Today was my visit to the Met! I have been here many times before, but every time is always like the first. As many times as I've been there I don't think I have seen everything. Upon my arrival my main goal was to find that perfect piece of art, and guess what, I did! I chose t
o write about this sculpture Capresse des colonies (Negress of the Colonies) by Sculptor: Charles Cordier (1827 - 1905)Bronze Algerian Onyx-Marble. Cordier was admired by many artists for his work but he had to defend the people he chose to sculpt and the materials he used. Cordier chose not to use the standard white marble, but instead he traveled to places like Greece and Egypt to get black onyx and marble with blue, peach and red tones. The artist paid great attention to details and beauty of his models. As a man who was in a league of his own in mid-19th century France, Cordier viewed people of color as beautiful and proud. He chose people from all parts of Africa as his subjects, he often found that he had to defend the peoples he chose to sculpt against racist attitudes. Cordier viewed Africans as human beings, which caused controversy, because some people still saw Africans as a lower race. The first sculptor he displayed was of a Sudanese man, outraged everyone at first, but the work was soon looked at for what it really was. Cordier died in 1905. His sculptures,were made out of onyx, giled bronze and rare translucent marbles and oxidized silver. I found this sculpture to be perfect from the skin tone to the fullness of her lips. I was so impressed with the Sculptor's ability to capture the beauty of an African woman.
o write about this sculpture Capresse des colonies (Negress of the Colonies) by Sculptor: Charles Cordier (1827 - 1905)Bronze Algerian Onyx-Marble. Cordier was admired by many artists for his work but he had to defend the people he chose to sculpt and the materials he used. Cordier chose not to use the standard white marble, but instead he traveled to places like Greece and Egypt to get black onyx and marble with blue, peach and red tones. The artist paid great attention to details and beauty of his models. As a man who was in a league of his own in mid-19th century France, Cordier viewed people of color as beautiful and proud. He chose people from all parts of Africa as his subjects, he often found that he had to defend the peoples he chose to sculpt against racist attitudes. Cordier viewed Africans as human beings, which caused controversy, because some people still saw Africans as a lower race. The first sculptor he displayed was of a Sudanese man, outraged everyone at first, but the work was soon looked at for what it really was. Cordier died in 1905. His sculptures,were made out of onyx, giled bronze and rare translucent marbles and oxidized silver. I found this sculpture to be perfect from the skin tone to the fullness of her lips. I was so impressed with the Sculptor's ability to capture the beauty of an African woman.This display is oil on canvas by Ellsworth Kelly, Spectrum V, 1969. I was in awe by this, by now everyone knows I have a thing for colurs. When I first saw this display about a year ago I thought to myself, I could do this; it's just bright colurs on canvas, or could I? Even though we may view some art as amature work, I believe that anything someone creates comes from the heart and my reason for duplicating it may not be the same reason for the Artist who originally created it. I love it!
This painting is by Bridget Riley, Blaze 1, 1962. Elmusion on hardboard. DIZZY YET!
Nice find with the Charles Cordier sculpture... that is an interesting bit of cultural history about the depiction of an African face as being scandalous! France only allowed Slavery in the Caribbean and abolished it in 1794...(although it was reinstated by Napolean in 1804) here is a very interesting timeline of the history of slavery... http://www.nmm.ac.uk/freedom/viewTheme.cfm/theme/timeline
ReplyDeleteThe Bridget Riley image is from a movement called optical art or op art for short... it is all about making your eyes bug out.... :-)
Nice going!
The key part on your Cordier sculpture was copied directly from this site...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2004/10/13/32442.html
"Although greatly admired by many artists during his lifetime, throughout his career Cordier was forced to defend not only his subjects, but also his materials. Setting aside the standard white marble, Cordier traveled to Algeria, Greece, and Egypt to explore their quarries for black onyx and rare translucent marble veined with blue, peach, and red hues. The confidence of his artistry is captured in every detail, revealing the vibrant humanity of each subject."
You can't use other's writing and call it your own...