My Kid Could Paint That

Also a feature on Animal Crossing game, The Gleaners by Jean François Millet showcases the realistic view of poverty within the society during the industrial time, but also displays a sympathetic view towards poor, low ranked peasants. However, this piece was a way to critique the unfair treatments of female laborers. The day he showcased this painting, it drew many negative comments from the French middle and upper class because it was a reminder that French society was built from the labor of working classes. On top of that, the fact that Millet created this piece in such a huge scale, depicting labor classes ended up making it worse for the public eye. 

Millet painted with oil on canvas and  divided the composition in half. the top half can be seen as a city where its clean and calm with pinkish blue skies. However, the bottom half of the painting, we can see the peasants working in an unlikeable setting. The ladies are set in a triangular composition from right arm of the women with the blue hat connecting to the women with green hat. They are also in the center as a focal point to strictly depict the poor working class within the painting. The colors are set in a neutral tone so that the women seem as if they are blended with the ground. 

In visions of the dark night

I have dreamed of joy departed

But a waking dream of life and light

Hath left me broken-Hearted.

Ah! what is not a dream by day

To him whose eyes are cast

On things around him with a ray

Turned back upon the past?

That holy dream- that holy dream,

While all the world were chiding,

Hath cheered me as a lovely beam

A lovnely spirit guiding.

What tough that light, thro' storm and night,

So trembled from afar

What could there be more purely bright

In Truth's day-star?

Jupiter and Thetis is based on the book of Iliad that begins with those who participated in the Trojan war, Agamemnon and Achilles. In their honor and bravery, Agamemnon, the king of Achaeans, and Achilles, the son of a sea nymph Thetis, both receivesprizes. Agamemnon, must give up his prize (Chryseis) in order to prevent a mass famine; Achilles was forced to give up his war prizes to Agamemnon. Feeling disrespected, Achilles prays to Thetis for his sorrow of losing his honor, and he begs his mother to speak to Zeus. Thetis manages to speak to Zeus and convinces him to do what she wishes.

Ingres portrays contrast between female and male power in the painting. This can be seen through the delicate and curviness of Thetis's body and the broad, muscular body of Zeus. It shows the dominance of male over female. However it's interesting how Thetis easily manipulates Zeus by her erotic hand gestures. She is gently stroking his beard and she's leaning closely onto him as Hera watches them. The triangular composition in the center of the painting slightly suggests triumph of Zeus's power, and halo-like faint black lines can be in the back of Zeus's head. The eagle resembles Zeus representing that the animal sees everything like the God himself. The color of Thetis's dress compliments the red cloth of Zeus and also contrasts the cobalt-blue sky. 

At last, the end of our senior year is just around the corner. Where all of us would soon split apart to live the life as an independent beings. We grew up in this school like siblings, caring and supporting each other. We shared generous amount of memes, hatred, laughter, and creating unforgettable memories that will forever last. There will be a feeling of emptiness after the ceremonies, but that  feeling exists so that you can make more new memories with the people you love in the near future.

I wish spent my time more wisely at this moment because as time goes by I feel more emotional to leave this place... I remember telling my 14-year=old self how time should go faster just because school was just a daily burden and a place to kill time. When really I shouldn't have complained and just treasured each moments of spending time with you all.

There will be tears and broken hearts on the last day of our high school year; but like an astronaut, we will float and wonder about what's ahead of us as we unfold our future little by little. I thank you for these precious memories that I will treasure and probably will laugh about before going to bed. I thank you for all the warm and fuzzy feelings of happiness you guys have given me. I thank you for  the grade dramas, chitchat sessions, and just pure confusion. Finally, I thank you all for all the numerous hugs for the past years and making me feel special for being myself. Since we have few more months left together (or more), I hope to build more unforgettable memories with you all.

Sincerely,

Nayoung 

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving, love ya guys.

Editor's Note: Students were asked to give a painting to someone they cared for. These are their moving responses.

Soft, smooth pastel-like textures and majestic poses of mythological creatures are one of Tiepolo's specialties. The Glorification of the Barbaro Family was originally a mere decoration for one of the rooms in Palazzo Barbaro owned by a patrician family of Venice. The family was wealthy and influential within the city, and the members include church leaders, diplomats, patrons of the arts, philosophers, scholars, and scientists. Within the painting, the elements that represent the Barbaro family can easily be spotted. In the center, we can see the Valor, which shows the triumph of power and courage, beside the lion, Fame blows trumpet as she holds the olive branch.  In he left right bottom corner we see Prudence holding a snake, and Nobility holding a statue of Minerva. Tieopolo's The Glorification of the Barbaro Family captures and introduces intelligence and hierarchy of those who are educated. 

Tiepolo an Italian painter has been labeled as the best decorative painter of the Rococo era and is well known for his innovative techniques for luminous finish. The painting above consists of many triangle compositions (for the focal figures), but also 3 out of 4 values of major composition: frieze, Convex and float. When seeing this painting in person at the Met, it impressed me how Tiepolo incorporated so many different color values using only seven different primaries. Although the colors aren't as bold or crisp as other artists, Tiepolo captures the attention of the viewers by using complimentary colors and smoothening the lines so that the whole painting becomes harmonious. 

Watusi, a popularized dance move during the 1960s, became an artistic inspiration for a late bloomer painter Alma Thomas. Thomas, an African-American, sees her world in a simpler form and any distraction is removed during the process of creating her work. Her colors are bold, and bright and resembles the nature in most of her works. Although her debut as an artist was delayed, she received numerous recognitions for her delicate but bold works in the world of modern art.

In order to understand her paintings deeper, the viewers must look at it in a bird's-eye view for most of her works. In Watusi (Hard Edge), she uses vivid and hard edges of shapes to portray the wild movement of the dancers in the center. The blues that surrounds the dancers in the center can be seen as the crowds. The color pallete of her choice for this painting is subtle, calm and pleasing to the eyes, and the use of her negative space gives the painting chances to breathe.

Sant'ivo, also known as the Palace of Wisdom, was created by Borromini in 1642 and was completed in 1660. His determination for Sant'ivo was much more grand than other projects he worked previously on. He wanted to make Sant'ivo a place to show his respect to God and express his emotions and ideas. Borromini's inspiration was deeply personal, which helped Borromini successfully complete his ideal church. 

Just like people say, Simple is better. Sant'ivo was aimed to be designed in simpler form, but main focus was put into the dome and the lantern. The dome was created with simple shapes that included triangles, circles, semi-circles, and curves to create depth and pentagram of alternating curves. The Dome was decorated with sculpted angels and stars. The interior wall was covered in white and gray paint to show purity. Although the Dome is short, it rises up to the lantern which was also known as tempietto at the time. It was designed in spiral form to lead up to an altar. The altar is topped with stone sculptures of torches that symbolize knowledge.