Blog Post #2

Marcel Ducamp, Fountain, 1917, Porcelin Urinal, 24.02 in x 14.17 in x 18.9 in

This image by Marcel Duchamp is perhaps one of the greatest examples of the contrast between form and content. The form, or the overall structure of the work, of the work suggests merely a urinal that is signed and dated. Focusing on form, there is nothing about the work that required any special artistic skill and nothing aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Yet, there is more to the work than meets the eye. The content of the work, or what the work of art means, is so much deeper than just a picture of a urinal. This work represents Duchamp's successful attempt to break with the traditional definitions of "art" and to create new parameters for artists' to operate under. Thus, Duchamp's content aims to break the mold as to what "art" truly means and redefine it under new parameters.

Albert Bierstadt, Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, 1868, 120.00 in x 72.01 in

Representational art is, by definition, works of art that show natural objects in their visible and truest form. In light of that definition, then Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California is one of the finest examples of representational art. Bierstadt shows a landscape that is highly believable and extremely realistic, almost as if it were a photograph, which is the ultimate goal of representational art.

Erna Motna, Bush Tucker Dreaming, Acrylic on Canvas, Date Unknown, 48.5 in x 37 in

This work, like its counterpart presented in A World of Art, is a good example of abstract art. The work does not directly resemble things in the real world. Instead, the work is more representative and forces one to think and understand before one can fully and completely comprehend. However, there are definitely references to nature: The brown, yellow, and red coincide with the colors of leaves on the floor of a forest in autumn. Similarly, wildlife is represented but not directly drawn, instead shown as almost t-shaped figures. Since this work does actually depict a scene in the real world but does not directly resemble it, the work is said to be abstract.

Jackson Pollock, No. 5, 1948, 1948, Oil on Fiberboard, 8 ft x 4 ft

At the forefront of any discussion about nonrepresentational art is Jackson Pollock, who gained fame as a drip painter. In this piece, Pollock has certainly fulfilled the role of any nonrepresentational painter: There is absolutely no reference to real things in the physical world. Instead, Pollock has conveyed to the viewer the ultimate culmination of his own emotions and feelings yet has presented them in his own unconventional and unique painting style. Being nonrepresentational, the work is not meant to represent anything, but instead draw emotions out of the viewer, and the work certainly succeeds in that respect.

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, ca. 1503-1519, Oil on Poplar, 30 in × 21 in

Usually, icons pertain to religious works of art, such as stained-glass windows and the like. However, other works, though not religious in nature, can obtain status as an icon. What defines an icon, in a general sense, is how much of an impact does it have on even the most uninterested viewer. With this working definition in mind, it is not an overstatement to say that Mona Lisa is one of the most iconic portraits in the world. This portrait is one of, if not the most, far-reaching portraits in the world, with millions trying to copy both the pose and smile of the subject at hand. This work is so widely known that even apathetic fans of art will know it in an instant. This fame makes it clear that Mona Lisa is a global icon.

Martin Missfeldt, The Last Supper-After Leonardo da Vinci, 2004, Gouache on Paper, 11.81 in x 23.23 in

Whether one believes in Catholicism or not, Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper is an iconic image. Between it being the depiction of one the holiest moments in the Catholic Church and the conspiracy theory of The da Vinci Code, the work is well-known and respected. However, in this work, Missfeldt exhibits a perfect definition of iconoclasm. He takes a work that is, in its base nature, extremely sacred and religious, and distorts it, making Jesus Christ and his twelve chosen apostles have necks and faces that resemble giraffes. That the artist even distorted the face of Jesus Himself, thought of as the Son of God in Christian sects, shows the direct and deliberate destruction of what was once a religious icon. This destruction is a living definition of what iconoclasm is.