Blog #8: Jean-Jacques Efiaimbelo

When looking to do the second Non-Western blog, it came down to the two African artists: Jean-Jacques Efiaimbelo of Madagascar and Willie Bester of South Africa. While Bester’s art was more appealing to my eye, I made a certain connection to Jean-Jacques Efiaimbelo’s piece seen bellow.

Although it has no title, the piece was created by Efiaimbelo in 1992. Let us first look at the artist before I explain what my connection to the piece is. 

Jean-Jacques Efiaimbelo, born 1925 in Androka, Madagascar, the same place which he lived and worked until his death in 2001. Most of his work is rooted with deep cultural meaning as his specialty, as seen above, was creating funerary steles called aloalos. These aloalos serve as grave markers at tomb sites in Madagascar and Efiaimbelo is said to be the first artist to create these for decorative purposes only. Traditionally these aloalos are created to serve a particular memory of the deceased while also serving as reminders for the era which the person had lived. There is not much else to be found on Efiaimbelo unfortunately, therefore, onto why I chose this piece.

Ultimately I chose this piece because I am a wanna-be pilot, and will hopefully have my private license by mid-summer. The airplane which sites on top of the piece speaks the freedom of the blue sky and the vast amounts of great land which can be seen flying above the tree tops. It reminds me of flying, freedom, and the goals which I am pursuing in aviation. After finding out more about the piece, why it was constructed, etc, it means even more to me. I have a great appreciation to aviators the have come before me, and if this was for more than decorative purposes, it would have served as a monument for one of those many aviators. It is a love and a passion that small amounts of people actually get to experience, and for me this aloalos, serves as a reminder of that. 

 

Work Cited:

“Jean-Jacques Efiaimbelo.” CAACart . N.p., 22 Apr 2013. Web. 22 Apr 2013. http://www.caacart.com/pigozzi-artist.php?i=Efiaimbelo-Jean-Jacques&bio=en&m=45

Efiaimbelo, Jean-Jacques. Unknown. 1992. http://www.caacart.com/pigozzi-artist.php?i=Efiaimbelo-Jean-Jacques&m=45&s=383

 

Early Modern Art and the Great Depression

When looking into the era of Early Modern art and its influences, it is easy to see how two factors influenced the art during is era greatly, the first is increasing “modern” technology and the second, which will be the one to focus on more greatly, will be the influence of the great depression. In some examples these two figures go hand in hand, for instance while looking at the work of photographers Walker Evans or the more popular Dorothea Lange. 

The picture above is a symbol of the Great Depression given to us by Lange titled Migrant Mother taken in 1936, in Nipomo, California. Photography displays the great advancements in technology, by way of advancements to cameras, and also shows the migrant workers who roomed the United States just simply looking for a job to feed them and there families as part of the hardships of the time. Another symbol of the Great Depressions impact on art is through the “New Deal” and the then created Works Progress Administration. The WPA employed artists to create murals in public places, such as San Francisco’s Coit Tower.

The image above is one of the murals on the grounds near the tower, this image was created by WPA’s employed artist such as Maxine Albro who helped create this image titled California Agriculture, created in 1934. This “New Deal” employed and empowered artists to make creations to stand the test of time and influence future generations. The Great Depression is the item all downfalls in the economy are linked to today, the simple fact that nearly 80 years later it is the world economic event which all things are compared it is easy to see how it would have a great influence on things at that moment, and all things after it. Which is why I feel, and the examples have shown that the Great Depression is the most significant impact on Early-Modern Art.

 

Works Cited:

“Maxine Albro.” Wikipedia. N.p., 07 February 2013. Web. 29 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxine_Albro&gt;.

“Timeline of the Great Depression.” Wikipedia. N.p., 12 Mar 2013. Web. 29 Mar 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Great_Depression

“Walker Evans.” The J. Paul Getty Museum. N.p.. Web. 29 Mar 2013. <http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=1634&gt;.

“Dorothea Lange.” Wikipedia. N.p., 22 Mar 2013. Web. 29 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Lange&gt;.

Lange, Dorothea. Migrant Mother. 1936. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lange-MigrantMother02.jpg . 29 Mar 2013.

Albro, Maxine. California Agriculture. 1934. Coit Tower, San Francisco. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coit_Mural_Agriculture.jpg . 29 Mar 2013.

The Classical Era: Arts and Science

For the blog assignment for the Classical Era, our job was to construct three artists whom were connected by a similar theme; the theme for which I chose was how art in the 1700’s was inspired by scientific discovery and invention. For this I will use examples from the artists Sydney Parkinson, Alexander Buchan, and George Frideric Handel.

This piece above is titled “Portrait of a New Zealand man” by Sydney Parkinson created in October 1769, created in New Zealand. Sydney Parkinson was on Captan Cooks first voyage to the South Pacific leaving in 1768. Parkinson was inspired by science simply by where he was on Captain Cooks ship which was on a mission of Scientific discovery of the Terra Australis Incognita or “unknown southern land”. Not only would this voyage inspired by science and discovery inspire Parkinson and put him in a place to create such work, but the voyage in itself would shape mankind and help to create new sciences, for instance possibly laying the pathway for Charles Darwin’s voyage. 

The next individual on the list of Classical artists inspired by science is George Frideric Handel. The German turned British composure was inspired by science, to show this look no farther than his work “Minuet“ which was created in 1747 in the city of London. Click on the link to listen to the work, now the question in lies how was Handel inspired or his work somehow shaped by science? Well, by 1700 Bartolomeo Cristofori an Italian music maker had invented the Piano. This invention laid the way for Handel to create his work, such as the link “Minuet”, on the piano.

Last but not lest is the artist Alexander Buchan, whom was also on Captain James Cook’s first voyage, but unlike Sydney Parkinson, Buchan died on the voyage and was buried at sea. Like Parkinson though, Buchan was influenced by science on what he encountered on this scientific voyage to the south-land. 

The Painting above is that of of Buchan’s titled “View of the coast of Tierra del Fuego,” created on the coast of New Zealand in January 1769. The painting illustrates the ship of Captain Cook and the landscape of the land which they had just discovered, pioneering new settlements and other new discoveries.

Work Cited:

“George Frideric Handel.” Wikipedia. N.p., 25 Feb 2013. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Frideric_Handel

“Sydney Parkinson.” Wikipedia. N.p., 27 Feb 2013. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Parkinson&gt;.

“Bartolomeo Cristofori.” Wikipedia. N.p., 04 Mar 2013. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomeo_Cristofori&gt;.

“Piano.” Wikipedia. N.p., 03 Mar 2013. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano&gt;.

“First voyage of James Cook.” Wikipedia. N.p., 27 Feb 2013. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_voyage_of_James_Cook&gt;.

“Alexander Buchan.” Wikipedia. N.p., 04 Jun 2012. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Buchan_(artist)&gt;.

Buchan, Alexander. View of the coast of Tierra del Fuego. 1769. British Library, London.

Parkinson, Sydney. Portrait of a New Zealand man. 1769. British Library, London.

Handel, George Frideric. “Minuet”. 1747. London. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4KTpHW0ZP4>

“Captain Cook Timeline.” Timeline. N.p.. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://www.captcook-ne.co.uk/ccne/timeline/voyage1.htm&gt;.

Baroque Era: Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael

When looking at modern day Art I idolize landscape photographers such as Peter Lik or Clark Little, the beauty of the great land which they are able to capture. Therefore, when looking at the Baroque Era of Art, who better to look at then one of the landscape pioneers, Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael. The Dutch painter Ruisdael was born in the Netherlands to a family of painters. Although his personal style is unlike the rest.

This painting, The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede, created in 1670, shows Ruisdael style of simplicity and everyday items, a style which was made for the common man. The rise of the merchant classes during the Baroque Era lead to a market for simple, everyday paintings, which in turn fit for the style of Ruisdael. Such as the Still Life paintings which began during this same time period, landscape paintings to drew attention, being something the common man could relate to. After all landscapes capture the natural beauty of everyday items, like the windmill, the boat in the water, or the women walking down the street as shown above.

View of Harlem, created in 1670 shows what some consider to be what Ruisdael was really after in creating such works. While his paintings and style are simple enough to speak to the common man, many say that in reality his work was a, “metaphor of human psychology, specifically its darker aspects. Through the work of Jacob van Ruisdael landscape painting was no longer simply a record of how nature was perceived but rather it came to symbolize a deeper aspect that reflected the very soul of humankind.” Whether or not Ruisdael was meaning to create a one-two punch of simplistic style and deeper meaning will never really be known, but he did help pave the way for generations of Landscape artists, and artists in general to attempt to pursue such greatness. 

Work Cited:

van Ruisdael, Jacob. View of Harlem. 1670.  Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam. Wikipedia. Web. 22 February 2013.

van Ruisdael, Jacob. The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede. 1670.  Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam. Wikipedia. Web. 22 February 2013.

“Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael.” Wikipedia. N.p., 21 Feb 2013. Web. 22 Feb 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Isaakszoon_van_Ruisdael&gt;.

“Jacob van Ruisdael.” Artble. N.p.. Web. 22 Feb 2013. <http://www.artble.com/artists/jacob_van_ruisdael&gt;.