I am an Art History NERD! Ever since I can remember I've always looked up to people who know about Art with respect. I was always impressed when people could pick out the difference between a Monet and a Renoir or a Da Vinci vs Michelangelo. My mom instilled in my a love for beautiful things and for some reason I associated refinement and beauty with Art. Sophomore year of High School I took a humanities class which enabled me to learn of the different artists and their work. The next year I took Art History which I threw myself into. My favorite type of art would be Renaissance art, followed closely by impressionism.
The thing I love most about art is the story of each piece. I find I love to hear the history of the master piece more than just looking at it. If there is a picture of a marriage I want to know who is getting married and if they lived happily ever after, if there is a picture of a funeral I want to know how they died and if they were loved in life. I love to know the stories of the artists. I loved learning of one of my favorite artists Artimesia Gentileschi who was raped and forever more took it out by painting strong women defeating men such as this painting of Judith slaying Holofernes:
I love the loneliness expressed in Vincent Van Gogh's paintings- such a lonely soul who was so talented.
I love Renoir because his paintings remind me of my mom. She got the painting of the girl with the watering can on a trip and I like to think that she knew she would have a little blond girl one day.
I love Manet for painting a naked woman in this painting because it needed a splash of neutral color to contrast the darkness. Leave it to a man to think: "I know what can contrast this darkness! A Naked Woman!"
I love Monet because of his colors, and basically because he is impressionism. Of all the impressionists I think I like his work the best.
Of course I love Degas who painted until he was blind and when he could paint no more he began sculpting. That is a true artist. _1024x768.jpg)
I love Michelangelo for carving his name in the Pieta because he was so proud he wanted the credit- but then regretted it because he'd tagged his create creation. I love him for giving us the Creation on the Sistine Chapel
I love Da Vinci for painting a woman that for the next 500 years people would analyze and dissect and ponder- becoming the most recognized work of art in the history of the world as people tried to analyze what she was thinking but only he realized that you can never tell what a woman is thinking.
I love Art Work...I will never forget the first time I visited the Louvre and I called my mom cause I knew she would be the only one who could really appreciate the moment...and we cried on the phone together, and then I ran off for hours looking for my favorite pieces.
3 comments:
Melissa,I miss Art History! Thank you so much for this message. One of the biggest high-lights of my senior year was taking that same Art History class and it was so wonderful to remember all the powers that really come from the arts. Do you remember the painting Arnoldfini's Wedding? Now that is definately what I consider a story in a painting.
I do remember that! Its featured every week on Desperate Housewives :) I thought about including it but thought I'd stay in keeping with the renissance and impresionist.
I loved this post. I love how much you have always loved Art History. I loved crying with you when you had the opportunity of going to the Louvre. It was so great for me having you have that opportunity. It was my turn to "have fun watching other people have fun". Being a refined person is really getting to be a lost art. Loving the arts, be it art work, music, a sunset, fall leaves
etc...can bring a lot of joy. I love you too....
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