Sunflower and Twelve Plants and Calligraphy Being an artist takes time, dedication and commitment, especially to become as talented as Xu Wei and Liu Dan. These famous Chinese artists put in the time, dedication and commitment and their hard work has paid off. Xu Wei, from Saoxing, Zhejiang, did not grow up in the ideal situation, he was orphaned at a young age, but escaped his problems in life by painting and writing calligraphy; where he excelled the most. (BOOK pg. 208) Later during the Ming dynasty, he began to paint flowers and plants. One of his famous works in which we will focus is called Twelve Plants and Twelve Calligraphers (1). (BOOK 209). Another well-known artist from this century is Liu Dan. Liu Dan is also from China and was a fan of studying Confucian classics, poetry and calligraphy with his grandfather. He enjoys creating new perspectives on his pieces and one of his artworks that hits close to home is called Sunflower (2). This artwork is found right here in Minnesota at the Minnesota Institute of Art. In this paper, I will explore the similarities and differences found in the composition of Xu Wei’s Twelve Plants and Twelve Calligraphers and Liu Dan’s Sunflower. The composition can be broken down into space, shape and overall composition. First, the space that is present throughout the artwork can be very important in depicting positive and negative space, scale and perspective. In Xu Wei’s Twelve Plants and Twelve Calligraphers, the positive and
Simon Wiesenthal was born in Poland, December 31, 1908. Simon was a Jew trapped in 7 different concentration camps. He drew pictures of what he saw to recount the horror. Simon was liberated in May 5, 1945. Simon started a club/program to bring Nazis to justice. His main target was Adolf Eichmann; a Nazi who wanted to kill all the Jew’s and used little kids for lab experiments. Simon located him in Argentina. Adolf Eichmann was at trial and pleaded he was not guilty. After the trial Simon wrote a book about Eichmann. Simon didn’t spend time with his daughter since he was
The piece I decided to analyze is the famous sculpture, Laocoön and his two sons. I decided on this particular piece for a few reasons, one being the emotion we see on the subjects’ faces, and the other being the importance for future art. When I began this research I could not have possibly understood the relevance this piece had on the art that was yet to come.
In the following poem, “Which Plant Is Not Faded” and “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” we will be comparing and contrasting both of these poems throughout this essay. Furthermore, we will talk about the poem meaning and how it relates to the ancient Chinese. Secondly, we will explain the song and how it relates to the ancient Chinese. Ultimately, the differences and similarities of the song along with the poem.
In all actuality is forgiveness more of a resolution for one person to move forward, or does it fix the situation as a whole. The Sunflower, is a book that presents an idea of forgiveness and others opinions on what should happen in this case of events. Karl a dying SS man, brings in Simon a prisoner in a concentration camp to his hospital room, and asks Simon for forgiveness. Karl is guilt ridden for his killings during his time as a soldier, and wants to die confessing and seeking forgiveness from Simon. Simon however has never known Karl before their meeting, and Karl has never committed anything towards Simon. Simon struggles and is indecisive on whether he should forgive Karl or not. Saying sorry for murdering people during the Holocaust, is impossible given the damage of the event, but for Karl he searched for forgiveness through Simon. Simon being imprisoned in a concentration camp and brought to Karl, a dying SS man, Karl wanted to seek forgiveness for his actions. Being in the position Simon was in he was not entitled to take the apology on behalf of others, when he was not wronged against by Karl.
A fact which we all have to emit is that humanity existence always creates conflicts and fighting which we call "WAR". In war, people kill each others for many reasons ---- resources, personal benefits, territories, powers, revenge, etc. In war, one becomes a hero for killing human lives and eventually he gets honored and well-known in people 's heart. The Holocaust, according to Germans, was the war between Germans and Jews. Approximately six million Jews included 960,000 innocent children died during Hitler 's regime called Nazism. Unlike the "hero(s)" whom people honor, the Holocaust was a hideous crime and the participants were bloody murderers. Today people are taught about the Holocaust
The Holocaust was a genocide that occurred from 1933-1945, and one of its survivors was Simon Wiesenthal. After he was set free from the concentration camp, he dedicated his life to finding Nazi war criminals and persecuting them in court. Later on in his life, he wrote a memoir, The Sunflower. It was about one of his many experiences at the Lemberg concentration camp where he got roped into listening to a dying SS soldier, Karl. Right before Wiesenthal left Karl’s room, Karl asked Wiesenthal, on behalf of all the Jews he persecuted, for forgiveness. Wiesenthal left Karl’s room without forgiving him, and then asked his readers, “What would I have done?” At the end of The Sunflower, people who Wiesenthal picked to respond to his question, had their answers published. The most interesting response was Jose Hobday’s. Hobday believed that Wiesenthal should have forgiven to Karl because it would have given Karl a sense of peace, making it easier for him to pass on. Hobday had the correct answer to Wiesenthal’s question because even though all of the Jews that Karl persecuted are dead and will not be able to forgive him in person, Karl just wanted someone to know that he was sorry for his actions.
“What Plant is Not Faded” is a poem from “The Book of Song”. It was written during Chou Dynasty (1122-249 b.e.). It expressed the “the lament of a Chinese peasant”. Started by four questions, the author described
This paper will employ close visual analysis of the The Vase that was created by skilled craftsmen [Tang dynasty (618–907)] describing how it’s minimalist design represents that it was a time when they focused on non-controversial themes when painting.
The role of gardens play a much more important role in Japan than here in the United States. This is due primarily to the fact the Japanese garden embodies native values, cultural beliefs and religious principles. Perhaps this is why there is no one prototype for the Japanese garden, just as there is no one native philosophy or aesthetic. In this way, similar to other forms of Japanese art, landscape design is constantly evolving due to exposure to outside influences, mainly Chinese, that effect not only changing aesthetic tastes but also the values of patrons. In observing a Japanese garden, it is important to remember that the line between the garden and the landscape that surrounds it is not separate. Instead,
Instead, his immediate surroundings are detailed with building, trees, foliage, and a stream. He even forgoes depicting the moon to indicate the time of day. Thus, through absorbing the environment the Confucian concept of self-cultivation if reflected onto his mural. In addition to the previous impression from Dr. Cahill, Dr. Liscomb supports it also through her study of a record of Shen Zhou’s meditative process.
Zhao Mengfu, a main calligrapher of his time, set the course of researcher painting by solidly building up its two essential precepts: restoration through the investigation of antiquated models and the use of calligraphic standards to painting. In Twin Pines, Level Distance the scene figure of speech of the Northern Song experts Li Cheng and Guo Xi has turned into a calligraphic style. Instead of essentially portray nature as it gives off an impression of being, Zhao tried to catch its quintessential rhythms. The attributes of rocks and trees, felt by the craftsman and carried on through his calligraphic brushwork, are saturated with an increased feeling of life vitality that goes past insignificant representation.
These techniques allowed for the creation of striking glazes that were applied to harmoniously shaped creations. The pottery at this time was like nothing created in the world before. In terms of greatness in painting, some of the Song’s greatest achievements
The “point and line to plane” (Kandinsky 1979:6) is the painting element, such as the letters that make up the word, different combinations will have different effects. As Kandinsky (1979:12) has demonstrated, that point, line and plane is the basic building material of the artwork itself, and that in every different art the elements of art are certainly different. However, it is necessary to first distinguish the basic elements from the other elements, no artwork does not have these artistic elements. Therefore, the common feature between Wassily Kandinsky’s paintings and Guan Zhong Wu’s paintings are point, line
One of Vincent Van Gogh’s most world renowned paintings is his landscape oil painting Starry Night. The painting displays a small town underneath an unusual yet still extremely beautiful night sky. In this night sky, Van Gogh utilizes an array of colors that blend well together in order to enhance the sky as a whole. The town is clearly a small one due to the amount of buildings that are present in the painting itself. In this small town most of the buildings have lights on which symbolize life in a community. Another visual in Starry Night is the mountain like figures that appear in the background of the illustrious painting. Several things contribute to the beauty of Van Gogh’s painting which are the painting’s function, context, style, and design. Van Gogh’s utilization of these elements help bring further emphasis to his work in Starry Night.
When one comes into contact with a Chinese painting, the style is almost instantly recognizable. The attention to detail, craftsmanship, and vast depictions of elaborate landscapes appear to pay homage to mother earth in an attempt to reach a state of eternal balance with nature and life. Before this equilibrium could be achieved, one must attain internal discipline. This was required before one began mastering their brushwork in Chinese culture. In Mai Mai Sze’s “The Way of Chinese Painting,” 1959, New York: Vintage Books, Random House, Sze discusses the philosophy known as Daoism/Tao, or “the way.” Before one became a skilled painter, one trained in the personal disciplines of poetry, art, calligraphy, and internal