Fine Art Essay

Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Art was originally used to refer to a skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences (â€Å"Art,† 2013, para. 1). Around the 17th century, a shift in modern art began to develop into fine arts, where aesthetic considerations are paramount, are distinguished from acquired skills in general, and the decorative or applied arts (â€Å"Art,† 2013). Sketch aesthetics, also known as esquisses, are preparatory sketches or paintings to quickly capture the idea of a painting (Myers, N. , (2000-2013). The aesthetic of the sketch in the nineteenth-century France). This process was used frequently throughout the time of fine art. The Raft of Medusa by Gericault, and Mount Sainte-Victoria broke traditional fine arts when they combined it with applied arts, which is the application of design to objects of everyday use (â€Å"Applied Arts, 2013). The Raft of the Medusa is an oil painting of 1818–1819 by the French Romantic painter and Lithographer Theodore Gericault (1791–1824) (â€Å"Raft of Medusa,† 2013). Gericault undertook extensive research and produced many preparatory sketches. He interviewed two of the survivors, and constructed a detailed scale model of the raft. His efforts took him to morgues and hospitals where he could view, first-hand, the colour and texture of the flesh of the dying and dead (â€Å"Raft of Medusa,† 2013, para.2). This portrait depicts the essence of the gruesome fight that occurred at this naval appointment which was on widely controversial topic concerning the competence of the Ministry of Navy. Although The Raft of the Medusa retains elements of the traditions of history painting, in both its choice of subject matter and its dramatic presentation, it represents a break from the calm and order of the then-prevailing neoclassical school (â€Å"Raft of Medusa,† 2013, para. 3). Mount Sainte-Victoria is a series of oil paintings by the French artist Paul Cezanne (â€Å"Mont Sainte-Victoire,† 2013). This landscape is an iconic mountain in southern France that overlooks the Aix-en Provence. Cezanne often included a sketch of a railroad that ran alongside the mountain in his paintings. Cezanne praised the Mont Sainte-Victoire, which he viewed from the train while passing through the railway bridge at Arc River Valley and soon he began the series wherein he topicalized this mountain (â€Å"Mont Sainte-Victoire,† 2013, para. 2). Cezanne was skilled at analysis. He used geometry to describe nature, and used different colors to represent the depth of objects (â€Å"Mont Sainte-Victoire,† 2013). As I can concisely conclude that the Raft of Medusa by Gericault and Mount Sainte-Victoria, in both their choice of subject matter and their presentation, they represent a break from fine arts. These major breakthroughs lead to much criticism, but ultimately led to the rapid change of development in fine arts that influence today’s ideas. These paintings and painters will remain revolutionary topics for years to come. Works Cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_art