Archive for November, 2008
The Garden of Earthly Desires is a triptych painting made by Dutch master Hieronymus Bosch. Also known as the Millenium, this painting consists of three sections or panels placed together that can be folded to show another artwork on the exterior. This striking painting has been known for its vivid imagery and complexity in terms of symbolism.
Description
The triptych is an oil painting that consists of a square main panel flanked on the sides by rectangular wings that close over the middle section like shutters. The painting depicts several biblical and heretical scenes on a very grand scale. But the complexity of its symbolisms have provided a number of different interpretations over the years. Some believe the painting to be giving a moral warning or a glimpse of paradise being lost.
Left Panel
The first panel of the triptych measures 87 inches by 38.4 inches. Many experts have called it as the Joining of Adam and Eve. This panel is interpreted as depicting a scene at the Garden of Eden. It shows a waking Adam and with God holding the hand of Eve with the other hand raised in a sign of blessing. It is further interpreted as the presentation of Eve to Adam and with God blessing their union. The surrounding landscape shows a variety of animals in paradise.
Center Panel
The center panel measures 87 inches by 77 inches and seems to be part of the left panel’s landscape due to the similarity of the skyline and surrounding landscape. But this time the center panel now depicts quite number of male and female nudes along with animals in various positions and activity interpreted as erotic in nature. The title of the painting is said to be derived from this panel.
Right Panel
The right panel measures like the left panel, but this time illustrates what has been interpreted as Hell. It shows a dark landscape where men have succumbed into the devils temptations and are paying the consequences of eternal damnation. It shows a city on fire in the background and with men and women mingling with demons and other mutated animals among various degrees of hardship and torment.
November 25th, 2008
Antoni Gaudi is a noted Spanish architect known for his uniquely original architectural designs. His designs belong to the Modernist style and was considered as one of the highly original architects during his time. Some of his significant works include the Sagrada Familia, the Casa Mila and the Casa Batllo.
Early Life
Gaudi was born on June 25, 1852 in the province of Tarragona in southern Catalonia, Spain. Although his actual birthplace is still in some dispute, official documents associated with Gaudi has his birthplace in the town of Reus. His father was Francesc Gaudi Serra while his mother was Antonia Cornet Beltran, both coming from a family of coppersmiths. His family’s trade provided the initial influence on Gaudi to incorporate natural shapes into his later work.
Education And Career
Gaudi studied architecture at the Escola Technica Superior de Arquitectura in Barcelona, Spain from 1873 to 1877. He was considered just an ordinary student and did not display any outstanding effort while at school. After graduating, he started work by designing lampposts for the Plaza Real in Barcelona. This was followed by other projects that was not that noteworthy. His most notable work is the Sagrada Familia, a massive catholic church in Barcelona, Spain that remains under construction up to this day.
Gaudi spent working on the design for the Sagrada Familia for 40 years, with the last 15 years of his life totally devoted to the project. The design of the massive church heavily borrowed from the symbolism of many common Christian ideas. The highly original style and design that Gaudi employed made the church quite difficult to build. The church construction also came at a time when Barcelona fell on hard times, resulting on the work done on the church which continues until now.
Gaudi died on June 10, 1926, three days after being hit accidentally by a tram. His death was mourned by half of Barcelona, being considered as one of its beloved citizens. He died at the age of 74 and was buried inside his La Sagrada Familia.
November 18th, 2008
Joan Miro was a notable Spanish painter, sculptor and ceramist who earned international acclaim for his work that has been associated with Surrealism. Most of his paintings seem to create images from the subconscious mind. Miro was known to shun conventional painting methods and usually go against the elements of established painting.
Early Years
Joan Miro was born on April 20, 1893 in Barcelona, Spain. He was born from a family of goldsmiths and jewelry makers. He took his art studies at the Barcelona School of fine Arts and at the Academia Gali. But Joan’s parents would rather have him become a serious businessman. That is why he also took up business classes in 1907 along with his art studies. Joan then went on to work as a accountant for two years until a nervous breakdown sidelined him from continuing on. His parents finally relented to his career choice as an artist.
Paris Years
In 1920, Joan relocated to Paris where he was drawn to the art community in Montparnasse where he was greatly influenced by the poets and writers in developing his own painting style. He began to develop his style that was associated with Surrealism and with elements of Dada, although Miro declined to associate himself with the art movements in order to remain free from any limitations to his experimentations in art.
International Fame
Joan Miro gained international fame during the 1930’s where he was already able to develop his own brand of art. His works, which were hard to described, is characterized by the use of brilliant colors combined with the use of simplified forms that reminded people of drawings made by children. By the 1940’s Joan found himself going back to Spain where he started working with different art media such as murals, ceramics and sculptures.
Style
Joan Miro’s was one of the first artists to develop automatic drawing, which is characterized by letting the hand move randomly across the paper as a means to express subconscious thoughts. Miro disliked any form of bourgeois art which was being used as a means to promote propaganda and a cultural identity among the wealthy. That is why Miro pursued more experimental forms of art and never wanted himself to be closely associated with a certain art movement. Joan Miro died in Palma, Mallorca on December 25, 1983.
November 11th, 2008
The Sydney Opera House is considered as one of the most distinctive and recognizable buildings in the world. It follows quite an attractive and unique expressionist modern design and it is probably because of these reasons that it has been made into a UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 28, 2007. But mainly, the Sydney Opera House became popular because of its striking architecture that seems to loom large among the beauty found in its surroundings.
The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales in Australia. Specifically, the building is situated on Bennelong Point in the beautiful Sydney Harbour. The Opera House is located just near another famous landmark, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Description
The Sydney Opera House is made up of a number of large pre-cast concrete shells which forms the roofing portions of the structure. The whole building covers about 1.8 hectares or 4.5 acres of land. It is 183 meters long and 120 feet wide. And because it is build on the harbor, it is supported by 588 concrete piers below with part of it buried about 25 meters below sea level.
The concrete roof of the Opera House is covered by Swedish made glossy white and matte cream tiles although the roof may look only white from afar. The main and largest two shells of the Opera House contain the Concert Hall and the Opera Theater. The other smaller shells house the smaller theaters as well as a restaurant.
History
The origins of the Sydney Opera House can be traced back in the late 1940’s when the Director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, Eugene Goosens clamored for an ideal venue for theatrical productions in the city. The previous venue, the Sydney Town Hall was deemed not big enough and so require a bigger and larger new site. By 1954, support from the government was finally received with a competition opened for the design for the planned new opera house.
The competition was launched in September, 1955 and received 233 entries coming form 32 countries. The contest was won by Jorn Utzon, a Danish architect. Formal construction of the building started in March of 1959. the Opera House took some time to finish due to certain problems along the way. It was eventually opened on October 20, 1973.
November 4th, 2008