Fin Ludwigs Art Explorations

      The Russian Imperial Art Academy has undergone many changes since Peter the Great's idea of a Russian art school came to fruition in 1756. Beginning as the Academy Of Three Noble Arts the school was legitimized under Catherine the Great's rule when she declared the academy a new title of Imperial Art Academy. With this, we see Russian artists rising to popularity through the school for the first time. The 19th century became a breeding ground for large breakthroughs as Russian artists from the school gained fame. The first of such breakthroughs was Karl Bryullov's  'The Last Day of Pompeii' which earned the Paris Grand Prix prize at the Paris Salon in 1834.      In search of the underlying theme shifts during the 19th century, I will analyze 4 paintings of 19th-century Imperial Art Academy students who achieved fame. I will be specifically looking at the influences of the academy and how they show themselves in the evolving styles from Neoclassical to French I

             In this blog I will be looking at three different artists and how they changed the conception of what art is during the mid modern movement. I will be using the elements of art to define the impacts of each piece of art to highlight the changing ways in which we interact with art through these different art movements.    The left oil painting is titled Koska-Pal done in 1972 by French-hungarian artist Victor Vasarel, the painting on the right is also by Vasarel and is titled Tau-Ceti 36,  done in 1967. Vasarel painted both while living in Venice and was arguably the first to paint in this style, the style we call today op art. This style is powerful in its use of the fundamental principles of art. Utilizing form, line, value, and shape creatively to trick the eye into having an unusual viewing experience. For this reason, I love the Op art movement, it creates art that isn't in the subject, but in the brain's meltdown reaction to the confusing subject. This creates

       I will focus  on the influences of the great depression as seen in the following three works, exploring the moods and modality of the art of this unique time in history. I am especially interested in black and white colors in printmaking and photography, a theme evident in the pieces I chose to represent this time.  Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889–1975).  Approaching Storm , 1940 Lithograph, 113/4 × 16 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Left: Arthur Rothstein (American, 1915–1985).  African American Family at Gee’s Bend, Alabama , 1937. Gelatin silver print, 71/8 × 91/2 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2001 (2001.298).  Right: Hale Woodruff (American, 1900–1980).  View of Atlanta , 1935 Linocut, 97/8 × 8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.        Benton's Approaching Storm captures the tiresome labor of fieldwork, conveying the scene's mood expertly in its limited black and white colors. The d