Fine arts

Definition of Music

Sound organized in time.

Amplitude

Affects decibel level (loudness/softness).

Frequency

Affects pitch (highness/lowness).

Human ear range

Hears 20-20,000 cycles/second as sustained tones.

A-440 Hz

Standard tuning for orchestral instruments.

Pitched vs. Non-pitched sounds

Pitched sounds have a regular frequency, non-pitched sounds (e.g., percussion) have irregular, short wave patterns.

Chordophones

Vibrating strings (violins, guitars).

Aerophones

Vibrating air column (horns, flutes).

Membranophones

Vibrating membrane (drums).

Idiophones

Body of instrument vibrates (bells, xylophones).

Electrophones

Create sound waves with oscillators, dependent on electricity (theremin).

Western Orchestral Families

Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, Percussion, Keyboards.

Electronic Instruments

Theremin (early electronic), musique concrète (tape music post-WWII using looping and splicing).

Properties of Musical Sound

Pitch, duration, volume, timbre.

Octave

Distance between a note and the next higher/lower identical note (e.g., A-110 to A-220).

Keyboard Layout

High pitches right, low pitches left.

Half Step (Semitone)

Distance between adjacent keys.

Whole Step

Distance between every other key.

Natural Keys

White keys (A-G).

Sharps (♯) and Flats (♭)

Raise or lower a pitch by a half step.

Intervals

Distance between two pitches, can be harmonic (simultaneous) or melodic (successive).

Major Scale

Specific pattern of whole and half steps.

Minor Scale

Three varieties (natural, harmonic, melodic), all feature a lowered third scale degree.

Relative Major/Minor

Scales using the same pitches but different tonics (e.g., C natural minor and E♭ major).

Parallel Major/Minor

Scales starting and ending on the same tonic pitch.

Blues Inflections/Scale

Combines major and minor elements, often using pitches 'between the keys' (lowered 3rd, 5th, 7th).

Melody

A series of successive pitches forming a coherent whole.

Rhythm

Music's organization in time.

Beat

Steady pulse.

Tempo

Speed of the beat (e.g., Allegro, Andante).

Meter

Pattern of emphasis on beats (duple, triple, quadruple, irregular).

Harmony

Two or more tones sounding simultaneously.

Chords

Three or more pitches sounding simultaneously, typically not immediately adjacent.

Keys

World of pitch relationships based on a selected seven-note scale and its tonic.

Motive

Smallest identifiable recurring musical idea (distinctive melodic and rhythmic profile).

Phrase

Cohesive musical thought.

Theme

Set of phrases forming a complete melody, prominent in a longer piece.

Introduction/Coda

Precede/conclude main themes, usually disregarded in formal analysis.

Common Forms

Repetition (identical pitches, rhythms, harmonies), Variation (repetition with alterations), Contrast.

Definition of Art History

Academic discipline studying the social, cultural, and economic contexts of artworks, considering formal qualities, function, artist/patron intentions, and audience perspectives.

Pliny the Elder

Roman historian, Natural History.

Giorgio Vasari

Renaissance artist/author, The Lives of the Artists (biographical emphasis, artistic genius).

Johann Joachim Winckelmann

German scholar, shifted to stylistic development in historical context.

19th-20th Century Art History

Increased emphasis on formal qualities and context interrelationship.

Modern Art History

Broadened scope (international, multicultural, inclusive) due to feminist revisions and other critical approaches (Marxist, psychoanalytic).

Visual Culture

Includes advertisements, film, photography.

Line

Path of a point through space; conveys feelings (horizontal/vertical for stability, curving/jagged for activity).

Shape

2D area (square).

Form

3D object (cube, pyramid); illusion created with shading, foreshortening, perspective.

Geometric vs. Organic

Mathematically defined vs. freeform/irregular.

Space

Organization of objects and surrounding areas.

Positive Space

Objects/figures ('figure').

Negative Space

Area around objects.

3D Art

Freestanding (in the round) vs. Relief (projects from surface - high or bas/low relief).

Perspective

Illusion of depth in 2D art.

Shading/Highlighting

Volume and space.

Placement

Lower on plane appears closer.

Size

Larger objects appear closer.

Overlap

Closer objects overlap farther ones.

Detail

More detail for closer objects.

Aerial/Atmospheric Perspective

Distant objects lighter, more neutral, less contrast.

Linear Perspective

Mathematical technique (Renaissance) where parallel lines converge at a vanishing point on the horizon.

Hue

Name of color (primary: red, blue, yellow; secondary: orange, green, violet; tertiary).

Color Wheel

Visual scheme for mixing hues.

Value

Lightness/darkness (adding white creates tints, adding black creates shades).

Intensity

Brightness/purity. Pure colors are most intense.

Complementary Colors

Reduce intensity when mixed.

Color Schemes

Artists use for effects.

Relativity of Color

Appears brighter/darker depending on surrounding colors.

Warm/Cool Colors

Culturally constructed associations (warm advance, cool recede).

Local Color

"True" color in normal daylight.

Optical Color

Effect of special lighting.

Arbitrary Color

Chosen for emotional/aesthetic impact.

Actual Texture

Real surface texture (collages, sculpture materials).

Visual Texture

Illusion of texture (patterns of lines/shapes, light/dark contrast).

Composition

Artist's organization of elements.

Motif

Single element of a pattern.

Pattern

Repetition of elements or motifs.

Balance

Equal distribution of visual weight.

Symmetrical Balance

Elements repeated exactly on both sides of central axis.

Approximate Symmetry

Slightly varied on either side.

Asymmetrical Balance

Achieved through organization of unlike objects.

Contrast

Creates focal point, dominance.

Proportion/Scale

Size relationships among parts; overall size.

Two-dimensional Art

Drawing, printmaking, painting, photography.

Drawing

Most basic; pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, pastels, crayons.

Printmaking

Mechanically aided, multiple originals.

Painting

Pigments (natural/synthetic) mixed with binders (egg yolks, linseed oil, wax) and solvents (water, oil).

Three-dimensional Art

Architecture, sculpture, mixed media.

Sculpture

Carving, modeling, casting, construction.

Architecture

Designing and constructing buildings.

Materials

Local (sticks, mud, wood), brick, stone, concrete (Romans).

Techniques

Post-and-lintel (Parthenon), arch, vault, dome (Colosseum).

Medieval

Skeletal style, buttresses, flying buttresses (cathedrals).

Industrial Revolution

New materials (iron, glass - Crystal Palace, Eiffel Tower).

Modern

Challenging box-shaped constructions (Antonio Gaudi's organic forms).

The Jazz Age/Roaring Twenties

1918-1929. Period of prosperity, urbanization, evolving social norms, new technologies.

Pre-WWI American Art

Dominated by academy system (National Academy of Design), conservative, favored narrative paintings and Impressionist landscapes.

The Ashcan School

Leader: Robert Henri.

Members of the Ashcan School

John Sloan, William Glackens, George Wesley Bellows, George Benjamin Luks.