Painting – BrainArt https://brainart.co Learn | Create | Explore Tue, 21 Mar 2023 07:16:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://brainart.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/BrainArt_pwa_512-100x100.jpg Painting – BrainArt https://brainart.co 32 32 Van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhone: A Masterpiece of Impressionism https://brainart.co/van-goghs-starry-night-over-the-rhone-impressionism/ Tue, 21 Mar 2023 06:58:38 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=4870

Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most renowned artists of all time, and his Starry Night Over the Rhone is one of his most celebrated masterpieces. Painted in September 1888, this beautiful artwork captures the magic of the night sky over the Rhone River in Arles, France. In this blog post, we’ll explore the story behind this painting, its techniques, and its themes.

van-gogh

The Technique

One of the most striking aspects of Starry Night Over the Rhone is its technique. Van Gogh used thick, impasto brushstrokes to create a vivid, textured surface that captures the essence of the night sky. The colors he used are also remarkable, with a rich palette of blues, greens, and golds that blend together to create a sense of movement and depth.

Another interesting technique that Van Gogh used in this painting is the concept of light. By using light as a subject in itself, he was able to convey a sense of emotion and mood. The stars, for example, are painted in a way that makes them appear to be twinkling and dancing, while the reflections on the water give a sense of movement and life.

The Themes

While the technique of Starry Night Over the Rhone is impressive, its themes are just as important. One of the key themes of this painting is the relationship between man and nature. The river, sky, and stars all come together to create a beautiful and harmonious scene, one that speaks to the power and majesty of the natural world.

Another important theme in this painting is the idea of hope. Despite the dark and mysterious nature of the night sky, there is a sense of optimism and wonder that shines through. The stars, in particular, seem to represent the hope and dreams of humanity, twinkling in the darkness and lighting the way forward.

Facts About This Masterpiece

  • “Starry Night Over the Rhone” was included in the 1889 Society des Independents exhibition in Paris, and was one of only a few Van Gogh works that were publicly displayed before his death.
  • Unlike Starry Night and Café Terrace at Night, “Starry Night Over the Rhone” misplaced the Big Bear constellation in the sky.
  • In Arles, the gas lights and their reflections in the river were a new phenomena. Paris had only been illuminated at night since roughly 1853.
  • The thick brush strokes and texture in the work were described as “ferocious impasto” by critic Georges Lecomte, a contemporary of Van Gogh.
  • The locations where Van Gogh set up his easel to paint plein air are now part of the Arles Van Gogh Tour.
  • In “Starry Night Over the Rhone,” Van Gogh emphasizes the brightness of the lights, implying their harshness in the natural landscape, by using the complementary hues blue and yellow.
  • Of terms of warmth, the blue and yellow tones in the artwork complement each other. Van Gogh effectively communicates how the heat of the lights sears on the chilly water by juxtaposing yellow and blue.
]]> You Should Know The History That Inspired Goya’s “The Third of May, 1808” https://brainart.co/you-should-know-the-history-that-inspired-goyas-the-third-of-may-1808/ Thu, 23 Feb 2023 12:13:54 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=4802

Napoleon crowns his brother on the Spanish throne.

In order to conquer Portugal in 1807, Napoleon formed an alliance with Spain’s king, Charles IV, in order to conquer the world. Napoleon’s forces streamed into Spain, claiming to be passing through. But Napoleon’s true aims were soon revealed: the alliance was a ruse. The French were gaining control. Napoleon’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte, became the next King of Spain.

Third of May, 1808 (La matanza de La Pasion) is a painting by Francisco Goya. It was painted in 1808, during the Spanish war for independence from Napoleonic France and depicts the massacre at Las Amarillas, the village which became known simply as La Matanza de Las Amarillas.

Goyas-The-Third-of-May
Francisco Goya, The Third of May, 1808 in Madrid, 1808, 1814–15, oil on canvas, 8' 9" x 13' 4"

The slaughter at Las Amarillas, the settlement that became known simply as La Matanza de Las Amarillas, is depicted in this 1808 painting, which was completed during Spain’s struggle of independence from Napoleonic France.

Story Behind The Painting

This scene is based on the famous Goya masterpiece painting of the Third of May, 1808. The painting depicts not only a dramatic event, but also provides a gritty commentary on events at the time.

This painting, Goya’s Third of May 1808 murdered and executed hundreds of people in Madrid. It was painted the day after these men and women were placed on a street corner with their throats cut. The blood that is dripping onto the floor is proof that these Spaniards were killed by Frenchmen but also a statement about their nationality. They were Spanish. When you kill a person, it’s not just murder. It’s murder committed under a specific set of rules or circumstances. The French are responsible for killing these Spaniards because of the belief they were fighting for their freedom and the new world order against Spain’s crown.

The French troops occupying Madrid execute a group of Spanish revolutionaries under the ominous light of a big, square lantern. Under the cover of darkness, a line of faceless troops fire their weapons with the same merciless attitude. The sentenced men react to their impending death with a mixture of horror, defiance, and despair. One person conceals his face while praying, while another clenches his fist.

Changing Christian Iconography

Goya draws our attention to the principal character among them, who extends his arms in a crucifixion-like posture. His shirt’s bright white color is as stunning as a bolt of lightning when it is illuminated by the lantern’s ray. He is kneeling, but if he stood up, he would overshadow the firing squad. Goya painted him much larger than the individuals surrounding him to heighten the emotional impact.

goya-1808

The French troops occupying Madrid execute a group of Spanish revolutionaries under the ominous light of a big, square lantern. Under the cover of darkness, a line of faceless troops fire their weapons with the same merciless attitude. The sentenced men react to their impending death with a mixture of horror, defiance, and despair. One person conceals his face while praying, while another clenches his fist.
Goya draws our attention to the principal character among them, who extends his arms in a crucifixion-like posture. His shirt’s bright white color is as stunning as a bolt of lightning when it is illuminated by the lantern’s ray. He is kneeling, but if he stood up, he would overshadow the firing squad. Goya painted him much larger than the individuals surrounding him to heighten the emotional impact.

Conclusion

Francisco Goya’s The Third of May 1808 depicts the hardships of war and has become one of the best paintings to depict the brutal nature of war. It is studied among other war paintings such as Guernica, the Battle of Çesme at Night, and Consequences of War, among others, inspiring generations of artists and demonstrating what human brutality can achieve.

]]> Claude Monet’s “Japanese Footbridge” https://brainart.co/claude-monets-japanese-footbridge/ Tue, 21 Feb 2023 11:37:14 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=4783

Leader of the French Impressionist movement

claude-monet

One of Monet’s final depictions of this theme, The Japanese Footbridge, was created between 1920 and 1922. The footbridge served as the inspiration for Monet’s first series of paintings of his Giverny pond 25 years earlier, in the late 1890s.

Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet

Claude Monet (1840–1926), a founding member of the French Impressionist movement, was its most prolific and constant practitioner of the movement’s ethos of expressing one’s perceptions of nature, particularly as applied to plein–air landscape painting. Impression, Sunrise, one of Monet’s most well-known paintings, was displayed in 1874 at the first of the independent shows he and his friends organized as an alternative to the Salon de Paris. The Impressionist movement would get its name from the canvas. By 1872, it had been finished, and it shows the French port of Le Havre with very loose brushstrokes that convey an impression of the scene rather than a faithful depiction of the subject.

Claude monet
Impression Sunrise by Claude Monet. Source: Wikipedia

Visual Analysis of Japanese Footbridge

This horizontal landscape painted depicts a pale turquoise footbridge that spans a pond that is surrounded by tall grasses and waterlilies that are petal – Pink and butter yellow. A few brightly coloured details are added to carelessly drawn landscape. That shallowly arched bridge stretches off either side and nearly touches the top edge of the canvas at the top third of the design. The bridge’s shadow are painted an eggplant purple color. On the water’s surface bands of waterlilies slowly zigzag in to the distance.

The pond’s surrounding area is covered in emerald green and spring grasses that grow along the banks. These grasses eventually mix into a screen of trees that encloses the view. This horizontal landscape painted depicts a pale turquoise footbridge that spans a pond that is surrounded by tall grasses and waterlilies that are petal – Pink and butter yellow. A few brightly coloured details are added to carelessly drawn landscape. That shallowly arched bridge stretches off either side and nearly touches the top edge of the canvas at the top third of the design. The bridge’s shadow are painted an eggplant purple color. On the water’s surface bands of waterlilies slowly zigzag in to the distance. The pond’s surrounding area is covered in emerald green and spring grasses that grow along the banks. These grasses eventually mix into a screen of trees that encloses the view. The underside of the bridge and the grasses and trees are both mirrored in the water’s surface.

In this painting, Monet combines Japanese symbols with his impressionist palette and brushstrokes to establish a hybrid, transcending notion of nature’s primacy. Monet has a deep admiration for the importance of nature in Japanese culture. In the lower right corner, the artist painted “Claude Monet 99” as his signature and date.

In the summer of 1899, he began to take the garden seriously and painted a series of 12 views of its light-dappled surface, arching footbridge, and surrounding vegetation.

 

What You Need to Know When Pursuing an Impressionism Art Class for Kids. Read more : https://brainart.co/beginners-guide-to-impressionism-art-class/

 

]]> Goya’s Hellish Vision: Saturn Devouring His Son https://brainart.co/goyas-hellish-vision-saturn-devouring-his-son/ Mon, 20 Feb 2023 06:44:04 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=4672

History That Inspired Black Paintings At Goya’s House

This painting was initially positioned on the ground level of the home known as “la Quinta del Sordo,” and it is one of the “Black Paintings” that Goya created on the walls of his home outside of Madrid. Goya used a variety of mediums, including oil paint, to paint the walls. In their original position as well as when they were taken from the walls and painted on canvas by Baron Émile d’Erlanger soon after he purchased the home in 1873, the “Black Paintings” had endured tremendous loss and destruction. You should be aware that Saturn is also referred to as Cronus or Kronus.

 

Saturn-Devouring-His-Son
Saturn Devouring His Son (from The Black Paintings), between 1820 and 1823, By Francisco Goya. Source: wikimedia Commons

One of Goya’s most horrifying and iconic paintings, Saturn Devouring His Son, is a part of the collection of so-called “Black Paintings.” These murals were created by Goya directly on the plaster walls of his farmhouse, which he had bought in 1819 as a final retreat and is located near Madrid on the banks of the Manzanares river. Initially, he painted more encouraging pictures on the walls, but over time, he overpainted them with a series of progressively more ominous and unsettling images, which undoubtedly mirrored his worsening paranoia and melancholy as well as his anxieties about his own impending death. Goya made no attempt to name these paintings, did not write anything about them, and is not known to have mentioned them in public.

Years after his passing, names were assigned based on the thought-out content and significance of each piece. The pictures were also left unattended on the walls for nearly 50 years; they were only moved from the walls to canvas in 1874.

Mythological story behind the painting

A historical picture called Saturn Devouring His Son depicts the myth of the Roman god Saturn, who devoured each of his sons as soon as they were born because he was afraid that one of them might overthrow him. (In the end, his wife concealed his sixth son, Jupiter, who duly defeated Saturn in accordance with the prophecy.) Although “Saturn Devouring His Son” (1636, Prado, Madrid) by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640 is thought to have served as inspiration, the cannibalistic violence with which Saturn is devouring his child makes it horrifyingly distinct.

Saturn_Rubens
Artist Peter Paul Ruben, Saturn, Source: wikimedia commons

In actuality, the image is a great depiction of a crazed psychopath who is unable to control his violent behavior because he is imprisoned in the darkness. Indications of hysterical insanity include Saturn’s raw nakedness, untidy hair and beard, wide-eyed look, and combative motions. He has already severed and consumed his child’s head, right arm, and a portion of the left arm. He is currently preparing to consume more of the left limb. He is holding the dead infant so firmly that blood is dripping from the tops of his palms and his knuckles are turning white.

Conclusion

Goya’s “The Disasters of War” is an epic painting that depicts Saturn devouring his son. The god in the picture is a symbol for government officials who steal children from their families and give them over to institutions where they are abused. This happened in Goya’s time and continues today, as it has for centuries around the world. Governments have taken children away from their families and given them to institutions where they are abused and neglected. This is a form of violence that governments commit against their own people, but it is also violence against children—and ultimately, it is violence against all of us who are human beings with feelings, needs, and desires just like those children have.
]]> Beauty In Ignorance: 11 Sunflower Painting By Vincent Van Gogh https://brainart.co/sunflower-by-vincent-van-gogh/ Fri, 10 Feb 2023 07:46:34 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=4726

Vincent Van Gogh's Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), a Dutch Post-Impressionist, is one of the most well-known and influential figures in Western art history. In slightly over a decade, he made around 2,100 artworks, including approximately 860 oil paintings, the most of which were finished during his final two years in France. His paintings include landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, and are distinguished by strong colors and dramatic, spontaneous, and expressive brushwork that helped lay the groundwork for contemporary art. His suicide at the age of 37 came after years of mental illness and poverty.

vincent-van-gogh
The Painter of Sunflowers, 1888 by Paul Gauguin, By Henri Eugène Paul Gauguin, 1888. Oil on Jute. Source: wikimedia

Some of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous works are his Sunflower series. He painted a total of eleven of these canvases, although the most commonly referred to are the seven he painted while in Arles in 1888 – 1889. The other five he had painted previously while in Paris in 1887. Van Gogh planned to greet and impress his artist friend Gauguin by hanging a Sunflowers painting in the guest room of his Yellow House, where Gauguin stayed.

Van Gogh himself appears to have been completely fascinated with sunflowers, as seen by the overwhelming number of sunflower-based paintings he created as well as his description in letters to his brother and friends.

Vincent-sunflowers

Van Gogh wrote this in 1888: “I’m painting with the gusto of a Marseillais eating bouillabaisse, which won’t surprise you when it’s a question of painting large sunflowers.” Everyone knew he had a thing for painting sunflowers. At the same letter, he would describe how it was his goal to work in a studio with his buddy Paul Gauguin, and how he planned to decorate the walls with giant sunflower paintings. Gauguin was most certainly an admirer of sunflowers, particularly those painted by Van Gogh. To Vincent’s dismay, Gauguin ‘claimed’ one of the sunflower paintings in exchange for some of his own work in 1889.

It’s time to look at some facts about Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers. Before we begin, let’s set the stage: Van Gogh was a Dutch artist who lived from 1853 till 1890. He died near Paris of a gunshot wound after several years of mental illness. During his lifetime he painted more than 2,000 paintings, drawings and watercolors which were used as reference by future painters, including Gauguin and Daumier.

Facts you should know about painting

  • Van Gogh created 11 paintings in which sunflowers are the main topic and others in which they play a supporting role. During World War II, one was destroyed in a fire in Japan during an Allied bombing of Osaka.
  • Van Gogh and Paul Gaugin traded paintings in Paris in 1887. Vincent's offering was a painting titled "Sunflowers" from his Paris series.
  • The fact that blooms are strewn casually on a surface in groups of two or four distinguishes the artist's earlier Paris series from the Arles series, where they are arranged in greater abundance in a vase.
  • The fact that blooms are strewn casually on a surface in groups of two or four distinguishes the artist's earlier Paris series from the Arles series, where they are arranged in greater abundance in a vase.
  • When Van Gogh came to Arles, he began a creative period in which he incorporated yellow hues into his works. Several explanations have been proposed to explain this. One claim is that he drank too much absinthe, while another claims he drank too much digitalis. Yellow could have been colored by either material.
  • The vivid yellow oil paints used in Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" were initially available in the early nineteenth century. He was one of the first to totally embrace them.
  • Van Gogh was not alone in his fascination with sunflowers. Other well-known artists and poets that used the sunflower motif include William Blake in the late 1700s, Claude Monet in 1881, and Allen Ginsberg in 1955.

Conclusion

Van Gogh’s Sunflower series is a remarkable example of his creativity and aesthetic excellence. It also demonstrates how well he grasped the use of color and composition in conveying meaning and emotion via his paintings. All art enthusiasts are aware with Vincent van Gogh’s works and can appreciate how well he captured the essences of these sunflowers, making sure to capture their particular colors, shapes, and textures so that they would come alive within the frame of his paintings.

]]> Comprehensive History of Chinese Painting: Water-Ink https://brainart.co/chinese-painting-water-ink/ Thu, 03 Nov 2022 06:57:14 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=3482

Brief History of Chinese Paintings

Figure paintings, landscape paintings, and flower-bird paintings are the three traditional categories of Chinese painting. Chinese painters primarily used landscapes as backgrounds for their figure paintings up to the 5th century. Landscape features including mountains, rocks, trees, and lakes were poorly designed, disproportionately large, and lacking in delineation techniques.

Beginning in the early Sui Dynasty and continuing until the Tang Dynasty (about A.D. 589–906), Chinese artists began painting landscapes without the inclusion of any human figures. Their methods were straightforward. Strongly contrasting hues like greens, blues, and sienna were used to fill in the shape of prominent landscape components including mountains, rocks, clouds, rivers, and boats. Over time, proportions were represented more correctly and objects were layered in contrast, yet different strokes were utilised to imply texture. It was around this time when blue-green landscapes began to appear.

Between the Five Dynasties era and the Sung Dynasty (A.D. 907–1279), landscapes continued to radically change into two main styles: blue-green landscapes and water-ink landscapes. Gold outlines were added to the early blue-green landscapes, which over time evolved into a loose painting technique that focused on ink ornamentation and depiction.

Chinese landscapes began to include significant elements of water-ink landscape. These paintings in the Simple spontaneous style made extensive use of inks and vibrant brushstrokes. In Japan they are known as Sumi-e, and Shui-mo hua in China.

far-eastern-art

Yellow Mountain
Ink & Color on raw Shuan Paper
22” x 16” (56cm x41cm)
Spontaneous-Style Painting

This style of Chinese art, also known as Scholar Style, was popularised during the Sung era and is still prevalent today. Its distinctive features include the delicate application of ink and expressive brushwork to depict the textures of mountains, rocks, water, clouds, and other natural elements. In a freestyle painting, ink representations take precedence over colour.

An Early example of blue-green style chinese landscape painted by Zhan Ziqian featuring mountains and trees thinly outlined with ink & filled in with vivid greens, blues and browns.

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Pre-fifth century chinese painting

This long painting scroll by Gui Kaizhi, painted around the year 380, is an example of early Chinese art with wonderfully portrayed figures and modest, unstylized trees and hills.

Art from Yuan Dynasty (a.d.1279-1368) to Ming Dynasty (a.d.1368-1644)

Throughout feudal China, the scholarly painter’s purpose was to capture the spirit and reality of nature. Literati Paintings were popular during this time period. Ink and intricate brushwork were employed to enhance images in order to capture the spirit and beauty of nature. Skilled landscapes demonstrated a harmony between humans and environment, not just impressions of it: art as poetry. Chinese landscapes progressed in this manner, with the purpose of mastering the spiritual and personal aspects of art rather than strict interpretation of formal technique. Artists began inscribing poems into their landscapes during the Ming era to communicate personal thoughts and ideologies.

Ch’ing Dynasty (a.d.1644-1912)

Landscape painting became increasingly influenced by the copying of previous painters during the Ch’ing dynasty. Painting criticism turned away from nature and personal spiritual fulfilment and toward technique. However, as the twentieth century progressed, western techniques began to influence Chinese painters, and a new hybrid style emerged. Zhang Daqian is a well-known Chinese artist recognised for his splash-ink pouring style, which is said to be derived from the popular abstract expressionist movement in the United States.

1900s through 1950s

From the early 1900s until the 1950s, a group of Cantonese painters from Guandong Province, which borders Hong Kong, created a new movement that combined traditional Chinese painting with Japanese and Western painting approaches. Their purpose was to move Chinese painting history away from feudalism and into modern society. They not only mastered traditional theories and techniques, but they also sketched outside to examine their surroundings firsthand, resulting in more natural colours and correct proportions and perspectives. They also employed non-traditional Shuan Paper to suit their painting techniques. This new Chinese painting school is known as the Lignin School of Painting, and it is currently popular in Southern China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other parts of the world. In regard to Guangdong Province, Ling Nan literally translates to “southern side of the mountains.”

4 Fundamental Chinese Painting Techniques

You can generate stunning colour and ink variation in your landscape by using four classic Chinese painting techniques: Wet on dry, wet into wet, ink breaking, and ink pouring.

]]> Aesthetic Symmetry in Indian Folk Art https://brainart.co/aesthetic-symmetry-in-indian-folk-art/ Thu, 14 Jul 2022 13:27:35 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=2442

Symmetry is employed in many types of art, but the Indian folk art movement has championed bilateral symmetry in particular. Jamini Roy, an Indian folk artist, was a big proponent of employing this type of visual symmetry to make beautiful and fascinating art in a way that was both accessible and affordable for the Indian people, who couldn’t afford to spend a lot of money on painting at the time. Many artists today follow Roy’s lead in bringing beauty into everyday life through the use of bilateral symmetry in Indian traditional art.

What is Kalighat Painting?

Kalighat paintings are a subgenre of Indian folk art, thus it’s vital to grasp what folk art is. There is no hard and fast rule, but folk art can be broadly characterised as works created by rural artists that draw on cultural traditions and use materials found locally. Pieces are typically classified as either useful or ornamental. Cooking utensils, furniture, musical instruments, and tools are examples of functional art; ornamental pieces include wall hangings, apparel, masks, and toys. Aside from their cultural distinctiveness (they come from a single group), all folk art has some visual feature that separates it from mainstream styles—usually an attention to detail or craftsmanship that most commercial products lack.

So, what has kalighat painting to do with any of this? Other than being painted at kalighat, India’s most well-known folk art location, not much. Though widely regarded throughout India for its artistic excellence, kalighat painting cannot be classified as folk because it is so culturally and technically rooted to its location. That isn’t always a bad thing; it allows us to focus on symmetrical abstraction without being distracted by historical context…which means we can simply admire its artistic beauty.

Bilateral Symmetry in Indian Folk Art

Most people associate Indian folk art with vibrant temples and gods with exaggerated characteristics. It’s a lovely reflection of religion and culture. However, there is one characteristic of Indian traditional art that is generally overlooked: bilateral symmetry. This symmetrical structure is not always as evident as others, yet it has a significant presence nevertheless. Bilateral symmetry is important in Indian traditional art for a variety of reasons, including cultural value and effect on other subjects such as math and science. An even distribution on either side of a central axis is referred to as bilateral symmetry.

This results in two almost similar halves and ensures that each side visually balances out its counterpart, creating perfection inside imperfection. Indeed, it may be claimed that without bilateral symmetry, Indian folk art would not have existed or been as easily recognised around the world for as long. Without any symmetry, it may be difficult to tell whether anything is ornamental or merely decorative and chaotic. Asymmetry can be visually pleasant because humans prefer objects that appear balanced and neat; nevertheless, entirely random asymmetries tend to look unplanned and awkward, whereas bilateral symmetry eliminates any appearance of disorderliness.

How Is Bilateral Symmetry Different from Asymmetric Symmetry?

Many people believe that asymmetric symmetry is simply the difference of two sides, however it is considerably more complicated than that. One approach is to first define bilateral symmetry, which essentially states that two sides of an object are identical. Consider a face or a leaf: Two sides are identical. The goal behind asymmetric design is to create intrigue by breaking up perfect bilateral symmetry with purposely placed defects.

If you’re seeking for artists who employ such tactics, Jamini Roy fits right in, and here’s why… Art has always been very important in India since time immemorial. Indeed, evidence of artistic leanings may be found in cave paintings from Bhimbetka to other temples across India. Today, numerous forms of folk art are practised in India, which have benefited from increased tourism in many parts of the country. With UNESCO proclaiming almost three years ago that intangible cultural heritage should be maintained globally, we have slowly begun to see a shift in which folk artists are not only receiving attention from collectors but are also being compensated generously for their work.

How Does Bilateral Symmetry Occur in Nature?

A species with bilateral symmetry, or two identical halves, is known as bilateral or isometry. Humans, cats, horses, and starfish are examples of bilateral organisms. When an organism is symmetrical about an axis running down its centre, this is a type of bilateralism. This axis is known as a sagittal plane, and organisms with dorsoventral symmetry have bilateral symmetry along these planes.

]]> Cubism where Geometry meets Art https://brainart.co/cubism-where-geometry-meets-art/ Thu, 14 Jul 2022 10:42:38 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=2432

Cubism was founded in the early 1900s in Paris by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, two influential young artists eager to defy traditions. Their fascination in analysing a subject’s mathematical components and depicting those elements on canvas propelled art into a daring new direction. While art critics initially mocked Cubism, it quickly established itself as a valid genre of 21st century painting and a vital factor in the evolution of art.

Cubism
Pablo Picasso
George Braque
George Braque

Style features

In describing what Braque had done in a landscape painting in 1908, French art critic Louis Vauxcelles referred to its “geometric anomalies” as “cubes.” House at L’Estaque featured features of Cezanne’s own paintings of the area (such as easily visible green trees and brilliant orange homes), but it was notable for the way Braque had deconstructed a landscape into a cacophony of overlapping shapes. During this period, Pablo Picasso’s works displayed the same geometric analysis of their topics. In essence, the style frequently depicted a fragmented and reconstructed object is an abstraction.

Cubism became a word for paintings that allowed for numerous perspectives. Cubist works allowed viewers to experience multiple perspectives at the same time, as well as contemplate the shapes inherent in the environment around them. Landscapes, nude models, and still life were painted in a fragmented manner throughout the Cubist movement, retaining just enough of their realistic elements to remain recognisable. Artists employed neutral colours like brown and grey to draw attention to a work’s geometric arrangement. Instead of attempting to transcend the two dimensions of a canvas, Cubism embraced and emphasised its flatness by breaking up objects and realigning them in novel ways.

Timeline of Cubism

  • 1907: The African artwork on display at Paris' Palais du Trocadero strikes Pablo Picasso as being impressive. Picasso and Georges Braque start painting together in the Monntmatre Studios after meeting in the arts. Les Demoiselles d' Avignon by Pablo Picasso's naked nudes are notable for their unconventional use of perspective.
  • 1908: Because of its peculiarly geometric representation of a landscape, George Braque's painting House at L'Estaque has art critics talking.
  • 1910: High or Analytic Cubism begins, and the subjects of Cubist paintings become drastically deconstructed and difficult to recognise.
  • 1911: In Paris, the first cubist exhibition debuts, featuring works by Fernand Leger, Robert Delaunay, Henri Le Fauconnier, Jean Metzinger, and Albert Glees.
  • 1914: The stream of the movement is interrupted. Late Cubism, as it is frequently called to, begins.

Famous Paintings in Cubism

Lasting works by George Braque, Large Nude (1908), House at L’ Estate (1908), Violin & Pitcher (1910) and Man with a Guitar (1911)

Nude_Large Georges_Braque_1908_Houses_at_LEstaque Violin_and_Pitcher Man_with_guitar

Picasso also left behind a number of well-known works, such as Self Portrait, Women with Mandolin, and three musicians who exhibit his cubist style at various stages.

Les_Demoiselles_d’Avigon Self_Portrait Women with Mandolin three musician

Juan Gris’ paintings are not as well-known as Picasso’s, but they do illustrate his evolution as an artist. Portrait of Pablo Picasso (1912), The sunblind (1914), Harlequin with Guitar (1919), and View Across the Bay (1921) are some examples.

Portrait_of_Pablo_Picasso Juan_Gris_the_sunblind Harlequin_with_Guitar View_across_the_bay
]]> Wall Art Amplify Your Ambience https://brainart.co/wall-art-amplify-your-ambience/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 18:27:01 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=726

Wall art or a mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other permanent surface. A distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.

Too often in interior design, we see wall art treated as an afterthought. It’s what gets dealt with last, long after the final coat of paint has dried on the walls and all of the furniture has been artfully arranged, if it gets dealt with at all.

But, we’re here to argue that by relegating wall art to the side lines, you’re missing out on an amazing design opportunity. When chosen thoughtfully, the right wall art can provide for the entire room. Dare we say it, but we think wall art matters most in interior design.

Importance of Wall Art

  • Wall Art Provides An Instant Color Palette
    Choosing a color palette can be one of the most daunting facets of designing your interiors. The amount of varying shades of paint that are available at your local home improvement store can seem absolutely endless. It can be difficult to narrow down the possibilities into the colors that best fit your vision for the space.
  • Creates A Focal Point
    One of the the most basic principals of interior design is that every room needs a focal point, or a single design element that will instantly draw the eye into the space and give the viewer a sense of what to expect. It goes without saying that a great piece of wall art could easily fulfil this position.
  • Brings A Sense Of Texture
    While some pieces may be two-dimensional paintings or something similar, you should try to find art in a variety of different mediums to help bring a varying sense of texture into the space. Don't just stick to paintings, Experiment with a variety of materials.
  • Makes The Room Appear Finished
    Think about some of the less-than-put-together interiors that you’ve seen. Perhaps a college apartment or a first adult space after finishing school. Odds are that these spaces felt a little rough around the edges and a little unfinished. Odds are that they also had mostly white walls.

Wall art is that finishing element that can help pull a space together and make it feel complete. It is that little extra touch that can take your space from simply looking functional to appearing as if it should grace the pages of an interior design magazine.

Wall art doesn’t have to be the last piece of the puzzle when you’re decorating a new space. In fact, it shouldn’t be.

]]> Tribal Art of India – Gond Art https://brainart.co/tribal-art-of-india-gond-art/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 18:05:30 +0000 https://brainart.co/?p=715

Gond art is a form of painting made by Gond Tribe. One of the major tribal communities of Central India, the Gond; that inhabits part of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh & parts of Maharashtra. These regions are rich in cultural legacy and have distinctive art & craft. Gond People dwell in nature with their inherent artistic skill & represent the magic of colourful forms with dots and lines. This research paper tries to put forward and ethnographic study of Gond tribal art of Patangarh District of Madhya Pradesh, its tradition, present scenario, and the effort made by various institutions / Government agencies to rejuvenate the heritage and create livelihood for these artisans.

Gond-art

The word “Gond” comes from the Dravidian expression kond, meaning “the green mountain.” The work of Gond artists is rooted in their folk tales and culture, and thus story-telling is a strong element of every painting.

Origin of ​Gond Art

Gond Kingdoms situated in the northern, central and southern parts of India. With the advent of Mughal and company power (British Rule) in India, they were gradually deprived of their kingdoms and their land and their existence was truly vulnerable. The Pardhans’ practice of music and song was lost during Mughal rule and continued to sink during the British rule when members of the Gond tribe clashed with British colonialists. There was also an attempt to strip the tribal’s of their wealth with stringent revenue taxes and land laws. In The Folk Songs of Chhattisgarh, (1946), translated by Verrier Elwin and Shamrao Hivale, in there book “Songs of the forest; the folk poetry of the Gonds” , one song goes:

“In this kingdom of the English
How hard it is to live
To pay the cattle tax
We have sell a cow
To pay the forest tax
We have to sell a bullock
How are we to get our food?”
(Ministry of Panchayati Raj, 2008).

Gonds voiced their agony through their songs. Through their festivals and rituals, songs and dances, they remained ingrained in their culture. But their young men started moving out towards cities in search of livelihood. When the social standing of the Gonds dwindled, the provisions they formerly made for the Pardhans as the chroniclers of family histories and mythologists died out. The Pardhan community gave up past bard traditions and had to unfortunately resort to manual and menial labor in order to survive.

Global Influence

As a result of the efforts by the Indian Government to promote and showcase the beauty of tribal art, Gond paintings have become quite popular. There have been exhibitions of Gond paintings in many parts of the world, especially in Japan. Gond paintings can sell for anywhere between INR 2,000/- and INR 2,50,000/-

Style of Gond: Lines and Dots

Gond art is basically linear art with a wide variety of lines and small dots. Gond artists draw the outline with utmost care. Similarly the filling is also done with thin and tiny strokes and dots. After the flat color application is completed then the lines with other colors are added which totally transform the imagery with utmost perfection. Eyes of the spectator harmoniously slip from one point to another with the flowy movement of lines. Dots and dashes add minute details to art work. Bright and vivid color scheme increase the beauty of folk lore.

At BrainArt Our classes not only includes the technique but also the information related to every art that you learn wether its Indian Art, western or Far eastern art history. Understanding the origin & history gives everyone better understand of the art. Come join us for regular short or long term course.

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Few Interesting Facts !

  • The Pardhan Gonds are also are accomplished singers and many paintings are visual depictions of these songs.
  • Gond paintings are popularly drawn during major festivals like Holi, Diwali, etc.
  • Gond paintings are of such a good quality that it isn’t uncommon for them to last 20 years or so, without any external tampering.
  • It is said that Gond paintings resemble aboriginal art from Australia. Gond art is also known as aboriginal art of India
  • Gond paintings have also become quite common on wooden trays, boxes and other miscellaneous objects which have helps to increase its popularity and spread awareness.
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