Disclaimer: I love art, I have an Art History BA. But, I am only an expert on my opinion, so go easy on me. And feel free to leave your 2 cents about my thoughts or the art work.
Nike of Samothrace
This piece is really interesting to me. Here we have an incomplete piece of art. This sculpture used to have a head and arms (presumably). What strikes me as powerful and strong in this piece is the pose. She is standing in the classical S-curve that was popular in Greek/Roman art. The s-curve creates a sense of movement, of motion. This sense of motion gives us a narrative. Is she just landing? Is she about to take off? Many questions pop up. The bottom line for me is the beauty of this female form. The seductiveness of the very thin and clingy fabric around her body. The belly button and slight curvature of the skin on the belly. What is strong and powerful about this piece, to me, is the beauty and motion. She is autonomous, she can fly away, she doesn't appear trapped, she feels free and relaxed. I love that!
Manet's Dejeuner sur L'herbe
This piece is awesome because it has many levels happening within it. The women in this painting are both empowered and stripped (literally) of their power simultaneously. The woman in the foreground is empowered because she is looking directly at us (the viewer). Typically female nudes are submissive in that they do not look at the viewer. They don't engage with us, they shy from us, they look away or to the side. Looking someone in the eye is actually an aggressive thing to do, it shows power and confidence. This woman is gazing back at us, she is engaging us and challenging us. So she is powerful, she is calling us perverts because we are staring at her nakedness. The woman in the background is a direct opposite. She is a bathing (almost) nude and she is not engaging us. She is in a cowering position and she is looking down and to the side. Manet wanted to juxtapose these two nudes to show the disparity in what was/and is really going on in Art with all the naked women. He was making an obvious point which is that looking at a naked female is pervy. No matter what the context or how you "dress it up" you are still looking at nudie pics of chicks. I just love the subversiveness of the piece, love it!
I think I have bored you enough for today. I'll try to do this more. Talking about art is really fun to me. =)
3 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this. I love, love, love the sculpture. I don't know anything about art, just that I am moved often by it.
The statue is really inspiring. She looks to me as if she is about to fly away, but at the same time, I want to touch her, feel compelled to do so, yet can't.
Thanks so much. I really learned something today. I knew the Manet painting, but never really "got" what it was all about. Now it seems obvious and I feel dumb for not having realized that before. But now I do.
Of course Nike had a head and arms, the Greeks gave freaking feet to charioteer figures whose feet would never be seen, they were that obsessive about things being perfect. And if you thnk I am being theoretical, the Louvre has a hand from the Nike of Samothrace on display right next to Nike herself. My mom said it looked like she was ordering two beers.
Thank you for reminding me to think about art ...
Yay art history class, keep it coming. I love the sculpture too. I agree with the beauty and power comments, but I must admit my first thought was to insert my head and arms so that I could look hot and as if I were about to fly. I can't wait for the next lesson.
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