Alexandre Cabanel, The Birth of Venus, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 51”×89”
Cabanel depicted a famous episode from classical mythology of Venus being born of sea-foam and carried ashore. Although she appears to be nude, she presents herself in a casual, intellectual pose and instead of being ashamed of presenting herself to the viewer; she is acting as though the viewer’s glare is intruding her conversation.
I have chosen this painting because I have always been amused by classical Greek mythology and I find the work of Alexandre Cabanel fairly representing the soft, but self-possessed woman nature. The oil makes this painting very atmospheric and deep, and mild colors only add up to an overall tenderness and delicacy of the painting, which is already granted by little angels surrounding the main heroine in the moment of her triumphal birth.
Rebecca Bird Untitled (Parrot), 28 x 22 1/2" The Museum of Modern Art, New York
This painting is completed in watercolor on the paper and is the example of contemporary drawing/Modern art. It depicts a bright multi-colored parrot which is feeding a little bird, presumably its infant on the light-green background.
This drawing has caught my eye when I was looking through the MoMA website because it is very delicate and bright at the same time. Also, the last name of the artist is Bird and it is very interesting that she chose birds to represent her ideas. This painting is definitely a food for thought. The first idea which came to my mind is that this drawing encourages us to value our parents, because we take their beauty from them and they support us when we are helpless and young. Then I thought that it may as well represent the idea of superior countries helping those in need and that mutual help is very important in our progressive world.
