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A Modern Exploration of Classic Art

Malena Darden, Clara Gray, Yutaro Hayashi, Sierra Nobley, Nick Parenti, Lemuel Saputra, and Narges Shams

Introduction

Art today is influenced by the past regardless of whether we realize it. Even people who do not study art history still recognize these iconic images, and they carry cultural meaning and connotations. That is why so many films, television shows, and media utilize these classic works — we all subconsciously recognize their meanings. We have pulled references from many movies, advertisements, and musicians who have used the works of famed artists to create new meaning within our modern culture.

Memories #3 Hiroshi Mori, 2014 The Annunciation is one of the most famous religious paintings made during the Early Italian Renaissance. It was an intricate fresco and took several years to complete. This piece tells the story of when the angel Gabriel came down to Mary and told her she would give birth to a boy by miraculous means. This was an incredibly well known scene from the Gospel, and was an important piece of religious art during its time.

By mixing two styles into one piece, he wants to evoke a response from the viewer while showing a famous piece recreated in a famous art style that differs from the original.

The recreation of this piece can still be easily distinguished as this iconic imagery recreated, but it has a different cultural twist to it. Hiroshi Mori, the artist of this piece, is straight forward in what he hopes to convey with this work, and he says, “My current works are mainly focused on the mixing of animation and classic paintings. My take on the two revolves around the gap between the coterie culture of Japanese animation and manga, and the absolute authority that coils around Japan’s traditional art and classic religious paintings. By combining images from these two worlds, both the professionals from the circle of Fine Arts and people familiar with animation and manga can look at my paintings and hopefully understand the mischievous sense of humor I try to convey.�

The Annunciation Fra Angelico, 1437-46

Birth of Lettuce and Garlic Ju Duoqi, 2010 The birth of Venus is one of the most beloved artwork the time of renaissance. This image represented the goodness Venus.

The show of this painting the sea upon a shell united with the myth that described her birth and her shell is pushed to the shore from winds also created by the wind gods in surrounded by a shower of roses.

Also Venus about to get on to the shore, a fairy touches out to cover her with a cloak.

Also the second images are same style “Birth of Venus” the name of artist is “Chinese Ju Duoqi “she created by Vegetable things. The image parts are very familiar and the composition to the color to the lighting.

Birth of Venus Sandro Botticelli, 1486

Reebok’s Birth of Venus Reebok, 2008 Sandro Botticelli created his Birth of Venus tempera painting for the Medicci family, and it is perhaps one of the most recognized female nudes in art history. The painting was meant to symbolize and promise fertility to a new Medicci marriage, so the Roman goddess Venus was placed in the composition as the well-known symbol for love and fertility. It also contains many other Greco-Roman figures who guide and aid Venus to a fulfilled life. In this modern rendition of Botticelli’s piece, the figure that orginially guided Venus with the power of wind instead guides a female runner. This portrayl still shows a woman being aided by mythical forces, however the message of fertility was not recaptured. This could be a comment on our changed society in which women are not seen just as baby-making machines, but as people with different goals and ambitions. The running woman symbolizes that independence and drive with the movement of her running.

Birth of Venus Sandro Botticelli, 1486

Model Supper Marithé François Girbáud, 2005 One of da Vinci’s most famous works, The Last Supper, is a fresco located in the Santa Maria delle Grazie. It depicts the famous biblical narrative in which Jesus predicts that one of his twelve apostles will betray him. Da Vinci’s use of the narrative led to many more representations of it, so his originality is a large reason why The Last Supper is so famous. However another big reason for its fame was that it was one of the first attempts to use mathematics with art—da Vinci utilized linear perspective to create a flawless, idealized image.

The modern image shown could be a satire for da Vinci’s goal to achieve perfection, which then aligns with our current society’s desire to reach perfection. This photo could be critisizing that aspect of our society whilst using da Vinci’s piece. Another main charactertistic to point out is that women are used in place of the apostles, perhaps as a statement of gender equality. Or it could be a criticism of how little women are represented in history. Either way, this photo provides a modern portrayl of da Vinci’s original.

The Last Supper Leonardo Da Vinci, 1498

Garden of Earthly Delights (The Simpsons) Matt Groenig, 1991 The Garden of Earthly Delights is a fantastical and confusing depiction of heaven and hell filled with nude figures and unusual creatures.

The first two panels of the triptych depict Paradise, filled with youthful figures in a brightly colored, sunlit landscape. In contrast, the third panel shows people being tortured in a terrifying depiction of Hell. This portion of the triptych appears in a scene in one of the early seasons of The Simpsons, after Bart Simpson is hit by a car and makes a brief trip to hell. The scene features many of the same images as appear in the original artwork, though with much less intense shadows, and with the detail of the oil painting changed into a cartoonish appearance.

This type of incorporation of historical artwork is seen throughout the show, which features over a hundred art references in its episodes.

This could be used to attract the attention of a more educated audience to a cartoon that many may have otherwise ignored.

Garden of Earthly Delights Hieronymus Bosch, 1505-10

The Creation of Lemongrab Melanie Herring, 2013 Creation of Adam is perhaps one of the most iconic pieces in art history. Commissioned by Pope Julius II, Michelangelo undertook the massive task of painting a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Throughout the entire fresco, various Biblical narratives are shown as well as religious figures, one of them being the Creation of Adam, as told in the book of Genesis in the Bible. Michelangelo’s obsession with the perfected male form can be seen in the way he depicted Adam, showing musculature that is humanly impossible. The body positioning of Adam and the Creator reflects a giver-receiver relationship, with the Creator adopting a convex body position, while Adam’s is concave.

one of her experiments. As shown in the parody piece, Princess Bubblegum is put in the place of the Creator and Lemongrab in the place of Adam, conveying their relationship. In choosing to depict them in that way, viewers who know the theme and nature of the original fresco are able to understand the relationship between Lemongrab and Princess Bubblegum, even if they have never seen the show.

In the hit cartoon Adventure Time, recurring character Lemongrab is the stubborn, obnoxious ruler of the Earldom of Lemongrab in addition to being the heir to the Candy Kingdom. According to Adventure Time lore, Princess Bubblegum, the ruler of Candy Kingdom, created Lemongrab in

The Creation of Adam Michaelangelo, 1512

Pantene Hair Restoration Ad Ant Shannon/Julie Matthews, 2007 The original Mona Lisa was, as we all know, painted by Leonardo da Vinci during the 16th century. It is arguably the most famous work of art in our Western culture, which is peculiar to the masses who do not study art history. There are a few reasons why it has gained so much status—the fact that she was unknown, that the painting appeared unfinished, or that it was stolen many times—but the biggest reason is probably her alluring gaze. The audience questions who this anonymous woman is and why she has a slight, seductive smile and a gaze which peers outside of the frame. The painting is clouded in mystery, and humans and naturally drawn to the vague and mysterious.

carries a connotation of mystery previously described. Advertisers most likely set out to recreate this quality of allurement and intrigue which captivated people long ago with the original Mona Lisa, this time to make women want to achieve that famous enchanting essence.

Now the Mona Lisa was utilized to create a Pantene advertisement which, if one has ever watched their commercials, typically include a beautiful actress with unreal lucious locks. Pantene likely wanted to include an image that is iconic and known by everyone, a quality which the Mona Lisa fulfills. Anyone who would view the ad would recognize da Vinci’s piece instantly. Besides this reocgnition, the Mona Lisa also

Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci, 1517

Venus of Titanic James Cameron, 1997 The High Italian Renaissance privileged the idealized figure, and Titian especially achieved perfection with his reclining female nude. In his Venus of Urbino, the woman has a perfected form and since she is a reference to a deity, she is therefore seen as chaste and pure.

(These themes are also symbolized by the dog at her feet.) In the film The Titanic, the main character Rose is drawn in this same pose and the comparison effectively gives Rose the same qualities that the Venus possesses. Both women look at the artist/audience without any shame, unfazed by their nudity. Although Rose is drawn as a simple sketch, in the film she has pale skin, flowing red locks of hair, and a deep blue necklace around her neck. These harmonious colors are lush and vibrant, much like the rich reds used by Titian. The context of Titian’s painting also relates to the movie’s plot in that the Venus of Urbino was commissioned for the marriage of the Duke of Urbino, and Rose herself is engaged to be married.

Venus of Urbino Titian, 1538

Ariel with the Underwater Flame Disney’s The Little Mermaid, 1989 The French Baroque was characterized by paintings of ordinary people, often peasants, in place of religious figures, but the message of the artwork was very obvious, especially with artists beginning to title their work. Georges de la Tour follows the Baroque conventions set by Caravaggio in his use of light to create tenebrism and a spotlight effect. The light in Magdalen with the Smoking Flame draws the attention of the woman, and she appears to be entranced, lost in thought, and contemplative.

The flame can represent divinity and spirituality, and Magdalen holds a skull, which is a momento mori, which creates a contrast between Magdalen’s mortal reality and the spirituality she perhaps desires. By including this specific Baroque work in Ariel’s treasure collection in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, we can understand how Ariel is feeling. Like Magdalen, she longs after a different reality (to be part of the human world), and yet feels incapable of reaching it.

Therefore, this painting is very subtly yet very accurately placed in the Disney film to enhance Ariel’s desire to be part of something, in her eyes, beautiful and just out of reach.

Magdalen with the Smoking FLame Georges de la Tour, 1640

Cat with a Pearl Earring Susan Herbert, 2015 Johannes Vermeer completed his famous painting Girl with the Pearl Earring during the 17th century. The piece carried a lot of mystery equivalent to the Mona Lisa because of the subject’s gaze and the dark background created with tenebrism. Another reason for its intrigue was that women did not model at the time because it was considered taboo, and it was likely given this painting’s accuracy that a woman modeled for Vermeer. Also the painting is a good representation of a northern Renaissance woman with her headdress and innocent appearance.

The modern equivalent shown achieves similar meaning with a cat representing the girl.

Cats also have the same aura of innocence about them, given that they are cute and furry animals. Our modern culture also carries a huge fascination with cats, especially with the recent phenomena of watching cat videos on YouTube. The artist likely utilized Girl with the Pearl Earring because it connotes the same amount of innocence that our culture holds for our feline friends.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Johannes Vermeer, 1665

Death of C3PO Unknown, 2010 Neoclassicism was essentially a response to the French Revolution, and artists of this period often presented images to arouse sympathy for the cause. In Death of Marat, David depicts a revolutionary figure as a martyr, just after he was stabbed. However, Marat looks almost as if he is sleeping, which is reminiscent of the Spanish Baroque where martyrs are shown to be peaceful, calm, and willing to take on the suffering required for their cause. Marat’s body position reflects Christ’s as he is taken down from the cross--a scene which has been portrayed over and over for hundreds of years. In the reproduction by Christophe, the well-known Star Wars character C3PO has replaced Marat in the bathtub, and the name on the table has been changed to A Robat. The droid is similar to Marat in that it is one of the leaders of a battle, and is a symbol of loyalty and courage. In the Star Wars movies, C3PO is vital as a translator and, in the first movie, is entrusted (along with R2-D2) with a secret message to deliver to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Both subjects

have fierce loyalty toward their causes, and although the droid cannot be reasonably seen as a Christ figure, if he were to have been killed in the Star Wars movies, he most definitely would have been a martyr.

Also, on a lighter note, C3PO also looks very peaceful as he lies in the bath, probably due to the fact that droids can’t really show emotion. All in all, Christophe’s work makes for a comical and relatively efficient comparison.

Death of Marat Jacques-Louis David, 1793

Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash The Pogues, 1985 The painting Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault of the Romantic Period is an icon of the time. Here, Gericault depicts a very heartfelt and emotional scene. The ship The Medusa was shipwrecked, and he shows several survivors who are desperately clinging on to the raft and to each other. Amidst this seemingly hopeless situation, however, we are given a glimmer of hope in the form of an anonymous survivor attempting to signal a rescue ship that appears to be sailing away. A variety of emotions can be seen in the survivors’ facial and bodily expressions, and the chiaroscurro adds to the dramaticity of the scene. The asymmetricality typical of Romantic works and the cutting off of the scene serves to include the viewer in the actual event, and in addition, the composition leads the viewer towards the anonymous hero.

only “... rum, sodomy, and the lash.” This resonated with the band, as they felt that it was a summation of life as part of a band. Due to the context of the original quote, the Raft of Medusa was chosen to be their cover art with the band members’ faces painted on the figures.

Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash, by Irish folk/punk band The Poques, is heralded as one of the best albums to have come out of the British Isles.

The title, which ultimately lead to the cover art, was supposedly inspired by a quote by Winston Churchill, in which he stated that navy life was

Raft of the Medusa Théodore Géricault, 1819

Prospekt’s March Coldplay, 2008 Prospekt’s March inspired by Battle of Poitier by Eugene Delacroix, Romantic Period Eugene Delacroix, a figure in French Romanticism, drew most of his inspiration from historical events. In this instance, he received a commission from the Duchess of Berry where he chose to paint the historic Battle of Poitiers that was fought in 1356 between the armies of John II of France, and Edward of Wales. It was Edward who ultimately won the day as John II and his army was surrounded and captured.

Characteristic of Romantic works, Delacroix captures the flurry of emotion in the final moments of the battle. We are able to see the desperation and hopelessness of their struggle as they are about to be defeated.

protest on modern-day events. Prospekt’s March, however, is centered around accepting the way life is--that it can be ugly, unjust, and unforgiving. Battle of Poitiers captures the essence of this message as it depicts the futile struggle of John II in the brink of defeat.

In light of this, Coldplay chose this painting to be the cover art of their EP Prospekt’s March. Serving as an ancillary of sorts to Viva La Vida, it brings an end to the narrative that begins in Viva La Vida. Viva explores wide themes such as love, war, and revolution, serving as a commentary/

Battle of Poitier Eugene Delacroix, 1830

Peanuts on the Grass Ron English, 2013 This painting skins a nude woman carelessly lunching with two dresses men.

Woman’s body is harshly lit and she stares straightly at the viewer. The two men looks like engaged in conversation and ignoring the woman. The other woman with clothes and have a basket of fruit. The second images are looks like very funny. The second images look like oil painting. Both images are much matched each other and looks very interesting.

The Luncheon on the Grass Edouard Manet, 1862-63

Abraham Obama Ron English, 2008 When photography first became available and commonly used, the main trend was portraiture. Portraits have been painted of important people for hundreds of years, but now it became cheaper and quicker to have a photo taken rather than a painting done. The Gettysburg Portrait was taken of Abraham Lincoln just before he delivered the famous Gettysburg Address, and the picture became iconic. By placing President Barack Obama’s distinct facial features into such a well-known and recognizable portrait of one of the most beloved, admired, courageous, and ground-breaking political figures in U.S. history, the artist is clearly trying to draw connections between the two men. The viewer is meant to see Obama as someone willing to make as drastic a change in the country as Lincoln did. It puts Obama in a very positive light, because the majority of Americans see Lincoln as a hero. What’s interesting is that the two men have opposite party affiliations by today’s standards, but when Lincoln originally formed the Republican party, it had the ideals of today’s Democratic Party. In all, the artist has successfully praised and supported Obama through the use of an iconic image of a national figure.

The Gettysburg Portrait Alexander Gardner, 1863

Voltron dans les Coquelicots (Voltron in Poppies) Hillary White, 2012 In the original piece, Monet was very exploratory with his play on colors. He used very vivid coloring to accentuate the field and the daylight. It’s said that he was celebrating the French countryside. In some further research on the piece, it was found that Monet was quite the passionate garden lover. Seeing as many farmers would consider the poppies a curse rather than a blessing, Monet accenting this really shows his view that Mother Nature has the final say in the life within a garden.

However, in this recreation of the piece, Hillary throws a completely different take on it with the addition of Voltron, the giant super robot. It is incredibly contradictory of the original piece, simply because of the robot. Showing a powerful robot frolicking in nature puts a real twist on the piece’s original intentions. She still uses similar technique in the execution of the recreation, but placing a new element in there not only shifts the composition to be incredibly heavy on the left hand side, but the added element of a robot life form makes the work completely deviate from the original message having to do with the beauty of nature.

Les Coquelicots (Poppies) Claude Monet, 1873

Zeldox Ad for Schizophrenia Minna Toivonen, 2007 Van Gogh, who is the most well-known artist of the Impressionist Period, lived a somewhat troubled life. For the most of his life, he was practically unknown, and he lived in constant poverty. After a failed attempt at becoming a preacher in his earlier years, he decided to study art and become a painter. Throughout his life, he has had issues regarding the well-being of his mental condition, and it was on one fateful night where he decided to slice off his ear.

There has been several different theories as to why he may have done the act. Some have said that he gave his ear to a prostitute that he was in love with as a token of his affection, while another theory suggests that it was Paul Gauguin, a fellow artist who he was living with, that cut off his ear. Regardless, within two weeks of the incident, Van Gogh had painted a self-portrait which showed his bandaged ear. In that painting, we can see arbitrary coloring and flattening of the plane being utilized, which was typical of the Impressionist Period. A theory suggests that this self-portrait was painted in an attempt to convince doctors that he did not need to be admitted into an asylum. The color-

ing, the easel in the background, as well as his attire, shows an optimism that seeks to express that he is indeed just fine.

We now know that he was suffering from bipolar disorder, and Zeldox, a drug used to treat that particular disorder as well as schizophrenia used Van Gogh’s unfortunate incident to their benefit. The ad shows two versions of the same self-portrait with bandaged ear, only that the one the right shows Van Gogh smiling with both ears intact. Through this, they are attempting to convey that their drug is, in fact, effective--if Van Gogh had taken it, he wouldn’t have sliced off his ear.

Self Portrait Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

Vincent (Starry Starry Night) Don McLean, 1972 Post-Impressionistic artists were very interested in art as an expression, and Van Gogh was no exception. In Starry Night, he uses color to express a mood, which is likely anxiety. He is more concerned with depicting his emotions through the swirling of the wind and the haziness of the moon and stars than what they actually look like. The Post-Impressionists examine color through a scientific lens, and Van Gogh’s brushwork allows the viewer to be the creator of color and light in the painting. Don McLean’s 1972 song Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) is a tribute to the artist himself as well as an appreciation of his famous works. Lyrics such as “And how you suffered for your sanity” reference the artist’s mental state, and “They did not listen, they did not know how” reminds us that he was not popular or successful in his own time. Not only is Starry Night described and appreciated, but so are the “amber grain” of his Wheat Fields with Crows and the “weathered faces lined in pain” of his self-portraits. By singing about a well known artist, McLean’s

song was able to pay homage to him and his listeners would have known exactly which painting the song was named for.

The melody of the song captures the mood of the painting with its alternating sad and upbeat tones--we can imagine one of Van Gogh’s mood swings as he gazed at the sky and painted his famous work of art.

Starry Night Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

McStarry Night Ron English, 2013 Starry Night is a night scene painted while van Gogh was living in an asylum. Instead of a realistic representation of a night sky, he uses loose brushstrokes, swirling colors, and bursts of light from the moon and stars, creating an abstracted, turbulent version of a normally peaceful scene. Below this sky is a darkened village with a church in its center and hills in the background. A similar sky and hills can be seen in this modern interpretation of the painting, though in this version the church has been turned into a McDonald’s, possibly representing how many people have become as devoted to fast food and consumerism as others may have once been devoted to the church and religion.

Starry Night Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

Water Lily Pond (Banksy Version) Banksy, 2005 Monet, like other Impressionist painters, was in- was able to effectively make a statement. This terested in the fleeting moments of life. He cre- is ironic because Monet’s original intent for his ated serializations to explain how one can never work was to make no statements whatsoever. perceive something exactly the same way twice.

He used spontaneous brushwork and abstraction in The Water Lily Pond to escape language and cultural bias in the piece and just paint an objective scene. In the alteration by Banksy, the scene has a few new additions: a traffic cone, and some shopping carts, haphazardly thrown into the calm water. The effect is strong on the viewer, in that it immediately ruins the tranquility of the setting, and also makes us disgusted at the defiling of such a beautiful landscape.

The spontaneity of Monet’s original work is reflected in the careless way we might litter or leave our shopping cart unattended after using it. The strange thing is that the scene still seems very calm post-litter; the items are not sinking or even causing many ripples in the water, giving the impression (no pun intended) that they have been adopted into the scene seamlessly.

By using an impressionist painting that we are familiar with and “ruining” it with trash, something we are also very familiar with, the artist

The Water Lily Pond Claude Monet, 1899

Kraft E.L.S AG Ad Ruedi Wyler, Andreas Konrad,, 2005 Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow is one of Piet Mondrian’s attempts at creating art that is free of language and culture, as was typical of many Modernist artists. To do so, he limited himself to black, white, and primary colors, and used only vertical and horizontal lines in the composition. In an ad for a Swiss fine art transportation company, the painting has been collapsed, playing off of the way that the blocks of color look as though they are stacked on each other. They pair it with the words, “Fine art stays fine when we ship it.” to make the point that the art that their company ships won’t get damaged, or collapse as it has in the ad.

Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow Piet Mondrian, 1930

Gory & Gothic (Entertainment Weekly Cover 2 of 3) Michael Muller, 2011 American Gothic has become an American icon, and has been parodied and reused for many different purposes and settings. It pictures an Iowa farmer and his daughter standing in front of a Gothic style house. Many people have agreed that it embodies what is considered the American spirit of hard labor and traditional roles of men and women. Here two actors from the show True Blood pose on the cover of Entertainment Weekly wearing similar clothing and the stern expressions of the original painting, though this version includes vampire fangs and blood on the ends of the pitchfork to tie in with the nature of the show that is being advertised. The choice to reference this painting is interesting as it provides a strong contrast between the conservative subjects in the original painting and the goriness of the show advertised.

American Gothic Grant Wood, 1930