the office art memo

Office Arts and Organizational Principles

Office arts can aid in the preservation of an organization’s culture and values. Employees must be guided by specific criteria and the outlined principles that must be followed during their professional life within the organization in order for them to stay focused on meeting the office’s goals. Institutions will disseminate this information through internal memos, speeches, and official documents. Art, paintings, and literature are some examples of how organizational principles can be expressed. Of the most noticeable impressionists painting include; impression sunrise, by Claude Monet in 1872, The Luncheon on the Grass by Edouard Manet in 1863 and Grain Field painting by Berthe Morisot in 1873. Impressionism is an art of painting revolution that emerged in the 19th century where artistic works involved small and thin brush strokes in paintings. However, they could be still visible. Impressionism emphasised on light depiction, quality and strict observance of ordinary matter (Shamir et al, 2010). This piece of art could also incorporate paintings depicting objects in motion and representation from very tight angles. Impression sunrise, by Claude Monet in 1872 was exceptionally accorded greatness by revolutionists who later named their movement after it. Claude Monet intended to make a representation of his hometown, Le Havre during morning hours of sunrise. In the painting are two small rowboats, a rising red sun, fishing boats and clipper ships.

The Luncheon on the Grass by Edouard Manet

The artist expresses his frustrations on the calmness of port of Le Havre by introducing smoke originating from pack boats and steamships. There are also chimneys emitting poisonous gases into the atmosphere thus threating environmental safety and commececial activities in this port. Another artist, Edouard Manet, compiled an impressionist painting dubbed The Luncheon on the Grass in1863. Luncheon on the Grass depicted a picnic in one rural setting where nude female is exposed facing the painter with two smartly dressed men involved in a deep conservation that they seem to be uninterested in this woman. In the background is another woman bathing in a stream. As a result, this piece of art has faced criticism and related to notorious controversies.

Grain Field Painting by Berthe Morisot

Additionally, an impressionist painting was observed in Berthe Morisot’s works due to her composure and articulate nature of representing ideas. One of such great works included the Grain Field painting in 1873 representing a poor country farmer in a plantation. Behind him seems to be well off families where the miserable man might be a casual worker. This painting deliberated on the differences between social classes in the society, prejudice and how some people struggle to earn a living.

Examples of Post-Impressionist Paintings

Some of the post-impressionist paintings include The Yellow Christ by Paul Gauguin, The Dream by Henry Rousseau and Bathers at Asnieres by George Seurat. They are collection of artistic paintings completed in the period between mid-1880s and early 1990s. They were characterised by highly intensified and vibrant colours (Gruetzner, 2010). The yellow Christ is a fine painting done by Paul Gaugin. The painting is believed to symbolize the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, under the watch of gathered women who are also depicted to express their sorrow and loss. The women are gathered in a prayer. In the background is a man running, in a manner suggesting that he is escaping from the city lifestyle. Simply, he could be shying away from the Christian life back to primitive lifestyle.

The Dream by Henry Rousseau

Others include The Dream, an artistic painting done by Henry Rousseau representing the ridicules and frustrations he faced in his lifetime. The Dream is considered as the last completed work of Henry Rosseau and branded as the largest of paintings representing the jungle. The painting consists of a female lying on a seat in the jungle in the watch of two lioness. Another female is playing a wind instrument and these people seem to be in complete peaceful coexistence with wild animals. Due to the painting’s fine appearance, it is considered to be representing a person’s dream and a balance between reality and imagination. The Dream was painted by Henry Rosseau in 1910, a French self-taught genius and a postimpressionist painter. Initially, Rosseau was a tax collector, a task that earned him a humorous name, customs officer.

Bathers at Asnieres by George Seurat

Another impressive painting of the post-impression period is the Bathers at Asnieres. In the painting is a small group of people gathered around a water body, notably a river bathing and while others are relaxing at the sun. The painting has been applauded due to the high level of creativity expressed by one George Seurat in 1884 to organize ideas and depict such artistic work. In this painting, Seurat integrates brushstroke techniques and balance of contemporary colours. As a result, a vibrant and timeless painting is achieved. It is believed that this painting is a symbolism of how individuals that are highly ranked in the society are living a dream life and not willing to help the middle class who are growing weary every day.

Historical Significance

Both pieces of painting collected from impressionism and post-impressionist are historically significant. The paintings are a true representation of artistic skills and prowess of the traditional ancestors, and a further assurance that such skills were passed on to the succeeding generations through training and apprenticeship (Galenson, 2011). The paintings also help in understanding cultural practices of a particular group of people. Paul Gauguin could have grown up in a religious family for him to think of and compile a painting of the yellow Christ. On Claude Mante, his painting criticized authoritative leadership and help in achieving a revolution.

How the Paintings Fit in the Company

By learning and understanding the deeper meaning of these paintings, an organization can adopt a conservative culture of inclusivity. Understanding one’s values, beliefs, and needs is important in promoting peaceful coexistence. An organization can implement lessons obtained from each of the paintings to different aspects of its operation. For example, The Dream by Henri Rousseau can be helpful in understanding the peaceful coexistence between animals and human beings in the jungle. Thus, an organization can promote peaceful coexistence of people from diverse backgrounds.

The Yellow Christ can be used to teach religious values and principles in an organization. Every stakeholder has a responsibility to respects other’s religions. Bathers at Asnieres highlights the difference between the working class and middle class in society. As a result, an organization should promote equality and good relations between executive managers and junior employees. The painting of Grain Field represented a poor farmer walking in a grain field, while behind him are permanent houses. A manager should learn that his or junior employees are equally important to the organizational success thus deserve humane treatment. Impression sunrise indicated environmental pollution and interference of peaceful port life at Le Harve by steamships. An organization should desist from illegal and exploitative practices just to gain profit at the expense of the welfare of their employees. Lastly, the luncheon on the grass was criticized for how the society loosely values women by exposing their bodies while men are neatly dressed. It is of importance for a society to offer equal opportunities to both men and women.

References

Galenson, D. W. (2011). Market Structure and Innovation: The Case of Modern Art. Notre Dame L. Rev., 86, 1921.

Gruetzner Robins, A. (2010). Manet and the Post-Impressionists: a checklist of exhibits. The Burlington Magazine, 152(1293), 782-793.

Shamir, L., Macura, T., Orlov, N., Eckley, D. M., & Goldberg, I. G. (2010). Impressionism, expressionism, surrealism: Automated recognition of painters and schools of art. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception (TAP), 7(2), 8.