The Sistine Chapel (Historical)

 Io benvenuto voi al mio blog, amici. (nell'italiano) :)

Ever seen something that wasn't quite a picture or quite a video, but a mixture of both at the same time? Why dontcha check the link below. For me? Please? :( Go. DO IT.

http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

Pretty cool, huh? I thought it was like a version of minecraft with better graphics. Also, you know all those stupid memes that have the greek looking God in them always pointing to something, or connecting his index finger with that of a man? :) Yeah. That's from the sistine chapel. Note for MRS.STAMPER (got your attention, didn't it? :P ) : The paragraph explaining the principles and elements of art is below the next paragraph.

 Oh what to say about the sistine chapel... If you know your history, you'll know it's one of the world's most renowned pieces of artwork from the renaissance era, even to this day. But it qualifies as so much more than just artwork. Yes, it is a true masterpiece devoted to the roman catholic religion, the pope, and tells the story of the book of genesis from the creation, to the fall of Jesus Christ... But, inadvertently has became a major symbol of the religion itself. Who painted this astronomic masterpiece? A famous and highly-qualified artist who specialized in painting, right? WRONG BRO. An artist named "Michelangelo" actually commissioned this artwork. Michelangelo had actually never painted since he had been a student of art, and when he was hired to paint this, he had already spent years.. Most of his life.. Perfecting his forte as a sculptor. Why did he have to paint this then? Why didn't he say no? Simple. The pope asked him to, and if you disobeyed the pope in this era, YOU DEAD. Anywho, ONWARD TO EXPLAINING THE ARTISTIC SIDE OF IT!

Of course, more professional artists than I ever will be have done entire studies of this artwork and have their definition of the "right" way to describe it. But, it is my personal belief that artwork wouldn't be artwork if we all didn't have different perceptions of a piece. You will notice that Michelangelo seemed to have kept his values relatively the same throughout the entire piece. Some artists have trouble doing that with a simple canvas painting, much less an entire ceiling! This smooth flowing of the light and dark, along with moving some scenes over onto another section (or properly called, frescos) creates such a stark case of rhythm between the different scenes, it just completely amazes me. This also leads me to my next point. I know this piece is not actually symmetrical, rather, asymmetrical, but Michelangelo does something astounding with his piece that I can't really explain. When I look at the commission (piece) from a distance away, I feel a sense of implied symmetry, or a better term, balance. If you cut the building in half, you will notice similarities between both sides of the piece that make the whole piece flow together, even though each fresco has a different scene. Follow me? Cool. :) Lastly, let us not forget the proportion he was painting on. HE PAINTED ON THE CEILING OF A ROMAN CHAPEL. Case and point, it was huge.

While Michelanglo's sculptures and other pieces of artwork were very professional, I believe he will forever go down in history as the man who created the astonishing sistine chapel scene. He was a great artist, and very representative of the renaissance. Also, did you know that there is almost an undisputed belief that Michelangelo wasn't attracted to women? Score one for us. ;) Go read about it! 

"Andare avanti e rendere prospero... Come un artista." - Me. :) 

Them Frenchies just steal my little artistic heart!

Hey there! :) First off, do as I tell you. GO WATCH THIS VIDEO. It's completely worth it. If the school has it blocked for some godly unknown and most likely irrational reason, go ask Mrs. Stamper to type in her magic password and whatnot so you can. Or watch it at home. Once again, let me reiterate. IT'S COMPLETELY WORTH IT. Go now, my little bloggers! Watch, and come back!

http://vimeo.com/15076572

Here's a picture of the end product related to the video for those of you that don't want to be amazed.

(This part is for both you video-viewers and non-video-viewers!)

This picture doesn't really do much justice to the one in the video, but oh well. Basically, this duo of urban or "street" artists from france named "Supakitch and Koralie" joined together a few years back to spread how urban artwork isn't just graffiti and spraypaint. There IS an actual process of art behind it. Both of them are very heavily influenced by japanese artwork and culture, as they grew up watching french/japanese anime and manga, which is apparently VERY popular in France. Recently, actual galleries have hired them to install their street artwork in their refined walls, unaccustomed to such contemporary and modern ideas. As you may have noticed in the video, their use of mediums was unusual, but not more than the ordinary artists would use. Felt-tip pins, ink, acrylic and watercolor paints, vinyl, hardbacked paper. I believe the reason they are so successful is because of their pre-planning, laying out exactly what needs to go where at one time, their understanding of unity (majorly), and how they are confident in what they do. They don't hesitate when they draw lines on the wall or paint. They go right into it, knowing exactly what they want. Also, a bit of background info. They weren't a couple in this video, even though they may look it. Supakitch didn't propose to Koralie until a later installation in the streets of New York City. Very romantic. You should check it out. :) Check the first link below for their website where they have merchandise for sale and their artwork on view. Check the second link below for another cool video that is an advertisement for an art convention in France that Supa and Kora were in. It's not.. necessarily... school appropriate. So don't watch it in class, or if you do, make sure Stamper watches it first and says it's okay or whatever. DON'T GET ME IN TROUBLE, K? Happy blogging. :3

http://www.METROPLASTIQUE.com
http://vimeo.com/22391248

About that 1970s artwork...

Hey guys! :) This post is gonna be (as you could've guessed) about 1960-70s circa artwork! Ah... What a wonderful time I didn't live in. Around every corner there were signs of social reform, feminist and anti-war movements, whisperings of potential-space colonies, and whole heaps of exciting things that would change the outcome of what we are today! No wonder the artwork from this period is so unique! After a bit of internet searching, I found this absolutely compelling and interesting piece created by a college art student from Australia.  

This guy is just absolutely amazing at what he does, not just cause he's kinda cute (come on girls, you know it!), but because of the complicated and hard work he seemed to have put into the piece. First off, let me inform you this is a self-portrait by a guy named "John Thompson" created in 2006, based on 1960s - 1970s british pop artwork.  The  process he used to create this is so absolutely astounding and complicated to me, I can't easily explain it. But that's not going to stop me from trying! He began with a digital image of himself, manipulated it, separated it into different tones, printed, cut out, posted on vinyl, (couldn't stop there) and used elements of graffiti and spray art, along with stenciling. Wow! I believe he definitely captured the essence of the "psychedelic 70s" by using starkly contrasting colors, upping the intensity, using flowing lines, and placing himself directly in the foreground. This makes it that much more visually appealing and makes your eye flow across the whole piece. You can't just look at one corner of the artwork and move on. Props to John for making a very interesting piece. 
Hope ya enjoyed the post. :)