Lauren's Art Exploration Blog

The AIDS epidemic was first reported as of June 5th, 1981. Little was known about the disease and severity of it at the time, but it would soon become a wide spread and isolating condition. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. It is a life threatening disease evolved from contracting HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus. If HIV is left untreated, it can become AIDS. AIDS was prominently seen within LGBTQ+ men, especially young men. These groups had a higher risk of contracting the disease, and due to the lack of acceptance of LGBTQ+ people during this time period, this led to even more ostricization for many gay and bisexual men. Below we will see works of art from 3 different artists, some that lived and died with AIDS and others that witnessed the effects of the disease on the people around them.  Above we see a work of art by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.). This work was done in 1991. This installation is housed in the Art Institute of Chicago

Dada is an art form that was coined and created in Zurich, Switzerland in 1916.  A small group of artists hung out in Cabaret Voltaire and expressed and tried out new, absurd styles of art. It was here that the ideas were spread, influencing other artists around the world. Dada was an art movement that rejected traditional art forms because such traditionalist ideals had led to such a grand scale war. World War 1 was unfathomable to most people and artists were no different. The Dada art movement was started in the midst of WW1 and there are many works of art that were not only inspired by the horrors of war, but ridiculed it.  The artwork pictured below is   Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale by Max Ernst.  This piece is oil with painted wood elements and cut-and-pasted printed paper on wood with wood frame. It was made in 1924 and measures 69.8 x 57.1 x 11.4 cm. From what I have gathered it was created in Paris and is currently housed at The Museum of Modern Art in New York

Impressionism The painting shown below is Poplars  by Claude Monet. This work was done in 1891 with oil on canvas.  The painting measures by 93x74.1 cm. It was painted in Giverny, France in the Epte River.  This work is beautiful. The colors Monet uses are stunning and it adds visual interest to the piece, as we are well aware poplar trees are not pink. But because of this color choice, it lends information to the viewer about this very specific frame of time the artist may have been painting it. We see through Monet's eyes at this momentary glance. The composition is quite engaging too. There are 3 trees off center to the left. My eye is drawn to the bottom right corner initially, and then dragged up across the 3 trees. I also think it is interesting because the number 3 has long been considered a symbol of luck and fortune. The quick and airy brushstrokes here are very evident of the impressionist art style.    The painting shown below is The Bellelli Family by Edgar Degas. This

The painting shown below is  The Swing  by  Jean-Honoré Fragonard. This painting was done in  1767 using oil on canvas. It measures 81 x 64.2 cm. This painting above is from the Rococo period. In it, we see a well dressed woman on a swing, front and center. Behind her a man pushes the swing. Below, in the bushes in front of the woman, is a man looking up at her as she lifts her legs in order to show him under her skirt. As you can tell, the painting shows well dressed, wealthy people in a very playful, sexualized manner. Although there is no skin bared in the image, the action being portrayed is very lustful and cheeky. In this image, our focus is pinpointed directly on the woman in the swing. The bright pink and white of her dress stands out amongst the blue and greens of the forest surrounding her. Her dress looks very fluid with the movement of the swing. The shape and color of the dress remind me of a rose, which could be associated with love. Below the swing, there is two baby cup

  The painting shown below is "Fruit and Insects" by Rachel Ruysch. The work of art was produced in 1711 and is currently housed at The Uffizi Museum in Florence, Italy. This piece was crafted on wood using oil paints.  At first glance, this work of art appears to be a produce still life. But upon closer inspection, you will notice the hidden gems that tie Ruysch's work to the expansion of science during the Baroque time period. This painting incorporates insects, lizards, and even bird nests and eggs. The artist does this seamlessly, considering I don't often picture my produce with reptiles and insects surrounding them. That statement itself, may showcase a problem with the modern world. These species are often found among gardens, farms, and areas where these types of fruits are grown. I think this painting pulls me towards a world before the influence of industrialization. It feels simple and natural. I suppose it feels more connected to the Earth, as we do see ac

The painting shown below is "Primavera" by Alessandro Botticelli. The work of art was produced in 1480 and is currently housed at The Uffizi Museum. This piece was crafted on a poplar wood backing using tempera paint.  This work is so breathtaking. The detail that Botticelli captures in the painting is almost hard to believe. Specifically, the translucent fabric effect that he pulls off so effortlessly. His use of very dark color in the background makes the figures pop out, making their skin looks radiant and shimmery, almost gold-like. The array of flora in the scene is quite incredible. There have been at least 138 different species of plants identified within this piece, all of them being accurately portrayed by Botticelli. This painting is titled "Primavera", which means Spring when translated from Italian. The artists' use of mythological symbolism here is apparent as we see Zephyrus, God of the West Wind, taking Chloris (nymph of spring). She is then trans