Paul Gauguin, a representative of the French Post-Impressionist artists, tried to commit suicide in December of 1897 during his second stay in Tahiti. At that time, he did not have enough money to buy medicines for himself. Miserably, he was abandoned by the people who owed him money, so his mental and physical condition became poor. Moreover, in April of 1897, Gauguin got news from his wife, Mette. In a letter to him, she wrote that his daughter, Aline, who was only twenty at the time, died due to pneumonia. Gauguin became absolutely depressed at this news, and he seriously thought about killing himself. Before leaving this world, he wished and attempted to paint his last great testamentary masterpiece, D'où Venons Nous / Que Sommes Nous / Où Allons Nous (Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?) (see fig. 1), which is one of his most famous artworks. He wrote in his suicide letter, “I wanted before dying to paint a large picture which I had in mind, and for the whole month I worked at in day and night in an incredible fever”(Goldwater, 1983). The work is approximately five feet high (150 cm) and over twelve feet long (350 cm). Gauguin put all of his strength, energy and passion into his largest single artwork. This most ambitious masterpiece by Paul Gauguin, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? contains his meaningful ideas, early works, unique techniques, and passionate thoughts.
Paul Gauguin, who attempted to commit suicide after completing the drawing of his masterpiece, included various meanings in this work. The painting, which is widely recognized as one of the best artworks in his collection of paintings, depicts the appearances and lives of local people living in Tahiti. Gauguin believe...
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...us artworks. In addition, Gauguin had never created a similar or better artwork in his life. He looked at the work very carefully and admit this. Gauguin studied it more, and he realized more about its enormous mathematical faults which he had never corrected. He believed that the painting would remain as it is as a sketch.
In conclusion, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? is Paul Gauguin’s most powerful, ambitious, and passionate masterpiece which depicts by his meaningful ideas, earlier works, unique techniques, and passionate thoughts. The torture he experienced in order to live in the world, and his clinical depression, became a motivation in his creating the wonderful artwork. Even though Gauguin failed to kill himself and survived at that time, the work became his posthumous work and most well-known and excellent masterpiece in his life.
Contextual Theory: This painting depicts a portrait of life during the late 1800’s. The women’s clothing and hair style represent that era. Gorgeous landscape and a leisurely moment are captured by the artist in this work of
The ,Adoption of the Human Race, induce an intense feeling of sadness ,despair and possibly a glimmer of optimism. The pain of a nation radiates from the painting but the belief that a supreme spirit continues to keep his nation safe from the perils of the world. The great spirit chief desperately tries to keep his great nation from suffering ,but the people are becoming disconnected. The disconnection can be interred because the chief fingers aren't interlaced .
In the Enseigne, art is also shown to serve a function that it has always fulfilled in every society founded on class differences. As a luxury commodity it is an index of social status. It marks the distinction between those who have the leisure and wealth to know about art and posses it, and those who do not. In Gersaint’s signboard, art is presented in a context where its social function is openly and self-consciously declared. In summary, Watteau reveals art to be a product of society, nevertheless he refashions past artistic traditions. Other than other contemporary painters however, his relationship to the past is not presented as a revolt, but rather like the appreciative, attentive commentary of a conversational partner.
The Interpretation/Meaning (III) will be written without any guideline points, the aim of this part will be to determine what the painter wanted to express with his piece of work and what it tells us in a symbolic or not instantly clear way. This part will also handle why the artist drew the painting the way he did it and why he chose various techniques or tools.
The ‘unintelligible’ works of artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Arnold Schoenberg or Paul Celan have prompted him to wonder how can such art “exert a claim upon us as powerful and as authorative as that of the classical or traditional works” In The Relevance of the Beautiful he says that the arrival of enigmatic art forms, such as abstract and conceptual art, atonal music and hermetic poetry has been a “genuine revolution.” The insisting presence of such works of art has inspired him to ask “how it comes about that the work addresses us.” Gadamer’s hermeneutic is concerned primarily with what it means to understand something whether it is another human being, an artwork or a natural phenomenon. Whereas the unintelligibility of so much of modern art has challenged the validity of the all encompassing hermeneutic understanding he has envisioned, the hold these art forms exerted on viewers have convinced him that they are indeed a communicative event of sorts. Moreover, their unintelligibility does not negate his notion that works of art are indeed a hermeneutic phenomenon. In a genuine, attentive, encounter with art, he suggests, something happens to the perceiver. The object of art addresses the world in its absolute ‘otherness’. It is an authentic event despite being
images in this painting, all of which have the power to symbolize to us, the viewer, of the painter’s
Although the painting itself displays many impressive artistic styles, it is also important to consider the artwork’s historical context. The Raft of the Medusa depicts the aftermath of the shipwreck of the French naval frigate Médusa, which crashed off the African coast. The desperate passengers then built a makeshift raft from the pieces of the destroyed ship, which is the moment depicted in Géricault’s painting. Particularly, The Raft of the Medusa was a contemporary piece that commented on the practice of slavery and the incompetence of the new French government in the early 19th century. Géricault, an abolitionist, sought ways to end the slave trade in the colonies. The anti-slavery cause was well known at the time and was highly promoted by the abolitionists throughout France. Thus, due to Géricault’s repugnance towards slavery, it is only fitting ...
It appears to me that pictures have been over-valued; held up by a blind admiration as ideal things, and almost as standards by which nature is to be judged rather than the reverse; and this false estimate has been sanctioned by the extravagant epithets that have been applied to painters, and "the divine," "the inspired," and so forth. Yet in reality, what are the most sublime productions of the pencil but selections of some of the forms of nature, and copies of a few of her evanescent effects, and this is the result, not of inspiration, but of long and patient study, under the instruction of much good sense…
...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.
When first approaching this work, one feels immediately attracted to its sense of wonder and awe. The bright colors used in the sun draws a viewer in, but the astonishment, fascination, and emotion depicted in the expression on the young woman keeps them intrigued in the painting. It reaches out to those who have worked hard in their life and who look forward to a better future. Even a small event such as a song of a lark gives them hope that there will be a better tomorrow, a thought that can be seen though the countenance by this girl. Although just a collection of oils on a canvas, she is someone who reaches out to people and inspires them to appreciate the small things that, even if only for a short moment, can make the road ahead seem brighter.
There are many techniques in the Criminal Justice field that are used to solve cases. DNA testing is one of the best ways to solve cases. Each individual has there own unique DNA profile. Also, in this case DNA testing proved that an innocent person did not do the crimes. Furthermore, I feel that Colin Pitchfork deserves life in prison without a chance of parole.
While Vincent van Gogh is known as one of the most famous Dutch painters, next to greats such as Rembrandt, his life was filled with poverty and as well as struggle with mental illness. Many of those who have heard of Vincent van Gogh aptly remember him as the impressionist painter who cut off his own ear. This essay will cover the artist’s childhood, artistic career, and death and will serve as a comprehensive review of Van Gogh’s life.
I found Where Do We Come From? to be an inspiring piece of art. As I learned more and more about the artist and the individual painting, it began to make more sense. It is a beautifully orchestrated piece, which delves into questions that people are faced with in everyday life. Questions concerning birth, death, and life after death, are confronted, and Gauguin shows his feelings by expressing it in his art. It is a passionate expression of his deepest inner emotions and beliefs.
...ere was a very particular exposition of some of his work, called Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks. It consisted in pages of regular notebooks, but with observations, sketches, ideas and poetry fragments, either from popular culture or from world history and races. These pieces were very unique and the sketches had a special touch that I had never seen before in any other artwork. Basquiat’s work was very simple, but with strong ideas and a clear message. That was the beauty of his work.
Painting in the 19th century, still highly influenced by the spirit of Romanticism, proved to be a far more sensitive medium for the kind of personal expression one should expect from the romantic subjectivity of the time. At the very beginning of the “modern period” stands the imposing figure of Francisco Goya (1746-1828), the great independent painter from Spain. With much indebtedness to Velazquez, Rembrandt and the wonders of the natural world, Goya occupies the status of an artistic giant. His artistic range goes from the late Venetian Baroque through the brilliant impressionistic realism of his own to a late expressionism in which dark and powerful distor...