Portrait of a boy
This type of portrait would have been used as a funerary adornment that was placed over the face of the mummified deceased or on the outside of the sarcophagus in the face position
Was made by an anonymous artist during the second century CE in Roman Egypt
Encaustic portraits from this era are referred to as Fayum portraits after the Fayum Oasis in Egypt where many of them were found
The Virgin and Child with Angels, Ferrarese School
Tempera paint consists of pigment and egg yolk
Also incorporates oil and gold leaf, a common combination at this time
Artist has chosen to paint an illusionistic frame that makes us think we are looking at the back of a damaged canvas
Tempera is normally painted with short thin strokes and lends itself to such careful detail
Riza Abbasi, Two Lovers
Islamic artists enjoyed the sensitive detail that can be achieved with tempera, and some used tempera with gold leaf to create rich images for the ruling class
This work, Two Lovers, combines a rich gold-leaf finish with the high detail of tempera
The artist used the transparency of the medium to make the plant life look delicate and wispy
The intertwined lovers stand out proudly from the softness of the plants in the background
Michelangelo, The Libyan Sibyl
Michelangelo used the buon fresco method to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling
It took four years to complete
The artist used a strategic approach in order to disguise the seams between separate days’ work
Melchor Peredo Fresco Painting Inspired by the Mexican Revolution
In the 1920s a group of artists decided to champion the struggles of ordinary Mexicans and express the ideals of the Mexican Revolution by reviving the art of fresco painting
The muralists were political radicals who were influenced by the ideas of socialist and communist leaders
Diego Rivera’s fresco Sugar Cane portrays the exploitation of workers on the large sugar farms in Morelos, south of Mexico City
Peredo studied with the great mural painters
His Remembrance Fresco focuses on important historical figures and local folklore, based on ideas given to him by students and members of an Arkansas community
Jan van Eyck, The Madonna of Chancellor Rolin
Although Van Eyck did not invent oil paint, he was an exceptional practitioner of oil painting
This painting exhibits his masterful use of thin layers of color called glazes
Glazes attain a rich luminosity, as though lit from within.
Joan Brown, Girl in Chair
Used oil in an impasto (thickly painted) fashion
The paint can pile up, giving Brown’s work a three- dimensional presence
Hung Liu, Interregnum
Hung grew up in Communist China before emigrating to the United States
Hung’s images express her Chinese roots
The traditional Chinese style is reflected in the idyllic figures in the upper part of Interregnum
Hung’s work shows the discontinuity between reality and the ideal
Gentileschi, Judith Decapitating Holofernes and Self-portrait as the Allegory of Painting, Paintings as Personal Statements
Gentileschi was the daughter of an artist, and her talent was recognized and fostered by her father
Gentileschi often depicted strong female figures with emotion, intensity, and power
Artists have always made self-portraits to show off their skill and define themselves as they wish others to see them
“Allegory” means an image of a person that represents an idea or abstract quality
Gentileschi’s self-portrait shows her succeeding in the male- dominated world of the professional artist
Roger Shimomura, Untitled
Shimomura uses acrylic paint to create works that investigate the relationships between cultures
He merges traditional Japanese imagery with popular culture and typically American subjects
This combination of styles reflects the mixing of cultures resulting from communication and contact between nations
The painting explores the effects of conflict between two cultures
Albrecht Dürer, A Young Hare
Albrecht Dürer, A Young Hare
Reflects direct observation of a natural subject
Combination of watercolor with opaque white heightening
Conveys a sense of the creature’s soft, striped fur
Sonia Delaunay, Prose of the Trans-Siberian Railway and of Little Jehanne of France
Delaunay was the first woman to have her work shown at the Louvre Museum during her lifetime
Prose... is an artist’s book
Collaboration with the poet Blaise Cendrars
If all 150 copies of the first edition were placed end to end, it was intended they would stretch the height of the Eiffel Tower
Meant to be folded like a roadmap
Illustration progressively changes as the reader advances down the page
Suzuki Shonen, Fireflies at Uji River
The luscious darkness of the ink on silk-scroll supports the retelling of a night scene from an eleventh-century Japanese novel
The story, from The Tale of Genji, describes a young man trying to overhear the conversation of two young women
The rushing waters of the Uji obscure their words from the eager ears of the would-be suitor
The artist emphasizes the power of the rushing water with strong brushstrokes and powerful diagonals
John Matos, a.k.a. “Crash” Aeroplane 1
Practitioners of spray-painted graffiti art are considered vandals and criminals by local governments when they paint places without the permission of the property owners
Because of this, many artists keep their identity secret and sign their work with an alias, called a tag
John Matos (b. 1961), whose tag is “Crash,” is considered a founder of the graffiti art movement
He began spray painting New York City subway cars at the age of thirteen
Blek le Rat, David with the Machine Gun
Uses stencils as a quick way of transferring his designs to surfaces
Ironically juxtaposes an image of Michelangelo’s famous statue David with a superimposed machine gun
Blek le Rat is considered an artivist: an artist/activist
Part of a larger movement, called culture jamming, that draws attention to social or political issues
This unauthorized rendering was spray painted on a building in support of Israel