Art is the Key to Happiness

Throughout history art has played many roles in terms of emotion and happiness. I think if I had one word to describe art it would be happiness. Not all art is necessarily happy, but in context in can make any individual happy. I want to focus on art that brings me a feeling of happiness and overall a feeling of positive emotion when listening to or viewing a piece of art. Art comes in many forms such as paintings, photography, music, and theatre. There is something about art that can reach out to almost everyone in the world in some type of way.

Pre Modern Art that brings Happiness

First I’d like to present a beautiful painting that just brought pure joy to myself when I first viewed it.

 

Yellow Cow by Franz Marc, 1911

Franz Marc was a german painter who was part of the german expressionist movement. I found his use of beautiful colors and objects in the painting made it subject to my feeling of happiness. Not only are the colors “happy” colors but you can see the joy in the cows face. It almost reminds of that old bedtime story of the cows jumping over the moon. Franz Marc wrote “But animals with their virginal sense of life awakened all that was good in me”. This in terms brings a level of happiness.

The next piece I’d like to present is a song by the amazing band known as The Beatles. I find a lot of their songs bring a great feeling of happiness to just about anyone who listens to them. Below is one of my favorite songs by them.

All you need is love by The Beatles, 1967

Now if one song from this period were to bring happiness it would be this one. The meaning being that love is all you need, it is everything in this world. Regardless of anything that happens, all you need is love. I love this song, and when I sing it; I feel happy inside. It’s a great feeling.

The last piece from this time is a great film that I love to watch. My parents were the ones to tell me about this film. Below is a poster of the film.

Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg 1975

This movie came out 3 years after my parents were born. It was based on a book by Peter Benchley which was published in 1974. I’m sure everyone who is with any kind of touch of the media in todays society you’ve heard of Jaws. This movie doesn’t necessarily scream happiness but in a way it is very fulfilling and an all around great movie. With any great movie, one can understand the excitement and feeling of joy after watching it. This movie is about a man eating shark and given our great advance in technology the film is in a way funny. The fake blood and the shark; while it still great directing and an all around good movie; that overall does make me feel happy; maybe just less excited to go into the ocean.

Post Modern Art that brings Happiness

Below is a painting by a modern day rapper that goes by the name of Mod Sun. His paintings aren’t that popular but I find them quite unique and very interesting.

Just a Boy, by Mod Sun 2012

This painting is unique as it consists of multiple pieces that make up the whole piece. I guess one could classify this as “trippy” art but given the conditions it would make someone happy. The name Just a boy  is interesting and the art shows a odd looking being with large teeth. It’s a little goofy looking, and right now it’s making me smile and I think thats all that matters. Regardless of subject matter, a smile goes all the way to make one happy. A smile is all it takes.

The next piece is a song that bring great happiness when listened to. The song itself is not about something happy, but the message and meaningfulness of the song is what makes it happy to people who listen to it.

Summer Friends by Chance the Rapper, 2016

This song has a large message about the streets life of Chicago. The song’s message is strong and it comes off in a happy way. The voice of the song is strong as well as the beat. Chance the Rapper is one of my favorite artists and he makes amazing music. He released this mixtape Coloring Book in  May of 2016. The song does have a good vibe and can bring happiness when needed.

This next piece is a brilliant film that I like to watch when I’m feeling happy or if I just watched a really scary movie. I usually watch scary movies and then I have to watch a happy movie afterwards.

Begin Again, directed by John Carney 2013

This movie is a brilliant movie and I just watched it recently. It’s always hard to come up with one choice for anything, but I found this to be a good choice for a happy movie. This is about a troubling music guy and his meeting with a young song writer. I don’t want to ruin the movie, so please watch it. The ending is wonderful and how I think that music can’t have a price to it. Music should be free, while this is a hard thing to say it is true. This movie shows happiness in the music industry and it is wonderful.

Basically art is the true secret to happiness. The making of art or the viewing or listening to it is amazing. For some just doodling makes them feel better. For some watching a funny movie makes them feel better. Some like listening to music to make them happy. I feel any art can make any individual happy.

Credit: This class has brought a huge knowledge of art and an even greater appreciation of it. Mostly being arts of previous eras. I love music, and learning more about how music began was really cool. The class was my favorite this summer and I really did learn a lot. I saw some amazing paintings and sculptures and also saw some amazing films because of this class. This class is ART and it really did bring happiness.

Works Cited:

Begin Again. Dir. John Carney. Perf. Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. Begin Again. Sycamore Pictures, 7 Sept. 2013. Web.

Flawlesss415. “Chance The Rapper – Summer Friends ( Coloring Book).” YouTube. YouTube, 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016. Chance the Rapper, Summer Friends

Jaws. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw. Jaws. Universal Pictures, n.d. Web.

MegaSlammaJamma. “Love Is All You Need – Beatles.” YouTube. YouTube, 2009. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.

Marc, Franz. “MOST POPULAR PAINTINGS.” Yellow Cow by Franz Marc. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2016. Yellow Cow

Sun, Mod. “Just A Boy from Modern Sunshine Art.” Storenvy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.

Pulp Fiction

image from: http://www.miramax.com/movie/pulp-fiction/

Pulp Fiction, 1994, Directed by: Quinten Tarantino

For most people that know Tarantino movies, one would know that this is one of them. I’m a fan of Tarantino and a lot of his movies. This film was really successful as it has 8.9/10 on IMDb. This is a high ranking compared to many other movies. I think what makes it so successful is due to its perfect combination of violence and comedy. The screenplay was written by Quinten Tarantino. For people familiar with Tarantino, they would be familiar with the trunk shot. This shot has been used in everyone of his movies. It’s a great camera angle as it always looking up on the actors from within the trunk. One of the transitions that takes the viewer from one place in the movie to another is the good ole fade in, fade out transition. This is probably one of the most used transitions in film making. It marks a scene change, but it’s also very smooth when used correctly. Another which is more obvious is the car. The car is used to signify a change in location but can also be used to have a long conversation to transition into the next scene. Below is a link to a video of my favorite car scene in the movie. “Aw man I shot Marvin in the face”.

A scene that shows an actor that is not one of the main actors is at the house where they are trying to get Brett to talk about Marcellus Wallace. He plays a very unknowing business partner of Marcellus. Below is the scene I am talking about.

This is a great scene in Pulp Fiction and one of the best known.

Symbolism doesn’t come up a whole lot in this movie. There was one that I found which related to a briefcase and that of a bandaid on the back of Marcellus Wallace’s neck. The idea is that Marcellus has his soul sucked out of him, and is now present within the briefcase. Supposedly in China it is an idea that you can have your soul sucked out through the back of the neck. The briefcase needs to be retrieved from Brett and is then returned to Marcellus. In that scene Marcellus no longer has the bandaid on the back of his neck. This is a theory but it makes sense.

This film is full of outrageous scenes full of violence and comedy. They all make you laugh and make you watch it very intently. For an interaction to a scene I’m going to pick the scene from the above video. I thought this scene was just crazy. They were driving with Marvin and hit a bump and shoot him in the face. This is crazy, but the scene is perfectly filled with comedy due to their reactions. The lighting in this scene seemed to be natural lighting from outside. It added to the reality of the scene. The scene also has special effects shown by the gun shots and the blood. The gunshots from one angle bring on a faint orange glow to show a firing of the gun.

Basically this is one of my favorite movies and it brings mostly one emotion. It’s a funny movie filled with violence. There is not much to love. The soundtrack to this movie is great too and is filled with all kinds of music including rock n roll, pop, and soul. The soundtrack to this movie reached high on the charts in the 1990’s and was very popular along with the film itself.

Works Cited:

Pulp Fiction. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. By Quentin Tarantino. Prod. Lawrence Bender. Perf. Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman. Miramax, 1995. DVD.

“Pulp Fiction.” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2016.

 

Manmade Art is one with nature…

Post Modern Art seems to be on with nature and interesting in keeping the vast peacefulness of the natural world present. With this said it seems like these modern artists are interested in exploration and nature itself. This is an important thing. I was really fascinated with sculptures right now, and the way that some artists were able to interpret the natural world into their sculptures.

Ben Foster

This artist and sculptor was one that I found to be very interesting. He seems to create a relationship between the manmade and the the natural world. This means that he was able to blend his works with the natural world that makes it very nice to look at without completely ruining the beauty of the natural world.

The White Horse by Ben Foster, 2013

Golden Boy by Ben Foster, 2012

Kekeno by Ben Foster, 2012

Kekon0 by Ben Foster, 2012

Golden Boy by Ben Foster, 2012

Ben Foster is a Sculptor and very good sculptor indeed. He only adds to the nature world without actually distracting from the natural world. This is important because his sculptures are in places that are considered to be pristine and he wants to keep it that way. He said “My works are a culmination of the natural and the manmade – a careful balance of form and motion.” (Foster). He combines the natural world and that of the man made art. He is one with nature, and that is important for modern sculptures. This is because he uses colors that almost add to the scenery. I mean the works is of course man made but the sight is still very nice to see and very nice to add the nature itself. The attraction to his works are strong.

Arran Gregory

Arran Gregory was a sculpture that used primarily mirrors to construct his art. He constructed a lot of animal like sculptures ranging from a rhino to a wolf. He also put his own interpretation into his sculptures which I though was pretty cool. I found the sculptures below to be really inspiring and really cool. The fact that he used mirrors to make his sculptures is something that is very unique and adds to the geometric aspects of the sculptures.

Mirror Bear by Arran Gregory

 

I sit at my desk all day when I should really be out hunting, by Arran Gregory

Mirror Rhino, by Arran Gregory

Mirror Wolf, by Arran Gregory

Am I the only one here, by Arran Gregory 

Arran Gregory has a brilliant mind when it came to making these sculptures. They are simple yet so beautiful. I am quite the fan of the ‘Am I the only one Here’ which is just right above; the reason being is because it so simple yet the geometry of the object itself adds a odd image to the surrounding area. It’s interesting and it makes you think. The mirrors allow the viewer to visualize whatever is in the area and sometimes the mirrors will reflect different beings or different trees. The fact that this is a real thing is pretty neat. He made his sculptures as a way to connect manmade objects with nature which I found to be the theme of this post.

All the sculptures in this exhibit appear to have a relationship with the natural world. I find this to be important because nature is a pristine thing, and art shouldn’t take away from the natural world but only add to it. That is what I found these sculptures and these two artists to do. The sculptures were primarily done in the past 10 years which makes them fairly new. The technology today is very advanced and with that in mind comes art like this. It is very modern and very unique.

Works Cited

Foster, Ben. “Welcome to Ben Foster Sculpture New Zealand Fine Art Sculpture.” Welcome to Ben Foster Sculpture New Zealand Fine Art Sculpture. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2016.

Foster, Ben. “Modern Geometric Animals Sculptures by Ben Foster.” Pause. N.p., 2014. Web. 27 July 2016.

Gregory, Arran. “Arran Gregory.” Arran Gregory. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2016.

 

Impressionism

Impressionist style is very unique. The style is not ordinary when one is to think of art work. The style is obscure and has some nice visual aspects of it in my opinions. The style of painting is defined by loose brush strokes, vague lines, and very obscure angles within the painting themselves. Not everything is perfectly straight and I feel like that is why I’m drawn to the paintings. It has a sense of movement and I like movement. Not only is the individual aspects of the paintings amazing, but the subject matter is also very nice in its ways. It wasn’t that the matter was very drastic in change but it was portrayed in such a unique way that it really captures the viewers eye. I can understand why some may not enjoy the Impressionistic style of painting because they see it as imperfect but I see differently.

Claude Monet is one of my favorite artists from the Impression period. There is one painting, actually a series of paintings that caught my attention. He painted a lot of the same scene but at different lightings and different times of the year. That same area experiences so many weather changes as well as light changes that it will never look exactly the same. That is what intrigued my about these paintings. The subject matter stayed the same while the lighting and scene changed a little each time. It gave the viewer a view of the entire area as he painted left and he painted right.

Grainstacks at Giverny, sunset, 1888-1889, 

Claude Monet

Image from  http://allart.biz/photos/image/oscar_claude_monet_0252_allart_biz_grainstacks_at_giverny_sunset_1888_89.html

This is one of the paintings in his series titled Haystack. This is one of my favorite ones as there is just so many colors representing the scene and the sunset gives it that colorful vibe. The rolling hills in the background and the colorful sky representing the sunset are amazing. The impressionist period is really shown in this painting with the obscure curved lines and use of loose brush strokes. The grainstacks almost seem to be not the focus of the painting but the surroundings are what catch my eye and bring them in to the stacks.

Here is one in an opposite time of the year when there is snow on the stacks.

 

Grainstacks, White Frost Effect, 1889

Claude Monet

Image from http://www.wikiart.org/en/claude-monet/grainstacks-white-frost-effect

This painting shows the scene with a snow covered ground. I definitely like the sunset better mainly because the use of colors is more appealing to the eye, but I like the idea of painting two different scenes at the same place.  The white scene is unique because the background is all white except for the grainstacks which makes them really pop. Alaska is a place where the scenery changes a lot, there is all white and bare trees to green trees and beautiful wild flowers. This scene depicts a lot with the haystacks. I think it is important to note the fact that Claud Monet painting a lot of these paintings at this location from the time 1888 to 1891. The series contains 25 canvas paintings so it would be a little difficult to show all 25 on here. Check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystacks_(Monet_series), as wikipedia does a good job at showing all 25 paintings if anyone is intersted.

Works cited:

Gersh-Nesic, Beth “A Beginner’s Guide to Impressionism.” Khanacademy.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2016.

Wolf, Justin. “Impressionism Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story. The Art Story Contributors, 2016. Web. 10 July 2016.

Art and Scientific Discovery in the 1700’s

The Classical Era had a very fascinating aspect about it, and that had to do with the concept of enlightenment. The urge for science and art during this period was strong. The art and music of this time frame showed that, and it inspired anyone who viewed or listened to a masterpiece of this time frame. One of the most influential people during this time was a physicist by the name of Sir Isaac Newton. He developed the three laws of motion that we are all so familiar with. The urge for science and new discoveries in this field was very prominent due to Newtons breakthrough. I’m not gonna go in depth about the physics or laws themselves because this is an art class and the Classical period wasn’t all about science. The art and music of this time period was beautiful in its own way.

A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrery

Joseph Wright of Derby (1765)

Image from Khan Academy

This painting shows the wonder of the time; the wonder of science and new discoveries. The two children look fascinated as they look and study the machine, as the others stand around the machine with a frustrated look thinking long and hard or just taking notes on the studies. The subject matter of this painting not only shows the urge for scientific discoveries in this era but also the beauty of this painting is something on it’s own. The shadows of the machines and the faces are what really draw me in.

Apparently I’m really intrigued by Joseph Wright of Derby as this next piece also demonstrates the knowledge and curiosity during this time period.

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

Joseph Wright of Derby (1768)

Image from The National Gallery

This painting has a lot of the same aspects as the previous painting because it is my the same artist. Both of these paintings go perfectly with the theme I set forward and they apply perfectly with this time period in a sense of art but also science. The wonder on the faces on what is going on is amazing. The painting shows a scientist preforming an experiment on a white cockatoo sucking out the oxygen; essentially depriving the bird of oxygen. I’m hoping the bird was reprieved, but there isn’t really a way of knowing unless we were to ask the artist himself. The lighting is beautiful, as it is lit by the single candle and I fell it makes the painting that much more dramatic and influential. This would inspire me to want to study some kind of science during the time; I’m sure as it did for many other people.

The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorous 

Joseph Wright of Derby (1771)

Image from The Wikipedia Commons

This painting also shows the array of science going on in this period. It shows an old man otherwise known as the Alchemist; who seems to have discovered something based on his look and stance. You could determine this without the time in this case. It almost looks as if the people in the back don’t really know what is going on, yet the scientist knows what’s going on. The lighting in this painting is a little dim for my taste but it shows the science and discoveries of this period very well. It also seems to have a little religious hue to it as well. It seems like the Alchemist is some kind of son being blessed by something else. The stand that holds the liquid almost resembles a human figure of some sorts.  The Classical era was full of art and science; and in some cases these paths collided. The Enlightenment period and Classical era brought some great works by a man by the name of Joseph Wright of Derby.

Works Cited:

Doronina, Vicki. “18th Century Art on Science: Joseph Wright’s “Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus”.” Go Yeast. N.p., 07 June 2014. Web. 30 June 2016.

Fox, Abram. “Khan Academy.” Khan Academy. Khan Academy, n.d. Web. 30 June 2016.

Glover, Michael. “Great Works: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, 1768 (183 X 244 Cm), Joseph Wright of Derby.” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 30 June 2016.

 

The Large Imperfect Pearl Era

The Era of 1585 to about 1730 is known as the Baroque Era. Baroque translates to a large imperfect pearl. The meaning that is trying to be captured here is “imperfect”. A lot of paintings from this era appeared to be strange to the naked eye as if one is looking at a large imperfect pearl. When one thinks of pearl its beautiful, shiny, and very enlightening to look at. The paintings from this era were different from paintings from previous eras. The Renaissance Era had qualities that could be described as calming, noble, and more reserved. The Baroque Era had qualities that had an opposite affect when looking at it. It could be described as intense, dynamic, and very involving for the audience. During this period the Catholic Church was all for religious art as a way to capture the audience and in a sense inspire them. They recognized its capturing abilities and the effects it could have on someone. It was an act to make people come to the reality of Christ’s suffering and the sacrifice Christ made.

With all that in mind, there was a specific piece that intrigued me to the fullest. This piece is known as David by Bernini.

David by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Bernini)

This is a sculpture representing David by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The sculpture shows David in a battle with Goliath who is a Philistine Warrior. At this time David was just a small Shepard but he defeated Goliath with a rock as portrayed in the sculpture. This is portrayed from a scene in the Old Testament in the First Book of Samuel. What drew my mind to this sculpture is the amount of energy shown. It looks like he is literally about to throw the rock. This shows a single moment in time. On a a closer look of the sculpture, David is biting his lips and scrunching his eye brows as anyone would as they were about to throw a rock at a huge warrior in the middle of a battle. It depicts so many things; it shows bravery, intensity, and and the dynamic movement that goes into it. It’s almost like the sculpture is coming alive. It’s like its paused in real life. The sculpture is directly related to the Council of Trent because the Council had an influence on the the style and depictions of the era. The Council was formed due to the Protestant Reformation. David by Gian Lorenzo Bernini is a great example for the style of the Baroque Era that the Council fo Trent reformed.

Sources

C, Esperanca. “Baroque Art in Europe, an Introduction.” Khan Academy. Dr. Esperança Camara, n.d. Web. 19 June 2016.

“Bernini’s David.” Rome.info David, Statue of David (by Bernini). Rome.info, n.d. Web. 19 June 2016.

Early Italian Renaissance Produces amazing Artwork

The Italian Renaissance was one of the great times in terms of art. During this time Italy was known as the leader in everything from art to music and to science. Italy was shining during this time from the 14th century to the 16th century. It was during these years that Italy experienced a cultural change in result to the output of work they were doing.

During the Italian Renaissance period there was a painter by the name of Sandro Botticelli. He was an Italian painter during the early renaissance period. During his time, he produced amazing artwork. One of my favorites is a piece called The Birth of Venice (shown below)

The Birth of Venice by Sandro Botticelli

Photo from: http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/the-birth-of-venus-by-sandro-botticelli/

This painting is one of my favorites because it depicts not just one god but multiple gods. The center piece is of course Venus who is the goddess of love. She is newly born coming in on the shell naked. Nudity in this time and age was rarely shown due to christian beliefs. Due to the rise of humanism during this time, there was a type of resurrection of paintings involving nude characters. Venus is naked, covering her breast while one of the goddess of the seasons is waiting with a cape to clothe Venus. In my observation there are two goddess’s depicted in this painting as partially nude; both showing there left breast. I’m not sure if this is on purpose for a reason or just a coincidence. In my research of this painting I came to find that it may have been inspired by a poem…

“Of august gold-wreathed and beautiful
Aphrodite I shall sing to whose domain
belong the battlements of all sea-loved
Cyprus where, blown by the moist breath
of Zephyros, she was carried over the
waves of the resounding sea on soft foam.
The gold-filleted Horae happily welcomed
her and clothed her with heavenly raiment.” – Demetrios Chalkokondyles-

This poem depicts what is going on in the painting, this could be the inspiration of The Birth of Venice. The painting was actually created for the Medici family between 1482 and 1485.

Research from:

http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/the-birth-of-venus-by-sandro-botticelli/

http://historylists.org/art/10-finest-works-of-the-early-italian-renaissance-art.html

 

And So it Begins…

My name is Keegan Rankin and I’m studying to be a geologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I also run cross country for UAF. My dad is in the Air Force so I have lived everywhere from California, Florida, Alaska, Texas, and now upstate New York. I have done and seen a lot. I feel as this has widened my horizons of different types of art and different types of music. I love nature and I love being outside.

Art to me, is about expressing ones self. It speaks different words to different people. I myself like to write short poems or songs just for fun as I feel it is a good way to express myself. I also enjoy drawing and painting a little bit. In “boring” classes I’m usually caught doodling in the sides of my notes while the professor is talking about anything from equations to gravity. I have been to a few art galleries. There is one art gallery that I really enjoyed at a small college in Oberlin, Ohio where my girlfriend goes to school.

It consisted of a room full of paintings and the room was being surrounded in classical music that she painted to. The artist’s name is Judit Reigl. She is a Hungarian painter living in France. I remember having a very interesting  feeling inside the room that made me really connect with the paintings. The painting below is the one that really stuck out to me. Judit Reigl: Body of Music

Painting by Judit Reigl