ENGLISH PROJECT My favourite painting
GEORGE STATHOPOULOS
ΤΗΕ ΟPTIMISTIC SIDE OF ART
His biography
George Stathopoulos is a Greek painter. He was born in 1944 in Kallithea and lives and works in Athens. He studied painting and sculpture from 1966 to 1971. He was also involved in scenography and illustration.
WHY I CHOOSE THIS PAINTING
Ι chose this painting because George Stathopoulos is a very good painter who loves his profession. Also this painting depicts that art is a unique thing.
By Nikos Spasegos
CLAUDE MONET
LUNCH ON THE GRASS
Lunch on the grass is an 1865–1866 oil on canvas painting by Claude Monet, produced in response to the 1863 work of the same title by Édouard Monet It remained unfinished, but two large fragments are now in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, whilst a smaller 1866–1867 version is now in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.
DESCRIPTION
The painting in its whole form shows twelve people. They are clothed in Parisian clothing which was fashionable at that time. They are having a picnic in near a forest glade. All the people are gathered around a white picnic blanket, where food as fruits, cake or wine is located. The mood in this natural space is primarily created by the play of light and shadow, which is created by deciduous tree above them.
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was born on 14 November 1840. He was the second son of Claude Adolphe Monet and Louise Justine Aubrée Monet. On 20 May 1841, he was baptized in the local parish church, NotreDame-de-Lorette, as Oscar-Claude, but his parents called him simply Oscar. Despite being baptized Catholic, Monet later became an atheist. In 1845, his family moved to Havre in Normandy. His father wanted him to go into the family's shipchandling and grocery business, but Monet wanted to become an artist. His mother was a singer, and supported Monet's desire for a career in art.
On 1 April 1851, Monet entered Le Havre secondary school of the arts. Locals knew him well for his charcoal caricatures, which he would sell for ten to twenty francs. Monet also undertook his first drawing lessons from Jacques-François Ochard.On the beaches of Normandy around 1856 he met fellow artist Eugène Boudin, who became his mentor and taught him to use oil paints. Boudin taught Monet "en plein air" (outdoor) techniques for painting. Both were influenced by Johan Barthold Jongkind.
On 28 January 1857, his mother died. At the age of sixteen, he left school and went to live with his widowed, childless aunt, MarieJeanne Lecadre.
Monet’s death
Monet died of lung cancer on 5 December 1926 at the age of 86 and is buried in the Giverny church cemetery. Monet had insisted that the occasion be simple; thus only about fifty people attended the ceremony. At his funeral, his longtime friend Georges Clemenceau removed the black cloth draped over the coffin, stating, "No black for Monet!" and replaced it with a flowerpatterned cloth. Monet did not leave a will and so his son Michel inherited his entire estate.
WHY I CHOOSE THIS PAINTING
I choose this painting because Monet is my favourite painter and this painting ( Lunch on the grass ) is my favourite of all his paintings .
By Apostolos Gavanozis
Van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh born in 30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890 was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and selfportraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art.
He was not commercially successful, and his suicide at 37 came after years of mental illness, depression and poverty. Van Gogh drew as a child and was serious, quiet, and thoughtful. As a young man he worked as an art dealer, often travelling, but became depressed after he was transferred to London. He turned to religion and spent time as a Protestant missionary in southern Belgium. He drifted in ill health and solitude before taking up painting in 1881, having moved back home with his parents. His younger brother Theo supported him and the two kept a long correspondence by letter. In 1886, he moved to Parks.
Van Gogh’s death
Van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions and though he worried about his mental stability, he often neglected his physical health, did not eat properly and drank heavily. His friendship with Gauguin ended after a confrontation with a razor when, in a rage, he severed part of his own left ear. He spent time in psychiatric hospitals. After he discharged himself and moved to the Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur - Oise near Paris, he came under the care of the homeopathic doctor Paul Gachet. His depression continued, and on 27 July 1890, Van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a revolver. He died from his injuries two days later.
WHY I CHOOSE THIS PAINTING
From his paintings i like most the <Starry Night}> because it is very original and beautiful.
By Antonis Dontsopoulos
Leonardo da Vinci
THE SECRET DINNER
His biography
Leonardo da Vinci was born on 15 April 1452 and died on May 2, 1519. Οr da Vinci, or Leonardo, was a late Italian Renaissance scholar who is widely regarded as one of the greatest painters of all time despite the limited number of survivors. of. The "Mona Lisa" is Leonardo's most famous painting and the most famous portrait in history, while his "Last Supper" is the most reprinted religious painting. His design, which became known as the "Vitruvian Man", is a famous cultural symbol.
His life
Leonardo spent the first years of his life in the village of Anciano, at his mother's house and from about 1457 onwards, he lived in his father's house. In the mid-1460s, Leonardo's family moved to Florence.
His Death
Leonardo died in Clo-Lyse on May 2, 1519 at the age of 67, most likely from a stroke.
I chose this painting because it depicts a religious representation and because Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most famous painters in the world.
By Thanasis Stoikopoulos
The Pastry Chef
Nikos Gyzis
Nikolaos Gyzis w as one of the most important Greek painters of the 19th century of the so-called "Munich School". He distinguished himself in all the years of his studies and won the first prizes in woodcut, painting and etching.
His Biography
In 1850, his family moved to Athens. In June 1865, Gyzis arrived in Munich. He completed his studies in Munich in 1871 and in April 1872 returned to Athens. Disappointed with the conditions in Greece, in May 1874 he left Athens and returned to Munich, where he was to live for the rest of his life.
The Pastry Chef
The Pastry Chef is a painting with oil on canvas by Nikolaos Gyzis, completed in 1898.
Why I choose this painting
I prefer this painting because it's a very beautiful picture with pretty colors. It's impressive and the pastry chef is one of my favorite profession.
By George Gavanozis
Pablo Picasso "The Old Guitarist"
Description
"The Old Guitarist" is an oil painting by Pablo Picasso created in late 1903 and early 1904. It features an elderly musician, a blind, poor man dressed in rags, hugging his guitar while playing in the streets of Barcelona in Spain.
Project analysis
Elements in "The Old Guitarist" were carefully selected to create a reaction in the viewer. In addition, the overall muted blue palette creates a general tone of melancholy and highlights the tragic and sad theme. The only use of oil paint on the sign causes a darker and more theatrical mood. Moreover, the guitarist, although muscular, looks weak and seems to be close to death, suggesting little comfort to the world and emphasizing the misery of his condition.
Pablo Ruiz Picasso, better known as Pablo Picasso (October 25, 1881 - April 8, 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, poet, set designer and playwright. His father was Jose Ruiz Blasco and he was also a painter and his mother was Maria Picasso Lopeth.
He was born in Malaga, Spain, where he spent the first ten years of his life. He received his first painting lessons from his father. Picasso himself began painting at a very young age and showed early examples of his talent. The family settled in Barcelona in the autumn of 1895 and Pablo was admitted to the local Academy of Fine Arts. Pablo Ruiz left for Madrid in the autumn of 1897. There, he spent his time capturing life around him, in cafes, on the streets, where he discovered Spanish painting.
Picasso’s illness
Picasso fell ill with smallpox in the spring of 1898 and spent the rest of the year recovering in the village of Orta de Embro with his friend Manuel Palares. When Picasso returned to Barcelona in early 1899, he was a different man, he had gained weight, he had learned to live alone in the countryside and most importantly he had decided to drop out of art school and ignore family plans for his future. In 1900 he settled in Paris and specifically in Montmartre. Pablo Picasso died on 8 April, 1973.
Why I choose this painting
I decided to choose ‘’ The old Guitarist’’ because I found it very interesting and inspired by everyday life. Also I chose it because in my opinion this is the most impressive work of all Picasso’s arts.
By Anna Maligkou
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