Week 13 - Museum Trip

LACMA.  I, being a snotty New Yorker who was raised on Museum mile, have only been there once for their spectacular Dalì exhibit.  I grew up going to the Met, which in my opinion was the undeniably most spectacular museum in the world. LACMA sounded so small in comparison to the cavernous halls and elegant chambers of the Met. However, after visiting the LACMA, I truly fell in love with the space. It is so elegant and intelligently designed. The rooms are smaller, and more intimate, so you feel on the same level as the art work. Also, being able to get so very close to the art-work, such as with Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels, was really inspiring; it was possible to reach out and touch it, if I had been willing to breach every silent trust I had with the museum.  It was also so well laid out, and gave context for each work by putting them in the same space as many of the same period and design elements. I look forward to going back and exploring more, but it made me very excited to live so close to such an elegant and well thought out museum. 

Week 13: Kunal: Paper 2 Assignment: Museum Trip

Hey guys,

I was just wondering which museum you guys visited and whether you liked it? I'm heading for the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena today

Week 13, Nicole Martin, The Garden of Earthly Delights

The Garden of Earthly Delights, by Bosch, serves as a warning to human kind.  The painting is in the form of a triptych, and if read from left to right, it warns humans of their own self-destruction.  The panel farthest to the left depicts God introducing Adam and Eve to each other.  The scene in this panel appears to be calm and pleasant, and could be interpreted as being the Garden of Eden.  Life is harmonious as the interactions between all of God's creations remains in order.  The serenity of the first panel disappears completely from the middle panel.  Humans have given into the deadly sins of lust and gluttony.  Indulgence is present not only in the over sized fruits that are being devoured, but also in the promiscuous acts that humans have begun to partake  in.  Life seems to have become completely unbalanced, as represented through the bizarre proportions of the birds of the middle-left side of the panel.  The consequences of such frivolity are shown in the panel on the right.  This panel could be interpreted as Bosch's portrayal of hell.  The dark sky, black water, and the sharp knives scattered around the panel make this scene look ominous.  Strange and imaginary creatures, such as the one sitting on the gold chair in the foreground of the painting, seem to be ruling Hell and are punishing the humans for the sins they committed on Earth.  

Week 13; Kunal.; The Garden of Earthly Delights

In my opinion, Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights is a chronological representation of what the Netherlandish master believed the fate of the world could be based on the times he was living in.

The entire piece definitely has biblical connotations, demonstrated almost immediately by the closed triptych. The outer panels depict a transparent globe being formed from darkness, with the outlines of natural features materializing out of the gloom. Aside from setting the tone of the entire piece (a religious one), the closed panels reinforces the idea that the painting is a biblical narrative. The creation of the world is chronologically the first major event in Christian mythology, and Bosch made it clear that the theme of his work will be a biblical one.

Once opened, the panels show, from left to right, Adam and Eve with God in the Garden of Eden, humanity engaging in acts of hedonism, and the suffering of the damned in Hell.

Without describing every feature in detail, the general theme of the triptych seems to depict the fate of humanity right from Adam and Eve's original sin. They are shown here being joined in union by God as animals frolic in the Garden of Eden. This frolicking gives way to a chaotic scene of excess and lust, with animals in a state of frenzy and a large number of people engaging in what seems to be a mass orgy. The sinners are given their final punishment when they are damned to suffer in hell for the rest of eternity.

Perhaps Bosch intented his painting to be a depiction of what could befall humanity if they continued to engage in the hedonism he observed during his time.

Week 13; Monica S.; The Garden of Earthly Delights

At this point in this class I find myself listening more to what others are discussing than speaking myself and I have a reason for this. I'm not Christian or of any other religious belief and that fact makes interpreting art from the Italian Renaissance almost alien and nondescript. Over my lifetime I think I've read about ten pages from the Bible and I have never been to a mass. My whole perception of Christianity almost does not exist except for what I've learned in this class. I have almost no knowledge of Christian beliefs or what the Bible says or the history of Earth in religious context. Therefore, my analysis of Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights is going to be short and probably far-fetched.

However, I think that the composition is like this: The left panel is of the garden of Eden before Adam and Eve mess everything up according to the Bible (I'm not sure how it all goes though), the center panel is still of the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve start having all the children and they are having a good time taking advantage of everything the garden provides, and I think the right panel is a social commentary on the contemporary world and all of the destruction humanity has created. I wish I had more knowledge of religion so that I could take a closer look at this piece and actually know what was going on. However, I think this is a really intense painting and I will definitely look into what other analyses say to gain some more knowledge.

Week 13: Sarkis- Garden of Earthly Delights

There is one particular problem when examining Bosch's works: We don't know very much about his life and his ideas. This is one of the reasons why there is so much controversy over this triptych. The painting itself is of a biblical story, the story of Adam and Eve, and as many historians have proposed, it is a warning against the temtaptions of mankind. The left panel is of Adam and Eve, the center panel is basically the temptaion of man, and the right panel is of course the last judgment of God. At first glance, one can see that Bosch's work clearly had to have been inspiration to Salvador Dali, as it is very similar in style. If we are to take this approach at analysis of the work, we must consider all possiblities, and maybe none. It is possible that this is indeed a warning, but knowinhow artists work, I am personally not convinced of that. In my opinion, it is a celebration of earthly delights, not a denouncment. Not only is it a celebration, it is an exploration; a look into the phsycological acts of mankind. The last panel of jugdment is the ever continuing moral problems man faces with the belief of God. I think this last panel not only is a psychological problem of man, but possibly something that the artist was forced to display. In the time this was painted, ab outward celebration of the so-called earthly "sins" would not have been accepted, and so this last panel could have been an attempt by the artist to disguise his true meanings. This has been done throughout history in all realms of art. The truth is, there is no real understanding of this piece, and everything said, even things by "experts" are all speculation. We can never know the inner workings of an artists mind, becuase sometimes the artists themselves have no idea what they are painting.

Hardly, A Garden of Earthly Delights

Hardly, A Garden of Earthly Delights
I attempted to read the painting the way I believe Hieronymus Bosch intended and to decipher the correct order to view it. The first part of the painting to be examined is the outside cover. The image is on the outside of the two wings which cover and protect the inside triptych painting. These outside panels depict the third day of earth’s creation through a strange floating orb of planet earth. The palette is grey blues and is strangely otherworldly. It is a signal to the viewer to expect more weirdness once the panels are opened.
Inside there is a triptych painting that reveals a part of an overall narrative of God's creation of earth and the dire consequences of man’s behavior. It is an obvious reference to the Old Testament, book of Genesis. Because this is a western artist, it is natural to believe that the piece is to be read from left to right, the same way westerners read.
On the interior, the viewer should begin on the left hand panel. A passive scene backs up my claim as God is seen presenting Eve to Adam. The humans are in the physical image of God. “And God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them: male and female. He created them” Genesis 1:27. This is Adam and Eve’s first introduction so this is before their consumption of the fruit of knowledge or their temptation, however you believe. The Bible says God commanded Adam and Eve to be “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” Genesis 1:28. From this tranquil and pastoral setting the eye moves to the center panel, a garden of earthly delights.
For this artist, I believe an alternate word for delight, could be indulgences. This panel is supposed to be read from bottom to top. I came to this conclusion by the artist’s transition of the human figures. At the bottom, they are being tempted with small fruit by dark human figures or demons. As the viewer’s eyes move up the frame the human figures become intoxicated and consumed by the extravagant fruits. Here, the fruits are now larger, maybe signifying the humans’ growing desire for them. Towards the top of the frame, the figures are using animals for their pleasure and then the human figures take on animal characteristics. This signifies the end of the transition from prudent innocence to complete focus on indulgence and decadence. Temptation and sin have consumed the world and its inhabitants.
On to the right panel, one sees Bosch’s depiction of his grim conclusion, the consequences of man’s behavior. “Hell” is a place hideous and surreal where all humans are tortured. This artist apparently believes that God is capable of inflicting horrible punishment and that there are dire consequences for those who do not behave as he wishes. It is a warning to those that disobey and don’t believe in God’s will. They will be judged and punished for their sins.
No viewer of this painting would want to end up in Bosch’s version of Hell.

Week 13: Jennifer L.: Garden

The garden of earthly delights is such an awesome painting! it's one of the first that is so mystical in nature. There are SO many weird things going on-even by todays standards. It reminds me a lot of a Dali painting. One of the most striking images for me is the bird thing consuming a human. I think this part of the painting is meant to represent hell, as it looks like people in the background are being tortured. The bird is eating a human and sitting on a thrown. People are being tormented by strange creatures not known to this earth. This mystic view of heaven/hell is so new and strange but REALLY amazing. The center piece of the tryptic i think shows humans engaging in sexual behaviors, even with animals. It's hard for me to just say "this painting is a warning to humans about sinful temptations" because the colors, content and figures are so beautifully depicted. Maybe it is showing how wonderful and beautiful our earth is--but we still fall under the spell of sin, all the way back to Eden. We are blessed with a magnificent earth, but still can't appreciate what God had given, the ongoing fight between good/evil on this earth. When closed, the panel shows an unfinished earth. I think this painting has a lot to do with a paradise lost--the creation of the new world on the front, and the outcome once the piece is opened. I just love this painting, I think it is extreme and monumental and introduces a new, mystic way of painting.

Week 13 - Julie Zhu on The Garden of Earthly Delights

After my first glance of the triptych during discussion session on Monday, my impression of this piece was a painting of numerous weird and unearthly creatures put together on a huge canvas. Later, after careful observations, I realized it was actually a very interesting and meaningful depiction of the human beings with complex symbolism. In the first panel, it shows a biblical scene where Eve was presented to Adam by God. The setting looks very primitive and shows no human activities except the three characters in the foreground. This represents the beginning of mankind. The center panel presents a scene of busy human activities in a setting that resembles a massive garden (which is probably the reason for the name of the piece). In this scene, human beings are overruling the animals. Details of the people also show that they're happily engaged in their activities. Many of them are in couples while others are in groups. The right panel has a very different tone compared to the other two as the sky is dark. In this scene, animals are overpowering the humans. Faces of people display agony while they're being attacked and killed. 

The entire triptych shows a very interesting depiction of the progress of the human civilization, from the beginning to the end. In the entire painting, only God in the left panel and a man in the bottom right corner of the right panel was depicted with clothes on. This could mean that only God is respectable and civilized. (of course I don't know about the other guy in the right panel but I suppose he's some saint?) All other human figures are naked. Many of which in the center panel display some sort of sexual interest. The idea that I got from this piece of work is that human beings are none other than another type of all animals. While we are dominating the earth at this point of time, things might different one day when other stronger animals evolve.

Week13: Nobu Fujioka, The Garden of Earthly Delights

According to Janson's History of Art, this triptych represents humans in the natural world. Especially in the central piece, Hieronymous Bosch depicts many animals as well as naked human beings. Some of them seem to be out of scale, for example, many species of birds in the lake with some men sitting on them at the left middle edge. The birds are almost twice as large humans who are holding on to them as if they are afraid of something. The birds also face one direction, perhaps looking at the procession of animals above. In contrast to their more affectionate attitude towards the birds, humans riding on horses, goats, and other quadruped animals appear to be controlling and dominating them. Humans are on a similar scale as the animals controlling the direction of the procession. Since quadruped animals live on ground, whereas birds normally live above ground, humans have power over quadruped animals because they are more reachable. Maybe Bosch is conveying that we have unequal attitudes towards animals depending on their accessibility,whether exploitative or loving.

week 13: Jen Rohrs: Garden of Earthly Delight

When looking at this piece, one of the things that struck me was the use of animals and the contradiction that they pose to the typical aspect of Renaissance art that is "true to nature," as professor Howe put it in her lecture.  I suppose that they are depicted as naturally as could be with the subject of the painting because you can mostly tell what species they are, however, as the panels progress they appear more distorted and gain more human qualities.  In the first panel they seem to be in a somewhat realistic proportion to the humans and scene, Bosch uses the idea of depth making the animals who are farther back on a smaller scale, and they are removed from human interaction like they would be in the wild. As we move on to the middle panel there is a strong interaction with the people.  Many types of animals are ridden by humans, the birds in the lake are on a huge scale compared to the other people and scenery, and a large owl is being hugged on the left side.  In this panel despite the change in scale for some animals, they all retain their beast-like quality while interacting with the humans. It is not until the final right side panel that they are personified and defy their natural instincts.  There is no real devil to punish the people, only the animals torturing them.  The pig is kissing a man, an insect is eating someone, and on a plate in the middle it seems like a penguin is marching a man in circles.  This scene is unnatural and seems related to revenge for the animals after they were abused in the middle panel.  While I do not think that this was the original intention of the artist, with todays eye, I believe that this piece can be viewed as a warning against animal cruelty.  Eventually they will come back to punish us in the same way. 

Week 13: Mariel Camiling: Garden of Earthly Delights

Bosch's triptych is an amazing piece of art. When folded closed, the exterior shows the world during its creation with a small figure of God on the upper left corner. When opened, there are 3 different scenes that can be read chronologically through time. The left hand panel shows God presenting Eve to Adam in a very peaceful garden with animals throughout. The second panel contains a chaotic scene with groups of men and women engaging in sexual activities among animals and exceptionally large fruits in the Garden. These fruits , such as the strawberry, are associated with sexuality and emphasize the focus on lust in the middle panel. The panel on the right has a large contrast in comparison to the other 2 panels because it shows a completely different scene with several figures being tormented in a burning Hell. Since Bosch was a radical Christian, he depicted the consequences of sin in a very extreme way. The figures in the middle panel appear to be having a great time as if they are in a huge playground. However, since they gave into temptation, there are consequences to engaging in sinful activities and they ended up in Hell. This work of art teaches the lesson that Christians are not supposed to commit sins, especially lust, which is one of the 7 major sins.

Week 13: Tyler Garnett

Bosch's work is a very imaginative and illustrative piece of art. It depicts numerous aspects of the human experience while representing religious iconography that moves the viewer in one way or another. The introduction of Adam and Eve to the far left explains the creation of the world, and as the viewer moves from left to right the scene becomes increasingly morbid. In the middle it shows a land full of oversized fruits, and the people of the land lustfully enjoying these items. To the far right hell is depicted with gruesome images of people being tortured for the sins that they had committed over the course of their lives. In this way, I believe this work to suggest the natural progression of life--that is to say that as children we start off as innocent beings, much like the naive Adam and Eve, then as we grow we begin to enjoy life, and perhaps enjoy it too much and over endulge. In the end, an over-endulgence in lifes pleasures leads one to a state that is less than desireable.

Week 13: Braden Currier: Garden of Earthly Delights

The Garden of Earthly Delights is Bosch's most impressive work. It is the pinnacle of a lifetime of works characterized by dense meaning and subtle imagery. This triptych could represent the history and future possibilities of mankind according to midieval Christian belief. Being a triptych, a work divided into three destinct sections, it is most likely supposed to be viewed from left to right. The left panel is an illustration of Adam as God is presenting Eve. The center section likely represents temptations and the possibilities of sin. The center panel is characterized by sexuality, as represented by the abudance of nude figures, oversized fruit, and mystical animals. The right division signifies hell and surrounds the issue of eternal damnation. It is clear that Hieronymus Bosch wanted to convey a message to his viewers in the triptych oil painting. The clear divisions and progression from left to right have biblical meaning and are founded upon midieval Christian doctrine. The left panel represents the first sin of man, the middle panel illustrates the possible sins of man, and the final panel on the right, representing hell, is an indication of the consequences of giving in and living a life of sin. Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights tryptich is an example of the pinnacle of his works and a great indication of the influence religion, particularly Christianity, has over art work.

Week 13: Malia Paresa: The Garden of Earthly Delights

I think that the Garden of Earthly Delights was a triptych describing the vast difference between heaven and hell. It also serves as a chronological set up of how hell came to be illustrating on the outside of the triptych the creation of the earth, which would've been the first thing the viewer saw. Upon opening the panel, we see that God is introducing Adam and Eve and that there exists a restful, happy place where the atmosphere is calm. As we progressively move towards the left, the tone of the painting gets darker and darker and we know that we are venturing into Hell. Although the images that depict hell are not as violent as I would expect, we see images that seem disoriented and unnatural. For example, we see a tree person housing animals in what looks like an egg and two ears that are pinned together and hanging in the middle of space. However we know that this is Hell because the atmosphere and setting are not as calm as they were in Heaven. While in Heaven, the weather is sunny and free, Hell is darker and much more crowded. I think the intention was to make hell seem horrifying because of all of the disgusting images, but I find them interesting instead. Hell is almost more appealing because of the diverse subject matter.

Week 12-13 : Melissa Purner

The Garden of Earthly delight was completed by Bosch in the Netherlands between 1503-1504.  Bosch was at the height of his work and the triptych was believed to have been his most ambitious work.  The subject was very biblical and illustrates various points in the history of mankind according to the Christian values held at the time of the completion.  When the triptych is closed it shows the Earth during creation.  The inner scenes have an almost surrealist like quality about them, which was innovative for the time of its creation.  It features a blend of magical elements with the history of Christianity according to the bible.  I tend to agree with the view that the work is a warning against lust.  That the symbolic and mystical creatures are overwhelming, thus skewing the view of right from wrong.  The consequences, including the depicted damnation, are evil and lead to eternal damnation.  The triptych begins with the creation of Adam and Eve to the torments of hell.  The center illustrates a world that is completely engulfed in sinful pleasures.  

Food for Thought

While during research for the media project, I found the following quote. Do you agree with Andy Warhol?

"I enjoyed working with him, with his 'Last Supper', but nowadays there are no artists who can be compared with his genius: the new Leonardos are Armani, Krizia and the other Italian designers."

Andy Warhol, 1987

I am not sure I do.

Week 11: Sharon Kim: Art of Superheroes

This might be a random topic. But I was reading about the new Wonderwoman movie that is going to come out in the near future. Megan Fox has the lead role!
Superheroes are commonly known worldwide. If anyone asks for a name, one could answer with Batman, Superman, X-Men, etc. One thing that some might overlook is the costume and attire of the superheroes. But it is necessary to know that this is art. Some one or some group met together to establish the portrayal of each superhero. In a sense, the fashion of each character is art. For example, the popular Batman supports a tight black attire with a cape and tool belt. His mask and cape give him a sense of mystery. He is usually portrayed as a quiet man in the comic book and movies. The dark-colored costume helps underscore his character. Superman and Wonderwoman have the same effect of demonstrating a sense of national pride through their attire. Their costumes express their patriotism and desire to protect the country.
The colors and design of each costume was though out carefully by artists who wished to represent the superhero's character. I like how this class has made me think about art in different ways, and not just in the classroom or museum.

week 10: jen rohrs: modern art

I was talking to my friend who goes to art school at NYU and she was telling me about how one of the galleries that while studying modern art with her class, she went to a gallery that was doing an exhibition on urban street art.  Essentially this means that the gallery owner went out and found people to spray paint posters advertising clubs and flyers on the street.  I understand that it takes a certain amount of creativity to think of that as art, and that spray paint is actually a lot harder to use than it looks (once i had to spray paint a chest of drawers when I redecorated my room and it did not turn out very well), but I also don't exactly see how that "skill" can compare to the sculpting of the classical artists or the introduction of a light source into Giotto's Virgin and Child Enthroned. I searched for articles about this new kind of art and found a couple, such as this one from ARTnews, but after reading it and looking at some of the pictures i still feel like any kindergardener could pick up a poster off the street and throw some paint over it.  I feel like when future generations look back at this kind of art and compare it with ancient art they may be mildly disappointed at the differences in skill. The one good thing I can find with this street art is that it is accessible to everyone, and everyone can be the artist.  I cannot form the perfect proportions of the human body our of solid marble, but I'm fairly certain i can pick up advertisements off the street posts.  

Week 10: Nobu Fujioka, Making Secular Art Out of Religious Imagery

I found an article in New York Times called, "Making Secular Art Out of Religious Imagery," about an exhibition in New York City of artworks that are secular but has religious imagery. For example, one artists created a room-size altar filled with family photographs, fragrant herbs, bottled elixirs and images of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The sub-title for this exhibit is actually "Art for a Forgotten Faith." The writer of the article notes that "After several years of submersion in lightweight post-Pop painting, clever design and quip-driven soft politics, we seem to be ready for something with a little more depth, breadth and soul."
Compared to the Gothic Eras when cathedrals were built in the city center and were a source of civic pride, religion does not unify society as strongly especially in America anymore. As we are stripping away from religion, I think that these artists have realized that regardless of our level of devotion, religion has always been and will always move and touch our souls.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/arts/design/29neo.html?_r=1&ref=design&oref=slogin

week ten

When studying for the midterm I became interested with the Book of Kells.   I wondered if the Celts did not have some knowledge of mathematics. When one looks at a Celtic manuscript, you can see intricate geometric patterns.  I found out that the early Celts were a collection of tribes that lived between 800 and 50 BC in Great Briton.  They had an oral history that was passed from generation to generation.  It is assumed that the Celtic numbers developed out of a practical need to keep track of things in their daily life. They first developed counting sets called “scores, “perhaps to keep track of the amount of crops to be harvested or the number of piglets.  Their number system was based on twenty rather than our ten.  Fixed measurements often reflected body parts. For example, one “bas” has the length of the palm of a hand equals four inches.  Three “bas” equals one foot (Measurements).  In their manuscripts, one sees elaborate geometric spirals and key patterns constructed from a continuous line that are quite astounding. 

“Measurements, Weights and Mediums of Exchange.” Social History of Ancient Ireland. www.ask/main/metaAnswer.asp assessed 12 October 2008. 

Week 10 - Katharine Reiner - Gardner's Art through the Ages

Hello all,

Just wanted to share a discovery. This weekend, I have returned home to New York city for my sister's baby shower, and also as a quiet place to escape to study for our midterm.  Of course, with my ditzy luck, I took the wrong volume of Janson's home with me, which made me feel rather S.O.L. However, using the articles as well as google books, I have had fairly good success researching the art works, with one particular text-book frequently coming up. It is called Gardner's Art through the Ages, and I wanted to recommend it as an additional perspective on most of the works we are studying. I am struck by how beautifully written it is, and transporting; by describing Amiens as a place of effortless strength and soaring architecture, I felt as if I were actually there, and it helps me to remember the differences between the cathedrals.  

While Janson's is also very well written, and perhaps more clearly so, I just wanted to throw out an additional perspective that can help with studying, papers and curiosity.

Good luck on the exam!