her paintings, you feel as though you’re being introduced to real, flesh-and-blood people. This is especially true of her earlier works. Contemporary social conventions limited female painters to a constrained set of subjects, which meant that Anguissola painted her family members many times as a young artist. The result is a sense of intimacy in her paintings, a connection between the subject and the viewer which must surely mirror the connection between the artist and her family. The Chess Game is a good example of this aspect of her work. The painting depicts Anguissola’s sisters, smiling and chatting as they play a game of chess. It is an engaging piece that not only reflects her sisters’ personality and intelligence, but also exhibits the rich and vibrant domestic life of the Anguissola household

Judith Beheading Holofernes Source: Wikipedia Today, I want to switch topics and talk about one of the most famous artists of the Baroque era: Caravaggio. Caravaggio was a master of light and shadow; his work experiments with chiaroscuro and tends to be visually dramatic, two major characteristics of Baroque art. The drama of Caravaggio’s work has always appealed to me; in particular, I’ve always been fascinated by his masterpiece, Judith Beheading Holofernes . The painting depicts a scene from the Old Testament, in which Judith saves her people by killing Holofernes. Given the subject matter, the painting is inherently dramatic. However, Caravaggio’s use of contrast in this piece creates even more visual impact. The figures loom out of the dark, heavily shadowed background, drawing the viewer’s eye to the Holofernes’ anguished expression, spurting blood, and Judith’s face. Judith’s face is perhaps the most interesting part of the painting. The lines between her eyebrows and

Of What Ill Will He Die? Source: Museo Prado Today, I want to return to talking about Francisco Goya’s Los Caprichos series. As I’ve noted before, Los Caprichos are a series of etchings that depict the social ills of contemporary Spanish culture. In this particular print — entitled De que mal morira? ( Of what ill will he die? ) — Goya criticizes the medical profession. The piece depicts an ass, masquerading as a doctor, bending over a dying man’s sickbed. The donkey’s most prominent feature is a huge diamond ring, which he wears around his hoof. The jewel reminds the viewer that wealth does not equate to knowledge. A doctor might be respected, affluent, and celebrated without being a competent physician. The etching points out that appearance is no guarantee of substance, as even a donkey can be made to look respectable. As the Museo Prado notes , “the donkey represents the fool who has attained an elevated place in society through the incompetent practising of medicine, pro

Lady in a Fur Wrap Source: Wikipedia Today, I want to chat about another portrait: Lady in a Fur Wrap. Based on my research , this painting is usually attributed to El Greco, but there has been genuine and serious debate about the identity of the artist, with some even attributing it to Sofonisba Anguissola. As the majority of experts seem to think that the painting was created by El Greco, I’m going to refer to him as the artist in this post. Regardless of the artist, the painting is a striking portrait. The piece, which dates from the Renaissance period, feels strangely modern. The lady gazes at the viewer with an intense, bold gaze that suggests an active mind and impressive intellect. Her face is expressive, conveying a sense of energy and vitality. The painting oozes personality, in contrast with many pictures of demure women from the same period. Compared to Ingres’ portrait of The Princesse de Broglie (which I discussed yesterday), El Greco’s work is far less detailed,

The Princesse de Broglie Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Today, I want to talk about a painting by another famous Neoclassical painter: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Ingres seems to have taken a particular joy in painting beautiful young women, ranging from portraits to mythological and history paintings. One of his most famous paintings is his portrait of the Princesse de Broglie, and I primarily want to talk about it because it’s just so beautiful. I recently saw a high resolution image of this painting on the Met’s Instagram account, and I was stunned by the level of technical skill demonstrated in this piece. Every detail from the lace on the princess’ dress to the light reflecting off the fabric of the yellow chair is painstakingly and meticulously rendered. The effect is undeniably impressive. Every inanimate objects in the painting — the dress, chair, and jewelry — are astonishingly realistic. However, Ingres has softened the princess herself. She is doll-like,

Death of Marat Source: Google Art & Culture Institute  I wrote a bit about Neoclassical art yesterday, so today I want to chat about the master of the Neoclassical style: Jacques-Louis David. As I explained yesterday, the Neoclassical style was inspired by Roman and Greek art. The style is characterized by a focus on the human form, interest in mythological subjects, dramatic poses, and a clean, pared down style. David’s work is closely associated with the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period. As a style, Neoclassicism melded rather well with the ideas of the French revolution. For revolutionaries, the simplicity and grandeur of neoclassical art compared favorably to the lavish decadence of the Rococo style, which was often associated with the aristocracy. Furthermore, the connection to Greek democracy and the Roman republic implied by the style’s classical associations must have seemed eminently appropriate for the emerging French Republic. Today, I’m going to dis

Portrait of Charlotte du Val d'Ognes Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art I was scrolling through the Met’s Instagram account the other day (which is a great thing to follow if you enjoy art), and I stumbled upon this beautiful painting, Portrait of Charlotte du Val d'Ognes by Marie-Denise Villers. Although I had never heard of the piece or the artist, I was immediately drawn to it, and I wanted to chat about it a bit today. According to the Met , the artist — Villers — was an acolyte of Jacques Louis David, one of the most celebrated French painters of his time. David’s style can be defined as Neoclassical, and Villers’ work follows suit. As the name suggests, the Neoclassical style was inspired by Roman and Greek art. The style is characterized by a focus on the human form, dramatic — almost theatrical — poses, and a clean, pared down style. Simple and elegant with a spare background, Villers’ portrait is a good example of the Neoclassical style. However, the succ

Exploitation of Mexico by Spanish Conquistadors Photo Credit: Wolfgang Sauber Today, I want to chat about a piece of art created by the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Rivera’s work often celebrates the culture and history of Mexico, as well as the lives of “salt of the earth,” ordinary people. Both of these themes are exemplified in Rivera’s series of murals located in the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, a building that houses governmental offices. The murals depict the history of Mexico, dating from the pre-Columbian period to the twentieth century. I read a great essay about the murals , which explains that the government commissioned them because “The Mexican government craved a change in their style of leadership. Leadership pushed for a mural and art movement throughout the country. The government shifted from the ideologist of the nineteenth century into a modern political and social model.” Like Rafael Rivera García’s Batéy murals, which I talked about yester

Murals del Batéy Photo Credit:  José Oliver-Didier  One genre of art that I haven’t discussed much on this blog is the mural. Murals are particularly interesting because they are usually public art and, thus, say a lot about what their community understands the world and what they value. Today, I want to talk about the Batéy murals, located under an overpass in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I’ve seen these murals multiple times on various trips to Puerto Rico; however, I have to admit that I never considered their significance as art until I started writing this blog. According to my research , these murals were created by Neorican muralist Rafael Rivera García in 1979 in honor of the Pan American Games, which were held in San Juan that year. The murals depict the pre-Columbian people of Puerto Rico — the Tainos — playing a game called Batu, which involved keeping a rubber ball in the air without using hands or feet. The game was ceremonial in nature, carrying deep cultural import

Madonna of Bruges Photo Credit: Elke Wetzig Today, I want to talk about a sculpture that inspired my love of art and interest in art history. I saw the Madonna of Bruges when I visited Belgium thirteen years ago with my family. I was about twelve years old at the time, and I remember being totally enthralled by the piece (I actually tried to draw it at the time, which didn’t work out very well; I’m not much of an artist myself). The Madonna is so beautiful and so masterfully executed, it’s hard not to be dumbstruck when you see it for the first time. At its core, the sculpture showcases the best characteristics of Renaissance art: the beauty of the idealized human form, the carefully sculpted drapery, and the attention to the play of light and shadow across the surface of the marble. The long, oval-shaped face of the Madonna is particularly beautiful, expression conveying a mix of resignation and sadness. Like many contemporary depictions of the Madonna and Child, the piece fore

Bernardino Campi Painting Sofonisba Anguissola Source: Wikipedia Today, I want to return to the Renaissance to talk about another great painter: Sofonisba Anguissola. Anguissola is best known for her portraits and self-portraits, and this one is one of my favorites. Here, we see the artist’s teacher — Bernardino Campi — painting a portrait of his student. The piece gives insight into the relationship between the two artists, portraying their friendship and mutual respect for each other. It is also a rather clever way to construct a self portrait. Anguissola’s painting is a painting of herself being painted, a reflection on the life of an artist and, in some ways, the creative process. Portraiture was one of the few genres of painting open to female artists during the Renaissance. Anguissola used these limitations to her advantage, repurposing the genre in innovative ways. Her work validates her experiences as a female painter and creates meaning through her explorations of the

Life is a Struggle Source: gustav-klimt.com Today I want to talk about a painting by one of my favorite artists: Gustav Klimt. Klimt was an Austrian artist working in the 19th and early 20th centuries. His style is extremely distinctive and draws inspiration from many different artistic movements and styles. I’d venture to guess that even art historians would have a difficult time classifying his work: it is simply Klimt-esque. Although almost everybody living in the Western world has seen his most famous painting — the Kiss — today I want to talk about one of his lesser known pieces: Life is a Struggle . Many of Klimt’s paintings were allegorical, and Life is a Struggle is no different. The painting depicts a golden knight, presumably setting off to do battle with the world. It dates from Klimt’s famous golden phase, which — based on my research — was inspired by his trip to the Italian city of Ravenna, which is famous for its golden mosaics. As the title suggests, the

Grito de Lares Source: La Fundación de las Artes Augusto Marín Today, I want to switch topics to talk about a painting that is much more modern than anything else I’ve talked about so far: Grito de Lares by Augusto Marin. The title — Grito de Lares — refers to the 1868 Lares revolt against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico. The uprising was a seminal event in the history of Puerto Rico and clearly had a deep impact on Marin, even though he was working more than 100 years later. As the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico notes, “one of his favored subjects is island politics.” The painting depicts men — brandishing the Lares revolutionary flag — riding into battle on horseback. Marin’s use of bold colors and curving lines conveys a sense of energy and movement. The stampeding horses and the open-mouthed men on their backs call to mind the exaltation and passion associated with revolution. In examining these compositional elements, it is clear that Marin was inspired by some of the o

Map of Tenochtitlan Source: History Today Today, I want to take a step away from the idea of the ideal city in art and touch on another way civic spaces are depicted. When you hear the word art, a map might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, maps are important pieces of visual culture and often reveal how their creators view the world. This map dates from 1524 and depicts the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City). While modern people tend to think of maps as tools to help them travel from point A to point B, this map would be more or less useless to a traveler trying to find there was around the city. This is very deliberate. Tenochtitlan was destroyed three years before the map was published; besides which, it was designed for a European audience, comprised of people who would probably never come anywhere near Central America. According to History Today , “[this] was the first image seen in Europe of Tenochtitlan, presented under the Habsburg i

Effects of Good Government in the City  Source:  Google Cultural Institute Today, I want to continue the discussion of the ideal city in art that we began yesterday. To do this, I want to talk about one of the great masterpieces of Italian art: The Allegory of Good and Bad Government , a series of frescos depicting the effects of government on the city and countryside. Each set of frescos depict a city under either good or bad governments. The allegorical figures of Peace, Fortitude, Prudence, Magnanimity, Temperance, and Justice reign over the “good city,” while Cruelty, Deceit, Fraud, Fury, Division, War, and Tyranny hold sway over the “bad city.” These frescos are interesting for a number of different reasons. They’re painted on the walls of Siena’s town hall, and they are a good example of transitions art as Europe began to move from the Medieval to the Renaissance period. There are elements of Renaissance art here, especially in the increased awareness of perspective a

View of Delft Source: The Mauritshuis  Today, I want to talk about the work of my favorite Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Although Vermeer is probably best known for his painting Girl with the Pearl Earring , one of his most interesting pieces is — in my opinion — View of Delft . View of Delft (the Dutch city where Vermeer lived) is a cityscape painted during a time in which cityscapes were not the norm. What the artist chooses to depict in this painting is as interesting as what he does not depict. Vermeer’s image of Delft is stark, orderly, and clean. Boats are visible in the middle ground, dotted with industrious workers. Neatly dressed men and women stand speaking together in the foreground. The scene is capped with great expanses of cloudy sky. The overall impression is one of serenity. Although all of Vermeer’s paintings are meticulously detailed and nearly photorealistic in their execution, View of Delft is unrealistic in its subject matter. Here, Delft is the ideal Du

La Orana Maria Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art Today, I want to talk about my favorite Gauguin painting: La Orana Maria (Hail Mary). In this piece, Gauguin reimagines traditional European imaginary of the Madonna and Child. Here, a Tahitian woman represents the Virgin Mary and a toddler perched on her shoulder represents the Christ Child. Gauguin described it as “an angel with yellow wings reveals Mary and Jesus, both Tahitians, to two Tahitian women, nudes dressed in pareus, a sort of cotton cloth printed with flowers that can be draped from the waist. Very somber, mountainous background and flowering trees . . . a dark violet path and an emerald green foreground, with bananas on the left. I'm rather happy with it." To my knowledge, Gauguin was not a particularly religious person, but he was certainly interested in spiritual experience, as can be seen in his famous painting Vision after the Sermon. La Orana Maria continues in this vein, using the contrast of the

I am Still Learning Source:  Museo Nacional del Prado Today, I want to return to the work of my favorite artist, Francisco Goya. Although Goya’s most famous work is frequently dark and satirical, I want to show you something more positive today. I am Still Learning is a drawing that dates from the end of Goya’s life. It depicts an old man with a bushy beard hobbling along with the help of two canes. Above the drawing is Goya’s caption: Aun Aprendo ( I am Still Learning ). The Museo Prado, which owns the drawing, describes it as “a symbolic self-portrait expressive of the unwavering desire for personal development that led him to continue to set down his new ideas.” Although Goya suffered tremendously during the last years of his life, he was a prolific and creative artist until his death. This was in keeping with the enlightenment ideals that he espoused, which centered around the pursuit of knowledge as a means of improvement. Although there are other, darker interpretat

Agriculture Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico I want to follow up yesterday’s painting by talking about another piece of art that depicts farming in Puerto Rico. Agriculture by Augusto Marin is, in some ways, very similar to Ramón Frade’s masterpiece, El Pan Nuestro de Cada Dia . As in Frade’s work, Agriculture celebrates the lives and work of agricultural laborers. However, Marin’s piece is distinctly stylized, as opposed to realistic. The monumental figure of an agricultural worker dominates the foreground. At his feet grow calabazas and pineapples, while sugarcane grows to the left and bananas plants and coconut trees are visible in the background, representing the richness and agricultural diversity of Puerto Rico. Marin’s style tended toward the abstract. His bold lines, combined with the pose and size of the farmer in the foreground suggest strength, energy, and forward momentum. The stance of the figure proclaims ownership and mastery of the land, in stark contrast wi

El Pan Nuestro de Cada Dia Source: Pintrest Today I want to take a step back from Romanticism to talk about a little known Puerto Rican (little known outside of Puerto Rico, at least) artist, Ramón Frade. Frade can be characterized as a realist, both in terms of his style and subject matter. As an artistic style, realism strives to depict reality. The movement, which emerged in the 19th century, can be understood as a reaction against the fantastical and other-worldly splendor of Romantic painting. Instead, Realism celebrated the lives of everyday people. El Pan Nuestro de Cada Dia , which is Frade’s most famous painting, is a good example of this idea. The piece depicts an old man, walking shoeless across mountainous country, with a tilled field in the background. He carries a bunch of plantains, the “daily bread” of the painting’s title. Frade’s depiction of the farmer is sympathetic; he carries himself with pride, representing the dignity of work and the importance of agricul

Spirit of the Dead Watching Source: Wikipedia Today, I want to turn my attention back to the work of Paul Gauguin to talk about his painting Spirit of the Dead Watching . There are a lot of different interpretations of this work, as you’ll find if you Google it. Many people interpret this painting through the lens of colonialism, racism, and sexism. I think those interpretations are important and valid, and there’s some good information about them here . However, today I’m going to talk about the way that I read the painting. As I’ve said before, Gauguin was clearly inspired by the Romantic movement, especially its emphasis on the emotional and spiritual life The Nightmare Source: Wikipedia of the individual. By the time Gauguin was active as an artist, the idea of psychoanalysis — developed by the famous Sigmund Freud — was emerging into mainstream thought. In my opinion, the figure in the background (the so-called “Spirit of the Dead”) is a representation of th

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog Source: Wikipedia Over the past couple of days we’ve been talking about Romanticism, so, today, I want to talk about the quintessential Romantic painting: Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich. If you’ve ever enrolled in an art history class, this was probably the painting you saw when the instructor introduced the idea of Romanticism. It checks all the boxes for Romantic art: dramatic landscapes, celebration of natural beauty, emphasis on individualism, and focus on emotion and the inner life of the artist. As a movement, Romanticism was a reaction against the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. Painters like Caspar David Friedrich sought authenticity and spiritual fulfillment by exploring their own psyches with the goal of tapping into a higher emotional truth. Friedrich himself said: The artist's feeling is his law. All of this is present in Wanderer above the Sea of Fog . As in Gauguin’s Day of the God , the p

Day of the God Source: Art Institute of Chicago Today, I want to revisit the work of Paul Gauguin. As I explained yesterday, Gauguin was a Post-Impressionist French painter who was inspired by Romanticism. His most famous work comes from his trips to Tahiti, including the painting we’re talking about today: Day of the God . Like Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? , Day of the God is an allegorical painting. According to The Art Institute of Chicago, the three figures in the middle ground represent birth, life, and death, while the water in the foreground represents life itself. In the background, Tahitians perform a ritual near a sculptured figure that seems to represent what is beyond these three stages: the metaphysical realm. I read the painting as a psychological landscape. Here, Gauguin portrays spiritual reality. The piece is an attempt to use art to access a higher state of being. Aside from the symbolism, Gauguin’s use of color in Day of the God

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Source: Museum of Fine Arts Boston Paul Gauguin was a racist, misogynist, extremely ethnocentric, and, all around, a terrible person. However, he was one of the most talented artists of his time, and I really do love his work. If you want to read more about why Gauguin is problematic, I wrote about it here. Although Gauguin is not considered an artist of the Romantic movement, his work certainly embodies many of the ideas of Romanticism. Romanticism was the “back to nature” movement of its time. It was a reaction against industrialization and the idea that everything in the world could be explained by science and rational thought. Instead, Romantics sought to find meaning in nature and in spiritual experiences. Gauguin was also one of the many Europeans in the 19th and early 20th centuries who became fascinated with the idea of the exotic. This craze can best be compared with the prevalence and problems of cultural appro

Today, I want to talk about a type of art that is often overlooked: postal stamps. It’s so common to have art on stamps that few people think about why it’s there. However, if you look at it from a utilitarian point of view, there’s no real reason to have art on stamps. A sticker that says “this stamp is worth fifty cents” or something similar would be equally effective. So, why is there art on stamps? There are two answers. One answer is that it increases sales. People are more interested in buying stamps that are nice to look at, and limited edition releases inspire people to collect stamps as a hobby. Stamps generate income for the postal service; so it’s important to provide a product that people want to buy. The second answer is that stamps can convey a message. In the modern age, it’s so rare to see stamps that it’s easy to forget that, in the past, they were commonplace, everyday items for nearly everyone in the Western world. That means that they were incredibly effective pro

The Opening of the Fifth Seal Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art Today, I want to talk a little more about Mannerism. Yesterday, I wrote about the Madonna with the Long Neck , which is a painting that’s a bit weird. But, if the Madonna is weird, the painting I’m going to talk about today is positively bizarre. The Opening of the Fifth Seal is a painting by El Greco, a Greek artist who was born in Crete but spent most of his professional life in Spain, particularly Toledo. I had the privilege to see a few of his paintings there when I visited in 2012. El Greco’s style is extremely distinctive and is definitely an example of Mannerism at its most extreme (although I think a lot of people would argue that he’s not purely a mannerist painter). In many ways, his work looks extremely modern, and it’s easy to see the influence of El Greco in the work of Picasso and Dali. The Opening of the Fifth Seal is a good example of his style. It features elongated, distorted figures and an