http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/228961

The image is of a textile called Coif that was made in England, in the early 17th century. I think this textile is prominent because it really shows workmanship and attention to minute detail in a way that shows a great deal of advanced knowledge in arts and textiles at that time. This coif is a good reminder of the international trade that was happening all over the world, because the coif was worn as a headdress in India. So the coif would be made in England and then sent to India, so this also expresses the sharing and mixing of culture and ideas through international trade.

http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/436114

This painting by Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps “The Experts”, to me is very interesting. In class we were talking a lot about the enlightenment and the impact that the enlightenment has had. We have discussed how men began to sit around in coffee houses and entertain different ideas of what they believed to be elevated thought. However, Decamps depicts the same men as monkeys, to me that kind of shows that Decamps feels perhaps that although they are acting enlightened and as if they are suddenly mentally superior they really have no clue what they are talking about. He depicts them as fools almost by depicting them as monkeys .

 * I posted the link of the image above because for some reason my computer would not let me post the picture.

Wanderer in the Storm, 1835, Carl Julius von Leypold, Oil on canvas

This painting by Carl Julius von Leypold reflects the time of the Romanticism period. The man in this picture is lonely and seems to be unsure of where he is going. The landscape also seems to be fading and changing with the times becoming dark and lonely feeling. This may be attributed to the aftermath of the Industrial revolution and beginning of the Romanticism Period.

Length of Woven Silk, 1710-1720, China

This Chinese textile is one of a few that were based on European design. This particular tapestry contains a mix of floral designs combined with architectural elements, which periodically appeared in European silk during the early 1700’s. Surprisingly the fabric used for this tapestry is uniquely Chinese while the cloth’s narrow loom width is the same as many eighteenth-century European dress silks.

I believe that this shows a beautiful landscape, and also shows the importance of trade to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. It allowed for it to grow economically, cultural, and politically. Due to the government increased interest in culture, during the 15th century, Denmark boomed as a center for culture due to the new infrastructures. It paid off, as we see this amazing landscape that captures a scene in the harbor. The sea was important to the economic activity, and as such is often depicted.

Athanasios Alexiou(ALEX)

This tapestry, depicting the continent of Asia,  is part of a four tapestry series commissioned by the French king Louis XVI that portrayed four different continents. Each tapestry uses iconography to portray the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, and America. The tapestry series shows how Europe viewed the other parts of the world, based on the iconography used to depict each one. The tapestries were meant to show France as a center of the world as well as a global, cultural nation. In addition, the tapestries also portrayed the vast global trading market and the variety of goods each continent could provide. In this tapestry of Asia, you can see tea, pearls, silk, and other exotic luxury items. This tapestry series demonstrates the different trade relations Europe had with other parts of the world and its clear that the Europeans valued the variety of goods that they could obtain through trade. 

This painting by Jacques- Louis David is called The Death of Socrates. It was painted in 1787, two years before the French Revolution. It reflects the theme of Revolutionary Heroes and National Uprisings. Socrates is self-sacrificing by standing up to authority. He sits dignified and refuses to waver in his beliefs even though it could save his life. He chooses death instead of following power and renouncing his beliefs. During the period of Enlightenment, people were finally beginning to form their own thoughts instead of following the monarchy or church without second thought. However, the painting shows how thinking for yourself in dangerous, an idea that an Enlightenment writer Immanuel Kant introduced. Here, the danger of thinking for yourself in obvious as Socrates courageously faces death because of his beliefs. 

Theodore Gericault “Evening: Landscape with an aqueduct” in 1818

Theodore Gericault was a French painter who painted “Evening: Landscape with an aqueduct” in 1818″. The painting is one of four paintings representing the times of day but he failed to draw all four. The other paintings are called “Morning: Landscape with Fishermen” and “Noon: Landscape with a Roman Tomb”. These are series of oil paintings on canvas. These paintings are under the category of Romanticism because it portrays the idea of revolution in scientific world with natural scenes.

The background of these paintings are inspired during his trip to Italian countryside in 1817 “with the stormy skies and turbulent moods characteristics of the emerging aesthetic of Romanticism and the Anglo-French concept of the Sublime. Also this was combined with his personal problems, which was his family problem upon uprising of arguments among them. Romanticism is also portraying personal feelings onto a paintings or works that artists produce.

David KIM

I cant upload the picture

http://metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/436455

Bedcover

England, Late 17th Century

Cotton Embroidered with Silk

This piece was sold by the G.C.E. known as English East India Company.  On the back the cotton is marked with those initials proving that GCE were the traders. The Portuguese were the first to import Indian embroideries . The taste of the fabric was influenced domestic design, and the English maker included exotic pineapple like flowers and golden yellow thread on white. Those colors were the typical Indian palette colors.

“Length of Woven Silk” is a Chinese textile based on European silk designs called “bizarre”. This textile was designed in China around the time 1710-20 with silk satin, brocaded, gilt and silver paper wrapped thread brocading. It contains a “sophisticated melange of lush flora and fantastic architectural features” which is from European silks around the time 1695 to 1720. This was unique silk because most of Chinese exports silks are woven on wider looms, however, this one does not include that. Many people predict that this silk was made to circumvent the English and French because they banned importing Asian silks around the eighteenth century. So including the styles of an European silks are to distract the trade route for Chinese to be able to export their silks.

David Kim

This tapestry was woven in China and it contains double headed eagles, elephants, and flowers. The double headed eagle represent the Hapsburg family which means that this piece of tapestry was made so that it could be traded to the Europeans. This tapestry was traded through the port of Macau. The elephant represents a Buddhist sutra, which the Europeans would not have been aware of. They, however, would appreciate the elephant and flowers because it made the tapestry seem more intricately designed and made it more exotic. This shows that the Europeans valued Asian art and works because it was not something that anybody could acquire which leads me to believe that the Europeans were eager to trade with the Asian continent during this time. Additionally Asia’s market was probably being steered toward European interests because Europeans were beginning to flock to Asia to trade. Overall this tapestry is an result of a the trading relationship that was forming between the Europeans and the Chinese.

This painting was painted by a German painter named Carl Julius von Leypold in 1835. This painting shows a man walking in a very windy weather. The season in the painting seems to be autumn as there are very little leaves left on the trees and the man is wearing clothes that one would wear during autumn. This painting reflects the theme of Romanticism as it portrays a feeling of loneliness and individualism as the man walks a on a lonely path in windy weather all by himself. The weather also portrays loneliness as the trees have lost most of their leaves and the sky is dark like a storm is occurring. Additionally, the stone wall that is falling apart in the background contributes to the portrayal of such deep and intense feeling. Overall Leypold’s painting reflects the ideas that were developed during the Romantic period.

Daniel Ahn