HOW BOB ROSS DIED!

Bob Ross was a painter who is best known for his television show “The Joy of Paining”, which was shown on public broadcast stations across the United States. Bob Ross died at the age of 52 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida from lymphoma.

Prince amongst Thieves

Prince amongst Thieves was done in 1999 by Chris Ofili with a variety of different medias including Synthetic polymer paint, oil, paper collage, polyester glitter, resin, map pins, and elephant dung on canvas. When I first saw this picture I just thought it looked really cool. I liked how he had the dark background with lighter colors making all different shapes around the dark figure in the center. the figure in the center is supposed to be an African tribe leader. the medallion around his neck is made of elephant poop. I saw that the artist made this out of elephant dung and I get that he is trying to be unique and do something others haven't done before but really that's nasty. He was a Young British Artist and won a scholarship to Zimbabwe which is where he gets the elephant dung media fr many of his pictures.

Two Japanese Wrestlers by a sink

Two Japanese Wrestlers by a sink, was done on oil on canvas, by Lucian Freud from 1983-87. At first I didn’t really understand the name until I looked more closely to the top left and you can see two legs and a torso. I like that he really showed what a studio sink looks like. And also when I looked this painting there was a lot of different interpretations from him being the great grandson to Sigmund Freud to him showing his independence from Sigmund.

Mysteries, Afloat 2000 Kenneth Nolan

I actually really liked this painting. i do not usually like color field painting because I think they are sort of simple but I like the colors and the cicles that are used in this particular one. Alot of this artists work is like this and he is rather contemporary. he passed away recently but he was covered in the ny times and was doing well in his career.

Dali - Metamorphosis of Narcissus

Metamorphosis of Narcissus (1937) is an oil-on-canvas painting. This painting is from Dalí's Paranoiac-critical period. According to Greek mythology, Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. Unable to embrace the watery image, he pined away, and the gods immortalized him as a flower. Dali completed this painting in 1937 on his long awaited return to Paris after having had great success in the US.

The painting shows Narcissus sitting in a pool, gazing down. Not far away there is a decaying stone figure which corresponds closely to him but is perceived quite differently; as a hand holding up a bulb or egg from which a Narcissus is growing. The egg has been used as a symbol for sexuality in other paintings by Dali. In the background, a group of naked figures can be seen, while a third Narcissus like figure appears on the horizon.

Equivalent

Equalivent byAlfred Stieglitz was made in 1926 on gelatin. i like this picture because it shows the grey side like the world isnt this blue sky, pretty picture after all. it makes me think about how the world is cold. it just drift me into reality and basically of how my mood is currently.

The painting above is "I, Women" by De Kooning. The medium used for the painting is oil on canvas. It was painted in 1952. I personally do not like this painting at all. The color scheme is somewhat intriguing. However the women in the picture appears to me as a monster rather then a women. The only reason you can tell it is in fact a women is by the prominent breasts shown in the picture. I do not find this picture pleasing to look at and is by far one of the least flattering pictures i have seen all year.

Excavation

Excavation was done by William de Kooning in 1950 and he used oil on canvas. During this period, de Kooning was trying to understand his own personal synthesis of Cubism and Surrealism. Excavation emphasizes all the flatness, interpenetration, and firm infrastructure. This painting is an example of de Kooning's complex and dense style of art, with its many suggestions of both human anatomy with the life of the city.

Shining Black

Shining Black was made by Sam Francis in 1958 and is oil on canvas. Sam Francis adopted Jackson Pollock's technique of pouring liquid paint onto a canvas which is clearly seen in this painting. He made kidney shapes in the painting which added a different style then what Pollock's paintings were made up of. I think this painting is very interesting and the use of color is very appealing. Since he used such bright oranges, purples, blues, yellows and greens the black in the paining really stands out.

Room In Brooklyn

"Room in Brooklyn" was painted by Edward Hopper in 1932 on oil on canvas. The painting hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I chose this painting because I really enjoy Edward Hooper's paintings. I think the composition of his work is very intriguing. I like how a lot of his paintings make the viewer feel as if they are peering in on a scene on normal American life. I like how he painted images from a side view and includes people with their backs to the viewer. I think this type of composition makes the viewer feel as if the scene is actually occurring in front of them.

Color Field Painting

This painting titled "Red, Orange, Tan, Purple" was created by Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko. The oil on canvas painting was completed in 1949. I have mixed feelings towards the concept of color field painting. I do not like the fact that its very plain. However, the aspect I do like is the different combinations of color that is used throughout the piece. The colors in this piece really attracted me towards it; I love the color combination of pink and yellow.

Mountain

Bob Ross is the artist of this painting and I really love this picture because its beautiful. The use of colors and the fact I am sweating right now, is really cooling me off. I feel like its a mix of summer because of the river and trees and then you see the white mountain and it feels like winter.

The Red Model

The Red Model is an oil on canvas painting created in 1935 by Rene Magritte. Magritte made masterful fantasies of everyday objects such as an old pair of shoes. He made more paintings of this subject but this was one of his earliest of shoes turning into feet.Magritte demonstrates how easily the viewer confuses the image, as a depiction, with the reality it both describes and obscures. His works are like a link between what is and what we see. Magritte expresses scepticism, doubt, and not always mild irony about the conditions of the mind. The reason i chose this painting was because i think the idea is very clever. although it at first confuses the viewer, it also gets them to really think about what the painting is trying to do. it gets the viewer to look closer and understand his irony.

Dance Hall

Gyula Halasz also referred to himself as Brassai, after his native city, Brasso arrived in Paris in 1924. He lost his heart to the city with its streets, squares, backs ally’s, bars, and cafes. Once he was introduced to the small camera be turned nocturnal and began spending the hours from dusk to dawn in pursuit of the “ decisive moment”, when gesture, expression, time, and place allowed character to be revealed at its most naked. I really enjoy his picture Dance Hall. 1932. Gelatin silver print. It really showed cosmopolitan Paris, which was exactly the look that Brassai was after.

Cinemascope

Cinemascope was created by Mimmo Rotella in 1962 using torn posters on canvas. The artist took wall posters, mostly those that were pasted one over the other, by vandals as well as by weather, until the work pealed and shredded therefore different parts and bits of all the layers from each poster showed through. To finish the piece of work, the artist had to mount the piece on a canvas, but also distressed the sheets so that they finally produced ab Abstract Expressionist painting. Rotella mostly used movie promos, soap opera ads, and political statements.

Sun and Rocks

"Sun and Rocks" was painted by Charles Burchfield from 1918-1950, watercolor on paper. He was a visionary painter who's media of choice was watercolors. I noticed while browsing through his work that he has  varied subject and style. Some paintings are very realistic and vivid, while others are more fantasy like and whimsical. He sometimes used one family of colors, and sometimes played with black and white painting. His more playful works tended to be of nature scenes, forests, fields ,etc. While his more realistic and literal works were of city life and buildings. I chose this painting because it took so long to finish it. Most of his other works took a year to do, but this one was well over a decade. I don't find this palette or composition particularly appealing compared to some of this other pieces. I can see the real time and effort in the painting, it doesn't look like a watercolor, but I think I prefer his more creative pieces and social snapshots to this one

War is no Nice

This painting gave me a good laugh. This is by Martin Kippenberger and I just think its hilarious. It is called War is no Nice and I love the falic symbol they created the cannon into. It is a representation of the DaDaist movement and I think its amazing. The use of greens and pinks instead of a typical war color gives the image its edge and the way everything is thrown together is just so Dada. The Dadaist were against war and everything it stood for so they conformed to paint, sculpt, and write against it. I believe this painting is a true creation to the Dada movement. It is inspirational and hilarious.

The Oasis

This is another painting by surrealist Rene Magritte called "The Oasis" done between 1925-1927. I looked up the meanings to this painting and I dont really understand it. Reviews say that surrealists experience some sort of "Yggdrasil" and psychological experiences, and thats why he painted the 3 trees that represent Druid. He apparently saw God as being a woman in the Earth. This painting is unique, I just dont understand the meaning of it. I dont get why there are trees comming out of a table.

Bellatrix

Bellatrix by Morris Louis was made in 1961. it is an acrylic on canvas, 7' 1 3/4 x 5'10 and is located New York. it shows transparent overlays og color give way to open p and clearly tell the difference between the ribbons of different hues and shape. defining edges resulted from the natural process of drying rather than from any inflection of the hand. the painter Louis helped release new energy to younger artists. he died in 1962

At the telephone- Alexander Rodchenko

At the telephone is a gelatin silver print by Alexander Rodchenko. The polymath Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) is a discipline of Tatlin ad Malevich, may be the most representative figure of those who began in the avant-garde movement in Russia and adapted to the demands of the Soviet Union. This black and white art work shows the portrait of a woman on the phone from a bird's view. The artist is also a master in photography , visual arts, typography, film and stage design.

Mother and Child, San Franscio

This painting is called Mother and Child and it is by Dorothea Lange. I was curious to see what other work was done by Dorothea Lange and when I searched her name on the MOMA website this is what came up. It was done in 1952 and it's medium was geltain silver print. This picture is classified under photography. I really like this picture because it is what I picture people looking like back in the day. I also like how the woman and child are not posing and it seems like someone took it while they were walking by. The black and white portrait makes the painting so much better. I don't think the picture would have the same meaning or feeling if it was done in color.

Battle of Lights

"Battle of Lights, Coney Island" was painted by Joseph Stella in 1913. The medium used was oil on canvas. It can currently be found the Yale University Art Gallery. It shows the park at Coney island which is located on a board walk with a ferris wheel in the center. It colorful nature is pleasing to the eye. The chaos seems to come together to form a carnival like theme similar to the one that can be seen a Coney Island. I personally have been to Coney Island and although it has changed over the years I like the depiction Stella has made.

Nighthawks

The painting "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper is considered to be one of his most famous paintings. It was painted in 1942. This painting depicts a couple and a man sitting at a bar with a lone bar attendant late at night. This painting does an excellent job of portraying loneliness and solitude. It is apparent that the bar is located in a city because of all of the buildings in the background, and yet no one is on the streets. I researched this painting and discovered that it was inspired by the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Supposedly, Hopper meant to convey the gloominess that spread across the country following the attack.

Final Slides

Moonwalk, 1987

This is a screen print that Andy Warhol created in 1987. It was based on two NASA photographs that were taken by Neil Armstrong of Edwin Aldrin, Jr. walking on the moon for the first time in 1969. I really like this screen print because I like the story behind the photos that were used for it. Also I like the colors that were used, I think that are very compatible with each other. I really like pop art and wanted to see what other kinds Warhol had done since I always learned about the famous Marilyn Monroe ones and the Mickey Mouse ones.

This photo series is of Edie Sedwick, a muse of Andy Warhol. She was a socialite who inspired Andy. He used her as a model for photos and short films. She quickly became an 'it' girl, ' known for her door knocker earrings and fashion statements. I love this photo-booth like picture. Its so cute and fun, it reminds me of pictures I take with my friends.

Mickey Mouse 2

Andy Warhol (1981)

Pop Art was an early form of Post Modernism. It was developed in the 1960's and depicts scenes and objects from everyday life such as art, illustrations, films, and comic strips. It even explores the cult of celebrities which includes fictional characters such as Mickey Mouse, the icon of youth and Disney. His other works of the time such as Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe in fact mean little to me personally, but they nonetheless represent popular themes of that particular decade. Mickey Mouse however has surpassed the twentieth century and continues to symbolize childhood and innocence. Hence, this artwork has made me realize and appreciate the meaning of pop art, which is its representation of the current popular, cultural phenomenon.

Reflection

Reflection was a self portrait done by Lucian Freud in oil paint. He was around the age of 63 when he did this painting. Prior to this, I’ve never heard of Lucian Freud or seen any of his work. I really love the way he paints and love his brush work. Particularly in this painting, he applied the paint so thickly that it left bumps and a sort of roughness to the painting. Freud was known to harshly replicate the human body, a lot of his subjects show this. He wasn’t concerned with making the body look beautiful. He intended to portray the body how it looks, even with all its imperfections.

JIMMY BEST

Jimmy Best was done by Jean Michel Basquiat in 1981. The medium used was spray paint and oil paintstick on metal panel. When I first saw this piece I didn’t really understand it. I had trouble making sense of what Basquiat was trying to say. After discussing this work in painting class last semester, It’s kind of stuck with me. I actually think his words are extremely powerful. Some say Basquiat was trying to convey that our past experiences effect our future. That our “childhood files” can essentially sucker punch us and keep us on our back while instilling us with fear of getting up and getting knocked down again.

Study

The drawing titled "Study" was done in 2003 by Nick Mauss. It was done with oil, colored pencil, felt-tip pen, and ink on paper. I found this drawing on the MoMA website and it instantly caught my eye. I like the random use of color adds to this piece because it is mainly drawn in black. The nice, bright colors drew my attention while searching the MoMA website.