Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Arts and Humanities

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Bernini

Classification

Figurative group sculpture in the round representing a scene within a relatable space.

Composition

The sculpture features two figures: one standing (an angel) and one semi-reclining (Saint Teresa). The composition is characteristically Baroque, defined by two opposing curved lines. The angel is positioned higher and vertically, creating a slightly open composition that extends into the surrounding space. The artist uses four reinforcing resources: the flowing lines of the garments, the expressive gesture of the saint, the chosen moment of action, and the dramatic use of light, which enters through a yellow glass, creating a theatrical effect. Anatomical proportions are realistic, and the varied... Continue reading "Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa: Baroque Sculpture Analysis" »

Kandinsky and the Dawn of Abstraction

Wassily Kandinsky is widely considered the father of abstract art. His work, including Composition IV, belongs to a series of completely abstract pieces.

Analyzing Composition IV

The style of Composition IV depicts an abstract battle, potentially inspired by knights or fairy tales, interpreted as a dynamic struggle between pictorial elements. Yellow confronts blue, and straight lines contrast with curved lines. While some identifiable elements might seem present initially, Kandinsky's methods tend to dissolve them, focusing instead on the contrast of colors within fluid contours.

In the center, a blue mountain appears, crowned by a castle's silhouette. Fighting knights are also depicted. Kandinsky aimed for... Continue reading "Composition IV: Kandinsky's Abstract Symphony" »

The Last Judgment

Chronology

1534-1541

Style

Renaissance style, Cinquecento period. Artist: Michelangelo. Technique: Fresco. Support: Wall. Location: Sistine Chapel, Vatican City.

• Consolidation of oil painting and introduction of new media like canvas (Flemish influence).
• Figures emphasize eyes and hands.
• Use of chiaroscuro (defines figure contours through light and shadow).
• Influence of Leonardo's sfumato and scientific perspective.
• Michelangelo's emphasis on terribilità in the Sistine Chapel.

Technique and Composition

Michelangelo meticulously prepared drawings for each figure, showcasing his anatomical knowledge. The figures possess a sculptural quality, appearing powerful, vigorous, and imbued with terribilità. Their contorted and unbalanced positions... Continue reading "The Last Judgment: A Detailed Analysis" »

Avant-Garde Movements

Avant-garde movements provide in their manifestos a break with all previous aesthetics in an attempt to radically transform traditional conceptions of art and literature. Fundamentally developed in the period of the twentieth century between wars, major movements include:

Futurism

Futurism proposes to break with classical values and traditions, imposing a Nietzschean vitalism that exalts risk and violence, progress, and the modern world. It breaks with traditional literary language; the lexicon can be created on a whim, and punctuation is dismantled.

Cubism

Cubism emerges as a pictorial current, expressing intellectual reality through geometric figures. It decomposes literary reality and then remakes it through a collage technique,... Continue reading "Avant-Garde Movements: Futurism, Cubism, Dadaism & Surrealism" »

The Realist movement in Spanish literature, particularly prominent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, saw a rise of narrators who meticulously depicted contemporary society, regional customs, and psychological depths. Here, we highlight some of the most significant figures of this period.

José María de Pereda

Born in Cantabria, José María de Pereda stands out for his vivid portrayal of local types and backgrounds, particularly for the grandeur with which he captured the nature and landscapes of his homeland in his novels. His most relevant works include:

• Sotileza: A compelling sea novel.
• Peñas Arriba: Depicting the rural mountain world, where the beauty and customs of the village people captivate the young Marcelo, who has arrived

The Radio Medium

Radio is a medium designed to inform, entertain, and accompany the listener.

Radio Models and Programming

• Funding: Radio stations differ by receiving funding (public and private).
• Territorial Coverage: Stations vary by coverage (autonomic, state, or local).
• Programming Types:
  • Generalist: Offers varied programming including news, magazines, contests, musical segments, sports, and cultural content (e.g., Onda Cero).
  • Specialized: Broadcasts mono-content intended for a very specific audience (e.g., informative, musical). This includes theme radio (always on a single topic, e.g., Eje 40p.).
  • Radiofórmula: Follows a single program scheme.
  • Mixed or Hybrid: A specialized station that also features different content (e.g., Rivera Radio Axis)

Avant-Garde Movements: A Reaction to Tradition

A series of influential movements across Europe reacted against romantic subjectivism and traditional realism, profoundly shaping modern art and literature.

Futurism: Embracing the New Century

Futurism championed the neglect of emotional and 'romantic' issues, instead admiring the technical advances of the new century: machines, industry, and sports.

Cubism: Pictorial Breakdown of Reality

Cubism was a movement that sought the pictorial breakdown of traditional images into various angles and perspectives. It emerged through the paintings of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Juan Gris. Its literary adapter was the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, inventor of the calligrams.

Dadaism: Breaking with Bourgeois

Culteranismo (Góngora)

Seeks to cultivate beauty and impress the reader's senses with light, heat, and sound.

• Features: hyperbaton; metaphors; cultism (use of words from Latin or Greek); adjectives (color, sound, appearance); mythology (subjects taken from Greek and Latin mythology).

Conceptismo (Quevedo)

Explores the meaning of words, wit, and clever puns that surprise the reader by the accumulation of reasoning.

• Features: metaphors based on ingenious partnerships; neologisms (creating words with prefixes and suffixes); antithesis (presentation of competing ideas); hyperbole (exaggeration); ornamental adjectives but not conceptual.

Characteristics of Lope de Vega's Theater

• Themes and issues: issues like love, honor, religious and monarchical ideals.

Piet Mondrian's Composition: An Analysis

Table II: Details of the Artwork

Author: Mondrian, Piet

Dated: 1921 - 1925

Style: Neoplasticism

• Rejection of texture, surface, and light qualities.
• Reduced palette to primary colors.
• Flat surface must only contain planar elements.
• Removal of curved lines.
• Presence of straight lines.

Technique: Oil

Support: Canvas

Current Location: Max Bill collection in Zurich

Topic: Squares, Rectangles, and Primary Colors

Squares and rectangles of various sizes accommodate mass and bright primary colors, combining to form a closed fabric that meets the surface of the canvas.

Formal Elements

The composition is divided into colored zones of squares and rectangles, some larger than others, creating a structure that prints a great deal... Continue reading "De Stijl: Mondrian's Neoplasticism & Primary Colors" »