NAME: Federica Seidita

EUROPEAN CULTURE CHALLENGES OF THE 20TH CENTURY

PAINTING & PHOTOGRAPHY
-1
PAINTING
Evaluation
1. In my school we did only one painting; and I don’t like it so much.
2. I enjoyed this work, because my fantasy and my art arose by my hands, by the colours of the
brush.
3. I like painting, but I dislike the technique of water-colour paint. I’d like to try the other
technique, but unfortunately I can’t. Maybe one day I’ll try them…I hope that!
Conclusion
I learnt a little to do water-colours paint, but unfortunately it isn’t a beautiful one. The time you
need to produce it is long (you must always wait till the water dries), and the time and the materials
were few, but I liked this way to change my daily life, so I am not worried about the fact it isn’t a
great work of art. Certainly, I’ll try to do it again!

-2
WATER-COULOR PAINTERS:
Task
A. The two Italian artist are:
-Angelo Marinucci (Rome, 15th August 1909 – Rome, 12nd October 1994)
 - Raffaele Mainella (Benevento, 1856 –shore of Venice, 1941) was a painter, a graphic
designer, an architect and a decorator.

Marinucci’s work is better for me: the colours and the lines are clear and well-defined, so I like it
most. Mainella’s painting has some strong colors that I don’t like particularly (the brown-orange of
the grass and of the houses), but I really like the reflection of the grass on the river.

Process:

- Claude Oscar Monet (Paris, 14th november 1840 – Giverny, December 1926) was a French
painter;
-Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (Le Cateau-Cambrésis, 31st December 1869 – Nizza, 3rd November
1954) was a French painter, sculptor and engraver.

-Giotto di Bondone, (Vespignano, 1267 – Firenze, 8th January 1337) was an Italian pinter.
3. I dislike the piece of art of Claude Monet: the draw is realistic, but the colours, the forms and the
shadings aren’t. I dislike a lot the colours he used because it looks like a terrible dark day, the house
seem peopled by monsters, witches, bats and ghosts and it is really terrifying to see.
Matisse’s technique isn’t ugly, but I didn’t like the contest of his picture and what they are
representing. The last one (the Giotto’s one) is my favourite. It is ordinate, not confusing, the
colours are bright and brilliant and it’s so realistic too.

B. This is a water-colour portrait:

2. This is an oil portrait:

3. The water-colour one seems really old, while the oil one seems new: I prefer certainly the second,
because I like light colours, which reflect best reality. I only think water-colours are more difficult
to use than oil colours, and doing this work I learn this sad truth.
Evaluation
1. I think this way to paint isn’t easy: my drawing is vague and not very nice. I find it very difficult,
I’ve never tried this way of painting before.
One thing I dislike of water colours is...well, the water. It makes all a mess, because the paper
become wet and the colour blot it. The only thing I like of water-colours was mixing the different
colours and produce new ones: it’s really amazing!
2. I like the assignments so and so; I usually draw, so I enjoyed doing it, only when I worked
overtime. Painting is very funny, but I am worried about the results: do you think is a nice picture?
Conclusion
From this work, I learned that it isn’t easy as it seemed; now, I think I’m a little better in water-
colour painting (at first I neither know where to put my hands!), because now I know how to use the
brush in a fluent way. After this experience, I feel less insecure, and I discover that I could make
something on my own!

-3
Nikola Marinov
Process
A

1.
2. Nikola Marinov was born in Targovishte in 1879; he was a Bulgarian painters and teacher.
3. In his town, the people preparated an art gallery and opened a school that bring his name, so he’s
really respected and admired by his fellow countrymen.
B
1.-2.-3. I have chosen this painting because it reminds me love. It’s a nice check: it represents a
mother who’s embracing her child. The little child seems calm; he is probably thinking that his
mum is the safest place to hide when the storm is ranging outside, and she really likes to be the only
one for her baby. Of course, the eyes not definite of both make me a little afraid, but for me the
painter wanted to convey only the familiar bond.
C
1. In my house, there are a lot of pictures; my favourite one is my mother’s portrait: it was made
with a simple piece of black chalk, but it’s really beautiful.
The check represents my mum as a young woman. Her hair flutters about the wind, the icy and
mysterious look, the fine lips and the gentle face… I don’t know who made this painting, probably
a street artist, but he was very gifted for this job.

2.
Evaluation
I find this exercise a bit hard, especially trying the answers about Nikola Marinov, because it’s very
difficult find some information about him in Italy.
Doing this task I’m losing my mind: I hate spending time on computer, but for this work I spent
three hours in front of it (it made my eyes smart for the tiredness!).
I hate my computer, because it steals a lot of time to my life: I can seem unusual, not so typical, but
I prefer to read a good book than to surf the net!
Conclusion
I didn’t find a lot of information about Marinov, so I didn’t know a lot about his life; but one thing
really impressed me a lot: Italy or Bulgaria, anywhere, his passion for art crossed each border, each
people, each language, each prejudice. I liked him because he unfolded everywhere, like a flower
blooming.
Marinov’ s name in Cyrillic alphabet is: Никола Маринов, but I don’t know it by heart.
Students of Nikola Marinov: Dechko Uzunov and Ilia Beshkov
Process
A.
1. These are Dechko Uzunov’s pictures; he worked in a wide variety of media, executing paintings,
book illustrations and stained glass. His paintings, most of which are portraits and landscapes, are
distinguished by a free brushwork and rich colours. His works seems very obscure and his
technique is very mellow, but these check are handsome, I like them, only if the colours are too
much strong.

These are Ilia Beshkov’s images; As a student, Beshkov published caricatures in the Maskarad, Div
Dyado, Balgaran, Starshel and Vik magazines and illustrated the issues of the T. F. Chipev and
Hemus printing houses. From 1925 on, he co-operated with the Pladne magazine among others.
He’s the representative of the Bulgarian satire policy.
He usually used comics’ style, but he only did some water-colours work; in a lot of them, he
marked the outlines with black lines.

2. Well, I like reading mangas, so I prefer Ilia Beshkov’s works!

3. I can order them to buy some Beshkov’s work, but they certainly didn’t listen to my awful taste!
4. Dechko Uzunov’s style isn’t bad, I like it: Expecially, I like the first picture, because the eyes of
the woman are big, blue e lightening, like in a manga!!
Evaluation
I dislike these works, because I always hated the history of art, so I don’t know very well how to
class the painters or how to describe their techniques’.
In the pictures that I’ve seen, their works weren’t bad: I liked the most of it, so they are some
brilliant painters.

Conclusion
My paintings aren’t the best, but I tried with all myself to do them well, so I’m satisfied with my
work.
In my childhood, I used to paint with my sister and my cousin; we enjoyed being more coloured
than the paper, and we particularly liked to get our grandmother crazy (she hated dirty and untidy
things).

Task
The first photograph was taken at eleven o’clock in the morning; it was taken from my sister
Sabrina and it represents a beautiful mountain landscape, in Pialpetta. The picture was caught
thanks to a digital photograph machine.
Process
The twentieth century opened with an important step: in 1907 the Lumiere brothers finalized the
procedure for the development of color film. Through this century were very important the
innovation in improving the camera and in experimenting with new materials development and
printing.
The beginning of the new century saw the denial of photography as an imitation of the painting,
(which it was at first of this change). It was born a new movement, that influenced everybody. But
it started a competition between the painters and the photographers: which instrument to represent
the truth was the best one? Today, the two things are equality appreciated, so we could see both of
them in art galleries.
A

1.
2. My idea was to create a relaxing composition; The first three pictures represent three things I
like: the swing, books, and my pencil, without which I cannot draw (I love drawing!). The last
picture represents some cherry trees: they are the most beautiful masterpiece in the world! My
dream is walking in Japan between them, under a petals rain… It’s so magic!
B
1.

C
1.

2. Well, my grandparents don’t even know how to turn on a computer!

D
2. In the past, our family was so little (my parents, my sister and me), but today, after the divorce,
we’re a big smiling family; we always try to help us together. At first, I thought the divorce could
be a negative thing, but now I think we’re perfect!
F
G
1. The objects I choose are: a bag, foam, some stuffed animals, some berries, a pendant;

2. The new object is a barridan uffedmals;

H
1.
I think the most original is the first one, the stole-camera! I think It’s very nice and it’s a funny way
to do photographs.
2. I think that a camera must be very small, so the people didn’t know that you’re taking them a
photo, so you can immortalize their typical attitude or they true emotions. A perfect camera should
be convenient to travel, so you could bring it everywhere, and photograph everything!
Evaluation
Yes, I like photograph… but it’s really difficult make a collage, but I really liked the rest.
Conclusion
I like both; photograph is better to capture the unique and unrepeatable moments, but painting is
better for relaxing and changing the environment and its colors the way you prefer.