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Browsing monthly archives: April 2018

112. Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)

Title: Palace of Westminster

Artist: Charles Barry

Date of Creation: 1016 C.E

The Palace of Westminster was created in 1016 C.E with artist Charles Barry’s image. He lead the creation of the Palace, incorporating perpendicular Gothic design, which was very popular during the 15th century and returned during the Gothic revival of the 19th century. The perpendicular Gothic design can be seen in the columns that stretch perpendicular along the exterior of the Palace, adding to the already Gothic design of the Palace. Barry was mostly a classical architect, but the assistance of Gothic architect Augustus Pugin helped make the design of the Palace which is still very well known today.  The Palace was created as the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The palace is situated on the North bank of the River Thames in the city of Westminster, in central London, England. The original Palace Westminster was destroyed by a fire in 1834, which was replaced by the New Palace, which still stands today. The palace is the icon for UK politics, as iti is an iconic landmark of London and the UK in general, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. The significance of the Palace is still seen today, as it is listed in UNESCO as one of the most popular tourist sites in the world.

Cituations:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Perpendicular Style.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 5 Dec. 2010, www.britannica.com/art/Perpendicular-style.

“Palace of Westminster, History & Visiting Information | Historic London Guide.” Britain Express, www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=1449.

68. The Arnolfini Portrait

This art piece is called “The Arnolfini Portrait”. It was painted by Jan Van Eyck in 1434.

The art work is made with oil on wood. It is a very detailed piece. The portrait is made of a husband and wife. The dog by the ladies feet represents fidelity. The mirror behind them is extremely detailed and shows several figures standing in the doorway. The artwork also shows removed shoes and biblical pieces.

Some say that the function is to show that a sacred event is taking place. This is shown through the joined hands, and the removed shoes. Additionally the single candle lit symbolizes God’s presence.  This artwork could also be a double portrait of an already married couple who are showing their wealth. They are dressed in heavy fur cloaks further attesting to this fact.

This artwork is northern renaissance because it focuses on realism by paying attention to very fine details. This can be seen by the detail in the mirror as well as the details in the dog’s fur. The social context of this artwork is that their should be fidelity in marriage (dog). It also says things about financial gain through marriage.

 

Work Cited:

https://sites.google.com/site/adairarthistory/iii-early-europe-and-colonial-americas/68-the-arnolfini-portrait-jan-van-eyck

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/v/van-eyck-portrait-of-giovanni-arnolfini-and-his-wife-1434

116. The Saint-Lazare Station

The Saint-Lazare Station. Claude Monet. 1877.

The painting has a gritty texture and follows a traditional landscape painting with trees frame in the center of the painting, and diagonal lines of the roof receding backing into the painting. The oil on painting shows a Locomotive train pulling into the station under triangular roofing. You can see steam dissolving into the air. Linear perspective is used to add realism to the train.

The painting’s function was to capture the industrialization and modernization of Paris. Industrialization was a massive societal shift and couldn’t go ignored, especially by Monet.  He tried to show a beautiful moment in the city’s Urban streets such as the comings and goings of trains. Monet also made this so he could establish himself as a relevant, valuable artist. This was an unusual painting as he usually painted water lilies. He lived in Argenteuil, a province outside of Paris, and commuted to Paris by the Saint Lazare Station. The roads and train stations had been modernly renovated around the time period of the painting (1876-1877). The station was a symbol of modernity and industrialized commuter railways.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/modernity-ap/a/monet-gare-saint-lazare

Monet, The Gare Saint-Lazare

121. The Coiffure.

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The work that is portrayed above is referred to as The Coiffure.  The artist of this artwork is Mary Cassatt and was painted in 1890. The images that are shown are Japanese woodblock prints. These pictures were referred to as “scenes of the floating world”, and showed urban bourgeois pleasure. Urban bourgeois pleasures are defined as the depictions of Japanese women, sumo wrestlers, and the natural beauty surrounding present day Tokyo and Mount Fuji. The scene that is specifically shown in this artwork is a woman depicted as nude who seems to be sitting in a chair and fixing her hair. This painting is made of woodblock print, ink and color on paper. This being stated, the form of this artwork is that it is made out of color on paper, woodblock print and ink, and the content of this artwork is the depiction of a nude woman who is fixing her hair while sitting in a chair. This artwork functions to make the artworks during this time more accessible to the general public. There is also the deep influence by Japanese woodblock prints because of the way that the surroundings are painted. As said before, the main function for this artwork is so that there would be the increase availability of art towards the masses while also showing the remnants of Japanese culture influence. There are many parts to the historical and social context of this painting and the society during this time period. During this time period, the tradition that was held was that males would only drawn the female nude. This was broken in this example as Mary Cassatt, a female, depicts a female as nude, which was a breaking of tradition. This time period was also a time for increased contact and trade with the East. Europe was fascinated with the Japanese culture which can be seen in the depiction of post impressionistic artworks. This painting was shown in Paris, but the content of this artwork is correlated with Japanese culture, which shows the diffusion of the culture across coasts. There is also the similarity to Japanese prints, such as the watery brushstrokes and 2 dimensional depictions. That is the image’s historical and social context.

Khalid, Farisa. “Cassatt, The Coiffure.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/modernity-ap/a/cassatt-the-coiffure.

“121. The Coiffure, Mary Cassatt – AP Art History.” Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/adairarthistory/iv-later-europe-and-americas/121-the-coiffure-mary-cassatt.

113. The Stone Breakers.

The Stonebreakers, Gustave Courbet, 1849

This painting made with oil on canvas features two men who are breaking stone down to rubble to create pavement. The work that the two men are doing seems to be in result of a punishment because, in the age of powerful tools, work like this is usually reserved for punishments for chain-gangs. The figures are also wearing ripped and tattered clothing, functioning to show something real about the time. The man is too old and the boy is too young for the arduous labor they are both partaking in. This is representative of the account of abuse and deprivation that was very common during this time period. Another important characteristic of this painting is the detail that Courbet equally put into the faces and rocks. This further makes this art piece more real, in addition to the composition and aerial perspective.

He submitted this in 1851 to the Parisian Salon as a reaction to the labor unrest and how people have been demanding better working conditions. It was also used to poverty and the struggle of the working class during the 1850’s in Europe.

“113. The Stonebreakers, Gustave Courbet – AP Art History.” Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/adairarthistory/iv-later-europe-and-americas/113-the-stonebreakers-gustave-courbet.

“Courbet, The Stonebreakers.” Khan Academy, 9 Aug. 2015, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/modernity-ap/a/courbet-the-stonebreakers.

55. Lindisfarne Gospels, St. Matthew, cross-carpet page; St. Luke incipit page

55. Lindisfarne Gospels, St. Matthew, cross-carpet page; St. Luke incipit page

Artist: Medieval Monk, Illuminated by Eadfrith

c. 700 C.E.

The Lindisfarne Gospels are a codex, or a bound book made from sheets of paper, depicts the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Gospels are illuminated with complex images. Within the codex includes full-portraits of each evangelist, cross-carpet pages, and the gospels themselves. Also, the codex includes 16 pages of canon tables set in arcades. The cross-carpet page contained knots and spirals that were in various colors along with a cross located in the center. Luke’s incipit page was dominated by animal life, vortexes, and swirls. In his portrait page he is wearing a purple robe, a halo is over his head along with a blue-winged calf. He has a quill in hand and a scroll in his lap.

The function of the artwork was a book that Monks read from during their rituals at Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island, a Christian community that safeguarded the shrine of Saint Cuthbert. It was also created to honor God and St. Cuthbert.

The book is an example of Hiberno-Saxon art, or art produced in the British isles between 500 and 900 C.E. This was a time of destructive invasions and political uproar/tension. In 793, Vikings attacked the monastery where the gospels resided but the survivors were able to transport it to Durham, where Aldred translated the text. St. Cuthbert was a bishop who died in 687 and whose relics were deemed to have miracle-working powers.

Works Cited:

“The Lindisfarne Gospels.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/medieval-europe-islamic-world/a/the-lindisfarne-gospels.

Porter, Geoff. The Lindisfarne Gospels, www.lindisfarne.org.uk/gospels/.

 

 

61. Dedication Page with Blanche of Castile and King Louis IX of France and Scenes from the Apocalypse

Dedication Page with Blanche of Castile and King Louis IX of France and Scenes from the Apocalypse

Unknown Artist

c. 1225-1245

The Dedication Page is made of ink tempera, and gold leaf on vellum. It has four quadrants. One shows Blanche, one shows Louis IX, one shows a scribe, and one shows an clergyman. There are stylized and colorful buildings above their heads which suggests a sophisticated, urban setting. The people in this page were all intensely involved in the production of this manuscript. Queen Blanche of Castile was the patron and ruler. Louis IX’s job was to learn these lessons. The scribe and the clergyman are symbols of educational and religious importance. This dedication page is from a Bible moralisee, created in 1226-1234 CE in Gothic Europe. A Bible moralisee is a Bible with selected passages from the Old and New Testament that are accompanied by illuminations (illustrations and decorations) and folk tales that together convey a moral. Bible moralisees were usually commissioned by the wealthy and focused heavily on the illustrations and well known folk-tales, as most people were illiterate in Gothic Europe. This piece’s function was to reassure the people of the kingdom that their king knew what he was doing. His mother is instructing him in the ways of wise rulership and he will be ready to face any trouble that heads his way. Scenes from the Apocalypse is also from the same Bible moralisee. The illustrations are arranged much like the stained glass windows of the era. There are two vertical columns with four medallions on each side and each scene comes with a text summary.

 

Works Cited

Woodville, Louisa. “Saint Louis Bible (Moralized Bible).” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/medieval-europe-islamic-world/a/blanche-of-castile-and-king-louis-ix-of-france.

Ross, Nancy. “Bible Moralisée (Moralized Bibles).” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/medieval-europe-islamic-world/a/bible-moralisee.

93. The Palace at Versailles

Palace of Versailles. Louis Le Vau (Architect). c. 1664-1710 CE

The Palace of Versailles is a Baroque architectural complex that exemplifies European monarchical lavishness and embellishment. The Palace, located just outside of Paris, take ups a massive 8.2 square kilometers of land in total with 67000 square meters of floor space and 700 rooms. It was constructed using limestone, brick, marble, gold, and various other materials. Surrounding the Palace are numerous well kept gardens with a variety of plant life and patterning. The exterior of the Palace is reminiscent of the classical style, with a facade of three levels of windows separated by pilasters and in the shape of arcs. The interior of the palace is adorned with luxurious furniture and decorations, often made out of gold, marble, and glass. It also filled with sculptures and artworks, most tied in some way to the French state or the King Louis XIV. One notable room is the hall of mirrors, a long hallway with gold statues on both sides, large glass chandeliers, and windows looking out to a garden.

The main purpose of the Palace is to glorify King Louis XIV and emphasis his power and greatness. The classical style of the exterior of the building calls back to Rome and Greece, which were regarded as the peak of human sophistication and power. Doing this sends the message that France is carrying on the mantel of the societies as the biggest and most central figure in the west. The expensive decorations of the palace are meant to depict Louis’s immense wealth and resources, making onlookers be in awe and admiration. The massive amount of gold throughout the Palace might have been used partially to symbolize Louis’s position as the “Sun King”, as the bright reflectance and yellowish orange tinge of gold is somewhat similar to the sun. To further emphasis the symbolism, the entire palace is orientated along the east-west axis to align with the rising and the setting of the sun, and numerous features of the palace are named after the Greek Sun God, Apollo. Beyond these symbolic functions, the Palace also just served as a residence for the King, the Queen, their family, and nobility. The massive size helped shelter all the servants and care keepers who were necessary to cater to the demands of the royalty, and it also helped to allow a greater amount of guests during parties and functions.

The site of the Palace of Versailles was originally a hunting ground and retreat for King Louis XIII and his family. In 1624 a chateaux was ordered to have been built here by the king, but not on a scale near to the Palace. It was Louis XIV who ordered to escalation and development of the Chateaux into the massive complex it is today over a 21 year period. The King likely did this to move the French government away from Paris, where the nobility constantly conflicted and caused trouble. It was also likely done as a way to cement his power and right to rule by sending a message to the French people of his greatness. However, this backfired when the French people slowly started to view the lavishness of the royalty and nobility with contempt, as it only emphasized how the government were not doing anything beneficial to help the starving and poor peasantry and commoners. This eventually cumulated in the French Revolution, in which the current King and Queen, King Louis XVI and Marie-Antionette, were forced to leave the palace by revolutionaries to Paris, where they would be executed. Although during this time many of the expensive decorations would be stolen, the Palace remained relatively unharmed, and has been preserved to this day.

Citations                                                                                                                                                                                              Ropiek, Rachel. “Château De Versailles.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/reformation-counter-reformation/a/chteau-de-versailles.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Palace of Versailles.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 6 Dec. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Palace-of-Versailles.

70. Palazzo Rucellai

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Palazzo Rucellai

Leon Battista Alberti(Architect)

c. 1450 CE

 

The Palazzo Rucellai is a renowned Renaissance palace, made up of a facade, which was specifically designed by the Renaissance artist Leon Battista Alberti on the time period between 1446-1451. The whole facade exhibits many classical Roman architectural features like its arches, pilasters, and entablatures. For example, the pilasters on the facade are divided into three different classical orders, with Tuscan-style on the bottom, Ionic in the middle, and Corinthian on the top. This design is very similar to the Roman Colosseum – Flavian Amphitheatre- which also exhibited different orders for different levels. Also, Alberti created what is now called “trabeated” architecture, which means horizontally-organized design. Originally, the Palazzo Rucellai itself had four flours, each for a different function. In context, the Palazzo Rucellai was built for and commisioned by the Rucellais, a wealthy aristocratic merchant family. Beside the palace itself, it is believed that Leon Battista Alberti also designed the Loggia. The Loggia is believed to have been built specifically for a wedding that merged the Medici and Rucellai families. It is seen as an open-sided extension to the palace, with the same pilaster designs as on the facade of the Palazzo Rucellai. Throughout the palace, Roman influence is present. For example, the architectural features and columns serve no other practical purpose except that they were decorative, which is parallel to the columns and architectural features of Roman structures like the Roman Colosseum.  Also, Alberti decreased the presence of heaviness as a level increased to the top tier, making the bottom tier seem heavier than the uppermost tier. What made Alberti’s Palazzo Rucellai unique and stand out from other palaces was its heavy reliance on Roman influence.

 

 

 

 

Citations

1 Zappella, Christine. “Alberti, Palazzo Rucellai.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/a/alberti-palazzo-rucellai.

2 “The History of Palazzo Rucellai.” ISI Florence – Study Abroad in Florence, Italy, International Studies Institute, isiflorence.org/about/the-history-of-palazzo-rucellai/.

84. Mosque of Selim II

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Mosque of Selim II, Mimar Sinan (architect ),  1569 and 1575.

The Mosque of Selim the II is an Ottoman imperial mosque which was made during the height of the Ottoman empire. This is located in the city of Edirne, Turkey. This Mosque is considered to be one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture.

The form of this is that there is a square prayer hall, stack domes- which is the focus upon entering and has great geometric patterns with squishes hide with big columns which helps to support the pressure of the dome. Selim’s complex and the control center was located in Edirne rather than the capital which was Istanbul. This was made to seem heavenly, dome and adds a major emphasis on the dome to show their power with the different colors. Like the Hagia Sophia which is in Byzantine this mosque makes use of space well to make a grad structure that express the power. Here the minarets and other details are incorporated to better make the Mosque more as a whole and emphasize the great size. The interior of the Mosque also has an octagonal shaped which makes it possible to see the mihrab(which is the wall of a mosque which points nearest to Mecca for praying) from anywhere in the Mosque and also has school, library.

 

During the time when the Mosque was bulit, the Ottoman Empire was undergoing what is known as “Classical Age'” which began after the fall of Constantinople. During this time frame, a system of different patrimonial rule was based on the authority of Sultan. This time period is also known as the Pax Ottomana which means that there was stability and peace within the Empire.

 

Works Cited

Lewis, Elizabeth. “Mimar Sinan, Mosque of Selim II, Edirne.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/ap-art-islamic-world-medieval/a/mosque-edirne.

 

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Mosque of Selim.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 Apr. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Mosque-of-Selim.

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