L'Histoire D'Art

(Sorry I’m typing this on my phone so bear with me.)

N: The Slave Ship D: 1840 P/S: Romanticism A: J. M. W. Turner Pa: none L: Britain M/T: oil on canvas F: landscape portrait C: criticizing slave trade Dt: painterly Ideas: political comment Innovative: thick brush strokes

So The Slave Ship. Some of you might recognize this as a cover to a Vampire Weekend album but that isn’t why the painting is important. It was painted during the time of rising sectionalism before the civil war and comments on the slave trade.

What would happen is that life on boats was very unsanitary and difficult for slaves that were being transported to the states. If by the time the boat was docked in the US and there were dead or severely sick slaves on the ship the captain and slave trader would be taxed and charged heavily for those slaves. What is happening in the painting is that those sick and dead slaves are being TOSSED OVERBOARD so that in the end there would be no charge for them.

N: Allegory on the Outbreak of War

D: 1638

P/s: Baroque

A: Peter Paul Rubens

Pa: Fernando II

L: Florence

M/T: Oil on Canvas

F: Relay a story

C: pagan references

Dt: Chiarascuro, slope

Ideas: Legacy of the internationalists

I or T: traditional

Where do I begin on this piece.... hmmmm.... Let's start with the seemingly insignificant door in the background. HA! Yeah right. Like it's anything but significant. That is actually the door to the Temple of Janus. During the Roman era the door to the Temple of Janus remained shut in times of peace. If the door was left open then it meant the Romans were in a time of war. This is a visual representation of on what the outbreak of war looks like.

The man in the middle with the fancy helmet and and shield is actually Mars, the God of War. According to the story Mars is actually the person that left the door open. (Thanks a lot Mars -__-). As you can he is trampling books which is a reference to the fact that at this time in history during times of war all forms of education would be temporarily forgotten and excused. Also you see the man in the bottom right corner. We can tell by the utensils in his hands that he is an architect. He is also being trampled because during times of war buildings are normally destroyed and brought to ruin. We can also see some monsters above the people being trampled. They are plague and famine breaking out into the world.

N: Justinian and Theodora mosaics

D: 526-547 CE

P/S: Early Byzantine

A:Unknown

Pa: Julian the Banker (I really can’t with this name)

L: Ravenna, Italy

M/T: Brick and glass

F: church remembrance of St. Vitales

C: the political and spiritual reach of Justinian and Theodora

DT: mosaics, insitu

Ideas: Christ’s “right hand man”

I or T: (I have no notes on whether or not it’s innovation or tradition)

Just one of my all time favorite  pieces of art

N: Laocoon and his Sons

D: Early first century

P/S: Hellenistic Baroque

A: Athanadorus, Hagesandros, and Polydoros

Pa: Unknown

L: Rome, Italy

M/T: Marble

F: Illustration of a story

C: a priest of Troy

Dt: scupture, emotion, theatricality

Ideas: Immense detail

I or T: Traditional

Now I could go on and on about what an amazing piece this is (not just because it's a favorite of mine) but I'll spare you from my rambling. Laocoon and his sons is back from the ancient greek era of the Hellenistic Baroque. Now you may be asking if it's Greek then why is it located in Rome. That's because it's located at the Vatican museum today and we are unsure of exactly where in Greece it was made. Before I continue the hard facts about the piece let me give you a quick spiel on exactly who Laocoon was. Now if I get this wrong I'm sorry, I'm not exactly a history buff on ancient Troy. Laocoon was a priest of Troy who warned the city to beware the Trojan horse. Of course no one believed him and for spewing lies Laocoon and his two sons were sentenced to death. The sculpture depicts the scene of of their death. 

  Say hello to the oldest known women in the world.

N: Venus of Willendorf

D: 28,000-25,000 BCE

P/S: Paleolithic

A: Unknown

Pa: Unknown

L: Austria

M/T: Limestone, red paint

F: Fertility charm?

C: Unknown

Dt: fertility figure

ideas: physical features of what is considered what fertile women would be like

I or T: Unclear.

Ignore my numbers in the corner. It's part of my cataloguing system.

Let's face it. There's a shit ton of art in the world! As much as I'd like to think that all it takes is memorizing the title and artist of a piece that is just not the case. Thanks to my own amazing art history teacher I have the perfect study  method (again in my opinion). They're called Art Cards. Sorry the title isn't catchier. Basically it's a index card with all the information you could need about an piece. From the materials it's made out of to the piece's original location you have a complete over view of the piece. Here is the basic layout of an art card. 

N: name of artwork

D: date the work was produced

P/S: art historical period or style of the work (i.e. a high renaissance piece         in the mannerist style.)

A: artist or architect

Pa: Patron (basically the person paying for the piece. If they're not signing a check they're not a patron)

L: original location (no the museum they're in does not count)

M/T: materials and technique used to create the piece (i.e. pigment and plaster orrrrr fresco)

F: Function of the artwork (how it's used or why it was produced)

C: context that the piece was created for (this is NOT the same as function. Context is sort of like what the piece means. For instance context could be the skill that is being shown by the artist or how the piece is used as a symbolism for someone's faith or power and authority)

DT: descriptive terms or vocabulary words associated with the piece

Ideas: relevant ideas of the work (terms and themes) this spot isn't always filled out

I or T: Innovative or traditional (does the artwork offer something new to the table or does it use innovations from previous artists?)