Art has been relevant for centuries and is continually progressing. Of course it may be aesthetically appealing and we all “like” it, but what purpose does it serve? I believe the purpose of art is to tell people a story through each piece.

Early Modern

Early Modern came at a time that allowed it to be heavily influenced by WWI.

Visual Art

Art took a major turn during this time as artists begun telling the story of what was happening in the world by promoting movements through their art.

Dada was an anti-war movement presented through art. This is one of the first pieces that directed their focus more towards making a point and less towards being aesthetically appealing.

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This is a collage the Dada used to initiate their movement. This piece clearly tells a story through the different images they chose to use. I personally find this piece very attention grabbing due to the many different elements there are to observe.

Music

Charles Ives was an American composer, most recognized in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was most popular for his song The Fourth of July.

I couldn’t help but find the song confusing and almost creepy. The title The Fourth of July lead me to believe it would have happier tones but all I felt was someone creeping down he stairs in a scary movie. Regardless of my negative opinions on the song, I still feel it told a story through the different variety of tones used throughout.

Theater

Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian play writer with a continuously evolving style. Towards the end of his career, Ibsen begun to focus on a more self-reflective style with older characters reflecting on the things they’ve done throughout their lives.

Ibsen was most famous for his work A Doll’s House, which was about a woman who struggled the balance of being a wife and a mother while still fulfilling her own needs. I find this incredible simply because even though times are very different, this struggle is still very relevant with many women today. Clearly, this play tells a story as it is, well, a story.

Present

Today, art is still very relevant, though it has clearly changed as most things do. Art still manages to tell a story through each piece, though.

Architecture

Frank Gehry is a well known architect who has done phenomenal work for years. He is well known for many pieces, such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California.

Foundation Louis Vuitton – Paris

More recently, Gehry created the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris. This was completed in 2014. I love many works of Gehry due to his unique abilities and the way he pairs it with simplicity. I feel this piece displays that style very well. Architecture still tells a story through the shapes and color schemes used. This piece uses a neutral color and sharp lines which to me displays a story of elegance prior to walking in the building.

Music

Music is something that has undoubtably changed since the Early Modern era. The most commonly listed to type is not likely to be an orchestra anymore.

Needtobreathe

Though there are many different styles and artists to choose from, one of my more recent favorite songs is Something Beautiful by Needtobreathe. I find the tone soothing, the words relatable, and all aspects of the song enjoyable. This song tells a story through the words and the tone.

Film

Though film is displayed very differently today than it once was, it still tells a story just like it once did. Some stories being told today were once told through plays in other eras.

One recent movie is Wanderlust with Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston. This movie, just like the play A Doll’s House, is about self-reflection and balancing life with what you truly need as a person. I find this extremely interesting simply because you wouldn’t think people would worry about the things they did centuries ago, but we do. Not to mention, how can one not love a movie with Jennifer Aniston?

Works Cited

“Charles Ives.” Charles Ives – Short Biography – Music Sales Classical. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

“Dada Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

“Henrik Ibsen.” Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Sokol, David. “28 Spectacular Buildings by Frank Gehry.” Architectural Digest. N.p., 01 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Non-Western

Non-Western pieces are those not created in Europe or America.

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo is a Mexican artists who became well known for her self-portraits. She begun painting after she was injured in a bus accident as a teenager. Kahlo was very successful at depicting emotions and pain through her self-portraits.

Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress – 1926

Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress was Kahlo’s very first self-portrait. The intentions of this portrait was to display herself as a princess in hopes of repairing a broken relationship. I find the elements she chose to highlight on herself interesting.

Though she may look disproportionate to me, maybe she felt her neck made her beautiful. I also find it interesting she chose to not include jewelry in this portrait as she does in others. She successfully portraits feminism without feminine elements.

Self-Portrait – Time Flies – 1929

The self portrait above was created when Kahlo married her husband. She intended to display the way her new husband cherished her. She is also featured in a traditional Mexican costume which was consistent with the styles used in her husbands murals. This portrait sold for five million dollars in New York, making Kahlo the highest selling Latin American artist in history.

I find the comparison of this piece to the first interesting due to the elements she chose to highlight again or new ones, such as the blush. Perhaps this displays accentuated elements, such as a blush-like cheek, to show a more romanticized image of herself.

Self Portrait Between the Curtains – 1937

This piece was often called “Between the Curtains” and was created for Leon Trotsky as a gift. After an exile with Stalin, Kahlo’s husband convinced Mexico to grant Trotsky asylum. Trotsky and Kahlo had an affair once Trotsky begun staying with Kahlo and her husband. The affair ended and Trotsky and his wife left, leaving the painting behind as well. In 1938, this painting was displayed in Kahlo’s first solo exhibit.

I find the style of this piece interesting in comparison to her others. This piece, to me, seems more realistic. It is also a bigger image of the things surrounding her, such as herself being a focal point in a doorway. I also notice that she added the detail of flowers in her hair, likely to once again romanticize herself. I also notice she chose lighter tones in this piece, which to me shows she wanted the element of glowing to portray here.

Self Portrait with cropped hair

Shortly after Kahlo divorced her husband, she chose to rid herself of the feminine image she use to portray. By doing so, she displayed her desire for independence and lack of need for men.

It is hard for me to find this portrait aesthetically appealing. It is disproportionate and honestly an odd concept. I do, however, find the meaning to this piece be incredibly beautiful. We try so hard to display ourselves in a manner we think others will approve of. At some point we have to remember that self-love should always come first and sometimes the only way to do that is to push our limits, which in this case was chopping off her hair and taking away any feminine aspect of herself.

Overview

Kahlo shows a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the years in correlation to her life events. I find the different types of emotions she displays impressive simply because it cannot be easy for an artist to display multiple emotions through similar works.

Today, Kahlo is celebrated in Mexico for the attention she brought to Mexico for her culture and the feminism within.