Introduction
Every artwork is done with regards to the subject matter and artistic styles which varies from one art to another. Most artists embraces different artistic styles in presenting the artwork where most of their work are influenced by the main goal of the paintings as well as the events that took place at that time. This paper is going to describe three paintings and compare them in regards to their artistic styles and subject matter. Also, the factors that influence the changes in their artistic styles and subject matter will be elucidated.
The work in chapter 21 is “The Stone Breakers. 1849” by Gustave Courbet. This work was used by Courbet to revive Realism by portraying the dignity of ordinary things and common life. The art shows two ordinary men breaking stones which do not embrace idealization, nostalgia or exoticism rather it depicts ordinary existence. This artwork rediscovers the amazing visual qualities of everyday experience.
The work from chapter 22 is the “Self-Portrait with an Amber Necklace. 1906” by Paula Modersohn-Becker. It utilizes Fauvism which is regarded as a style of expression. Expressionism in the field of art is used to emphasize the inward feeling and emotions over an artwork such as an objective depiction. There has been a similar instance where expressive or romantic tendencies have been evidenced in Europe and can be traced from the Baroque art of 17th century to the early 18th century via the painting of Eugene Delacroix, who influenced the Post-Impressionism. Similar artistic work of Fauves is seen in a few German artists whose desires are to express attitudes and emotions through the artwork. That is, they employ vivid, sometimes angularly simplify their subjects as well as using color contrasts that are dramatic while incorporating crude and bold finish. In this work, color is used for expressionism rather than purposes of representation (Artsy.net).
The work presented in Chapter 23 is “The Persistence of Memory. 1931” by Salvador Dali. The work presented by Dadaists expresses surrealism which is used to show the importance of dreams, fantasies and hallucinations. For instance, the work by Spanish artist Salvador Dali “The Persistence of Memory,” he recreates his nightmares in a very illusionistic manner in regards to the techniques of an academy (MoMA.org). The artist used Representational Surrealism in his work where the hallucinatory sense of a super reality that is way past the everyday world is created. Surreality is used to show the contradiction that exists between dream and reality, that is, the absolute reality.
The artwork from the three artists presents varying subject matter, but their main commonality that exists between these artists is the vivid expressions of their artwork. For instance, the work by Gustave Courbet, “The Stone Breakers. 1849” provides a depiction of ordinary existence while the work “Self-Portrait with an Amber Necklace. 1906” by Paula uses object depiction to expresses the ideal inner feelings and emotions. In all the three artworks, color is utilized in emphasizing the subject matter. There are no distinct changes in artistic styles from the three artworks but the subject matter keeps changing from on artwork to another. That is the respective subject matters for “The Stone Breakers. 1849,” “Self-Portrait with an Amber Necklace. 1906,” and “The Persistence of Memory. 1931” are Realism, Expressionism, and Surrealism respectively.
Works Cited
Artsy.net. "Paula Modersohn-Becker | Self-Portrait with an Amber Necklace (1906) | Artsy." Artsy: Paula Modersohn-Becker | Self-Portrait with an Amber Necklace (1906) | Artsy. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/paula-modersohn-becker-self-portrait- with-an-amber-necklace .
MoMA.org "MoMA Learning." MoMA. MomaLearning. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/1168-2 .
