RomanceA look at Love & Relationships

throughout Art History

By: Lauren Priebe

Classical Art: Greece

Attic Red-Figure Squat Lekythos

Author: UnknownDate: 400 B.CPlace: Athens, GreeceMedium: Terracotta, Clay Vase

Attic Red-Figure Squat Lekythos The Attic Red-Figure Squat Lekythos is a vase painting

created in ancient Greece around 400 B.C. by an unknown artist who is known as a Meidias painter. The vase painting is thought to be a story of Greek mythology about Eros and either Helen or Aphrodite. In ancient Greek, it was popular for artists to use Greek mythology as their inspiration for artwork. Idealism was a popular concept during ancient Greek times and the Greek gods and goddesses perfectly exemplified this idea. The story behind this painting is uncertain and left up to interpretation but is believed to be a story of romance between two Greek figures. The man in the painting is believed to be Eros who is the winged god of love and he is seen kneeling before the woman. The woman, either Helen or Aphrodite, is sitting above Eros and he is undoing her sandal. The artist created his own portrayal of iconic scenes in Greek mythology stories: the judgment of Paris and the romance of Paris and Helen.

Attic Red-Figure Squat Lekythos

This particular piece of art is iconic and representative of ancient Greek art because of the process of making the vase. Many of the vases made in ancient Greece have two main colors to them: black and red. This is because of the firing process the Greeks used. The process consisted of three phases: the oxidizing phase which turned the whole vase the color of the clay, the reducing phase where green wood was added to turn the objects black and the reoxidizing phase which turned the rest of the areas into a reddish color and left the rest black. Later on in Greece, painters started to use the colors white and purple to enhance the pieces. In this particular vase, you can see the black background and the reddish brown objects. This vase must have been made later in Greece because the human figures are white which makes them stand out in the piece. From this piece, I learned how vases were created in ancient Greece. I noticed they were all similar in appearance and color and that is because of the process used to make them. One question I have is how many artists do they think created these vases?

The Renaissance

Adam & Eve

Author: Albrecht DurerDate: 1504Place: GermanyMedium: Print

Adam & Eve Adam and Eve is a print art piece created by Albrecht Durer of

Germany during the art period called the Renaissance. This piece is a portrayal of the biblical story of the first humans God created, Adam and Eve. Albrecht Durer was influenced by Classical styles of art and that is evident in his art. During the Renaissance, it was popular for artists to use religious themes in their artwork. Returning to classical themes and styles in art was an important part of the Renaissance. In Adam and Eve, Durer uses a method called the canon of proportions, which was a mathematical way of drawing human figures. He uses this method in order to create a realistic but also perfected drawing of human beings. Durer seems to be influenced by ancient Greek and Roman artists in the way he depicts the human body. The bodies of these two figures are very detailed and an ideal form of the human figure. In Adam, you can see all the muscle definitions in his arms, stomach, legs and calves. In Eve, you can see the curves of her hips and thighs and the definitions in her stomach.

Adam & Eve The rest of the print, like the trees and animals, remain

very much in the background of this picture and are not the main focus. Even though these objects are secondary to Adam and Eve, the detail in the objects is strong and very true to nature. The focus of the piece is on the two people and their beauty, not the overall story of Adam and Eve. This piece is a unique piece of artwork because of the way Durer creates the human bodies in this piece. When you look at this piece, it seems like you are looking at a sculpture of a body but it is in print form. He is able to create sculpture like figures with a pencil. From researching and learning about this piece, I learned how much Greek and Roman art influenced these Renaissance artists. The themes I observed in ancient Greece and Rome reappear during the Renaissance and evolve, which is interesting to see.

Age of Baroque

Officer & Laughing Girl

Author: Johannes VermeerDate: Around 1687 Place: NetherlandsMedium: Oil on canvas, Painting

Officer & Laughing Girl The piece Officer & Laughing Girl by Johannes Vermeer was

an oil painting created during the Age of Baroque. This piece is significant because of the way Vermeer uses light in his paintings. During the Age of Baroque, artists used more color palettes and motions in their paintings by using different brush stroke techniques. Artists during this time tended to paint realistic pieces that depicted ordinary people in their everyday lives. Vermeer was known for painting pieces that depicted the daily life of middle class people and this piece does just that. This piece shows a young woman and her suitor sharing a moment alone together. Vermeer was able to create order and harmony in his pieces with his use of straight lines. The lines in the window and the map create the perfect interior view of the room. The objects and elements in this piece are strategically and perfectly placed and that’s what makes the piece feel harmonious.

Officer & Laughing Girl

Even though the subject of this piece is the relationship between the man and woman, the use of light in this piece is essential. The light can be seen bursting through the window and onto the woman’s face, which highlights her perfect, porcelain like skin. The man’s back is to us and the dark shadows used to create his figure shows how the light is coming into the room. The light source creates depth between these two people. The single source of light, the light from the sun outside coming through the window, is recognized with the Baroque style. Another way this piece goes along with the Baroques style is the mystery this piece creates. It is vague in what is going on between these two people. What are they discussing? What is the point of their time together? I liked learning about the style of Baroque art because it had a more realistic depiction of people and the lives they live. We get to see depictions of ordinary, everyday life instead of idealistic portrayals.

Modern Art:

Neoclassicism

Mars & Venus

Author: Antonio CanovaDate: 1817-1822Place: RomeMedium: Marble, Sculpture

Mars & Venus The statue Mars & Venus was created by Antonio Canova

during the Modern art era of neoclassicism. Neoclassicism artists liked to imitate content and people of classical pieces of art. Canova was specifically inspired by Greek models and tried to embody that spirit and style in his own pieces all while trying to put his own spin on them. The Greek mythology story behind Mars & Venus is that they indulged in a notorious affair together. In Greek standards, they are depicted as the perfect romantic couple. This particular statue by Canova is made out of a single block of marble. The two figures are idealized human bodies according to the standards made by classical sculptures before Canova. Canova had the ability to create the look of soft human flesh in his sculptures.

Mars & Venus Neoclassicism was a time where the subject matter people

depicted was of high moral standards and this can be seen in this piece of artwork. The two figures depicted are high ideals of how humans should be. Mars is the ideal version of a warrior. Mars is seen in this sculpture as wearing a helmet and holding a spear, he is ready for war. Venus is partially draped in a garment and is seen gazing up at Mars. Another trait that went with neoclassicism style was the harsh lines that were created in the sculptures. Canova created harsh lines in his sculpture Mars & Venus. The lines he created in Mars help to show a powerful stance. Even with these harsh lines, the piece still has a beautiful, soft and romantic feel to it. I enjoyed researching this specific piece because it was my first piece I chose and when I chose it I thought it would be a sculpture from ancient Greek times. The more I read about the piece, the more I learned about neoclassicism and how artists tended to imitate classical art.

Modern Art:

Impressionism

Country Dance

Author: Pierre Auguste RenoirDate: 1883Place: FranceMedium: Oil on canvas, Painting

Country Dance

The last piece in my collection is Country Dance painted by Pierre Auguste Renoir, an impressionist artist. Artists in the impressionist period did not like the depressing subject matter that realist artists used so they decided to have pieces focused more on nature and atmosphere. Renoir’s pieces have a joyful and charming feel to them. This piece by Renoir shows a typical middle class couple enjoying a dance together. With his light and feathery brush strokes he shows enjoyment of the couple. You can see the pleasure in woman’s face as she glides. The detail he puts into her face shows in her smile and her eyes. Renoir is able to create a flowing motion in this piece. The stance that both the man and woman are in, depict them in the middle of movement in their dance. The woman’s skirt even has a flow and movement to it. Renoir also creates a nice contrast in the two figures by having the man’s suit be dark while the woman’s dress is light. It looks like they were captured in the middle of turning and moving across the floor.

Country Dance Artists in the Impressionism time were rebels who came

together to go against the Academy and French art establishment. These artists went against the rules and limits the Academy had. Many artists during this time studied the idea of light. They saw how light affected people with shadows and reflections and tried to create that in their art. Pierre Auguste Renoir was one of those artists who was fascinated with experimenting with light in his paintings. It was interesting to learn about the impressionist period in art history. I love the paintings that came out of this period. Looking at many of these pieces, I would have never known at the time that they were rebellious artworks. These pieces didn’t seem rebellious to me because of the subject matter and the beauty and charm of these pieces. But after reading about how they rebelled against the Academy, I could see why they were.

For the layout of my museum exhibit, the room would be open doors

in the front. The first piece you would see in the middle of the room is Mars & Venus, which is a statue. This piece would be in the middle so that people could see it from all angles. It is also a large statue and I think is a great depiction of romance. It would be great to have this be the first piece you see in the room and also be the focal point. On the left side I would have the print picture of Adam & Eve. Directly behind the statue, on the back wall would be the Attic Red-Figure Vase. I would have this in a glass square case so that it would be protected and seen from all sides. On the right side of the room, I would have both oil paintings Country Dance and Officer & Laughing Girl. I would put them at the same eye level so people could compare and contrast the two pieces. In front of all the pieces I would have the description of the piece on pages that looked like an open book. People would feel like they are reading a story about the piece of art and it would give it a romantic, love story type of feel to the exhibit.

Museum Exhibit Layout

How do you think the theme and

concept of romance has changed throughout art and history?

How is the depiction of romance in popular culture today similar or different from the depictions in the art periods we learned about?

Question

Department of Greek and Roman Art. "Athenian Vase

Painting: Black- and Red-Figure Techniques". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vase/hd_vase.htm (October 2002).

Fincher-Rathus, L. (2013). Understanding Art. Boston, MA: Clark Baxter.

Liedtke, W. "Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675)". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/verm/hd_verm.htm (October 2003).

Bibliography

True, M. & Frel, J. Greek Vases. Molly & Walter

Bareiss Collection. The J. Paul Getty Museum. Malibu: 1983. Pg. 78, no. 135

Wisse, J. "Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/durr/hd_durr.htm (October 2002).

Bibliography