Art History Review

Flashcards about various artworks and their political and social context.

Who is the artist of 'Adolf the Superman: Swallows Gold and Spouts Junk'?

John Heartfield

What is the medium used in 'Adolf the Superman: Swallows Gold and Spouts Junk'?

Photomontage

What does the gold in Hitler's torso represent in Heartfield's photomontage?

Wealthy elite funding Hitler

What does the swastika replacing Hitler's heart suggest?

Hitler's entire being is consumed by Nazi ideology

What is the main critique of Heartfield's photomontage?

Hitler is funded by the wealthy and propagates lies

During which period was 'Adolf the Superman' created?

Weimar Germany, just before Hitler came to power

What political party was John Heartfield a member of?

Communist Party of Germany (KPD)

What is 'photomontage' as used by Heartfield?

A revolutionary technique in visual protest art, creating satirical images.

What does the phrase 'Swallows gold and spouts junk' accuse Hitler of?

Accepting bribes from industrialists and spewing propaganda.

What does the X-ray view metaphorically expose in 'Adolf the Superman'?

The inner corruption beneath Hitler's public persona.

What was Germany's political climate in 1932?

High unemployment, fear of communism, anger over the Treaty of Versailles

What movements was Heartfield's art part of?

Dada and anti-fascist photomontage movement

What is the aim of Heartfield's photomontage in terms of visual impact?

Maximum visual impact and accessibility to the masses

What does 'Golconda' refer to?

A wealthy city in India famous for diamonds

Who is the artist of the painting 'Golconda'?

René Magritte

What is the medium of 'Golconda'?

Oil on canvas

What artistic style does 'Golconda' belong to?

Surrealism

What do the cloned, floating men in 'Golconda' symbolize?

Conformity and the loss of individual identity

What does 'Golconda' evoke in terms of urban life?

Urban isolation and disconnection

What is the significance of the title 'Golconda'?

May reference capitalism, superficial richness, or hidden value.

What does the deadpan tone in 'Golconda' enhance?

The uncanny effect

What era was 'Golconda' created in?

Post-WWII era

What does the bowler-hatted man often represent in Magritte's work?

The anonymous modern man or societal stereotype.

What does photorealistic precision achieve in 'Golconda'?

Makes the absurd elements feel plausible, heightening the surreal effect.

What effect does the flat lighting creates in 'Golconda'?

Enhances the unnatural stillness

What is Mark Rothko's 'Seagram Murals' style?

Abstract Expressionism (Color Field Painting)

What are the typical colors used in the 'Seagram Murals'?

Deep reds, maroons, purples, blacks, and browns

Where are the 'Seagram Murals' currently located?

Tate Modern (London), National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Kawamura Memorial Museum (Japan)

What kind of depth did Rothko aim to evoke with 'Seagram Murals'?

Spiritual and emotional depth

Why did Rothko refuse to deliver the murals to the Four Seasons Restaurant?

Feeling the setting betrayed the solemn meaning of the work

What was the atmosphere Rothko wanted to create with the murals?

A chapel-like atmosphere

What influenced Rothko in creating the 'Seagram Murals'?

Nietzsche, mythology, and religious texts

What painting technique did Rothko use in the 'Seagram Murals'?

Color Field painting, layering and glazing

What is the significance of the monumental scale of the 'Seagram Murals'?

Intended to be viewed up close and feel physically absorbed.

What is Marina Abramović's 'The House with the Ocean View'?

Performance Art

How long did Abramović perform 'The House with the Ocean View'?

12 days

What were the living conditions in Abramović's performance?

Lived silently, fasted, and only had water

What was unique about the ladders in Abramović's 'The House with the Ocean View'?

Had knife blades instead of rungs

What do the knife-ladders symbolize in 'The House with the Ocean View'?

The barrier between artist and audience

What does 'The House with the Ocean View' explore?

Discipline, endurance, and sacrifice

What is highlighted by the durational aspect of 'The House with the Ocean View'?

How time changes perception and forces a deeper state of awareness

Who is the artist of 'Lonely Man, Man of Man'?

John Muafangejo

What is the medium of 'Lonely Man, Man of Man'?

Linocut print

What reflects Muafangejo's personal struggles?

He lived through apartheid, experienced mental health challenges, and often depicted solitude.

What does the phrase 'Man of Man' suggest?

A search for meaning and dignity asserting identity despite marginalization

What did Muafangejo combine in his works?

Autobiography, history, and parable

What is Muafangejo known for in his artwork?

Handwritten texts

What art movement is 'A Beast Slouches' associated with?

Contemporary South African Art, Post-Apartheid Expressionism

Who is the artist of 'A Beast Slouches'?

Robert Hodgins

What poem does the title 'A Beast Slouches' allude to?

W.B. Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming”

What is the beast symbolic of?

Political corruption, brutality, or moral decay

What does the distortion of the human form in 'A Beast Slouches' reflect?

Psychological or ethical corruption

What did Hodgins reflect on in his visual art?

Violence, masculinity, and moral failure

What is emphasized in 'A Beast Slouches'?

Emotional intensity over realism

Who is the artist of 'Procession'?

David Brown

What is the style of 'Procession'?

Figurative / Assemblage

What do the figures in 'Procession' appear to carry?

Unseen weights or be driven by invisible forces

What is 'Procession' built from?

Scrap metal, timber, wire, and industrial objects

What does the mechanical, puppet-like construction symbolize in 'Procession'?

How individuals are manipulated or stripped of agency in oppressive societies.

What does the title 'Procession' evoke?

Tension between order and resistance.

What is Jane Alexander's 'Municipal Crucifix' a critique of?

Political and social

What does the grotesque, hybrid form express in 'Municipal Crucifix'?

Apartheid twisted identity, humanity, and dignity

What does Municipal Crucifix refer to?

Institutional control and sacrifice.

Name the mixed media that was used to create 'Municipal Crucifix'

Plaster, animal bones, hair, and found materials

What does the term 'municipal' point to?

Everyday institutional violence.

What does the 'Municipal Crucifix' embody?

Psychological effects of apartheid and social oppression

Who is the artist of 'Chandelier'?

Steven Cohen

What kind of art is 'Chandelier' classified as?

Performance Art / Installation / Body Art

What does the ornate chandelier costume contrast with?

The harsh ruins of the displaced settlement

What does 'Chandelier' critique?

Colonial excess, white privilege, and the economic divide in South Africa

What does Cohen use his body as in 'Chandelier'?

A canvas

What is highlighted in Cohen's 'Chandelier'?

How the urban poor are removed for “progress” while their suffering is ignored.

What is Kendell Geers' 'Songs of Innocence and Experience' a reference to?

William Blake’s 1789–1794 illustrated poems

What is the 'Songs of Innocence and Experience' critiques?

Illusion of freedom in S. Africa because of violence

What does the work critique?

The naïve optimism of political change without true healing or justice.

What is the installation made of?

Barbed wire.

What does the barred wire symbolize?

Exclusion, imprisonment, division, and surveillance

What is Brett Murray's 'Bubble Head' a satire of?

Authority

What does the term 'bubble head' imply?

Someone who is disconnected, air-headed, or full of empty rhetoric

What tradition does Brett Murray's 'Bubble Head' build on?

Resistance Art

What the materials usually associated with that Murray used?

Bronze and cast metal

What is been challenged in post-liberation?

The failure of post-liberation ideals in South Africa.