I don't know a world without conflict in the Middle East. The politics of the area are complex, and United States' military involvement has prompted much discussion and many differences in opinion about the area in general. Many of the opinions and thoughts we as American's hear are from fellow Americans. It seems like it … Continue reading Non-Western: Contemporary Iranian Art →

Graffiti has often received a bad rap, being seen as representing the underbelly of society. There exists, however, a difference between well thought out pieces of public street art and simple vandalism and tagging. When I was on academic exchange in Seville, Spain, an assignment in my photography class was to go out and capture … Continue reading Post Modern: Arte Urbano en Sevilla →

The Great Depression was undoubtedly a trying time for citizens across the United States. With the financial crisis leaving many people without any sort of job or income, many people were struggling simply to survive. Growing up in Alaska, it was easy to feel a bit disconnected from the history of The Great Depression. In … Continue reading Early Modern: The Great Depression →

When I hear the word "romantic," I automatically associate it with love, happy feelings, etc. So I was surprised to find that a number of Romantic artists painted scenes that were dark, grim, and outside of the realm of anything I'd deem "romantic." This blog will relate two dark works from Romantic artists Francisco de … Continue reading Romantic Era: The Dark and The Light →

For this blog I want to demonstrate how widely artistic interpretations can vary even if they are depicting the same subject during the same time period. Specifically this blog will cover artwork surrounding the American Revolution that was crafted during the neoclassical time period. I chose three distinct portraits of the American Revolutionary War hero … Continue reading Neoclassical: George Washington (s) →

Introduction Las Meninas, painted in 1656 by Diego Velázquez in Madrid, Spain, remains one of the most captivating paintings that I have seen to date. At first glance, perhaps the work doesn't seem any more interesting than any of the other masterpieces of the time, however upon further inspection, Las Meninas shows that it has many stories to tell, … Continue reading Baroque: Las Meninas →

Introduction When I think of famous statues of the biblical figure David, my mind instantly goes to the towering marble figure sculpted by Michelangelo. There exist, however, numerous depictions of David, including a bronze statue created by Donato di Niccolò Betto Bardi, who is more commonly referred to simply as Donatello. The David, made by Donatello … Continue reading Renaissance: Donatello’s David →

I'll be the first to admit that I can be easily bored in an art museum. It's not that I don't like the artwork, it's that I often feel like I am looking at essentially the same painting over, and over, and over again. Suffice to say this was the case when I first visited … Continue reading Art Elements: El Greco – Capitalizing on Color →

Welcome to my Explorations in Art 200X website. This is my fourth (and potentially final) year here at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I initially enrolled as an undeclared student, eventually declaring a major in Foreign Languages and Literatures with a concentration in Spanish and a minor in geology. I was fortunate enough to be … Continue reading Introduction →