Question Number 1
The title of each image contains three main aspects of a painting meant to communicate vital information about the image. The title contains the artist name, the image name and the year on which the painting was done. The image viewers can obtain the theme and the intentions of the painting since individual artists are renowned of communication on various themes for instance infidelity. The images are named according to circumstances and individuals so; the appreciators can depict the meaning of the image with the name. The years mentioned shows the artistic period on which the image painting occurred. The first picture title shows that the painting was done by Titian from Italy in 1538 which was a Venetian High Renaissance art period. The painting by Manet in the 19th Century French Realism period is illustrated by the second picture on Olympia. The third painting illustrates the modern art by an American, Wesselman embracing American Pop Art.
Question Number 2
The difference in the images is attributed to by the artists’ intents invoke perceptions on the viewers. The images are different in depths, flatness, scale and objects in the background. The first image on Venus has the greatest depth as the main object; the nude woman is centrally placed forward. The space left behind is sufficient for other objects including the Venus goddess and the worshipper. The image is sharp with an excellent contrast and clarity on the nude woman with the left hand covering her crotch. The second picture is superficial and in depth. The flatness is depicted by the naked lady with her black servant and the keen cat almost on equal plane of the foreground. The flatness emphasizes on the important element of the painting. The painting portrays Olympia presented a banquet of flowers from one of her suitors despite her inattentiveness to the offer. This shows immorality since she focuses away from the immediate presentation of a lover. The modern art represented by the third image emphasizes only on the main object with detailed make ups lying on a coach. The image is flat with smoothest contours as compared to the first two images.
Question Number 3
The Venetian renaissance art had a substantial concern for the human being; the art operates on the principle mentioning humans as the central beings. The first image depicts on the nude woman in three dimensions to disclose her faith. The sleeping dog represents her rightful lover and her facing away when the dog is asleep portrays unfaithfulness. The woman has roses on her hands that she is willing to give out to another man without her lover noticing. The second image on the French realism focuses on showing realistic aspects of human beings. The image by Manet of Olympia in 1863 displays a nude woman resting on a settee. A black maid presents to her roses from one of her suitors. The woman relaxes with her left hand wrapping her pubic region. The situation is perceived to be sexually harassing the black maid who is hypersexual. The keen black cat symbolizes her husband. Nevertheless the woman is every promiscuous as she portrays her nudeness to the public in the presence of her husband. The American pop art is however, different from the previous images because it is vague. The image has finer contours with much contrast which conceals hiding the truth. The art depicts a higher degree of euphemism and does not reveal information considered immoral. The art targets communication of themes without revealing the actual characters.
Question Number 4
The paintings are similar to the information they intend to reveal to the observers. The paintings focus on immorality among women. All of the images reveal necked women resting on couches in all cases. The first image reveal woman’s secret infidelity, the Olympia’s image portrays immorality in the husband‘s face. The American pop art refers to the indefinite promiscuity with the unidentified characters who would not like the revelation of true identities.
Physical appearances reveal the differences in the images. The difference results from the materials, scale, surface and the brush strokes used in paintings. The surface used determines the texture of the painting, the canvas used in the French Olympia results into a coarse texture. The paintings on smoother surfaces are finer in texture. Fine brush strokes provide finest contours that are almost indistinguishable from the outline as reveals in the American pop painting. The scale of the main object to the whole painting provides the clarity in the painting purpose while smaller scales also focuses on the background information.
Work Cited
Moshe Barasch. The language of art: studies in interpretation. New York: NYU Press, 1997
p 13-20
