Art 110- Art Appreciation
August 2019
Schedule-
Our class meets Wednesday & Friday, 7th period till 4:20
We have about 34 classes, 90 minutes each, and only 51 hours or actual class time
51 hours may seem like a long time, it however is extremely little time to go over all the content in the class!
Daily Schedule-
There is a lot of information to go over, thus most of the class time we have will be discussion and slides.
I will provide some time in class to work on artistic projects.
I would estimate:
70% of class will be:
Lecture, discussion, and observation
30% of class will be:
Art production, writing, reading, and other individual work
Graded Instructional Activities-
Analytical + Art Projects (paper/artwork)
Formal/Contextual Analysis 40 pts
Representational to Abstract Work 40 pts
Chiaroscuro, Modeling, Time, Texture, Motion Artwork 40 pts
Mixed Media Artwork 40 pts
Historical Artwork 40 pts
200 pts
Tests
Mid-Term 50 pts
Final Presentation 200 pts
250 pts
ELA- Experiential Learning Activities
2x- 25 pts 50 pts
Participation
Month- 20 pts 100 pts
TOTAL 600 pts
Graded Instructional Activities-
Experiential Learning Activities (ELA)- (Choose 2) 25 pts each
Visit a Gallery (2-page report)
Visit a Museum (2-page report)
Interview an artist or art professional (2- page report)
Attend a First Friday Art walk in Sante Fe Art District or local community (2 page report)
50 pts
Breakdown of Points/ Percentage
Discussions 100 points 17%
Exams 250 points 42%
Analytical/Art Projects 200 points 33%
ELAs 50 points 8%
Total 600 points 100%
Taking Notes
There will be days in which you will want to take notes, however you can choose whether to take notes or even how to take notes.
Effective note taking has been found to have a dramatic effect on the increase of a students grades and what they are capable of retaining with information in class.
Types of Notes
“Write Everything Down”- Style
This is the most thorough style of taking notes, you are literally writing everything down on my slides or what I am saying.
It’s really tedious and difficult and you have to focus all your attention on getting it down in time.
If you like this style GO FOR IT, you can always go to my website if you miss a slide.
However there could be better ways to take notes...
“Logic Outline”- Style
This is a good style to get the key or most important information down in an orderly way.
If you are more logic minded this style could work
If you like this style GO FOR IT, you can always go to my website if you miss a slide.
However there could be better ways to take notes...
“Mind Map”- Style
This is the most creative style of taking notes, you are drawing pictures, lines, arrow, and boxes to link ideas and concepts together.
It’s really creative and works the same way your brain comes up with ideas. If you’re creative you could however spend more time coloring than actually taking notes
If you like this style GO FOR IT, you can always go to my website if you miss a slide.
However there could be better ways to take notes...
“Note Card”- Style
This is a great style of notes when working with images and information.
It’s great for art history or remembering images.
If you like this style GO FOR IT, you can always go to my website if you miss a slide.
However there could be better ways to take notes...
No One Style is Perfect
Sometimes writing everything down can be an advantage
If you have to remember a step by step process then an outline style is great
If you are brainstorming ideas for a project or artwork a mind map is perfect
If you are trying to memorize images and information then the note card method is great!
You don't have to choose any of the note taking ideas I just gave you, but I would suggest taking notes. Even the greatest geniuses of our time (Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein, Mozart, Michael Jordan) took notes!
Art Appreciation College or High School?
This class is DEFINITELY a college class. I will be teaching as a professor and as long as you are in my room you will be treated as a college student.
However because we are in a high school and you are all under the age of 18 you are all also high school students and we must abide by the rules and handbook of Eagle Ridge Academy. For this reason the following slides have been added-
Safety Procedures
Teacher Shuts front door to class. Class goes to back supply room. Teacher shuts door to supply room. Students and Teacher shelter in place until all clear is given.
DO NOT OPEN DOORS- someone who has the keys to the door will open it from the outside.
School is locked out, no one can enter or leave the school. Classes run as normal until lockout is cleared.
If you are away from school during a lockout and return when school is under lockout you are to leave the premises.
If there is a tornado warning or other event in which we need to seek shelter we are to:
If there is danger inside the school that cannot be resolved in a timely manner (gas leak, fire in winter, earthquake, etc.) We could be asked to evacuate the premises.
Follow students and staff outside of the building and after being instructed walk to Pinnock Elementary with other staff and students.
Class Hallway
I have a hallway that leads to my front door of class. After we are finished cleaning up after every class it is really easy to wait in this hallway for the bell.
DO NOT BLOCK THE ENTRANCE- if I have to get to the door to close it and you are in the way you could be endangering your life and others.
You can line up along the wall or easier….just stay at your table.
What happens if there is an emergency after school lets out?
We will still follow procedures as normal, if we need to shelter in my room, go somewhere or need to evacuate we will play it by ear
Where can I put my stuff?
We will be working on a variety of art projects during the course of the semester. Because we only meet twice a week you may want to leave your work in my room on the days you don’t have class for safe keeping.
I have designated an entire shelf unit in the back room for your artwork, if you wish to leave supplies in my room I also have designated a bottom drawer filing cabinet for your items.
If you need to use the restroom, get a drink of water, or leave the class please take the yellow vest.
(You do not need to ask me to use the restroom- just take the vest). I am not the potty police, just take the vest, leave your lanyard and go.
Only 1 person is allowed to leave at a time unless it is an emergency.
Hall Pass-
The internet in my art room is terrible, you will on occasion need to go out into the hall to retrieve information or to research.
Please come and see me to ask to go out into the hall and to have a hall pass.
This way if any teacher or administrator stops, you have a pass to be out there.
At 4 pm you do not need a hall pass with the school getting out!
Dry Media-
These are art supplies that do not require water. Supplies such as:
Crayons
Colored Pencil
Oil Pastel
Marker
Pencil
Chalk Pastel
Most of these supplies can be found on the front supply table OR in the Right Supply Cabinet.
These supplies must be well taken care of, items that need a cap MUST be capped so they do not dry out.
Wet Media-
These are art supplies that require water and brushes. Supplies such as:
Watercolor palettes must be cleaned after use and the mixing area in the center wiped clean so that it can be used by other students. This is easily cleaned by using a wet sponge or paper towel and then wiped dry.
Acrylic paint is pumped or poured onto plastic palettes and must be covered to prevent drying. If acrylic is left uncovered it dries to a heavy thick plastic that is difficult to remove. Always cover your Palettes with a layer of Seran Wrap, and always cap the paint at the end of the class.
More on Acrylic Palettes-
Always put your name on your palette, you do this by writing your name on masking tape with sharpie and then attaching it to the bottom of the palette. Remove your name when you are finished using the palette.
Only pour enough paint to fill up the small circles, the center of the palette is for mixing. You can always go back for more paint.
The only exception: if you are covering a large area in a single color.
It does not take a lot of force to get paint out of the bottle or to pump the paint.
Acrylic paint drys to a disgusting hard plastic that must be scraped and washed several times.
95% of the time crusty paint is the result of not sealing or allowing the paint to dry. You are responsible for the cleanliness of your palette.
Cleaning and Sinks-
The two sinks in the back should be kept as clean as possible. We use these sinks for just about everything in the art room.
Any wet paint can be washed down the drains, however all paint must be washed out of the basin so it does not dry.
No Items should be left in the sinks
When paint drys in the basin it is extremely difficult to clean out as dry paint Cannot go down the drain. If there is a lot of dirty dry paint left in the sinks they clog and I will stop all art work until they are cleaned out again.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO FIX THE SINKS WITH ME
Brushes-
We have really nice brushes in the art room. Whatever you use the brushes for they MUST be cleaned and washed thoroughly.
Dirty and Crusty paint brushes cannot be repaired. It is your responsibility to keep the brushes clean.
I will NOT replace dirty brushes, if they are ruined you will just have to figure out how to paint with dirty, crusty brushes.
Aprons and Backpacks
Aprons are found in my art hall (by the exit). You can use an apron any time you feel like it is necessary (I wear a workman apron almost every day). It is your responsibility to keep your clothing and bags clean.
You can either store backpacks under the tables or in my art hall. I don’t want to be tripping over your bags. Please remember the art room floor is extremely dirty.
Industrial Supplies-
These supplies include Rulers, Compasses, Scissors, Pliers, and Hammers
Rulers are used for making straight edges, and are not:
Swords
Musical Instruments
Or any other thing besides being a ruler. Bending or warping the rulers makes them useless. If I see you doing so I will take them away and you can learn to draw a straight line and measure without them.
Scissors and Xacto knives must be kept safe. At times these tools can become dirty, make sure to clean these off with a wet sponge and dry with towel.
Blades on the Xacto will also dull and break, come to be for a new blade if it breaks or is dull.
Always use a cutting mat when using the Xacto knives, it will help you cut better and keep the tables from getting damaged.
Wall Outlets and Extension Cords-
There are a number of wall outlets you can use in class for supplies and device charging. The only 2 outlets you cannot use are:
I have a number of roller extension cords. You can use these to get power to your table. All roller extension cords must be rolled up at the end of class and placed on the cutting table.
What “it’s” all about-
What does art “appreciation” even mean? Its an esoteric term at best as appreciation is highly subjective.
Dictionary.com gives us perhaps the best canned definition to what this course is all about.
It states:
Appreciation is to be fully conscious of; aware of; to detect.
This course is designed specifically to wake you up in terms of understanding art. To see the deep and profound meaning underneath art, and into the psyche of art itself.
Chaos and Order-
Human beings exist in a state of equilibrium between Chaos and Order. Both of these real entities are good for humanity, but just like too much chocolate before dinner can seriously spoil purpose and meaning to life.
CHAOS
Gives us:
Originality Action
Spontaneity Innovation
Uniqueness Divergence
Emotion Sensation
Change Unpredictability
ORDER
Gives us:
Conformity Harmony
Premeditation Tradition
Sameness Agreement
Logic Progression
Uniformity Dependability
How these entities interact with the human mind-
When humans encounter something chaotic, often experienced through the senses, we categorize, consider, and implement until the chaotic becomes ordered.
When order occurs we gain understanding, knowledge, and most importantly a new skill to implement when something chaotically similar occurs again.
When you interact with art or imagery
When we see an image for the first time we experience RECEPTION. This is when chaos is received through the eyes.
We then order, categorize, and theorize based on the information. This is called EXTRACTION. By extracting chaos we begin to order what is occurring.
We then maintain that order, store the information, and retain the memory of the reception. This is called INFERENCE.
Jasper Johns, Flag, 1954-55. Encaustic, oil, and collage on fabric mounted on plywood. 42 ¼ in. x 5 ft. ⅝ in.
Museum of Modern Art, NY.
What do we see?
The U.S Flag
Is it the U.S Flag?
It's the image of the flag, but not the flag. It's made from material that the U.S flag isn’t made from.
Why would the artist make something like the image of the U.S Flag?
This is open to interpretation until you learn why Jasper Johns created this image.
Jasper Johns created this work because he wanted something like the flag to be more than “something seen but not looked at, not examined.”
If you saw the date of the creation you might have seen it was done in 1955. What was going on in 1955 to inspire someone to create this image?
If you saw the materials you might have seen it was created through collage, paint, and encaustic (wax). These materials can be sticky, opaque and sculptural. For someone living in 1955 how would they have received it?
Today how could our perceptions be different than of those people who saw the work, or even Jasper himself as the creator?
Time, Society, Culture, and Perception
2. Every work of art must second be considered in the context of the society in which it is created and revealed. No work of art has ever been created outside the scope of society, politics, or societal leanings and norms.
3. Every work of art must third be considered in the context of the larger culture in which it is created and revealed. Traditions, religions, and heritage are all embedded in every work of art created. The artist is either an outsider to the culture or an insider to the culture in their creation.
4. Last every work of art must be considered in the context on how the individual perceives the work of art. This is where subjectivity, opinion, and personal knowledge come into play.
When we critique, study, or expand on these 4 elements in the art world it is called “contextualism”. Contextualism enables us to see the CONTEXT of the work of art.
Materials, Technique, Process, and Product
2. We must also consider the techniques used in the work of art . Technique are different than the style, cubism isn't a technique but broad brush strokes are. Techniques also enable us to see what other materials were used in the work of art. Some techniques can also be very technical like plein aire, impasto, and glazing.
3. The process is also paramount in considering a work of art in critique. How was the work conceived? Was it spur of the moment or planned? Did the materials change as the work progressed? These are all process driven questions.
4. Finally the end product is also important to consider with critiquing the work. Where the work is placed, how its is placed, how the work fits in with the rest of a series of works, how the work presents a change in style or conforms to an artists style? The product is the final element in a formal analysis of the work.
When we critique, study, or expand on these 4 elements in the art world it is called “formalism”. All of you have done this type of study in my previous classes.
Jasper Johns, Flag, 1954-55. Encaustic, oil, and collage on fabric mounted on plywood. 42 ¼ in. x 5 ft. ⅝ in.
Museum of Modern Art, NY.
With the 4 concepts of active seeing we can view this work anew
What do we see?
An artistic representation of the U.S Flag
Is it the U.S Flag?
No, its Jasper Johns flag. In order for us to understand its meaning, ultimately we have to understand the artists impetus in its creation.
Why would the artist make something like the image of the U.S Flag?
We must look at time, society, culture, and perception to gain a true understanding as to why this image was created.
Active Seeing helps people of varying perceptions, societies, cultures, and histories see a work of art for its true meaning.
This is why when you walk into an art museum it is really important to study and understand what you are about to look at. It's akin to reading a book before the movie, or reading up on a country before visiting it.
Instead of looking at a work of art in a museum for what it is you can consider:
Why it is? When it is?
How it is? Where it is?
The World as Artists See It
There is a drastic difference between how the audience (people who see a work but didn't create it) and how an artist (the person who actually made the work) sees the world.
All artists are con men, tricksters, and magicians
We often see these malicious titles as being connected to people who intend to do us harm. Most artists don't intend to harm but intend to convey their own sense of the world and its meaning onto an audience.
Artists are trying to convince us visually that what we are seeing is truth, even if what we see isn't real(ex. A U.S Flag being an actual U.S Flag). Even if an artist has no motive in a work of art they are trying to convince us that there is NO motive.
Artist as revealer of Aesthetic-
Perhaps the easiest thing for the human eye (and brain) to distinguish is beauty and ugliness. It is therefore reasonable to assume that people who have no formal artistic training or no desire to attain further artistic knowledge will almost always default to deciding if art is of value based on how beautiful or ugly it appears to them.
For thousands of years artists have used this fundamental human understanding to guide their art. Using aesthetic, or how something looks pleasing or beautiful, has enabled artists to sell, create, and drive many of the forces that canonized a society's understanding of beauty.
Peter Paul Rubens, The Three Graces, 1635, oil, 87 in. x 71 in. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.
In the context to the time of this works creation how were these women viewed as beautiful?
Has this changed for our time? Why/why not?
Rubens was a Flemish (Northern Germanic) artist, how could these women be considered beautiful for his society?
The Three Graces stems from Greek mythology, how is Rubens an insider or an outsider to this culture?
How are our perceptions different from the perceptions of individuals in the 17th century when looking at this work of art?
If paintings are like books then Rubens has written a trilogy in this single image.
2. Yet he is also projecting his society's ideal of beauty on Greek myth. He is replacing Greek beauty with Germanic beauty and in so doing replacing Greek ideal with European ideal.
Rubens was a complete outsider to Greek society, yet he has taken their story and replaced it with his own. By doing so he altered his cultures perception on Greek myth.
Thomas Kinkade, Lovelight Cottage, 2014, oil, variable sizes, private collection.
Aesthetics aren't confined to the human form but also to idealized locations and subject matter. Thomas Kinkade capitalized on the ideal landscape. Quaint cottages, disney castles, and pristine forests all overflow on his canvases.
His works of art appeal to the mass public because:
2. It shows a heightened westernized aesthetic. He is attempting to portray and convince the viewer of the universal “grandma's cottage”. He is psychologically connecting us to memory.
When an artist creates a work, the work is inevitably connected to the life of the artist. This often creates a crisis of identity, especially when the work projects a societal concept of aesthetic.
To the laymen if an artist creates quaint happy scenes then so too must the artist be a quaint happy person. The artist then takes on the very persona of his works of art. Kinkade was self trapped in this cycle, creates more and more scenes, becoming a multimillionaire in the process.
Kinkade’s life spiraled out of control when his identity became one and the same with his works of art. Instead of looking at a work by Kinkade society was looking at Kinkade himself.
He started drinking, his wife left him, and a few months before his death he was found urinating on a Winnie the Pooh statue at Disney. He died of alcohol poisoning and a drug overdose in 2014.
Thomas Kinkade, Lovelight Cottage, 2014, oil, variable sizes, private collection.
Knowing what you know now about the artist and the work how has your perception of this works aesthetic changed?
Most of society looks at Kinkade's work as picturesque. You are likely to find his pieces converted into puzzles for children, prints on the wall in a rest home, or something in the hallway of a doctors office.
Yet now you know the image does not reflect the artist, and the artist does not reflect the image. The projection of Kinkade's aesthetic was the very thing that destroyed his personal identity.
Using aesthetic as a springboard to identity
What happens then when an artist doesn’t have an identity or is completely accepting that the artwork is the identity of the artist?
Some artists have actually embraced the concept that the aesthetic and everything else in the work was in fact the artist themselves.
Andy Warhol was such an artist. He saw that his identity could be wrapped up entirely in art, in fact many have stated that Andy became his art...he was a living manifestation of his aesthetic. We will be studying Warhol in depth later!
-Aesthetic as an interpretation of the Ugly-
If artists seek to display the beautiful and the pristine then they also seek to display ugliness and disgust. Just like portraying beauty the motives can be societal, cultural, and personal.
However artists that portray ugliness and disgust will almost always use the catalyst of shock and sensationalism as a means for recognition for their aesthetic. One could even see beauty as a concept that enhances or brings about order and ugliness and disgust as a concept that brings about chaos and change. Artists choose according to the message they wish to convey.
Pablo Picasso, Seated Bather, 1930, oil on canvas, 5 ft. 4 ¼ in. x 4ft. 3 in. Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Today an image like the one to the left doesn’t shock or even cause discomfort, perhaps this is because we have been exposed to more shocking objects and concepts. However, in 1930 the concept of portraying a nude woman as an almost crustacean like creature was not something many emulated or desired.
For this piece in particular Picasso wasn’t trying to convey the ugliness in the image itself but project the ugliness of the person being depicted. The image is in fact Picasso’s wife, their marriage was in shambles by the time this work was created.
Was Picasso then trying to convey the physical ugliness of his wife?
Was he trying to convince others of his disdain and sentiments through this image?
Picasso could have easily portrayed a physically ugly figure, and this cubist representation doesn't really portray a realistic ugliness. Instead he is portraying the ugliness of his feelings for his wife, the disgust is mental not physical. The image therefore is a symbolic disgust, a physical representation of Picasso’s mind.
If Picasso wanted to convince others of his disdain you would think Seated Bather for the title is too nebulous. He could have titled the work Seated Wife or something more literal.
Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907. Oil on Canvas, 8 ft. x 7 ft. 8 in. Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Another work by Picasso does in fact seek to display a sense of physical ugliness, or at least a sense of primitivism and brutalism. The work The Damsels of Avignon is a portrait of 5 prostitutes who pose in front of the viewer. The woman on the far left is holding back a curtain as if inviting the viewer to enter into a bordello.
However the “ugliness” we see in the contortion of the figures and especially the faces of two right women is Picasso’s attempt of portraying the a sense of literal rawness. During the production of this work Picasso saw several works of art from Africa, including tribal masks. His response to these masks where to place them into this work of art.
Thus the audience sees ugliness with the unfamiliar, Picasso knew this and combined with the subject matter the work created quite the sensation.
But why the masks? Why the prostitutes? Why the strange contorted figures?
Sure Picasso liked to experiment and play but this work has some fairly heavy subject matter.
Picasso is connecting the rawness of African tribalism to the rawness of sexual desire.
He is also connecting the power of these ritual masks to that of art creating “a form of magic designed to be a mediator between the strange hostile world around us”. The masks allow us to view the power of sexuality and these women as they actually are.
-Review of Aesthetics-
There are billions of examples of artists conveying beauty and ugliness in works of art. One could even say that an artist always has these two elements at play in a work of art and that every work of art falls into these two categories.
Whether the artist is working in the realm of ordered beauty or chaotic ugliness both categories have these commonalities-
Literal vs. Symbolic: an artist could choose to portray the societal concept of literal beauty (Three Graces) or symbolic beauty (Lovelight Cottage) or could choose to portray the societal concept of literal ugliness (The Damsels of Avignon) or symbolic ugliness (Seated Bather).
Artistic Identity: an artist is inescapably attached to their work, thus to society at large they become what they create. Artists can be trapped in their own concepts. Whether they convey beauty or ugliness it is the same. It is no wonder then why we have a lot more work conveying beauty rather than ugliness.
Beauty sells, Ugliness creates sensation
Writing Assignment: Formal and Contextual Analysis
You should use the rest of class to choose a work of art to analyze. Remember that an analysis is NOT a critique but seeks to determine the formal and contextual elements in a work of art.
You are to analyze your chosen work of art in both formal and contextual categories. Each category should take about 2 pages (double spaced) to write.
Paper Due: September 4
How to Start:
Obviously choose the work you wish to do, have the correct relevant information displayed.
Artist, Title, Date, Size (if applicable), Medium. Location.
Contextual analysis: time period/ art era, societal implications, cultural implications, and perception (not your own but how it was and is viewed by society today).
Mark Rothko, No. 10, oil on canvas, 1950. MoMA, NY.
Formal analysis: materials, techniques, processes, and product.
Use of Adjectives and Correct Vocabulary:
In your analysis I also strongly suggest the use of adjectives to describe the work.
How would you describe this sculptures appearance?
Simple = Fat
Better = Round, Large, Plump
Best = Voluptuous, Volumus, substantial
Finding the best words to describe a work completely is imperative to communicating correctly to your reader and audience.
Using correct art vocabulary is also necessary and you may need to look ahead in the readings or reference the glossary (pg. 661).
Example:
Let's say you are analyzing a work with a lot of lines. It’s not very descriptive to simply state “the artwork has a lot of lines in it”, instead consider:
What type of lines are beings shown? Contour lines, cross hatching, directional lines, implied line, illusionary line?
The greatest hint I can give you about this analysis is- describe your chosen work of art to someone who has never seen it, or better yet to someone who is blind.
For Next Class-
End-
Roles of an Artist:
Can an artist escape not doing this?
Edouard Manet, Olympia, 1863. Oil on canvas, 4 ft. 3 in. x 6 ft. 2 ¼ in. Musee d’Orsay, Paris.
Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Mnonja, 2010. Rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel, 8 ft. x 10 ft. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C
Emanuel Leutze, Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851. Oil on canvas, 12 ft. x 21 ft. Metropolitan museum of art, NY.
Some artists will make works purposefully historical in order to commemorate an event, aggrandize an individual, or in some cases elevate themselves to higher status.
Emanuel Leutze created this work to pay homage to an event, and at the same time seal his artistic abilities with the concept of patriotism.
This work is a paradox however. At first glance it is commemorating an event as if the artist was present, yet the work was created 75 years after the actual event.
A visitor to the museum is actually looking at an artist's interpretation of an event….
Is this work historical?
Yes to 1851….but not to 1776
If every work of art is historical, then every artists work is also a historical interpretation.
James Nachtwey, Rwanda Genocide, 1995. Photograph
Even artwork that borders on journalism is an artist's interpretation. No, the artist did not create the scars on this mans face, nor was he involved with the Rwandan genocide. But he did choose to locate this individual, photograph him, and display the image for people outside the conflict to see.
Yes this image IS historical, and even more than Washington Crossing the Delaware exposes an event in real time. But we must remember the motivations and the intent of the artist at work.
It is impossible to eliminate emotion in the interpretation of an artwork...but it is possible to understand the circumstances of the emotion.
Ruth Beeley, A2 Art Project, 2011. Mixed Media Sketchbook, Hertfordshire England.
Ruth Beeley, a high school student studied the imagery of James Nachtwey for her own work. Ruth sought to take James imagery and associate the same images with her own life and friends. She wanted to in effect try and feel what other individuals have felt who are directly affected by war.
This is an important process that every artist will do, and in fact every human will do. We look at other peoples trials and in order to understand them vicariously project them on ourselves.
Does Ruth’s work enhance or diminish the original photograph by James Nachtwey?
Can Ruth take an image from a culture she is not directly connected with, appropriate it and use it for her own culture and life?
Every artist when they create a work of art irrevocably create a work in the context of history. Whether the work is commemorating an event or person or whether the work is done as an event happens in real time it becomes historical.
When a work of art is especially emotional or appeals to humanity other artists will often reinterpret the work and create a new piece to appeal to their society and emotions. This is a really GOOD thing to do, so long as the artist and audience is aware of the original imagery and how it has been interpreted.
Once an artist creates a work and it becomes historical (usually as soon as it is revealed) the artist can no longer control the historical implications the work may have. Even after their death the artists work will continue to be analyzed.
2. Artists help us to see the world in a new or innovative way.
This is perhaps the #1 thing that artists do today and have done in the 20th century. Starting with the impressionists in the 19th century, and some would say with the artist Francisco Goya, artists have sought to display and portray the world around us in a new way.
Artists have done this through:
Styles (impressionism, expressionism, cubism, abstraction, etc.)
Technique (mixed media, photography, video, collage, etc.)
Content (political themes, protest art, cultural themes, etc.)
Any other means to help the viewer see the world in a new way
Clash and Sensationalism
Whenever an artist seeks to display something new or innovative the mass media, public, and even the art world can and will view the work in hostility or at the very least not understand what is going on.
This presents a problem for artists and innovators. How do you bring something new to society if society is going to possibly if not certainly reject the idea?
There are many answers to this, but perhaps the best solution to this was found in the 20th century when artists and curators sought to create specific areas where new art could be displayed. As long as the public and media knew what they were about to see was new and innovative it eased the waters and allowed artists to experiment.
From this we get the “modern” or “contemporary” art museum and galleries.
Yves Klein, IKB 191, 1962. Synthetic Resin on Panel, 55 in x 47 in. Tate, London.
With new spaces artists like Yves Klein produced works of art that were completely new to the concept of art.
Instead of painting an object or a knowable concept Klein painted the infinite, the mystical and the undefinable. Because we as human beings try to always find something recognizable in the unrecognizable Klein was in fact fighting against this tendency.
The painting is blue, all encompassing blue, his blue. It is present and also missing, aware and also unknowable.
Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917. Ceramic Urinal, 2ft. x 1ft 2in x 1ft 7in. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Sculpture has also been challenged in new and innovative ways as well. There is perhaps no better example of a work of art that challenges the viewer more than Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain.
Not only is the work a found object unaltered by the artist but the artist is in fact looking at a utilitarian and mundane object as art. To further objectify the audience Duchamp chose a urinal and even the title “fountain” gives allusions to its use by both subject and purpose.
Unlike Klein, this work was heavily criticized, why would this be the case?
Sally Mann, What Remains, 2001. Photograph, private collection.
The artist Sally Mann has dedicated her aesthetic to uncovering the uncomfortable. From photographing her children naked to taking photos of decomposing cadavers at a body farm Mann wants the viewer to look at the world in a new and distinct way.
Her motive is not to disgust (though it can) but instead asks the audience to challenge there perceptions and dispositions.
Why is looking at the image of a decomposing body so difficult?
Could it be because we all know this will one day occur to us as well?
Isn’t Mann preserving the memory of this individual long after the body is gone? Don’t we all do this?
Marina Abramovic, The Artist is Present, 2010. Performance art, Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Performance art has also challenged the audience and innovated new paths for artists. Even the medium itself of performing is new a mix between acting and creating a work of art.
Marina Abramovic created a stunning performance work by simply being “present”. She dedicated a few minutes for viewers (who inevitably formed lines and bought tickets) to sit with her. She sought to be completely present, staring without emotion at the other viewer.
Trailer for The Artist is Present
In perhaps one of the most innovative performances pieces of the 21st century Marina created a work that was not about the artist, but about the audience.
Yes, Marina was “present” but in order for the work to truly be realized the audience also had to be “present”. The audience became the artwork.
Marina wanted to make this work to show how people have lost touch with each other and themselves. We stare at our phones, are disconnected to reality, and in many ways are disconnected to ourselves.
What’s amazing about Marina’s work….
Anyone can do this performance piece, and perhaps the best way to understand her innovation is to try it.
3. Artists make functional objects and structures (buildings) more pleasurable and elevate them or imbue them with meaning.
The artist is also manipulator and designer. Perhaps the most economically lucrative venture for an artist is to bridge art and design together. There is not a society that has existed without the need for decoration, adornment, and elevation of everyday objects and buildings.
An artist will often take an everyday object (a mug, a room, or an entire structure) and by altering it is able to create uniqueness and appreciation through their designs.
Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water House, 1939. Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
Artists are often inspired by their surroundings, nothing comes more natural to inspiration than nature itself. Falling Water House is considered the masterpiece of Frank Lloyd Wright’s aesthetic. The home itself sits atop a bubbling river that spills over in a number of small waterfalls.
Wright saw the beauty of the natural surroundings and created a home that seamlessly blends in with its environment. From the colors of the exterior to the placement and orientation of the rooms the house fits and sits perfectly with the habitat.
This work of architecture is the progenitor of green design we see today.
Jensen & Skodvin, Juvet hotel, 2013. Alstad, Norway
You may recognize this structure from the movie Ex Machina. This work is a contemporary example of green design, the structure, a hotel, rests in a green valley fjord in Norway. The entire structure was designed to be invisible to the passerby and blend in completely with the environment.
Here again is a perfect example of how artists create from the everyday (like a simple hotel model) into something extremely unique and beautiful.
Elmgreen and Dragset, Prada Marfa, 2005. 15 ft. x 25 ft. Marfa, Texas.
Placed in between two sparsely populated towns off highway 90 in Texas stands Prada Marfa. This architectural work is meant to resemble a high end designer store in the middle of nowhere.
Here the artists have given power to the space by its strange location, and through parody have alluded that the brand Prada can even be found on the cowboy frontier.
The audience becomes the passerby, whoever this might be. On several occasions people have been convinced that it is actually a Prada store.
Jeff Koons, Balloon Rabbit, 2010. 168 in x 107in x 80 in, Polished stainless steel.
Jeff Koons takes the everyday object, like balloon animals and imbues meaning upon it by enlarging it. His giant sculptures of often fragile childlike toys bring meaning form their size and remind the viewer of the innocence and naiveness of childhood.
Koons is playing on multiple levels-
He is highlighting the influence of commodity, fashion, and plastification on modern life.
He is showing through scale the importance of specific objects. To an adult a balloon animal is a trifle toy, to a child it is larger than life. Thus by increasing its size, durability, and importance he is creating the same feeling of our childhoods but on an adult level.
He is toying with the idea that everyday objects are also works of art, and when increased in size become iconic.
Wayne Thiebaud, Display Cakes, 1963. Oil on canvas, 28in. X 38in. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Though 2D realistic artwork is an illusion Wayne Thiebaud is in effect elevating the idea and concept of the images he has painted.
The everyday pastry has become art, and in the work Display Cakes even their representation is elevated.
Wayne isn’t so much elevating these particular treats but their place on our modern society. These treats are painted as if viewer through the front window of a bakery, they are tantalizing, becoming to be devoured and bought.
The concept of commodity and convenience are brought through the work and the treats, not the baker, become the subject.
Why so profitable?
Art has many distinctions, in our day much of what we consider “fine art” is held in museums and private collections. The modern of yesterday becomes the historical piece of today. However if an artist can make a work that one uses beyond just admiring they stand to make a profit.
Yes paintings, sculptures, and “fine art” sell but functional art is consistent and goes beyond just aesthetic. Everyone wants a well designed home or office but not everyone wants a priceless art artifact.
4. Artists give form to the immaterial-hidden or universal truths, spiritual forces, personal feelings.
Anciently artists were also shamans, in fact there was no distinction between the two. Because the artist is able to draw out from their minds something visceral and real people saw this as magical. Today many artists are reliving or recounting the path of their ancestors in creating art that is mean to bring forth the hidden.
During the course of history almost all art that we have left from the past is from this category. Because most art is religious and was protected it makes sense that the art of antiquity that you find art museums is also from this category.
William Blake, Ancient of Days, 1794. Hand colored print, Cambridge University, Boston.
Artists will often create their own simulacrums of religions in order to explain spirituality. Creating a parody, narrative, or even a fictitious story enables artists to uncover without disturbing the status quo.
Such is the case for William Blake and his poetry, accompanied by expressive and illustrative depictions of the characters found within.
Blake is playing the role of a 19th century shaman prophet in his poems and illustrations. The work Ancient of Days is the character Urizen in his epic poems, however there is no denying the character plays closely to the appearance of the Christian god.
Blake is able to display through imagery his own viewpoint of religion and is able to uncover his own narrative without receiving clerical criticism.
Alex Grey, Praying, 2016. Oil on Canvas, Wappingers Falls, NY.
The artist Alex Grey fits squarely into this category of artist giving form to the spiritual. In a masterful display Grey has depicted a multitude of religions within a single image all while expressing his own personal aesthetic.
Grey could best be described as an Omnist, or someone who believes in the sacredness of all religions and trying to abide by all religious teachings.
For Grey uncovering the hidden is depicted literally as he has removed the skin and musculature of the individual. The piece is not meant to be macabre but instead depict the world in a spiritual way. The human body is depicted beyond race, ethnicity and time only the gender of the individual is certain.
Greys work is a perfect example of how an artist can interpret the sacred and spiritual in diverse and unique ways all while expressing a deep desire to find the immaterial.
Lascaux cave paintings, Lascaux France.
When art does not have a sole creator or when the creators are lost to time many times the work become artifact as well. The farther back in time the more precious and rare art becomes. Some of the first images made by modern man can be considered to be ones of a spiritual nature. This is due to their locations, often deep within caves, and high above in the caverns themselves.
We suspect the artists were not trying to depict the hidden world or even the unseen as the imagery is of livestock and wild animals in their very real world. Instead the artists were santifying a space and calling forth in one degree or another the spirits of these animals. This was done either to receive the animals essence, qualities, or perhaps to venterate the animal for a recompense to the deity or form that provided the animal.
Nikisi Nkone, Kongo (Muserongo), Zaire, late 19th century.
A direct link from the ancient cultures that created ancient cave paintings can be found in the form of the more modern Nikisi Nkone. These figures represent entire cultural religious systems found today in central Africa. The figures are created by a shaman who is seen as both artist and religious provider.
What may appear foreign to us the function of the figure itself. The figure is believed to be a physical representation of a delivering force or spirit who goes after wrong doers. The force or spirit is activated by driving nails, metal, shrapnel, and other metallic objects onto its surface. The same injuries a Nikisi figure endures are then brought forth on the wrong doer as well.
Thus the Nikisi in a very real way represents both art and a literal form of religion for many cultures. The Nikisi have taken modern form in the all to familiar Voodoo doll of our day.
Leshan Giant Buddha, Sichuan, China, 803 c.e.
Size is also important for artists who fit into this category. The size of an art object may determine the faith or adoration of its creator. Such is the case of the Leshan Giant Buddha which was carved out over the course of several years by a buddhist monk and a few of his disciples.
The giant figure acts not only as propaganda for the Buddhist religion it also cements its founder as a larger than life figure.
However there are hundreds of giant buddhas found all over the world (there is even one outside Fort Collins). What makes this work truly unique is the small number of individuals creating it, its monolithic size, and the fact that the artisans were also clergy.
This work functions more than art artifact and enters the realm of adoration and a demonstration of faith.
The course readings did an excellent job summing up the roles of an artist, can you think of any other role of an artist?
5. Artists give catalyst to social and political change through visual imagery.
Shepard Fairey, Hope, 2008. Print.
No one considered that Shepard Fairey’s work would become the image behind the Obama campaign. This image was created as a means to honor an individual not so much an idea, yet the image carried so much weight that it became iconic.
Obama stood on a platform of hope and change, when this image became part of that campaign so to did the image emulate the idea. The image became less about Obama and more about what the movement was creating.
Artists have seen this hundreds of times throughout history, their images begin as personal manifestations or at the very least loosely tied to a social or political ideal. Then when the movement takes fire so to does the artwork held within.
Guerrilla Girls, Guerrilla Girls Talk Back, 1989. Screenprint on paper. Tate, London.
When there is unrest socially or politically artists are often there to illustrate or provide imagery. Their imagery can be a reflection or response to the unrest, propaganda, or could be acting as a message as protest itself.
The group Guerrilla Girls started in 1985 as a collection of female artists who seek to equalize the gender gap between male and female artists being represented in the art world. The work is often thinly veiled satyr that has a heavy and often feminist message.
The Guerrilla Girls are not attacking society at large per se but instead ideology, old broken traditions, and western concepts of beauty.
Jacques Louis David, Death of Marat, Oil on canvas, 1793. Royal Fine arts Museum, Belgium.
Sometimes artwork is created during actual political revolutions. The French Revolution brought a huge collection of art that was a response to the turmoil while the events were still occuring. Here Jacques Louis David is reflecting on an actual event but is also creating something to stand as a response in real time during the revolution.
The painting not only shows the death of his close friend Marat but also acts as a declaration. David signed the work at the bottom and literally signed his name in favor of the revolutionaries during this time period. The work of art acts as memoriam to his friend and also a politically charged message.
Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, photograph, 1936. Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
For better or worse artwork can become the face of movements. We have seen this especially evident in political art. However this also hold true when an image captures the sentiments and realities of a particular event.
Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother has become the image that represents the great depression. The mother in the image has become everyone's mother, her worry and apprehension a symbol for humanity at the time.
What makes this image particularly powerful is her long staring gaze and the children surrounding her. Her children (she had 10 actual kids) hide themselves from the camera as if ashamed of the reality and only the mother without any other option must press forward with a gaze of lost hope to the future.
6. Artists teach through imagery and provide inspiration for other generations, especially through the story of their lives.
Michelangelo, David, 1504. Marble. Florence, Italy.
Leonardo da Vinci, Self Portrait, 1512. Chalk drawing. Turin, Spain.
We have just seen a lot of art. The best thing for an artist to do when this happens is take a mental break.
5 minute break
-During the break try and clear your heads-
Where does value in art lay?
Who decides what work of art is of worth and what work of art is worthless?
Is it in the materials, the age of the work, what its made out of, who made it, how the work has survived, the idea behind the work?
Is it the public, the mass media, the art collectors, the wealthy buyers, the people who steal or sell it?
This is a really tricky question:
2. Most of the value in a work of art is found in owning the work of art or the prestige it gives to the owner themselves. This is why some of the most “valuable” art is found with some of the wealthiest people on earth. Art in this case gains its value in its provenance, or the story of the work itself.
3. The value in art is often hotly debated between groups of individuals. We often see society at large value more conservative realistic art and art establishments and organizations valuing more sensational and contemporary art. Because of this the art that is often chosen for its value is also based on its potential reaction.
Chris Ofili, The Holy Virgin Mary, mixed media, 1996. Brooklyn Museum of Art, NY.
From the readings you are probably keenly aware of Ofili’s work The Holy Virgin Mary. This piece created quite a sensation and uproar by its imagery and the materials used in the work to display a Christian icon.
Sensation aside this work created a problem in determining the value of art. The art establishment felt it was important enough to display where the mass public, media, and politics were against it.
Why would the art establishment see value in this work?
Do you think it deserved to be displayed even if the mass public (who through their tax dollars) were funding the museum?
Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, 25 in x 19 in, oil on canvas, 1500. Louvre, Abu Dhabi.
This work by Leonardo da Vinci sold for $450 million dollars at auction in 2017.
Why on earth would someone or a group of people place such a value on a single work of art?
2. The work is directly linked to Leonardo da Vinci, thus owning a work by him also denotes you are in essence owning a piece of “da Vinci” himself.
3. The work was lost and rediscovered, went through months of restoration and was hotly debated for its authenticity.
4. When placed back up for auction it is guaranteed to sell for even more money in the future.
We have seen that there is value in art based on a number of things, however what happens when you remove money, provenance, and the pull of mass opinion. Perhaps then a true value of art can be determined.
Money, provenance, and without information which of these two works has greater value?
Kazimir Malevich, Suprematist Composition, oil on canvas, 1916.
Sold: $85 million
David Coggins, Malevich, sketch, 2016.
Still for sell
So two things that look remarkably alike, made with basically the same materials, and done in the same style can be viewed drastically different and valued differently. What if they were totally different?
Statue of Ganesha, resin.
Sold: $25
Pontormo, Portrait of a Halberdier, oil on canvas, 1537.
Sold: $35 million
Finally which of these two extremely famous works if of more value?
The answer to both of these works in their value:
They are priceless, meaning they have infinite cultural worth and yet also NO monetary worth. They can’t be sold because they are beyond selling.
The Key to Seeing Value:
There are many factors in and out of an artist and audiences control that determine the value and worth of a work of art. Thus there is no definitive way to determine the value of something, it is based mainly on the opinion of the viewer.
YOU and no one else actually determines the value of something. You could like something that no one else does, and in a weird way it makes that thing precious.
Perhaps the only truly identifiable thing that determines the worth and value of anything is if a group of people all decide that it is in fact valuable.
Writing Assignment: Formal and Contextual Analysis
Hopefully by now you have chosen a work of art to analyze. Remember that an analysis is NOT a critique but seeks to determine the formal and contextual elements in a work of art.
You are to analyze your chosen work of art in both formal and contextual categories. Each category should take about 2 pages (double spaced) to write.
Paper Due: September 4
How to Start:
Obviously choose the work you wish to do, have the correct relevant information displayed.
Artist, Title, Date, Size (if applicable), Medium. Location.
Contextual analysis: time period/ art era, societal implications, cultural implications, and perception (not your own but how it was and is viewed by society today).
Mark Rothko, No. 10, oil on canvas, 1950. MoMA, NY.
Formal analysis: materials, techniques, processes, and product.
Use of Adjectives and Correct Vocabulary:
In your analysis I also strongly suggest the use of adjectives to describe the work.
How would you describe this sculptures appearance?
Simple = Fat
Better = Round, Large, Plump
Best = Voluptuous, Volumus, substantial
Finding the best words to describe a work completely is imperative to communicating correctly to your reader and audience.
Using correct art vocabulary is also necessary and you may need to look ahead in the readings or reference the glossary (pg. 661).
Example:
Let's say you are analyzing a work with a lot of lines. It’s not very descriptive to simply state “the artwork has a lot of lines in it”, instead consider:
What type of lines are beings shown? Contour lines, cross hatching, directional lines, implied line, illusionary line?
The greatest hint I can give you about this analysis is- describe your chosen work of art to someone who has never seen it, or better yet to someone who is blind.
Practical Applications:
We are about to start diving into more of the formal elements and principles of art. As such we will have many opportunities to practice what we are looking at in and out of class.
It is imperative that you have a sketchpad for writing notes as well as producing artwork. The genesis of every great work of art has its starting points in the artists sketchbook.
The sketchbook acts as an artists journal, visual bible, and think tank. Many of the assignments and class time from here on out will incorporate your sketchbooks.
End-
Developing Visual Literacy
If being literate means you are capable of reading or interpreting something what then would “Visual Literacy” entail?
Visual literacy is the ability to correctly interpret a work of art through the formal and contextual aspects of that work of art. It means you can read an artwork like a book or be able to immediately identify the plots, summaries, subjects, characters, and events found within the work.
Visual literacy is slow at first, as you develop more knowledge and information and gradually becomes almost second nature to you. The following slides will show you ways in which you can “read” a work of art.
Most Apparent and Easiest Way
WORDS
Galahad joins the sword, 1200, illuminated manuscript. British Library, UK.
Having words in a work of art immediately opens the doors of understanding. We can get an entire context of what is going on in the work, the place of origin, the society, traditions, culture, and even artistic voice.
Artwork that has words usually has supporting imagery and in many cases was created without the intent of the work being a “fine” art piece. Such is the case with many illuminated manuscripts in the medieval period. These were books not artworks, today however they are both.
Rene Magritte, The Treason of Images, Ceci n’est une pipe, 1929, oil on canvas. LA county museum of art, CA.
Artists have been playing with words for millennia however it wasn’t until the surrealist movement (1930’s) that this play reached its height.
Rene Magritte in the work to the left (also found in your readings) is incorporating words to challenge the perception of the work of art. He is stating “this is not a pipe” and is in fact only the image of a pipe. One could go further and say that the particular brushstrokes create the image of a pipe but what you are really seeing is just an arrangement of colors.
Rene is using words to shatter the conception of what the audience perceives. The words are telling a lie and a truth at the same time.
Mladen Stilinovic, An artist who cannot speak English is no artist, 1994, acrylic on artificial silk. Belgrade, Serbia.
Words can also call or action, include or exclude an audience. Mladon Stilinovic created a work that confronts this concept. Mladen is in essence challenging the western hold on art and demonstrating that for the predominance of history and art the west has chosen artists based on their demographics.
Yes, many western artists now in museums did not speak English, however they were mostly chosen by artists and curators today who do.
Representation and Abstraction
Every work of art in existence is in fact abstraction. Even the most realistic paintings, sculptures, and art objects are not the “actual” thing being represented. However there is a delineation between things that are created to appear real known as representational and works that stray from the real and become more general known as abstraction.
The delineation is at first obvious but as always can get tangled up depending on society, time, and formal analysis.
Albert Bierstadt, Valley of the Yosemite, 1864, oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
This work by Bierstadt is a highly representational albeit stylized representation of Yosemite valley. Yes, he is definitely and squarely in the arena of representational art. Bierstadt is creating art through the lense of naturalism a brand of realism that recreates natural spaces.
However he is in fact painting an image that every American wanted during the time period. The lost eden of the west, picturesque with dear and open for the traveler.
Where is the native american presence? The Miwok peoples lived in this valley the same time Bierstadt visited and created the work.
Pere Borrell del Caso, Escaping Criticism, 1874, oil on canvas. Banco de Espana, Spain.
A progenitor to photorealism, trompe l oeil (meaning to fool the eye) is a parlor trick of sorts for artists. This style is a hyper sense of representational art and seeks to mystify the audience by breaking the laws of physics, 2d and 3d surfaces, and creating subject matter that is familiar yet strange.
Chuck Close, Mark, 1979, acrylic on canvas. MoMa, NY.
Photorealism doesn’t really emerge as a style until the 20th century and the refinement of the camera. Photorealism takes the fundamentals of trompe l oeil and uses the camera or photos to create even more realistic imagery. The impetus for photorealists is to create an image that is completely indistinguishable to a photo.
Robert Motherwell, 110, 1971, acrylic on canvas. Guggenheim Museum, NY.
Artists that work in abstraction are in essence simplifying a composition to its bare elements. Through shape, mass, color, lines, and unity they create compositions that are no longer representational.
Some artists working in this style seek to portray raw emotion while others are displaying a specific concept, event, or subject matter.
Depending on the drive of the artist an abstract work could be purely nebulous or concrete in its attempt to represent something.
where representation and abstract unravel:
Mwaash aMbooy mask, Brooklyn Museum.
Is this work representational or abstract?
Could this work change depending on the culture, context, and perception of who views the work?
What about how it is used? Sitting on a stand makes it an object, yet it is meant to be worn?
The work could be abstract to someone who does not understand its use, and even more abstracted on how it is represented.
To the tribe that created this work the piece is NOT abstract but a literal representation of the tribes founder. It is used in religious ceremony and is meant more than a just an art object.
Commercial Masks, Mwenge, Africa.
When one culture dominates another the concept of their art changes. This is the case in many places in Africa. The masks created today are meant for tourists, never to be worn, and have become art rather than functional objects. Thus at one time these masks were real representations of things, but now are abstracted decorations.
The problem is further exemplified when these masks or objects are displayed outside of their culture or context.
A visitor to a museum sees masks on display, then goes to the gift shop and gets a copy mask to display on their wall.
Yet the original culture never hung or displayed these masks. Thus a very real representational object becomes an abstracted decoration over time.
Robert Masla, Signature Energy, charcoal. Private collection.
What imagery do you see?
What is the artist communicating?
The paradox of trying to find meaning and analyzing is that we must always draw upon real elements in order to understand. Thus a purely abstract work eventually becomes representational the more you analyze it.
Even the artist who created the work had to draw on the real world to create the work, thus they went from representation to abstraction and therefore the work isn’t purely abstract.
Last, every human exhibits what is called Pareidolia, or the need to find representational things in abstract imagery. This is an evolutionary response to create order. Subconsciously when we look at something abstract our brain is trying to find the representational.
Nothing in the history of art has ever been completely representational or abstract, the amount of either of these categories changes depending on the time, place, society, and perception of who views the work.
Because art in truth is an illusion, a set up, or something separated from society all art is fundamentally abstract. It is only the amount of abstraction that changes, works that are photorealistic are less abstract then non representational works.
Because one culture will often become dominant over another the perception of art will change. This is the case especially in African art where masks are seen as abstract art objects by outsiders and seen as representational objects by insiders. Eventually the more dominant culture will change the perceptions of the minority.
An artist must always look at the real and move toward abstraction. Thus every abstract work isn't entirely abstract. It's written in our DNA to make sense of things we don't understand (pareidolia) and we subconsciously analyze nonrepresentational work.
Form, Meaning, Symbol, and Interpretation
When a work of art is representational its meaning and form is often apparent. However when we enter the world of abstraction and non representation the meaning and form tends to also become more abstract.
Abstract art often seeks to find form and meaning through means other than representation and because it is more broad the form and meaning will tend to also open up for interpretation.
Kazimir Malevich, Black Square, 1930. Oil on plaster, Musee National d’Art Moderne, Paris.
This work of art is more about the relationship between the black square and the white plaster. If the entirety of the work was painted black it would suggest something different.
Malevich knew it wa impossible to extract all meaning and form from a work of art, but also knew that the closest one could get to this concept was through abstraction.
Kazimir sought for the “zero degree” or the absolute whittling down of all representation into a truly non objective, non emotional work of art.
The real question then is….did he accomplish it? Is this work of art absent of all representation, has it been reduced to the simplest elements?
Square = feeling/meaning
White = the void beyond feeling
Form gives meaning
Form, or the way an object is created to reference something is really just a tool artists and humans use to give meaning to their works. For Kazimir form was implied but not created (it is open to interpretation). This type of form is called implied form.
Form can also be literal in the context of what the artist is trying to communicate. Here the artist has created a still life of shapes, the artist wants the audience to understand what they are seeing. Thus they created the objects as they would appear in the real world. This is called literal or representational form.
Every work of art in essence has both implied and literal form depending on how you look at it.
Implied form here is the picture plane and surface, the black square and white ground is the implied form.
There is however literal form in this work as well. Anyone guess to see where it is?
The picture itself coming off the wall in 3D gives a literal form. We understand it is a painting or an object separate from the wall surface.
Symbol and Iconography
We saw that one culture or civilization can have a completely different set of symbols, meaning, and iconography (images widely understood by a culture).
The same culture or different cultures can also view a work differently in its context to time as well.
Palmyra, Syria.
Take the ancient city of Palmyra. Today the ruins display a linkage to western history. We view the ancient Greeks and Romans as our cultural ancestors because we have a large degree of our culture, government, and society embedded in history.
We view this city differently then what the ancient Palmyrans did and differently from say Japanese culture.
Which is the right interpretation and symbol then when looking at this particular place?
Because we have adopted many of the ideals of Roman and Greek culture does our concept of this place hold true, is it correct?
If our perception is skewed then perhaps an outside cultures perspective is the best option of the real symbol and iconography here?
However an outside culture doesn't have all the information necessary to truly understand what they are seeing. This may be an assumption but holds true in the context of history.
Perhaps then the best individuals and culture to give us the most accurate interpretation and symbol is the culture living near or at the city itself? They would have all the information necessary as well as the historical context to claim the place as their own.
Huge portions of Palmyra have been destroyed by Isis, most of the ancient city has been torn apart and blown up. The members of Isis to a large degree are in fact the inhabitants of this region.
Thus the culture that has the most information, has lived in the shadow of the ruins, and probably knows the history is the very culture that has destroyed it.
But why? Why would then destroy the city?
Isis and its members fundamentally believe that is place is a symbol of western power. Though this is historically incorrect it makes sense culturally. Because we value the city and our values are not theirs the city became our symbol. Isis in effect allowed the interpretation and symbol of the west to change its perception of its own monument and then destroyed it.
This would be like in a thousand years from now one distant culture seeing the Lincoln memorial as the part of the beginnings of its culture.
If this outside culture was drastically different from the inhabitants living at the memorial (the descendants of the creators) the inhabitants would destroy the memorial thinking it was a sign and symbol for the other culture.
This is a weird and strange concept of symbol and interpretation but happens consistently throughout history.
Jan van Eyck, Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife, 1434. Oil on oak. National Gallery, London.
The Arnolfini portrait has hundreds of symbols within and when created would have been immediately relatable and readable to the contemporary audience.
However as time has progressed the same symbols have altered or disappeared and today only someone who has read on the symbols of the period can decipher the meaning.
Can any of you see any symbols of imagery that might relate to symbols in this work of art?
The dog in the work is a symbol of fidelity (this is why today people call their dogs Fido). This is perhaps the most easily seen symbol as it hasn’t disappeared to western society.
The shoes or slippers in the work hint that the place being depicted is holy. Often the removal of shoes denotes a holy location and takes this from the Old Testament.
The orange symbolizes both wealth and innocence. In the Bible the garden of Eden was seen as a paradise full of fruit where only the innocent could dwell. Thus the orange symbolizes the innocence or virginity of the couple.
St. Margaret and broom. St. Margaret is the patron saint of childbirth and the broom a common item used by women. Thus these two symbols harken to the role of women and what was to be expected.
Arnolfini’s hand may appear strange to us today but he is in fact making a gesture of an oath. In his day people held their hands in this way to make a legal promise or oath.
The wife also has her hand placed over her belly and she could be pregnant in this image. Regardless the hand and its placement is symbolic of the role of motherhood.
There is also a mirror above the center of the work which has actually been signed by Jan van Eyck. The mirror also displays Eyck and possibly another individual besides the Arnolfini and his wife.
Why the mirror and the strange signature?
Because paper was scarce and often lost in the 13th century marriage certificates had the best chances of lasting if it was done as a portrait painting. No one could lie if their image was in a portrait and we see evidence of the longevity of the work as it is with us today.
Thus this artwork is in fact a marriage certificate. Jan van Eyck was a witness to the union and the work symbolically places every symbol as a symbol for marriage as well.
The Arnolfini portrait is perfect example of symbol and interpretation that was viewed one way in its day and another in our day. This gets further abstracted when outside cultures see a work.
These are all statues of Buddha, however which one is the correct one? Is there a correct one? And could people who purchase or place one of these have a completely incorrect interpretation or symbol?
Western culture, or those not aware or affiliated with Buddhism place these figures in their homes because they associate Buddha with peace or meditation. The statue, venerated and often worshiped by Buddhists, has become a different loose symbol for people outside the religion.
In a bizarre twist these statues have become more popular to people no affiliated with Buddhism because of Buddhisms symbolism with peace, meditation, and tranquility and not for the statues actual meaning.
What will be even more strange is in a thousand years when someone digs one of these statues up and associates the statue to the culture and place when it in fact had nothing to do with the culture and place as a whole.
Art Assignment
In your sketchbooks or on a separate sheet of paper I would like you to:
Be prepared to present your images along with your reference images in class
Works due: September 11
For Next Class-
2. Analysis due next class over the weekend!