Chapter 1: Art and Art Making

Content

the mass of ideas associated with each artwork

Examples:

-The art's imagery

-Its symbolic meaning

-Its surroundings where it is used or displayed

-The customs, beliefs, and values of the culture

that uses it

-Writings that help explain the work

contains complex ideas related to European ideas of sexuality, to colonialism, and to modern scientific theory, all of which may require study to learn and understand

art production

reflects humans' perceptions of and responses to all aspects of spiritual life and earthly life, from birth to death and the hereafter, and of everything in between

Italian Renaissance

elevated the importance of man, emphasized learning, and held the ancient Greeks and Romans in high esteem

period was marked by conflicting currents because the Catholic Church was a major force at that time and it disapproved of the depiction of pagan deities

Cubism

An art style in which multiple viewpoints or facets are represented within one point of view. Analytical Cubism broke down forms, while Synthetic Cubism used collage and assemblage to represent parts of objects in order to visually play with illusions and reality.

African masquerades

traditional celebrations that blend dance, art, song, and ritual

Aesthetics

involve the look and feel of an artwork and the attributes that elevate it above other objects

a body of written texts that deal with art, taste, and culture or that examine the definition and appreciation of art

goes beyond individual tastes, since it reflects the preferences of a large segment of the culture's population

representational art

presents nature, people, and objects from the world in a recognizable form

naturalistic art

imagery that resembles what we see in the world around us

idealized art

natural imagery is modified in a way that strives for perfection within the bounds of the values and aesthetics of a particular culture

often orderly and balanced vertically and horizontally

expressionist art

communicates heightened emotions and often a sense of urgency or spontaneity

often feature distorted imagery and may appear asymmetrical or off balance

surrealism

a bizarre or fantastic arrangement of images or materials, as if tapping into the workings of the unconscious mind

nonobjective (nonrepresentational) art

has no imagery that resembles the natural world

abstract art, is often used to mean the same thing as nonobjective, but there is an important distinction

abstract art

is derived from reality by distorting, enlarging, and/or dissecting objects or figures from nature

Function

"For what purpose was this originally made?"

Examples:

-food, shelter, and human reproduction

-create a place of worship, create a place of

worship

-commemorates the dead

-glorifies the power of the state and its rulers

-reveals political and social justice and injustices

-records the likenesses of individuals

-promotes cohesion within a social group and

helps to define classes and clans

-educates us about who we are within the world

around us

-entertains us

art of the past

educate us about earlier cultures

contemporary art

shows us our current condition

Visual Form

"What elements compose it, and how are they arranged?"

line

shape

color

texture

volume

definition of art is not universal and fixed

cultural style

consists of recurring and distinctive features that we see in many works of art emanating from a particular place and era

culture

the totality of ideas, customs, skills, and arts that belong to a group of people

civilization

a highly structured society, with a written language or a very developed system of communication, organized government, and advances in the arts and sciences.)

visual culture

the vast amount of imagery that humans create and proliferate, that comes to us through all kinds of media, and that is so important in our everyday lives

the result of technological innovation in the broadest sense, whether it is the development of chalk, oil paints, printing, or personal computers

Fine Art

a category of refined objects considered to be among the highest cultural achievements of the human race

is believed to transcend average human works and is produced by artists with unique sensibilities

Popular Culture

consists of magazines, comics, television shows, advertising, folk art, tattoos, customized cars, graffiti, video games, posters, websites, calendars, greeting cards, dolls, souvenirs, toys, movies (as opposed to art films), snapshots, and commercial photography (as opposed to fine photography)

Popular art

is often perceived as being more accessible, inexpensive, entertaining, commercial, political, naive, or colorful than fine art

kitsch

comprises artwork that is shallow or pretentious or overly calculated to be popular

does not provide an original experience, a uniquely felt emotion, or a thoughtful, introspective moment

Craft

specific media, including:

ceramics

glass

jewelry

weaving

woodworking

displays aesthetic and/or conceptual attributes that go beyond mundane use

mihrab

an architectural feature in a mosque that marks the direction of Mecca

Other Categories of Art

drawing, photography, and sculpture

fundamental global experiences

food

shelter

reproduction

sexuality

deities

places of worship

politics

power

social protest

social affirmation

the mind

the body

race

gender

class

clan

nature

knowledge

technology

entertainment

visual culture

apprentices

learn materials, manual skills, and styles from mature artists

guilds

organizations of merchants, artisans, and craftsmen that developed in medieval Europe

kitab khana

in the Ottoman Empire, a royal atelier of artists and craftspersons who copied and illuminated books; also a library for storing books

Innovation

the making of something that is new

Self-expression

refers to individual artists' own personal ideas or emotions, embedded in the works of art they make