Vincent van Gogh

The Starry Night

1889

Style- Post-Impressionism

Medium- Oil on canvas

The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh is a masterpiece among famous art works.  It has a dream like feeling under the mesmerizing starry night. He painted the night with vibrant colors. The lines and shapes combined to present the towns and the sky.

Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

June 1888 – 1888

Vincent Van Gogh took a 30 mile stagecoach trip from Arles to the sea-side fishing village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer on the coast of the Mediterranean sea In June 1888. He painted the seascape with lines which let the entire art work become vivid and full of motions.

William Blake

Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils

Around 1826

Medium- Pen and ink and tempera on mahogany

William Blake utilizes pen and ink to create an artwork with a intimidating atmosphere. Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils addresses the existence of evil and suffering in a world where a loving, all-powerful God exists. According to the Tate.org, it has been described as ‘the most profound and literary work of the entire Old Testament’.

Jan Asselijn

The Threatened Swan: interpreted later as an Allegory on Johan de Witt

(1640 - 1652)

Style- Northern Netherlands School

Medium- oil on canvas

Jan Asselijn emphasized the fierceness of the bird is by the feathers flying through the air. The Threatened swan sketches a bird with outstretched wings and arched neck, and it is protecting her eggs from a dog, which is approaching from the left. I like this artwork because it has expressed the swan’s ferocious feeling.

Adolph Menzel

Building Site with Willows

1846

Style- Realism

Medium- Oil on canvas

Adolph Menzel have found the willows not far from his flat under a blue sky and bathed in sunlight. It is in Schöneberger Straße near what was later to become the Landwehr Canal. In the meantime, the scene of suburban are stir up the memories of my grandparents in my mind.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel

Gothic Church on a Rock by the Sea

1815

Style- Romantik

Medium- Oil on canvas

Karl Friedrich Schinkel was describing a scene that is in darkness with the setting sun hidden behind the Gothic church that rises up on a rock right by the water. In addition, the transition from land to sea is like a cliff there, and the house of God seems like a vision bathed in an auspicious glow, a telling image of the Christian worldview. I was attracted by this artwork because it has a impressive feeling that I cannot describe.

Henry Moore

Catspaws off the Land

1885

Medium- Oil on canvas

Henry Moore has many casual artworks. Catspaws off the Land is depicting his friends who were yachting, which had becoming very popular in the late nineteenth century. After I looked the word “catspaws” of the title, I found out that means the gentle breezes that move the fishing boats along. I

François LeMoyne

The Apotheosis of Hercules

(1731 - 1736)

Style- French painting, 18th century

Medium- Canvas

François Lemoyne has designed this strikingly bold ceiling project that filled with human and animal figures. Besides, It is a study for Le Brun's first large commission, the decorations at the Hôtel Lambert. The artist used the technique of optical illusions, which makes the vault look higher than it really is. Apotheosis of Hercules seems like it has no boundary and the feeling which u can merge into the masterpiece.

Talking about "Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing"

The article "Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing" is mainly talking about the changes due to the innovation of computers and graphing technology. Peoples have become more relying on the assistance of the computer graphing software, such as AutoCAD. In addition, computer is transforming every aspect of how architects work, from sketching to creating complex construction documents. Buildings are computed instead of been  designed visually and spatially. The author emphasize that drawings are not just end products but a part of the thought process of architectural design. More importantly, drawings express the interaction of minds, eyes and hands. He decided to divide architectural drawing into three types, which are “referential sketch,” the “preparatory study” and the “definitive drawing.” Ultimately he created emotional connections with the art works.

As the computer and graphing technology improves, peoples has become more dependent on the computer even sketching or doodling. Thus, people have less opportunity to express their feelings by sketching with hand physically. I agree that drawing with hands on paper is a approach to express our emotion or ideas. I draw pictures with Photoshop sometimes, but that cannot release our feelings by simply sketching on it. I have to worry about the layers and coordinates or some properties that i have to adjust. However, this is easy to accomplish by doodling on a note pad. I can not only improve my skills but also make emotional connections with my works while I'm working on my project at school.

I agree with the author's opinion that computer graphing cannot replace drawing with hands. Drawing, sketching or even doodling are languages that we can use to communicate with others just like chinese and English. Most importantly, drawing can not only express our feelings but creating emotional connections.