AHI 001C Final Exam (TERMS)

African & Japanese, European Modernism, Native American, Postwar American, Global Contemporary

Nkisi n’kondi

Congo
powerful spiritual sculpture made of wood and metal; used to heal illness, protect communities, settle disputes

Primitivism

19th to mid 20th Century
Western cultural and artistic movement that involved the “borrowing” of aesthetics from non-western/pre-industrial cultures; idealized them as more simple, more authentic, closer to “raw” human emotion

Cultural Exchange

sharing/blending of artistic styles, techniques, motifs between societies

Restitution

act of returning stolen, looted, or illegally acquired artworks, cultural objects, and human remains to their rightful owners or descendants (individual level)

Repatriation

returning looted, illicitly traded, or colonially acquired art, cultural property, and ancestral remains to their countries

Provenance

documented history of ownership, custody, and location of a piece of art (ideally from the moment it was created by the artist to the present day)

Chanoyu

“the way of tea”; Japanese tea ceremony practice rooted in Zen Buddhism; ritual that incorporated performance, architecture, ceramics, calligraphy, and philosophy

Wabi Sabi

the Japanese philosophy of appreciating imperfection and transience (fleeting)

Kintsugi

“golden repair” or “golden joinery”; centuries old Japanese art form; repairing of broken ceramics with natural tree sap laquer (urushi) mixed or dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum

Ukiyo-e

Edo Period (1603-1868)
“pictures of the floating world”; woodblock prints and paintings depicting transient pleasures of urban life (courtesans, Kabuki actors, landscapes)

—> ex. The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai

Japonisme

French, late 19th Century
craze and influence of Japanese art and design on Western and European art; triggered by reopening of Japanese trade borders in the 1850s; cultural exchange that transformed Western aesthetic conventions

Fauvism

France, 1905-1908
first avant-garde movement of 20th Century; characterized by non-naturalistic colors, bold brushstrokes, simplified forms, prioritized emotional expression over realism; derives from “les fauves” meaning “wild beasts”; led by Henri Matisse and Andre Derain

Cubism (Analytic)

1908-1912
early ohase of Cubism; defined by fragmented geometric planes, deconstructing forms and allowing viewers to see objects from multiple viewpoints simultaneously; led by Pablo Picasso and George Braque

Cubism (Synthetic)

1921-1914

second, later phase of Cubism; characterized by brighter colors, simpler shapes, moved away from fragmented deconstruction and moved toward collage, combining flat, abstracted, and textured materials

Collage

derives from French word “coller” meaning “to glue; technique utilizing assembly of different materials onto a flat surface to create a new whole

Abstraction

art that does not attempt to accurately represent visual reality; uses shape, color, form, and texture to communicate feelings, ideas, concepts; arose in 20th century (40s-50s) by Pollock and Rothko

Expressionism

20th Century, Northern Europe
modernist art movement; prioritizes artist’s subjective, internal emotions and psychological state over realistic depiction of physical world; characterized by distorted forms, exaggerated lines, jarring, vivid colors

Dada (Dadaism)

Emerged during WWI in Zurich, Switzerland (1914-1918)
avant-garde art movement; born as a negative reaction to the horrors and nationalist logic of the war; rejected traditional aesthetics and reason, favored absurdity, irony, chance, “anti-art”

Readymade (Found Object)

everyday, mass-produced manufactured object that is isolated from original context and designated as a work of art by the artist; revolutionized art by arguing the artist’s choice and idea are more important than the physical craftsmanship

Surrealism

20th Century
cultural and art movement that aimed to unleash creative potential of unconscious mind; embraces dreamlike imagery, illogical scenarios, birthed out of Dada but more positive expression; challenged established realities and merged them with bizarre, absurd scenarios

Abstract Expressionism

20th Century, New York
prioritized spontaneous, non-representational imagery to convey profound emotions and the human subconscious; rejected traditional techniques, utilized bold brushwork, drips, massive fields of color

Drip Painting

a technique where liquid paint is dripped, poured, or splattered onto a canvas laid flat onto the floor; emphasizes the act of creation over the final image; form of abstract expressionism

Color-field painting

1940-50s
abstract art movement characterized by vast expanses of flat, solid color spread across the canvas
—> ex. Rothko, Frankenthaler

Curation

strategic process of selecting, organizing and interpreting artworks for public display in exhibitions; derives from latin word “curare,” meaning “to take care”

Installation Art

three-dimensional, mixed-media; transforms perception of a space rather than placing art in a space as a standalone object; prioritizes viewer’s immersive, sensory experience

Video Art

contemporary art genre that uses video and audio technologies

Performance Art

art created through live actions rather than a static physical object

Earth Art / Environmental Art

aka “Land Art,” “Earthworks,” “Eco-art”; uses natural landscapes and raw materials to directly embed creative practice into physical environments and challenging the principles of gallery-based art