The power of the elements and movements !

Throughout the beginning of time in the Pre-Historical era people started the craze of art by using the simplicity of  formal elements for their cave art and sculptures. Although that they were done in simple lines and color they still managed to communicate and describe well what they were intentionally thinking. 

Title : Lascaux Cave
Location: France

Throughout history, in the progression through art movements, painters started to create their own style but they weren’t able to do what they wanted because other people with higher titles obligated them to do what they requested and by this they managed to manipulate people to their own believes and intentions. In some periods of time artists started to get annoyed by this fact, therefore by their own creativity and their feelings in their time, they started showing their own projections into the paintings; showing the people that they are an important value. For example: Michelangelo – Sistine Chapel and Goya – La familia de Carlos IV.

Artist: Michelangelo 
Title: Sistine Chapel
Year: 1508–1512

Artist: Goya
Title: La familia de Carlos IV
Year: 1800–1801 

As years passed, artists started breaking the elements into their own power by breaking up the shape of the figure, losing all the paresis proportions, using only one color or a mix up. During the Impressionism era, artists like Monet, Morisot, Renoir and some others were a few of those artists who wanted to paint on inspirations such as landscapes and modern life throughout open air paintings which they were reflecting their inner self’s rather than continuing on the past historical art. They started to give more importance on how to capture light, movement and the atmosphere around them where a bright color palette was also used.

Title: The summer, Poppy Field 
Artist: Claude Monet 
Year: 1875

On the other hand the Post-Impressionism which included Cezanne, Van Gogh and others, managed to break again from the Impressionist style and continue more on expressing their deep emotions. Their paintings are most popular this time but during their time, people were still accepting their art in progress due to the big change. Their art was done with a lot of formal elements such as; a good amount of lines that even when applying them they created texture and movement and a lot of light and bright colors that with these they still managed to make an aesthetic sense out of it.

Artist: Vincent VanGogh
Title: The Starry Night
Year: 1889

Artist: Vincent VanGogh
Title: Self Portaite

Van Gogh stated two quotes which I found quiet relevant to the subject:

‘’I put my heart and my soul into my work and have lost my mind in process ‘’ – Van Gogh

‘’Occasionally in times of worry, I’ve longed to be stylish, but on second thought I say no – just let me be myself – and express rough, yet true things with rough workmanship’’ – Van Gogh

By this he is stating how painting was the only thing he loved and sacrificed everything for, but as much as it did good for him, it still lead him to total absent despite the fact that this always lead him to believe in himself throughout his work and never followed the herd from the past techniques.

References:


Admin, 2016. 54 Memorable Quotes by Vincent van Gogh. [online] Quote Sigma. Available at: < http://www.quotesigma.com/54-memorable-quotes-by-vincent-van-gogh/ > Accessed 16th Dec. 2016.

Anon, 2016. The Visual Elements of Art. [online] Artyfactory.com. Available at: < http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/visual-elements.html > Accessed15th Dec. 2016.

Moffat, C., 2007. Prehistoric Art & Ancient Art - The Art History Archive. [online] Arthistoryarchive.com.Availableat: < http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/prehistoricart/ > Accessed 13th Dec. 2016.

Voorhies, A., 2016. Post-Impressionism | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [online] The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Available at: < http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/poim/hd_poim.htm > Accessed 18th Dec. 2016.