History Of Painting Research Articles

“The Sack of Benjamin... I am Now Putting it in Order”. One Unfulfilled Vision

The article is the first to consider Alexander Ivanov's process of drafting the sketches for an unrealized painting based on the Bible story “Joseph’s Brothers Finding a Cup in the Sack of Benjamin”. The paper also considers the artist's discussion of compositional options with his father – historical painter A. I. Ivanov, as well as with famous European masters – Bertel Thorvaldsen, Vincenzo Camuccini, Johann Friedrich Overbeck. Such a dialog and exchange of opinions is of particular importance for understanding the specifics of both Alexander Ivanov's creative personality and the peculiarities of compositional, scenic and figurative approaches to historical painting in the times of classicism.

Exploration of Artistic Expression in the Context of the Renaissance from Different Countries: Take Innovations in Painting Techniques as an Example

This study investigates the painting techniques of different regions as a representative of urban culture in Italy and the Netherlands during the Renaissance. At this time, the artworks struggled between humanistic and divine worldviews but also manifested regional relatively independent personalities resulting in various economic and cultural contexts. Incorporating evidence from paintings, artists' manuscripts, and other contexts, this paper contrasts painting techniques from two countries concerning ways of seeing the world, renewing suitable materials, and drawing scientifically. These creations are particularly evident throughout the painting's history revealing disparate proportions of city-culture components, including artistic creation, everyday lifestyle, and city value from historical memories. It allows the Renaissance cultural development process to be easily grasped by a direct artistic expression despite space-time barriers. Though the different paths of national artistic development have produced different results, the similar cause and connotation of painting techniques’ innovations in the two places reflects the inevitability of history, because art is not an accidental product, but the result of the cultural development of an entire city.

From Virtual Reality to the Emerging Discipline of Perception Engineering

This article makes the case that a powerful new discipline, which we term perception engineering, is steadily emerging. It follows from a progression of ideas that involve creating illusions, from historical paintings and film to modern video games and virtual reality. Rather than creating physical artifacts such as bridges, airplanes, or computers, perception engineers create illusory perceptual experiences. The scope is defined over any agent that interacts with the physical world, including both biological organisms (humans and animals) and engineered systems (robots and autonomous systems). The key idea is that an agent, called a producer, alters the environment with the intent to alter the perceptual experience of another agent, called a receiver. Most importantly, the article introduces a precise mathematical formulation of this process, based on the von Neumann–Morgenstern notion of information, to help scope and define the discipline. This formulation is then applied to the cases of engineered and biological agents, with discussion of its implications for existing fields such as virtual reality, robotics, and even social media. Finally, open challenges and opportunities for involvement are identified.

Ukrainian Military Themes in the Historical Battle Painting of Andrii Kholomeniuk

The purpose of the work is to investigate the topic of Ukrainian military history in the historical-battle painting of A. Kholomeniuk; analyse the main cycles and their plot, imagery, author's interpretation. The research methodology consists in the application of the historical-chronological method, comparison and generalisation, art analysis, with the application of the principles of systematicity and historicism. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the systematic generalisation and analysis of the artistic works of the famous artist-battalist A. Kholomeniuk, which reproduce various historical periods of the military history of Ukraine, mainly the late Middle Ages and the Cossack region. Conclusions. As a result of the conducted research, it was established that in his work A. Kholomeniuk addresses various topics and plots of Ukrainian military history, among which the large cycle of works "The Khotyn War of 1621" (approx. 80 paintings) occupies a prominent place, which serves as a kind of pictorial encyclopaedia of Ukrainian Cossacks. A. Kholomenyuk's battle paintings have a distinct author's style of painting, with an expressive manner and play of colour, light and shadow, characterised by perfect composition and a deep study of historical details and context. The battle-historical works of A. Kholomeniuk belong to the important examples of modern Ukrainian historical-battle painting, which vividly reflects Ukrainian military themes.
 Keywords: A. Kholomeniuk, battle-historical painting, battle studies, historical themes, military history of Ukraine, Cossack period.

A pro-American perspective on the American Revolution: Johann Heinrich Ramberg’s (1763–1840) adaptations of illustrations by Daniel Chodowiecki

The Allgemeines Historisches Taschenbuch, oder Abriss der merkwürdigsten neuen Welt-Begebenheiten (General Historical Pocketbook, or Outline of the most remarkable new world events), published in Berlin in 1784 and supported by the Academy of Arts, contained one of the most important contemporary accounts of the North American Revolution, titled Geschichte der Revolution von Nord-Amerika (History of the North American Revolution) by Matthias Christian Sprengel, professor at Göttingen University. It further contained influential illustrations, among them twelve engravings designed by Academy member Daniel Chodowiecki, each depicting a key motif from the American struggle for independence and its outcome. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), an original copy of the pocket book with the Geschichte der Revolution has been preserved, and it is unique in that eleven drawings by Johann Heinrich Ramberg are glued in in addition to the original plates. Ramberg of Hanover was to follow Chodowiecki as the most prolific artist in German book illustration. Several of the drawings are dated 1786 or 1787, when the young Ramberg was a fellow at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, studying under the American history painter Benjamin West. These drawings are examined and published in their entirety here for the first time. An article published in Amerikastudien in 1978 first mentioned the drawings in the Metropolitan Museum and their obvious connection to the Chodowiecki prints, stating they posed a “puzzling iconographic problem” because the German artist in London appeared to change the viewpoint in at least one case. This article follows up on Jantz’s observation. It examines how Chodowiecki’s designs all show the perspective of the British or share a “neutral” outsider perspective. I argue that in nearly all cases, Ramberg moves the observer closer to the action, takes on the perspective of the Americans or one sympathetic to them, shows more emotion and movement than Chodowiecki, and thus invites an emotional reaction from the viewer. The question of whether Ramberg planned publication, though, remains unanswered.

Magyar történelmi témák 18. századi bécsi festői: adatok Wenzel Pohl munkásságához és az August Rumelnek tulajdonított mohácsi csata-képhez

Media news made the name of Wenzel Pohl known in Hungary in the early 2000s, for the two large history paintings (The Battle of Mohács, Saint Stephen converting the Hungarians to the christian faith), which had cropped up in the art trade and which were purchased by the Hungarian state and deposited in the Hungarian embassy in Vienna, were attributed to him. Although more recent research has proposed that the painter of the cycle once consisting of six pieces was most probably August Rumel and not Pohl, it is worth knowing of Pohl’s artistic activity irrespective of the Hungarian relevance, too, because his person is gradually fading out of art historiography – for example, his name is missing from the 96th volume of the Saur Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon published in 2017.The best-known Pohl portraits are the ones he painted of the noted Jesuit astronomer, mathematician and physicist Miksa Hell. A full-figure portrait shows the scientist in traditional Sami costume during his research trip to the North, and we know of a portrait showing Hell is a monk’s frock. His engraved copies of paintings in the Viennese imperial collection, real forerunners to the representative 19th century album of prints presenting the collection, probably belong to a series. In the cycle of paintings about the coronation of Joseph II as Holy Roman Emperor (Frankfurt, 1765) he was assigned the painting of architectural details, which is confirmed by the fact that he was sent on a study trip to Frankfurt to make drawn sketches of the venues of the event. After the representative painting of Martin van Meytens he made a small-scale version of the group portrait of Maria Theresa and her family. His chef d’oeuvre is the representative painting series showing the events of the coronation of Maria Theresa in Pozsony in 1741 painted for the Hungarian court chancellery in Vienna. He painted it with Franz Messmer in the second half of the 1760s. In contrast, the three portraits of monarchs in Riesensaal in Innsbruck so far attributed to him by researchers were actually painted by Jakob Kohl.The other part of the paper contributes a few new viewpoints to the examination of the painting about the battle of Mohács earlier attributed to Pohl. In addition to contemporaneous woodcuts of the tragic battle of 1526 in news-letters and pamphlets in German, to 16th century Turkish miniatures, and diverse 16–18th century European manuscript and book illustrations, a ceiling fresco in Garamszentbenedek and several large paintings – including Rumel’s work – also conjured up the battle in the 18th century. Since in the nation’s historical consciousness and cultural memory the battle of Mohács did not acquire its symbolic, mythic position represented to this day before the 19th century, the two works of art were way ahead of their time in anticipating the salient position of the tragic event, because, unlike, for example, István dorffmaister’s late 18th century pictures ordered in Mohács, they show the battle as a fatal even in the history of the entire nation. on the other side, by the terminating piece of the series ordered for the Transylvanian court chancellery being the battle of Mohács, the client departed from the 18th century imperial, dynastic outlook which presented as positive parallels to the battle of Mohács and the capture of Szigetvár by the Turks the victorious battles of the late 17th century liberating war led by the Habsburg Empire: the second battle of Mohács and the recapture of Szigetvár, partly as examples of divine justice and partly as legitimation of the Habsburg Empire’s territorial expansion “earned with blood”. It is noteworthy that the right side of central scene of Rumel’s Battle of Mohács resembles the composition of leonardo da Vinci’s Battle of Anghiari surviving in copies only. It is presumable that the renaissance battle scenes served as a model example for the painter.

James Cahill's Song Painting World and the Early Painting History of Ancient China

Mr. James Cahill devoted himself to connecting the changes in the painting history from the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the Song Dynasty into a systematic exposition. That is, early Chinese painting changed from decoration to the continuous exploration of the reproduction of nature and visual faithfulness, and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty, becoming another great naturalism and reproduction painting tradition comparable to the Italian Renaissance. In order to expand and enhance the world influence of Chinese visual art, James Cahill has put forward unique academic ideas, aiming at guiding a kind of understanding and enlightenment of ordinary perception of life.

Activities of National Union of Artists of Ukraine in Development and Popularisation of Ukrainian Art in Wartime

The purpose of the work is to examine the basic principles and activities of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (hereinafter – NUAU) and the Kyiv Organisation of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (hereinafter – KONUAU) at the present stage, to identify relevant issues related to the development and popularisation of Ukrainian art, in particular during the period of full-scale war. The research methodology is in the application of systematic and cultural-historical approaches, combined with such methods as art history, analysis, synthesis, generalisation, description and comparison, which together help to achieve substantiated research results. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time a brief analysis of the activities of the NUAU and KONUAU was revealed in the context of an unfolding full-scale war was considered and presented, and the cultural and axiological potential of the union’s activities and the promotion of the achievements of contemporary Ukrainian artists, the affirmation of national identity, Ukrainian culture and art, which in times of war is not only a unifying factor, but also a means of expressing a civic position. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of creative events, exhibitions, and other cultural practices of the NUAU and KONUAU, the article reveals the cultural and axiological potential of the union's activities, which manifests itself in the transmission of artistic and cultural values inherent in Ukrainian art, which, especially during the war, through the efforts of the artists of the NUAU and KONUAU, is aimed at uniting civil society in the fight against Russian aggression, as well as in matters of practical volunteer activity, which is an extremely important component in the formation of national consciousness and patriotism.
 Key words: National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Kyiv Organisation of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Ukrainian art, national school of painting, thematic painting, historical painting, war, military aggression, artists.

Study And Appreciation Of Claude Monet’s Artistic Creation And Life Experience

Claude Monet an outstanding Impressionist painter in the 19th century, is one of the founders of Impressionist painting, known as the "father of Impressionism". His representative works include Impression of Sunrise, Cathedral of Rouen, Haystack, and Water Lily. Many artists and scholars in the study of Monet's works, summed up the artist Monet can be famous for the reason: thanks to his unique insight and innovation in painting creation. Every seemingly insignificant change over time will eventually add up and change things qualitatively. This paper makes a correlation analysis between Monet's painting style and his life experience to explore the influence of the painter's life experience on the painting methods adopted at that time, to study and appreciate his representative works which have achieved periodic success. When people not only stop to appreciate the color surface of the work, but also understand the story behind the creation of art, this will more vividly and truly restore the character image of a writer, and further explore the connotation, historical status, and influence on the development history of painting. At the same time, it is beneficial to broaden the richness of the history of art painting and is also of great benefit to the field of art education and academic research.

On the Combination of Oil Painting Techniques and Modern Illustration Art

Oil painting represents the mainstream of modern Western painting art. The development history of Western painting art cannot be separated from the evolution of the style, subject matter and techniques of oil painting. Since its emergence, oil painting has experienced several style periods, including classicism, Romanticism, Impressionism, abstraction and so on. Among them, Impressionism, which was born in the middle of 19th century, played an important role in the history of western oil painting. It changed the style and way of oil painting popular in the past few centuries with new color theory and creative techniques. Impressionism emphasized the intuitive observation and real performance of the painting object. Since then, painting is no longer limited to the spiritual transmission of the author, and "what you paint is what you see" has gradually become one of the creation principles of Western oil painting. This paper analyzes the paintings of famous Impressionist painters with examples, sums up how Impressionist paintings skillfully use light, shadow and color to create, and discusses its referential significance for modern illustration.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF MUSTARD GARDEN SHAN SHUI AND CHINESE TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Landscape holds an important position in the entire history of Chinese painting. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there have been many unique Shan shui. Although the characteristics of landscape styles vary in different periods and genres are diverse, the freehand brushwork spirit and artistic conception of traditional Chinese landscapes have always permeated through them. Chinese traditional landscape is a kind of art form with national characteristics and Zeitgeist connotation gradually formed through historical evolution in the process of social development and progress. This paper will start with the development process of mustard landscape and the inheritance of traditional culture, study the impact of mustard landscape on traditional culture, Zeitgeist, industry and self personality, and explore the innovative development path and significance of Chinese contemporary landscape. Relevant studies not only analyzed the reasons why landscape was widely spread in China, but also profoundly revealed the relationship between mustard garden landscape and Chinese traditional culture, and concluded that mustard garden Shan shui not only inherits Chinese culture, but also has a profound impact on Chinese culture and Chinese people's spirit, with solid theoretical research value and historical research value.

Scanning macro x‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy maps for matching 17th century paintings color areas to different earth pigments uses and for investigating attribution issues

AbstractFe and/or Mn‐containing yellow ochre, red ochre, and umber earth pigments are omnipresent in 17th century paintings. Less common in the materials used in historical paintings of this period is the Fe and Mn‐rich earth pigment sienna. Different uses of historical pigments in one painting by Georg Flegel (1566–1638) and another version of the same painting but of disputed attribution were recently uncovered by means of macro‐x‐ray fluorescence (MA‐XRF) scanning and other non‐invasive analytical techniques. In this paper, an approach solely based upon the correlation of Fe and Mn MA‐XRF maps with the optical image of the painting is compared to the use of Mn/Fe correlation plots. The identification of clusters within a plot of the Fe counts vs. the Mn counts can aid to infer whether an area with a certain color matches with the use of the earth pigments found in the two paintings and to ultimately shed light on the different usage of these pigments. The analytical thresholds found in the Mn/Fe correlation plots allowed to identify clusters differing in composition, which matched an area of a certain color with the earth pigments used therein. This highlighted the differences and similarities between the two paintings, ultimately ascertaining the lower value of the painting of disputed attribution. The analysis of single‐pixel spectra allowed refining the interpretation of specific Mn/Fe correlation plots. The purpose of these data evaluation steps is presented and the limitations of the proposed methodology are also discussed.

Combining microscopic and macroscopic X-ray fluorescence and X-ray powder diffraction mapping for highly specific imaging of degradation phenomena in historical paintings

Combining microscopic and macroscopic X-ray fluorescence and X-ray powder diffraction mapping for highly specific imaging of degradation phenomena in historical paintings

Non-invasive imaging and spectroscopy techniques for identifying historical pigments: a case study of Iranian manuscripts from the Qajar era

In recent years, the expansion of non-invasive methods has been a trend in identifying historical pigments. Accordingly, this study aimed to identify the pigments used in three Iranian historical manuscripts from the Qajar era by utilizing a non-invasive and multi-analytical approach. A combination of various multi-band imaging methods, along with µ-XRF, Raman and FORS spectroscopy, were employed to identify pigments. The results revealed that emerald green, cochineal, ultramarine, orpiment, and red lead were used as pigments for green, red, blue, yellow, and orange colors on a golden leaf made of brass alloy. The study also demonstrated the mixtures of lead-barite white, lead white-ultramarine and lead white-red lead-indigo-cochineal in the white, light blue, and pink sections. While multi-band imaging was found to be a suitable tool for the primary classification of pigments, relying solely on this method without a complete pigment database is not advisable, as differences in underlying paint layers and mixed pigments can affect imaging results. Overall, the combination of imaging and spectroscopic techniques provides a reliable and non-invasive approach to identifying historical pigments and their alterations.

Seeing in the dark: Challenges in the interpretation of x‐ray fluorescence element distribution maps associated with black paints

AbstractDuring the conservation of easel paintings, black draperies or dark backgrounds often prove problematic to treat and understand in terms of condition. Despite most black pigments in Old Master paintings not intrinsically containing high atomic number elements, the investigation of black paints is one of the National Gallery's major uses and most helpful applications of x‐ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning. As a visual tool, XRF element distribution maps of black paints are useful for assessing the extent of overpainting or condition of any surviving original paint beneath, and for revealing the original modelling. However, interpreting the XRF element maps can be challenging. It is important to consider not only the primary compositions of black or dark pigments, but to have an understanding of other possible associated materials and more broadly of historical painting techniques, artists' practices and the paint stratigraphy. Through a series of case studies, this paper demonstrates how a detailed knowledge of historic painting materials and techniques, based on study of documentary sources and archives of materials‐based evidence from the analysis of paint cross‐sections—both from the paintings being studied and related works—aids and enriches interpretation of XRF element maps of black paints. While samples are invaluable in understanding exactly how—and with what materials—such regions were painted, they are not always representative and scanning XRF may be of complementary benefit in providing a more holistic view of pigment distribution. The examples presented range from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century from both Northern Europe and Italy.

USE OF HISTORICAL PAINTINGS IN ADVERTISEMENTS THROUGH YEARS AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMERS: A CASE STUDY

This case study explores the evolution, idea, impact, and reasons for using historical paintings in advertisements over the years. This paper will also analyze various advertisement campaigns and their popularity and effectiveness on the consumers and enhancement of brand messaging. This study will also try to elucidate the strategies used by advertisers to clout the power of historical artworks to grab the attention of consumers and possible customers. This paper will also try to investigate the ethical considerations surrounding the usage of historical paintings in advertisements and their significance for both the art world and the advertising industry.

Chinese Oil Painting Nationalization from the Perspective of Traditional Culture

"Nationalization of oil painting" is an important phenomenon in the history of modern Chinese art. As a practice of Chinese oil painters actively establishing and integrating Chinese and Western artistic expression with cultural consciousness, it began at the beginning of the 20th century and ran through most of the history of Chinese oil painting in the 20th century. It promoted the development of Chinese oil painting itself, especially expanded the expression of realism, and created oil painting morphology with the characteristics of The Times and China. The nationalization of oil painting reflects the changing process of the integration of Chinese and Western cultures in a concrete form.

Picturing the Snakes

Abstract This paper explores the ways in which Indian snakes were represented through natural history paintings along with textual taxonomic descriptions—a principal means of modern “exploratory experimentation” in early British India. It specifically examines Patrick Russell’s scientific engagement with the subcontinental snakes (a “new” branch of natural history of snakes fashioned by him) and the nature of “local” involvements in his undertaking. While considering the crucial role of colonial natural history in knowing and making visible the “terror” of Indian snakes to manage the snakebite-laden landscape, this paper elucidates how both the Western inferiorisation of non-Western perspective and the non-European indifference towards the European planetary vision disrupted the heterogeneous network of “knowledge making” in late eighteenth-century British India. Thus, this paper questions the recent historiography that projected a seamless “collaboration” or “hybridisation” in the formation of scientific knowledge across the globalised space of empire.

Thoughts upon a Neolithic Cave Painting of Childbirth in Anatolia and its implications

Abstract The subjects of the Late Neolithic cave paintings in İnkaya Cave, Balıkesir are life and death. It is seen that the panels representing Life are based on the formation of a fetus inside a pregnant woman’s abdomen, its development then birth, and the celebration of a new individual joining the community, alongside an emphasis on the shaman’s function throughout this process. Similar subjects in the Neolithic Age in Anatolia are presented to the viewer from different perspectives in cave paintings, reliefs and figurines showing scenes that depict sexuality, pregnant women, and childbirth. The successful use of the “X-ray” style in the creation of the İnkaya Cave painting in the Neolithic period fills a gap in the history of Anatolian painting and sculpture.

On the way to tempera grassa: Unraveling the properties of emulsion-based paint binders

Painting technique in Europe underwent a major change in the 15th century, when the use of egg yolk as a binder in tempera painting was gradually replaced by oil paint. This transitional period probably saw the occasional use of a mixed technique called tempera grassa, in which both types of binders, egg and oil, are mixed in the form of an emulsion. In order to better understand and document this historical painting practice, this article describes the physico-chemical aspects of emulsion-based binders, prepared with egg yolk and either raw linseed oil, or linseed oil partially saponified with lead oxide. Highly stable direct emulsions can be prepared with linseed oil (raw or lead-treated) and egg yolk. Remarkably, lead-treated oil also allows the formation of stable inverse emulsions. The rheological properties of direct emulsions are driven by the oil fraction: as this parameter increases from 0 to 70 wt% oil, the emulsion changes from a viscous liquid to a viscoelastic solid, which allows its flow to be easily tuned by the painter. The impact of egg yolk on the drying mechanism of the emulsion is elucidated thanks to the combined use of NMR relaxometry and FTIR spectroscopy.