Santos Morales

ART 1B - MWF
Rachel Miller

1A) Lumping Describing a work of art in a group of text (paragraph(s)/lump) and then
describing another work of art in another group of text; all in a comparison essay.
1B) Splitting Comparing two works of art by describing their similarities /differences back and
forth (ping-pong effect).
1C) Preferred Method I would prefer to do the splitting method instead of a lumping method in
a comparison essay. An advantage of using the splitting method is getting the
ideas/characteristics out quickly. However, focus might be lost without a concluding paragraph
that helps bring the (splitting method) essay together. The advantage of the lumping method is
that it allows the writer to give a full reflection of one of the discussed works of art in one section
and the other artwork in another section; and it is preferable for long essays. A disadvantage of
lumping is the chance of losing the reader if the thesis is not solid/clear..

2) Essay:

Does Michelangelos 16th century painting, Adam and Eve, create a better visual aesthetic to
the viewer with his use of disegno, or is Titans 16th century colorito painting of Adam and Eve
the aesthetic one? In this essay I will describe the differences and similarities in the works of art
mentioned and what it all means.

In Michelangelos Adam and Eve (M-AE) painting, it is very descriptive of the muscles and other
strong features of the human anatomy. Whereas in the Adam and Eve painting by Titan (T- AE),
the representation of the human body is much softer and carefully rendered between dark and
light values. Looking at M-AE, the light source is stronger in the peaks of or edges of
muscles/bones. The effect of light values is stronger when it is in companion with a darker
value; the human figure in the left of M-AE is a good example. Taking the focus now to T-AEs
painting, we can see there are no muscles or bones that is emphasized by strong use light and
dark values. Titan gently blends tints, middle values, and shadows throughout his
representation of the human figures. The visual of muscles in the human forms from M-AE
painting serves a greater purpose for the mythical narrative it is expressing. Soft is a strong
characteristic of the human forms for Titan; it gravitates closer to the world of realism.

The two different landscapes (background & middleground) of both paintings help emphasize
the subjects in the foreground. In M-AE, the strong source of light in the background pushes the
human figures to the foreground. The sharp contrast between foreground and the background
(white with some blue/violet) gives the impression of the foreground being cut out and placed on
top of the white background. This is not the case for T-AE; the rendering of the yellows,
red/orange, and dark browns in the foreground pushes forward in comparison to the mostly
green and blue (cool) background. Both artists follow similar techniques, but the use of the
techniques create different results.
To state that one work of art is visually more aesthetic than another is debatable. It is up to the
viewer to decide which is more pleasing to their mind. Art is mostly a subjective area for both
the artists and the audience. Michelangelo succeeds in capturing the imagination of a strong
(body builder-like) bodies. Titan is also successful, but in the rendering of the representation of
the average/common human body figure.