Sell Outthe subject(s) of art

it can be broadly said that art reflects and expresses the concerns of the age in which it appears

this is your 10¢ Western art history tour

the Greeks celebrated their democratic culture, their gods and often their physical prowess

Oedipus solving the riddle of the SphinxThe Discus Thrower Diadoumenos

the Romans commemorated their power and reach, and triumphs

Emperor Augustus Arch of Constantine

the art of the middle ages reflected a deep immersion in religion and the work of god

cathedral in Paris suburbs(not Notre Dame or St. Denis)

in the Renaissance, as rationality settled in and man became the measure of all things, artists still created for the church and the aristocracy, but especially celebrated the accomplishments of man himself

Raphael, School of Athens(Plat o, Arist ot le, Socrat es, Euclid, Pyt hagoras and Epicurus, among ot hers)

Leonardo da Vinci

by the 1600s, especially in Holland, those who commissioned art—and those who made it—were leaving behind grand themes and moving toward the everyday: people, still lives, landscapes

Jean-Baptiste MonnoyerStill Life: Flowers, mid 1600s

Johannes VermeerGirl With a Pearl Earring, mid 1600s

Jan BothAn Italianate Landscape with Travelers on a Path17th century

after the American and French revolutions the common man and his/her occupations and recreations took over the canvas

Auguste RenoirLuncheon of the Boating Party

Claude MonetA Woman Reading

in the 19th and 20th centuries, as the West democratized the peoples’ concerns became ever more central to our lives, and to our arts

what is of central concern to the people of the 20th and 21st century?

a hint...

"After all, the chief business of the American people is business." Calvin Coolidge, 1925

Andy WarholQuotes

Andy Warhol8 Elvises, 1963recently sold for more than $100,000,000

also a focus of the 20th century: celebrity

Andy WarholBlue Electric Chair, 1971

crime, death, shock, scandal: who can resist?a motto of the news business: ‘If it bleeds, it leads’

Andy WarholWayne Gretsky, 1984

Warhol became the portraitist to the stars

Richard PrinceSpiritual America, 1983(Brook Shields, age 10, nude)

celebrity combined with shock. what could be better?

Richard PrinceUntitled (Cowboy--from the Marlborough cigarette ads), 1989

the familiar and the commercial; why create it? just make a copy!

Richard PrinceAll I’ve Heard, 1989

humor, jokes--the best defense against horror

Richard PrinceUntitled (girlfriend), 1993

Keith HaringPop Shop, 1986

Keith HaringPop Shop, 1986

Martin KippenbergerCandidature for a Retrospective, 1993

Selling American and Buying El Salvador, 1985

Jeff KoonsBalloon Flower, 1995-98

Jeff KoonsSelf Portrait, 1991

Jeff KoonsPuppy, 1992

Jeff KoonsMade in Heaven, 1989

Jeff KoonsMade in Heaven (Jeff on Top), 1990

Jeff KoonsCouple (Dots), 2008

Cosey Fanni TuttiConfessions, 2003

Gavin TurkPop, 1993

Tracey EminExorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made, 1993

Sarah LucasSelf-Portraits, 1999

Sarah LucasCigarette Tits, 1999

Damien HirstThe Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991

Damien HirstVirgin Mother, date?

a very large scale copy, in bronze, of a medical anatomical model

remember Richard Prince?

Damien HirstBeautiful Bleeding Wound Over the Materialism of Money Painting, 2005

Damien HirstNo Arts; No Letters; No Society, 2006

Damien HirstFor the Love of God, 2007

Damien HirstFalse Idol, 2008

pause a moment and consider the Koons / Hirst relationship

Andrea FraserLittle Frank and His Carpvideotape, 2001

Andrea FraserExhibitionvideotape, 2002

Maurizio CattelanHitler Praying, date?

Maurizio CattelanPope Hit by a Meteorite, date?

Maurizio CattelanHorse, date?

Takashi MurakamiFlower of Joy-Mashmallow Strawberry, 2007

Takashi MurakamiKiki, 2004

Takashi MurakamiMr. Pointy, 2004

Takashi MurakamiLouis Vuitton Multicolore

Takashi MurakamiTime Bokan - Missing in the Eyes - Red (Mushroom Bomb Red)

Takashi MurakamiA Picture of the Blessed Lion Who Stares at Death, 2009