Office Art Memo

As an employee and a student taking a humanities class, I have been asked by my boss to select six various art pieces for the new corporate offices for our real estate firm. When my boss first gave me the task of managing the art budget and selecting the pieces I was quite nervous. She then reassured me by stating that she knew I was the person for the task, as I have asked her to read over and review several of my class assignment papers and she did with good feedback. With her reassurance, I also reviewed many of the aspects we covered in my humanities class and began my search for the perfect selections to compliment our beautiful new office.

There have been many great artists and artwork and I wanted to start with 19th century Impressionist paintings. The term Impressionism first used sarcastically, was derived in part from the title of a painting, Impression, Sunrise (1872, Musée Marmottan-Claude Monet, Paris), by Claude Monet. The term first used sarcastically, was derived in part from the title of a painting, Impression, Sunrise (1872, Musée Marmottan-Claude Monet, Paris), by Claude Monet. The impressionists usually worked rapidly, in front of their subjects, in open air rather than in a studio. They took full advantage of the technical advances being made in the manufacture of artists’ pigments, such as new cadmium pigments. Their characteristic broken or flickering brushwork was particularly effective in capturing the fleeting quality of light. The impressionists tended to be attracted to contemporary subjects, namely aspects of modern urban life and suburban landscapes.

The Impressionist paintings from the 19th century were my first thought. One of the very first pieces that I selected was from the very talented artist August Renoir (French, 1841–1919). Renoir helped launch an artistic movement called Impressionism in 1870s. Renoir’s “Still Life with Peaches”, (1881) is an oil on canvas painting of a bowl of peaches. I chose the painting because to me it symbolizes sweetness and the fruit being ripe or in season. The notion coincides with the aspect of my CEO’s decision to open a new corporate real estate firm, deciding it was the best time /season to do so. The colors in the painting is also matches the décor near the wall by the receptionists area, the orange and blue colors complement each other.

The next piece is that of artist Henri Rousseau, born on May 21, 1844, in Laval, France. Rousseau’s painting “Suburban Scene” is termed a landscape painting. This painting was chosen particularly because the subject of a housing community and the artwork represents our world of real estate. The painting depicts a peaceful neighborhood, showing a lake and people fishing, as a real estate company we are matching individuals to communities as portrayed in the portrait. The third painting from the Impressionist era is that of artist Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, 1775–1851). Turner’s “The Lake of Zug”, 1843 is a beautiful portrait painted in watercolor over graphite that were sketched based from Turner’s trip to the Swiss Alps. The color contrast is beautiful, the sight of the sun setting behind the mountains signifying the end of one day and the encouragement of another. The sun shines on the lake, with basking glows that illuminate the people and the surrounding mountings. This portrait fits the company image, because it shows that there is a beacon of light that still shines and brighten things around them.

The painting also in Watercolor over graphite was considered a 19th century Romanticism European artwork. The portrait would fit beautifully for customers to see on the main wall as they walk inside the office. Vincent Van Gogh’s painting oil on canvas titled “Vincent’s Bedroom” is another selection that I have chosen as a piece to display in the office. The painting has bright striking colors, which display a bedroom, possibly that of a child a familiar subject matter for a real estate company. The portrait would be best displayed in the conference room for potential home-buyers to see. The portrait “The Little Fruit-Seller” by Baroque artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo painted in 1670-75, would be another painting that I would select to go in the conference room. The painting depicts everyday life scenes such as marketplaces, festivals, and domestic settings with regular people engaged in ordinary activities. The painting has warm colors that are inviting to viewers and shows a buyer and seller during an exchange. My choice for the last painting would be “Head of a Woman, 1960 by famous artist Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). The painting was the dark-haired, dark-eyed features of one of his longtime friend, Jacqueline Roque (1927–1986), his muse for the last nineteen years of his life.

The picture boldly dividing both figure and background into large irregular, curvilinear shapes an art form known as Cubist, that fit together like puzzle pieces, he renders the details of her head with repetitive sweeping brushstrokes that suggest her long luxurious hair, and short spiky dashes to indicate full eyebrows and long lashes. The portrait draws many different opinions from people who view the painting. My reason for selecting this piece is that the painting symbolizes strength and the many roles that women play. I think the painting would go in my boss’s office as it represents the vision, hard work and dedication she has to build a strong diverse company. The art pieces selected are all statements of the brilliance, hard work, and dedication that our company stands for and will illuminate our offices with warmth and conversation pieces that our customers are sure to appreciate. So, to be chosen to present these wonderful paintings to the new corporate office is an honor and I now present classic 19th century artwork.

References:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2013) Still Life with Peaches. Met Museum.org. Retrieved August 21, 2013, from http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/437429.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:52, Aug 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/pierre-auguste-renoir-20693609.

Henri Julien Félix Rousseau. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:55, Aug 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/henri-rousseau-9465420.

“Joseph Mallord William Turner: The Lake of Zug (59.120)”. In Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, August 21, 2013 from–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/59.120.

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. (2013) Definition Impressionism.Nga.gov feature/Manuet. Retrieved August 21, 2013, from http://www.nga.gov/feature/manet/tdef_impr.htm.

Huskler J., Meulenhoff, (1996) Pickvance R. (1984). Vincent’s Bedroom in Aries. VGgallery.com Retrieved August 21, 2013, from http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0482.htm.

Find the data. (2013). The Little Fruit Seller by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Find the data.org. Retrieved August 21, 2013, from http://european-art.findthedata.org/l/20274/The-Little-Fruit-Seller.

“Pablo Picasso: Head of a Woman (1990.192)”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Retrieved August 21, 2013, from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1990.192

(Sayre, H. 2012, 2008 HUM 112 Ch. 22, Pearson Education