Art history reflections: Karen Bennett

My work is visual communication, and I would rather show than tell. I combine words and images to convey ideas. This piece is the start of a visual summary of some of the main themes of this class. To complete it I would like to include some representative works. My natural tendency is toward the…

Art history reflections: Barbara

I have always loved exploring museums in San Francisco and on my travels viewing works of art. I am a member of the San Francisco Museum Society, Hillsborough Auxiliary. We are quite active and never miss a new event always guided by a knowledgeable docent. Still I felt something was missing—I just wasn’t “getting it”.…

Art history reflections: Connie Adams

Dear Dick, There were some lovely surprises for me in your class. One was that I don’t hate Baroque art after all. I enjoy most of Carravagio’s and I absolutely love Vermeer! I found out that the Rococo period is one that I am not very fond of – with their allegories and “fussiness” and…

First Light in the Morning Air

Art history reflections: Curtis Cost

My first take is that my work roughly falls into the classic realm. My paintings are predominantly linear, though I avoid universal lighting. I tend to paint in either the late or early colors of the day. I mostly use recessional compositions, but occasionally plane. My process is similar to the surrealist where one thing…

Last class

We had the last session of art history today. Curtis took a couple photos with his iPhone. Dick had asked us each to sum up what we’d gotten out of the class. I’ll be posting several summaries, but thought it would be nice to start with this one from MJ, which I think speaks for…

Comments on William Turner’s Fighting Temeraire

Dick asked us to prepare comments on this painting for our April 9th class (see assignment). Here’s what Bonnie, Joëlle, and I had to say. (Wanda’s comments added April 28.) Bonnie I see the cycle of life eternally moving slowly forward. Death is proudly giving way to new life. The Temeraire, ghostly white, appears already…

The father of modern art

In another synchronistic event, I learned of a current exhibit on Paul Cezanne and his influence on other artists in the same week that Dick talked about him in art history class (week 7). The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a major show going on through May 31, “Cezanne and Beyond.” Apparently, he was very…

Week 6 assignment

For class on April 9, Dick has asked us to prepare some comments on the work above: Please take five or ten minutes to view the attached image of Turner’s painting and pen a couple of comments regarding how his painting reflects his interpretation of the event. Having some quiet time to contemplate this work…