The Plight of Authenticity: Alaska Native Artists and the ‘Other’

This March, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks hosted the Festival of Native Arts as in previous years. Visiting and chatting with the devoted artists as well as the organizers, the dichotomy of artistic expression and the expectations of the consumer base of native arts became obvious to me. Native artists are caught in a triangle of traditional art, consumerism, and the expectation of fulfilling the role of the Other. (The Other, or othering refers to the anthropological concept in which the observer notes the differences between her/ himself from the viewpoint of mainstream culture, leading to objectification, devaluation, and misinterpretation of the observed person/ people. This important concept can be applied in many disciplines. Follow this link to find an example of othering: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/08/25/othering-ebola-and-the-history-and-politics-of-pointing-at-immigrants-as-potential-disease-vectors/.)

What does it mean to produce ‘authentic Alaskan Native art’? How far can the artist commodify the product, a product that the consumer base expects to represent the diverse Alaskan Native cultures? How can an artist accommodate the market, the guidelines established by the the federal government, the local native corporations, and most importantly, their autonomy? How can an artist maintain the uniqueness of her/ his work without becoming a stereotype- the marked ‘Other’?

The ‘Silver Hand’ emblem is the established mark of authenticity, whereas “[a]ny Alaska Native of 1/4 or more Native blood can register for the state-sponsored program. The Silver Hand is not a mark of quality however, and the authenticity it marks is actually ethnicity as defined by blood quantum” (Hollowell-Zimmer).

Here the Silver Hand. However, non-native Alaskan Native can sell their art under this seal, seen below:

If you are interested in the economics and morality behind the scenes, check out the following links:

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/united-states/intellectual-property-protection-alaska-nativ and http://alaskamade.com/

The other issue comes with the restrictive expectations many tourists- the major consumer of Alaskan Native Art- have. Native art, so the expectation (proven by best selling items), has to resemble the often romantic ideas tourists have about natives. Alaska-themed art therefore sells best in gift shops. Below are several examples:

The tribal imagery of the coastal tribes is popular in print and in wood carvings.

Interior tribes are recognized by their excellence in basket weaving.

Dolls in traditional dresses are popular, and so are masks:

However complicated these contemporary issues are for traditional art and their creators, one Alaskan artist serving as a great example of finding the balance between the market, tradition, and self is Wayne G. Price. He is a successful artist, best known for his wood carvings:

The sheer enormity of this project demands attention and the spatial relationship of modernity and tradition offers a successful fusion between the Fourth World Art and modern Alaska. I especially appreciate the dominance this pole has. I can derive aesthetic appreciation for this piece its clarity in design, its symbolism, and its unifying force.  (Questions about Fourth World? Follow this link: http://cwis.org/GML/background/FourthWorld/)

The artistic creativity of Wayne G. Price also includes mask. The above shown mask won the 5th Sealaska Juried Art Competition in Juneau. Here, I appreciate the modern features such as the metal eyebrows alongside traditional Tlingit patterns. Interesting is also the curled hair. The finely worked wood shows Price’s expert wood carving skills. According to the anthropologist Tim Ingold, the differentiation between art and technique is a recent, European development. If we were to accept this division as non-essential, as Ingold suggests, we can arrive at the conclusion that through Price’s skills, we truly have a great piece of art in front of us: aesthetics and the technique as a unified, holistic expression of human artistic expression.

Here is the artist’s explanation of this print: “Healing Spirit is to my Tlingit culture what an angel is to many other cultures. It is something one does not see physically, but we know it exists. It watches over us and will be there in times of hardship or trauma. It helps to know that Spirit is there. Healing Spirit is for all cultures. We are all here now and must get along with one another.”

I like the inclusiveness of this piece.  The colour scheme is intriguing and typical of Tlingit traditional art, more, it holds meaning for yesterday, today, Tlinglit and ‘is for all cultures’. The power and beauty of the symbolism is obvious and it raises my interest into Tlingit cosmology. The patterns repeat in a comforting, yet lively and interesting manner, raising questions of their significance. The agency of this piece is undeniable: I as the observer and consumer want to know more about the piece, the meaning behind it, and the Tlingit culture.

Wayne G. Price tends to his traditional artistic values while at the same time being an active member in the contemporary Alaskan art community. The artist makes the balance act between the demands of today and tradition is well, being part of the Fourth World, seem easy, defining the question of Alaska Native Art for himself,  an example for future native artists.

Sources:

Seay, Laura and Kim Yi Donnie. The long and ugly tradition of treating Africa as a dirty, diseased place. Washington Post: 25th August, 2014.

Hollowell-Zimmer, Julie. Intellectual Property Protection For Alaska Native Arts. Cultural Survival Quarterly: Winter 2000. http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/united-states/intellectual-property-protection-alaska-nativ, accessed April 21, 2015.

Price, Wayne G. Wayne G. Price- Tlingit master carver, designer and artist. n.d. http://silvercloudart.com/home, accessed April 21, 2015.

Griggs, Richard. Background on the Term ‘Fourth World’. University of Capetown: Center of World Indigenous Studies, 1992.  http://cwis.org/GML/background/FourthWorld/, accessed April 21, 2015.

 

Art World and World of Art: The Product as Investment

It is quite stunning to peak into auction catalogues and online galleries to discover that contrary to common belief, living artists can make a very comfortable living of their products. The belief that artists only raise to fame after their death has been replaced by a multi-billion dollar art market, in which the top performer -the artist, the galleries, auction houses, and the investors- rake in millions of dollars.

The sculpture above by Jeff Koons named Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) sold for $5.6 Million. (Artnet, 2014)

Jeff Koons delivers: His Orange Dog made $58.4 Million and him the highest paid living artist at the time. (Artnet, 2014)

But not only sculptures are good money makers. In the same year as Koons’ Michael Jackson sold, another artist’s work astonished the World of Art by its money-generating interests. It sold first at $7.7 Million. A couple of decades later, in 2013, it’s value had increased dramatically. (Artnet, 2014)

Christopher Wool’s Apocalypse Now made now a staggering $26.5 Million. (Artnet, 2014)

The auction house Christie’s had its most lucrative auction in 2012, selling the below depicted pictures for $15,314,500 and $26,402,500, respectively.

Gerhard Richter’s Abstrakte Art, 1991

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1981

At the same auction, the work of Roy Litenstein sold for an unfathomable amount of $28,082,500 (see below).

Another world famous artist and wealthy man, Damian Hirst, has sold a diamond-covered human skull for “close to $100 million” (Riding, 2007). 

Damian Hirst is also the mastermind behind the famous shark in formaldehyde, seen below, called The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991). This sculpture sold for $15,555,000 (Sherwin: 2015).

 Another contender in the category of lucrative art is Zao Wou-Ki (who passed away in 2013). His works averaged a sell price for $,3645,000, making him the fifth most expensive living artist before his death in 2013 (Krutoyarov, 2013).

Lastly, another reliable artist in high stakes auction rooms is Liu Dawei. Here a wonderful painting called Drawing of Training Horses, 2005.

Out of all my chosen pieces, I only would have liked the last two. As art-illiterate, kitsch-loving (see art-critic Greenberg) money-strapped student, it is beyond me how some of the art above does even generate any money, lest setting records in auctions. However, we must keep in mind the workings of the art world and the world of art, in which the economics and the lure of riches influences the artist, but at the same time, investors and auction houses both rig the market in their favor. To judge a painting as great based on its market value- which is in actuality entirely arbitrary and guided by interest groups- is a great mistake. Money and art do not mix well, but at the same time, artists need to survive and seek a comfortable live-style like most of us aspire as well.

 

Sources:

Jovanovic, Rozalia. artnet New’s Top 10 Most Expensive Living American Artists. Art Net Worldwide Cooperation: April 30, 2014. https://news.artnet.com/market/artnet-news-top-10-most-expensive-living-american-artists-11863, accessed April 12, 2015.

Krutoyarov, Ivan. Painting with Russian Soul. Blog: 2013. http://en.ivankrutoyarov.com/2013/02/the-most-expensive-living-artists.html, accessed April 12, 2015.

Riding, Alan. Alas, Poor Art Market: A Mulitmillion-Dollar Head Case. NYTimes: New York, June 13, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/arts/design/13skul.html, accessed April 12, 2015. 

Schonberger, Nick. The Ten Most Expensive Paintings Sold at Christie’s Record-Breaking Contemporary Art Auction. Complex: November 15, 2012. http://www.complex.com/style/2012/11/the-10-most-expensive-sold-at-christies-record-breaking-contemporary-art-auction/, accessed April 12, 2015.

Sherwin, Adam. Hirstonomics: How Damian Hirst became a cash cow again. Independent: April 14, 2015. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/hirstonomics-how-damien-hirst-became-a-cash-cow-again-8874714.html, accessed April 12, 2015.

 

WWI and its Aftermath In the German Reich

The Great War changed the geopolitical and social landscape through mechanized violence unlike any other war before. Germany would be found later having the ‘lone war guilt’ (Treaty of Versailles, Art. 231, 1919), but not before she lost over 2 million of men fighting for ‘King and Fatherland’.

The enthusiasm that befell the participating European nations was based on the assumption that this war was going to end all wars, moreover, that it only would last several months at most. But it was not to be this way. The prolonged material battles and trench warfare were fought over small stretches of land, and many soldiers lost their lives in pointless frontal attacks on well-fortified entrenchments. Military leadership relied on outdated war tactics to fight with modern weaponry, wasting lives and prolonging the war unnecessarily.

By 1918, the German population was unable to endure the ‘total war’ that also appeared more and more pointless and lost. Famine and disease cost many civilian lives, especially that of children, the sick, and the elderly. In North Germany finally, civilian dockworkers alongside of Navy seamen staged a strike which soon turned into a sweeping revolt against the war and the monarch Wilhelm II (Germany was at this point more a military dictatorship).

The picture above is by Kaethe Kollwitz, who as an artist and political actor (Communist), who was focused on the plight of the women and children suffering from the war through blockades, embargoes, and rationing. Death rates soared especially in the years 1916-1917, the infamous Kohlruebenwinter (Turnip-Winter), caused by the British blockade of the North Sea. This particular expressionist picture is from 1923, showing dramatically that even four years after the war’s end, people still suffered greatly from famine, home shortage, and poverty. Kaethe Kollwitz died in 1945, and with that the world lost a compassionate activist and incredible artist. How important her activisms alongside her art was can be recognized by following this link (in German): http://www.dhm.de/lemo/biografie/kaethe-kollwitz 

I find Kaethe Kollwitz works faszinating as she is able to depict the tenderness of life alongside the brutality of it. I like that she focused on children and mothers, as they were forgotten in the political discourse. Her pictures are very depressing to me, but at the same time they evoke the will to protect vulnerable life, to remember why I get up every morning and do it over again. Additionally, her sketches, sculptures, and self-portraits are of a harsh beauty, at times a realistic rendering, at times displaying a softness and tenderness even with stone material or the black/ gray/ white of charcoal pencils. Check out the museum in her name, situated in Berlin: http://www.kaethe-kollwitz.de/museum-en.htm

Experiencing pressure at the front with the Americans entering the war, and with the collapse of collaboration at the home front, the military leadership entered negotiations with the allied forces, and in 1919, Germany signed the above mentioned treaty. The provisions within the treaty were regarded as too harsh by many Germans -especially the military- (one can argue either way), and the economically faltering and politically stumbling German Reich moved into the Roaring Twenties (the name Weimar Republic came in use only by the late 1920s, officially was it the German Reich; the 1920s are called the Golden Twenties).

The Golden Twenties were a time of great upheaval, social instability, and existential fears. However, opportunities and possibilities arose within the new political and social landscape, in which many artists began to critically, sarcastically, and forcefully critique society, social injustice, and the consequences of a brutal war. Similarly, the feminist movement began to unfold despite political and social oppression. Women cut their hair and smoked cigarettes in public, married less, were part of a work force, and had fewer children. The collage above is by Hannah Hoech, who criticized the politics of the Weimar Republic. After much ado about suffrage, many political parties tossed women’s issues to the side to advance their patriarchal agendas (especially the right-winger and monarchists, but even the social democrats ‘forgot’ about women; the communist party as the only party that supported and furthered women rights).  Hoech’s art depicts often women in the new fashion of the 1920’s, criticizing mass culture and consumption. She was the forerunner of the photomontage and continued her exhibitions until her death in 1978. If you want to check out her interesting life, follow  this link: http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/about/press/hannah-hoch/

Finally, artists were not above to earn a living. Apolitical and political artists lent their talents to the new medium of political posters. However, artists working for the NSDAP (Hitler’s National-Socialist German Worker’s Party) are today hard to identify. Below you will find such an example from the year 1920.

The styles of political posters varied greatly and deserve a more in depth analysis from a anthropological point of view focusing on the art deployed in the war for votes.

This poster is exemplary for many campaign (today we call them propaganda) posters. The artist here is also not recorded, however, it was used in a political campaign in 1925 for a communist convention in Leipzig, Germany. Note the minimalist approach of color and dimension. Printing techniques restricted colorful posters, so the artist had to adjust his message to the available means. Grotesque dimensions and viewpoints are utilized for dramatic effect. If you would like to learn more about propaganda posters, their aims, and their effectiveness, then follow this link:http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/prop/propmain.html

 

Impressionism? Yes, please!

Impressionism emerged in the 19th century as a dominating art out of Paris. The above shown picture is by Claude Monet, created in Paris in 1872, the leading artist of his time.  Called Impression, Sunrise, this picture is the genesis of the art movement. This wonderful new way to look at the world was accomplished by the interesting way Monet deployed his colour palette. Go to this link http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/monet.html to change the colouring of the sun and the background to experience the technique that was revolutionary by manipulating the cognitive perception.

Other artists connected to the Impressionist era are Pierre-August Renoir, British-born Alfred Sisley, and Gustave Caillebotte. Beneath is Caillebotte’ ca. 1880 oil painting Cliff at Villers sur Me.

What made the artists of the impressionist era a different kind of animal was the fact that they sought the outsides as their studios. This was not an easy feat, considering the material they had to work within a changing environment. But through this, they were able to get inspired and in touch with their objects, capturing moods, lights, and movements differently than before. If you want to go into depth with this artistic revolution, you can get another perspective through the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam: http://www.hermitage.nl/en/tentoonstellingen/impressionisme_sensatie_en_inspiratie/inleiding.htm. I like Caillebotte ‘s work especially due to its subject matter- impressive cliffs- which harsh beauty comes to life through the liberate brush strokes and different interpretation of the family colour of browns. The pale-blue sky does not hold any expression, we get a hint of a sun maybe, maybe a little sputter of clouds fainting in the light, but together with the bare, brown hills evoke the mystique of a lonely, far-removed place.

The era of Impressionism came to an end by works of Paul Cezanne, whose work  is considered as the bridge to Cubism. Below is Cezanne’s famous rendering of Monte Sainte-Victoire (1895).

If we are comparing Monet’s and Caillebotte’s work to Cezanne, we can recognize the changes from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism. “The Post-Impressionists rejected Impressionism’s concern with the spontaneous and naturalistic rendering of light and colour. Instead they favoured an emphasis on more symbolic content, formal order and structure.”  Whereas Impressionism played with its environment, sought out the spontaneous, and catch the moment, the Post-Impressionists focused on the artificiality and the symbolism in their works. Colour became a medium by itself.

Monet, who started the trend underwent a transformation in his works towards Post-Impressionism himself as his later work of Water Lilies (1919) shows. Impressionism and Post-Impressionisms have not only their temporal duality in common, but they are also both still very popular styles in contemporary art markets, transcending the Western spheres.

This oil on canvas painting  named Wang Meng- Van Gogh (2003)  by Zhang Hongtu is clearly inspired by style and in name by the famous post-impressionist Vincent van Gogh. It features the typical artificiality superimposed onto a natural setting, in which colours are agents in their own right. Most intriguing is the subject matter of an Asian landscape recognizable by the building style. Moreover, the flowing river and its position are reminiscent of Chinese water drawings: A true homage to a great era of art in the 19th century!

 

All In A Day’s Work: Rubens Life as a Catholic, Artist, And Knight

http://www.peterpaulrubens.net/the-rape-of-the-daughters-of-leucippus.jspl

The oil on canvas painting “The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus” (1618) by painter Peter Paul Rubens shows the tense moment in which Phoebe and Hilaeria are being abducted by the male twins Castor and Pollux. The women are consequently raped and each woman gives birth to a boy. Those two boys grow up to become Sparta’s mythological founding fathers. The picture is in Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany since the beginning of the 19th century, where it had been transfered to from Antwerp, Netherlands.

Rubens was an educated Catholic when he entered the painting business. His wealthy patron afforded him to study artworks in Rome. This first of many journeys through Europe had a great impact on the young artist. He studied extensively the works of the Renaissance masters. The influence is undeniable in subject matter. Further, as a devout Catholic, he was ideologically highly influenced by the decisions of the Council of Trent (1545-1563) in which church leaders assigned the arts with the momentous task to bring catholic teachings to the mainly illiterate followers visually closer, propagating the Counter Reformation through visual appeal and emotional engagement. Art was supposed to be a celebratory, vibrant expression of Bible teachings. Humans were to be depicted as lifelike as possible. To view the complete decree of the Council of Trent in English, visit this site: https://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/trentall.html

Rubens took it a step further, especially through his rubenesque women. His women are voluptuous, luscious,  and larger than life in expression. As a rule, his paintings were and are extravagant: body structure was emphasized through definition of muscles and fat. Women were sensual and men burly. Many of his themes show dramatic action such as seen above. The painted action capturing snapshots of popular Greek mythology fascinated a growing of admirers. To read more about Rubens classical education and rubenesque women, click on this link: http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195397703/student/materials/myth_art/

He became a sought after artist. In the name of art, Rubens travelled Europe extensively, connecting catholic countries through art exchange and study. As a highly skilled diplomat, he was knighted by Spain and England. Financially, he was also very successful, not only through commissioned work, but also through business with noble men and the well-to-do emerging merchant class eager to obtain his work. To learn more about his career, his life, and a complete list of his works, go to this link: http://www.peterpaulrubens.org/biography.html

It was the dramatic title –The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus- that drew me into investigating Rubens’ work. The picture was breathtaking to me, especially in context with the ominous title. The drama and action in this almost four-hundred year old masterpiece is emotionally tangible to me even through the Internet and the small display of my laptop (the original painting is 88×82 inches). I also was finally able to understand a sketch by Loriot (a German comic) in which the painting is used during a marriage counseling session. Unfortunately, it is only in German, but some of you might be able to brush up on your foreign language skills and appreciate it.

In comparison to my previous blog’s objective, The Birth of Venus, I again have chosen a piece of painted art that has a feminine eye catcher in the centre of the object. My previous discussions of mannerism in regards to The Birth of Venus are irrelevant to this Baroque art piece, however, the Greek connection is very obvious by depicting an important part of classical Greek mythology. Neoplatonism applies here in the sense as it couples the artist’s prestige and choice of work (Greek mythology) with his deep connection to the catholic church. The sum of Rubens’ work evokes ancient authority for the catholic church, thus furthering the cause of Counter Reformation the Council of Trent sought. Similar is also the passiveness of the females: Venus stands in the centre of the picture (the shell representing a vagina) without any indication of motion or action. The two females Phoebe and Hilaeria are passive as well: the men are the actors in the picture. The women are acted upon. They are merely a means to the story line, vessels for the future Spartan kings. Differences in style are quite obvious: gone is the two-dimensionality, the distorted human figures, and ancient Greek inspired flatness. Rubens’ individuals are of flesh and blood: sensual, alive, emotion-laden, and as a minimum, surrounded by action. I believe Rubens’ work embodied the art the catholic church was so desperately seeking. Hopefully, with the Peace of Westphalia (1648), many protestant-raised artists had access to Rubens’ art as he himself recognized art as a diplomatic tool.

Sources:

Hanover History Department. The Council of Trent. 1995.  https://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/trentall.html, accessed on February 23, 2015.

University of Oxford Press. Classical Mythology, 9th Ed. n.d. http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195397703/student/materials/myth_art/, accessed on February 23, 2015.

http://www.peterpaulrubens.org. Peter Paul Rubens Biography. 2002. http://www.peterpaulrubens.org/biography.html, accessed on February 23, 2015.

Medici Might and Botticelli Art- An Alliance of Power

 The Birth of Venus  (1486) by Sandro Botticelli  depicts quiet literary the birth of an adult Venus. The painting is on canvas. Standing in the middle of the painting on an open shell, she is surrounded on her left by the ocean side by a male god hovering in air holding a female, while on the right hand side a landmass with trees emerges in which foreground another female figure is holding a flag. All three figures surrounding the beauty are facing her. “The theme comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a very important oeuvre of the Latin literature.” http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/the-birth-of-venus-by-sandro-botticelli/

Botticelli was commissioned by Lorenzo de’ Medici and it most certainly held political, social, and cultural implications. The Medici reinforced their power positions not only through great political influence but also through religious power positions by posting no less than four times the link between humanity and the divine through the position of the pope. Naturally, with the Medici’s seat of power in Florence, the painting was commissioned there, where it can be admired today at the Uffizi Museum. Fortunately, the Internet offers the opportunity to visit via cyberspace. Check out this link: http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/the-birth-of-venus-by-sandro-botticelli/

The techniques employed within the painting are classical points to the style of mannerism, in which the proportions of the depicted persons are unnatural, such in this case with Venus’ elongated neck and her impossible stands. Although mannerism was a favourite expression fifty to sixty years later, we can clearly recognize the distorted human figure. Botticelli was in his artistic expression a trail blazer and ahead of his time.

More importantly, the painting is a great example of neoplatonism, whereas the art shows a revival of the classic art of the great Greek and Roman cultures (although it can be argued that the Romans themselves copied the Greek style). The word renaissance means rebirth (by which the rebirth of the great culture of the ancient classics is referred to) and it is very obviously within the stylized depiction by way of  two-dimensionality; the missing shadows of the figures underscore the connection to those two classical European cultures by further emphasizing the flatness of the picture. Neoplatonism relies heavily on Plato, the Greek philosopher, as the name implies. Follow this link to read the whole definition: http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/neoplat-body.html

The iconography is twofold: For one, the main character embodies the actual mythological Venus, and secondly, within the Christian belief system at the time, the figure also represents Eve, the first human female. Therefore, she represents divine love. “And it is evident that the painter has used all of his considerable artistic skill to create a timeless masterpiece – in this image, Venus, the Classical goddess of love and beauty, is brought vividly to life.” http://www.loggia.com/art/renaissance/botticelli02.html

Although Venus is clearly gendered as a female with long flowing hair and feminine features in her face, and most obvious by her breasts, she remains asexual and non-arousing as the female covers her vagina with her hand holding the long hair. For more information on iconography- the alignment of historical elements into a contemporary setting (here, the 15th century)- go to this link: http://writingaboutart.org/pages/iconographicanalysis.html

The Birth of the Venus presents us even today the power of the Medici family. Not only could only the extremely rich afford to commission a painting let alone a master like Botticelli, but the (paid) association of the Medici family with Greek culture implies a lasting bond and legal claim to influence, power, wealth, art, and education. While the family may have impressed some carefully selected visitor with this masterpiece, they equally never failed to impose their towering demand of authority by shaping public spaces, especially Florence, Italy, through commissioned buildings and impressive façades of which many attract tourists from all corners of the world in the 21st century. The Venus is an example of the Medici’s great, seemingly unstoppable, power; moreover, Botticelli put all his talents to work to create a painting for the ages.

Bibliography:

Uffizi. Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli,  2014. http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/the-birth-of-venus-by-sandro-botticelli/. Accessed on February 12, 2015.

PBS. Glossary Definition: Neoplatonism, n.d. http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/neoplat-body.html. Accessed on February 12, 2015.

Loggia. Exploring the Arts and Humanities! Birth of Venus, n.d. http://www.loggia.com/art/renaissance/botticelli02.html. Accessed on February 12, 2015.

Munsterberg, Marjorie. Writing about Art: Iconographic Analysis, n.d. http://writingaboutart.org/pages/iconographicanalysis.html. Accessed on February 12, 2015.

 

 

 

Beethoven Moonlight Sonata

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tr0otuiQuU

Hello World!

I am a mother and student among other things. Truthfully, I am dreading to make myself so available on the internet for all to see…

Although I come from a long line of artists -painters-, my talents are void of any ‘artsy’ inclination, officially that is. I don’t like to put anything out there into the world for everybody else to experience (and to judge). I rather choose my audience- my family. Obviously, I am very apprehensive when it comes to performing arts, exhibitions, public displays, etc. The only thing I am confident of showing to a broad audience are my writings in regards of history.

I taught myself to play the guitar, which I play best for myself or in the dark of night at a camp fire. As a kid I was in a theatre group, but we only practiced and never actually did the play in front of an audience.

My mother is trained in classical music (violin, viola, cello), therefore I have been exposed to Bach a lot. My favourite composer is Beethoven- hands down! I also have a favourite painter: Carl Larsson. Museums are a secret passion of mine, concerts, art galleries, and author readings not so much. The last exhibition I saw was ‘Origins’ in Wasilla (2010/2011?) and I liked it. The combination of palaeontology, biology, and religion was pretty risky but successful, I would say.

Looking forward working with you!