The Thinker

 

There are many copies of the Thinker displayed around the world, but the original is located in the Rodin Museum in Paris. The reason for having several copies because it’s made out of bronze. Rodin was one of the most prominent Impressionist sculptors, although he disliked being categorized. Rodin is considered an impressionist sculptor because he wanted to observe the manner in which light was reflected on the surface. In order to achieve the light’s reflection on bronze, the surface had to be uneven. The Thinker represents Impressionist sculpture because of the different textures on the surface.

I decided to add this piece to my collection because Rodin is one of my favorite artists from the Impressionists. I have seen the Thinker in person at the Norton Simon Museum and in Paris and enjoyed being able to observe the different directions of light on the surface. The Thinker is highly recognizable around the world and is often mimic. Upon learning the purpose of the piece I fell in love with it even more.

Villa Rotonda

 

The Villa Rotondas can be found around the Italian countryside. They were designed by Palladio and commissioned by the wealthy in order to escape the hot Italian sun. Its floor plan follows the Greek Cross like Galla Placidia. It’s a classical Renaissance building because of the use balance, harmony, and logic from the renaissance. It has classical Greco-Roman conventions which consist of the triangular pediment, the Ionic order the balance with the inclusion of the circular dome and the equal rectangular sides. Palladio’s Villa Rotonda influenced many buildings to come, such as the Kent House. He also influenced Jefferson’s Monticello.

I chose these buildings for my art collection project because they symbolize the Renaissance conventions, which are balance, harmony, and the inclusion of the square and circle. I also liked it because of the Greco-Roman conventions and the acrotarians on the roof. The building is clean and simple but still extremely precise.

The Tempest

 

Giorgione’s The Tempest is vital for art history. It set the stage for the artistic conventions following the Renaissance. It set the stage of the division of space, it was the first time we saw a river splitting a painting into two parts, and a bridge dividing the top and bottom halves. He framed the piece with trees. The piece is extremely balanced because it was created during the Renaissance. As far as the narrative goes, we have a walking soldier, a women in the nude with her child that is also nude. He represents the turmoil occurring in Italy during the period, while she represents man‘s permanence. The bridge is symbolic because it is linking the old and new. Lastly, the clouds weren’t depicted as white, but rather gray and stormy because it’s representative of the problems that are yet to come.

This piece was selected for my collection because of the general balance and harmony. I also find the piece interesting because there is symbolism in the piece which is unique for Italian art. The division of space was revolutionary for his time. It’s my favorite piece because it influenced a variety of pieces from other movements.

Eiffel Tower

 

The Eiffel Tower is among the most recognizable monuments around the world. It’s located in Paris, the capital of France and was designed by Gustav Eiffel. It was made out of iron and steel. It was commissioned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution and was supposed to only be temporary. Once people began to visit Paris, people began to identify the city with it and still remains today. It was also meant to be used for the world exposition.

I chose the Eiffel Tower because of the impression it left in my mind. It was mind boggling for me to understand how it was built with the technology from the period. Furthermore, I admire the steel and iron work that was put in to the tower. I also thought it was interesting that it has multiple purposes. I added it to my collection because it represents the rise of Modernism at its best. 

The Fountain

 

This piece by the father of Dada, Marcel Duchamp can be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The purpose of this piece was to react against the absurdities of society. Duchamp felt the Great War was stupid and pointless. The dada movement allowed artists to express themselves freely. With the Fountain, Duchamp got rid of the academia conventions like Bosch and Caravaggio.

I chose this piece because I feel that artists should always be able to freely express themselves and not fear critique. I first thought that this was not art but with the art history class I soon learned the true purpose behind this piece and have learned to embrace its true meaning. Duchamp’s way of getting peoples’ attention was by creating some this absurd and he served his purpose with this piece. His point was made in a very direct manner with this piece and this is why I added it to the collection.

Autumn Rhythm Number 30

 

This piece is by Jackson Pollock and is part of the Color Field movement. He’s considered an avant-garde American artist. When he first began to pain the formed part of the New York School. All of his pieces depict his state of mind because he’s an abstract artist. This piece is gestural abstract expressionism. Gestural expressionism expresses energy and vitality. It’s solely chromatic because there is no actual item being represented but rather is just based on color.

Although I am not a fan of modern art, I chose this piece because the only time I enjoy modern art if it can be used as decorative. This piece is only chromatic and does not depict anything which is why I like it. If I’m going to display art in my home I rather it be chromatic and not depict something unless it’s a photograph. This piece expresses the artist feelings, and I liked the fact that he was able to express himself.

Bird in Space

 

Bird in Space by Brancusi is displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was a Romanian artist and wanted to capture the essence of things as he did with this sculpture. He’s attempting to capture the action of the bird itself. The piece represents the essence of flight, and chose this particular shape to do it.

I enjoy looking at this piece because of its simplicity. It’s smooth and clean, and I can understand why Brancusi named the piece Bird in Space. I can imagine in my mind an actual bird in space, but Brancusi’s interpretation looks much more futuristic. I chose it for my collection because it’s simple.