Art is the Solution

Snow Falling in the Lane Source: WikiArt We had quite a big snow storm in my neck of the woods today. I particularly dislike snow, as it forces me to shovel and makes the roads treacherous. However, in honor of the first big snow of the year, I want to show you a painting entitled Snow Falling in the Lane by the great Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. Munch is best known as the painter of The Scream , one of the most recognizable paintings in the world. His style is extremely distinctive, characterized by bright colors and bold lines. Munch used painting to explore his psychological and emotional reality, which inspired this distinctive style. Thus, every Munch painting is a reflection of his own personal worldview. Snow Falling in the Lane depicts a winter scene. As the title suggests, the painting depicts a man and a woman walking down a snowy lane. The two figures are only half-visible, caught in the moment of walking out of the frame. Behind them, the viewer can see the lane receding...

Winter Trees Source: WikiArt As the weather continues to get colder, I want to share another winter landscape with you. This piece is entitled Winter Trees , and, as the title suggests, it depicts barren trees standing in a desolate field with a cloudy sky in the background. While it is a simple scene on its face, it is the use of color and style within the painting that makes it interesting. Winter Trees was produced by one of the most innovative painters of his time: Egon Schiele. While I have never been a huge fan of Schiele’s art, it is impossible to deny that his style is completely unique and instantly recognizable. His brushstrokes are loose and painterly, and he uses bold lines to create twisting and distorted shapes. His subjects tend to be bold and unapologetically raw, and contemporary commentators often criticized him for the explicit eroticism of his art. While Winter Trees is a simpler and more subdued piece than many of Schiele’s paintings, it is still possible to see hi...

Seated Girl (Fränzi Fehrmann) Source: Minneapolis Institute of Art There are few styles of art more unique and colorful than Expressionism. Like Romanticism, Expressionism seeks to depict a psychological landscape; it aims to portray the emotional reality of either the subject or the artist. It is a vibrant, exciting, and—of course—expressive style. However, the most important aspect of Expressionism is the emotion the paintings represent and evoke; it is through these emotions that the artists work to convey a sense of authenticity. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was one of the leading artists of the German Expressionist movement, and was even a member of “The Bridge,” a leading group of Expressionist artists. Seated Girl is one of his many masterpieces. As the title suggests, it depicts a young girl wearing a red dress and sitting on a bed. She looks over her shoulder at the viewer, a serious and thoughtful expression on her face. The girl in the painting is Lina Franziska Fehrmann, known as...

Frost Source: Wikimedia Commons It’s around this time of the year that we start seeing frost on the ground, so, in honor of this change in weather, I’d like to share a painting called Frost . The piece was created by Hugo Simberg, one of Finland’s most famous painters. He was a member of the symbolist movement, an artistic movement that sought to expressive higher truths through art. Simberg revels in strange and supernatural subjects, and his work typically has an otherworldly and melancholic aura. Frost is no exception. The painting depicts a pale, goblin-like creature who blows gusts of cold air out of a cavernous mouth. The creature perches on a hay stack with a mountainous landscape in the background. A huge orange sun sinks down behind the hills. The piece obviously symbolizes oncoming winter. The haystacks in the field references the end of autumn, while the frost itself represents winter. It follows in a long tradition of Western artwork that personifies the seasons. Winter is...

The White Cat Source: Artcyclopedia German artist Franz Marc is best known for his colorful paintings of animals. Marc was one of the leaders of the Expressionist movement, which has its roots in the Romantic and Symbolist styles. Like Romanticism, Expressionism seeks to depict a psychological landscape; it aims to portray the emotional reality of either the subject or the artist. Marc achieved this goal by painting animals, which he felt a strong emotional connection to. Although Marc frequently painted wild or barnyard animals, he also produced many paintings and drawings of domestic cats throughout his career. Like many artists, Marc was evidently drawn to the grace and elegance that cats display. Marc tended to paint animals in natural poses and environments, and, in The White Cat , the subject is curled into a typical feline sleeping pose. Marc used a complex system of color coding to imbue meaning in his paintings. In this case, the cat’s white fur is a symbol of its innocenc...

Blue Horses Source: Wikimedia Commons Among the art produced in the early twentieth century, Franz Marc’s work was among the most distinctive in both style and subject matter in Western Europe. Marc was one of the leaders of the Expressionist movement, which has its roots in the Romantic and Symbolist styles. Like Romanticism, Expressionism seeks to depict a psychological landscape; it aims to portray the emotional reality of either the subject or the artist. The most important aspect of Expressionism is the emotion the paintings represent and evoke; it is through these emotions that the artists work to convey a sense of authenticity. Franz Marc achieved this through brightly colored painting animals, his preferred subjects. Although Marc created hundreds of paintings of animals throughout his career, horses were one of his favorite subjects. Marc believed that horses were more human-like than other animals, and, consequently, he approached his horse paintings with great nuance a...

The Fate of the Animals Source: Wikimedia Commons Yesterday, I discussed the art of German Expressionist artist Franz Marc. The painting I discussed—the Yellow Cow —is a joyful scene, typical of his style. However, while I was researching his work, I came across a darker piece: The Fate of the Animals .  Marc had a deep affinity for animals, and much of his work depicts them in idyllic settings. In the Fate of the Animals however, this dynamic is turned on its head. Here, Marc’s beloved animals face brutal destruction. Trees topple as panicked animals try to escape a blazing fire; the scene may reference a forest fire, although Marc was always more interested in depicting psychological reality as opposed to the physical world. Whatever his intent, the resulting scene is the sort of image that will be seared in your mind forever. It is jarring, terrifying and heartbreaking all at the same time. In comparison to Marc’s other work, The Fate of the Animals can only be called...

The Yellow Cow Source: Wikimedia Commons Among the art produced in the early twentieth century, Franz Marc’s work was among the most distinctive in both style and subject matter in Western Europe. Marc was one of the leaders of the Expressionist movement, which has its roots in the Romantic and Symbolist styles. Like Romanticism, Expressionism seeks to depict a psychological landscape; it aims to portray the emotional reality of either the subject or the artist. The most important aspect of Expressionism is the emotion the paintings represent and evoke; it is through these emotions that the artists work to convey a sense of authenticity. Franz Marc achieved this through brightly colored painting animals, his preferred subjects. The Yellow Cow is one of his most famous pieces; it depicts the titular yellow cow galloping across a geometric landscape. According to my research , Marc conveyed his ideas through a complex language of color. Within this language, yellow signifies...