Art Essay

ART has not always been what we think it is today. An object regarded as Art today may not have been perceived as such when it was first made, nor was the person who made it necessarily regarded as an artist. Both the notion of "art" and the idea of the "artist" are relatively modern terms. Many of the objects we identify as art today -- Greek painted pottery, medieval manuscript illuminations, and so on -- were made in times and places when people had no concept of "art" as we understand the term. These objects may have been appreciated in various ways and often admired, but not as "art" in the current sense. ART lacks a satisfactory definition. It is easier to describe it as the way something is done -- "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others" (Britannica Online) -- rather than what it is. The idea of an object being a "work of art" emerges, together with the concept of the Artist, in the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy. During the Renaissance, the word Art emerges as a collective term encompassing Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, a grouping given currency by the Italian artist and biographer Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century. Subsequently, this grouping was expanded to include Music and Poetry which became known in the 18th century as the 'Fine Arts'. These five Arts have formed an irreducible nucleus from which have been generally excluded the 'decorative arts' and 'crafts', such as pottery, weaving, metalworking, and furniture making, all of which have utility as an end. (1) The first art work I compared was sculptures: “Venus of Willendorf” page 409 fig.555 and “Queen Nefertiti” page 415 fig. 564 both are made of limestone. The “Venus of Willendorf “is one color while “Queen Nefertiti” is many different colors.
The “Venus of Willendorf” is from lower Austria, about 25000-20000 BCE. The Venus of Willendorf, also known as the Woman of Willendorf, is an 11 cm (4.3 in) high statuette of a female figure estimated to have been made between 24,000 and 22,000 BCE. It was discovered in 1908 by archaeologist Josef Szombathely at a paleolithic site near Willendorf, a village in Lower Austria near the city of Krems. It is carved from an oolitic limestone that is not local to the area, and tinted with red ochre. The "Venus of Willendorf" is now in the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. Several similar statuettes and other forms of art have been discovered, and they are collectively referred to as Venus figurines, although they pre-date the mythological figure of Venus by millennia. The Willendorf figure was named following a model already over fifty years old, and shares many characteristics with other figures. (2) “Queen Nefertiti”, Tell el Amarna, 1365 BCE.is from the Egyptian civilization.
Nefertiti (ca. 1370 BC – ca. 1330 BC) was the Great Royal Wife (chief consort) of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a religious revolution, in which they started to worship one god only. This was Aten, or the sun disc. Nefertiti had many titles including Hereditary Princess, Great of Praises, Lady of Grace, Sweet of Love , Lady of The Two Lands , Main King’s Wife, his beloved , Great King’s Wife, his beloved, Lady of all Women , and Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt , she was made famous by her bust, now in Berlin's Neues Museum, shown to the right. The bust is one of the most copied works of ancient Egypt. It was attributed to the sculptor Thutmose, and it was found in his workshop. The bust is notable for exemplifying the understanding Ancient Egyptians had regarding realistic facial proportions. Some scholars believe that Nefertiti ruled briefly after her husband's death and before the accession of Tutankhamun as Neferneferuaten, although this identification is a matter of ongoing debate. (3) The second art work I compared was paintings: “The Calling of St. Matthew” page 473 fig. 646 and “Landscape with St. John on Patmos” page 478 fig 652. Both paintings are oil on canvas. “The Calling of St. Matthew” is dark and “Landscape with St. John on Patmos is light and colorful. “The Calling of St. Matthew” 1599-1602 is Baroque style. The Calling of Saint Matthew is a masterpiece by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, depicting the Calling of Matthew. It was completed in 1599-1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. Over a decade before, Cardinal Matteu Contreil had left funds and specific instructions for the decoration of a chapel based on themes of his namesake. Decoration of the dome was started with frescoes by the late Mannerist artist and one of the most popular painters in Rome at the time, Cavalier D'Arpino, Caravaggio's former employer. But with the elder painter busy with royal and papal patronage, Cardinal Francesco Del Monte, Caravaggio's patron and also the prefect of the Fabbrica of St Peter's (the Vatican office for Church property), intervened to obtain for Caravaggio his first major church commission and first painting with more than a handful of figures. (4) “Landscape with St. John on Patmos” 1640 Nicolas Poussin. Nicolas Poussin; 15 June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter in the classical style. His work predominantly features clarity, logic, and order, and favors line over color. His work serves as an alternative to the dominant Baroque style of the 17th century. Until the 20th century he remained the major inspiration for such classically oriented artists as Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Paul Cézanne.

The third are works I compared were forms of architecture: “The Great Stupa” page 429 fig. 584 and “Chartres Cathedral” page 443 fig.601. “The Great Stupa” is a burial mound while the “Chartres Cathedral” is a place of worship.
“The Great Stupa” Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India, founded third century, enlarged 150-50BCE. The 'Great Stupa' at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure in India and was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by the chatra, a parasol-like structure symbolizing high rank, which was intended to honor and shelter the relics. It has four profusely carved ornamental gateways and a balustrade encircling the whole structure
During the later rule of the Sunga, the stupa was expanded with stone slabs to almost twice its original size. The dome was flattened near the top and crowned by three superimposed parasols within a square railing. With its many tiers it was a symbol of the dharma, the Wheel of the Law. The dome was set on a high circular drum meant for circumambulation, which could be accessed via a double staircase. A second stone pathway at ground level was enclosed by a stone balustrade with four monumental gateways (toranas) facing the cardinal directions. (6) “Chartres Cathedral” 1145-1220 Paris, France. Gothic style. The French medieval Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (French: Cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres) is a Latin Rite Catholic cathedral located in Chartres, about (50 mi) southwest of Paris, is considered one of the finest examples of the French High Gothic style. The current cathedral, mostly constructed between 1193 and 1250, is one of at least five which have occupied the site since the town became a bishopric in the 4th century. What makes the cathedral special from an artistic viewpoint is its exceptional state of preservation. The majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. The building's exterior is dominated by heavy flying buttresses which allowed the architects to increase the window size significantly, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires — one, a 349 ft. plain pyramid dating from the 1140s and the other a 377 ft. tall early 16th century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower. Equally notable are the three great façades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes and narratives. (7) While comparing the different types of art works, I think that sculptures are my favorite. I also like the bright, colorful paintings. I now take the time and really look at all different types of art.

Works Cited
1. http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/artartists/artartists.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nefertiti
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Calling_of_St_Matthew_(Caravaggio)
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Poussin
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanchi
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartres_Cathedral