The Fauvism Art Movement: Wild Beasts and Colorful Paintings

Fauvism was a brief art movement made up of several young Parisian painters at the beginning of the 20th century.

Primarily a transitional movement, Fauvism came about as the art world shifted from the Post-Impressionism of Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Gauguin to the Cubism of Braque and Picasso.

Led by Henri Matisse, this group of painters often used vivid colors—without much mixing or blending—to create flat shapes in their paintings while still being representational.

Their paintings weren’t meant to closely mimic nature or re-create the impression of light as the Impressionists had, but to use whatever colors necessary to express an emotion or feeling.

Othon Friesz’s painting, Maison, also shows a marked similarity to Cézanne’s artwork, which heavily influenced the Fauves’ use of blocky, simple shapes.

The name, Les Fauves was actually first used as a derogatory remark about their work by French art critic Louis Vauxcelles. Les Fauves actually means “wild beasts”—it referred to Matisse and the others’ choice of colors, indicating that their work was savage and primitive.

Mountains at Collioure by André Derain certainly is a little wild, and reminds me quite a bit of Van Gogh’s paintings, too.

In the painting you can see those vivid colors and repetitive brush strokes which which gave the Fauves’ paintings a very rough, unfinished look compared to the other artwork at that time.

The most famous painting from the Fauvism movement, however, is probably Matisse’sGreen Stripe.

In this portrait of his wife, Matisse used solid colors throughout, and depended entirely upon the intensity of his colors to create depth and shape.

Thick black lines and rough brush strokes completed the image.

Although it isn’t necessarily a flattering portrait, Matisse did exactly what he intended to, creating a stylistic and primitive painting that deliberately celebrated the use of color.

For the Fauves, it really was all about the color.

An explanation of Impressionism: Manet, Monet, and other Impressionists

The term Impressionism (or Impressionist) is a rather popular word in art circles—sometimes it seems that once a painting is labeled as having an Impressionist style, it has an extra air of appeal about it that it didn’t before.

But even though the word itself may have become a catch-phrase, it does have a specific meaning; so for those of you who aren’t completely sure what Impressionism is all about, read on.

Impressionism began in Paris in the mid-1800s as a sort of counter- movement to traditional painting techniques.

Most artists of that time period painted from models or still life reference inside studios, with every item perfectly arranged and lighted for the best effect.

But the artists who would become known as the Impressionists (including Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro) looked at art a little differently—they wanted to make art as truly realistic as possible, with brighter colors and more natural settings.

Another leading Impressionist was Edouard Manet. After one of his paintings was rejected from the Salon de Paris in 1863 (which was the premiere art show in Paris) he came in contact with several other French Impressionists at the Salon de Refusés (where all the rejected artwork was put on display that year.)

Once united, Monet, Manet, and the other Impressionists found similarities in their approach to art. They all began painting almost exclusively outdoors, which led directly to the distinctive characteristics of Impressionism that we’re so used to seeing.

(And also gave us the term plein air that we still use today.)

Because they painted outside, the Impressionists had less time to mix color and were forced to paint more quickly to keep up with the ever-changing daylight. As a result, their works generally seemed “unpolished” or messy compared to other artists, and were never really accepted by the art critics.

In fact, like the Fauves later on, the Impressionist’s name came from an art critic making fun of one of their paintings: a work by Monet which was entitled Impression: sunrise.

The critic took that word “impression” and used it to downplay the importance of their paintings, as though they hadn’t made a proper study of their subject, and weren’t serious artists.

But the Impressionists knew what they wanted to achieve—they were trying to replicate real life in a more honest way. They knew that the human eye isn’t able to capture an entire scene in perfect detail, so they allowed their paintings to break down at the edges, or wherever there was movement, in order to mimic that.

The Impressionists also understood that light and shadow are seen in glances and moments, and are ever changing. They began to worry less about smooth transitions of color and more about making the color and contrast stand out, to catch the eye like it would in real life.

For artists, if you want to paint in an Impressionist style it’s easy enough. Try using brighter colors and mixing less on your palette. Also, make shorter strokes with your brush, and set a timer to force yourself to paint quicker.

And I suppose, when talking about a painting that looks loosely painted up close, or one with lots of bright colors and short brush strokes; or even a quaint little plein air piece—you might as well go ahead and say it.

“It’s rather Impressionist, isn’t it.”

The Abstract Expressionist Movement

 New York that had a profound effect on the art world: Abstract Expressionism.

As movements go, Abstract Expressionism is a little tricky to describe because it revolved primarily around the individuality of its leading artists—Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko to pick a few—and all of them had different painting styles.

However, if you break down the name itself (Abstract Expressionism) it does a pretty good job of explaining the movement—in general terms anyway.

First of all, the word “Abstract” is appropriate because none of the leading Abstract Expressionists created traditional representational or figurative art. (De Kooning often used figures in his work, but they certainly weren’t representational or realistic.)

And “Expressionism” works well-enough to describe the artist-centric nature of the Abstract Expressionist painters.

What do I mean by artist-centric? Well, for the first time in America, art became more about the artist than the subject matter, or the viewers.

Take Jackson Pollock for example. Known for his drip paintings, Pollock’s widespread appeal today is in how he created his art: walking, almost dancing, across his huge canvases while drizzling and splattering paint to create these rich, abstract paintings.

By looking at Pollock’s paintings and thinking about how he made them, it’s easy to imagine a few things about the artist himself. His mood while painting, perhaps, or his intensity as a person.

And just like Pollock, artists everywhere are still trying to express their individuality, their personality, even their feelings or ideas through emotive, non-representational art.

It’s amazing; after more than 60 years Abstract Expressionism is still going strong.

The Art Deco Movement: Technology and Geometry Combined with Modern Art

Art Deco was an art movement that lasted from the 1920s until around 1940. It began in France with a group of French decorators, designers, and artists at an event calledExposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes—the name Art Deco was later coined from that title.

Art Deco was a very “modern” movement, celebrating the beauty of technology in the early 20th century. Art Deco contains many references to trains, planes, cars, and skyscrapers, mixing art with scientific advancement.

When human figures are seen in Art Deco, they’re often very stylized, like in this painting by Tamara de Lempicka entitled Sleeping Woman.

Every part of this painting is a geometric solid—the figure’s head looks like it was carved out of a single sphere, and her neck, arms, and fingers are all cylindrical.

Notice her metallic curls as well. Stainless steel and other metals figure prominently in Art Deco, and when actual metals couldn’t be used (in paintings for instance) gradients were substituted to look like metal.

In a society where technology and machines were being increasingly idolized, it’s no wonder that artists began portraying perfected humans, with matte skin, sculpted features and precious metal for hair.

Bold colors, rays, and other strong geometric patterns were a trademark of Art Deco too. Charles Delmuth’s I Saw the Figure Five in Gold is a great example of Art Deco movement, geometry, and color.

As the story goes, Charles Delmuth painted it after hearing this poem by his friend, William Carlos Williams:

The Great Figure

Among the rain
and lights
I saw the figure 5
in gold
on a red
fire truck
moving
tense
unheeded
to gong clangs
siren howls
and wheels rumbling
through the dark city

Delmuth used that imagery to create a vivid, moving, clanging number five—in gold—which was a perfect subject for an Art Deco painting.

Although the movement ended in the 40s, Art Deco is still used today, often as a design element that references the optimism of the 1920s and 30s when it seemed as though nothing could stand in the way of human progress.

Art Nouveau: Stylized Shapes and Curved Organic Lines

Art Nouveau was an exceptionally popular art movement in the late 1800’s, beginning around 1880 and lasting into the second decade of the 20th century.

It was so popular in fact, that many of us still recognize it when we see it, especially in posters like this one by Jules Chéret.

And although commercial illustrations like Chéret’s are now some of the most recognized pieces of the Art Nouveau movement, Art Nouveau was very prominent in the architecture, sculpture, jewelry, furniture, and traditional paintings of that era as well.

It’s also pretty easy to spot an Art Nouveau inspired illustration or painting.

They often feature women (especially tall, slender, idealized women), flowing lines and curves, and lots of movement. It’s also common to see lots of flowers, vines, and interlocking, decorative patterns in an Art Nouveau piece.

Lefevre-Utile by Alphonse Mucha, is a prime example of an Art Nouveau painting. The subject is a woman of course, placed artistically against a backdrop of leaves, with flowers in her hair, flowing cloth, and heart-shaped patterns all around.

It’s a stunning painting, as are all of Mucha’s works, with layers of detail that you might not notice right at first—like the stylized birds which appear both on the woman’s sleeves and in the border around the painting itself.

And despite its name (which means “new art”) Art Nouveau was really a blend of both old and new—its extreme stylization was new, perhaps, but its organic forms and curvilinear lines had been around for a while longer.

You can see some of Art Nouveau’s inspiration in traditional Celtic knots, like the one to the left.

Celtic artwork is full of intricate patterns, often made up of one continuous line curving back and forth, under and over. The Art Nouveau movement embraced both the intricacy of the Celtic knot, and the simplicity of the line itself.

Art Nouveau also took some of its cues from Japanese wood-block prints, especially in the area of poster design.

Nowadays, Art Nouveau inspired artwork is almost as popular as it was a hundred years ago. . . and sometimes it seems like those classic posters of Chéret’s have never even gone out of style.

The Dada Art Movement (Or Anti-Art Movement if you Prefer)

illustrates that perfectly.

But what is Dada really? Is it an art movement? A way of thinking? Or is it all just strange words and quirky images?

The truth is, Dada was founded by a group of “rebel” artists in Europe during World War I who were dissatisfied about art, the war, and the world in general. And even though Dada brought about changes in art, it wasn’t a traditional art movement.

No, Dada art was intended to be ugly, weird, and in every possible way the opposite of traditional art—in other words, anti-art. Its founders’ goal was to shake the art world to its core while protesting the war.

Perhaps the most famous and controversial Dada artwork of all was Marcel Duchamp’sFountain. It consisted only of a urinal set on its back, but it raised a powerful question: “What exactly is worthy to be called art?” After all, this work of art is just an ugly toilet.

But more than just being unappealing to look at, Fountain also attacked the idea that art takes time and effort to make. Duchamp called it a “readymade” piece. . . something we call “found art” today.

Other Dada artwork, like collage art, seems more traditional to us. Some Dada artists used trash or refuse to make a statement, other simply used it because they could.

Here’s a collage piece by Kurt Schwitters from around that same time period.

I think it’s quite beautiful, but then again, we’ve had decades to get used to this kind of thing. I especially like the text, which Dada art often has, although the words are usually arranged in nonsense sentences or are gibberish to begin with.

Finally, when it comes to Dada sculptures it’s no surprise that they too were non-traditional.

Raoul Hausmann’s Mechanical Head (or, The Spirit of Our Time) looks to me exactly like a three-dimensional collage piece—in that he used a basic sculpted head and then attached various found objects to it.

Just from these few examples, I think it’s clear that Dada was a forerunner, perhaps even a catalyst, for the type of art that’s often seen today.

And because it so powerfully affected the fine arts (including poetry, literature, and drama, as well as visual art) Dada certainly deserves to be remembered as one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century.

The Surrealist Art Movement: André Breton, the Subconscious, and Surrealism

sm began in the 1920’s as an offshoot or extension of the Dada movement. Its founder was the French writer André Breton, a Dadaist and devotee of Sigmund Freud’s work with psychoanalysis.

André Breton decided (along with the Dadaists) that rational thought was at fault for the world’s problems and that change could only come about through the subconscious mind. He eventually wrote three Surrealist Manifestos and based the movement on the idea that ordinary things, such as objects, symbols, and images could have important meaning when created and viewed with the subconscious.

These ideas, of course, led to a few new techniques in the world of art, such asautomatic drawing (where you don’t think, you just draw lines and see what happens) and collaborative artwork (where the randomness of each member helps to limit logic or planning.) In addition, once the artwork was created it was completely open to interpretation by anyone, with no right or wrong meaning.

The interesting thing about Surrealism is that despite its emphasis on the subconscious, the movement also includes works that were obviously well-thought out and logically executed, with only the subject matter remaining surreal.

Salvador Dali is probably the most famous of those Surrealist painters. He’s known for his strange, eye-twisting landscapes often full of symbolic creatures and objects.

It’s because of Dali that the Surrealist movement has most often been associated with crystal clear dreamlike imagery. Not all Surrealists painted so realistically as Dali—some Surrealists leaned more towards Cubism and others towards collage, yet all were accepted at Surrealist artists.

Surrealism lasted for several decades, losing momentum in the late 60’s and 70’s, but like many other modern art movements it never really ended.

Artists still follow Surrealist ideals today by using highly symbolic imagery to provoke thoughts and emotions from viewers. And because of Surrealism, I think people are more willing to give their own interpretation of what art means to them, too.

Kaatyaayani in HD - Bombay Jayashri, Ustad Rashid Khan.flv

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Robotic aircraft avoids crashes using stereo cameras (external view)

Protein preserves muscle and physical function in dieting postmenopausal women

Posted by Biomechanism 

Dieting postmenopausal women who want to avoid losing muscle as they lose fat should pay attention to a new University of Illinois study. Adding protein throughout the day not only holds hunger pangs at bay so that dieters lose more weight, it keeps body composition—the amount of fat relative to muscle—in better proportion.

According to Mayo Clinic researchers, lots of postmenopausal women notice weight gains. Reducing 200 to 400 calories from your daily diet--along with increased exercise--may be necessary to simply sustain your current size.

“A higher-protein weight-loss diet is more protective of muscle,” said Ellen Evans, a former U of I associate professor of kinesiology and community health and member of the university’s Division of Nutritional Sciences.

Scientists in Evans’s Illinois lab wanted to study the way body composition relates to physical function because older women who diet risk losing muscle as well as fat.

“That loss can affect their strength, balance, and how well they perform everyday tasks, such as climbing stairs and getting up out of a chair,” said Mina Mojtahedi, a researcher in Evans’s laboratory.

The study shows that higher protein intake during weight loss can offset negative effects on muscle mass by maintaining more muscle relative to the amount of weight lost. Women who ate more protein lost 3.9 percent more weight and had a relative gain of 5.8 percent more thigh muscle volume than woman who did not, she said.

“When a woman has less weight to carry, even if she’s lost a bit of lean mass in her legs, the effect is that she has better physical function,” she said.

It’s likely that such women will be better able to maintain their mobility and independence as they age, she added.

In the six-month double-blind study, 31 healthy, postmenopausal obese women were divided into two groups. Each group followed a 1,400-calorie weight-loss diet based on USDA’s My Pyramid, but one group received a powdered whey protein supplement in the morning and again in the afternoon or evening; the other received a placebo that contained carbohydrates.

“We believe it’s important to eat protein in the morning and through the day so those amino acids are always available. Unfortunately, American women tend not to eat much protein, especially when they’re trying to cut calories. But it’s easy to add protein powder into a smoothie or eat a high-protein snack and incorporate a healthier diet into a busy lifestyle,” she said.

Both groups were encouraged to engage in light exercise (walking and stretching) and given diet education, including examples of healthy daily menus and a scale to measure portion size.

Before and after the study, participants were assessed for strength, balance, and the ability to perform such physical tasks as walking 50 feet, standing up five times from a chair, and lifting a book 12 inches above shoulder height.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used at the beginning and end of the study to measure muscle volume of the right thigh, the amount of fat around the thigh, and the amount of fat within the thigh muscle.

In both groups, strength decreased as weight decreased. However, the study suggests that an increase in the amount of muscle relative to fat had beneficial effects on balance and performance, Evans noted.

And, even though weight loss in these older women had a negative effect on strength, their reduced weight helped with other aspects of physical function, she said.

“We hypothesize that more vigorous exercise—in particular, resistance training—would preserve even more muscle,” she said.

Scientists explore the intersection of health, society and microbial ecology

Posted by Biomechanism 

Ecological research on disease prevention and the human biome to be featured at ESA’s 2011 Annual Meeting in Austin.

Public awareness about the role and interaction of microbes is essential for promoting human and environmental health, say scientists presenting research at the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) 96th Annual Meeting from August 7-12, 2011. Researchers shed light on the healthy microbes of the human body, the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases in cities and the most effective approach to preventing E. coli contamination of food. Here is just some of the research on microbial and disease ecology to be presented at ESA’s 2011 meeting in Austin, Texas:

Presentations on microbial ecology include:

“The food-webs inside the human body” led by Carmen Lia Murall, University of Guelph, Canada; “Human oral microbiota as an example of microbiota diversity associated with tissue characteristics” by Jacques Izard, The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA; “The impact of architectural design on the microbial diversity of built environments” led by Brendan Bohannan, University of Oregon; and “A microbial perspective on air quality: How human activities influence bacterial diversity in the atmosphere” by Noah Fierer, University of Colorado, Boulder.

Standing water and mosquito breeding in cities

Reducing mosquito populations, and the diseases they sometimes carry, in cities can be as simple as dumping out standing water on private property. However, not everyone is aware that standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes—and some urban residents are unmotivated to dump the water even if they are aware. Zara Dowling from the University of Maryland and colleagues administered questionnaires to 242 urban households in the summer of 2010 to examine the relationship between knowledge of standing water and mosquito-borne diseases, the motivation of residents to remove mosquito breeding sites from their property, numbers and species of mosquitoes present on the property and the socioeconomic status of residents.

Microbial Ecology: Research in microbial ecology focuses on the interactions of biotic and abiotic factors and the concomitant effects on the biology and physiology of microorganisms responsible for mediating many critical ecosystem processes.

The researchers found that 54 percent of surveyed households were positive for mosquitoes, with the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and the common house mosquito, Culex pipiens, being the dominant species; both of these species are known vectors of West Nile virus. However, while knowledge of mosquito-borne disease and mosquito breeding sites was higher among upper-income households than middle-income households, lower-income households and neighborhoods showed greater overall concern about mosquito biting and mosquito-borne disease.

“High general knowledge of mosquitoes and concern about mosquito biting were not sufficient to encourage residents to dump standing water, and even in yards where residents did empty containers, there were still many mosquito breeding sites,” said Dowling. “Existing knowledge, motivation and practices are not enough for controlling larval mosquitoes, and aerial spraying for adult mosquitoes carries environmental and health risks. Residents could benefit from community-based education campaigns that include detailed information regarding the types of containers that can hold standing water and the frequency with which they should be emptied to help prevent mosquito-borne illness.”

The presentation “Linking resident knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding mosquitoes to socioeconomic factors and vector control,” led by Zara Dowling from the University of Maryland, will be held Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 2:10 pm during the “Ecosystem Management” contributed oral session.

Other presentations on disease ecology include:

“Statistical prediction of West Nile Virus transmission intensity in New York City” led by Sarah Bowden, University of Georgia; “The dual role of lizards in Lyme disease ecology in the far-western United States” led by Andrea Swei, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; “The role of synanthropic mammals in avian influenza outbreaks” led by Susan Shriner, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado; “The influence of host movement on epidemic dynamics: Commuting patterns in cities and their consequences for the spread of influenza” led by Benjamin Dalziel, Cornell University; and “The ecology of an emerging tick-borne pathogen, Babesia microti: How host quality affects disease risk” led by Michelle Hersh, Bard College.

Understanding E. coli outbreaks in food production

In 1996, an outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7, traced to processed bagged spinach, led to changes in farming practices in California, including the adoption of eradication measures for certain wildlife that were perceived by salad processing companies to be sources of E. coli. However, according to Diana Stuart of Michigan State University, scientific literature and recent studies indicate that wildlife rarely carry E. coli O157:H7. Through 130 personal interviews and a mail survey conducted in the Central Coast region of California, she discovered that widespread outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 may be linked to industrial agricultural practices and the design of salad processing systems.

“We cannot fully understand outbreaks of foodborne illness without examining the complex relationships between humans and microbes in food production systems,” said Diana Stuart. “In this case, farmers and wildlife were blamed for an outbreak, while industrial production designs that may foster the emergence and spread of pathogenic bacteria remain largely unaddressed. We cannot address outbreaks unless we examine the connections between humans and microbes in food systems. Therefore, as a social scientist, I must engage microbial ecology in my analysis.”

The presentation “Bringing microbial ecology into the social sciences,” by Diana Stuart from Michigan State University, will be held Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 9:50 am during the “Micro-Managing the Planet: Integrating Microbial Ecology and Earth Stewardship” symposium.

Other presentations related to medicine and nutrition include:

“Selenium accumulation in flowers and the associated implications for ecology, evolution and fortified foods” led by Colin Quinn, Colorado State University; “Assessment of water quality and benthic macroinvertebrate community at a wastewater receiving constructed wetland in El Paso, Texas” by Jennifer Martinez, University of Texas at El Paso; “Socio-ecological production system of forests in the Roviana, Solomon Islands: Villagers’ resources uses and vegetation diversity” by Takuro Furusawa, Kyoto University, Japan; and “Key challenges facing conservation medicine” by Felicia Keesing, Bard College.

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ESA’s 96th Annual Meeting will be held August 7-12, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The meeting, which has the theme “Earth Stewardship: Preserving and enhancing the earth’s life-support systems,” draws a critical combination of more than 3,500 scientists, policy makers and concerned citizens to discuss research on Earth’s complex interactions and to explore strategies for enhancing a community-based approach to global responsibility.