Heather Kangas

   I want to focus this blog period on the Post Modern Era Architectures.  There are beautiful works of art formed into functioning buildings, and that is what I like the most about the Architectures.  Burj Al Arab  Burj Al Arab - Wikipedia The Burj Al Arab is a high end, seven star hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emarites.  The structure of the hotel is to resemble that of a sail of the ship. The sail of the build was built by many architects that was led by Tom Wright. The building was started in 1994 and completed in 1999, a 5 year build for one of the most photographed hotels in the world.  This huge work of art had to pull on many engineers to complete the many wonders of its shape and location. The hotel sits on an artificial island on the coast, where the base of the island had to be created starting many meters below the waters surface. There are many luxurious features to this beautiful hotel, some of them being the helipad on the top of the building, to the tennis course,

I would like to create my blog of the Early Modern Era on The influence of The Great Depression.  I remember in grade school learning first of The Great Depression, and what an impact it held on my young mind.  To this day, it still brings back memories of old black and white pictures of families suffering during The Great Depression. I would like to focus on the Artists who were affected during this period of time. The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1933 but the lasting affects really shaped all of the 1930's. It was during the Great Depression that the Works Progress Administration (WPA), later called the Works Projects Administration, was created by the presidential orders in May 1935.  It was with this Works Projects Administration that the Federal Art Project was formed along with other Projects to include writer, theatrics, etc.  The Federal Art Project funded by the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act lasted from 1935 to 1943.  This was created to hire artists for mainl

My blog today for the Romantic Era, I want to chose two works of art from each the Impressionism and the Post Impressionism. Four works in all done by four different artists.  Spring Flowers(Peonies)  by William Merritt Chase, 1886, Pastel on Paper and wrapped around a canvas with wooden strainer.  Spring Flowers (Peonies) - Conversations with the Collection - Terra Foundation for American Art (terraamericanart.org) My first work of art is done by William Merritt Chase, alive from 1849 to 1916, from the Impressionism Era.  Chase became a well known artist/teacher in America.  His use of pastels along with oils sets him above others. It was during this Era that the Japanese came out of its isolation policy from the out side world, and the world became inspired by the Japanese style painting. Chase, along with many other artists, became enthralled by art from Japan (Japonisme). Although he did not experience first hand any trips to Japan, he lived up his fantasy through the works of coll

I wanted to focus on the Revolution  and Art of the Classical Era.  The history of Napoleon in Europe with his short lived victory that are a huge part of the French Revolution.  Many artists find inspiration in the revolutionary period of the 18th and 19th Century from the French Revolution and the American Revolution.    Death of Socrates   Painted by Jacques Louis David, Oil on Canvas 1787 Jacques Louis David | The Death of Socrates | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org) David wanted to create his image of Socrates from the story, Phaedo, and also the use of David's study from other archeologists.   The history behind Socrates chosen suicide rather than be killed showed his unwillingness to be put down by authority in his era to prove injustice or rather not fall to the unjust authority who were on his heel to take him to his death.  This depiction gives us a view of virtuous behavior captured very well by the artist.  This work of art created by David directly after t

 I have chosen a work done by Judith Leyster, her work of Two Children with a Cat. She created this piece of art with oil on canvas back in 1629. She was a Dutch painter from 1609-1660. Web Gallery of Art, searchable fine arts image database (wga.hu) Judith Leyster created a work that shows motion or a moment in time that shows an illusion of motion.  It looks as though this piece of work can come to life any moment, almost as though you can hear the children laughing a playing. The Renaissance period showed works of art that portrayed naturalism and harmony, her work has a heightened realism.   Leyster uses dramatic changes in color in this painting, shades from very dark to bright highlights.  This use of dramatic changes really catches the eye of viewers, including mine. This characteristic of being overly exaggerated with darks and lights is another character of the Baroque period. I can appreciate the deep rich colors expressed in this painting, especially the bright red cap to th

  Jane Seymour, Queen of England by HOLBEIN, Hans the Younger (wga.hu) I have chose to reflect on the work of Holbein, Hans the Younger, the work he created of Jane Seymour.  He did a bunch of his work for King Henry VIII.  Seeing some of his work during grade school had caught my attention at an early age.  I admired the elegant portrait of the King and Queens captured in the oil paintings.  The portrait was created in 1536 shortly after her marriage to King Henry the VIII. Holbein had created this work with oil paint on wood. It was created in the Windsor Castle.  His works I first noticed in books, fictional, that we would read in middle school. I was always intrigued by the detail and the richness that was captured in the paintings. The paintings had a disproportional aspect to it but not soo much that it was hard to picture in real life. He would create an aspect to the personality of the person, which I could appreciate.  The Northern Renaissance during the reign of King Henry th