Picture #1
- This is a painting of two stone breakers in the 1800s.
- The background is of a mountain or hill in what looks like a dry and rocky area. The men are wearing ratty clothes and dirt work. They appear to be breaking rocks as a job.
- The title reveals who the people in the painting are. They are stone breakers.
- Both of the people look to have the same power and doing the same job. It looks like they have been there before.
- The painter of this picture is Gustave Courbet and is from Germany. So maybe the painting is of him, or people he knows.
- Organization: Is this visual a painting, cartoon, propaganda, photograph? What is the main focus?
- Parts: What are the pieces that make up this picture or photo: divide it into parts; split into four and study each part or look at the foreground and background.
- Title: Does the title reveal anything?
- Interrelationships: How do the items/people/subjects of the visual interact? Is one person or subject presented as having more power ?
- Context: what do we know about the subject/ person in the picture? or the painter?
Realism
- Art movement from the mid-1800’s
- Response to the Industrial Revolution:
- Focused on showing the harsh realities of life- pain, poverty, hard work
- Working and lower classes used as subjects- shows living and working conditions
- Doesn’t try to sugarcoat things or try to show perfection (like Renaissance art did)
Picture #2
- This is an oil based painting that was painted on a canvas. The main focus is of five people sitting around a table in a dark setting.
- The background looks like a dark room in a house or a cellar. In the front their are people eating with mysterious looks on their faces.
- The title gives away what the people are doing. They are eating potatoes.
- The people in the painting look like they know each other and eat together often.
- The people are poor peasants in the 1800s. It was painted by Vincent van Gogh, and he considered it his finest work.
Impressionism
- Focus on capturing a feeling of a single moment instead of showing all of its details - not realistic
- Intentionally show brush strokes without blending colors
- Not clear- looks like a sketch but that’s on purpose
- Focus on showing light and the new life from the Industrial Revolution
Picture #3
- This is a oil painting on canvas that was painted in 1919 of water lilies.
- The painting is of a lake or pond with water lilies spread out through it and the sun shining down on the water.
- The title reveals what the flowers/leaves are; water lilies.
- It gives the feel of the moment and what it was like to see the water lilies.
- This is one of many water lily painting that Claude Monet painted.
Pointillism
- Small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image
- Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886
Picture #4
- This is a oil painting that was painted on a canvas in 1884-1886. It depicts people hanging out by the water in what looks like some type of park.
- The left side is of a river or lake with a boat on it. The rest of the painting is of a grass lawn with trees towards the back, and lots of different types of people crowding around the park.
- The title reveals that they are on an island called La Grande Jatte on a sunny afternoon.
- The people look like they are minding their own business, but there is a large focus on the woman closest to the vantage point.
- The people look wealthy and happy. It was painted by Georges Seurat in France during the 19th century.
Questions:
- What do these paintings tell us about the Industrial Revolution? They show us different types of people and environments during the Industrial Revolution. People were changing because new artwork was being created.
- How did artwork change because of the Industrial Revolution?
Artwork became either more realistic and how it is, or absrtact and trying to like cool and make an impression.