Appropriation

The new message in the image has been altered with the words in the image being changed. The words were ‘in this area’ and have been changed to ‘Students’ which alters the meaning as if it tells students to not be eaten. The content has been changed with the blood splatters as if the rules have been disobeyed by students being eaten.

The image that I have reproduced has a connection to the ideas that are mentioned in Walter Benjamin’s ‘Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production’. The idea that the image connects to it are that ‘Technical reproduction can put the copy of the original into situations which would be out of reach for the original itself.’ (Benjamin, W. 1936. pg.74). This shows that the situation for the image could change from instructions for a college, it could be changed for instructions for a school. This in the end is the idea for a technical reproduction.

Reference:

Evans, J/Hall, S (ed) (2009) Visual Culture: A Reader, London: Sage

Sunday Afternoon on The Island of La Grande Jatte

Activities involved in: Sitting/lying on the grass, girl making a bouquet of flowers, boat rowing.

The painting tells you about the people that: they are high class as they are wearing clothes that look immaculate and well looked after. As well as the women that are using sun umbrellas/parasols so they are protected from the sun.

Themes of Impressionism in the painting: (theartstory.org, n.d) states that the key themes of Impressionism would be that there would be ‘an intense use of colour and a light colour palette’ used. Scenes of public leisure would be a focus.There are quick brushstrokes that were used for the vibrant and intense colours.

There is also a lack of detail used on the subjects in the painting, as they are not very detailed. The painting gives the person looking at the image, a quick impression of the situation of people leisurely visiting an island. The painting is subjective as it is from the viewer’s perspective.

Themes of realism: Shows real situations: rowing a boat, children playing and a young lady making a bouquet of flowers.

References:

Theartstory.org, (n.d.). Impressionism Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story [online] Available at: http://theartstory.org/movement-impressionism.htm [Accessed 6 Oct. 2014].

Realism

This image relates to realism as it shows the world or the subject(s) as it is. In this case, the image is of a library and it shows the subject in a clear manner as the books show the clue to the subject.

The image shows a ‘representation of real and existing things’ (Finocchio,R n.d.) with a small section of the library being in the image.

This image uses a ‘warm palette of colour’ and ‘cooler colour combinations to create startling effects’ (Ideboen, A n.d.) and this is a key theme of realism. I agree with the ‘startling effects’ because it can make the image eye-catching.

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References

Finocchio, R (n.d.). Nineteeth Century French Realism | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [online] Metmuseum.org Available at:http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rlsm/hd_rlsm.htm [Accessed 6 Oct. 2014]

Ideboen, A (n.d.) Characteristics of Realism in Art | eHow [online] eHow.com Available at: http://www.ehow.com/info_11372148_characteristics-realism-art.html [Accessed at 6 Oct. 2014]

Old Musician – Edouard Manet (Realism)

‘The Old Musician’ is a painting from 1862 by Edouard Manet that has many different social groups within it and these are easily acknowledged by looking at the clothing that they are wearing. The social groups would be; from just looking at the image, there is a young girl, who looks like a gypsy with a patchy and cared for skirt, and travelling violinist who is mentioned in the title of the painting. The violinist looks tired which has a connotation to him being old and poor considering that he is a travelling violinist.

Francina (1993) states that ‘the key themes directly related to Baudelaire’s view on modernity; modern themes and heroic subjects’ (p. 82) meaning that the painting is more modern and the subjects in the painting are heroic. The meaning of the subjects being heroic would be that they would not be evil and uncaring.

The painting pays reference to everyday life as it uses everyday 19^th century stereotypes in the painting, which has a connection to Realism. But within the image, the characters are in a daydream like pose which can make them look like they are several paintings in one image.

The rough looking clothes are a denotation, which makes the characters look like they are from the common stereotypes from the 19^th century.

This image relates to the ‘Heroism of Modern Life’ as it shows that ‘artists that have attacked modern life have contented themselves with public… subjects’ (Baudelaire, C 1846 pg 18). I believe this because the artist has contented himself with the public subject of the class system and that they have attacked the modern life with the stereotypes of the people in the image.

References:

Baudelaire, c (1846) The Salon of 1846: On the Heroism of Modern Life

Frascina, F. (1993). Modernity and Modernism. 1^st ed. New Haven: Yale University Press