Research Paper on "Historical Works of Art"

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The surrealist Belgian artist, Magritte, spoke about the piece of art while being interviewed on the radio back in 1965. He said that you could at least see part of the face but that the rest was obscured by the apple. That is how life works. You see something but you can't see everything. We are always trying to see what is hidden, but even when we find it we discover that now there is something else that is obscured. Humankind has a large interest in that which we can't see. This interest can be a rather intense emotional experience, an inner conflict between the known and unknown (Asad123 2011).

The Son of Man is definitely an interesting painting since it shares the name of the Messianic title as given to Jesus in the New Testament. Using that as reference it is possible to discern a frustration with seeking religious truths but being unable to get answers because your vision is obstructed. The apple is annoying but not totally obstructing. The peeking face from behind tells that there is hope for those who look close enough. However, as has previously been discussed. Once one truth has been learned, another truth becomes obscure and needs to be sought out. It is an endless cycle and is very well represented by the man with the hat. The man is truth and the complete image is forever out of our grasp.

Comparing and Contrasting the Three Artistic Works

The most helpful and beneficial trait a connoisseur can have in examining art and its history is experience. Throughout a person's career they will learn and gain the expertise in regards to style and technique in order to fully dissect a piece of art. The eagle like vision the art historian gains is incredibly helpful for recognizing idiosyncrasies that are pertinent to an artist's work. Using this knowledge the historian can create a unique signature that defines an artist's particular style and can help examine their other works. These signatures include everything from materials used to the techniques used with the brush. The signature contains influences from all relevant disciplines and can act as a standard for which all other data can be measured (Getty 1995).

Symbolic representation is a vital part of art and is present in all three pieces examined in this paper. In the Son of Man painting there are clear references to Genesis in the Bible. The apple being he fruit that Lucifer used to tempt both Adam and Eve. Additionally the Son of Man is the title given to the Messiah in the Bible. Of course, there could be no meaning behind this symbolism and it could just be a ploy to throw critics in the wrong direction. The painting was featured in the remake of the film "Thomas Crown Affair" as well as in the movies "Stranger than Fiction," and "Days of Summer." The painting has had a large movie career and has made more film appearances than some actors (Totallyhistory.com 2015).

In the Days of the Gods piece there is also heavy symbolism at work. The central statue, the idol of Hina, is a very real thing. However, it seems that Gauguin, the artist, did not necessarily receive this knowledge from traditions in Tahiti or the other Pacific Islands, but rather from South East Asian stereotypes. Thus it is easy to conclude that the statue does not represent Hina but any religion that is different from Christianity. The idol is a symbol for the outside religions that are foreign to many in the western world (Richard 1987).

The last painting differs from the other two greatly both in terms of themes and meaning. "Water Lilies" is a piece of art that is considered landscape subject matter. It is a large number of water lilies on a pond after all. This type of art is hugely popular and important in the Royal French Academy. The artwork was still not done in the traditional manner though. The light and delicate painting techniques gives off an incredible serene, relaxing and almost dream like feeling. It certainly does not feel like traditional landscape artfound else where in France during those times (Lomponi 2011).

Out of the three paintings dissected in this paper, "The Son of Man" and "Day of the God" share a lot more similarities with each other than with "Water Lilies." They both share overarching religious themes, but the representation of each case is vastly different. In contrast, "Water Lilies" is untraditional landscape art that shares the same symbolic character of the other two. All three pieces share the same expression based on the paint color of the piece. All three pieces used color as a defined tool to pull out the meaning and symbolism in the art. While we do study the artist and seek to find commonalities in their work unique to their signatures, it is important not to impose our historical biases on their work. One should remember that just because a color carries certain symbolism with it today does not mean that it had the same meaning in the past. Fugitive colors today were not fugitive colors in the 19th century. Additionally, it is also wrongful to assume that historical artists did not use stable colors simply due to their unavailability. The painter may very well have chosen to specifically use substituted materials from the colormen (Getty 1995).

The religious themes of the first and last paintings were powerful even though they represented vastly different religions. They both had the concept of deity and references to very specific religious traditions and practices, i.e. The apple and the idol. The landscape painting of the water lilies did not share nearly as much with the other two as they did with each other. A huge overarching theme that was present in all three pieces was self-reflection. It was achieved in different ways but the emotional response from all three pieces cause reflection on the self and what we know. The first painting caused a reflection on the life cycle and our purpose, the second provided a serene environment and sentiment, and the final piece caused us to ponder our personal journey for truth.

Conclusion

In our effort to seek ultimate knowledge in regards to paint history, it is important to broaden our minds and make use of all the different disciplines available to us. We can't place all of our focus on one inquiry. Using the multi-disciplinary approach will allow us to step outside our own comfort zones and gain knowledge we did not have before. Our knowledge and understanding of art and its history will be enriched and so will our experience with art. Through this approach we will be able to set aside old assumptions and question the facts in order to withdraw more truth and knowledge.

Bibliography

Asad123. 2011. '"The Son of Man" - Rene Magritte Painting Analysis - Asad123's Blog'. http://asad123.com/2011/11/30/painting-analysis-the-son-of-man-rene-magritte/

Gauguin, Paul. 1894. Day ofthe God (Mahana No Atua). Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection.

Getty, Paul. 1995. Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice. 2nd ed. Allen… READ MORE