Tag: Art
The Heart Series | By Tola Makanjuola | 07/10/21 – 20/10/21
By Tola Makanjuola
Paul Cezanne (1839 – 1906)
Originally written by Tola Makanjuola 12/11/17
“I want to make of impressionism something solid and lasting like the art in the museums“.
Paul Cezanne, born on the 19th January, 1939 was a French post- impressionist painter. Throughout his career, he focused on the subject matters of still lifes, portraits, landscapes and studies of bathers.
His early works dealt with the subject of landscapes with figures drawn from imagination within the frame, while his later works relied on direct observation.
As he matured as an artist, Cezanne became far more interested in representing nature in its simplest form of geometric composition i.e the cylinder, which represented a tree trunk, and the sphere, representing an apple/orange for example. Additionally, he innovated in the area of visual perspective, giving the viewer an aesthetic experience of depth with was different from what had been idealised in the past.
Cezanne was influenced by the ideas in Hippolyte Taine’s Berkelean Theory of Spatial Perception, as space and volume became defining themes within his work as well.
He had his detractors, some of whom were the bourgeois representatives of his hometown of Aix. Nevertheless, he grew in recognition and financial prosperity even as he grew increasingly isolationist, working from his studio in the south of France.
Cezanne died on the 22nd of October, 1906 of pneumonia. He is acknowledged as the artist that was the bridge between the 19th century’s concept of art to the radical artistic movements of the 20th century. Both Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso remarked that “Cezanne is the father of us all“.
Comic 04.08.20
Notes on Art: Caravaggio
Caravaggio (1571-1610) was an Italian painter, born in Milan . His style had a dominant stylistic sensibility, with shadows and transfixed subjects depicted under the ray of light. Caravaggio vividly expressed crucial moments within his paintings, often featuring violent struggles, torture and death. His influence on the new Baroque style that emerged was profound. At the initial stage, his work was emulated and held in high regard, but as times change and techniques evolved, his work fell to the wayside. It wasn’t until the 20th century that his work was reevaluated among art scholars, and reinstated as groundbreaking artistry that marked the beginning of modern art.
Some of his most famous works include “The Calling of Saint Matthew” (1600), “Supper at Emmaus” (1601) [see above] and “David with the head of Goliath“.
Caravaggio lived an turbulent life, marked by violence and erratic behaviour. The circumstances around his death in 1610 remain unclear, with some speculating that he had succumb to a fever, while others suspect he had fallen victim to murder.
Update on Illustrations
Hiding Away in the Dark
How do you expect to see the light When you hide away in the darkness? How do you expect to cure the blindness When you refuse to see the prophet? It’s true that life throws hail-makers to your chest Artillery rifles throw slugs through your vest You put your faith in your friends That’s one flaw you ought to address When help arrived you were no where to be found You were away, Dancing sacrilegiously in a foreign house You play with multiple drugs And drink from different bottles I know life is rough But your choices make it worse Maybe you don’t desire the light Perhaps you belong to the night. By: Tola Makanjuola
“How do you expect to see the light When you hide away in the darkness?“
The Cold Cut: Show of Power
The street splits down the middle
As the motorcade rides through
Your show of force
Will bring you to your knees
In your daytime
In your midnight dreams
What does it mean
To elevate yourself above the clouds
When you dine with foolish men