Otto Dix - Portrait of Dr. Heinrich Stadelmann
During my trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario, I found there to be one painting that surely stood out and made an unique impression on me, it was certainly a painting unlike the rest of the in the gallery. When my eyes met those of the portrait of Dr. Heinrich by Otto Dix, I was deeply intrigued and found myself to be drawn to the piece and inspecting it the longest out of the all the options of paintings that I saw at the AGO.
Dix was a painter and printmaker who created the portrait “Dr. Heinrich Stadelmann” in 1922. On the plaque next to the painting it explained how Dix painted this piece during the time just post World War I. It was one of the pivotal times in history that caused the “roaring twenties”. It was simultaneously a time of joyful and unrestrained celebration, but was also marked by violence, poverty and corruption generated by the disastrous political and economic situation, this is is very apparent in this painting. Otto Dix must have been motivated by this uglier side of the situation at the time and tackled this piece in a gritty and unapologetic manner.
Dix’s chose to use oil paints on canvas when approaching this piece, which allowed him to explore a variety of techniques particularly apparent in the expression, style, color pallet, contrast and textures manipulated throughout the painting of Dr. Heinrich Stadelman. In the portrait Dix depicts a rather miserable looking old man. Dix paints Dr. Heinrich Stadelman’s body language and facial expression in an interestingly distinct manner. He greatly manipulates the painting in many ways in order to get it to come across so captivatingly.
In the portrait, The emotions Dr. Heinrich Stadelmann face could be read ...
... middle of paper ...
...g that time period were nothing like it, making a painting like this was extremely out of the ordinary. It surprises me that many decades after it was created it still draws people in with intensity and curiosity as it probably did when people saw the piece in 1922. It intrigues me how the untraditional essence to the work has stayed so timeless, that it was the reason why it stood out to me among the many others I saw in the gallery. This painting for sure displays many unique and captivating techniques in numerous ways for numerous reasons including the expression, color pallet and textures. Realizing this, I feel that Otto Dix definitely nailed this piece, this portrait of Dr. Heinrich Stadelmann along with his other non traditional works must have a very eye opening at the time made, which doubtlessly makes him one of the highly inspiring artist of his time.
This painting is set within what seems to be the nineteenth century. One can infer this information based on the clothing, furniture, and architectural styles prevalent in the picture. The main figure that is central in the piece, the older man, fits the role of what appears to be a teaching position, where the boys that surround him are his students. The scene displayed here is one of an examination day. Each boy must t...
Subject: Our docent, Mary, shared with us that this artist loved to paint the human body and was well known for his painting of the human body and skin. This piece certainly highlights those skills. The colors of the hair and skin are incredibly life like.
The painting caught my attention due to the message I received when I first laid eyes upon it. It illustrates a wise old man teaching an eager to learn young boy. I have been fortunate enough to have my very own replica of this painting in my bedroom and I have spent countless hours
According to Shearer West, a portrait is “a work of art that represents a unique individual”. West elaborates on the implications of this definition of a portrait, introducing the dilemma of the painter, who may strive to illustrate either or both the ideal figure, or a likeness of the sitter. Jean Germain Drouais’ resolution to such a dilemma can be observed in the painting, Madame de Pompadour at her Tambour Frame, as he struggles to portray both the femininity of the ideal woman in the 1760s, while conveying the more present, aged and unique characteristics of the lady that captured King Louis XV’s heart.
... study for the overall concept they appear rather as abstract patterns. The shadows of the figures were very carefully modeled. The light- dark contrasts of the shadows make them seem actually real. The spatial quality is only established through the relations between the sizes of the objects. The painting is not based on a geometrical, box like space. The perspective centre is on the right, despite the fact that the composition is laid in rows parallel to the picture frame. At the same time a paradoxical foreshortening from right to left is evident. The girl fishing with the orange dress and her mother are on the same level, that is, actually at equal distance. In its spatial contruction, the painting is also a successful construction, the groups of people sitting in the shade, and who should really be seen from above, are all shown directly from the side. The ideal eye level would actually be on different horizontal lines; first at head height of the standing figures, then of those seated. Seurats methods of combing observations which he collected over two years, corresponds, in its self invented techniques, to a modern lifelike painting rather than an academic history painting.
images in this painting, all of which have the power to symbolize to us, the viewer, of the painter’s
This painting, measuring about six-by-seven feet, is a massive work that draws viewers directly to it once they enter the room in which its displayed. It is not covered by any glass and is in a very well-lit area, thus it allows viewers to stand as close as possible to see the details of how Peter Paul Rubens handled his medium. Looking at the painting from a photograph is much different than viewing it up close and in person, because when looking at a photograph, one cannot see the texture of the paint that gives the painting its very delicate, unique, and realistic quality. The work appears to be in very good condition because most of the colors are still very rich and vibrant, such as Adonis’ red garment (Rubens). Although one cannot tell when directly viewing the piece, it has been said that previous use of radiographs for further analysis on the painting uncovered that initially, “Rubens gave A...
...individual human being, worthy of our own unique individual response” (Weschler, p. 21). As we look at these paintings it is easy for us to connect to the subject matter, they all pertain to ethics. The contemplation of life and death, picking the right path for our highest and best good, forgiveness and taking pride in what you are doing. Each day we are faced with moral dilemmas and for the most part people choose to be good and do the best they can. These four paintings allow us to see the intersubjectivity in others as well as in ourselves.
9. Bouguereau, William A. Psyche et L'Amour. 1889. Private Collection. Art In the Picture. 2014. 25 Jan. 2014 .
In an empty room at the Timken Museum of Art hangs one of the most iconic paintings of Johannes Vermeer, the astonishing painting, Woman in Blue Reading a Letter. In the painting a pale woman’s stands patiently while reading a letter. The woman appears to be wearing a blue jacket and a long gray skirt, and only gazing at the letter, ignoring all of her surroundings. The top right of the painting seems to be a map of the Netherlands, which attracts the viewer because it explains the setting of where the painting took place. The blue jacket around the woman’s torso appears to exaggerate the woman’s stomach, giving the impression that she might be pregnant. The blue chairs resemble a sign of absence as if she lives alone. The light on the top left shines on her face which enhances the viewer’s view of the woman’s facial expression. Johannes Vermeer’s interpretation of complex colors, the light, and her body language inflicts a persuasion on the viewer that the women is traumatized by the news in the letter.
The composition of the painting takes place with the square of the canvas. The square is approximately 5' x 5'. A black frame surrounding the painting protrudes approximately 4" off the canvas. There is a 1" inlay between the canvas and frame. From this square, Reinhardt breaks the composition into six equal squares in three even rows. Texture is no where to be found in the painting. No visual indication of the artist's brush stroke is present. No varnished glare is given off by the piece. The entire work, including the frame, is completely matte. The squares take up the entire canvas in a checkerboard type arrangement. Each square is a slightly different shade of blue-black. It almost becomes impossible to see the difference between each square. The middle squares in the top and bottom rows shift more towards blue than the rest of the squares. The division of these middle squares become more obvious than the others. When the painting is looked at from a distance, it is almost impossible to see any of the squares at all. When looking from a far, all a viewer can see is a blackish blue canvas. As you stare longer into the painting, a halo begins to form around the corners of the canvas, creating a circle inside the square. Once you look away from the canvas, the circle is gone. With this observation in mind, we could say that the painting most definitely relies on the viewer. A viewer is required to look at the piece for its full affect. We could say that the squares in the painting are self-contained.
This painting by Vincent Van Gogh is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, in the Impressionism exhibit. There are many things going on in this painting that catch the viewer’s eye. The first is the piece’s vibrant colors, light blues and browns, bright greens, and more. The brush strokes that are very visible and can easily be identified as very thick some might even say bold. The furniture, the objects, and the setting are easy to identify and are proportioned to each other. There is so much to see in this piece to attempt to explain in only a few simple sentences.
One pleasant afternoon, my classmates and I decided to visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to begin on our museum assignment in world literature class. According to Houston Museum of Fine Art’s staff, MFAH considers as one of the largest museums in the nation and it contains many variety forms of art with more than several thousand years of unique history. Also, I have never been in a museum in a very long time especially as big as MFAH, and my experience about the museum was unique and pleasant. Although I have observed many great types and forms of art in the museum, there were few that interested me the most.
The painting was done by artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. This was one of the best paint I came a cross in the museum as it helps to understand the Art work in painting. When we look the elements and principle of arts, are well presented in the painting. The first element we see is the Perspective; this the way in which artists create something that deceives the eye or mind on a horizontal level and relatively smooth. For decades, painters have tried to represent the real scene that existed in three dimensions on canvas. In addition, to create this perspective is to make the objects that are far away smaller than those that are closer to the viewer. The other way painter use to give depth to the painting is the sailor on the left who is digging his oar into mass of floating ice. Moreover, the soldiers in the distance appear to be smaller than the ones in the forefront boat that help the viewer to understand that the boat is nearer. The standing sailors in the middle of the boat are surrounded by light. This result keeps our attention of interest on the main aspects of the historic event: that founding father George Washington would become the first president and this event would culminate in the country's separation from the colonist represented by the American flag. Dark colors can often convey a sense of mystery or foreboding Light colors; and Intensity describes the purity or strength of a color. Undiluted bright colors are often associated with positive energy and heightened emotions.
The contrasts between depth and surface, figure and landscape, promiscuity and modesty, beauty and vulgarity all present themselves in de Kooning’s Woman and Bicycle. Although the figure is a seemingly normal woman out for an afternoon with her bike, she becomes so much more through the artist’s use of color, contrast, and composition. The exotic nature of woman presents itself in her direct stare and slick buxom breasts in spite of a nearly indiscernible figure. It is understood that, on the whole, de Kooning did not paint with a purpose in mind, but rather as an opportunity to create an experience, however, that does not go to say that there isn’t some meaning that can come of this work. Even Willem de Kooning once said that art is not everything that is in it, but what you can take out of it (Hess p.144).