Romanian Culture, Traditions, and Architecture
Romanian Architecture: A Unique Blend of Influences
Byzantine and post-Byzantine elements with Gothic and Baroque influences blend with traditional Romanian ones and solutions adopted by the Ottoman Alarifes, especially the carved decoration. Thus, beautiful stone or brick buildings are obtained with short stem columns, cone arches, and capitals with vegetable and zoomorphic reliefs that adorn porches, galleries, and turrets, lobed windows and frames worked with similar motifs, handrails with tracery,
Read MoreSalvador Dalí’s The Great Masturbator: A Surrealist Analysis
Salvador Dalí’s *The Great Masturbator* (1929)
Artist: Salvador Dalí (1904-1989)
Timeline: 1929
Style: Surrealism
Technique: Oil on canvas
Size: 1.1 m x 1.5 m
Location: Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid
Composition
The main feature of the painting is a *stylized self-portrait* of the artist. Despite the stylization, the most characteristic features of Dalí’s face are recognizable: a large nose, a long face, and a yellow, wax-like complexion. This self-portrait appears repeatedly in his work. Adhered to the
Read MoreCaravaggio’s Early Works: Paintings from 1594-1596
The Fortune Teller
(1594-1595)
The version in the Louvre, created after the one in the Capitoline Museum, is considered to be a companion piece to The Cardsharps. The gypsy is richly dressed. The first version has a more mischievous expression, while the second portrays a more beautiful subject. Both figures smile gently, as if accepting their fate. The lighting is more carefully rendered than in the Louvre version, with the focus consistently on the figures. We can see how this gentleman is richly
Read MoreDionysian vs. Apollonian: Nietzsche’s Philosophy of Life
The Dionysian Principle
The Dionysian is a metaphor that Nietzsche uses to describe a way to conceive of life without reducing it to concepts and definitions. He contrasts the Dionysian to the Apollonian. Nietzsche draws this metaphor from ancient Greek civilization, specifically the theatrical spectacle that was staged in Athens known as Attic tragedy. In tragedy, Nietzsche noticed a constant opposition between two tendencies:
- The Apollonian: Represented by the hieratic nature of the sculptures that
Romanesque Sculpture: Characteristics, Themes, and Iconography
Romanesque Sculpture: Main Features
Romanesque sculpture was influenced by pre-Romanesque tests and sculptures from the East. During the Romanesque period, large-scale sculpture was not common, as the ancient sculptural tradition had been largely forgotten. Artists favored smaller dimensions, such as those found in ivory works.
Romanesque sculptors were more interested in the intellectual aspect and the message of their work than in naturalism. Figures are typically simple, with very flat relief,
Read MoreImpressionism and the Palace of Versailles: Art and History
Impressionism: A 19th Century Artistic Revolution
In the 19th century, there was a radical change in art. It went from the artist who followed the rules (the Academy) to the one that broke them. The artists who transformed art were the rejected ones of the official Salons.
Gustave Courbet (1819-1877)
His paintings were rejected from the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1855. He decided to open a “Pavillon du Realisme” to show his works. His style represents reality but without the romantic emotion
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