Libbey Gionet's Art Blog

Diversity in Post Modern Art Background Information Postmodernism refers to the art produced starting around 1980 to the present day. Postmodern art was a reaction to ideas and values, including idealism and a belief in progress, found in modernist artworks. The art produced in the post-modern era contained complex layers of meaning, took more non-traditional approaches, and drew from the philosophy of the mid to late twentieth century. In particular, diversity proved to be a very common theme in this artistic era.  Historically, the White male dominated the Western art world, but the post-modern age ushered in artists from various diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. After 1960, women and those part of diverse ethnic backgrounds began to have a larger voice in the Western art world and produced awe-inspiring works of art as a result. The theme of diversity is prominently seen through gender, race, materials, and artistic styles. Throughout this blog post, there will be six po...

 The Harlem Renaissance and Its Influence on Early Modern Art Background Information The influence of African Americans on Early Modern Art is seen through the works produced in the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. The Harlem Renaissance took place due to the Great Migration in the early 1900s. After the conclusion of the Civil War, thousands of African Americans moved north in hopes to encounter greater economic opportunities than what they had previously experienced in the South. A larger population of the migrants were middle class and settled in the district of Harlem, located in New York City. The city of Harlem quickly transformed into a rich cultural and intellectual center where musicians, artists, and writers had the opportunity to share and take pride in their Black culture.  This type of Early Modern Art strove to depict African American life to its viewers. Artists strove to incorporate their valuable identity and culture to rise up against the harmful st...

Realism and Impressionism in the Romantic Era  Background Information The Romantic Era in the 1800s was categorized as introducing so many new styles of art across the globe. In past eras, only one or two styles were prominent at a time. Although, the Romantic Era created a large shift with newly developed styles including Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Photography to name a few. For the sake of this blog, there will be a comparison between the styles of Impressionism and Realism.  Impressionism was an art style that developed near the end of the nineteenth century in Paris. In terms of art, it was more unconventional for the time because the artist strived to capture fleeting moments. A few things that categorize Impressionism are its loose lines and brush strokes, its fusion of multiple colors, its depiction of transitory effects of weather and light, subjective interpretation, and in-the-moment images. On the other hand, the style of Realism spanned from th...

 18th Century Art Influenced by Revolution Background Information      The Classical Era in the 18th century was categorized by a great deal of political change in both the United States and Europe. This massive amount of political change then affected art as a result. Significant historical events like the American Revolution spanning 1776-1781 spurred the French Revolution in Europe from 1789-1799. The French Revolution dealt with class tensions, brought about the passing of the monarchy, tried to respond to the growing national debt, and pushed for a greater degree of self-governance and independence. In particular, neoclassical art became a new style heavily influenced by the ongoing Revolution.      Neoclassical art, gaining prominence in the mid-eighteenth century, replaced Rocco-style art which was found more typically in the early 1700s. Many individuals in France wanted to begin moving away from the Rocco style because of its distinct reflecti...

 Art in the Baroque Era Background Information The Baroque Era, in the seventeenth century, incorporated a heightened element of theatricality and drama in terms of the art found in this time period. Along with this fact, there were also added elements of impressive illusions and realism which can be easily seen in the Triumph of the Name of Jesus by Giovanni Gaulli. Gaulli beautifully created this ceiling fresco piece from 1672-85 and it is located in the nave of the Church of Gesu in Rome, Italy. It is quite amazing that Giovanni Gaulli was able to paint such a magnificent masterpiece on such an expansive ceiling in this particular church. His details definitely don't go unnoticed and his piece showcases the true essence of Baroque art. The beautiful painting ceiling painting is made up of many parts that contribute to its meaning. Gesu, the name of the Church it's found in, translates to Jesus in Italian. When you look at the center of the ceiling, the letters "IHS...

Art Found in the Italian Renaissance Background Information The Italian Renaissance from around the 14th to 17th century was categorized as a time of rebirth of classical values throughout Europe. Some of these artistic values included humanism, naturalism, the inclusion of perspective, and much more. The fresco I selected is titled  Tribute Money created by Massaccio in Florence Italy, 1426-27. This particular fresco was produced in the early years of the Italian  Renaissance and incorporates a high level of perspective painting and spatial organization.  Within the singular fresco, Massaccio successfully illustrates three different scenes. The overall scene encompasses the arrival of Jesus, who performs a miracle, and His Apostles to Capernaum, outlined in Matthew found in the Holy Bible. Starting in the middle, Jesus is depicted conversing with a tax collector and he is instructing Peter, one of his Apostles, on how to find the money to fulfill the collector's request....