Art History: Unit 1

Primary Colors

cannot be made; red, yellow, blue

Secondary Colors

made by mixing primary colors; green, orange, violet

Tertiary Colors

combining primary and secondary colors; teal, turquoise, etc.

Warm Colors

red, orange, yellow

Cool Color

Blue, Green, Purple

Complimentary Colors

colors that are on opposite side of color wheel

Palette

range of colors (limit or open); also known as the artist's tool

Monochromatic

variations of the same color

Afterimage

optical effect where prolonged staring at any saturated color

Model

the use of light and shadow to imply 3-D form

Intensity

level of brightness/ dullness

Value

shades of dark/ light

Chairoscuro

modeling mass in 2-D through value, light/ dark, with high contrasts

Flat Space

shallow, relies on spacial relationships, overlap

Deep Space

optical convincing, forms diminish in size as the recede

Linear Perspective

relative shape, size, and position of objects are determined by drawn lines, converge at a point

Atmospheric Perspective

method of creating

2-D Form

occupies an area with identifiable boundaries

- square, circle, triangle

Organic Shapes

irregular and evoke living forms of nature

Implied Shape

shapes intended to be lines, dots, edges

Positive Shape

the item itself

Negative Shape

the blank, empty space

Actual Texture

literal, tactile, quality of work of which art could be experiences by touching

Visual or Implied Texture

naturalistic suggestion of texture through the faithful recording of appearances

Scale

size in relation to a standard or "normal" size

Proportion

size between parts of a whole or between 2+ items

Hierarchical Scale

use of scale to indicate importance

Visual Weight

apparent "heaviness" or "lightness" for forms aranged within composition => draws the eye

Symmetrical Balance

implied center of gravity is vertical or horizontal axis of composition

Asymmetrical Balance

two sides of a composition are not equally weighed

- large/ small

- dark/ light

- variations in texture

- complex/ simple

Unity

provides a sense of cohesion/ harmony, elements that tie together

Variety

using variety in art work, including all elements

Iconography

the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted

Symbolism

the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities

Representational

faithfully representing the visual world

Naturalistic

derived form real life or nature, imitating it very closely

Abstract

art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of visual reality, but instead uses shapes, colors, forms to achieve this effect

Conceptual Art

The concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns

Form

Visual aspects of a work of art

Content

What a work of art is made out of

Subject

Object/ event the work of art depicts

Material

Medium which the work is created

Tromp L'oeil

"fool the eye", misleading or deceiving the senses illusionistic naturalism

(ex: fake tourists in a museum)

Non-Representational

a type of abstract art that is usually, but not always, geometric and aims to convey a sense of simplicity and purity, does not rely on representation whatsoever

Elements of Art

the visual building blocks used by artists to compose a work of art

(Lions Sometimes Chase Tigers Sometimes Move)

Principles of Design

describe the ways the artists use elements of art

Composition

the placement or arrangement of visual elements in a work of art

Formal Analysis

analyzing art through elements of art and principles of design

Line

a path traced by a moving point; record boarders of forms, convey direction and motion

Functions: record borders of forms, convey direction and motion

Contours

boundaries we perceive around 3-D forms

contour line: lines we draw to record boundaries

Implied lines

also known as "line of sight", lines our eyes follow, artists use directional lines to move a viewers eye around a composition

diagonal: appear active

horizontal: appear calm

Shape

2-D form, occupies an area with identifiable boundaries

functions: occupies an area with identifiable boundaries

Geometric Shape

names shapes, consistent, regular: square, triangle, circle

Optical Color Mixture

when small patches of different color are close together the eye may blend them to produce a new color

visual literacy

being able to read, comprehend, and write visual language and the ability to construct meaning from everything we see. The process of sending and receiving messages using images.

toledo museum of art video: the use of every type of media has increased over the past 10 years, with the exception of reading

red spikey thing in front of classic building- wanted to make young people feel like the museum is fun and welcoming

thomas cole- the architects dream (look and then close your eyes and try to paint picture what did you see first) Line, Shape, Color

frank ghery- center for the visual arts building composition

A Bar at the Folies-Bergere

Edouard Manet (1882) Europe, oil painting

takes place in a cafe-concert with circus entertainment where we see the claves and feet of an acrobat for middle class entertainment

when we look closely wee see a reflection by the gold frame of the mirror

demonstrates that a canvas has been seen as a way of reflecting the world and the gaze of the woman is so direct and forthwright but unreadable

we see her back and the male figure with a top hat and hes talking to her and we must be him but also it cant be us because she isn’t looking at us and we can compare it to his initial sketch

she is thought to be s*xually available because shes working the bar, placed us on the other side of the slab for the distance but the man and her look close in the reflection

hands on the bar as to distance herself

Raft of the Medusa

Theodore Gericault (1819)

giant painting which was thought to be for historical events or biblical events

150 people set adrift

greusome events in the sea referring to a ship called the medusa who was trying to reclaim land but there weren’t enough life boats so they constructed a raft so the lower status

the raft was severed from life boats because it slowed them down, shows starvation, murder, cannibalism

the artist interviewed figures and retrieved body parts from the morgue, bodies based on greek and roman figures with a crescendo which isn’t accurate because things weren’t that organized

its an anti-monarchic and anti-king because the leader failed

the raft is tipped into our space, composition is designed to build us up and draw us in, the emotion of despair over his dead son to the hope of the people with their shirt up

life is taken for no reason at all

wave threatens to crash over the raft

Oath of the Horaitti

David

figures from classical antiquity sacrificing their lives for a purpose, they are heros

shape of the arch and emptyness/blackness draws emphasis to the swords

organic shape

irregular and evoke living forms of nature

implied shape

shapes suggested through the psychological connection of dots, lines, areas, or edges

positive shapes

shapes we perceive as figures

negative shapes

shapes we perceive as background

palette

range of colors AND artist’s tool to mix colors, often a wooden board

monochromatic

variations of the same color, like all blue

afterimage

optical effect where prolonged staring at any saturated color fatigues receptors in our eyes which compensate when allowed to rest by producing the color’s complement as a “ghost”

optical color mixture

when small patches of different color are close together the eye may blend them to produce a new color

kinetic art

art that moves

Nick Cave

sound suits

confront his identity as a black man which made him want to have thick skin, was racially profiled, sound suits come from a dark place because they hide gender, race, class and you judge it without seeing the creator

Charles LeDray

Mens Suits

Carter Foster a curator at Whitney Museum of American Art

3 different sets

Thrift store selling mens clothes, old fashioned mannequin with no head, table with ties,

dirty, used clothes, implies type of customer

he made everything even the plastic coat hangers

Gods eye view seeing the tops of the sealing and the inside

between miniature and very small

Maya Lin

Wave field

minimalist works that suggest the natural world

did the vietnam memorial in washington dc

architecture, art, and memorials

7 rows of undulating hills shaped like ocean waves

3 diff sets of these

one is ocean waves 12-18 feet over you, one is cupped wave you can sit in, and waves like how water travels over sand

Francisco Goya

The Third of May,1808

Painted in 1814

Large painting speaks to the ambition

Extreme contrast of light and dark with the man in the white immediately drawing our eye

figure is against a hillside and we sees the sharp receding diagonal line of gunman illusion of depth

right hand with a shadow to mirror christs hand with nail wound and his arms are up like jesus on the cross

dead figure with bullet in his head

earth tones, night time

brush strokes as if the man has just raised his arms

emphasis

attention is drawn more to certain areas of a composition than others, importance or prominence given to one area or form using any of the art elements

rhythm

repetition of any of the elements of art, can be literal or implied

Jan Van Eyck

The arnolfini portrait (1434)

used to be known arnolfini wedding portrait

above mirror that provides a wider view (above is written jan van eyck was here) signature is a testimant that the marriage actually occurred

the woman looks pregnant as shes raising up the skirt

very wealthy

bed in the reception room, prayer beads, oranges, hat, chandelier, fur

dog reacting to the people walking into the room

Vasily Kandinsky

Improvisation 28 (second version) 1912

sounds like a musician

Thinks you can hear color (synthesesia)

influenced by biblical imagery

mountain with buildings, flood/wave, a canon being fired, horses

Felix Gonzales-Torres

Untitled (1991)

Candy wrapped that visitors are invited to take pieces of candy

what would this candy have tasted like in 1991, is it the same candy

start with same pounds of candy like the size of an adult male like his partner who died of aids/hiv the candy goes down in size and dwindles

trust that the candy is clean, that is in fact candy, and that it was so taboo of touch in the 90s because princess diana touched a kid with aids

ragged or straight edge its directly tied to our senses

someone made a face out of the candies like its a canvas and its temporary and they don’t make this type of candy anymore so finding a new supplier

Janine Antoni

Gnaw (1992)

two 600 pound cubes one of chocolate other lard, actual bite marks with nose and chin marks visible- referencing eating disorders and body shaming

also an empty box of chocolates (27) and lipstick (135) completely made of chocolate and lard

critique how we judge without referencing the human body, consumer culture, unique

The case for conceptual art

the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns

context

the circumstances that form the setting for a work of art, and in terms of which it can be fully understood

form

visual aspects of a work of art

content

what a work of art is about

subject

object and/ or events the work of art depicts

material

medium which the work is created