Compare and Contrast Essay Art

Work #1 Mona Lisa Leonardo de Vinci, i503-i507 Oil on poplar, (77 x 55cm, 30 x 21in) Muste de Louve, Paris Work # 2 Flowers of Edo: Young Woman’s narrative Chanting to the Shamison Kitagowa Utamoro, Mid 17903 Color wood block print (15 1/8 x 10/38. 5 x 25. 5 cm) Spencer Museums Art The University of Kansas I am not a professional art critic, I just like beautiful paintings. It is very fascinating to me the talent that some are born with. Dilect changes with time but a painting or message or imaginary stays the same. I chose two very important paintings both are portraits of woman. They were created during different time periods. Comparing the two work one (Mona Lisa) is very detailed, while work two (Flowers of Edo: Young woman’s narrative chanting to the shamisen) is more sketched. I am left wondering if work two was a real person or drawing that was later painted. Mona Lisa or La Giocanda (Lajaconde) is the 16th century, oil paintings on polar wood by Leonardo Da Vinci, and is one of the world’s most famous paintings. Few works of art have been subjected to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. It is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musee da Louvre in Paris. The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewers with an expression often described as enigmatic. The title Mona Lisa stems from the Giorgio Vasari biography of Leonard De Vinci published 31 yrs after Leonard’s death. In it he identified the sitter as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy businessman; Mona was a common name from the title Madonna, meaning my lady, the English version of Madam. The alternative title is the Italian version which means light-hearted was derived because of her smile. The â€Å"Flowers of Edo† was a series of creations by artist kawakawa Utamoro, who was a Japanese print maker and painter, and he is considered one of the greatest artists of wood block prints. He is especially known for his masterfully composed studies of women. His sensuous female beauties are generally considered the finest and most evocative. He also produced nature studies particularly illustrated books of insects. Kitagawa work reached Europe in the middle of the 19th century, where his works were very popular; enjoying particular fame in France. He influenced the European impressionist, particularly with his use of partial views, with an emphasis or light and shade. Sources The Mona Lisa Exposed Http://www. hepgura. com/mona Lisa, an ad supported tufts University student website dedicated to the Mona Lisa. Shrug asana, Timothy Clark, The passionate art of Kitagowa Utamaro British Museum Press, London, 1995