Anthony Lee, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

The artwork that I had the pleasure of observing is the artwork titled “Virgin and Child with Saint John” there was no artist name for this artwork but it was attributed to Francesco Granacci. This artwork is an Italian art piece in the early 16^th century from 1477-1543 and it is an oil on panel work. This art piece was located in The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.(http://www.huntington.org/)

The lines of the “Virgin and Child with Saint John” is very smooth. The painting has no rough edged lines. The lines on the garment that the virgin is wearing are also curvy conforming to the virgin’s body. The colors are also very rich and vivid. The artist used oil making his colors stand out more, the colors that stand out to me is the red and also the green of the garments that the virgin is wearing. The brilliant color that is on the garments of the virgin signifies that she is the important subject in this painting. The painting is also very spacious showing the open landscape in the background of the virgin. The space is so far that the artist added atmospheric perspective to show how far off into the landscape it was. The lighting seems to come from one light source and it is the baby that is staring at the viewer, with that light source the artist was able to add shadow making the painting more realistic. The motion that the virgin is acting out is the motion to praise the child that has the cross which I believe is praising the baby for following the path towards god. The mood of this art piece is more of a calm humble mood. The reason why the mood is more of a calm and humble mood is because of the way the virgin’s eyes are showing.  The painting made from oil on a panel and is roughly two feet high and roughly one and a half feet wide.

The artist uses the lines to help define the shape of the people in the painting. The lighting also complements the dark shade on the virgin’s garment as well as the tree line in the background. The arrangement of the figures in the painting is following a film rule called the rule of thirds, where the whole scene is divided into three sections and each character in the painting is occupying a third of the space in the painting. The artist also shows depth and proportion in the painting by down scaling all the building behind the Virgin, Child and Saint John making them smaller that the characters that are in front of the buildings.

This painting was made to inform the viewer about the virgin and her child. The patrons help fund and also help the idea of the painting to take shape while the viewer helps shape the view of the artwork. The viewer is only limited by their own interpretation and idea of the artwork. In this art piece the baby is looking right at the audience inviting them into the scene. Anything beyond what the painting offers is all an interpretation of the ideas of the viewer.

This painting focuses more on ideal beauty and what the artists, as well as the viewer, views as ideal beauty rather than a naturalistic depiction. The child who happens to be Christ is stepping on a cushion as well as a white cloth which some people would believe is a sense of separating himself from the earthly realm that the Virgin and Saint John is on. There are some iconographies in painting that represent how holy the characters are. For example the halos that are on top of their head and also the cross that Saint John is holding all represent heavenly spirits. The smoothness of the lines and vivid colors of the paint has inspired me to play more with the idea of color combination as well as trying a new art medium.

(Here's the original pic size so you guys can see the details in the painting)

Ben Chang, Museum of Latin American Art, Esterio Segura

Hi all, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach over the weekend, and was treated to an exhibition of the artist, Esterio Segura (you can check out his work yourself at the MOLAA through February 15).

Esterio Segura is one of the most controversial Cuban artists of his generation.  Born in 1970, Segura both attended and taught at the esteemed Instituto Superior de Arte of Cuba.  Having lived through three decades of political and social turmoil in Cuba, a lot of what he has experienced can be seen in his works.  Even in the ten or so works at MOLAA that I had the opportunity to view; you can see his take on the country and society as a whole; albeit with a dash of humor and satire.  It is his use of pop culture, religious figures, and sacred literature that makes him so controversial but brilliant as well.

Dialogue, 2001

Segura's first work that stood out to me was titled Dialogo / Dialogue.  The piece was described as being composed of Mixed Media on Linen, but with closer observation I was able to make out some of the mediums/composition he used.  Much of the piece seemed to be composed of charcoal (mainly the bodies), as well as acrylic (the bullhorns).  This piece is also a prime example of duplication that Segura employs through a number of his works.

My first thoughts of the work was how odd it looked, but after studying it more; I began to understand some of the social commentary he might have been making.  I think it speaks of people always trying to win the argument, instead of listening to each other.  It may also speak on the topic of politics, and how there is a lot of talking about issues, but not a whole lot of solving the issues.

The End is Never in the Horizon, 2001

This piece titled El final nunca esta en el horizonte / The End is Never in the Horizon is very similar to the previous one, but also employs the use of perspective just like we used in class.  It actually reminds me a lot of the assignment we did in class drawing the power lines.

The work itself speaks to me about progress.  I believe Segura is trying to comment on how society is so concerned with progress that they lose sight of the process.  Notice how the figure's face is pointed and focused on the horizon.  This is none more evident then in the field of engineering and technology.  Just look at how fast computers and phones are being developed.  Many times we don't even get to enjoy the latest and the greatest before it is already outdated.

History Bites Its Tail, 2012 - 2013

The final piece I want to talk about is titled La historia se muerda la cola / History Bites Its Tail.  This piece is a little different than the other in that it is composed of white pencil and acrylic on black paper.

The piece is a little hard to see in my picture, but it portrays Pinocchio being wrapped up in his own nose, sitting on a stack of books.  This is a prime example of Segura's use of satire and pop culture.  This was actually one piece of work in a collection of about six, that used Pinocchio and books.  This one was a little easier for me to discern what Segura was trying to say.  Pinocchio is a notorious liar in literature and movies; and I believe he is being used as a symbol of history.  I think Segura is trying to speak on how books and literature tend to skew history, and that the same mistakes are often repeated in each culture's literature.

It brings to mind a quote by Dan Brown :

History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?”

I'm really glad I had the opportunity to visit MOLAA and experience these awesome pieces of work.  It really makes me think of how we can convey deep ideologies, and challenge multiple social structures with the same tools we used to draw owls, skulls, and vases in class.  I really encourage anyone who has the time to go check it out.

(PS: MOLAA is free on Sundays)