Activity #11 - Rewrite Periods and Culture

This essay will compare and contrast the periods and cultures of two renowned artists. The period is the time that artist were working in similar techniques and approaches, and culture is refinement of intellectual and artistic taste (sample essay).The French artist Claude Monet composed The Japanese Footbridge, 1899 oil on canvas during the Modern Period 1800 – 1945. The Modern Period was characterized by the rapid advancement of technology and the effective way it changed our society and way of life (pg. 505). The culture directly correlates with Monet's French culture and his passion of landscape which he often painted in his latter years. This piece was composed at his garden pond in Giverny, France.

The Spanish artist Juan van der Hamen y Leon composed, Still Life with Sweets and Pottery, 1627, oil on canvas. Although both artists use light to create emphasis, their periods and culture are hundreds of years apart. Hamen composition was created during the Baroque Period which developed in Europe around 1600 to the mid 17th century and emerged after the Late Renaissance period. Baroque art is full of color, emotion and energy, with a greater contrast between light and dark (pg. 421). Although this still life lacks movement it’s defined by emphasizing vivid colored objects with the use of light against a dark background. Leon is of the Spanish culture and known for his work in producing still life which is his cultural artistic taste (artencyclopedia.com).

In conclusion, both artworks were created during significantly different periods, movements and cultures of time that span over 100's of years.