art has

form, content, context, materials and techniques

Artist Francisco Goya brings a new way of seeing painting.  He shows the skill of a royal painter, but he also promotes new and revolutionary ideas of his time.  In The Third of May 1808, he creates a blending of traditional techniques, yet a subject matter that promotes a new radicalism in art.

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i.e. parthenon

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art that depicts the appearance of things

examples - pepper #30

adding light to a 2 dimensional shape to make it look 3d

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considering the " look " of the piece

the medium, the composition, other visual elements, principles of design

A line can be utilized or discovered in a variety of ways.  A line or various lines can communicate a mood or feeling.  Lines can define shapes such as contour drawings.

In I and the Village, notice the significance of line in the image.  The lines divide up the composition as well as give character to the shapes.

an artist can use balance to suggest a certain feeling or mood

think about the White House

  p. 107 Charles White’s Preacher

  p. 416 Grant Wood’s American Gothic

  p. 379 Edvard Munch’s The Scream

proportions - most are not natural, if a person in a sculpture stood up they would 9 ft. tall, have to be big to convey the message

Drawing has many unique characteristics.  First, drawing is the primary way by which we can visually express ideas.  Picasso and all artists who use art as a means of visual expression know that all great ideas are formulated by some kind of mark-making (letters, pictures, etc.) 

Second, drawing has a way of raising awareness through conscious “seeing.”  Drawers know that the act of looking at something for long periods of time and trying to render these scenes in realistic shapes  and forms requires diligent practice, but mostly an elevated sense of awareness about the contours of the scene.  When we delve into realistic drawing, we start with the contours of an object.  We use shading for depicting values that show 3-dimensional forms.

Drawing is similar to painting and the materials are similar as well.  One way we look at painting is by looking at its pigment, binder and vehicle.  For example, the vehicle in watercolor is water.  In other words, the water spreads the paint around the paper.  We look at these characteristics and others to more richly experience the art.  Again, the question we ask is how do the use of the materials enhance the overall effect of the image or what does the image gain by being a watercolor?

If you have ever painted a watercolor, you know that the process requires an acceptance of the loss of control.  Although it’s possible to control the paint in a very exacting way, the process normally fits a more spontaneous approach to image making.  With oil paint you can paint right over it, but with watercolors every brushstroke is visible. Of course, part of the charm of watercolor paintings is the symphony of colors and brushstrokes which often blend together in surprising and exciting ways.  The transparency of the colors working with the white on the paper can provide the sense of almost a stained glass window in which the color is illuminated by the white of the paper or light of the sun.

Printmaking started out as a way for the artist to carve a wood block or metal plate and then make duplicate images of it.  During the northern European Renaissance the Protestant Reformation “frowned upon” church art.  So artists like Albrecht Durer made engraved plates that later he inked and printed so that he could sell them to grocers, bankers and “regular” people.  Of course, we then later realized that engravings had certain qualities inherent in the process that make printmaking have its own unique characteristics.  Notice how well Knight, Death and the Devil works with Durer’s familiarity with hatchings and markmaking.

The last hundred years has uncovered archeological discoveries of the first cultures of the earth.  Our 2 major artworks reveal aspects of culture that humans would be concerned about – often these concepts are related to survival.  The Venus images may involve ideas related to fertility while the cave paintings may involve hunting.  Although we don’t know exactly what these images are about, we believe they involve fertility, hunting, initiations/rites and mythology. 

Neolithic art shows new interest in aesthetics in the form of pottery.  As cities develop, the art of excavating clay from the soil, coiling it into a shape, painting and cooking it requires a significant amount of technology.  This technique, along with evidence of aesthetic thinking, show us how much time and energy must have gone into the creation of such pieces.

The most elegant view of an early Accadian Ruler shows the artistic interest in expression and pattern as well as immaculate technique.  The artwork suggests a considerable amount of training as well as the ability to form pure metal.  The beard, headdress, and hair show the artist’s interest in how different elements of form work together in the creation of a highly technical & unified piece.

Egypt sees the first woman pharaoh in Queen Hatshepsut.  She was the first of 3 other queens who ruled Egypt.  She was called “his majesty.”  In art she had herself represented as a male ruler (human-headed sphinx) and has the false male ceremonial beard. Senmut, the queen’s advisor, architect, engineer and lover, designed Hapshepsut’s mortuary temple.  The design used an axial plan along with collonades to create a geometric  structure that blends with the organic structure of the surrounding cliffs. The terraces were not barren like they are today, rather there were gardens with frankincense trees and plants that

Hatshepsut

  New Kingdom. 18th Dynasty, ruled c. 1478-1458 B.C. Beside Hatshepsut, three other queens ruled Egypt- one was Cleopatra (much later).

Daughter of Tuthmose I. Married her half-brother who reigned for a few years as Tuthmose II before dying. She became regent for his underage son Tuthmose III (born to one of Tut II’s concubines). Had him declared king by priests of the god, Amun, a move that allowed her to reign in his place (due to his youth) for 23 years.. 

 Was called “his majesty.”  In art, had herself represented as male ruler (human-headed sphinx-has the male false ceremonial beard.)  In portraits, dressed in male costume of pharaohs, royal headdress and kilt. Tut II had most of her portraits destroyed out of anger for her keeping the throne so long.

Mortury Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Senmut, queen’s advisor, architect-engineer and possibly lover-designed Hat’s mortuary temple. Carved himself in relief throughout the temple. Structure was not intended to be her tomb. Pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried in hiding places in the cliffs of the Valley of the Kings (one half mile away) Temple faced toward Great Temple of Amun (In Karnak on the E. bank of Nile) . An avenue of royal sphinxes led up to the 3 rising colonnaded terraces separated by ramps.

Axial Plan -  All of the separated elements are symmetrically arranged along a dominant center line.

Colonnades - Long rows of columns (some severely simple and some beveled into 16 sides. The long horizontals and verticals and rhythm of light and dark repeat the pattern of the rocky cliffs above.

Just like a male king, she had a depiction of her divine birth done in relief of the funerary temple…also showed her coronation and great deeds. Reliefs were some of the first pictorial representations in the history of art dedicated to a woman.

The idea of the classical world was to be under the commands of reason and in control of your own destiny, but this gives way to the art depicting the gesture of the faithful servant surrendering oneself to God’s will (orant).

The Doryphorous stands as one of the premier symbols of Greek classical values.  The “perfect man” retains an expression of a god-like being who is in perfect harmony with the world.  Notice how the sculptor has created an expression that seems above fear and worldly issues.  His body exhibits conditioning and discipline.  With his rational gaze we see the Greek ideal of man.

This work also tells us about how the Greeks felt about art.  They believed the ability to create artworks that represent heroic humans and gods was akin to the journey the artist was taking when making the art.  In other words, they considered the process of creating art as a noble and somewhat heroic pursuit.  To learn and understand carving techniques, anatomy, and human expression, the artist engaged in a lifetime pursuit.

When we think of the most famous classical buildings, we tend to think of the Parthenon of Greece and the Pantheon of Rome.  The Pantheon influenced Byzantine architects as seen in the great Byzantine structure San Vitale, Renaissance architects such as Palladio as seen in his Villa Rotunda, and Neo-classical architects such as Thomas Jefferson as seen in his Monticello. 

In these classical buildings, one sees combinations of squares and circles, vertical and horizontal, and formal elegance.  The unity created by the careful balancing of these elements exemplifies formal classical values.

When Christians designed San Vitale, they were thinking about creating an otherworldly place that could transport the viewer spiritually.  The idea was to push the viewer out of him/herself and into the realm of God.  They did this by flooding the interior of the church with light and by creating colorful mosaics that reflect that light and dazzle the eye.  The images also allowed the designers the opportunity to instruct the viewer about the importance of Christian principles.

Basilica of San Vitale, (526-547), Ravenna, Italy
Apse mosaic of the theophany (an appearance of God to a human; a divine manifestation). Christ as cosmocrator (ruler of the universe) sits on the sphere of the cosmos. Saints, including Saint Vitalis and Archbishop Ecclesius and a donor are being welcomed into the celestial garden of Paradise.

The monks of Ireland created some of the most beautiful examples of manuscript illumination.  These handwritten bibles gave monks the opportunity to practice what we might call calligraphy.

These intricate line studies move around the page with loops and twirls while still managing to maintain a sense of symmetry. In the Chi Rho page, the artist made the first two letters of Christ’s name the focus of the design. Some people believe the page couldn’t have been done by the human hand; rather the Holy Spirit must have used the monk as a vehicle for creating the piece. Either way, Christian artists feel blessed to be able to create works which glorify God.

The Gothic cathedrals were vast projects of a diverse kind.  They required knowledge in areas such as mathematics, science, art and theology.  Building then also required community involvement, money, time, and patience on a grand scale.  Their interior was meant to create a sense of awe in the viewer.  Instead of mosaic as in San Vitale, the preferred form was a translucent form of mosaic called “stained glass.”  As you know, stained glass windows create intense luminous colors using light.  The effect was the magical, awesome spectacle they desired.

However, the technology needed was vast for this time.  All the best vaulting techniques had to be used so that the sidewalls could hold stained glass windows rather than needing to use the weight-bearing walls.  To hold the weight that creates the awesome space in the interior, sophisticated weight-bearing devices had to be installed.  These methods included Gothic rib vaults and flying buttresses. The rib vaults are very similar to the groin vault (see next slide) which created a strong, efficient method for supporting weight that was also aesthetically attractive in its graceful rhythm across the top of the church.  The flying buttresses essentially let the architects put columns outside of the church.  These devices basically push the thrust to columns outside of the church.

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When the younger generation was growing up in the 14th century, there was a new spirit in the air.  The growing secular cities had just completed the awesome Gothic cathedrals.  The cathedrals themselves required scientific, mathematical, and artistic skill unseen in the recent era of the middle ages.

Saint Francis of Assisi the humble “revolutionary” interpreted the message of the Bible for himself.  His ideas on poverty, faith, and delight with the physical world made him extremely popular to the common people of the times. His way was certainly inspirational to Giotto who is credited with beginning the new style of humanistic art.

Donatello was an incredible master of human expression.  Whether it be a sensual young David or a haggard, pious Mary Magdalene, Donatello used his expertise with materials.  Note how painted wood has a more impermanent and rougher quality.  His use of materials, and his concern with representing human expression and gesture exhibits the Renaissance artists’ interest in portraying classical values in the art.

When we look at the work of Michelangelo,  we believe in the idea of the prodigy or genius.  Michelangelo was so adept at sculpting and drawing that it was difficult for him to find a teacher.  Among all the things  to admire in Michelangelo’s work, his ability to represent the longing of the human

soul through his portrayal of the gestures and anatomy of the human body stands out as his greatest achievement.  Through expression and gesture and the interplay of convex and concave forms, he created art that impacts the viewer in deep mystical ways.

Leonardo da Vinci has engaged the imagination of those curious about the Renaissance.  He embodies so many values of that time.  “L’uomo universale” is the Renaissance concept that the Liberal Arts degree is based on:  a truly educated individual will be engaged in the pursuit of a diverse set of educational disciplines, in physical development, in social accomplishments, and in the arts.

looks like a close up photo of two flowers, vibrant oranges, yellows

if she painted what she saw it would be little, she painted it huge so people may be able to see what she sees within a flower