Arts Appreciation

ACTIVITY 1B

Jhon Paul S. Cabales

BSBA- 1J
Artwork WHAT IS IT FOR?

When he painted The Starry Night, Van

Gogh was in the Saint-Paul asylum in Saint-
Rémy, southern France, seeking relief from
his crippling depression. It depicts his
immediate observations of the countryside
from his window, as well as the memories
and feelings inspired by this perspective. n
the painting, the moon and stars in the
night sky are surrounded by large halos of
light while a church steeple stands out
above the smaller, less detailed buildings in
the town below. In fact, some art critics
find a biblical meaning in the number of
Starry Night stars painted in Starry Night that alludes to
specific Bible verse in Genesis.
BY: VINCENT VAN GOGH
 Artwork WHAT IS IT FOR?

Katsushika Hokusai's masterpiece,

popularly known as the "Great Wave," has
been used as a symbol of not just
tsunamis, but also storms and plane
crashes into the sea since its creation 184
years ago. The Great Wave may be seen as
a symbolic image of a significant shift
occurring in Japanese society, a transition
that brings the presence of foreign
influences from the unpredictability of
the sea, in contrast to the solidity and
calm of Mount Fuji, the established image
The Great Wave of Kanagawa for Japan's soul.
BY: KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI
 Artwork WHAT IS IT FOR?

Da Vinci started work in 1495 or 1496 and

finished it in 1498. It represents a well-
known Holy Thursday scenario in which
Jesus and his Apostles have their final
dinner before his death and resurrection.
The Last Supper artwork depicts Christ
telling his Apostles that one of them will
betray him; "Very honestly I tell you, one of
you is going to betray me," he says (Gospel
of John 13:21). Each apostle is depicted in
the picture reacting in his or her own
The Last Supper distinctive way.
BY: LEONARDO DA VINCI
 Artwork WHAT IS IT FOR?

In May 1800, he led his forces across the

Alps in a military campaign against the
Austrians that concluded in June with their
loss at the Battle of Marengo. This
accomplishment is commemorated by the
artwork. The image was to hang in Madrid's
Royal Palace as a symbol of the two
nations' new alliance. David, who had been
a staunch supporter of the Revolution but
had shifted his allegiance to the new
Consulate, was excited to embark on the
comission.
Napoleon Crossing the Alps
BY: JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID
 Artwork WHAT IS IT FOR?

Girl With a Pearl Earring tells the story

of Griet, a 16-year-old Dutch girl who
becomes a maid in the house of the
painter Johannes Vermeer. Her calm
and perceptive manner not only helps
her in her household duties, but also
attracts the painter's attention and
depicts a young woman in a dark
shallow space, an intimate setting that
focuses solely on her.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
BY: JOHANNES VERMEER