Arshile Gorky

The Life of Arshile Gorky

Arshile Gorky, earlier known as Vosdanik Adoyan was an Armenian-American painter who was born in Van, Turkey circa April 15, 1904 and died in Sherman, Connecticut on July 21, 1948. He began his work in his early 20s and his work was centralized around Expressionism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism. He used his works as a way of reflecting on his traumatic past during a time when the Ottoman Turks committed genocide on the Armenian people. Gorky was mainly a self-taught painter, but after moving to the United States at the age of 15, he went to the New School of Design in Boston around the age of 17 and continued his enrollment to the age of 19. It wasn’t until later when the artist moved to New York that he achieved fame.

I.           Gorky’s Early Childhood

Gorky grew up during a time where the Armenians were persecuted and threatened by Genocide. During this time, he experienced one of his most tragic losses when his mother died of starvation in 1919.In 1908, before the genocide of the Armenians, Gorky’s father dodged the Turkish military draft by going to the United States where he lived in Rhode Island. Left with no parents to look after him and take care of him, Gorky joined his father in the United States in 1920.

II.        Artistic Training

Before moving to the United States, Gorky was mainly a self-taught artist. His enrollment in artistic schools in Boston and New York contributed to his success. After his enrollment in the National Academy of Design and the Grand Central School of Art, Gorky decided to change his name to avoid the negative perception of Armenians by the American people. Gorky found most of his inspiration from famous artists such as Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró. His early style consisted mainly of Cezanne landscapes to a more experimental painting of the surface which was inspired by the Cubism of Picasso and other less-known painters.

III.      An Emerging Artist

During the 1930s, Gorky was beginning to gain recognition from both the public and other artists. Beginning in 1930, he participated in a group show that gave emerging artists a chance to give themselves a name. A year later in 1931, Gorky had the chance of experiencing his very first solo exhibition of his works at an art gallery in Philadelphia. During the mid to late 30s, Gorky worked in a program called the Federal Art Project. This program was put into place by the government to give artists work during the Great Depression. In 1938, while working under this project, Gorky held his first solo showing at the Boyer Galleries in New York. Although he was beginning to gain national recognition for his paintings, the artist switched his style of art in a completely different direction in 1940. He began to paint using the style and ideas of Surrealism. In a biography by Charles Moffat, he explains that “at the end of the 1920s and into the 1930s he experimented with Cubism, eventually moving to Surrealism. His aim was never to imitate the work of others however, but to learn their from their aesthetic ideas and then evolve beyond it” (Moffat 2007).  Gorky’s inspiration for making such changes can be traced to the immigration of European artists during the late 30s and early 40s. Artists such as Erwin Panofsky, Max Ernst, and Andre Breton were all key artists in inspiring Gorky in changing his path.  The emergence of this style of painting in America paved way for a different style  that later became known as Abstract Expressionism. As said in an article about Arshile Gorky, “Gorky pioneered the trend of naming his abstract compositions with titles directly referring to particular objects and places, thus fusing objective reality and subjective feeling in his works” (“The Art Story,” n.d.).

IV.      Gorky’s Later Years

Although Gorky earned his fame after years of hard work, his later years would only end in tragedy. In 1941, he married a woman by the name of Agnes Magruder who was 20 years younger than he was. After 5 years of marriage, tragedy struck when Gorky’s art studio in Connecticut burned to the ground destroying nearly all of his works. Adding onto this loss, Gorky was diagnosed with cancer only a month later. After his diagnosis, it was soon found that his wife, Agnes, was having an affair with fellow artist, Robert Matta. After their breakup, his wife relocated to a different area and even took their children with her. To make his situation even worse, Gorky was involved in a car accident that only added mores stress to his life and his health. After having dealt with problem after problem, it ultimately led to the artists suicide on July 21, 1948 by hanging himself in his Connecticut home. In an article by William Feaver, he states that “Gorky, dead at 46 (or maybe he was only 44: dates vary), died at the time when he stood as good a chance as any of being singled out as the greatest living painter in the land” (Feaver 2010). This statement shows the amount of influence that Gorky had over the art of his time. He was arguably the greatest artist of his time.

Works Cited

2016. “Arshile Gorky.” http://www.theartstory.org/artist-gorky-arshile.htm (November 16, 2016).

Feaver, William. 2010. “The mysterious art of Arshile Gorky.” https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/feb/06/arshile-gorky-painting-william-feaver (November 29, 2016).

Moffat, Charles. 2007. “The Art History Archive – Abstract Expressionism.” http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/abstractexpressionism/Arshile-Gorky.html (December 2007).

"What Every Student Should Know" by Charles McGrath

As is evident in the article of “What Every Student Should Know,” there is much controversy on the idea of general education. This has been a critical point of almost every known university today. But, how do you know what to require students to have? A professor in the English department may argue that students should take more literature and writing classes, whereas a professor in the sciences may argue that students should know more about the basis of all living things or how to balance a chemical equation. The point is, I believe that all college students should be able to have a basic understanding of most majors to find what they truly would enjoy making a career out of. Knowledge is power, but it shouldn’t be expected of all college students to know something they will never apply in their lives.

"Why I Teach Plato to Plumbers"

Samuelson opens up a valid discussion when he makes the point that Liberal Arts educations are often considered for the elite only. Many people have lost sight of the importance of the Liberal Arts and this is the point Samuelson is making with his article. People generally just see importance in the education they need to be a doctor or a lawyer and do not value the education that makes them grow as a person. In other words, this liberal thought in society is critical for all free people to thrive.

Business and the Liberal Arts

Bronfman writes about the importance of a Liberal Arts education in accordance to his own ideas of the matter. He explains that obtaining a Liberal Arts education enriches a person far beyond giving them the skills to do math or science. It gives us the blueprint for how to think critically and and with reason. He argues that the skills obtained that do not regard basic school curriculum are the skills that build our character. I must point out that Bronfman makes a solid case in demonstrating that the way we think is who we are. With a Liberal Arts education, students learn skills that will develop them into prosperous, intelligent people beyond the textbook or classroom.

Aneslm Kiefer

Anselm Kiefer

Dr. Eric Smith

Isabella Branham

Introduction

Anselm Kiefer is a German artist known for various works with various medias. Kiefer’s works include paintings, sculptures, photography, installation art, and film. He is known for his strikingly bold, even sometimes unsettling works which often portray post-war Germany. There is a certain degree of edginess hidden in Kiefer’s art that other works simply do not have. Each piece tells a story in some way or has a specific, obvious meaning.

Background

Kiefer belonged to a generation that was born during the final stage of WWII. For this reason, he only heard the talk of the war; he never actually experienced the war although he likely developed had a hefty knowledge of its history. This inspired much of his most famous work and many of the general topics of his art. Although Kiefer would not be considered a historical painter, he focuses heavily on Germany’s past throughout his work. Kiefer quickly developed a passion for painting landscapes and began some of his most famous works. Many of his paintings are explicit displays of the brutality of Germany’s history, depicting things like German battlefields or concentration camps of the post-war period. For this reason, many German citizens do not favor Kiefer or his work. They found this offensive and bold, because it emphasized controversial topics that were recurrently avoided in conversation. (“Anselm Kiefer”)

Noted for his use of original materials, Kiefer was one of the first to use things like straw and glass. He was very partial to the use of natural materials because of the qualities it held regarding the making of art. Soon after this, Kiefer began to gain international acknowledgement for his work. This is partially due to his belonging to the Neo-Expressionist movement that swept the globe during this period (“Anselm Kiefer”).

Kiefer is also noted for his work in filmmaking. Many of his films could be considered more poetic than entertaining. One review speaks of the very set up of his work in a theatrical sense and maintains that the characters are “acting out memory” depicting events of the past. (Brailovsky, 138).

History and Art

Kiefer is noted for his manipulation of art to tell of the unspoken history of Germany. He brought out the negative and gruesome side of the nation that none of its citizens wanted to address. German history is an ideal topic for such works of art because of its deep roots. This is something that Kiefer used to his own advantage to manipulate his art into pieces of consideration. His work is powerful enough to make nearly any observer stop and ponder the underlying message. These paintings and other works forced people, not only in Germany, but also around the world to reflect on Germany’s mistakes during the war. (Lay, 2).

Kiefer’s work could be considered an attempt to obliviate the barrier of censorship that was highly utilized in conversation about German history. Often when a certain subject is particularly uncomfortable it becomes censored, accepted for how it is presented, and then everyone moves on. People do not want to address the flaws in the history of their ancestors, therefore they trim it down to the core to simply get the story across and move on. Kiefer challenged this system in that his art forced many people to stop and consider the wrongs that constructed the history of Germany, not just the highlights.

Conclusion

To say in the least, Anselm Kiefer had a very influential past. From an everyday German family, he developed into a world-famous artist. He is often referred to as a historical artist because of his reference to German history in much of his work. Because he brought out the more oppressive side of Germany during WWII, his work was controversial and provocative. In many ways, he brought attention to the way that society tends to censor negative factors when it comes to their ancestors and cast all censorship out the window in his works. He is also noted for his use of original materials, as this revolutionized art in many ways. Kiefer was born to be an artist and he utilized that talent to shake not only Germany, but also the rest of the world.

  

Works Cited

“Anselm Kiefer.” The Art Story Modern Art Insight. http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kieferanselm.htm (October 31, 2016).

Anna Brailovsky. 2001. “The Epic Tableau:Verfremdungseffekte in Anselm Kiefer’s Varus.” p.115-135. (November 17, 2016).

Paul Lay. November 2014. “History Today.” From the Editor. P.2. (November 17, 2016).

Jose Guadalupe Posada

Matthew Medlin

Freshmen Seminar

Dr. Eric Smith

Jose Guadalupe Posada

            Jose Guadalupe Posada was born on February 2^nd, 1852 in Aguascalientes Mexico. He didn’t receive a high level of education, but he did get an elementary education from his brother Jose Cirilo who was a teacher for an elementary school. His main inspiration was Latin American Artist, he also focused on satirist as most of his artwork had a political root. Jose did a lot of artwork that consisting of skeletons and skulls, by doing that he is showing the symbolism that everyone is the same on the inside.

            His first job as a teenager was political cartoonist for his local newspaper El Jicote “The Bumblebee”.  The paper later closed after 11 different problems arose the major one that put the nail in the coffin being when Posada mocked the large political figure in the town. After the business was shutdown Posada moved for obvious reasons to Leon, Guanajuato. There he started another business with one of the worker from his last job as a cartoonist, the co-worker taught him how to screen print and eventually turn it into a commercial illustration shop. After Posada moved to Leon he got married on September 20, 1875 to Maria de Jesús Vela. The shop where he worked with his former associate did very well until a massive flood hit in 1888 when it was lost and Posada moved to Mexico City where he worked with La Patria Ilustrada. Later he then Joined a publishing firm that was owned by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. While working there he made several well know book covers and other printings. Posada was basically forgotten in the later years of his life and wasn’t given credit for his work until after his death in 1913. He gained most of his fame when the French artist Jean Charlot brought his printings into the light in the 1920’s. After that Posada’s printings became very popular and still is to this day for his political cartoons and printings to this day.

            Most of his artworks consisted of using skeletons in his cartoons to symbolize that we are all human and when it comes down to it that we are all made of the same things. But that the way we are brought up and the culture that we are submerge in changes us and what we become and how we act. With his uses of skeletons and skulls in almost all of his artworks they became used a lot in the Mexican Day of the Dead. His works are used all throughout the celebrations and festivals. One of his most used artworks being La Calavera Catrina which depicts the skeleton of an upper-class woman. It is a piece of satire which says to me that no matter how much money you have or how rich you are we are all going to die. And after death we are all on the same level as we all turn into bones and dust in the ground, death levels the field for all people no matter where you came from or what power you held. I think that Posada gain this inspiration from being raised in a poorer family and growing up to be surrounded by people with political power and money to depict the way others live their lives. His artwork is still very much relevant to today’s time and age as people still suffer from people with political power dictating who they must live their lives and controlling their means of income. In my point of view I see that Posada bases his work on a never-ending problem that has always been there ever since the history of man and government. One person or one group of people in the world somewhere gain too much power and can’t handle it and let it take over. But once death grabs them they are just they are just the same as the people they controlled and death doesn’t care who it takes.

Caistor, N. (2016, November, 1). Jose Guadalupe Posada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Guadalupe_Posada

James Ensor

                            

James Ensor is a Belgian artist, he was known as one of the greatest 19^th century realists, a pioneer of modern art in Belgium. He was a very extremely talented colorist.  He did art is whole life pretty much, he would go get lessons from the local drawing school, and in the summers he painted nature on pink cardboard. He started the artist association Les Vingt with some of the people he went to school with.  Some people view his work as scandalous; I personally think his works are beautiful. Painting, drawing, and printmaking, each one with more character, breaking the border of naturalism in his time. He didn’t just use those as his medium though. Ensor played around with the qualities of light, and line. Some of his most famous works are The Entry of Christ into Brussels, which is oil paints on canvas, The Oyster-eater. These two pieces of works are amazing to me, especially The Entry of Christ; the detail that he adds is remarkable. Every person in it does not look the same. Something makes all of them individuals and it stands out. And how he has Jesus just standing in the middle, no one noticing him at all. He also made Jesus smaller than most of the others in the painting, showing that being small you will get lost in the midst of all the big people. I feel like Ensor portrays himself as Jesus here, because of that reason. It makes me feel like Ensor is trying to show through the painting artistic isolation. The Oyster-eater when I look at it, it makes me smile. She is just sitting there at the table herself, enjoying it, probably after a hard day of doing chores around the house. It makes me happy seeing him paint a woman happy in that time, doing something that she wanted to do with no one telling her otherwise. A couple of my favorites are The Bathing Hut, The Frightful Musicians, and Doctrinal Nourishment. The Bathing Hut is one of his seascapes. All of them are gorgeous, but this one stands out to me the most. It is the simplicity of it; there is not much color, just the neutral shades. How everything just blends together really. The Frightful Musicians is just whole bunch of crazy characters playing instruments. They all have either a head or a body of an animal, and an instruments. It is a lively piece and I find it funny. He has a great color scheme in this piece, even though there is a lot of red it all goes together, because all the other colors cancel it out. Finally the last piece is Doctrinal Nourishment. It is very clear that this is a political piece of his, with the higher ups, sitting crouching on a brick wall pooping into the mouths, and onto the people below them. It is a dark colored piece, but the splashed of yellow brings it out. You can see the etchings in the painting, and his brush strokes, which brings it to life almost. This piece speaks a lot to me, because it clearly has a story behind it. The people are taking the higher ups shit, literally in this piece and they keep letting them. It’s the church doing it, like the pope, and the bishop. I do like it because it is also comical in a way. All of Ensor’s pieces are great works, I do love them all. So much creativity behind them, he uses great color schemes that bring his works to life, making them pop right of the canvas.