Final Exam - Contemporary Art- Definitions

Neo-Geo

Neo-geo came into use in the early1980s in America to describe the work of artists who criticized the mechanization and commercialism of the modern world

Simulation

Simulacra

term used to describe copies of original things that do not have a "real" original

Hyperreal

representations and models are experienced as more real and meaningful than the concrete physical world

Conduit

"a tube or trough for protecting electric wiring" → For Halley - conduit is a pathway for movement (either physical or digital)

Cell

a small compartment in a larger structure; an enclosed cavity in an organism; a single unit device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, essentially acting as a power source by generating electricity through chemical reactions within it

Panopticon

"a circular prison with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed."

Collective Memory

refers to the memories that individuals have as members of the groups to which they belong

Memorial

something, especially a structure, established to remind people of a person or event.

Monument

a statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a famous or notable person or event

The Vietnam War

the extended" conflict that took place in Southeast Asia, primarily from1954 to 1975. It pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its primary ally, the United States. The war was also a manifestation of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union and their respective

The Holocaust

the mass murder of Jewish people under the German Nazi regime during the period 1941-5. More than 6million European Jewish people, as well as members of other persecuted groups such as Romani, homosexuals, and disabled people, were murdered at concentration camps

Fascism

a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government

Institutional critique

"A form of conceptual art centered on the critique of museums, galleries, private collections, and other art institutions. Artists working in this vein use a range of strategies to expose the ideologies and power structures underlying the circulation, display, and discussion of art."

Identity

is the way we perceive and express ourselves. Factors and conditions that an individual is born with—such as ethnic heritage, sex, or one's body—often play a role in defining one's identity. However, many aspects of a person's identity change throughout his or her life. People's experiences can alter how they see themselves or are perceived by others

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Established by the United States Congress in1965, the National Endowment for the Arts(NEA) provides support for the visual and performing arts as well as creative writing by allocating funds to individuals and to organizations. The vast majority of funds are awarded to arts education and outreach programs to underserved communities and to historical and conservation projects.

Culture Wars

In political usage, the term culture war is a metaphor for 'hot-button' politics about values and ideologies, realized with intentionally adversarial social narratives meant to provoke political polarization among the mainstream of society over economic matters of public policy and of consumption

Wet collodion process

A photography "process [that]involved adding a soluble iodide to a solution of collodion (cellulose nitrate) and coating a glass plate with the mixture. In the darkroom the plate was immersed in a solution of silver nitrate to form silver iodide. The plate, still wet, was exposed in the camera. It was then developed by pouring a solution of pyrogallic acid over it and was fixed with a strong solution of sodium thiosulfate for which potassium cyanide was later substituted. Immediate developing and fixing were necessary because, after the collodion film had dried, it became waterproof, and the reagent solutions could not penetrate it. The process was valued for the level of detail and clarity it allowed

Body Art

art in which the body, often that of the artist

Intermedia

a term used to describe art forms that combine multiple mediums or disciplines. It blurs the boundaries between traditional art forms such as painting, sculpture, music, dance, and theater. Intermedia artworks often incorporate elements of technology, performance, and audience participation

Biological essentialism

the view that differences between men and women are natural and inevitable consequences of the intrinsic biological natures of men and women

Indexical Present

being present and aware of the here and now

Moscow Conceptualism

conceptually based installation process

Socialist Realism

Artistic style whose goal was to promote socialism by showing Soviet life in a positive light in a realism style, imposed by Stalin

Total installation

all-encompassing environments in which the elements of music, poetry, theater, painting, drawing, and sculpture united to produce a multisensory theatrical experience.

The Communist Manifesto of Marx and Engels

A book analyzing approaches to class struggles (from both the past and present), and problems with capitalism, written by the German Marxist-Engelist political theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848.

Perestroika

"restructuring" Gorbachev put in reforms to restructure the part, economy, and the government

Sots Art

"Socialist Pop Art," was based on the bold graphic style of state propaganda and the heroic figuration of Socialist Realism, the official Soviet painting style. Sots Art accented clear compositions that foregrounded assertive human actors in readily understood narratives that conformed to the political content promoted by the government

Glasnost

"Openness; called for increased transparency in government institutions and activities within the USSR; Mikhail Gorbachev. Usually paired with "Perestroika"

'85 New Wave Movement

A name for the conceptual and provocative artwork created in China between 1985 and 1989that reacted to Socialist Realism, which had dominated Chinese art since the 1950s. '85 New Wave inspired various other groups, such as the Xiamen Dada group and the Northern Artists Group from Harbin. The movement reached its pinnacle with the 1989 "China Avant-Garde Exhibition" at the National Art Gallery in Beijing

The Northern Arts Group

was a collection of artists and intellectuals who were interested in the intersection of art with philosophy, literature, and society, and who believed that reductive abstractions such as Wang's scenes could move the viewer beyond the material world to access the sublime character of the region

Political Pop

The art movement political pop emerged in China in the 1980s, and combined western pop art with socialist realism to create art that questioned the political and social climate of a rapidly changing China

Mao Zedong

(1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976.

China/Avant-Garde Exhibition

captured the vibrancy of the 1980s Chinese art scene and alsopresented many artists at a turning point in their careers. (Kalb)• February 5, 1989 - National Museum of China• Approx. 181 artists• Approx. 297 artworks from all over China• Shut down two hours after it opened - Xiao Lu fired shots intoher work Dialogue - considered first shots of TiananmenSquare

Neoclassicism

Art movement (1760s-mid-nineteenth century) Presented classical ideals and subject matter in a style derivedfrom Classical Greek and Roman sources. Neoclassical paintingsreflect the clear forms, tight compositions, and shallow spaceof ancient relief sculpture. Many considered Neoclassical art asthe embodiment of civic and moral lessons and placed such artin public places to inspire patriotism, nationalism, courage, andpolitical stability.

Southwest Art Research Group

A mid-1980s group from Yunnan and Sichuan who reacted against the sentimental beauty of Native Soil Painting. Stating that art should move souls rather than eyes, they abandoned representation of generic figures in favor of depicting personal experiences. Their passionate and subjective approach, known as 'stream of life' (shen huozhiliu or shengmingzhiliu) was a countercurrent of'rational painting' in the '85 Wave Art Movement

Volumen I, January 1981, Centro de Arte Internacional, Havana Cuba

exhibit opened on January 14, 1981 that was the emergence of new art in Cuba

Afro-Cubanism

an aesthetic that references culture of Cuban and sub-Saharan ancestry

Santéria

Afro-Cuban religion based on Yoruba religious practices fused with Catholicism

Palo Monte

Afro-Cuban religion based on Bantu-speaking people from the Congo region of Africa

Wasli paper

is a type of handmade paper used specifically for painting miniatures. It was devised in India, in the tenth century, and figures widely in Mughal-era painting

Khatak dance

dance shared by both Hindu and Muslims that tell various stories utilizing hand movements and extensive footwork, their body movements and flexibility as well as their facial expressions

Nihonga

Japanese Painting" Originated during the Meiji period (1868-1912) to distinguish it from Western-style oil painting. The difference between Japanese painting and Western painting can be found in the materials used

Superflat

A term coined and defined by Murakami Takashi,"superflat" refers to a tendency toward planarity in Japanese art, as well as superficiality and a lack of depth in postwar Japanese society and culture more generally—sublimated trauma and the blurring of boundaries

Otaku

Japanese term that refers to a person with obsessive interests, particularly in the realm of pop culture, such as anime, manga, video games, etc

Kawaii

term to describe "cute culture" in Japan

Narrative

story-telling process

Impasto

a painting technique that involvesapplying paint thickly to a canvas or pane

Painterly

Painterly refers to the application of paint in a 'loose' or less than controlled manner, resulting in the appearance of visible brushstrokes within the finished painting

Cosmology

study of the universe as a totality; theory of the origin and structure of the universe