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Impressionism: The world as it truly is

Monet’s Impressionism showed the world as it really is. Monet showed a world in motion, his paintings would show how light would look bouncing off a moving pond, or give the effect of motion blur on a dress during a windy day. Furthermore, Monet was one of the first artist to experiment with color showing the world as it really is and not how it was traditionally perceived. He was able to capture moments as they happened and preserved them for others to see. Claude Monet’s Impressionism was more true to life than other traditional styles of paintings such as so called realism, because of there color, perspective, and tone.

Claude Monet was a pioneer in the art of painting. Besides his unique style there was something he did that no one else did, that was paint things as they actually are. Painters had for years been misleading people and showing the masses an unrealistic view of the world. Our brain has to make guess about what we see and some times that lives changes things as they really are giving us a false picture of our own reality.  The sun is something that is always present we know what it looks like and how it feels, but Monet saw something different. What if how we perceived the sun was all wrong, he showcased this in his work Impression Sunrise.

“In the late 1860s, Claude Monet (1840-1926), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) and others painted in a new style, called Impressionism by contemporaries. The name was first used by critics, viewing a new exhibition held in 1874, and was directed precisely — and decisively — at a painting by Monet of The sun is perceived differently in different parts of our mind. To the more primitive subdivisions of our brain, the sun is nearly invisible. But to the primate subdivision, the sun appears normal. Thus, there is an inconsistency between our perception of the sun in the primitive and primate portions of our brain. The sun is poorly defined and ambiguous to the portion of our brain that carries information about position and movement arbor at dawn, which he titled Impression: Sunrise. This painting is a striking example of the new style.” Monet was very interested in how light and weather condition changed the environment. He studied how light would change space and make depth more or less noticeable. this changed the landscape of painting and helped Monet set himself apart from his peers.

Aswell as being a painter Monet was also a great thinker he showed this by experimenting with color. “Between summer 1890 and winter 1891, Monet executed about thirty paintings of the haystacks in a field near his house at Giverny. In the midst of this effort, he wrote to the critic Gustave Geffroy: "I am working very hard, struggling with a series of different effects (haystacks), but at this season the sun sets so fast I cannot follow it. . . . The more I continue, the more I see that a great deal of work is necessary in order to succeed in rendering what I seek." Monet spent a great deal of time on his projects trying to capture the world and the beauty around him. Monet was the first painter to question color and space; until his time oranges would be for example just that orange, Monet showed the world in a new way teaching everyone that colors changed with the day and weather. Space would change the shadows would make the haystacks look closer or further away. The area would be transformed, filled with snow or wet with rain. These transformation seem like common sense, but before Monet art was void of these experiments causing art to be formed with preconceived notions or in other words would be controlled by our brain making guesses about our surroundings .

Monet and other impressionist were among the first painters to work outdoors amongst their subjects. Before painters would stick to the confines of their studios painting from memory or using models. Using the painting “Haystacks” we have learned what an impact leaving the studio had on the world of art.

“The French Impressionists and post-Impressionists change this conception. Claude Monet (1840-1926) work around 1890 demonstrates this development. Monet and his contemporaries begin to paint outdoors, as opposed to the traditional settings of a neutral studio environment. Thus, Monet’s series of haystacks are painted under different light conditions at different times of the day. He would rise before dawn, paint the first canvas for half an hour, by which time the light would have changed. Then he would switch to the second canvas, and so on. The next day he would repeat the process.”

Monet loved the world around him and he was eager to capture the magic that he saw in everyday life. Leaving the studio gave Monet further insight and proved that impressionism could reveal more truth about the world than traditional painting. Monet used what he  what he learned from “Haystacks” to inspire him to work on other similar projects such as “Water Lilies.”

“In 1883, Monet moved to Giverny and from the 1890s he enjoyed considerable wealth which allowed him to construct a garden where he painted some of his most ambitious paintings, including over 250 versions of the Waterlilies…”

Water lilies was one of the last works Monet had ever worked on. He grew attached to his new home where he had a garden. He watched as the lighting bounced off the water, he watched how the shapes of the lilies complemented the wave lines of the moving liquid. He spent a great deal of time on this series which expanded to over 250 version yet each painting was unique and proved once again that the world around us was different and new depending on the effects of it’s surroundings. In one painting the water would be still with a deep blue, the next the water would be moving with a hint of violet. The lilies where the main focal point, they are interesting and our eyes are drawn to them because of their shape and form. Monet was also intrigued by shape and form and one of the reason were the way they changed from picture to picture. The lilies bursted with wonderful colors whites, yellows, and red,  the flowers mixed with the reflection of  the clouds were  artwork in their own right, but Monet and his paint brush were merely the conduit that allowed the world to see. The works showed how these shapes were inconsistent and even with the roundness of the lilies the form of them changed depending on the time of the year. He showed a wonderful view and it almost seems like we are there with Monet in his garden. The beauty of these pictures gave Monet continued popularity

“In 1883, Monet moved to Giverny and from the 1890s he enjoyed considerable wealth which allowed him to construct a garden where he painted some of his most ambitious paintings, including over 250 versions of the Waterlilies. In the 1890s, Monet produced a number of paintings done in series. The first series, of the Creuse valley, was shown at a joint exhibition with Rodin at Georges Petit gallery in Paris in 1889 and this was followed by poplars, grainstacks, and views of Rouen Cathedral. Although each work was intended to capture a very specific atmospheric effect and time of day, taken as a whole the group had the effect of universality and timelessness and any references to the contemporary world were carefully suppressed. Nowhere was this deliberate withdrawal into a perfectly constructed rural utopia more apparent than in the Waterlilies decorative cycle (now in the Orangerie des Tuileries in Paris) which preoccupied Monet during the First World War and was technically unfinished at the time of his death in 1926.” Monet saw the beauty of the world around him and lead many of his colleagues to think the same. the water lilies were so influential that France dedicated money home to the public. In 1918 Monet announced plans to donate the decoration to the State, and in 1920 it was decided that the Government would build a pavilion in the grounds of the Hôtel Biron (now the Musée Rodin) in order to provide a permanent installation. five months after Monet’s death, the decoration was opened to the public for the first time. Here the changeable, fragile natural environment of Giverny, created and nurtured by Monet over a period of almost 50 years, is given its synoptic form in paint. The Musée Claude Monet's house and gardens at Giverny, was refurbished and opened to the public in 1981. Monet has shown the world how true to life his paintings really are and many people have seen it for themselves.

Monet had a passion to capture moments forever. Beauty is fleeting unless you can freeze it in time. Monet loved his county of France, he painted so many moments  and events in france. A painting that is truly magnificent is Rue Montorgueil, the painting sets a grand tone of excitement. It shows how lively the World's fair was.

”The occasion was a celebration of the World Fair Pairs had been hosting. As can be seen  from the painting the streets were decked with flags and banners… Monet’s pride in his country is evident in the overpowering national colors of red, white, and blue. The quick brushstrokes and pulsing colors are all testimony to Monet’s desire to capture quickly the atmosphere  the scene.”

In contrast to the world's fair, monet also captured a quiet and calm harbor the piece was “Fishing Boat At Anchor Rouen.”

“There is an overwhelming loneliness to this painting. The stillness that surrounds it adds to the sensation. The lack of  movement in the water and on land,and the non-specific time of day, gives it a timeless quality.”

Monet was able to capture another kind of moment, a serene picture that we are all familiar with. The tone is quiet just like it would have been if the boat was floating in a bay by our area. The realistic tone was possible because Monet was feeling all of the feelings he wanted to Portray in the picture. Both pictures are given life due to that fact that the artist was living it as he was painting. It is arguable that The painting capture a near perfect portrait about what life at that very moment was like.

In conclusion Monet showed us how the world really was. He spent countless hours showing how light and perspective changed what is seen. Monet was a pioneer questioning what was traditional and stepping out of the artistic comfort zone by exploring new ideas, he did this through his experimentation and through his in-depth series. It was through his look and multiple paintings of haystacks where he learned that objects color changes through light and weather. The Sunrise showed him how many different colors nature has and not just the colors artist assigned to them. “Lilies Pads” allowed Monet  to see the changes that go on in nature and create a narrative using pictures. We may take these simple things for granted but before Monet the world was perceived as a constant with constant colors and shapes. Monet painted the world as it actually was and gave people a new and inventive art style. Monet works where in fact more true to life than traditional paintings.

STROM, ERICH. "Monet In Science Class?." Instructor 122.4 (2013): 21-24. Academic Search Complete. 2015: Print.

Stevenson, Lesley. "Monet, Claude." The Oxford Companion to Western Art. Ed. Hugh Brigstocke.Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.

Potts, Vanessa. Essential Monet. London: Parragon Publishing: 2000. Print

Blunden, Maria. Impressionists and impressionism. New York: Geneva: 1980 Print

The purpose and function of art.

Art is an amazing thing we see it every day, we pass by it when we drive to work, we look at it when we surf the web, we view it when we read magazines. But We often do not think about what the purpose of art really is, it may have never even crossed our minds that art really even has a purpose. However, it is really simple the purpose and function of art is to help us see the world in new ways, to create a visual record of our lives, and to bring up the aesthetic value of the things around us.

The most important function of art is to help us to see the world in new or innovative ways. Each person sees the world differently which allows us to solve problems differently. Artists help us see the world in a way that we might not have thought of. An artist can help us solve a complex problem just by showing us the world in the way they see it. For example, the work “The Teson Of Images” by Rene Magritte shows us a very simple picture of a pipe. As people, we are so used to a visual world and it is easy for us to see that this is a pipe. However, Magritte changes our perspective and challenges us to look deeper and understand deeper, with the wording on the bottom of the painting which reads “this is not a pipe,” that can be hard to understand outright but with further thought we can see that it was, in fact, a representation of a pipe and not actually a pipe. We can now see paintings and photos in a whole new light and also allowing our imaginations to not be confined by reality because at the end of the day everything we create is just a representation of something else.

Another purpose of art is to make a visual record of people, places, and events of their time and place. Without art we would not know the dealings of the people of ancient Egypt, we wouldn’t be able to have a record of the American Revolution and so on. There are countless examples of moments being captured with art. For instance, Monet created a visual example of what a train station looked like in Paris France in 1877 in the painting Le Pont de I’Europe. He was able to take a live look at the busy area, and give us a glimpse of what the post-modern world looked like. The smoke was rising in the air showing us how the industrial world was affecting the local way of life. We are used to seeing Paris's Eiffel Tower and other famous landmarks but Monet shows us a part of the town that not a lot of people get to see. He suggested that the train station was the most important piece of the city. *“Monet seems to suggest just below ground level, lies the heart of the modern city.” Although the painting is blurry and does not have much detail it shows how gritty the underbelly of the town can be.  In the painting "Charles The First” we get a different record of life. Instead of the vast city of Monet’s painting we see a very personal look into someone’s life. He shared his likes and interests as well as popular symbols of the 1990s. He captured what might be the doodles of the young person going to school. but the work is also rich in Iconography. **“Central to his personal Iconography is the crown , which is a symbol of not only his personal success, but of other African-American “Heroes” that are subject to many of his works- jazz artists, such as Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and “famous Negro athletes,” as he calls them, such as boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and baseball’s Hank Aaron. Much like Monet Basquiat was painting an image for what he saw every day as well as capture a picture of the modern world with his references to music and sports.

The last purpose of art is making buildings more pleasurable and elevate them with meaning. Aesthetics are very important to our lives whether it’s nice clothes, cool cars, or the latest phones we are obsessed with looking good. Artists take this wanting to the next level. Renzo Piano an Italian artist created a beautiful building in Kanak called Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center. ***“Plano studied culture thoroughly, and his design blends Kanak tradition with green architectural principles. The buildings are constructed of wood and bamboo easily renewable resources of the region.” The result is an amazing unique building which is also very practical. Here is an example of art directly benefiting the community. The building complements the surrounding nature. The building also plays a huge role in the community and is now a huge staple of the area  

Art has a place in our world,  as such art has a bigger place in our lives we realize, without it, we would not have a record of our ancestors. We would never find new ways to look at the world, and life would be downright boring. it is huge that we continue to keep an eye out to truly see the purpose and function of art  

*World of Art

Net Neutrality, The FCC, And the End of Progress

Net neutrality is a topic that has been on the minds of my peers and I. As a student hoping to get into the media, net neutrality is a huge concern. I stand to believe that changing the laws of the internet does not mean the apocalypse of the web as we know it, however, it is a step in a risky direction. As far as we can tell the internet is a place where everyone has an equal chance of being heard and creating new ideas. There have been numerous examples of small business coming out of the woodwork and becoming giants. Just look at google in their infancy no one would have imagined that they would grow to a size that would be big enough to become a real competitor to Microsoft. In the 90s everyone knew the only places you would ever be able to have access to new movies was at your local Blockbuster. But the open market of the web allowed a startup like Netflix the resources to overthrow the mighty movie outlet. if the internet was restricted would things be the way they are today? I think we can safely that it would not. This entry will go over some of the issues surrounding the fight against net neutrality. I will do my best to present things as clearly as I see them. as well as show the facts as best as I have the ability to do so. Cord Cutters A long long time ago there existed the world where the broadcast waves ruled, where cable companies had complete control of the media you consumed. “You want to watch your favorite show, well that fine its on our basic service package. Oh wait, your favorite show isn’t on our basic package, well the only way to see it is to pay for our premium pack. oh wait you don’t want to pay, welp guess you can’t watch that show.” The cable companies banked on the fact that you had fewer resources to get the content you wanted. They could charge high rates and most likely people would pay for it. The Internet is provided by those same companies. Comcast has seen major hits to their overall profit recently with people calling themselves “Cord Cutters.” Groups of people are leaving cable and sticking with the internet. Cable companies are looking to score on this trend, but since the market is free and open and the internet is the same regardless of where you access it. There is no basic or premium internet. Those wise internet providers will now go after the money of content providers. Want your site to be present quickly, maybe even faster than the other guys well it’ll cost ya. Sure sites like Google or Facebook will be able to come up with that money. But where does that leave the rest who can’t pay, left behind maybe to never be heard from again, Government regulation Let’s make one thing clear government regulation is not the enemy in this war. Government regulation is the only reason we could have a neutral internet. The FCC, in particular, has the responsibility to manage the communication companies and keep them in line. If the government has the consumer's best interest in mind we should be able to enjoy the internet as we know it today. Unfortunately, the FCC is a place where cable lobbyists run the show. Just look at this entry from the Comcast corporate website this was back in 2011. “Comcast Corporation, one of the world's leading media, entertainment, and communications companies, announced today that Rudy Brioché, Senior Director of External Affairs and Public Policy Counsel, will join the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Advisory Committee for Diversity in the Digital Age. The mission of the Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age is to make recommendations to the FCC regarding policies and practices that will further enhance the ability of minorities and women to participate in telecommunications and related industries.” Comcast gives The committee on diversity millions of dollars every year. But is it really to “enhance the ability of minorities and women to participate in telecommunications and related industries.” or is it to push their own agenda and help butter up lawmakers and put them in their pocket? The Huffington Post tracked the “donations” to the committee. “Over the last several years, the two telecom giants have also contributed millions of dollars to "honor" members of Congress and congressional caucuses. The biggest recipients of this money have been nonprofits linked to minority lawmakers, traditionally some of the most progressive members of Congress. Disclosure of so-called honorary contributions -- ostensibly philanthropic gifts that go to organizations tied to congressional lawmakers or events designed to honor politicians -- became mandatory starting in 2008. In the years since Comcast and Time Warner Cable have directed more than $3.7 million to celebrate lawmakers.” Former FCC chairman James Coltharp (also a former Comcast higher up) in 2011 Spent almost twenty million dollars on lobbying compared to the half million he spent in 1998 when he was in FCC. The changing media landscape is cause for concern in the mind of these High ranking Comcast officials. They and their constituents are paying top dollar to change laws in their favor. Spending millions of dollars now could make them billions in the future. These CEOs will be directly affected by the government ruling on Net neutrality

On the cusp of a ruling on Net neutrality, Obama chose a new head of the FCC. Who did he pick why a telecommunication executive with a history of spending millions in lobbying of course. A man named Thomas Wheeler. Here is a look at this man By John Cassidy of The New Yorker. “That’s a relief—or is it? The closer you look at Wheeler’s selection, the more questionable it appears. After being poorly led for more than a decade—particularly under the disastrous tenure of Michael Powell, son of Colin—a strong argument can be made that the last thing the F.C.C. needs is an industry insider with close ties to many of the companies it oversees. In recent years, the cable and telecom industries have consolidated into a handful of quasi-monopolistic corporations, such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, A.T. & T., and Verizon, which, all too often, are busy trying to gouge their customers while asking Washington for covert favors. Perhaps what is really wanted is another Elizabeth Warren—a vigorous consumer advocate and proponent of competition who’s willing to stand up to these corporate giants. Even with the best will in the world, it’s hard to see Wheeler as this type of crusading figure.” The internet has been a giant open landscape of potential ideas. There is really no end to the possibilities for innovation, new technology, and ideas that come from a think tank of limitless minds. The openness of the internet has given us the opportunity to not only be connected but to have instant knowledge at our fingertips. There is no limit, no restrictions, and no hours of operation. If we have a question all we have to do is log on and ask. I feel like this accessibility is a beautiful thing because we as people have been in the pursuit of knowledge all throughout history. The ideas of cable companies to charge and pick which site they deem worthy is destructive. I agree to the fact that it would limit our growth as people and cut of the future inventors, social leaders, and new businesses from becoming a reality. We are living in a world where teens have never been without internet access in their lives. I feel they have a huge advantage. We can not allow our children to go from working in the open world to working in a closed box. So to answer the question, I feel like these internet providers should not create a “pay to play the internet” but should leave it as it is. I think 20 year of the internet Is long enough to see what good this open market internet has done for us. Sites like Kickstarter are perfect examples of how an open internet works. Many new products, music and movies have come from people helping each other over the web. Charities started by children bring thousands of dollars to people in need. The ability to stay connected with family and friends helps bring us closer together. The internet needs to stay the way it is if we as a people hope to evolve to deal with the problems that face us today I hope that this post was eye-opening that’s it I have said all I can say. Behave yourselves kids.