Käthe Kollwitz:an image of war

Käthe Kollwitz(1867-1945) is a woman artist who the world a unique perspective on war. Most of her artworks are portrayed the horrors of the World War I battlefields. Kollwitz illuminated the agony of the home front and the anxiety of a soldier's mother. Her art features are often dark oppresive subject matter depicting the revolts and uprisings of contemporary relevance. Images of death, war and injustice dominate her work. Kollwitz was influenced by Max Klinger and the realist writings of Zola . She was the first one elected to the Persian Academy because of her religious belief and of course her art; however, she was expelled from the academy and harrased by the Nazi regime.

Directed Blog #5

Neoclassical Art focused on line, proportion, and order...it was an art that was to be understood through the intellect.. On the other hand, Romanticism focused on color, drama, and disorganization...an art that was to be accessed through emotion. François Fressinier, a modern neoclassical artist whose uses of female figures and classical themes combined with modern enhancements make his work unique. This artpiece is named A Secret Admier (on the left). He attributes much of his passion for the human figure to the fact that both of his parents were professional portrait photographers. He received strong academic training in art from his father and gives him credit for teaching him "not to paint, but to see." That unique sight has evolved into a personal style that is fluid, sensitive, and classical in nature. Many of his ideas are taken from his heritage, European history, and landscape. He's well influenced by artists such as Da Vinci, Titian and other Masters of Renaissance. And romantic presence of sensuous women are his faviorite subject matters.

more about woodblock printing

woodblock printing , which is used to make colorful Lunar New Year hangings. Traditional woodcut prints in Taiwan are of a simple, rural style. Common images depicted in such prints include the God of Wealth , the Kitchen God , and Door Gods , who often appear in the form of elaborately dressed and fierce-looking generals. These images are usually printed on red or orange paper in prominent black outlines and then filled in with several colors. Among the handful of woodcut artists left is Pan Yuan-shih, who has been a key figure in passing on the art form to children, university students, and teachers. Exhibitions and annual competitions sponsored by the CCA also helped to keep the art of Lunar New Year printmaking alive. These events promote both traditional and modern methods─including lithography, silkscreening, and etching─as well as a wider variety of subject matter.

Directed Blog #4

Even in the midst of iconoclasm, Reformers advocated the use of low-key images such as woodcut prints because prints --they believed--could be a way to "educate the masses" for the reason that they could be printed easily permitting wide circulation and the sale of numerous copies. Albrecht Durer was a German painter, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg, Germany. When people talk about woodcut printing, Albrecht Durer is definitely the identical artist of woodcut printing. The Germans learned the printings from Eastern Asia. Then, the skills on woodcut printings had been improved. Therefore, under this circumstance, Durer had become a great woodcut printmaker and painter. The picture above is Praying Hands. Durer and his friend were very poor; however, they both worked hard. Therefore, they decided to live together. They made a compromise that one of them started working in order to afford the other on pursuing higher skills on drawing and painting. Durer volunteered to work first; however, his friend thought Durer was more talent and younger, so he strongly suggested Durer to study first. Four years later, Durer suceeded. When it was about time to exchange their role; however, his friend couldn't work anymore due to hardworking. The hardwork destroyed his hands; so he couldn't draw anymore. One Night, Durer oversaw his friend praying with hands folded. His friend's overworking hands inspired Durer; therefore it contributed to this painting: the praying hands.

Andy Warhol

I'm not sure if anyone of you has seen " Factory Girl", it's the movie about Edie Segwick and Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol, I love his works. I think he also suits the notion of genius. Andy Warhol was an American Pop artist. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, he became famous worldwide for his work as a painter, an avant-grade filmmaker, a record producer, an author, and a public figure known for his membership in wildly diverse social circles. In the early 1960s, In the early 1960s, Warhol tried to exhibit some of his drawings using techniques such as monoprint, in a gallery, only to be turned down. He began to rethink the relationship between his commercial work and the rest of his art. Instead of treating these things as opposites, he merged them, and began to take commercial and popular culture more explicitly as his topic. He usually painted the things he loved the most. In his signature way of taking things literally, for his first major exhibition he painted his famous cans of Campbell's Soup, which he claimed to have had for lunch for most of his life. He produced both comic and serious work. As we all konw, he loved celebrities. Undoubtedly, they became his subjects as well. One of the techniques he used the most later in his painting life was silkscreening. Moreover, he painted with bright colors. I think he's such a creative artist and genius.

Directed Blog #3

"what is it about?" this is what first came up on my mind when i read the topic for this week's directed blog. What is the notion of the divinely that inspired many artists during Italian high Renaissance. After minutes googling online, I finally understood what it really means. I think Gunther Von Hagens best suits the notion of creative artists. Some might object my introduction of him as an artist. However, there are many debates about him as a person and what he does. Gunther Von Hagens, the anatomist, inventor of plastination, and creator of Body World Exhibition, to me, he's such a creative artist. The first time i knew about his name and the Body World exhibition was back in highschool, from my physiology instructor. My physiology instructor showed the post card she bought from this exhibition she went. I was impressed and shocked from what i saw. I was impressed because he improves the awareness of medical issues, particularly among the general publicusing the technique called plastination (a technique of preserving body with the use of vacuum to extract the air bubbles, for more information, please visit http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/plastination/idea_plastination.html) ALthough many people feel disgusted by what he's doing; however, i think he did an amazing job on showing the motion, the body, the muscle , and anything you can find in animals and human body. If you've ever visited his exhibition, believe me, it won't disgust you; on a contrary, you actually learn many medical knowledge and you'll be aware of the medical diseases and instead change some of your living and eating habits. I'm not sure whether it is still exhibited at San Jose Tech Center, but if it is, trust me, you'll must be impressed and amazed by what you've seen.

Blog #3

I think everyone should be very familiar with this great masterpiece of Leonardo Da Vinci. La Gioconda, as known as Monalisa. There are many rumors about this masterpiece; some claims she was actually smiling at children who were playing in front of her; but some claims that this piece was actually self portrait of Da Vinci himself. When this piece was drawn, Monalisa just lost her daughter at her age of 24. She was over-depressed. Da Vinci tried many ways to make her smile, such as hiring musicians to play music for or sing songs to her. The smile shown on this piece was faint, but you can actually feel her joyness; faint smile and elegant and upright demeanor are the expression of womanhood. Her smile has such meanings that's why people said her smile was mysterious. Although this artpiece shows the excellent and skillful techniques; however, the psychological dimension in this painting actually is what attracts people the most. Only this painting expresses the mystery in her smile. There are many doubts on her smile: suppose she was actually smiling, then what was the meaning behind this smile? Was it sweet-natured smile from an amiable person? or was it sentimental smile from an emotional person? If this smile was an expression of the happiness or the expression of the virginity? I thin the answer to this question is hard to find. But from this painting, i could tell her smile definitely shows some myseteriousness.