"David" by Gianlorenzo Bernini 1623

"American Gothic" by Grant Wood 1930

"The Betrayal of Images ("This is not a pipe")" by Rene Magritte 1928-1929

This is a representational painting (also called objective, or figurative) because the artist has emphasized the fact of the pipe as a sold object having a shape that we recognize and associate with our experience of "pipeness."  In this painting, there is no question that Magritte was representing a pipe.  What was the meaning of Magritte's written statement below the pipe- "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" ("This is not a pipe")?
Magritte said that "People who look for symbolic meanings fail to grasp the inherent poetry and mystery of the image."  He tells us not to look for meaning, but rather to let the picture penetrate our senses and our imagination.  He said that "One object suggests that there is another lurking behind it."  In other words there is always more than meets the eye.

"Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo da Vinci 1485-1490

A great example of balance in artwork.  A successful composition usually conveys the impression of balance, or equilibrium.  If you are a picture straightener, then you know how annoying it can be if an object is tilted and appears unbalanced.  The simplest form of balance is symmetry, in which there is an exact correspondence of parts on either side of a central axis.  In other words, the left side of a work is  a mirror image of the right side.
The human body is an example of symmetry (not exact), as shown here.  With the exception of the turned feet, if we draw a line down the middle, this is a mirror image. 

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch 1893

This famous pastel work conveys a personal experience Munch had.  He said he was walking with two friends at sunset, the sky turned blood-red, he felt a surge of sadness and stopped as his friends carried on.  The clouds were like flaming swords hanging over him.  He was seized with fear and panic as he heard a scream tear through the world around him. 
The content of this piece shares a theme of death, depression, and anxiety.  There is also a sense of suspicion and danger.  He may sense a presence, although he does not see them.  He pushes against his ears so forcefully that his face resembles a screaming skull.

"Napoleon on his Imperial Throne" by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres 1806

This oil on canvas painting is an example of implied (simulated) texture.  When we touch the painting it is smooth on the surface, but when we focus on it we see a number of textural illusions.  The textures seen, are there to represent Napoleon as an ancient Roman emperor and convey his imperial power.  Everything from his intricate velvety outfit, to his shoes, to the rug underneath him; we can imagine the feel of these materials because of the artist's skill in creating illusions of texture.

"Circus Sideshow" by Georges Seurat 1887-1888

This oil on canvas is a great example of the optical effects of color.  The colors seem to change depending on the degree to which the figure at the right is enlarged.  Our eyes can simulate the effect of mixing colors, called optical mixing.  It happens when two colors are placed next to each other and our eyes combine them as if they are actually mixed.  Seurat uses dots of color placed next to each other and the dots seem to merge into their combined color. 

"Lindisfarne Gospel" in Gospel of John from the Early Medieval Irish

This text is an illuminated manuscript.  It contains figurative and abstract images.  The sentence reads "was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  The Word and God are one, illuminating the Word is a sacred task and is designed to be beautiful.  This piece is from the opening page of the Gospel of John.

"Henry VIII" by Hans Holbein 1540

In sixteenth-century England, King Henry VIII hired the German artist Hans Holbein to be his court painter.  Famous for marrying six wives, for defying the pope, and transforming England from a Catholic to a Protestant nation, Henry wanted his portraits to emphasize his wealth and power.

This oil painting shows Henry in all his finery, upright and self-confident.  The king is barely contained by the space of the painting, which accentuates his massive proportions and conveys his commanding presence.

"Pepper Mill" by Michael Graves 1988

Designed by the twentieth-century Post-modern architect Michael Graves for Alessi.  Its top part resembles the ears of Mickey Mouse.  The forms are sleek and clear.  The viewer is reminded that Mickey Mouse is a cheerful fellow whom most of us have known since childhood, and we are amused and reassured to find an abstract version of him on our dinner table.  

"Tutankhamon's Golden Throne" 1335 B.C.

This is a royal chair and has symbolic meanings related to the importance of the person who occupies it.  It has cultural and political significance.  This chair is made of wood, gold, silver, glass, faience, and semiprecious stones.  It is 41 inches in height.

This Golden throne was for the young pharoah Tutankhamon. 

The front legs are in the shape of a lion's head at the top and a lion's paw at the foot- the lion, like the Persian drinking vessel, stands for the king.  Another meaning of this chair is that it is a guardian figure, protecting the pharoah from harm.  The lion fulfills a traditional role based on the belief that lions never sleep.  Even today, images of lions guard entrances to public buildings such as libraries, courts and post offices as well as private homes.

"La Goulue at the Moulin Rouge" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 1891

This is a color lithograph 6ft 3in x 3ft 9 2/3 in.  The purpose of this was to persuade viewers to buy tickets for the performance.  Toulouse-Lautrec combined the image with text- the written announcement.  "La Goulue" (the dancer), "bal" (her dance), "Moulin Rouge" (the place), and "tous les soirs" (the time- "every evening").  The slanted floor shows the dancer from a viewpoint that makes most of her form visible.   The dancer is the center of attention in the image.  This, together with her pose and the fact that she is looked at from multiple viewpoints, makes her the visual focus of the poster.  A brilliant advertisement of its time.

"Tapestry" by Musee de l'Eveche 1070-1080

This is a section of the wool embroidery on linen which was 20 inches high and more than 230 feet long.  It was commissioned by William's half-brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, for Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy (northern France).  The "Tapestry" is an extended visual narrative showing the bravery in battle, the naval brilliance, and the technical achievements of the Norman invaders of England.  It is a political document as well as a work of art.

This section of the piece shows the long-boats that carried William's army across the English Channel.  They were derived from Viking ships propelled by a sail and oars; the prows are decorated with heads of fantastic animals and are protected from being rammed by a shield at each end.

Navajo sand painting

The Navajo of the American Southwest.  Sand paintings were created by shamans to exorcise disease causing evil spirits from a sick person.  The photo shows the process of creating a Navajo sand painting.  It is made of colored rocks ground to the consistency of sand.  Because of the sacred nature of these images, as well as to preserve cultural tradition, however, photographing sand painting is forbidden except when officially sanctioned for reproduction.

"The Liberation of Aunt Jemima" by Betye Saar 1972

This work protests the notion of the black "mammy" who cared for white children and worked in white homes. 

The background shows images from the familiar Aunt Jemima pancake box, and the mid ground is filled with a large, grinning figure of Aunt Jemima in her characteristic polka-dot bandana and dress.  The picture within the picture contains another Aunt Jemima with a white infant.  The raised black fist in front of her, like the slightly sinister quality of her grin and the juxtaposition of the rifle with the broom, portrays the jolly Aunt Jemima stereotype and reveals the underlying rage caused by social injustice and racial discrimination.

"Bird in Space" by Constantin Brancusi 1926

This is a photograph of Edward Steichen in his studio with the bronze sculpture "Bird in Space" (tall sculpture pictured in middle ground center) which he purchased from Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi in France.  Controversy arose when he tried to bring the sculpture back to The United States.  Steichen thought because it was a work of art purchased from the original artist, he would not be charged import duty.  The customs office didn't agree that it was a work of art and admitted it into the country under the category of "Kitchen Utensils and Hospital Supplies" and charged Steichen $600. 

This sparked the case Constantin Brancusi v. United States. 

This controversy forced people to reexamine what we consider art.  The United States argued that the piece did not resemble a bird at all and resembled some sort of space rocket.  Steichen testified "It is a work of art because it has form and balance; form is something that is achieved in the mind of the sculptor, and balance is in length, breadth, and thickness.  Balance is the relationship of these forms to each other.  The whole of it has harmonious lines; the base is very good in proportion to the top.  It was proportion, that is, harmony."

"Wild Turkey" by John James Audubon 1822

Many artists have been fascinated with birds and flight.  This piece is a realistic approach to the wild turkey by showing its appearance in details of its feathers and neck.  He shows the bird in a natural setting which emphasizes its beauty and grace.

"The Great Wave of Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai 1831

The viewer seems to be under the wave, which rises upward in a sweeping, forceful curve, nearly reaching to the top of the picture.  Hokusai emphasizes the dynamic swell of the wave by its large size and the sharp contrasts between the dark blue and the patterns of white foam.  This print has a static quality, as if the artist captured the scene with the blink of a camera shutter.  The boats appear to be riding the waves and conform with forces of nature.  This close up viewpoint makes the viewer identify with the boatmen.

"Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe [Luncheon on the Grass]" by Edouard Manet 1863

This image shocked the French public because it showed two fully clothed men and a nude woman.  On top of that, these people were recognizable to the public as the two men were Manet's brother, Gustave, and Ferdinand Leenhoff, who later married Manet's sister.  The nude woman was Manet's favorite model, Victorine Meurend.  Her assertive gaze directed to the viewer was seen as accentuating the challenge to propriety that the picture posed.  Even though this piece seemed to disregard traditional taste and to flaunt the nude woman in an outrageous manner, the picture actually contains echoes of styles that were very much admired in 19th century France.

"Raven Barbecuing Hat" by Tlingit tribe of Sitka, Alaska early 1800's

Made of wood, deerskin, ermine, spruce, root, iron nail, bird beak, 20 1/2 inches high.  Among the Tlingit of the American Northwest Coast, the raven is used in crest art to denote the lineage of a clan.  The myth here tells of a raven who killed a large salmon, which he didn't want to share with other animals.  He ordered them to search for cooking utensils and ate the entire salmon in their absence.  This was a metaphor equating the raven's right to its prey with the clan's exclusive ownership of its raven crests. 

The crest emphasizes the force of the raven with its prominent blue beak edged with red.  It symbolizes that the clan chief has power associated with the flight of birds.

"Baboon and Young" by Pablo Picasso 1951

Bronze sculpture is a great example of a visual metaphor.  Picasso took the image of a small car and merged it with the face of a baboon.  He enlarged the back wheels to resemble ears the front wheels broad to form a "grin" and cheekbones.  The eyes are formed from the two figures sitting in the front seat of the car.  The mother seems to smile as her infant clings to her.  Brilliant piece that provokes much thought.