Thursday, October 30, 2008

Library Research

Siqueiros - An artist that I had never heard of which blew me away when I realized the size and scale of the works of art. They were huge murals with vibrant, vivid colors and powerful images of oppression and death. These sometimes thousand sq. ft. murals scream struggle and triumph.

Egyptian Drawings - I've had to do projects and presentations about Egyptian art since I was a small child and I never really came across anything that was out of the ordinary of the Egyptian style paintings and drawings that we have all seen many times. However simple they may look, they are anything but. All of the simple images combine together to make up a complex story involving many parts (elements) and themes. The most unique thing I came across during the research time in the library was a drawing of an Egyptian pharaoh titled "Head of a king wearing the blue crown". I have never seen an Egyptian shown with stubble.

William Gropper - His use of stylized characters of all shapes and sizes make up serious and sometimes humorous situations from real life. The expressions are reminiscent of Norman Rockwell's paintings. Norman Rockwell on the otherhand had very realistic, mostly humorous paintings of everyday situations with the exception of some more seriously themed commentaries on racial tensions during the time.

James Montgomery Flagg - I learned many things I had never known about Montgomery Flagg. Although he was married for over 20 years he fancied the glamorous glitzy stars of Hollywood and he often had many affairs. He thought of his wife as more of a mother figure to him while they were married. His work reminds me of Norman Rockwell, except his portraits are a little less realistic but the nudes he painted were excellent. Flagg's wartime propaganda enlisting posters have the similar ring of today's television commercials for enlisting in the service. Flagg's famous Uncle Sam "I want you" is actually a self portrait, he gave himself the beard go-tee and longer hair.

The Codex Borgia - A very complex, pictographic language that is still undiciferred (untranslated) It is very mysterious like the American Indian art that has been interpereted.

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