Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

This is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.  It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and established in 1937.

I find this interesting because of its shape.  The curves of the frontal portion have a nice contrast to the straight lines of the part behind, as well as most of NYC's skyscrapers.  All in all, it feels modern, almost futuristic, if you think about it.  Despite its nearly monochromatic color scheme, it seems inviting and appears somewhat warm to the eye.
It is interesting to me that the building, a work of art itself, is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and Contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year.



 

The skylight in the center of the museum

Criticism of the building has been that it overshadows the artworks that it displays. Also that it is difficult to properly hang paintings in the shallow, windowless exhibition niches that surround the central spiral. The walls of the niches are neither vertical nor flat (most are gently concave), meaning that canvasses must be mounted raised from the wall's surface.  Prior to its opening, twenty-one artists, including Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, signed a letter protesting the display of their work in the space ("Last Monument"Time. November 2, 1959).

I think it is short sighted of these artists to be jealous of a building, if anything the beauty of the building should add to the overall effect of the beholder of the art.  Art is everywhere and plentiful, if we are willing to swallow our pride and enjoy what is presented, whatever the canvas. The Guggenheim is an iconic landmark and clearly a design before its time.

It's pixelated!

This is a "Two Grey Hills" tapestry weaving.  It is a Navajo textile piece.  The Navajo believe that the art of weaving was handed down from Spider Woman; the weaver of the universe, to Changing Woman.

When I look at it, it reminds me of a game called Minecraft, where everything is blocky and pixelated, shown here:

 

Minecraft is a game about creating.  You create objects with cubes of different textures, colors and properties.  You can construct objects that are full of function but lack form or you can fashion wonderful elaborate masterpieces.

This is a Minecraft player's rendition of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.

I could go on and on about Minecraft all day, but that's not why we're here.

If you look closely at the tapestry, all angles are right angles.  Now, some are small and close together, creating the appearance of obtuse angles, but they are only optical illusions.  It is also symmetrical, a feature that I like because I prefer when things line up perfectly.  It is a never ending maze of peaks and valleys, perfectly aligned to bring tranquility. 

The colors are muted earth tones.  This has a calming effect. There are several themes within the tapestry.  There are rectangles, diamonds and triangles.  There is the strong, bold black lines, forming the borders, the color brown, signifies the earth to me.  The white represents a gentler version of the black lines.  The black on white decorative border gives the appearance of fringe, or movement.  A sign of life.  The gray triangular areas seem to support the central design, encompassing the scene and bringing it all together.

A Creeper, one of the monsters of Minecraft.
"That's a very nice everything you have there..."

Sixteenth-Century Art in Italy

The Sixteenth Century was the time period of famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo.  Some of their works from this century include da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," Raphael's "The Small Cowper Madonna" and the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michealangelo (who, by the way, hated every minute of it).
The Mona Lisa was never given to the one who commissioned it.  Instead, da Vinci carried it with him for the  remainder of his life.  Personally, while the piece is beautiful, it is simultaneously slightly disconcerting and almost creepy with how she stares directly yet indirectly at the viewer.  Combine that with the soft smile (which would be okay if the eyes were different) and it gets ever so slightly uncomfortable to study.

Fourteenth and Fifteenth Century Art

Most of the subject matter of the works covered in chapters seventeen (fourteenth-century art in Europe), eighteen (fifteenth-century art in northern Europe) and nineteen (Renaissance art in fifteenth-century Italy) in the text is based on religion; specifically the early Christian Church, often depicting the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.  Whether the artists use sculpture, tapestry or canvas, it seemed to be a favored theme in this time period.  Other works depict everyday life, such as the calendar pages of Trés Riches Heures by Paul, Herman and Jean Limbourg.

I have noticed that many of the paintings display rich, vibrant colors, as in Mary at her Devotions, Hours of Mary of Burgundy.  Interestingly, this is a painting of a painting.

The examples of tapestry and embroidery, such as Cope of the Order of the Golden Fleece, shows an incredible attention to detail.

One of the more impressive, in my opinion, is the Studiolo of Frederico Montefeltro.  Despite the apparent cupboards, benches, shelves and window, the walls are, put simply, flat.  These are thin layers of wood, dyed to create value.  Something that stands out is that the items depicted in the cabinets are not organized or orderly; they appear to have been simply placed and/or dropped/tossed in.  This makes it all the more impressive as it is probably more difficult to show items randomly put there than orderly, organized items.  Overall, this piece is, in a word, breathtaking.

First Post

I'm starting my first blog for a school assignment for Art History II.  In these posts, I will give my reactions to different pieces from different periods in history.