Goya

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Francisco de Goya was one of the other print makers discussed in class who made bold statements through his works. Goya was born in March 1746 in Spain and died in April 1828. He is considered to be “The Father of Modern Art.” What set Goya apart from the other painters and print makers of the time was that he was not shy at expressing what he felt. He worked at taking the previous reactions that art caused and created a new form, incorporating components into his art that would get a different type of reaction. Goya spent 82 years producing art, leading to some of the most expressive works of his time.

As a young boy, it was said that Goya was happy with the world. It was not until he entered adulthood in which he began to criticize society as a whole. Later toward the end of his life, it was said that he was embittered and disillusioned by both people and society. Goya’s art tended to lean more towards the Romantic expression, but still incorporated some of the classical style. He tended to depict the social and political implications of Spain, including the Napoleonic War. It was his graphic expression through art that made him the well-known print maker he is to this day.

The above work by Goya is an etching, entitled Hunting for Teeth. In the image, there is a woman attempting to pull the teeth out of a dead man’s mouth who was recently hung. She is shielding her face away from his with a cloth, which may be due to the stench, or to keep herself from having to look at the dead man’s face. It could also represent the idea that she is shameful of what she is doing, but feels the impulse to do it anyways. This was one of the superstitions of the time in Spain. It was thought that if you pulling out the teeth of a hanged man provided a type of power.

It can also be thought that the woman is covering her face because she is fearful of looking at a dead man. She, however much like society, is greedy and removes his teeth. Other ideas describe the fact that a hanged man’s teeth can be used in magic potions. The art piece also utilizes the technique of aquatint. Overall, it is a very grey, dark image, which may suggest this is taking place at night. The dead man is the lightest part of the image. The woman is trying to look away while still being able to see what she is doing, with somewhat of a side ward glance. The man, we may assume, was hanged because of a crime against the government.

Goya depicts two different types of people in the image. He has the criminal, or man who was hanged due to some sort of crime, and he has the greedy woman who is stealing the man’s teeth. Overall, Goya is representing people in society and their actions. The fact that Goya depicts things such as is this is what set him apart from other artists. He did not portray picnics, or sunsets, but instead real issues plaguing society at the time.

http://www.imageone.com/goya/

Rauschenberg

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Robert Rauschenberg was born in Port Arthur, Texas in 1925. Through out his life, Rauschenberg went many different directions in regards to his professional life. He studied pharmacy at the University of Texas. After some time he joined the U.S. Marines and then took classes at the Kansas Art Institute. Later he studied in Paris, France where he also met his wife, Susan Weil. He continued to study art in various locations and with many different artists, composers, and others in the artistic realm. While studying art, he mainly worked coordinating window displays for companies like Tiffany.

Rauschenberg spent some time working on all black and white paintings, but began using red when he moved to New York. He also created what became known as Combines, which were combinations of everyday objects fused together in both painting and sculpture. Rauschenberg incorporated a great deal of highly influential historical events into his work. One of those events was the liftoff of Apollo 11, which he was invited to by NASA as one of the themes of his artwork.

Besides his influence on the pop art movement, Rauschenberg found it in himself to help other struggling artists in the area, setting up Change, Inc., which was a home set up with art studios. Rauschenberg found time to travel the world and promote both peace and understanding through his art. He traveled to Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, China, Tibet, Japan, Cuba, the Soviet Union, Berlin, and Malaysia where he set up his exhibitions. He called this ROCI – for Rauschenberg’s Overseas Culture Interchange. His exhibition was also held at the National Gallery of Art in celebration of the gallery’s 50th anniversary.

Although he used many different techniques, one that Rauschenberg is more well-known for is his lithographic works. The above work is a lithograph entitled “Back Out” that was completed in 1979. He completed this work in a suite of 9 prints. The techniques used included pencil, stencil, and collage. There are many different pictures put into this work, one of a baseball player, and another of a high jumper. As for the overall meaning or purpose of the work, I am not really sure what he is trying to convey. I can assume that this work is about the United States, possibly alluding to sports culture.

To me, more important that the techniques of his work and his major accomplishments or awards, Rauschenberg was an artist that was committed to a cause. He spent a great deal of time working on art with a great deal of meaning. Through his art pieces, his work was used to communicate peace and understanding all over the world. Personally, I felt like class on Thursday was very beneficial, and would be beneficial to any person with an artistic inclination. I feel more of a personal investment toward my art and will try to use the type of communication that my art allows me.

http://www.getpopart.com/Rauschenberg-Bio.html

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