The piece depicts a young man laid out on a floor. He is naked. Except for his middle which is covered by a large red structure, my guess would be the titular Devil's Dress. In the background are what appear to be wooden boxes.
I chose this painting because of the simple fact that it naturally forces questions out of everyone. When our class went to the room which the painting hangs everyone was naturally drawn to it and everyone had an idea about it. At the same time though, everyone was confused by it and had questions about it. Making the painting naturally fit for this prompt.
Questions;
-what exactly are the things in the back? I've been guessing them to be wooden boxes, but I can't be sure at all.
-where is he? The figure in the painting, where exactly is he? If this was painted from life, the place the figure is laying at very well may be a real place.
-what is he wearing? I've been considering it to be made of cardboard.. and that's it really. It has a prism shape to it, but I don't remember the number of sides exactly so I can't place a prism to it. I just really can't come up with a guess for what it is.
-who is he? Part of our class assignment that day was to create a narrative between two pieces in the room, this piece and a photograph on the adjacent wall were the most popular pieces chosen and everyone had a unique character to attach to the person. But who is he really? Just a model, a friend of the artists, ...?
-what was the artist's thinking behind this piece? It really is an interesting painting. One has to wonder what the artist was thinking when creating it.
-what was the model thinking? As the painting was painted, did the model have any opinion on his state at the time? Any ideas from his point of view as the main figure?
-why the devil's dress? What about the "dress" or the idea behind it was that lead the painter to name it the devil's dress?
-why a dress? What about the structure around the figure gave the idea of a dress to the painter?
-how long did the model lay? How long did the model actually have to pose for the painting?
-how long did the painting take to paint? I remember it was a very large painting, I imagine it would have taken him a while. But really how long?
-what is the dress made of? I already mentioned I've been thinking of it as cardboard, but what is it really? Maybe thick cloth? Like canvas or something.
-was the "dress" created for the painting itself? Was it purposely made with the intention of being in the painting? Or was it maybe a random thing that happened to fit the painter's idea of what he needed.
-What was the painters idea exactly of the dress? Was it supposed to be a simple structure? A symbol? It's a figurative dress right? Why red? Was it the devil's before or after conception?
-Why is the figure laying? Was it done this way for compositional reasons? Or was it for the model? Is it supposed to have meaning or imply something?
-what state is the figure supposed to be in? I remember that many people considered him to be tired or solemn. Was this the intended state? Or were we supposed to interpret something else.
Description: The piece hung high on the wall, almost like a protector, or so it seemed. The head shaped object had huge red eyes, sharp teeth that looked threatening, a crown surrounding the shape of the head, giving it a god like appearance, and was entirely golden in color.
By first glance, I immediately thought it was made to represent a specific god; to be more specific a god that stood for something evil and ominous due to the red eerie eyes and fangs that it contained.
Apparently, after reading the description, it turned out to be a mask that was used during religious festivals. Beer was drunk from a pipe that came out of the god's mouth from a jar behind the mask. Who would of thought, right?
Questions:
1. -Who would be the ones that were allowed to drink from the mask? I personally think maybe someone of high rank that was admired by a group of people. Or maybe just someone as ordinary as we are today?
2. -What kind of god was the mask based off of? Like i mentioned before, a god of some sort that comes from a dark origin is what first came to mind when i encountered the piece
3. -What kind of person would make this mask? Maybe like other communities, the people who were well trained and had a skill for that kind of art and construction?
4. -Were there a variety of them or just one that remained consistent? Was a series of the masks made to represent different kinds of gods or even important people for that matter?
5. -Was it an object that was cherished? Maybe people looked forward to seeing the mask during a festival. Or maybe it was something that wasn't really thought of as having any significance to it?
6. -Where was the mask made, specifically? in a typical home? In a workshop? In the streets?
7. -Could it be used for other purposes other than its main one? for example, a decorative piece in a household? A centerpiece at dinner? Or maybe even the place of worship could have had a place for it during prayer?
8. -What is the significance of having such an evil look to it? to keep tempted children away from the rum..or maybe drinking beer was seen as a bad thing, as if passing into a ream of the devil?
9. -How heavy is the mask? perhaps over 50 pounds? The exterior material seemed heavy.
10. -Could people actually wear it around without struggling like our masks today? By the size of it, which was pretty big, it seemed quite heavy..something that would have to be carried by at least two men
11. -When was the the mask worn, around what time of day? was there a specific time when it could be used, like after the sunset for example?
12. -Why was beer drunk from it? to relieve stress? For pure enjoyment? Or maybe it was something that had to be done or else people would find it insulting?
13. -Why would people drink beer at religious festivals? Maybe the mask was worn to hide the faces of those who drank, something shameful that was frowned upon?
14. - How was the mask presented, if even presented? Maybe during a parade of some sort?
15. - What kind of beer did they drink? or could it be another type of liquid substance that could be consumed
This is an oil painting on canvas that uses mustard yellow, a dark green, and a rosy red. This painting is very abstract and the colors are placed in different sections, overlapping slightly. I was drawn to this piece when we visited the "Differences?" exhibition because it was so abstract and the red objects look to me like fetuses, posing many questions.
Questions- 1. Why were only 3 colors chosen?
2. Does each color in the painting represent something?
3. Are there butterflies in the corner? After reading the title, Pollination, butterfly wings popped out to me. I'm guessing this represents flowers being pollinated?
4. What are the objects within the red circles? Before reading the title I thought they were fetuses, it looks like a curled up and undefined human form is laying in a circle.
5. How long did it take for this piece to be made? The lines are very expressive but there's also a great amount of detail in this piece.
6. Is this a single piece or is it part of a series? I feel like the idea of pollination could be expanded over a body of work.
7. What was the inspiration behind this piece? Was any of it drawn from observation?
8. Is there a flower in this piece? Flowers are usually the object that gets pollinated, but I don't see a distinct flower shape.
9. Is there a reason that Krasner chose to represent this image within a square format?
10. The places that were left white don't look completely pure. Was there a lot of layers painted on this or just one?
11. How many different size brushes did the artist use while painting this? Some areas have very thin and detailed lines and some areas have thick layers of solid paint color.
12. Did the artist have a specific composition idea in mind before starting or was it more spontaneous, changing as the piece was developed?
13. Did the artist mean for the viewer to feel any certain emotion while looking at this artwork?
14. What was the artist thinking about while creating this piece? Is there any symbolic meaning?
15. Was Krasner's style for this painting influenced by any other contemporary artist?
This painting is simply of a wave crashing down on the shore. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy. There are dark, ominous grey clouds in the sky and the water has a dark pine green hint to it.
Questions: 1. How long did it take the artist to create this artwork?
2. What all types of tools did the artist use?
3. Did the artist really go out to the shore to paint this? Is is based off of a photograph?
4. Why are all of the colors dark and ominous?
5. Is there a meaning behind this painting?
6. Is there meaning behind the dark colors?
7. What made the artist decide to paint this subject matter?
8. How hard was it to paint a wave in action, as its crashing down?
9. How much, if any, prep had to go into this painting?
10. Is there a certain emotion the viewer is suppose to feel when looking at this artwork?
11. Did the viewer even come to mind when the artist was painting this?
12. Did the artist have other artwork like this painting? Is it part of a series?
13. Was this painting based off anything else? Or was it simply just painted for joy, or just because?
14. Why did the artist choose to paint the wave in the composition that it's in?
15. The way the paint was applied makes the painting look like a beautiful crashing wave from far away, but then when you look closely at it the painting just looks like green, blue, white marks not really having a purpose. Almost messy looking in close up, was this intended?
The Devil's Dress by Michael Borremans
ReplyDeleteThe piece depicts a young man laid out on a floor. He is naked. Except for his middle which is covered by a large red structure, my guess would be the titular Devil's Dress. In the background are what appear to be wooden boxes.
I chose this painting because of the simple fact that it naturally forces questions out of everyone. When our class went to the room which the painting hangs everyone was naturally drawn to it and everyone had an idea about it. At the same time though, everyone was confused by it and had questions about it. Making the painting naturally fit for this prompt.
Questions;
-what exactly are the things in the back?
I've been guessing them to be wooden boxes, but I can't be sure at all.
-where is he?
The figure in the painting, where exactly is he?
If this was painted from life, the place the figure is laying at very well may be a real place.
-what is he wearing?
I've been considering it to be made of cardboard.. and that's it really. It has a prism shape to it, but I don't remember the number of sides exactly so I can't place a prism to it. I just really can't come up with a guess for what it is.
-who is he?
Part of our class assignment that day was to create a narrative between two pieces in the room, this piece and a photograph on the adjacent wall were the most popular pieces chosen and everyone had a unique character to attach to the person. But who is he really? Just a model, a friend of the artists, ...?
-what was the artist's thinking behind this piece?
It really is an interesting painting. One has to wonder what the artist was thinking when creating it.
-what was the model thinking?
As the painting was painted, did the model have any opinion on his state at the time? Any ideas from his point of view as the main figure?
-why the devil's dress?
What about the "dress" or the idea behind it was that lead the painter to name it the devil's dress?
-why a dress?
What about the structure around the figure gave the idea of a dress to the painter?
-how long did the model lay?
How long did the model actually have to pose for the painting?
-how long did the painting take to paint?
I remember it was a very large painting, I imagine it would have taken him a while. But really how long?
-what is the dress made of?
I already mentioned I've been thinking of it as cardboard, but what is it really? Maybe thick cloth? Like canvas or something.
-was the "dress" created for the painting itself?
Was it purposely made with the intention of being in the painting? Or was it maybe a random thing that happened to fit the painter's idea of what he needed.
-What was the painters idea exactly of the dress?
Was it supposed to be a simple structure?
A symbol? It's a figurative dress right? Why red? Was it the devil's before or after conception?
-Why is the figure laying?
Was it done this way for compositional reasons? Or was it for the model? Is it supposed to have meaning or imply something?
-what state is the figure supposed to be in?
I remember that many people considered him to be tired or solemn. Was this the intended state? Or were we supposed to interpret something else.
Bryan-- I absolutely agree that "The Devil's Dress" is both attractive and thought-provoking.
DeleteCheck out some other paintings by Borremans on this gallery's website. I think you will find some of them equally as provocative!
http://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/michael-borremans/survey/
Mask of Bhairava (in the Buddhist collection)
ReplyDeleteDescription: The piece hung high on the wall, almost like a protector, or so it seemed. The head shaped object had huge red eyes, sharp teeth that looked threatening, a crown surrounding the shape of the head, giving it a god like appearance, and was entirely golden in color.
By first glance, I immediately thought it was made to represent a specific god; to be more specific a god that stood for something evil and ominous due to the red eerie eyes and fangs that it contained.
Apparently, after reading the description, it turned out to be a mask that was used during religious festivals. Beer was drunk from a pipe that came out of the god's mouth from a jar behind the mask. Who would of thought, right?
Questions:
1. -Who would be the ones that were allowed to drink from the mask?
I personally think maybe someone of high rank that was admired by a group of people. Or maybe just someone as ordinary as we are today?
2. -What kind of god was the mask based off of?
Like i mentioned before, a god of some sort that comes from a dark origin is what first came to mind when i encountered the piece
3. -What kind of person would make this mask?
Maybe like other communities, the people who were well trained and had a skill for that kind of art and construction?
4. -Were there a variety of them or just one that remained consistent?
Was a series of the masks made to represent different kinds of gods or even important people for that matter?
5. -Was it an object that was cherished?
Maybe people looked forward to seeing the mask during a festival. Or maybe it was something that wasn't really thought of as having any significance to it?
6. -Where was the mask made, specifically?
in a typical home? In a workshop? In the streets?
7. -Could it be used for other purposes other than its main one?
for example, a decorative piece in a household? A centerpiece at dinner? Or maybe even the place of worship could have had a place for it during prayer?
8. -What is the significance of having such an evil look to it?
to keep tempted children away from the rum..or maybe drinking beer was seen as a bad thing, as if passing into a ream of the devil?
9. -How heavy is the mask?
perhaps over 50 pounds? The exterior material seemed heavy.
10. -Could people actually wear it around without struggling like our masks today?
By the size of it, which was pretty big, it seemed quite heavy..something that would have to be carried by at least two men
11. -When was the the mask worn, around what time of day?
was there a specific time when it could be used, like after the sunset for example?
12. -Why was beer drunk from it?
to relieve stress? For pure enjoyment? Or maybe it was something that had to be done or else people would find it insulting?
13. -Why would people drink beer at religious festivals?
Maybe the mask was worn to hide the faces of those who drank, something shameful that was frowned upon?
14. - How was the mask presented, if even presented?
Maybe during a parade of some sort?
15. - What kind of beer did they drink?
or could it be another type of liquid substance that could be consumed
Pollination by Lee Krasner
ReplyDeleteThis is an oil painting on canvas that uses mustard yellow, a dark green, and a rosy red. This painting is very abstract and the colors are placed in different sections, overlapping slightly. I was drawn to this piece when we visited the "Differences?" exhibition because it was so abstract and the red objects look to me like fetuses, posing many questions.
Questions-
1. Why were only 3 colors chosen?
2. Does each color in the painting represent something?
3. Are there butterflies in the corner? After reading the title, Pollination, butterfly wings popped out to me. I'm guessing this represents flowers being pollinated?
4. What are the objects within the red circles? Before reading the title I thought they were fetuses, it looks like a curled up and undefined human form is laying in a circle.
5. How long did it take for this piece to be made? The lines are very expressive but there's also a great amount of detail in this piece.
6. Is this a single piece or is it part of a series? I feel like the idea of pollination could be expanded over a body of work.
7. What was the inspiration behind this piece? Was any of it drawn from observation?
8. Is there a flower in this piece? Flowers are usually the object that gets pollinated, but I don't see a distinct flower shape.
9. Is there a reason that Krasner chose to represent this image within a square format?
10. The places that were left white don't look completely pure. Was there a lot of layers painted on this or just one?
11. How many different size brushes did the artist use while painting this? Some areas have very thin and detailed lines and some areas have thick layers of solid paint color.
12. Did the artist have a specific composition idea in mind before starting or was it more spontaneous, changing as the piece was developed?
13. Did the artist mean for the viewer to feel any certain emotion while looking at this artwork?
14. What was the artist thinking about while creating this piece? Is there any symbolic meaning?
15. Was Krasner's style for this painting influenced by any other contemporary artist?
The Wave by Gustave Courbet
ReplyDeleteThis painting is simply of a wave crashing down on the shore. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy. There are dark, ominous grey clouds in the sky and the water has a dark pine green hint to it.
Questions:
1. How long did it take the artist to create this artwork?
2. What all types of tools did the artist use?
3. Did the artist really go out to the shore to paint this? Is is based off of a photograph?
4. Why are all of the colors dark and ominous?
5. Is there a meaning behind this painting?
6. Is there meaning behind the dark colors?
7. What made the artist decide to paint this subject matter?
8. How hard was it to paint a wave in action, as its crashing down?
9. How much, if any, prep had to go into this painting?
10. Is there a certain emotion the viewer is suppose to feel when looking at this artwork?
11. Did the viewer even come to mind when the artist was painting this?
12. Did the artist have other artwork like this painting? Is it part of a series?
13. Was this painting based off anything else? Or was it simply just painted for joy, or just because?
14. Why did the artist choose to paint the wave in the composition that it's in?
15. The way the paint was applied makes the painting look like a beautiful crashing wave from far away, but then when you look closely at it the painting just looks like green, blue, white marks not really having a purpose. Almost messy looking in close up, was this intended?