Art In Society Chapter 4 (KSU)

Art and architecture have meaning, but how do we understand the message?

Through formal analysis, content analysis, historical context, physical surroundings, method of encounter, & writings about art.

Define Formal Analysis

The study of the elements an principles of art and how they are used in specific works.

Define Composition

The arrangement of elements and principles.

What is content conveyed through?

Subject matter, symbolic references, & iconographic references.

Also its iconographic or symbolic references

through the written materials and cultural background.

Define Subject Matter

The substance of a work of art.

Edward Hopper

Nighthawks (painting)

Oil on canvas.

Define Subtext

The underlying theme or message.

Define Iconography

System of symbols that refers to complex ideas.

Define Visual Metaphor

Image or element that is descriptive of something else.

Define Symbol

Image or element that stands for or represents some other entity or concept.

Define Context

The external conditions that surround a work of art.

Georgia O' Keeffe

Love of nature and sexual identity.

Define Modernist Philosophical Positions

Formalist criticism, ideological criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, & structuralism.

Define Modernist Criticisms

Modernist philosophical positions present master narratives that specify the correct way of analyzing any artwork.

Define Formalist Criticisms

The analysis and critique of an artwork based on the compositional arrangement of its elements.

Define Formalism

Appeared in England in the early 20th C. as a way to appreciate artworks from other cultures,

Define Idealogical Criticisms

Deals with the political underpinnings of art.

Define Psychoanalytic Criticism

Art as the product of individuals shaped by their pasts, their unconscious urges, and their social histories.

Define Postmodernism

A set of philosophical positions that question Modernism: subjectivity, nuances, & ambiguity.

Define Post-Structuralists

Believe that there is not one single meaning to an artwork, but rather multiple meanings.

Define Deconstruction

Any system looks natural and coherent but it is, in fact, filled with unseen contradictions, myths, or stereotypes.

Define Feminism

Advocates equal social, political, and economic rights for all women and men.

Define Visual Culture

Attempt to integrate all of the visual components of contemporary culture.

Define Personal Interpretation

You may have your own meaning for a work of art.

Define Phenomenology

It holds that your engagement with an artwork, produces an intellectual and emotional response based on your own ideas, personal tastes, experiences, and history.