Imagine you are going to curate an exhibition on the history of your discipline. Compile a list of 10 practitioners (or specific pieces of work) that you would include and write brief notes on why.
Discipline: Fine Art
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Pablo Picasso: He is probably one of the most famous artist to have had a breakthrough with cubism and collages during the 20th century. Given his style was very different to pointillism or a traditional oil painting, I think he stood out and marked his legacy in the world.
'Weeping Woman, 1937'
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Mona Lisa, Leonardo DaVinci: Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo DaVinci hangs on the wall of Louvre in Paris. The attention it got from the public, and with the mass production of prints and other items sho how popular it has become over time within the public. Not only because of that but also oil on wood was one of the traditional methods of painting and it being a portrait made its mark and is significant in the history of art.
'Mona Lisa, 1503-04'
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Fountain, Marcel Duchamp: Marcel Duchamp's Fountain is an intellectually captivating piece as it works around the idea of art being a concept and how it's art when an object's given a different meaning to what it is meant to function as. This makes me question where art stands in aesthetics and process and the idea of using readymade objects and if that's any less art. This work is definitely on my list as it awakes so many questions that are unanswered for and is a great way to try and understand different people's and artists's perspectives.
'Fountain, 1917'
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Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh: This
painting is definitely one for the
brushstrokes and colors used. More
than the painting itself, I think it stands
out as he painted it while he was in
the asylum in France. He painted
what he was going through and there
are studies comparing the different
style of painting or the use of colors on his work corresponding to his mental health. I feel like this accommodates all sorts of people and would be on my list as it just is a beautiful painting of nature in a unique way scoring a solid 10 on aesthetic.
'Starry Night, 1889'
Jackson Pollock: With Jackson Pullock's work, it shows how much process means in art in some cases. As a whole final object, it may look like a mess of drippy paints but they're marks of his movement capturing the moment and his existence in that time and I think that's absolutely brilliant. He also uses such vibrant and dark colors and it is a wonderful work to dwell upon.
Girl With a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer: What makes Girl With a Pearl Earring interesting is that it was not a portrait but a tronie; a painting of a common type with unflattering expression. The way it's painted; light and shadow against a black back drop with a pop of slight blue has caught a lot of attention among artists and critiques. This piece would definitely make the cut simply because of the way its been carefully painted.
'Girl With a Pearl Earring, 1665'
