1. Art Imitating Life
A DIGITAL SAMPLING OF
HISTORICAL ART IN POPULAR CULTURE
BRITTANY BISHOP
JOSH DUNN
KIMBERY HOFFMAN
SIVITA JUSTICE
PAULA KOCH
MICHAEL PORTER
KELYNN STANLEY

2. INTRODUCTION
Submitted by Sivita Justice
Our group gathered together to share our collective historical and pop culture references.
Each member spontaneously and unanimously expressed a passion for art history!
Art history has given me the insight into the beauty of pieces that would have been lost on
me eight months ago. During winter break, post-Art History 101, I was fortunate to see the
Hellenistic bronzes touring Washington, DC. Standing before Aule Metele (L’Arringatore),
never a personal favorite, tears came to my eyes. Arresting! However, I walked past Jackson
Pollock’s Lavender Mist. Obviously, I hadn’t taken Art History 102.
Now, seeing art referenced across time, in all aspects of our present culture, affirms that art
is communication. Many works of art have become icons: the pieces encompass collective
meanings. Pop culture can successfully appropriate images because of instant recognition
and, also, replace their meaning or the meta-message. Art is an inclusive language of our
psychological, emotional, philosophical, social, political, theological aspects. Then, there is the
art that surpasses meaning.
How is understanding art in a historical context relevant to global citizens?
Art inspires what is highest in us and asks profound questions. Claesz’s Vanitas Still Life asks,
if suddenly called away from the table of life, are we ready?
Do the contemporary vanitas have a similar, updated meaning? The sacred and the profane
are juxtaposed in Christ Carrying the Cross. Is the answer to this duality, idiosyncratic for each
one of us? Do Bosch and Riddick use the same format to make different statements? Art asks
ultimate questions. What is the meaning of life? How should we live? What is the measure of a
person? Some illuminate us with their conclusions. Does Dada Life’s mocking have an answer,
that it is all meaningless?
Art acts as our social conscience and our voice. Those with the rectitude of power, who
commit unspeakable acts, have gone down in infamy due to art. In 1937, Francisco Franco,
the Spanish dictator, allowed Hitler to test bombs on the citizens of a Basque village. An act
that could have been swept under the carpet of history is now notorious. Picasso’s Guernica
made it so. Art has power. As global citizens, we must ask what Ron English is imparting by
using Guernica as a template?
In his book, Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson, a political scientist who studied
the origins of nationalism and the relationship between language and power, observed: “All
profound changes in consciousness…bring with them characteristic amnesias. Out of such
oblivions…spring narratives.” What is Baroque Obama via Rigaud’s Louis XIV implying?
What narratives is contemporary art telling us? What are we telling ourselves? Art is about
how we see. It is about perception. We are the filter. Does art have the power to change that
filter?
Individuals generate visual ideas and other individuals alter aspects of those ideas.
Contemporary questions arise: for what purpose - noble or profane? As aware citizens, we ask
are pop art pieces for our illumination or for an underlying motive? Another contemporary
question concerns process. Historically, some artists have had their minions carry out their
ideas to fruition. Programming a CNC machine created Barry Ball’s sculpture, Perfect Forms.
Is this art? As art struggles to define itself, contemporary artists are confronted with its
definition by the creative act. The creative process is one of continuity and transformation.
We stand on the shoulders of the creators who have come before us and we are made more
expansive. Raphael would agree as exhibited in The School of Athens!
Bosch’s,Christ Carrying the Cross and Riddick’s,Blasphemy and Perversion

3. RENAISSANCE
Botticelli
Birth of Venus, ca.1484-1486
EARLY
ITALIAN
Submitted by Paula Koch
If you take a little paper book, add a few pictures
depicting ancient Greek Gods with captions like
‘boom’ or ‘kapow’ what do you get? A comic book.
Introduced to America in 1842, comic books have
steadily increased in popularity to become an
industry worth over $800 million, and it isn’t slowing
down anytime soon. Enjoyed by young and old alike
with the appeal of good against evil, it’s no surprise
that a pop culture icon of Greco-Roman superheroes
would align itself with great historical artwork.
The Birth of Black Widow, Featuring the Avengers is a
stunning piece created as a variant cover for Fantastic
Four #17 during “Avengers Art Appreciation Month”. This cover shows Black Widow as Venus
being blown in by Captain America and Iron Man, all while Thor waits
with his cape flowing in the breeze. The remaining cover is exactly
as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, from the violets to Black Widow’s Venus
Pidica stance on the cockleshell, ever so modest even though she is
fully clothed.
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus represented his interest in art, literature, and
mythology of the Greco-Roman world, which easily transforms into
The Birth of Black Widow, Featuring the Avengers. Since comic book
superheroes are representations of Greco-Roman Gods, as well as fine
literature for its followers, it’s understandable that Tedesco chose to
combine them together.
Comic Book Cover, 2012
Julian Totino Tedesco’s The Birth of
Black Widow,Featuring the Avengers
Botticelli
Trading Card
Submitted by Josh Dunn
La Gioconda, or Mona Lisa is the world’s most well
known painting, depicting (possibly obsessive) beauty
in it’s time. It could be said that both of these traits are
mirrored in Mona Targaryen, since Game of Thrones is
one of the most famous and obsessed over shows in the
world right now, and the character Daenerys Targaryen
seems to get the lion’s share of the attention in things
being mentioned on the show, for both her beauty and
her power.
There are also rumors that da Vinci’s painting may have
been unfinished. In trying to find out more about this
pop culture parody, it was mentioned that this trading
card was also missing a few elements. Even though the
original card has since been sold, the concern was that
two dragons were
seemingly omitted
from Daenerys’ side.
The color palate
and atmospheric
perspective are
extremely well
matched between
the original and
the reboot of the
paintings.
da Vinci
Mona Lisa ca.1517
ACEO (Trading Card) by Manuela Mishkova
da Vinci
self- portrait
RENAISSANCE
HIGH ITALIAN

4. RENAISSANCE
Advertisement, 1970
Submitted by Brittany Bishop
Michelangelo wanted to create the perfect
male nude in marble, to take out what
isn’t perfect. His main focus was trying
to find the Greco-Roman ideal man.
Humanist studies were based on perfected
proportional figures. David was meant to be on top of
the Florentine Duomo,
therefore monumental
and larger than life-
size. His hands are
disproportionate
because Michelangelo
compensated for the
height of the dome.
This advertisement
plays with the
concept of
monumentality
and classicism.
David is the
perfect model
for jeans
because
he has the
perfected male
physique that
many men
wish to have.
The Levi’s makes him modest, perfect for
an appropriate advertisement for a
large audience. Their advertising
slogan could be: The ideal man
wears Levi’s.
HIGH
ITALIAN
Michelangelo
David,ca.1504
Raphael,
School of Athens,
ca.1509-1511
Advertisement, 2007
Submitted by Kimberly Hoffman
In the early 16th century, the greatest minds
of classical antiquity were gathered together in
a beautiful, peaceful surrounding to share their
ideas and learn from one another. Although these
philosophers, mathematicians, and scientist all lived
at different times, Raphael was able to bring them
together in School of Athens.
The intellectual thinkers of
the day, Plato, and Aristotle
take center stage as they stroll
through the great Greco hall
discussing philosophy.
Raphael, who’s individual
style embodied the ideals of
the High Renaissance art,
was commissioned by Pope Julius II to depict the
four branches of human knowledge in the papal
library. The Renaissance Hotel & Resorts cleverly
chose to imitate School of Athens for their “Modern
Renaissance” marketing campaign in 2007, most likely
due to the influential, “upper crust” status that the
painting epitomized as the ad campaign was meant to
appeal to the business-elite demographic.
Artistic similarities between the two art pieces can
be seen in everything from the ancient roman ceiling
to the red blocked floor tiles. As in School of Athens,
hotel patrons are seen in groups discussing business,
engaging in relaxing banter and even lounging on the
marble steps. Also in the advertisement, the seated
businessman on the left with his head thrown back
serves to imitate Heraclitus in Raphael’s painting, who
bares a likeness to Michelangelo. Raphael’s harmony
and clarity of color in his subject’s clothing and
architecture are also represented in the clothing and
décor of ad’s setting. If you’re going to choose a hotel,
this setting in Athens would do very nicely.
Renaissance Hotels & Resorts
Advertising image for jeans
brand Levi’s ,Young & Rubi-
cam (International,1970)
Raphael

5. Album Cover, 2012
Submitted by Sivita Justice
Hieronymus Bosch, 1450-1535, an Early Northern Renaissance individualistic
painter, known for fantastic imagery, often called a Proto-surrealist. His pessimistic
style often strains interpretation, but scholars believe his vision reflects the orthodox
religious belief systems of the 15-16th Centuries.
Bosch’s Christ Carrying the Cross, 1500-1535 (dating uncertain), is painted with a
dark ground and numerous heads of grim, snuggled-toothed, grotesque characters.
Jesus’ eyes are closed, head down,
tortured, carrying the cross.
The caricatures of uncouth,
compassionless, amoral louts
throng around Jesus. The colors are
cold. The message is depravity.
Mark Riddick, 1976, is an American graphic artist known for
his shocking illustrations. Blasphemy and Perversion is a CD
cover done by Riddick for Execution, a Los Angeles based metal
band. Riddick’s Christ is on his knees carrying the cross. Christ’s
face is not seen, making him symbolically more anonymous.
In Riddick’s picture the figures around Christ are overt horned
demons. The torture expressed is literal. Vile creatures claw
Christ’s body. A symbolic vulture is thrown in with two
gratuitous bare breasted women. It seems beyond depravity. If
Bosch depicted sinful humanity, Riddick depicts hell on Earth.
Bosch’s style had a wide influence on the northern art of the
16th Century. Riddick’s work is almost identical in theme and
composition. We see Bosch’s influence reaching into the 21st
Century.
Bosch,
Christ Carrying the
Cross,ca.1500-1535
(Date uncertain)
CD cover created by Riddicks for
Execution,a Los Angeles based metal
band
Film, 2008
Submitted by KeLynn Stanley
In The Battle of Issus, Altdorfer portrays a scene of war
in which a swirling blue sky fills half the frame and
the soldiers, horses and flags fill the lower portion. It
is noted that image is a portrait of a landscape. A sign with a gold frame floats at the top
center of the sky, looming over the violent battle below. Saturated colors are used – rich
blues, bright yellows and
reds, creams and grays.
In this still from The
Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian, a battle
scene almost identical
to the The Battle of Issus
is presented. This scene
seems to be a zoomed-in
version, the rocky mountain
and soldiers filling the entire
frame.
Instead of a sign in the sky, there
is a large eagle with colossal wings
reaching outward, much like the red
and white fabric in Altdorfer’s piece.
In the film, a soldier on a white
horse is placed in the lower right
portion of the frame. Both pieces
show soldiers holding triangular
red and yellow flags and appear to
be preparing just moments before
a battle begins. These images are
nearly identical.
Altdorfer
Battle of Issus,ca.1529
Battle scene in“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Cas-
pian,”2008,Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media,
directed by Andrew Adamson
Altdorfer
RENAISSANCE
EARLY NORTHERN
NORTHERN
EUROPEAN HIGH
Bosch (unconfirmed)

6. Advertisement
Submitted by KeLynn Stanley
In a portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud, Louis XIV,
known as the “Sun King,” dons a luxurious
coronation ensemble. While this piece is not quite
Neoclassical, the three primary colors are used –
the red velvet background, the dark blue on the
king’s cape and the yellows and golds, seen in
the patterning on the cape and on the carpet. He
stands in somewhat of a contrapposto, with most of his weight resting on the back leg.
He wears a knowing expression, as if he knows he is wealthy and in control.
In Taylor Swift’s Wonderstruck Enchanted perfume poster, elements of
Baroque portraiture mirroring Riguad’s piece are evident. Red is the
dominant color, as well as gold on her bracelet and the outline of the
velvet chair. While she is supposedly sitting in a chair, she appears to
be standing and leaning on her side in a contrapposto-type fashion.
Like Louis XIV, a knowing expression crosses her face as she plays
with her hair and holds her long, flowing dress.
Wonderstruck
Enchanted Perfume ad
BAR OQUE
Rigaud
Louis XIV,ca.1701
FRENCH
Submitted by Michael Porter
In the Baroque period in northern Europe the
power of the monarchy was at its peak of power with
Louis XIV. During this time France had the largest
economic structure allowing the arts to grow into the
vibrant style of the French Baroque. Louis XIV was
a master of propaganda and political networking,
which gave him control of all aspects of French life
including the arts.
In Portrait of Louis XIV you are able to see his desire
for propaganda and his love for art. At the time of
the commission he was 64 years old, however in
the painting he doesn’t look a day over 30. Even
his posture is meant to show his power. It has the
appearance of being arrogantly superior.
The role of the United States president is extremely
different from the powerful monarchy of the kings
before the French revolution. However in today’s
society with all of our social media and other news
sources the president’s image is more important than
ever. Agree with our current president Barack Obama
or not he is very good at delivering speeches and
controlling his image within the media.
RENAISSANCE
HIGH
ITALIAN
Political Figures Image Propaganda
Renaissance Selfie
Submitted by Michael Porter
This painting is an
amazing piece with
beautiful chiaroscuro
and a great example of
Renaissance portraits.
However, in this painting,
Maddalena’s face and
shoulders are rounded
and plump, which is
where this pop culture
joke begins.
Today with access to
smart phones with amazingly advanced small cameras the
portrait no longer becomes a commodity. With today’s
outrageous ideals of beauty, girls are very concerned about
what the photos of them will look like, and will take countless
photos until they find they’ve taken the “right” one.
Also, in the pop culture image they use the wrong artists
name. This could be for the sake that Bartholomew sounds
much more ancient than Raphael, also because Raphael
already has a cultural
bias attached to
his name. This pop
culture image is more
concerned about the
time spent making
a portrait than the
actual artists and
has removed its self
from the artist by
providing a different
name.
Raphael
Portrait of Maddalena Doni,
ca.1506
Rigaud

7. BAROQUE
DUTCH
Internet Art Gallery, 2003
Submitted by Brittany Bishop
Claesz and Heda were members of the
Haarlem school and they created hundreds
of vanitas still lives. The overturned glass in
the painting is drained to the very last drop,
which seems to symbolize the briefness
of worldly pleasures. The objects reveal
the pride that Dutch citizens had in their
material possessions but also served to
remind them of the transience of life.
Mark Scheider created a series of still life
photographs, some very similar to the Dutch
Baroque. The lighting in this photograph
makes it look like an oil painting. The
photographer studied the composition and
created a breakfast scene using modern
objects like cheeseburgers, french fries, and
a Coca-Cola glass. The fast food objects
symbolize over-indulgence. In both the
painting and photograph, the food and
drinks are seen half-eaten and half-empty as
if to show that somebody became full from
over-eating. Both of the glasses raise the
age-old question: Are they half-full or half-
empty? It depends how the viewer looks at it,
or what the artist intended.
Heda
Breakfast Table with
Blackberry Pie,ca.1631
McDutch Breakfast by Mark Scheider
from Deviant Art.com
Vanitas NEW Gula (gluttony) by: Mark Scheider
from deviantart.com
Internet Art Gallery, 2003
Submitted by Brittany Bishop
The composition is asymmetrical and is a good
example of tenebrism because you can see the
spotlight coming from the top left hand corner.
The light could symbolize divinity, as seen in
Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio, because
the light source is hidden. This is a literal
“breakfast scene” with a variety of Krispy Kreme
donuts and Starbucks coffee. Sugar and coffee
can be addicting, which can symbolize obesity in
America. The breakfast pastries will eventually rot
and the coffee will get cold. Although these foods
are not as expensive compared to imported fruits
from Dutch Baroque paintings, they still represent
that material goods will not last.
Claesz
Vinitas Still Life,
ca.1628

8. ROCOCO
Boffrand
Salon de la Princesse,
ca.1737-1740
Submitted by KeLynn Stanly
A defining characteristic of the Rococo era is the
whimsical, carefree vibe portrayed in paintings
and architecture. There is also an emphasis
on the use of beautiful pastels. In the Salon de
la Princesse, a room in the stunning Hotel de
Soubise in Paris, Germain
Boffrand used golds, creams
and pastels to create a rich,
luxurious feel. An elaborate
glass chandelier adorns the
ceiling and mirrors line the
walls, as well as large windows,
making the room feel bright
and endless.
In the 2003 Warner Brothers film What a Girl
Wants, a young woman named Daphne visits her
father in England and is amazed at his beautiful
mansion. Daphne is shown to her room and she
is in awe. The room resembles the Salon de la
Princesse, as there is a chandelier that hangs from
the center of the ceiling. Tall, arched windows
decorate the wall, as well as gold detailing around
the room. In the style of the Salon de la Princesse,
pastel furniture sits on the glossy floor.
Movie, 2003
Painting by Charles-Joseph Notoire and
sculpture by J.B.Lemoine,Hotel de Soubise,
Paris,France,1737-1740.
Boffrand
Submitted by Paula Koch
Little Einsteins is a television show targeted to
preschoolers on the Disney® Channel, introducing
young, impressionable minds to classical art and
music. The concept behind the show is to intertwine
visual artwork and music with the adventures the
characters and the viewer embark upon. The show
starts out introducing the four animated characters,
encouraging the viewers to help them on their
adventure! Then the characters introduce an artist
and one of their pieces, as well as a classical composer
and one of their pieces. Throughout the show the
character’s adventure revolves around the artwork,
even playing the classical music at one point in the
episode. When the adventure comes to a close, the
characters do a “curtain call” where the artist and
their piece, as well as the composer and their piece are
reintroduced to the viewer.
Since Little Einsteins tends to include the work of
the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic
periods, children are introduced to classical visual art
in a fun and interactive way. When you include the
classical music into the mix, the children not only get
to hear portions of the greatest works of all time, they
get to see the notes on the scale as an introduction
into reading music. Little Einsteins way of integrating
an educational experience with interaction, adventure,
and excitement give children an early introduction
into art and music, as well as establishing a path for a
lifetime of art exploration.
Children’s Television Sitcom, 2016
VA RIED
Disney® Corporation’s Little Einsteins
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FILM TRAILER.
REALISM
SURREALISM
HIGH RENAISSANCE
“What a Girl Wants”, 2003, Warner Brothers,
Directed by Dennie Gordon

9. REALISM
Manet,
Olympia,ca.1863
Illustration Print
Submitted by Brittany Bishop
We know she is a prostitute because of her
particular shoes and necklace. She is not
ashamed of her nakedness. The plane is
flattened so our eyes move up and down
the painting instead of into it. Both these
works are flattened, which complements the
cartoonist style as seen in Buchanan’s print.
This illustration was printed on heavyweight
matte Epson paper using archival pigment-based
inks. It has similar colors to Manet’s painting, but
Buchanan added more shadows giving depth to
the white fabric. The artist created a series with
bacon and donuts, and bacon and eggplants in
different poses. The potato and bacon’s faces have
similar characteristics to cartoons from an IHOP
children’s menu. Bacon has become a large part of
pop culture, because so many people love the salty
greasy meat. Both of these works comment on over-
indulgence in primitive manners like food and sex.
It raises the question: could bacon be sexualized
like the woman in Manet’s painting?
Bacon Olympia - Manet with
Bacon by Heather Buchanan
Manet,self-portrait
with palette
Manet,
Luncheon on the Grass,
ca.1863
Album Cover, 1981
Submitted by Kimberly Hoffman
Bow Wow Wow. No, it’s not the sound of a dog
barking, but instead is the name of a British new wave
band. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,
then the band showed their appreciation of Monet’s
work when they mimicked Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe
(Luncheon on the Grass) for their 1981 album cover.
Monet’s painting shows everyday people in a
contemporary genre scene. He was very influential
in articulating Realist principles and was moving
away from illusionist painting by using natural colors
and harshly shifting tonalities to flatten the forms
and draw attention the painted surface. Monet was
engaging The Cult of the Personality of the Artist
by painting in a manner that defied the artistic
ideals of that time. In fact, Monet caused quite a
public uproar by featuring a female subject posing
nude without displaying modesty or shame. In the
painting, the woman, Victorine Meurent who was the
artist’s favorite model at the time, wore nothing but
a nonchalant expression. In 1863’s Salon society this
was a scandalous and shocking gesture that would
eventually make Luncheon on the Grass one of the
most controversial artworks ever created.
Like Monet, the band Bow Wow Wow also shocked
the public when they featured their lead singer in the
nude for the album cover. Under
normal circumstances nudity in pop
culture is not too unprecedented
– unless of course your nude
model is underage! The singer,
Annabelle Lwin, was only 14 years
old when the picture was taken.
This understandingly sent the girl’s
mother into a rant that resulted in a
second, more “toned down” version
of the cover art–which just proves
that the more things change, the
more they stay the same.
Bow Wow Wow’s cover art was never released in
the United States.

10. T-shirt design by
James Hance
van Gogh
Starry Night, ca.1889
T-shirt Art
Submitted by Josh Dunn
Starry Night was based on van Gogh’s view from his room in Saint-Rémy-
de-Provence asylum. He was very likely feeling isolated and disturbed at
his distorted view of the world around him; these feelings and perception
were partially due to feelings of loss (of support) from his family.
Similarly, in James Hance’s parody, Batman looks
down at Gotham, isolated from the city he loves
by his reality that has been distorted by the loss
of his parents, and the vengeance (against crime
overrunning his city) that he has sought since.
Both images use the contrast of the darkness of the
overall image and the bright yellows intermingled
to evoke emotion; in van Gogh’s case with the
beauty of the city before the sunrise, and in
Batman’s case, the bat signal from the city he feels
isolated from indicating their need for him.
van Gogh
self-portrait
IMPRESSIONISM
POST-
van Gogh
Self-Portrait with
Bandaged Ear, ca.1889
Internet Meme
Submitted by Paula Koch
As photography increased in popularity during
the Modernist period, Post-Impressionist artist
Vincent van Gogh pursued the emotion and idea
of his subjects rather
than imitating its
natural color and
form. Influenced by
Japonisme art from his
time in Paris, van Gogh
created pieces that were
a metaphor of himself;
Self-Portrait with
Bandaged Ear being one
such piece. Through
the use of arbitrary
colors applied with the
impressionist brush-
stroke, van Gogh is inviting his viewers to peek at his
inner psyche. A place where we see the anxiety and
emotion stirring inside of him, and the madness he
was suffering from.
Using van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear as
a pop-culture meme with the caption “Your loves got
me looking so crazy right now” aligns van Gogh’s
purpose in painting with how society expresses
themselves today. Meme’s are a popular venue to
relay a message or a feeling, which was the entire
purpose behind van Gogh’s work. By way of social
media and the internet, Self-Portrait with Bandaged
Ear has given a new avenue of expression to anyone
who’s ever felt crazy in love, though hopefully not
crazy enough to do something as drastic as cutting off
their own ear.

11. EXPRESSIONISM
Fashion, 2016
Submitted by Sivita Justice
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938, painted
Street, Dresden in protest of the alienation of
humanity, fostered by an impersonal society.
He portrays mask-like faces concerned with
self.
The photo by Valerio Mezzanotti of Chanel’s
Ready-to-Wear Show for Fall 2016 appeared
in The New York Times (NYT).
Leah Chernikoffe
for Elle Magazine
wrote; “Resembles
nothing so much as
historically accurate
theater.” Vanessa
Friedman, of The
NYT, described the
show as “one long
paean to the past.”
Kirchner’s
sociological idealism certainly would not
approve of Chanel’s runway fall show. Why is
it so alike? There are the blank faces staring
straight ahead and the distancing spaces
between figures. This accenting of personal
alienation has not changed in present day
society, as we see by the models, each in
their own mental world. The expressive
impact is the same.
Kirchner uses color tension to function
for isolating individual figures and at the
same time creating dynamism. Juxtaposed
is a yellow-green face, a red coat on a pink
ground. Chanel’s vibrant colors are not
jarring. Why are they similar? Why are the
reviews referring to the past?
The flat crown of the cylindrical hat, the
short brim, is on Kirchner’s figure and the
Chanel models - flower on one ear, high
necklines, hip-slung jackets, cuffs, gloved
hands duplicate one another.
It appears Chanel reinterpreted, if not his
social conscience, Kirchner’s figure style.
Look at those hats!
GERMAN
Kirchner
Street,Dresden,
ca.1908
TOP PHOTO: Chanel Fashion House -
“Ready-to-Wear Show”, 2016
Kirchner,
self-portrait
D ADAISM
Höch
Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada
Through the Last Weimar Beer Belly
Cultural Epoch of Germany,
ca.1919-1920
Electronic Dance
Music, 2012
Submitted by Michael Porter
Recently a new style of music has
started getting a lot of popularity. This
style is called Electronic Dance Music,
or EDM. This music is a broad range
of percussive electronic music genres
produced largely for night clubs, raves,
and festivals. This music has an almost nonsensical feel to it and will
take remixing songs to a new level.
The Swedish DJ duo from Stockholm, Dada Life, has taken this new
style of music and made a rather interesting connection. Their name
is a reference to the non-art period of Dada, which in its time was a
revolutionary. It was an avant-garde style that usually consisted of
images cut and pasted together, or an image or sculpture that would
openly mock the idea of art. Many artists who used this style would
also use the word Dada within their art. Dada Life has made an
interesting connection between these two art forms and has made
allusions to the style within their music. You can hear this in one of
their songs at:
Hoch
Dada Life’s, Olle Cornéer and
Stefan Engblom

12. CUBISM
Contemporary Art Parody
Submitted by Josh Dunn
Guernica was originally painted in response to a commission from the Spanish Republican
government, but as a form of protest, Picasso, living in Paris at the time, painted a
monumental mural depicting the bombing of the Basque village of Guernica; thus
depicting the horrors of war. However, Ron English, who created a Simpson’s parody of the
piece, claims that “the cultural takeaway of Guernica is actually the opposite. It transforms
incomprehensible tragedy into a cartoon narrative”.
English has painted his own variations of Guernica, over and over, with the idea that
part of the human condition to distance ourselves from the horrors of our world, often
by means of pop culture. English views Guernica as a “template” rather than a specific
painting, somewhat similar to a Venus Pudica or a pietá. The war that English is depicting
is “...product placement of global corporate culture, using war as entertainment and
entertainment as war.” This could be seen as ironic, since he repeatedly uses pop culture,
commercialized images to create the art that he sells, turning Picasso’s rebellious statement
against what he is depicting into something of a forced joke.
Picasso
Guernica,ca.1937
Picasso
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
(The Ladies of Avignon), ca.1907
Movie, 1997
Submitted by Kimberly Hoffman
Just as The Ladies of Avignon is the most famous
example of Cubism painting, Titanic is arguably the
most epic romantic disaster film ever made. Put the
two together and you have an art scene than will live
forever in the eyes of art and popular culture.
At the time of Titanic’s maiden voyage, in 1912, Picasso had not yet established the fame he
would soon come to know with his new artistic genre. Picasso used Analytical Cubism by
breaking the female figure into geometric shapes and reassembled them in an abstracted
form. The fact that the figures look directly at the viewer suggest the idea of a self-assured
women just as in Monet’s 1863 painting, Olympia.
After creating hundreds of sketches and studies Picasso finally completed the painting nine
years after it’s inception. In the film still above, we see the character, Rose, holding what
could have been a representation of one of Picasso’s studies.
Interestingly Picasso’s estate refused permission to the film’s director, James Cameron, to
use the image in Titanic – as the alleged loss of the painting at sea might cause the public to
question the authenticity of the original. We know, of course, that this is an unreasonable
assumption. It just goes to show that we take our culture very seriously, weather it’s a fine
work of art or a trip to the movies.
Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt-Bukater in Titanic
Simpson’s Template,by Ron English
Picasso,
self-portrait

13. ,
FUTURISM
Submitted by Sivita Justice
Italian Futurist artist, Umberto Boccioni, was one of the
first signers of the Manifesto of the Futurist Painters.
The Futurists admired technology
and triumph over nature and were
committed to “universal dynamism.”
In 1913 Boccioni wrote a friend:
“These days I am obsessed by sculpture. I believe I have glimpsed a
complete renovation of that mummified art.” That year Boccioni
created a plaster form he called Unique Forms of Continuity
in Space (cast in bronze in 1931, 15 years after his death).
An anonymous figure in motion, captured the energy of the
industrial age, not unlike a superhuman comic book character.
Almost resembling a machine, but with a fluid beauty, it was
described by the Guggenheim as “the line of the body seen as
if…molded by the wind.” Boccini’s piece embodies both cubic
simplicity and dynamic fluid energy of the Futurists.
Barry Ball, an American sculptor, 3-D
scanned Boccioni’s bronze. Ball’s intent
was to make “the Ferrari of Boccioni.” He
calls it a reinterpretation of Bocciconi’s
sculpture. Ball adjusted the
3-D scans to heighten
characteristics such as the
illusion of movement.
He placed a Belgian black
marble in a CNC machine.
The CNC rough cut took
four days. The piece was further refined
with hand and power tools and then ultra
fine sandblasting to eliminate all evidence of
traditional handwork.
Ball’s piece, Perfect Forms, resembles
Boccioni’s work, but describes the
volume in horizontal layering similar
to figures done by German sculptor, Julian
Voss-Andreae. It appears even more machine-like and
anonymous, if that is possible.
Modern Sculpture
Boccioni
Unique Forms of Continuity
in Space,ca 1913.
Ball’s sculpture,Perfect Forms
Dali,self-portrait
SURREALISM
Children’s Entertainment
Submitted by Josh Dunn
From what little I am able to find about Joel Schick’s Muppet art parodies, there is far
less meaning behind this painting, or even series of paintings, as they are just that,
parodies of many famous paintings, for the sake of parodying
them using Muppets to do so. However, this seems to fit better
with some images than others. Most significantly, The Persistence
of Cookies, a parody of Salvador Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory.
The entire movement that Dalí was involved in, Surrealism, played
with the intentional misuse of symbols, including language, to
negate any message that may be forcefully perceived by the viewer.
Schick’s disregard for meaning with his use of the pop figures
in his recreations, may actually hold great significance where it
should most appropriately be lacking.
The Persistence of Cookies by Joel Schick
Boccioni,
self-portrait
Dalî
The Persistence
of Memory,ca 1931

14. WORK S CITED
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