so much depends

Mystery combined with breathtaking brilliance, the graffiti scene Columbia is one that should not go unnoticed.

(And hasn’t!, there are even tours! http://bogotagraffiti.com/about)

Bogota, Columbia

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Rodez, Bogota, Columbia

Unknown Date

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Unknown Artist or Date

Bogota, Columbia

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Rodez, Bogota Columbia

Unknown Date

Even artists that have very well known pieces such as Rodez have little media exposure in correlation with their work, so many pieces of street art may never be correlated with their true artists before they fade or are demolished.

Cartagena, Columbia

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Dexz, Cartagena, Columbia

Unknown Date

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Fin DAC, Cartagena, Columbia

Unknown Date

Fin DAC is a popular artist from London that has painting since 2007, many of his works feature black and white portraits with explosive bouts of color. (Catch up on his stuff on his Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/finbarr-dac/102099492162?sk=timeline)

Maria Mulata

Yurika, Cartagena, Columbia

2013

Yurika on the other hand has a very large portfolio of which all feature very quick lines of colors and sparks across geometric explosions and many dripping portraits. He has been painting for 12 years and has been commissioned for many public art murals. His work can be found at http://yurikauno.tumblr.com

Cuidada Mural

Pez, Cartagena, Columbia

2013

Pez is another famous Cartagena artist that has been painting since 1999 and chose his title El Pez, which in spanish means fish, a prominent theme of his art. More of his collection can be found here http://www.el-pez.com/art/. I enjoy his creative use of his fishy symbol, many of his bold line work reminds me of Keith Haring and his dancing people or the collections of barking dogs.

“A little while ago, we were painting in the morning in front of the Escuela Militar, and four policemen stopped by. They asked us, ‘Have you had any coffee yet this morning?’”

-Assi-One

[italian graffiti artist talking about working in Bogota and the

permissive nature of police towards grafitti]

The acceptance of graffiti as a public art form definitely changes the way that it has grown in other countries. Suffering oppressive action in the United States, which classifies it as a crime instead of a violation , which in Bogota does not allow for detainment of the artist. This freedom allows graffiti artists to work with more stable paints and focus more time on their expression and execution of these murals.

Columbian art features many very bright bold colors and a feeling of excitation and celebration of life similar to the many festivals present in the culture. Many works feature faces or animals, transformed with expansive uses of color. I enjoyed all of the Columbian works, especially the Maria Mulata piece that features explosive bouts of color out of a very large depiction of a bird on the wall, the sheer size of this elates me alongside the capability of this art piece (like all street art) to intersperse with peoples daily lives.

Brody, Daniel. “Bogota’s graffiti scene get international attention”Columbia Reports. 2010. http://colombiareports.com/bogotas-graffiti-scene-attracts-international-interest/

Laura. “Bogota’s Street Art “Lauralovesit.wordpress. 2011. https://lauralovesit.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/bogotas-street-art/

Zara. “#StreetArt : Graffiti Around The World”. Backpackme. 2014. http://bkpk.me/streetart-graffiti-around-the-world/

Rich in culture and solemn in stature, art featuring Native Americans has been reproduced in many different forms, mediums, with countless interpretations. I chose to share a very colorful pop art style featuring portrait renditions of Native Americans.

Kicking Bear, Siuox

John Nieto,  2013

Rockwall, TX

Quanah Parker 2008

John Nieto, 2008

Rockwall, TX

“I paint native American themes so I can step back in time and shine some light on those people – that culture. Through my artwork, I hope to show their humanity and their dignity.” -Nieto

John Neito

Neito is a bold contemporary artist that has been exhibiting paintings since 1981 to the present and has many works in museums all over the United States. He has produced bronze sculptures, etchings, lithographs and silk- screen prints, in addition to drawings in pastel crayons and charcoal. His Native American ancestral roots are primary from New Mexico in which his family has lived for over 300 years.

I enjoy Neito’s work for the bold use of color, mixing of patterns, and his courageous blending of colors. His work is very impactful and the dark shadows creature very moving pieces.

Native American 1

Tamara Ruiz, circa 2013

Blair, Nebraska

Native American 2

Tamara Ruiz, circa 2013

Blair, Nebraska

Tamara Ruiz

Ruiz is contemporary artist out of Blair, Nebraska that primarily creates works that are collage pieces using old photographs with acrylic and oil painting collaborations, mixed media 2D and 3D projects, jewelry, and still life paintings with clear bold colors. Her work has been exhibited across the United States, in Singapore, Japan and Belgium.

I enjoy that Ruiz chose to create portraits of Native Americans on maps of tribal lands, I feel like it creates an interesting juxtaposition of the lands that they once inhabited with a bright portrait of what modern culture has transformed them into.

Mother and Child

Andy Warhol, 1986

New York, New York

Sitting Bull

Andy Warhol, 1986

New York, New York

Andy Warhol

Warhol has been a very prominent artist in the pop art movements since the 1960s with both films and printmaking, with other interests in sculpture and photography in the 1980s. Many of Warhol’s work expressed bold combinations of color upon every day items such as Campbell’s Soup cans and Coca Cola bottles, after which he began to work more with photographs of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson.

I like the shift of Native American portraits chosen by Warhol because I enjoy the combination of photographs with non complimentary colors. The painterly touches of the two previous artists are beautiful, but I also enjoy the depth that is created in Warhol’s work as the dark shading of the photographs slightly shows through.

“John Nieto.” Nieto Fine Art, 2015. Web. 29 July 2015.

https://www.nietofineart.com/about-nieto-fine-art

“About Me, Tamara Ruiz.” Tamara Ruiz, 2014. Web. 29 July 2015.

http://tamararuiz.com/about/

“Andy Warhol.” Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 29 July 2015.

http://www.biography.com/people/andy-warhol-9523875#artistic-career

The Harlem Renaissance was a revolutionary time in the art world for African Americans, many works were considered “lowdown” (lower class) and “guttbucket” and created an extremely great barrier to entry for African Americans to become prominent on such an immense social scene. This change of social stigma, creating a upperclass well to do scene was facilitated by many artists of the era including the painter Hayden Palmer, cornet player Louie Armstrong, and pianist Scott Joplin.

Juenesse

Hayden Palmer

Location Unknown, 1927

Palmer’s piece Juenesse (translated in French to “youthfulness”) exemplifies a new stage for African Americans within the social and dance scene with music provided by other Harlem Renaissance artists. The couple takes the center of the room while others cling close together on the sides, perhaps portraying the newfound confidence and courage to be seen. African American musicians are pictured on the far left, providing the upbeat jazz that the couple swings to, with graceful images of dancers across the ceiling. Palmer was an intentional Harlem Renaissance painter, as his earlier works were primarily seascapes and landscapes, but as the revival took hold, so did he. His works were recounted as being more modernistic … more decorative, high-keyed and in broken color.”

Weather Bird

Louie Armstrong

New York, 1928

Louie Armstrong was a revolutionists as he brought class and etiquette to a music scene unpopularized by social reformers, that of New Orleans “hot jazz”. Armstrong was not classically trained until late on his career when he was trying to refine his image to greater degree and followed the grooming of his second wife Lillian Hardin. His piece Weather Bird combines the higher class training of his cornet skills,  melodious piano, and with a strong jazz rhythm to drive.

Maple Leaf Rag

Scott Joplin

Sedalla Missouri, 1899

Apart from the obvious jazz tunes of the Harlem Renaissance, ragtime also made a premiere for a very short time, being led by the “King of Ragtime”, Scott Joplin. Joplin’s ragtime pieces have been recomposed by many artists, and even though there are recordings that state they are true recordings of Joplin performing, they are not. There are no audio recordings of Joplin performing any of his pieces, except for the 7 piano rolls composed before his death. Maple Leaf Rag is noted for its seemingly playful flailing that maintains a constant upbeat tempo and pace with the style of ragtime music.  Joplin was thought to bring a more “classical” style to ragtime of the era, “lift[ing] ragtime from its low estate and lined it up with Beethoven and Bach”. This is characteristic of the Harlem Renaissance in its revival of many art forms secularized by African Americans and the reutilization that brought them onto the public scene.

I enjoy many of the pieces of artwork and music produced by the Harlem Renaissance, including the one’s I discussed. The style of that era was very expressive, artwork utilized bright colors, music like jazz chose improv and stylized playing, all of which create a dynamic flow of enjoyment in my opinion. There was seemingly no structured beginning or end to the artwork, but rather the flow of the moments as you get lost in the music.

Routledge, 2004. http://cw.routledge.com/ref/harlem/armstrong.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_Leaf_Rag. 2015. Web.

http://www.welcometoharlem.com/scott_joplin. 2015. Web.

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/4283/Hayden-Palmer-1890-1973.html. 2015. Web.

Self Portrait in a Grey Felt Hat

Vincent Van Gogh

Paris, 1887

Wikipedia Source

Van Gogh has many famous pieces such as Starry Night, Irises, and Bedroom in Arles, but I enjoy this painting out of his many self portraits for the clever use of color and skill in consistency. Many of Van Gogh’s self portraits were used as testing grounds for styles of painting and interestingly depict many different styles that he chose to practice on. At this stage of his self portrait journey, his brushstroke skill is growing profoundly and the rhythmic nature of his painting adds to the emotion and direction of a still life portrait. There are strokes that form down his nose, but every other stroke outside of that radiates from the central point on his face, widening an already stern expression. Clever use of the rippling effect of curved strokes around his head create an aura-like effect doppled with orange spots that might represent a starry sky. Although there are many obvious similarities in colors used throughout this piece, there are very few instances (white outlining on the jacket), where it is a apparent that a singular color made up the majority of a single brush stroke, as this is but a minor detail- bold single color strokes are very common in oil paintings. There is much speculation about the processes in which Van Gogh painted, and interestingly enough it has been very well studied. There have been algorithms created (De-pict), that actually replicate Van Gogh’s style and through X-ray analysis have found that there were at least 3 different layers of brush stroke patterns before the final product was produced. Many of these intermediate layers provide framework for getting feel for the direction of the painting, but as more layer progresses, they add dimension and underlying highlights to an apparent strictly conformed painting.

I chose to compare Van Gogh’s work to UAF’s very own Todd Sherman. I am a very big fan of Mr. Sherman’s work, and actually struggled trying to find good photographs of some of his work. Here are a few examples. Someone 

Todd Sherman

Fairbanks, Alaska

Walrus, Momma Polar Bear, Young Polar Bear, and Ringed Seal

Todd Sherman

Fairbanks, Alaska  2014

Sherman’s work has a very colorful style, which I find similar to Van Gogh’s Self Portrait. There are many colors used in both paintings that would not be traditionally considered for shading or highlighting, but inherently bring life to the pieces. Examples include the many of the dark greens and light blues chosen by Van Gogh for shading around the eyes (perhaps to bring out his own green eyes), and Sherman’s yellows and pinks found in his Polar Bear paintings. Much of Van Gogh’s style comes from his carefully executed rhythmic brushstrokes, but the lighthearted freeing style of Sherman’s less constructed depiction of animals in the natural world.

-More of Todd Sherman’s work if you have the interest, many of his pieces around the University are not in this portfolio. http://www.toddsherman.com/artwork/index.html

Variations in style give each artist their own appeal and admirable qualities, I enjoy both styles, especially for the bold use of non traditional colors to provide dimension as well as character to the pieces they chose to paint.

Kuang, Yubin, D. Stork, and F. Kahl. “Improved curvature-based in painting applied to fine art: Recovering van Gogh’s partially hidden brush strokes” n.d. http://www2.maths.lth.se/vision/publdb/reports/pdf/KuangStorkKahlfinal.pdf

Oedipus and The Sphinx

Gustave Moreau

Paris, France 1864

Wikipedia Source

The Classical Era gave rise to the revitalization of many ancient Greek and Roman works, including the Greek story of Oedipus The King. The story of Oedipus in summary is a tale of a young boy, who after being orphaned by his parents after a grave fortune telling, was adopted off a mountainside, rose to be quite powerful, and in the end unintentionally made the telling true and ended up killing his father for a throne and marrying his mother. The influence of this work at the time, was a portrayal of the controversial moral dilemma that Oedipus faces within his tragedy.  Many saw the “apparent” immoral acts (copulation with thy mother, slaying of thy father), but even throughout much of this controversy there is still sense of sorrow reflected to the reader as Oedipus faces each of these trials. It can be extrapolated that this sense of remorse is not from the neglect to acknowledge a seemingly bad deed, but rather the character that Sophocles builds around Oedipus that makes his moral and intellectual qualities appear admirable for change (Lawrence,Pg 139, 2013). Although he may falter many times, he has the intention to right his wrongs and make the “best” decision.

Moreau’s choice to depict this scene as Oedipus solves the riddle from the Sphinx, after which he travels to the town of Thebes and becomes king, is a key point in which Oedipus is challenged by the identity of self as well his fate.

He is asked by the Sphinx,

“What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three at night?”

To which Oedipus replies,

“Man: as an infant, he crawls on all fours; as an adult, he walks on two legs and; in old age, he uses a walking stick”

After solving this riddle correctly, the Sphinx is astonished and chooses to kill herself, and ends up freeing the Thebians.

The connection the audience creates with Oedipus, is not one surrounding a fatal flaw as so common in many Greek tragedies, but rather Oedipus’ lack of one. He “need not be morally immaculate for the spectators to feel sorry for his downfall. If a character is too perfect, the audience reacts to its downfall with shock, rather than pity and terror” (Carel, 2006). I feel that Moreau choses to use this relatability in his depiction of Oedipus, as he lacks many of the strong, courageous conquering leadership characteristics often found on men in his position. The gracefulness that is bestowed upon both Oedipus and the Sphinx creates an interesting dynamic as it is apparent that she is attempting a unfocused and unentranced temptation for Oedipus as his piercing gaze seeks to discover the answers that lay beneath. Moreau’s choice of a bare breasted woman gently clawing at Oedipus’ loins creates an in-dismissible sexual tension that may or may not have been present in the Sophocles original work, but further enforces the questionable morality of Oedipus’ choices. Mangled decaying bodies of previous challengers to the Sphinx’s riddle lay inches before Oedipus’ feet, one of which appears to have the crown of his deceased father, adding to the challenge presented before him.

I enjoy Moreau’s work for the delicate intricacies he provides, in the intense gazes, vast oblivious canyon beyond, to the individual feathers gracefully outlined on the wings of the Sphinx. He has chosen a very interesting perspective to outline and embody the famous Greek work of Sophocles, keeping a tension alive as moral ambiguity thrives on.

Lawrence, Stuart. “Moral Awareness In Greek Tragedy”. 2013. Web. https://books.google.com/books?id=bjwfAQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Moral+Awareness+in+Greek+Tragedy&hl=en&sa=X&ei=eUWSVfyICci0oQTj1Y2wCA&ved=0CB8Q6wEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Magdalen with the Smoking Flame

by Georges de La Tour

Circa 1640 in Lunéville, France

Wikipedia Source

As the saint Mary Magdalen holds such a prominent role in Christian religions as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, there is an extensive amount of symbolism embedded within any work depicting her. In de La Tour’s work, Magdalen is depicted with a very strong chiaroscuro by candelight, which brings attention and her facial features and the few items around her within arms reach. The books upon the table are a common theme in depictions of Magdalen to represent her dedication to reading the holy works as well as the wooden cross and whip laid beside them to exemplify her faith. Magdalen is shown as gazing deeply, yet passively, into the smoking flame before her, as to portray a sense of contemplation into things potentially outside of the physical realm. Her very fair skin appears almost porcelainly angelic in combination with the headdress she adorns to contain her flowing locks, however as the stories of Christ remark her as a passionate sinner, her clothing choices are somewhat low cut in the combination with a shorter skirt-dress possibly representing her bodily sins, with new aims to purify herself from the soul (head/face). She is depicted holding delicately an aged skull in her lap, which universally is often depicted as a symbolism for death and the afterlife, all the while she is gazing into the flame of the lamp, which can be symbolic of the continuation of life in its “burning, purifying and consuming any form of existence” (Blasone 2009). This combination of life and death places Magdalen in a limbo-like contemplation of existence.

Cultural influences and transformations of the time can be recognized in this depiction of Mary Magdalen as the Council of Trent regards her as a very promising saintly figure and the “paradigm of the redeemed sinner” (Hamerman 1997). She gives hope that there can be salvation for those that sin, by following the teachings of Christ. The influence of the Thirty Years war can also be seen in the symbolism of death as the lands of Lorraine were ravaged and many lost their lives, even the bareness of Magdalen’s feet can be thought to represent the bareness of resources and amenities to many common folk. These times of great hardship are often said to drive people to find new forms of livelihood, which in many cases are in such desperation that they take the form of many sinful acts, Magdalen was said to have had “seven demons had gone out” by the works of Christ.

I enjoy this work by de La Tour as he takes a very symbolic approach to subtly recount common themes present in many works created in rendition of Mary Magdelen, but choses to present it as a very common folk perspective. Magdalen is not highly glorified in any form other than her simplistic beauty gently lit by the flame of the candle atop the desk. The inquisitive look of thought and longing to understand the connections and correlations between life and death is very well represented. La Tour has much skill in the use of gentle shading and angles in which light from a flickering candlelight would softly project in a darkened room, highlighting subtly sensual areas of Magdalens body, her upper knee and a graceful collarbone and shoulder. This contrast provides many polar balances including lustful sin and spiritual dedication (through the Bible) and the ever burning life of flame and mortal death.

Blasone, Pino. 2009. “Magdalene’s Iconography”. Web.  http://www.academia.edu/4072926/Magdalenes_Iconography.

Hamerman, Nora. 1997. “Conversion by Candlelight: LaTour’s Four Magdalenes”. Arlington’s Catholic Herald. Web.  http://catholicherald.com/stories/Conversion-by-Candlelight-LaTours-Four-Magdalenes,5421.

Wikipage Source

The Fall of the Rebel Angels

by Pieter Bruegel

1562 in Antwerp, Belgium.

Bruegel was very strongly influenced by the works of Hieronymous Bosch and presented that influence in the great tides of the Northern Renaissance when the Protestant Reformation was taking hold of Europe. His work The Fall of The Rebel Angels is depicts a great battle between the angels of heaven and the grotesque forms of the fallen angels. Bruegel depicts the angels battling this creature as a “war in heaven” as the tides of creatures representing “domestic” sin emerge from the darkness (Lubbock 2008). Examples of this sin are apparent in creatures such as the yellow bellied form in the bottom right that has been slit across the stomach and is ripping its outer layer apart to reveal what appears to be some form of eggs or neonates. This exposure could represent the sinful acts of over exposure of the bottom, and infidelity of a female “releasing” ones eggs out to many suitors. Other examples include, the figures in the bottom left corner, which appear to lack breasts, and would therefore lead one to believe it is two male chests/bodies upon one another that are so deeply twined one cannot tell the difference between them. This combination of torsos could be representative of the sin of same sex intercourse, as the act of copulation can often be interpreted as a melding of two bodies so deeply that they cannot be told apart. Many other creatures are depicted within this scene, many lacking any true reason or naturalistic qualities other than misshapen deformities of various forms of animals, such as the large fish with arms in the bottom left, or the puffer fish in the top right.

Within this chaotic sea of civil unrest, Bruegel presents some very influential themes for his time. This battle between the heavens and the fallen angels could be representative of the Protestant Reformation and the need to abolish these vile creatures of sin. Although the Reformation is deemed as a positive change for society, it can also be viewed as an Apocalyptic divide that distinguishes the duality between good and evil (Boult). Bruegel creates the good distinction obvious with the angels flying down from above, although they bear swords and weapons, they are not depicted as losing any of their angelic composure and bear not the faces of men and women going into battle against wretched creatures but rather an innocent humility of a job that must be done. The depiction of evil is embodied by the vile creatures rising up from the darkness, wearing faces of despair, bearing sharp teeth, and contortioned bodies that go against all plausible forms of nature, which in turn lack true beauty. This divide is made triumphant and euphoric as it is accompanied by many trumpeting angels found within the heap of the battle. Although there is no clear winner presented in this scene, the apparent ease and lack of concern makes one presume that once again, good was victorious over evil and the Reformation of society would be a battle with little doubt in its success.

Boult, Josephine. BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL. Imagining the Apocalypse in Northern Renaissance Art.http://www.academia.edu/5103438/BETWEEN_HEAVEN_AND_HELL_Imagining_the_Apocalypse_in_Northern_Renaissance_Art

Lubbock, Tom. Bruegel, Pieter: The Fall Of The Rebel Angels (1562). (2008) http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/bruegel-pieter-the-fall-of-the-rebel-angels-1562-897006.html

My name is Annyssa, and I am a self proclaimed Jack of All Trades, but Master of None. I have dabbled in many art forms, throughout my life I have sculpted, carved sewn, embroidered, wood worked, painted, crafted, screen printed, made jewelry, made music, played music, photographed, created digital art (vector and not vectorized, here is one of my favorite digital art blogs), constructed, cooked, and danced. While many of these things might be very common hobbies (cooking and photography), I choose to not discount them as art forms. Any media in which you are able to express your creativity is one in which you can produce art from. While I may dabble broadly, my most common expression is through acrylic painting, with a desire to return to playing Baritone Saxophone. To me, art is the sharing of an idea or  concept with others, bringing an idea down to a material state- whether they “get it” or not, you can only try.