Delvonne Duncombe
Amy Landrum
FAS 202: Introduction to Humanities II
Southern New Hampshire University
November 12, 2016
Fellowship is an Essential Ingredient in Building Strong and Meaningful Family Bonds
The artworks that I chose for this assignment are Vincent van Gogh's "Potato Eaters, 1885" and Jan Havicksz. Steenen's "The Merry Family, 1668". The theme that is recurrent in both pieces and that I will seek to explore is the family. Additionally, I will use the construct of social media and television to show how these elements have contributed to the breakdown of the contemporary family.
Vincent van Gogh's Potato Eaters is a post impressionism piece that was painted in 1885 and now resides in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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His use of dark colors and shades in this painting casts a type of ambivalent view, their worn and tattered clothing cause the viewer to sympathetic to them and what their perceived state is. Although the entire painting is monochromatic with his predominant use of colors such as blacks and browns, the features of the characters in this painting are clear and realistic because of his use of the Chiaroscuro technique to fashion the faces of the characters. The figures are symmetrically distributed on the canvas which makes the composition very balance utilizing all the positive space. Traditionally post-impressionist art compositions are bursting with color and depth, but Van Gogh use of color though not traditional still manages to create the experience viewers would get from viewing post-impressionist art. “Post Impressionists also emphasized their emotions and personal responses in their paintings, which consequently were more expressive and figurative in nature.” (Post Impressionism, 2016, p. Mind …show more content…
Taking advantage of its great sums of wealth secured through international trade, this accumulation of wealth and power also accounted for burgeoning growth in the sciences and a philosophical hunger to better understand both humankind and the natural world. (The Baroque Period, 2016, p. Mind edge)
Additionally this artistic style sought to invoke a series of emotions and leave its viewer with a sense of grandeur, giving clarity to the work with much attention to detail. “The Baroque is often thought of as a period of artistic style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, theater, and music.” (wikipedia, 2016) Dutch Baroque art however sought specifically to bring to light common objects and activities, in addition to portraits both single and group that commemorate the accomplishments of prominent individuals in society, whether civic militia or community activists. Another historical point about the artworks during this period was