Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso

            Henri Matisse was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. He was born in France on December 31, 1869. His parents were Emile Hippolyte Matisse and Anna Heloise Gerard. He grew up in Bohain-en-Vermandois and studied law school in Paris from 1887 to 1888. In 1890 he suffered from a severe case of appendicitis and his mother gave him a paint set to keep him occupied. Discovering his passion for painting he left behind his job in law went to study art in Paris under Gustav Moreau. Matisse experimented with different techniques like the intense colors and bold strokes that led the Fauvism movement. In 1919 Matisse and his artwork finally became renowned. However Matisse was later diagnosed with duodenal cancer and it left him permanently in a wheelchair. This led him to develop a new art form he called “drawing with scissors” which was a method of cutting out shapes of paper and making them into designs. Matisse’s final project was the décor for a chapel in Venice from 1948 to 1951. He used color cutout techniques to complete it. He died on November 3, 1954. Some works from Henry Matisse are Open Window, Blue Nude II, Les Pivoines, and Dance. 

Henri Matisse. Open Window. 1905. Oil on canvas. 5.3 cm × 46 cm

National Gallery of Art, Washington

Matisse, Henry. Blue Nude II. 1959. Gouache-painted paper cut-outs stuck to

paper mounted on canvas. 116.2 cm × 88.9 cm. Pompidou centre, Paris.

Matisse, Henri. Les Pivoines. 1907. Oil on canvas. 25½ x 21¼ in. private collection

Matisse, Henri. Dance. 1909. Oil on canvas. 259.7 cm × 390.1 cm. 

museum of modern art, New York City. 

            Pablo Picasso was one of the most important figures of the twentieth century. He was born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain. His mother’s name was Maria Picasso Y Lopez and his father, Jose Ruiz Blasco, was an art professor and he would give Picasso art lessons. He studied art as well at the school of fine arts in Barcelona, Spain and at Madrid’s royal academy of San Fernando. Throughout his life he had different periods that characterized the art he made. For example he had his blue period where he painted somber and depressing works in shades of blue. He also had a rose period where he still painted somber scenes but he used lighter colors. Yet another period was his cubism period where he started painting in geometric and sharp shapes. Throughout Picasso’s life he made around 50,000 works of art ranging from paintings to tapestries. He died at the age of 92 in 1973.

             Matisse experimented with many styles from impressionism to abstract but he is most famous for his fauvism. It’s a style that uses bold strokes and saturated unmixed colors. A popular piece during his fauvism period was Open Window. People were shocked by the huge strokes and luminous colors. The fauve movement didn't last very long but it was a precursor to the modernist movement. The mediums he used were drawing, painting, collage, sculpting, graphic arts, book illustration, pen, ink, paper cutouts, etc. An example of one of his paper cutout works is Blue Nude.

Picasso had a wider array of styles compared to Matisse. He was a person who painted what he felt but he could do so in many styles sometimes combining more than one in an artwork. He went through different periods during his life like the blue period of which a popular piece is The Old Guitarist. 

Picasso, Pablo. The old guitarist. 1903. Oil on panel

122.9 cm × 82.6 cm. art institute of Chicago.

This period was brought on because of the death of his friend Casagemas and he only painted in shades of blue. Also there was the rose period of which a piece from that period is Family of Saltimbanques. 

Picasso, Pablo. Family of Saltimbanques. 1905. Oil on canvas

212.8 cm x 229.6 cm. Chester dale collection, national gallery of art. 

His works during this period were brighter and warm colored, usually using the color pink. During another period he is known to have co invented cubism which is drawing with angular shapes. Some works from this cubism period are The Weeping Woman and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. 

Picasso, Pablo. The Weeping Woman. 1937. Oil on canvas. 

60 cm× 49 cm. Tate modern, London

Picasso, Pablo. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. 1907. Oil on canvas. 

243.9 cm × 233.7 cm. Museum of modern art, New York.

In the case of mediums both of these artists used a wide amount but Picasso experimented with almost anything art related like printmaking, drawing, sculpture, painting, ceramics, collage, oil painting, watercolor, lithograph, etc. 

The 17th and 18th century revolution

         The 17^th and 18^th centuries were filled with many movements and the introductions of several new arts. One type of art that was brought in was Rococo art. Rococo art is a style that originated in the 18^th century that focused on elaborate ornamentation, asymmetry and grace. It had a lot to do with architecture and affected other art forms such as painting, sculpture, etc. An example of rococo art is the Ottobeuren Abbey Basilica. 

ottobeuren abbey basilica. 1737-1766. Sebastian-Kneipp-Straße 1, 

87724 Ottobeuren, Germany. 2 December 2013. Place

Rococo art was an art style that was misunderstood and it was condemned because some citizens of that century thought it was immoral due to its flirty and decadent style. This led to the introduction of Neoclassicism. Neoclassical art is a western movement from the 18^th century. Some of the characteristics of this art are its clarity of form, sober colors, shallow space, strong horizontals, rationality and sobriety. The artists used classical and contemporary subject matter. They felt that art should come more from a logical perspective, more from the brain instead of from the senses. Some of the areas it was strong in were architecture, sculpture, and the decorative arts. The architecture was based on principles of symmetry and simplicity. An example of neoclassical architecture is the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Prado Museum. 1819.  Calle Ruiz de Alarcón 23 Madrid 28014

2 December 2013. Place

            Naturalism was also part of the 18^th century. It focused with the depiction of realistic subjects and the reality of the subjects and/or the subject matter. This movement was a reaction to the romanticism movement. It was strict in how subject matter was to be depicted. Realism was a movement that was focused on reality and its truth. It didn’t concern itself with adding beauty therefore giving it more of an element of reality because it didn’t allow for the luxury that beauty might give an audience. These two movements are direct and objective in their art. An example of a work is All Souls’ Day by Jules Bastien-Lepage.

Jules Bastien-Lepage. All souls’ day. C 1882. Oil on canvas. 46 × 55 cm. Budapest. 

            Romanticism was like a reaction to the enlightenment. The enlightenment focused on sciences and philosophy and was in a way a contradiction to a lot of the art movements of that century because its characteristics didn’t agree with some of the characteristics of art. Romanticism was a movement that focused on an individual’s imagination, emotions, intellectuality, artistic skills and literary skills. One of the themes of this style is how subject matter is portrayed in all its errors, emotions, faults, and pure nature. An example of a romanticist work is by Caspar David Friedrich called The wanderer above the sea of fog.

Caspar David Friedrich. The wanderer above the sea of fog. 

1818. Oil on canvas. 98 × 74 cm. Kunsthalle Hamburg

These Artworks Sold for How Much?!

         What would you do if you were a among the worlds richest people and had billions to spend? Would you spend it on artwork from famous artists? Some might think no and come up with a million different and better things for all that money could buy. However some people do just this, they spend millions at auctions for artwork for reasons that could range from love, to reputation, to greediness, etc. For reasons unknown to me seven bidders fought for three beautiful pieces by Francis Bacon. It’s a triptych of Bacon’s friend and rival Lucian Freud. 

Bacon, Francis. Triptych of Lucian Freud. 1969. Oil on canvas

98 cm × 147.5 cm for each canvas. Private collection

The winner was William Acquavella who paid $142.4 million. It’s said that Acquavella bought these pieces on behalf of someone else but whether he did or not he still outbid everyone else for it. It currently holds the record for the most expensive piece of art sold at an auction. Originally Christies predicted the piece would sell for $85 million. Christies has been advertising the sale of this piece and the other 69 that were put for sale. The saleroom was very full and a lot of the space became standing room only. The previous record was held by the painting The Scream by Edward Munch. 

Munch, Edvard. The Scream. 1893. Oil, tempura, and pastel on cardboard

91 cm × 73.5 cm. National Gallery, Oslo, Norway.

This sale had five bidders and it went for $119.9 million to an unknown buyer in 2012 at Sotheby’s in New York. When this sale held the record it also was named the most expensive drawing that was publically sold. The location in this drawing is of Ekberg hill which was a popular spot for suicides. Another artwork sold for a large sum is Picasso’s 1932 Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust sold at Christies. 

Picasso. Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust. 1932. Oil on canvas

162 cm × 130 cm. Private collection 

Six bidders battled for this masterpiece only for it to be won by Nicholas Hall for $106.5 million. This picture is about Picasso’s Marie Therese reclining naked and it was sold by Christies in New York. Boy with a Pipe by Picasso was sold at Christies in New York. 

Picasso, Pablo. Boy with a Pipe. 1905. Oil on canvas

00 cm × 81.3 cm. Private Collection

It sold for $104.1 million to an anonymous buyer. This work was part of Picasso’s rose period and was done in 1905. There were other Picasso works for sale the day this one was up but none sold for such a staggering amount as this one. Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet was another big seller. 

Van Gogh, Vincent. Portrait of Dr. Gachet. 1890. Oil on canvas

67 cm × 56 cm. Private Collection

The Kobayashi Gallery of Tokyo bought this piece for $82.5 million at Christies in New York. This gallery jumped into the war for this piece at around $40 million and applause rang out when the piece was won. This piece depicts the doctor that helped van Gogh and encouraged him to continue painting. Besides public sales there are also private sales and the highest paid private sale was for a Picasso’s La Reve for $155 million. 

Picasso, Pablo. Le Reve. 1932. Oil on canvas. 130 cm × 97 cm

 Private collection of  Steven A. Cohen

Steven Cohen bought this piece from Steve Wynn. It’s the highest paid price by a U.S. collector for an artwork. The piece is about Marie Therese Walter who was the artist’s mistress, model and muse. She was supported financially by Picasso. She was one of Picasso’s greatest loves for nearly a decade and for years she inspired a lot of his works from paintings to sculptures.

The Art of Mesopotamia

         The Sumerian city was one of the world’s first cities and the Ubaidians were among the first people. Evidence shows that the abundance of people and labor force led to the different types of arts being produced and industries formed. Early Sumerian period evidence shows the different things being made like tablets for writing, copper, gold, and silver worked by the metal smiths, daggers with metal blades and wooden handles, and copper hammered into plates, necklaces or collars were made of gold. For instance, gold was made into beautiful weapons that were worn like the example I have of a Sumerian dagger. The hilt and sheathe are both decorated. There was also the Uruk period and artifacts have been found from the Taurus Mountains in turkey to the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the central Iran. A piece of sumerian art is this dagger. 

Sumerian dagger, unearthed in present-day Iraq, 

from 2600 B.C.E. Private Collection

            Lagash was an ancient city that was conquered by Akkad. However this was only temporary and once their rule ended Lagash regained its previously dethroned rulers, Ur Bau and Gudea. Gudea imported many things like gold and copper and during his time artistic development was very high. Gudea contributed to this development. He had many statues and idols made of him and placed in many temples. As shown in my provided example the figures were made with realistic details He also oversaw many state run projects like the advancement of the textile company, the production of wool and linen clothing, and coins made of copper, bronze, gold, or silver for trading. An example of a statue of Gudea

Seating diorite statue of Gudea, prince of Lagash, dedicated to the god Ningishzida. Circa 2120 BC. Diorite. Louvre Museum Department of Oriental antiquities, Richelieu, ground floor, room 1. AO 3293 (head) & AO 4108 (body). 

46 cm x 33 cm x 22.5 cm

            The history of Babylon is filled with takeover and them constantly being forced into the rule of another king or empire. It was at one point a center of arts, learning and commerce. It also had people of talented architectural skills because the remains of Babylon hold one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the hanging gardens of Babylon. As well it had the eight spectacular gates that surrounded the perimeter of Babylon. The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who belonged to the Bronze Age. However they were considered the forerunners of the Iron Age. They were making iron artifacts as early as the fourteenth century, as well as getting letters from foreign rulers demanding their iron products. A show of their craftsmanship is the picture I have of a silver Hittite bull figure. The metalwork that was done on this piece is smooth and detailed and very beautifully made. An example of Hittite art

Silver Hittite bull figure. British Museum

Georgia O’Keeffe and Kathe Kollwitz

          Georgia O’Keeffe was born on November 15, 1887 and grew up in Wisconsin. She went to the Art Institute Chicago from 1905 to 1906 and studied at the Art Students League in New York from 1907 to 1908. She quit art for a while and started teaching in Texas. Some years later she took classes at the Teachers College of Columbia University in South Carolina and this sparked her interest in art again. She soon moved back to Texas and made a series of charcoal drawings that led to her discovery in the art world because of Alfred Stieglitz. She had her first exhibition in 1916. She moved to New York to spend her time on her art there but moved to New Mexico after the death of her husband, Alfred Stieglitz. She spent the rest of her life there painting the beautiful scenes that inspired her and traveling. She died in 1986 at the age of 98. Some of her works are Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue, Blue and Green Music, and Lake George (formerly known as Reflection Seascape).

Cow's Skull: Red, White,and Blue. 1931. 

Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Blue and Green Music. 1919. Oil on canvas. 

The Art Institute of Chicago

. Lake George (formerly known as Reflection Seascape). 

1922. Oil on canvas. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, New York

            Kathe Kollwitz was born on July 8, 1867.She studied at an art school in Berlin where she studied in drawing, graphic design, etching, woodcuts, and lithography. She married Karl Kollwitz in 1891 and had two children with him. However later she lost on of her sons in War World I as well as a nephew in World War II. She was the first woman to be elected as a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts In 1933 she was forced to leave her position. Later her art was removed from German museums and she was prohibited from exhibiting. She died in 1945 in a town named Moritzburg. Three of her works are Woman with a Dead Child, The Prisoners, and March of the Weavers.

Woman with a Dead Child. 1903. National Gallery of Art,Washington D.C.

The Prisoners. 1908. Engraving, etching. British Museum, London, UK

March of the Weavers. 1897. Engraving. Stadtmuseum, Munich, Germany

            The art of these two women are both amazing and yet they themselves are so vastly different. Georgia’s life was married, she had great work that became famous, and when her husband died she moved to Mexico to paint in peace and quiet. She was part of the American Modernism movement and was also associated with Precisionism which is smooth and sharply and sharply defined painting style as well as a combination of cubism and realism. Her work is colorful, and ranges in subject matter from landscapes to nature to skyscapes. She did water coloring and oil on canvas paintings. Her work doesn’t have detail but disregards it for simplicity. The life Kathe Kollwitz seems a more tumultuous compared to Georgia’s. Kollwitz was married and had two children but she lost one to the war. She also became very famous and that might have saved her at sometimes. She and her art suffered from the lose of her home to being not being allowed to display anymore. She was part of the expressionism movement. Her work was influenced a lot by war and suffering therefore it was a lot about scenes of events in history like failed revolts and oppression. She didn't use color and her work portrayed the torturous feelings some of her subjects were feeling. These feeling were augmented with the dark values she used due to her mediums: etchings, engravings and woodcuts of which are just some of her tools. 

 

Demetre Chiparus and Andrea Della Robbia

            Demetre Chiparus was one of the best sculptors of the art deco era. He was born on September 16, 1886 in Dorohoi, Romania. He was the son of Haralamb and Saveta. He took some classes in Italy in 1909 from a sculptor named Raffaello Romanelli. 1912 he moved to Paris where he spent the remainder of his life. Once he was in Paris he went to school at Ecole des Beaux Arts and here he took classes from Antonin Mercie and Jean Boucher. He used the technique chryselephantine, which is a way of sculpting that is overlaid ivory and gold. He perfected this technique in the 1920’s leading him to be a master at sculpting in this method. His work led him to wealth of which he enjoyed in his lifestyle. The popularity of his work reached its peak in 1928 but his style of work remained in demand until World War II. Paris had lots of Jewish foundries and Demetre did his work at the Etling Foundry in Paris. Due to the war they were forced out of business. Demetre was left with no one able to produce his pieces. This issue left him in financial trouble and his popularity also went down. His last series consisted of animal sculptures like lions and bears. He died in Paris, France in 1947. Some of Demetre's works are Friends Forever, Almeria and Leap Frog.

Chiparus, Demetre. Friends Forever. 1928. N.L.

Chiparus, Demetre. Almeria. 1925. N.L.

Chiparus, Demetre. Leap Frog. 1925. N.L.

            All artists are influenced by something. During his time he was influenced by an event, the excavation of Tutankhamen’s tomb, and some of his sculptures have an Egyptian influenced. Demetre was influenced by his interest in Russian ballet dancers and so he mostly sculpted dancers. He sculpted them in dance poses and beautiful intricate costumes. Another artist who was a famous sculptor was Andrea Della Robbia. His family had a sculpting business and his uncle was a famous sculptor. Andrea was influenced by his family, primarily his uncle, Luca Della Robbia, because he is the person who taught him everything he knew. Unlike Demetre who learned his art from going to school and taking classes from other artists. 

          Andrea Della Robbia was a sculptor of the Italian renaissance era. He was born on October 20, 1435 in Florence, Italy. He was the son of Marco Della Robbia and the nephew of Luca della Robbia. His family was famous for their terracotta sculptures and he inherited this talent and style for carving Christian art scenes. He trained as a stone carver and in ceramic art under his uncle. Andrea’s family had a formula for colored glazed terracotta and they introduced its use to add color to plastic art. However Andrea expanded its use to other things like fountains. As well he improved it so that he could apply it to art and make it look like a painting. In the 1470s Andrea started to gain his own art independence as a sculptor instead of just being a stone carver. Also his uncle died around this time, in 1482, and Andrea was left to take over the family workshop. He and his work became popular and he started receiving many commissions from all over Italy. During this time he had to hire five of his sons to work in his workshop for him due to the overwhelming amount of commissions. He gained much success and wealth in his life. Andrea was one of the few artists that lived the longest during the renaissance era. After he retired his five sons took over the family workshop. He died on August 4, 1525. Three of his works are Alessandri Crucifixion, Virgin and Child with Putti and Nativity.

Rosia, Della Andrea. Alessandri Crucifixion. 1480-1481. 

glazed terracotta. Chiesa Maggiore, La Verna

Rosia, Della Andrea. Virgin and Child with Putti. 1490-1495. 

Glazed terracotta. Legion of Honor-Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

Robbia, Della Andrea. Nativity. 1479. 

Glazed Terracota. Chiesa Maggiore, La Verna

            In his style and work he used more than one figure and usually only one to three colors of which blue the most was widely used. His work being terracotta was fragile but beautiful, the faces and bodies of his art always shiny and smooth to the touch and to the sight as well. Detail is in his work but it being terracotta it is not as evident as in others work. It can be mostly in the clothing of his subjects. It’s possible to take in all of the artwork in a short amount of time. The work of the artist Demetre Chiparus was not as subtle. As can be seen in his work there is a lot of intricate details most of which is concentrated in the outfits of his works. That being said it may take the eyes a bit longer to take in all that his artwork encompasses from the subjects pose to its clothing.