OSKAR KOKOSCHKA - THE TEMPEST

THIS IS THE FAMOUS 'TEMPEST' BY THE KNOWN AUSTRIAN PAINTER, OSKAR KOKOSCHKA. HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL EXPRESSIONIST ARTIST.THIS PAINTING EXPLORES THE DESTRUCTIVE LOVE AFFAIR, WHICH WAS HIS LOVE AFFAIR. COLOURFUL, SHARP BRUSHES OF PAINT ARE USED TO ILLUSTRATE THE PAINTING, LIKE KOKOSCHKA TOOK OUT HIS ANGER ON THE PAINTING WITH HARSH BRUSH STROKES, ALREADY EMPOWERING EMOTION. HE HAS A HIGH REPUTATION EVEN THOUGH HE REBELLED AGAINST PROPER SOCIETY, SUCH AS SHAVING HIS HAIR. HE TRIED TO UNDERMINED  AND CORRUPT ORDER IN SOCIETY AND CHANGE IT. HIS AFFAIR WAS WITH A WOMAN CALLED ELMA. HE WAS DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH HER, SO MUCH IN LOVE HE WOULD GET JEALOUS VERY EASY. THE PAINTING IS INSPIRED THEY TOOK TO ITALY AS THEY FOUND THEMSELVES IN A SEA STORM THE THICK BRUSH STROKES . MAKES THE PAINTING FEEL TENSE AND GIVES A BITTER EMOTION. THIS PAINTING EXPRESSES HUGE DEEP BROKEN LOVE, BROKEN TRUST. HIS TENSED BODY POSITION, MADE UP OF SHORT BRUSH STROKES, CONVEYS PAIN AND SADNESS LIKE A CORPS.

KATHE KOLLWITZ - A WOMANS STRUGGLE FOR A CHILD

KATHE KOLLWITZ WAS A SUCCESSFUL FEMALE ARTIST, BORN AND RAISED IN GERMANY. BECOMING AN ARTIST WAS A BIG SOCIAL RISK FOR A WOMAN AT THE TIME, IT COULD OF EITHER GONE TWO WAYS, UNSUCCESSFUL AND PENNILESS OR SUCCESSFUL, FAMOUS AND RICH. AND THATS WHAT KATHE TALENT CAREER INHALED, SUCCESS. SHE TRAINED AT THE BERLIN ART SCHOOL, A KNOWN SUCCESSFUL ART SCHOOL. SHE WAS MARRIED TO A WEALTHY DOCTOR AND CAME FROM A MIDDLECLASS FAMILY. KATHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE STRONG SUPPORTERS OF COMMUNISM, HOWEVER THIS SOON ENDED AS THEY DISAGREED WITH WHAT SOME OF COMMUNISM STOOD FOR. THIS PAINTING IS NAMED 'A WOMANS STRUGGLE FOR A CHILD' EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A MOTHER AND CHILD. THE MOTHER IS SEEN HOLDING A DEAD CHILD, EXPRESSING SELF LOATHING AND STRONG HEARTBREAK. AS MOTHER AND CHILD IS A STRONG UNBREAKABLE RELATIONSHIP. THE FACT THAT KOLLWITZ HAS USE MONOCHROME TO EXPRESS THIS PAINTING MAKES THE SUBJECT MORE DEEP AND EVEN SCARY, THE FACES AND BODY ARE SLIGHTLY DISFIGURED THIS MAKES YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE LOOKING AT THE PAINTING. I LOVE THE DARK SHADOWING AND BLACK AROUND THE EYES. IT EXPRESSES HEARTBREAK AS THIS IS WERE WE USUALLY NOTICE WHEN SOMEONE IS SAD, FROM TEARS. BUT HERE SHE HAS USE BLACK, WHICH WE ASSOCAITE WITH MORBID, SADNESS AND DARK FEELINGS. I LOVE HOW SHE HAS EXPRESSED THE FEELINGS.

EDVARD MUNCH - THE SCREAM

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC EXPRESSIONISM PAINTINGS. CALLED 'THE SCREAM' THIS PAINTING LOOKS AT MENTAL HEALTH AND INNER DARK FEELINGS MOST OTHER ARTISTS IGNORE. THE FIGURE IS PAINTED IN A WAVE LIKE MOTION THIS EXPRESSES THE SCREAM AND INNER TORMENT OF A HUMAN. THE FACE IS PAINTED LIKE ITS ACTUALLY SCREAMING AS IF YOU  CAN HEAR IT. I LOVE THE BRIGHT COLOURS USED IN THE SKY AND HOW IT CONTRASTS WITH THE DARK BLUES, BLACK AND GREY COLOURS USED TO ILLUSTRATE THE LANDSCAPE THE WORLD AROUND THE FIGURE. THE ANGLE USE OF CREATING, WHAT SEEMS TO BE A PIER GIVES THE PAINTING A SENSE OF MOVEMENT AND ENERGY. THE TWO FIGURES IN THE BLACK HELP CREATE DISTANCE IN THIS PAINTING.

PABLO PICASSO - WEEPING WOMAN

THIS PIECE IS CALLED 'THE WEEPING WOMAN' FROM 1937. THIS IS FROM PICASSO'S CUBISM PERIOD. THIS PAINTING IS OF ONE OF HIS MISTRESSES. SHE WAS HIS MISTRESS FROM 1936 TO 1944. HE PAINTED HER AS WEEPING WOMAN AS HE EXPLAIN HE BELIEVES WOMEN WERE SUFFERING MACHINE AND HE FELT LIKE SHE WAS WEEPING WOMAN. HE PAINTED THE MISTRESS, DORA IS VARIOUS WAYS SOME IN CUBISM, SOME IN NATURAL CLASSICAL PAINTS. HE LOVED THE IDEA OF CUBISM, THIS IS ONE OF HIS MORE ELABORATE PIECES. I LOVE THIS PIECE BECAUSE YOU CAN STILL MAKE OUT THAT IS A WOMAN CRYING AND I LOVED THE DEFINED LINES TO CREATE SHAPES ON HER FACE MAKING THE PIECE AND EMOTION FEEL EDGY. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF MOVEMENT IN THIS PAINTING BECAUSE HE HAS USED LOTS OF ANGLED SHAPES. THE BRIGHT COLOURS CONTRAST WITH THE EMOTIONS HES TRYING TO CONVEY AND I LIKE THIS, IT MAKES THE PIECE MUCH MORE INTERESTING.  

PABLO PICASSO - BLUE PERIOD

THIS IS A FAMOUS PAINTING FROM PABLO PICASSO BEFORE HE STARTED EXPLORING CUBISM. THIS PAINTING IS CALLED 'THE OLD GUITARIST' THIS IS FROM PICASSO'S BLUE PERIOD WHEN HE USED A LOT OF DIFFERENT SHADES OF BLUE, GREY'S, BLACKS AND DULL COLOURS TO REPRESENT EMOTION. THIS IS WAS THE FIRST TIME BLUE HAD BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION, DEATH AND GRIEF. PICASSO'S BLUE PERIOD STARTED AFTER HIS BEST FRIEND, A FELLOW ARTIST KILLED HIMSELF IN A CAFE IN PARIS. THIS PERIOD OPENED UP NEW DOORS FOR HIM, HIS NAME GREW BIGGER AND MORE KNOWN. HE SUDDENLY STARTED GETTING THE RESPECT AND APPRECIATION HE DESERVED. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS PAINTING IS THAT PICASSO HAS MADE THE OLD GUITARIST LOOK FRAIL AND SKINNY, THIS MAKES ME THINK THE PICASSO IS NOT ALL EXPLORING PHYSICAL FEATURES BUT HOW YOU CAN BE MENTALLY FRAIL AFTER A PASTING OF A FRIEND OR RELATIVE. THE FACT THAT THE MAN IS LOOKING DOWN MAKES YOU FEEL SORRY FOR THE MAN, MAKING YOU FEEL EMOTIONAL AND THIS WHAT PICASSO WANTED.

YINKA SHONIBARE - BLACK AND GOLD II

THIS IS A PIECE BY YINKA SHONIBARE, AN ARTIST IVE BEEN RESEARCHING FOR A GROUP FASHION UNIT. THIS PIECE IS FROM 2006, SO ITS A MODERN PIECE OF ART. MADE UP OF 25 DUTCH WAX CANVAS, THE PATTERNS ON THE CANVAS' WERE MADE BY THE TECHNIQUE BATIK. I LOVE THIS MODERN PIECE BECAUSE IT MORE ABSTRACT AND DOESNT SEEM TO HAVE A MEANING BEHIND IT. I LOVE THE FACT IT COVERS A WHOLE WALL WITH THE BLACK SPLATTERED PAINT BEHIND THE CANVAS'. I LIKE THE VARIOUS SIZES THE CIRCLE CANVAS AND THE BRIGHT COLOURS USED TO STAND OUT ON TOP OF THE BLACK PAINT. 

YINKA SHONIBARE QUOTE - 'The piece (Black Gold II 2006) is literally like a sort of oil splash on the wall, with black and gold painted onto the fabrics. I was just thinking about oil becoming a rare commodity—a source of wars because of its rarity. It’s just oil as black gold, but the explosive impact of oil on people’s lives can be traced back to oil'