M. Grzybowski Art 200x blog

 Nonwestern Blog- Early Qing Dynasty China     China has a long history and centuries worth of art. I decided to focus on the traditional ink art paintings from the early Qing Dynasty. Wooded Mountains at Dusk , Kuncan, 1666, China     The Wooded Mountains at Dusk  is a beautiful work painted by the Buddhist artist Kuncan. Kuncan was a friend of poet-artists, and after visiting Yellow Mountain in southern Anhui Province he was inspired to paint and followed his friends' methods ( Wooded Mountains at Dusk ). The detailed use of lines, forming the landscape, and void space, appearing as a stream and mist, create foggy wooded mountains that offer a feeling of mystery and intrigue. This, combined with the poem ( translation ), gives a feeling of being present while giving you something to contemplate while enjoying the work. Viewing a waterfall from a mountain pavilion , Li Yin, 1700, Yangzhou, China          Another Stunning work is  Viewing a waterfall from a mountain pavilion. This

 Mid-Modern Art - Vietnam War     The Vietnam War, starting in 1955 and lasting for twenty years, was a highly impactful war that affected the  United States. The development of technology allowed the news about the battlefield, good or bad, to be more readily available to the public. This more public view of the war inspired many works of art. Swamp Patrol – Roger Blum, 1966         Swam Patrol  was an interesting piece of art made during the Vietnam Combat Art program depicting a unit patrolling the swamps. Something I like about the work is the use of cool and dark colors gives a feeling of tension to the work, especially considering that there was a real worry of booby traps. This tension is heightened by the feeling of insecurity with the use of thick and faded lines for the background trees, due to the lack of knowledge of what they hide.  Finally, placing the soldiers farther back in the work is also a good use of spacing to show how the unit patrolled in a swampy environment. 

 Influence of World War One on Early Modern Art           The first modern war, World War One, left impacts on those from all walks of life, whether it be those left at home and in the factories worrying about their loved ones, or the millions who fight and die on the battlefield. The catastrophic mixture of premodern tactics and modern influenced many things such as weapons, tactics, vehicles, medicine, and most importantly for us, art.   The La Mitrailleuse’  by CRW Nevinson, London, 1915     The  La Mitrailleuse’  is a work that I found interesting and shows how the war shifted the view of people on soldiers. The blues and greys accompanied by the angular features and shadowed eyes, show how "they appear almost like machines themselves, losing their individuality, even their humanity, as they seem to fuse with the machine gun which gives this painting its title"  ( 'La mitrailleuse', Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson, 1915 ). This rings especially true due to the