Metamorphosis Of Narcissus Salvador Dali Essay Example For Students

Metamorphosis Of Narcissus Salvador Dali Essay Metamorphosisof Narcissus Salvador DaliThe painting Metamorphosis of Narcissuswas created in 1937 by oil on canvas by Salvador Dali. This painting usesa lot of images to say what it means, for example, a person, a hand, water,a starving dog, a chess board, a canyon or cliff, and people. This is notto fill the paper or distract the viewer from the suggested meaning orpoint, but to support the idea that hope and despair are reflections ofone another; on opposite sides of a coin, spinning in mid-air, waitingto land and fix or destroy everything. The first thing that one thinks upon firstseeing it, from far away, is that Dali just painted the same thing twice. From afar, it appears as if he simply cut the canvas down the middle andmade one side brown and the other blue, but on closer inspection, one seesthat the two sides, although very similar, are nothing alike. On one side, there sits a limp body staringat the reflection of herself in the water that she sinks in. The settingsun glistens off the back of her head, but she just wallows in grim depressionand boredom. The canyons trap her in the barren wasteland as she sits motionless,without movement, struggle, or life. This mysterious figure looks so vacantthat it might as well be dead. Nothing is happening on this side, so onesattention is directed to the other. On the other side, a blue decaying handemerges from the ground with ants crawling on it, possibly making theirhomes in it or finding food on it. Atop this pedestal, rests an egg witha flower sprouting from it. This display of life emerging from the deadis a symbol of hope and beauty. To the left of the hand, a very unhealthymalnourished dog feasts on fresh meat; his salvation is handed to him andhe survives. Behind the dog is a chess board with a young man in the middleof it, proudly surveying the battlefield as though it were his kingdom. To his left are people on a road that leads off into the horizon. All thesethings symbolize new beginnings out of old life and hope from death. The message that Salvador Dali was tryingto get across is that hope and despair, failure and victory, and life anddeath are all equal forces, each one pulling the other in an eternal warto balance everything. Its all a cycle, and like all cycles, it repeatsitself forever and ever, and theres no way of having one without the other. Guemica Pablo PicassoPablo Picassos Guernica Pablo Picassospainting entitled Guernica has been a masterpiece of modern art sinceits first appearance at the World Fairs Fair of 1937. The huge muralhas become an icon of Picassos work and has been interpreted in severalunique ways, many of which contradict Picassos actual intentions. Artistically, the composition is balancedand is a characteristic of Picassos work; perfectly planned and flowing. The symbols of this piece despite the misconceptions of its many critics,including those present at the Worlds Fair in the year that the paintingwas introduced, were clearly defined by Picasso himself. The preliminary sketches of the work beganin May of 1937, and was commissioned by the official Republican governmentof Spain in January of the same year. It was to be displayed in the InternationalSpanish Pavilion at the 1937 International Exhibition, or as it is morepopularly known, the Worlds Fair. Picasso was given a large studio inwhich to conduct his artistic endeavors in partial payment for the workwhich was being done. .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 , .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .postImageUrl , .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 , .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823:hover , .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823:visited , .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823:active { border:0!important; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823:active , .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823 .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1ea5f7fb7c9a7f5d75d2c559f4b87823:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Demand Estimation for Britannia Biscuit Industry EssayPicasso went through many artistic periodsthroughout his career as an artist, one of which was cubism. In a few ways,Guernica, somewhat broke from the traditional cubism which he had a handin inventing. The painting makes use of a two dimensional picture plainwith all of the objects on the canvas appear flat looking as is dictatedby the cubism style. The picture plain is not, however, fractured likemany of the previous works which were categorized under the same style. Picassos reason for painting Guernicahas been disputed by the many art critics of modern art, but perhaps themost accurate summary is the genius himself. Picasso explained that thework was not specifically about the bombing of Guernica, nor was it specificallyabout the Spanish Civil War which was the culprit in this destructive incident. It was rather a broad statement about human beings fighting amongst themselves,and the chaos which would ensue should such hateful human relationshipsbe allowed to continue as they had in Guernica, Spain. The organization of the piece was carefullyplanned in the forty-five preliminary sketches, which obviously concentratedon leading the eye thorough the composition. The objects themselves balanceeach other well to create a peaceful composition. Picasso makes a consciouseffort to emphasize the bull, the horse and the woman in the window aseach of these images are important to the symbolic aspect of the graphicdepiction of the bombing of Guernica. As one looks at the overall movementin the painting, they get a sense of frozen motion unlike what is typicalof the futurism style of composition. The idea that everything came toa sudden halt with no time to come to a real rest. The one piece of evidencecontrary to this is the soldiers arm which lays peacefully across the ground. The enormous 138 x 308 canvas was paintedusing only grey scale colors, which is said to be in co-ordination withthe ink of the newspapers which often covered the bombings during the civilunrest in Spain. Picasso uses dominantly blacks and whites using valuechanges in few areas over the picture plain. He uses line extensively,with almost geometric shapes taking form and leading the eye as can beseen in many of his pre-production sketches. Texture is kept to a minimumin the specific work as it is a very two dimensional art work and as iscommon of the cubism style. He has made extremely good use of space asnearly the entire canvas is used, while maintaining the balance which isnecessary to keep the composition aesthetically pleasing. Among the manysymbolic images in the work are a bull, a horse a soldier with a brokensword and a woman looking out of a window with a very concerned look onher face. The broken sword in the soldiers hand, which can be seen at thebottom center of the composi tion was used to symbolize the broken spiritsand the failure to resist on the part of the people. The woman is a symbolof concern for the fighting people by people who have succeeded in beingable to see the whole picture. The largest contributing factor to Guernicasoverall appeal is the excellent use of symbolism which encourages itsaudience to think. If ever given the opportunity I would be most interestedin seeing the original of this work. I have gained a lot of respect fornot only the artistic integrity of this painting, but also for Pablo Picassoas an overall intuitive and creative person.