A normal background doesn’t predetermine criminal activity. In Han van Meergan’s case, greed guided him to forge art until he was caught and convicted for selling a national treasure. Meergan deceived through artwork to relay the message that art itself doesn’t determine; it’s the signature at the bottom of the piece. Although being forgeries, his early work encompassed great artist ability. These accomplishments are partly due to Meergan’s knowledge of art history. Mimicking artists that didn’t label their work and aren’t alive to vouch for it. His technical work on the fake pieces encompassed the time period it was made and the real artist’s style. Meergan was so attention to detail; he created his own badger hair brushes used by Vermeer …show more content…
On the surface, Meergan can be seen as a greedy con artist but his views on art were the first of his kind to go public. The concept of reputation over art has and continues to be a problem in the art community. Why should a name trump work ethic or even talent in some cases? He made people pay attention to him with forgeries but took unnecessary risks to get his point across. Han van Meergan has had a unique past with Nazi deputy, Hermann Goring. Meergan offered and sold a Vermeer painting to Goring, during the Second World War. He used the shade of World War II to continue selling his forgeries under the radar. Even after the forgeries were made public owners didn’t want to report it, meaning they would have to admit they were dubbed by Meergan. While on trial for imprisoning Vermeer’s painting, he was charged for treason in selling a national treasure to the Nazis’. Not only did he risk his life if the painting was discovered to be a forgery by the Nazis but spending time in prison for his crimes. During his trial he claimed to be Vermeer and completed artwork to back up that statement. In the end that didn’t matter much because he was still sentenced and died in jail (Roodt, …show more content…
Vermmer is most famous for a portrait called Girl with a Pearl Earring. As an artist he used biblical,mythological, and other forms of history to be the main themes of his artwork. During the seveteeth century empahzise and importance of the human existense was rarely seen. Vermmer created pieces that still to this day are being theorizied about in terms of decision making and thought process. He successful combined the humman spirt and historical importance in his pieces. Many of his works alot techniqual great were not signed and could be easily forgeried by artist like Han van Meergan (National Gallery of
Regardless of taste, an appreciator of art should be able to recognize when an artist exerts a large amount of effort and expresses a great amount of creativity. Understanding the concepts incorporated by truly talented artists helps the viewer better understand art in general. Both Van Eyck and Velasquez are examples of artists that stood out in their time due to their unique vision and their innovative style, and are therefore remembered, recognized, and praised even centuries after their works were completed.
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the world’s greatest and most well-known artists, but when he was alive he considered himself to be a complete failure. It was not until after he died that Van Gogh’s paintings received the recognition they deserved. Today he is thought to be the second best Dutch artist, after Rembrandt. Born in 1853, he was one of the biggest artistic influences of the 19th century. Vincent Van Gogh created a new era of art, he learned to use art to escape his mental illness, and he still continues to inspire artists over 100 years later.
Imagine creating some of the best art pieces in the world but never being fully credited or awarded for those pieces. Enter Vincent van Gogh. Born on March 30th, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands, Van Gogh grew up in a poor household. His father Theodorus Van Gogh expressed an austere attitude as a country minister and his mother, Anna Cornelia Carbentus portrayed her infatuation for nature through her watercolor based art. She would later pass on her watercolor technique to VanGogh. At 15 Van Gogh was obligated to quit school and acquire job to support his poor family. In June of 1873 Van Gogh was transferred to the Groupil Gallery in London where he developed a passion for art. After being fired from a few meaningless jobs, Van Gogh decided to become an artist without any proper training or guidance. His parents doubted his abilities but his brother Theo, a successful art dealer believed in Vincent and offered him financial support. With the assistance of his brother,
The Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance who painted many famous works. The Annunciation 1485, this picture is one of the jewels of 15th century Italian art, embodying the achievement that made Florence so famous and influential. On the other hand, the annunciation 1475 painted by Early Netherlandish Han Memling is one of the largest surviving depiction of the annunciation, with the varied composition in the work. Both works represented the European painting in that period, with different painting technique, and offers artists ways of skills. The artists depicted the human form, and architectural spaces, and illustrated the relationship between both, as well as the elements of the subject matter were expressed. Han Memling used the motif and styles which created a great effect.
Coming from a family greatly involved in art dealing, Vincent van Gogh was destined to have a place in the world of art. Van Gogh’s unique techniques and use of color, which clashed and differed greatly from the masters of the art world of his time, would eventually gain him the recognition as one of the founders of modern art. Van Gogh’s early life was heavily influenced by the role of his father who was a pastor and chose to follow in his footsteps. Although he abandoned the desire to become a pastor, van Gogh remained a spiritual being and was strong in faith. Plagued with a troubled mind and poor health, van Gogh’s life became filled with torment and isolation that would influence his career in later life as an artist. In his late twenties, van Gogh had decided that it was God’s divine plan for him to become a painter. His works would express through thoughtful composition and vibrant color, the emotions that he was unable to manifest in the real world. Van Gogh’s perception of reality and his technique would face harsh criticism and never receive full acceptance from his peers as a serious artist during his brief career. In a collection of correspondence entitled The Letters of a Post-Impressionist, Vincent confirmed these thoughts while writing to his brother Theo, “It irritates me to hear people say that I have no "technique." It is just possible that there is no trace of it, because I hold myself aloof from all painters” (27). His technique would later be marveled and revered by the art world. Vincent van Gogh’s legacy would thrive as it challenged the way the world envisioned modern art through his unique brush strokes and profound use of color as seen in his works The Sower and The Night Café. A brief look into...
The two painters Jan Van Eyck (c.1390-1441) and Hans Memlinc (d.1494) are both considered great masters of Northern Art. Van Eyck is known for his execution of naturalistic detail and creating translucency in his panels. Memlinc is known for his financially minded cornucopia of work and for revolutionising the genre of portraiture. However, their differences are more pointed than there similarities. Both artists are mindful of the traditions of the Flemish school, such a the use of light to create a sense of the third dimension on the panel and the importance of landscape and background. Both artists worked in Bruges at some point; Van Eyck was an earlier master who moved to Bruges in 1430 until his death. Memlinc was German but settled there in 1465 until his death. The paintings by Van Eyck that shall be discussed are The Ghent Altarpiece, Madonna with Chancellor Rolin, Portrait of a Man and The Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife. The paintings by Memlinc that will be discussed are The Diptych of Maarten Nieuwenhove, Portrait of a Young Man Before a Landscape and The Donne Altarpiece.
his own paintings. His artwork was emphasized in his tones that brought him through new free
The article Artists Mythologies and Media Genius, Madness and Art History (1980) by Griselda Pollock is a forty page essay where Pollock (1980), argues and explains her views on the crucial question, "how art history works" (Pollock, 1980, p.57). She emphasizes that there should be changes to the practice of art history and uses Van Gogh as a major example in her study. Her thesis is to prove that the meaning behind artworks should not be restricted only to the artist who creates it, but also to realize what kind of economical, financial, social situation the artist may have been in to influence the subject that is used. (Pollock, 1980, pg. 57) She explains her views through this thesis and further develops this idea by engaging in scholarly debates with art historians and researcher, and objecting to how they claim there is a general state of how art is read. She structures her paragraphs in ways that allows her to present different kinds of evidences from a variety sources while using a formal yet persuasive tone of voice to get her point across to the reader.
painting of a woman be so famous?” Well, probably one of the reasons this painting is
age of twenty-five and is the only work he ever signed. This sculpture shows a
Chapter 7. 1665-8: in Delft, Vermeer begins and completes the painting of his daughter Magdelena. Chapter 8. 1675: in Delft, Vermeer dies, and after his death his daughter Magdelena sells the painting to the local baker; later, in Amsterdam in 1696, Magdelena observes a "nice family" buying the painting at auction. Topics For Discussion 1. The plot summary reveals that much of the picture's provenance remains unknown. Why do you think Vreeland leaves blank so much of the picture's history?
...s an artist but when he wasn’t accepted into art school he started to hate all art that wasn’t landscape paintings. He ordered an art burning in March 1939 setting over a thousand of paintings on fire. Organizations collected Jewish books and had a mass book burning, described on pages 108-113 in The Book Thief.
Art theft is a crime that has been on the rise for the last half of this century. “According to law enforcement officials, art theft now ranks second only to drugs as the world’s most lucrative illegal activity.” (Journal of Commerce) Whether bought, created, or stolen, art has become something that is of great demand. “Art theft has flourished as never before. Just keeping up with the number of stolen objects and their total value is a big-time guessing game.” (Dudar) This is a problem that not only faces us as art owners and collectors, but museums and auction houses as well. Everyone possessing a piece of artwork is at risk of art theft. This artwork doesn’t have to be anything out of the ordinary to be a target. Along with famous paintings, sculptures, and other types of artwork, many insignificant or unrecognized pieces of artwork are being stolen too. “Most thefts appear to be the work of thieves without serious art education. Along with the good stuff, they are apt to sweep up junk – those sappy gift-shop paintings of kids with enormous eyes, for example, which no serious collector would covet.” (Lowenthal) On the other hand some of these thefts are being done by some of the best in the business. “Some thieves have turned out to be professionals who, following fashion, switched from robbing video stores to burgling art. Some are actually specialists in vehicle t...
His work demonstrated the intellectuality of his conceptions. His compositions were monumental. His work encapsulated a high degree of naturalism.
how much he admired him that the painting he did was thought to be the