May 21, 1471, Died in Nürnberg in 1528.
1. Identify aspects of Durer's self portrait that show a changing view of the artist's view of himself as an individual.
The earliest self-portrait we have of Dürer is a remarkable silverpoint drawing he did in 1484 when he was thirteen years old.While Dürer was not the first artist to produce a self-portrait, he can be arguably claimed to be the first artist that returned to this subject matter throughout his career.
2.Explain how the artist's social status increased during the Renaissance period. Briefly explain why this happened.
The importance of this one-man Renaissance in the history of art in general and of printmaking in particular cannot be overemphasized. He embraced the media of woodcut and engraving early on and, over a 40-year career, took them to heights unsurpassed in the subsequent half a millennium.
Three quarters of a century after Dürer's death, at the beginning of the 17th century, the influences flowed in the opposite direction, and art historians talk about "a Dürer renaissance" in Italy, as well as in the Low Countries.
3. Comment on Gavin Turk's work in relation to individualism, status of the artist and egotism.
British artist Gavin Turk (1967) was born in Guildford and attended the Royal College of art.Turk often uses his own image and signature in his sculptures and installations to address issues surrounding authorship, authenticity and identity; questioning the amount of value the artist’s name gives to the work.Turk's installations and sculptures deal with issues of authorship, authenticity and identity. Concerned with the 'myth' of the artist and the 'authorship' of a work, Turk's engagement with this modernist, avant-garde debate stretches back to the ready-mades of Marcel Duchamp. In more recent works such as Pile (2004), a painted bronze sculpture of a pile of garbage bags, Turk explores the way in which a work of art is conferred with iconic status and value.
4.Comment on Damien Hirst's use of his work and the media for self promotion.
Mr. Hirst never does anything quietly. Other conceptual artists might attempt the occasional painting, or experiment with a new medium or two. Hirst, however, brings us his Return to Painting, in a veritable flood of publicity and in such a renowned gallery - the Wallace Collection - that one can only marvel at his hubris.
COCO CHANEL WITH HER LITTLE BLACK DRESS 1926s
Audrey in little black dress 1920s
Prior to the 1920s, black was reserved for mourning, and considered indecent if worn in any other circumstances.However Coco Chanel introduced it in a time between the wars, when the bright colors, prints and heavy embroideries dominated the fashion. It is a well-known "rule of fashion" that every woman should own a "little black dress" that is simple and elegant, and that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. For example, a simple black cocktail dress could be made into an evening .
Before the Little Black Dress came the black dress. Although I use the phrase "the color black," it is technically not a color at all but rather the absence of any color (red, green, blue). Nevertheless, to the human eye, black is not merely achromatic. In the palette of major painters and clothing designers, black became a "color" in its own right.
The Mona Lisa Painted in the early 1500s by Leonardo da Vinci
The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic.She may not be beautiful according to modern standard , but her facial expressions particularly her innocent smile , as she is famous for , is quite contagious . Her eyes are shining bright making the painting more natural and real . More often I could not see her smile because it seems to disappear especially when I look directly at her lips .This painting also conveys that beauty is universal not bound by race ,color , religion , and culture , a great motivator why people from all
walks of life are attracted to her .
6. How do you think artists and designers are viewed in Western society today?
Artists and designers are getting more concern about what is going on around the world.Every artists and designers wants to be well-known and hence it is very competetive nowadays.No matter in what part of the world ,people buy products concerning their self-esteem and to be accepted in a particular groups of society.In another words,the products from the famous artists/designers are purchased more for the face reason or buying to impress others.However without artists and designers,there will be less sign of creativity in the society today.
References
http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/farberas/arth/arth200/artist/durer_intro.html
http://www.moodbook.com/history/renaissance/durer-portraits.html
http://www.famous-women-and-beauty.com/coco-chanel-dress.html
http://www.whitecube.com/artists/hirst/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa
5. Find 2 images of work by artists or designers that reflects some of the ideas of individualism,
self promotion or egotism that have been discussed on this blog. Upload images to your blog, title and date the work, identify the artist/designer and comment on the work in relation to the question.
