Art 200x: Explorations in Art

  In the Gospel of John, 19:5, Pontius Pilate displays Christ to the crowd with the words "Ecce homo!", meaning "behold the man". In this scene taken from the New Testament, Christ is shown wearing a crown of thorns, and is being mockingly robed like a king by his tormentors.  Caravaggio's depiction of the scene was commissioned by Cardinal Massimo Massimi as part of an unannounced contest between three artists. The contract for the commission of  Ecce Homo  was signed June 25, 1605 and was intended to have been delivered by August of the same year, but it is still undetermined if the painting was delivered on time to the Cardinal, as Caravaggio would find himself in some legal trouble towards the end of the summer he had been commissioned. Painted in oil on canvas, as were most of his work, Caravaggio is credited with having heavily influence on the Baroque style with his extremely naturalistic depictions of biblical stories. Today, the piece is housed in the P...

After the Deluge: Statue  by David LaChapelle, 2007. It's truly my belief that no piece of art can be fully understood without some sort of an understanding for its creator, and David LaChapelle's work is no different. A renowned portrait photographer, LaChapelle is well known for his highly saturated, intricate, expensive, and at (many) times, erotic portrayals of icons in American pop culture. Some notable collaborations include, but are far from limited to: Tupac Shakur, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Mariah Carey and Hillary Clinton. LaChapelle's work as a portfolio has inspired me a lot, and his style and vision is definitely something to be studied.   Mariah Carey, 1999.                                         Tupac Shakur, 1996.                      ...

Hello, world!  My name is Owen Kelly, and I am a 20 year old Psychology major living in Anchorage, Alaska. Despite having a lifelong draw towards art, I've somehow neglected to take an art class beyond elementary school in my now fourteen year long academic career. I'm excited to document my christening experience through this blog, and be able to share and understand your experiences too. I really look forward to learning and creating with you all! Aya Takano, The World in Two Hundred Years, 2017, oil on canvas      So much of my daily life is the consumption and appreciation of art. Even when you don't recognize it, so much consideration has gone into the design of every facet of human life. Art is the clothing you find at a thrift store, and the scratched Fergie CD in your mom's center console. The sunset photos you share to Instagram and the LEGO set in your little brother's room. I try to express myself and my creativity through every avenue possible....