The Art History - Essay Example

Art History Introduction Art has exhibited a gradual change in areas such as matter and the styles that are usedover the years and as a result it can be said that the topics of most art work and the message they display has shifted somewhat as time progressed (Gordon 52). The old pieces of art can be compared to a more utopian format of thinking while the new age that has been rising of late exudes a more dystopian mind frame within the artist. A good example of this would be the comparison and contrast of two pieces of art work from two different time periods namely P. Gauguin’s ia orana Maria (Hail Mary) of 1891 and Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy character derived from his popular manga series in Japan which was first released in the year 1952 but has been followed by a series of renditions over the years as the character grew more popular (Gordon 52). These two pieces of art can be said to be as different as they can get from one another and portray the various changes that have occurred in the world of art over the years. P. Gauguin, Ia orana Maria (Hail Mary), 1891. Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka Cultural Context The cultural context of P. Gauguin’s painting is quite clearly based on the Christian religion as the name itself suggests and is based on the holy mother Mary and her son Jesus in a Tahitian setting. The angel on the left of the painting revealing these two characters to two onlookers (two women) further depicts the religious inspiration that was used to bring this piece of work into being. The garb won by the characters in the painting (that is, pareus which are made of cotton with printed design and is draped around the waist) also exhibits the traditional nature of the painting. The background shows no modern influence and focuses clearly on an inspiration from past events. The Astro boy art work on the other hand is very different from the first painting and depicts a largely transformed society from the one that individuals are used to where robotic boys flying around the place is the order of the day. The piece of art which was done years after P. Gauguin’s tries to display how the artist sees the future will be like. The background content depicting various other planets shows how high the main character (Astro boy) has flown thus in a way displaying the level of technology that will be in place at that time. Stylistic characteristics The stylistic characteristics that are used art works can also be used to define the category of the art work as well (Gordon 68). The first point of note that can be made is the material that was used in the creation of the art works. In P. Gauguin”s Ia orana Maria (Hail Mary), oil paintings and a canvas were the basic materials used while the creation of Astro boy’s image relied mainly on computer graphics and other modern technology. This can be seen in the various characteristics of both art works such as the lines, in the Ia orana Maria there is a smoothness and sense of curvature in the lines used to paint the characters while the lines in Astro Boys depiction are sharper and clearly structured giving it a more defined looked. The same goes for the colors in both illustrations as Ia orana Maria’s colors have a warmer tone as compared to Astro boy whose colors have more depth and are clearly defined from one another unlike the older painting which exudes a sense of blending in. The shapes are more defined in the Astro boy illustration as well thanks to the clearer lines used in the drawing. Subject matter The subject matter is another topic where these two pieces of art greatly defer from one another. Whereas in P. Gauguin’s Ia orana Maria the subject is based on religion shown by the depiction of the son of God and his holy mother, the Astro boy art is mainly based on the future and progressing technology shown by the depiction of a flying robotic boy. The older painting can be said to display a sense of the author’s beliefs while the second more recent art work can be said to display a sense of the author’s imagination. Function and possible meaning Whereas a message of hope can be taken from P. Gauguin’s Ia orana Maria (Hail Mary) shown by the angel revealing the two main characters (that is, Holy Mary and her son) to the two witnessing women, a message of progress and technological development is the main message that can be contrived from Astro boy’s depiction seen by the technological nature of the art work (Clement & McCarthy Pg52). Similarities and differences The main differences in the artwork that has been exhibited are based on the time periods upon which they are based on. Whereas one (P. Gauguin’s Ia orana Maria) is set in the olden days when modern clothing was not yet a factor and the background imagery shows the surroundings of a lesser developed world, the other (Astro boy) paints a quite different picture with the depiction of artificial intelligence that has been able to take on human form as a robot and is able to do amazing things such as fly around to extreme heights that up till today is still not possible. One similarity is the fact that both art works are as a result of their creator’s imagination and were not taken from real live experiences or events that can be said to have been witnessed by individuals and taken into public account. In the case P. Gauguin the Tahitian setting is non existent in the bible works from which the characters were derived while in Osamu Tezuka’s case robotic boys who can fly have not yet been invented. Conclusion In conclusion, the progress art works have made both in stylistic characteristics and methods as well as content is impressive when studied closely and one can see the switch from utopian to dystopian values that are set within the subject matter of the pieces of work (Robertson & McDaniel 15). The two art works that have been chosen serve as good example of exhibiting this change in the nature of today’s art and perhaps even serve to show the path that will be taken in the future as the art world continues to progress. References Graham, Gordon (2005). Philosophy of the arts: an introduction to aesthetics. Taylor & Francis. Jonathan Clements & Helen McCarthy. (2006) The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 (Revised & Expanded Edition) Page 37 Stone Bridge Press. P. Gauguin, ia orana Maria (Hail Mary), 1891. n.d Met Museum www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/51.112.2 30th Jan 2013 Robertson, Jean and Craig McDaniel. (2005) Themes of Contemporary Art, Visual Art after 1980, page 16. New York: Oxford University Press Read More