Art History- Baroque-20th Century: French Revolution

The Crazy Times of the French Revolution and Beyond

For this week's assignment you'll be doing some readings and viewing a video on Romanticism, and writing about your findings

Read the articles found at the following links:

1. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/david-and-the-death-of-marat

2. http://www.the-art-minute.com/joseph-mallord-turner/

3. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/euor/hd_euor.htm

4. https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/july-28-liberty-leading-people

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXyIy4L-2Tk&t=63s

 

Part One: (5 sentences for each paragraph)

In paragraphs 1and 2, you will summarize the required video that you have viewed. What did you learn about this particular period in France's history? What was one (or some) of the artworks that stood out for you in particular? Did the art that came out of France (or England) somehow reflect a country so embroiled in constant war and revolution? Were artists just documenting and making money, or were they making political statements? Or both?

In paragraph 3, you will choose a single work of art from this period (this can be anything mentioned in the video or discussed in the articles), and specifically analyze its place in history.  Describe it in detail visually, and give your opinion on what it makes you think, how it makes you feel, and how it may have affected viewers in the time it was produced. Make sure to include an image of the artwork you have chosen, using the "embed image" feature. 

 

 

Part Two: 

Respond to one of your classmates' posts, specifically their last paragraph in which they analyze a work of art that stood out for them. 

Write at least two paragraphs in which you briefly recap your own response to the work you chose (this can be just two or three sentences), and then compare and contrast it to their work. Feel free to use a conversational tone in this part of the assignment if you wish. Really focus on the similarities and differences of the two works, and above all, what you learn by comparing them. Make sure to post a picture of your work in your response. 

 

Here is two classmates' posts, just choose one to respond. (I uploaded the artworks they chose and indicated with A and B in the title.)

Classmate A: The piece I chose for this post is the "Raft of the Medusa" because of its importance and impact during the Romantic movement in France. It's colors are dark and blended. No bright or distracting colors are used, making the painting seem surreal and scary.  It's interesting how their enemy in this portrait is the water itself and that they are clinging onto this poorly made raft like its their last hope. The struggle to survive and the visible perseverance to be rescued makes this painting both an emotional journey and an inspiration to not lose hope. 

 

Classmate B: The paining I chose for this discussion is Death of Marat, 1793 by Jacques-Louis David. I chose this painting because it just stands out so much to me. The painting depicts the murdered French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat. The outspoken journalist, Jean-Paul Marat would never see the French Revolution's conclusion in 1799. On July 13th of 1793, the 50-year-old writer was murdered by 24-year-old Charlotte Corday, who was either a supporter of the monarchy or a supporter of the less radical Girondins, and blamed Marat for the escalating violence of the revolution. Corday was apprehended and executed by guillotine just four days later.