Classical art exhibit blog

Maria Sibylla Merian: caterpillar and butterfly, 1679, Nuremburg, Germany

Maria Sibylla Merian was an artist from the classical era that was from Frankfurt, Germany. She was the daughter of renowned artist Matthaus Merian. She was known for her works of insects and plants that centered around metamorphosis. She was married in 1665 and then settled in Nuremburg shortly after where she made After the birth of her second daughter she dropped a collection of illustrations including the one above. "Merian published the first volume of Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung, und sonderbare Blumen-nahrung (“Caterpillars, Their Wondrous Transformation and Peculiar Nourishment from Flowers”; the second volume appeared in 1683), in which she depicted in detail the metamorphosis of moths and butterflies." (Rogers). Her art was a big part of the advancements in entomology in this period. I really like this painting as the story it tells is pretty cool. It connects the living plant with the living insects and shows the relation of two different life forms. The colors all from nature and show life. Definitely some very interesting art. 

Sydney Parkinson: The head of a New Zealander, with a comb in his hair, an ornament of green stone in his ear, and another of a fish's tooth round his neck, 1773, New Zealand

Sydney Parkinson Was an artist and author from Britain in the 1700's. He was most notably known for his portraits of local New Zealanders from a voyage led by Captain James Cook. "Parkinson was draughtsman to the botanist Sir Joseph Banks on James Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific in 1768." (History). Most of these portraits depicted Maori Warriors and it was the first time people in Europe were exposed to people of this culture. The use of lines in this work really bring out the pattern of the tattoos and the style of these warriors. I would of liked to see a colored version of this painting but as he was depicting real people on a voyage I am sure having colored painting was the last thing on his mind. 

Joseph Wright: The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus, 1771, Britain

Joseph Wright was an artist from the U.K. that lived from 1734-1797. Wright was known well for his painting depicting the "spirit" of the industrial revolution. The painting above depicts an alchemist who at first was trying to find the philosophers stone, instead created phosphorus. The interesting thing about this work is that he actually depicts the process quite accurately. "He also gave a very favorable impression of the actual process, which involves the reduction by boiling of urine." (Wikipedia). Wright was very well known for his use of tenebrism as well which is very apparent in this work. I really like the overall story told and my favorite part about this piece is how the glass vase in the center of the painting is used sort of as a light source emphasizing the importance of what was made inside it. 

Analysis:

From the three art works I presented, I tried to find them from various backgrounds and different types of artists from this era. I wanted to find three unique works that all one one thing in common. All of these works tie into art and scientific discoveries in the 1700's. In the first work the emphasis on metamorphosis really helped with entomology at the time. Her art was a way to show how this process worked and how nature tied into life as well. The second piece of art came from someone who was more notably an author than an artist. Yet these portraits were and important part of depicting new cultures in Europe and showing people what other parts of the world were like before cameras and the internet and such. This was an important part of science and art as people would not get a chance to know what other parts of the world was like as there was no easy way to explore the earth. In the last painting I found an artist who was more known for his art than his scientific achievements. Yet his art still depicted some scientific truths which goes to show the advancements in knowledge of this period. Artists depicting accuracy of what was happening shows that research or real life work was done and demonstrates more knowledge than just any other painting. 

References:

Rogers, Kara. “Maria Sibylla Merian | Life, Facts, & Works.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 29 Mar. 2019,                www.britannica.com/biography/Maria-Sibylla-Merian.

History, New Zealand. “‘The Head of a New Zealander by Sydney Parkinson.’” Nzhistory.govt.nz, edited by New Zealand Government, nzhistory.govt.nz, 17 May 2017, nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/head-new-zealander-sidney-parkinson#:~:text=The%20head%20of%20a%20New%20Zealander%20by%20Sydney,Cook%E2%80%99s%20first%20voyage%2C%20now%20in%20the%20British%20Library.

Wikipedia. “The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus.” Wikipedia, 2 Feb. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alchemist_Discovering_Phosphorus.