Art History ch 1-2 Exam one

Why is art difficult to define?

There is no single universal definition of art. What counts as art varies across cultures and historical periods.

How can culture/time affect what is considered art?

Different cultures and historical periods have different ideas about what art is, who makes it, and what purposes it serves.

Art vs Science

Science moves observations of the world towards ideas and understanding whereas art moves ideas from the mind into expression in the world.

What is an artist?

Someone with the skill and ability to conceptualize and create works, often involving original and creative ideas.

What is an artisan/craftperson?

A skilled maker, traditionally associated with creating functional or decorative objects using established skills or traditions.

Describe an artist vs artisan/craftsperson:

An artist is traditionally associated with original design and creation whereas an artisan is associated with skilled production of functional/decorative objects. This specific distinction is not absolute.

What is fine art vs craft?

Fine art is associated with aesthetic, expressive, or intellectual purposes and craft is associated with skilled production of useful/decorative objects. A functional object can still, however, have artistic value as well.

What role does the viewer play in determining meaning?

The viewer actively interprets an artwork. Their culture, experiences, knowledge, and perspective can influence the meaning they find in it.

Can an artwork have more than one interpretation?

Yes, different viewers may interpret the same work differently because meaning is influenced by the viewers context and experiences.

Why do humans make art? (The two broad categories)

For personal needs and communal needs/purposes

What are personal purposes of art?

It can express or explore an individuals ideas, emotions, experiences, imagination, creativity, or aesthetic interests.

What are communal purposes of art?

It can communicate a group’s beliefs, values, identity, status, religion, rituals, history, or social/political ideas.

Does function determine whether something can be art?

No, a functional object can simultaneously have aesthetic, symbolic, religious, historical, or cultural significance.

What is 2D art?

It has height and width on a flat surface. Examples are drawing, painting, or printmaking.

What is 3D art?

It has height, width, and depth that physically occupies space. An example is sculpture

What is 4D art/time based art?

It involved space and the passage of time. An example is performance or time based media.

What is drawing?

Creating an image through mark making on a surface, often involving observation

What are the three components of paint?

Pigment which is the color, the binder which is what holds the pigment together and helps it adhere, and the solvent which dissolves or thins the paint/binder

What primarily distinguishes different types of paint?

The binder that is used

What is oil paint?

Paint that uses oil as its binder. It dries slowly which allows for more time to blend and modify

What is acrylic paint?

It is a fast drying, water soluble paint.

What is watercolor?

A water soluble painting medium that is generally applied in transparent washes/layers

What is fresco?

Pigment that is applied to wet plaster. The artist must work before it dries which makes mistakes hard to correct

What is tempera?

Paint using a water soluble binder which was traditionally egg yolk.

What is encaustic?

Painting using pigment mixed with heated wax

What is printmaking?

An image is prepared on a matrix and transferred to another surface. It allows for multiple impressions to be produced.

What is a matrix?

The prepared surface from which an image is transferred to produce a paint

Why was printmaking important for distributing images?

It allows for multiple impressions which makes it so the images/info can be distributed more widely.

What is sculpture in the round?

Freestanding sculpture that can be viewed from multiple sides

What is relief sculpture?

Sculpture in which the shapes or forms project from a background. They are carved into a background surface.

What is additive vs subtractive sculpture?

Additive is where you build/add material such as adding clay onto something to create a sculpture. Subtractive is where material is removed such as when carving a sculpture out of a block of rock.

What is installation art?

Art arranged within a specific space or environment which makes the viewers experience of that space important

What is kinetic art?

Art incorporating actual movement

Form vs Composition

Form are the visual components/elements of design whereas composition is how those components are organized (principles of design)

What are the six basic elements of design?

Line, shape, mass/volume, perspective, texture, and color

Line

A mark or series of points that extend in a direction. The lines can define boundaries and direct the viewers eye.

Gestural line

a line reflecting the physical movement used to create it

Contour line

a line that defines an edge or boundary of a form

Crosshatching

Intersecting lines used to create value/shading

Shape

A 2D area with height and width

Geometric vs organic shapes

geometric shapes are regular and orderly whereas organic shapes are irregular and often resemble forms in nature

Figure vs ground

Figure is an object that is perceived in front whereas the ground is in the background/surrounding area

Figure-ground reversal

When the figure and background can switch perceptual roles

Volume vs mass

Volume is 3D form with height, width, and depth and mass is the solid perceived weight of that form.

Open vs Closed Form

Open form is where space moves through the form and closed form is where the space primarily surrounds the form.

Positive vs Negative space

Positive space is occupied by forms whereas negative space is empty space around the forms

Chiaroscuro

The use of light and dark values to create the illusion of 3D volume on a flat surface

Perspective

Techniques used to create the illusion of 3D depth on a 2D surface

What three basic visual cues can create depth/recession?

Height, scale, and overlap

Linear perspective

a geometric system used to create the illusion of receding 3D space on a flat surface

Vanishing point

the point where receding parallel lines appear to converge

Orthogonal lines

receding lines that appear to converge toward a vanishing point

texture

the surface quality of an artwork, how it feels or appears to feel

Actual vs implied texture

actual texture physically exists and can be felt whereas implied texture is the visual illusion of texture

Impasto

Thickly applied paint that creates actual physical surface texture

Hue

The basic identity/name of a color such as red, blue, or yellow

value

the relative lightness or darkness of a color

Primary colors

red, yellow, blue

secondary colors

made by mixing two primary colors: orange, green, violet

Complementary colors

Colors opposite to each other on the color wheel, when places together they create strong visual contrast

Analogous colors

Colors located next to each other on the color wheel, creates visual harmony when together.

Warm vs cool colors

warm colors are red, orange and yellow and cool colors are blue, green, and violet

Five principles of design?

Unity, scale, balance, emphasis, rhythm

Unity vs variety

unity is when there is similarity and cohesion whereas variety is differences that create visual interest

scale vs proportion

Scale is the size of an object in relation to a standard/other objects and proportion is the size relationships among parts.

Forced perspective

manipulation of size/spatial relationships to make objects appear larger, smaller, closer, or farther away than they really are

Balance

The distribution of visual weight within a composition

Symmetrical vs asymmetrical balance

Symmetrical is where there is similar distribution around an axis and asymmetrical is where different elements still create equivalent visual weight. Asymmetrical does NOT mean unbalanced

Emphasis vs movement

Emphasis draws attention to a particular area and movement guides the viewers eye through the composition

Rhythm/repetition

Repetition of visual elements creates pattern/rhythm and disrupting the pattern can draw attention.