I also want comments on the history of western art.

As for the history of western art, although many teachers have repeatedly emphasized its importance in improving the ability of art appreciation and laying a solid aesthetic foundation, it is a pity that it is not taught in college classes. I can only go to the literature and art library to browse those beautiful picture books, sighing at the nude paintings as beautiful as spring, as well as the unearthed brokeback Venus, the grand Colosseum, the towering Gothic church, and so on, which left a deep impression on me. Therefore, I often yearn to "sail to Byzantium" like Ye Zhi: "It's not a country for the elderly. Young people/hugging each other ... I crossed the ocean/came to the sacred Byzantine castle ... Please collect me as soon as possible into the eternal artistic arrangement ... singing on the golden branches/everything in the past, present and future/dedicated to Byzantine nobles and wives. "

First, look for the history of western art.

I haven't read the history of western art systematically, because most of the textbooks and readers on the shelves are old and ugly, and there is an unpleasant smell of dust. I held my breath and turned a few pages. When I see too many theories and too few illustrations, I lose interest. I would rather continue to read the strong naked women written by Titian. As an adult male who has just turned 18, he knows Mu Shaoai, but he is not familiar with the female body. At this time, instead of appreciating western art, it is better to confess your curious sexual psychology.

Genius body painters in Europe often paint fairies as women who want to eat fireworks, such as Titian's Venus of Urbino, and let mature naked women lie on the couch with longing, expectation, teasing, vacant and indifferent eyes, like a lady who longs for love and a dissolute prostitute, as if waiting for the arrival of lovers or customers. At that time, I heard a little knowledge of ancient Greek art, and thought that expressiveness and sensuality were the main characteristics of western painting, but I ignored the two people behind Venus painted by Titian. One of them knelt down as if praying, which represented the painter's certain religious feelings. To understand this painting, it is necessary to connect the attractive body with the prayer behind it.

A few years later, I found a better version, The History of Western Art published by Hainan Publishing House in 2000, with pictures and texts. Almost every page has illustrations of works of art, which looks much fresher. The only drawback is that the theoretical explanation is too brief, and many places seem incomprehensible. Fortunately, I have read some books on art appreciation sporadically, which is barely acceptable.

This book was compiled by four European scholars, and its original name was Art History. This kind of academic research centered on Europe and America has aroused my psychological unhappiness. After all, there are only European and American arts in the book, and I believe that translators will feel the same way after reading it, so I translated it into the History of Western Art.

Second, before the Renaissance.

Where did western art originate? During the Renaissance, there was a famous painting called The Birth of Venus. Venus, just born from the ocean foam, stands on a clam shell. Two Shen Feng sent her to the shore, and the goddess of time greeted her with a flower cloak. It's raining roses in the sky and the sea is slightly rippling. This is probably a metaphor for the birth of art.

Myths and legends, sacrifices, hunting, sex, fertility, prehistoric caves ... Visiting western art along the footsteps of time, you will find that the original paintings of Lascaux caves in France are also full of abstract and symbolic meanings, reminding people of Impressionism and some modern painting styles.

Although Mesopotamia, Egypt and other Mediterranean coastal areas have had an important influence on the formation of western art, it is undoubtedly the great ancient Greek civilization that really plays a decisive role. In addition to the touching fairy tales left by the Greeks, there are pillar temples such as Athena, Zeus, Hera and Parthenon, which have been preserved for a long time because of their extensive use of stone. As for body art, they are ancestors. When China people hide their bodies shyly in artistic creation, they put forward the best proportion of the human body long ago: the height is 7 to 8 times that of the head; And dedicated a lot of perfect nude statues such as discus throwers. Even in the Hellenistic era, there was an extremely handsome head of Alexander the Great. I really didn't expect that he was the military commander who once crossed Eurasia. He was invincible like Achilles in myth, but unfortunately he died young. The human works of art in the Greek era, whether men or women, whether in shape or temperament, have reached an unattainable beauty.

The art of the Roman Empire was inherited from Greece, but Emperor Augustus's heavy armor inhibited people's vitality, and his self-righteous leadership posture became artificial, and his aesthetic feeling was far less than that of Greek naked men. In the Middle Ages, whether it was Byzantine, Roman or Gothic art, except for the admirable architectural style, those paintings of gods and figures all looked old-fashioned, which was the impotence period in Europe, while Li Bai, a contemporary poet in the Tang Dynasty, was "laughing at heaven and destroying the earth, and my generation was Artemisia!" Sing the strongest voice of the art in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Third, after the Renaissance.

It was not until the Renaissance that the spread of humanism made western art stand up again. Genius such as Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Botticelli and Michelangelo regained the Greek spirit and raised western art to a new level. Needless to say, the Mona Lisa. Michelangelo's sculpture "David" is also a rare masterpiece in the history of world art: David, the hero in the Bible, stands confidently, showing people his strong and handsome figure, holding a stone in his left hand, drooping his right hand, turning his head to the left, his face is handsome, his eyes are bright and heroic, and the powerful forces accumulated in his body seem to break out at any time, representing the great humanistic spirit. The replica of this statue still stands in the city square of Florence, Italy, and the original is strictly preserved in the museum. It's a pity that only Donatello's "David" statue is selected in the book, which is not bad, but it's a grade worse than Michaelis.

With the development of the Renaissance, terms such as "Baroque" and "Rococo" came into being. The former originally refers to the Oriental Pearl with irregular shape, and later its meaning is expanded, indicating the uniqueness, individuality and arbitrariness of ideological expression, which is manifested in the prominence of senses, celebration, glitz and passion in artistic creation. The latter originally refers to the imitation of caves, shells and stalactites, and then it was introduced into interior decoration, gradually moving towards daily life and becoming more and more secular. I was deeply impressed by the western art in this period, such as the square of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, salons of Paris nobles, luxurious palaces, self-portraits of Rembrandt and other religious buildings.

Rembrandt has his own hobby of painting, and has painted nearly 100 paintings. I saw three selfies of his youth, middle age and old age. When he was young, he wore gorgeous clothes, full of ambition, and his lips were full of sensuality. He looks like a Yushu, so you can imagine that he should be a romantic genius. When people reach middle age, their brow is tired, their clothes are simple and their weight has increased. When people reach middle age, they worry about everything, and it seems that they can't avoid customs. In his later years, he wore noble clothes and hung pocket watch ornaments on his chest. His clear eyes reveal philosophical thinking, and his curled mouth and faint smile show that he has seen the world clearly, so it doesn't matter if he sees it clearly. The three stages of life have been fully summarized here.

Four. /kloc-western art in the 0/9th century

Neoclassicism first appeared in19th century. Works such as death of marat and Horace Brothers' Oath tell us that words such as responsibility, grandeur and solemnity are indispensable in art dictionaries. The oil painting "death of marat" shows the tragic situation that Mara, an important figure in the French Revolution, has just been stabbed: the stabbed wound and the blood stained with the bath towel, the hand holding the quill pen hangs outside the bathtub, and the other hand tightly holds the note handed to him by the murderer. The author shows the persistence of classicism with shocking pictures. The Oath of the Horace Brothers shows the loyalty and sense of honor of the three heroes in Roman history, and the weeping and lamentation of the women beside them strengthen their heroic image of resolute SHEN WOO.

For romanticism, we must first remember Hugo's name. He expounded romanticism in theory and made important explorations in literature and painting. His novels Notre Dame de Paris and Les Miserables are world famous. The painting "Swirl Lighthouse" personifies the lighthouse as a flag bearer who cries romanticism. There is also "Guiding People's Freedom" (Author: Delacroix), which is in the history textbook of middle school. In the painting, the Statue of Liberty bares her breasts and holds high the banner to lead the revolutionaries to the light, which is very wonderful. Another painting by Delacroix, "The Death of Sa Dabar", shows the scene that the king is ready to set himself on fire and dies in the besieged city with all his treasures, horses and women. Red palace bed, satin, reins, ornaments, long curtains, the king's eyes slanted down from above, and the woman in the lower right corner was cut. The whole picture is thrilling and artistic. This painting is like what Delacroix wrote in his diary: "Color is the music of the eyes, which is combined with the unattainable feeling like … notes".

Since then, realism has paid more attention to social reality and the ordinary life of ordinary people, such as Hay Bondler by Millay and Three Women in the Church by Leber. Courbet's studio should be a masterpiece. He described his painting like this: "This painting is divided into two parts. I am in the middle, I am drawing; On the right are all shareholders, that is, friends, artists and enthusiasts. On the left is the ordinary life of another world, ordinary people, miserable people, poor people, rich people, exploited people, exploiters and people who live by the dead ... A female nude model is standing behind my chair. " This painting is very symbolic. The painter in the painting seems to be the Holy Father, who used his easel to separate good from evil for the final judgment.

What shocked me most was the impressionism that followed. Photography technology reveals the diversity of appearances and the importance of directly capturing real feelings. Impressionism emphasizes the painter's subjective feeling and ability to capture moments. They are convinced that the scenery will change with the changes of time, season and climate, and this short and instantaneous temptation leads them to gradually disappear, resulting in endless artistic fantasies. It is generally believed that MANET is the founder of this school of painting. His "Lunch on the Grass" depicts naked women and well-dressed gentlemen together, chatting and eating happily, and expressing his yearning for a frank and free secular lifestyle in an exaggerated way. Its contrasting painting method is a breakthrough to the tradition.

The word "Impressionism" was triggered by Monet's Impression Sunrise, which describes a foggy morning in le havre Harbor: a red sun was projected on the sea, the sea water was dyed lavender, the sky was reddish, the waves rippled, the swaying boat was hazy, the figure was faintly discernible, and the chimneys of factories and cranes on big ships were looming in the distance. This comes from his instant impression of staring from the window. His brushwork is bold and novel, creating a generation of painting style.

I believe everyone is familiar with the story of Van Gogh, which is described in detail in Si Tong's Autobiography of Van Gogh. He is not a real impressionist painter, but he is a real genius. Even ordinary sunflowers were painted with the true meaning of life by him. Appreciating the immortal painting Sunflower, we can appreciate the painter's fiery passion and sense of movement, as well as the simple but strong, heavy and powerful color contrast. The exciting picture effect fully embodies his spiritual tremor and passion. At this time, sunflower is no longer a quiet plant, but a life with primitive impulse and enthusiastic eruption. The straw sandals and workers he painted also shone with genius and showed compassion.

Other impressionist masters include Gauguin and Cezanne.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) The Dilemma and Evolution of Modern Art

The 20th century is an era of industrialization. Reinforced concrete has become a widely used building material. While emphasizing aesthetics, architecture pays more attention to practicality and secularity. European-style high-rise buildings have traveled all over the world with globalization, and five continents are everywhere, which is particularly rampant in urbanized China, leading to the sameness of cities. My favorite classic buildings, such as the Sydney Opera House and the pyramid designed by I.M. Pei for the entrance of the Louvre, are very rare in China.

In the urban forest, in the humanitarian crisis caused by the two world wars and in the illusion of ideology, art needs to be changed urgently. Picasso was influenced by symbolism, critical realism, impressionism, naturalism and aestheticism, which opened up a new world of cubism. In the past, painters always looked at people or things from one angle and only painted a three-dimensional side. Inspired by modern science and technology such as X-ray perspective, cubism presents things in a brand-new way. They look at them from multiple angles that are impossible to see from the front, and show several sides in a parallel or overlapping way. In "The Girl in avignon", Picasso set off the colors of five naked women with a blue background. The background was arbitrarily divided and there was no sense of distance. These characters are composed of geometric figures. The faces of the two women on the right are like African hardwood masks, and the legs of the woman in the lower right corner are separated, which reminds people of sex and childbirth. There are several fruits at the bottom of the picture, full of symbols and metaphors, which is still an unexplained secret. This reflects the characteristics of modern art in the 20th century: the author only provides a space and possibility for readers to participate in creation, and the theme is generated in the interaction between the author and readers (even, there is no theme at all).

Kandinsky even led modern art to great abstraction, making people's examination of the appearance of things become "internal participation." In his work "Bow with Black,No. 154", the specific theme and visual judgment have disappeared, and only the combination of color and modeling creates a violent conflict, which reminds people of world war or attack. "White Line, No.232" is handled loosely. These color blocks are emphasized by strong straight lines and regular curve edges, perhaps to show the interaction between space and galaxies.

Later artists went further and further, and those fantastic geometric shapes and extremely abstract colors became more and more puzzling. Artists try to break through the tradition, but they are more and more trapped in the maze. Surrealism, performance art ... all kinds of terms can't cover up the aesthetic confusion, at least I don't like the art at this stage. Of course, some artists are returning to tradition, paying attention to reality and expressing their themes with concise symbols, but their achievements still lag far behind the previous two centuries.

As for the art in the internet age, reading pictures began to take precedence over reading articles. The development of acousto-optic stunts and computer production makes the creation more ambiguous. Everything is still changing, my confused mind is not clear. We can only appreciate the present and look back in the uncertain search.

When the frost is cold, the muse is speechless.