Art history: terminologie

Cabinet of Curiosities

les 1

Dit is een gegeven waarbij een kunstverzamelaar zijn werk tentoonstelt in een eigen ruimte, vaak is hier meer in aanwezig dan enkel kunst, zoals bv wetenschap gerelateerde voorwerkpen (een wereldbol, kaarten, passers, boeken)

Disegno

les 1

het concept van tekenen, zowel fysiek een idee kunnen realiseren als kunstwerk als het idee kunnen bedenken en uitwerken

Mimesis

les 1

de imitatie en representatie van de echte wereld, meer in detail elementen uit de natuur

Avant-garde

les 1

a group that develops new or experimental concepts, ideas and/or methods in art

Suprematism

les 1

Russische stijl/periode waarin abstracte, geometrische kunst werd gemaakt die gaat over het pure artistieke gevoel ipv het voorstellen van de realiteit

Canon

les 1

the conventional timeline of artists who are sometimes considered as foundational ‘Old Masters’ or ‘Great Artists’

art historiography

les 1

the history of history, the “writing of art history”, the study of how art history has been written and interpreted throughout time

Giorgio Vasari en Karel van Mander

les 1

auteurs die kuntenaars biogragieën schreven in de 16e eeuw, bepaalden daarmee de levens van kunstenaars en het canon

auteurs van ‘The Lives of the Most
Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects’ en 'The Book of Painters’

Renaissance

les 2

de wedergeboorte van de klassieke antieke, tegenbeweging voor middeleeuwen, ca 13e-17e eeuw

Fresco

les 2

muurschildertechniek met tempera gebaseerde verf op natte plaaster

Humanism

les 2

nadruk op reden, observatie en individuele vooruitgang. religieuze dogmas worden achterwege gelaten

1492

les 2

Spaanse inquisitie en Colombus komt aan in Amerika

1517

les 2

protestantse reformatie

Bas-relief

les 2

a sculptural technique that involves lightly carving a design into a surface

Leon Battista Alberti

les 2

De Pictura (On Painting) en De re aedificatore (On the Art of Building) uit de 15e eeuw

Linear perspective

les 2

eenpuntsperspectief, wiskundig systeem om 3 dimenties in een tekening weer te geven ontwikkeld door Filippo Brunelleschi

Aerial perspective

les 2

or atmospheric perspective, the technique of creating an illusion of depth by depicting distant objects as paler, less detailed, and usually bluer than near objects

Medici patronage

les 2

art patrons: Wealthy burghers

portretten van de familie worden in bijbelse taferelen geschilderd

contrapposto

les 2

sculpuren ontwerpen volgens twee assen: eentje ontspannen en eentje opgespannen

Illuminated manuscripts

les 3

miniature paintings for manuscripts

Oil paint

les 3

paint based on linseedoil, fairly translucent, dries slowly

Tempera paint

les 3

paint made from the combination of pigments and egg (yolk), opaque

Devotional paintings (Devotio Moderna / Modern devotion)

les 3

Religious movement emphasising personal devotion and solitary meditation on Christ’s Passion and redemption, Flourished in the 15th-century Low Countries and Germany

Diptych

les 3

tweeluik, two paintingswhich form a pair, often attached by a hinge

Triptych

les 3

drieluik

Polyptych

les 3

veelluik

1566

great iconoclasm of beeldenstorm

Grisaille painting

les 3

Painting in grey-scales, often used to imitate sculpture

Trompe-l'œil

les 3

“deceive the eye”

A highly realistic visual illusion used to trick the eye into perceiving a painted detail (on a two-dimensional surface) as a three-dimensional object

Memento Mori

les 3

remember (that you have) to die

Chiaroscuro

les 3

use of contrast of light and dark to achieve a sense of volume in modelling three-dimensional objects and figures

World landscape

les 3

High horizon, central and aerial perspective

Reformation

les 4

16th century movement that wanted to improve the catholic church lead by Martin Luther King

Counter-Reformation

les 4

the catholic churches respons to the protestant reformation

Baroque

les 4

= “irregularly shaped”

initially used to refer to pearls, gradually used to describe the extravagant style of 17th-century art characterized by curving lines, complex forms, bold ornamentation, and juxtaposition of contrasting elements that convey a sense of drama, movement, and tension

Chiaroscuro

les 4

dramatic use of lighting contrast to create depth and volume

Caravaggism / Caravaggisti / Caravaggists

les 4

Caravaggio’s style was highly influential, in Italy and in Northern Europe, this is how his followers were referred to

Rubens’ workshop practice

les 4

was flourishing in Flanders, Combined high quality with high volume, Assistants’ tasks included: grinding pigments, copying compositions, painting less important parts. The master: developing composition and design (invention), executing key commissions, retouching and signing

Artists’ collaboration

les 4

the … between artists could increase value and attraction

Economic development in the Dutch Republic

les 5

vrije economie, religie deed er niet toe zolang je belastingen betaalt

United East India Company, Dutch West India Company

les 5

they established a vast trading empire across the globe for the Dutch Republic

Empiricism

les 5

Philosophical theory stating that knowledge primarily comes from sensory experience, not through innate idea, it became a cornerstone of 17th-century scientific revolution

Mind-Body Dualism

les 5

Emphasizing the separation of mind (or soul) and body
▪ The mind is non-physical and immaterial: capable of thought, consciousness, and free will.
▪ The body is physical and material: extended in space and subject to physical laws

René Déscartes: I think, therefore I am

Golden age

les 5

traditionally used to describe 17th-century Dutch art and cultural production

Genre painting

les 5

Painted domestic interiors reflect:
▪ Changing social conventions: men working outdoors, women taking care of household
▪ Feminisation of domestic space
▪ Emerging ideals of privacy and intimacy, in line with Protestant values
▪ Growing wealth and resulting ability and desire to decorate interiors

Tronie

les 5

study head

Landscape painting

les 5

Landscapes as backdrop for religious or mythological scenes during Renaissance were their origin

Still-life painting

les 5

Still life developed as a separate category in the Low Countries in the last quarter of the 16th century, they reflect accumulated wealth, lifestyle, personal values and interests, … symbolism, musical instruments: harmony, clock, candle: fleeting time (Vanitas = worthlessness) – Memento Mori

Cabinet pictures

les 5

All genres come together in one picture: emerging art historical
interest, art amateurs involved in contemplation and conversation (learned exchange), allegorical meaning: appreciation vs. destruction of art

Trompe-l'œil

les 5

“deceive the eye”
A highly realistic visual illusion used to trick the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a three-dimensional object

Repoussoir

les 5

An object or figure placed in the extreme foreground of a composition, often at the edge, to draw the viewer’s eye into the scene and enhance the sense of depth

Delft Blue

les 5

Production from c. 1620s. Inspired by Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. Not direct copies but reinterpretations. adapted to contemporary functions and tastes (e.g. tulip vases), became symbolic of Dutch craftsmanship and identity

Rococo

les 6

The term derives from “Rocaille”, a seashell-shaped ornament frequently used as decorative element. The term originally described a mixture of rock, seashell and plaster, used to create a picturesque effect in grottos during the Renaissance

“Fête galante” / “courtship party”

les 6

“courtship party”: a genre in painting, showing groups of elegantly dressed men and women, placed in an outdoor setting and engaged in entertainment activities
▪ Carefree pairs or lovers
▪ Allegory of pleasure and peace
▪ Cythera = thought to be the birthplace of Venus, goddess of Love

Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture

les 6

Created after the model of the, Florentine Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (1563), founded by Cosimo I de’ Medici under the influence of Giorgio Vasari

Salon

les 6

Prix de Rome

les 6

Founded in 1663 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, first minister of State under Louis XIV. Competition that allowed the excelling art students to complete their training during a multi-year study trip to Rome. The competition was intended to identify and support France’s next generation of excellent artists. Inspired by the French model, similar competitions were adopted by academies across Europe from the late eighteenth century onward

Poussinists vs. Rubenists (Querelle entre les Poussinistes et Rubénistes)

les 6

Argument in the French Royal Academy initiated in 1671
▪ At the core of the debate was the question wheter drawing or color was more important in painting
Poussinists: prioritized drawing
Rubenists: prioritized color
▪ Nationalistic character of the debate
Poussin: French
Rubens: Flemish

Hierarchy of Genres

les 6

History painting (including religious, mythological and allegorical subject) = highest genre: requires intellectual skills for the conception of complex compositions and the representation of human figures, and therefore the study of nude models.
➢ Portrait painting
➢ Genre painting (scences of everyday life)
➢ Landscape and cityscape art
➢ Animal painting
➢ Still life painting = lowest genre: based on subjects that were easily accessible from home, not requiring knowledge of human anatomy.

Enlightenment

les 6

Ambition to capture knowledge of the whole world

Rationalism

les 6

The belief that human reason is the primary source of knowledge and understanding, allowing for solutions to societal problems

French Revolution 1789

les 6

Storming of the Bastille (symbol of the monarchy’s oppression):
▪ Official start of the revolution
▪ “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”

Linda Nochlin and institutional critique

les 7

Examines the social, cultural, and institutional obstacles that prevent women from succeeding in the arts

… Leading to the analysis of institutions, their
functioning and impact on women artists’
position and role:
➢Art academies
➢Salon system
➢Hierarchy of genres

Social history of art

les 7

social opportunity, education, and personal will are required for a man to achieve a succesful art career

Salon style

les 7

Centralized exhibition possibilities, strongly regulated: jury decides about admission or rejection
▪ Exposure and critical reception determine artistic careers
▪ National and international appeal

Academism

les 7

Continuation of neo-classicist tradition
▪ History painting (religious and mythological scenes) retains its position as the highest genre
▪ Emphasis on study of the (ideal) body

Drawing from life models

les 7

required skill for history painting that women were excluded from

Cultural nationalism

les 8

Culture (literature, music, the arts and heritage) became central to defining national identity

The role of cultural institutions in nation-building

les 8

Creation of “national styles” in architecture (e.g. Neo-Gothic in Britain, Romanesque revival in Germany, Neo-Flemish Renaissance in Belgium)

Invention of photography

les 8

1830s, Louis Daguerre: metal-based daguerreotype, Henry Fox Talbot: paper-based calotype negative and salt print process

Romanticism

les 8

A reaction and a revolution
▪ Emerged in the early 19th century as a response to Enlightenment rationalism and Neo-Classical restraint
▪ Fueled by post-revolutionary uncertainty, nationalism and industrial transformation, artists turned to subjectivity and nostalgia
▪ Emphasis on emotion, imagination, individuality and the sublime
➢ New conception of art: Expression of the artist’s inner world and personal vision

Realism

les 8

Mid-19th century artists sought truth and objectivity rather than idealism. Focus shifted from imagination to direct observation of the contemporary world

Plein-air painting/Plain-airism

les 8

Beyond the studio: Painters like Camille Corot and Jean-François Millet observed nature directly. Barbizon School: Early experimentation with outdoor painting; influence on later Impressionists. Social dimension: Depiction of peasants, labor, and rural life with dignity and truthfulness

Impressionism

les 8

The art of perception

Study of light and atmospheric effects
➢ Modern city life as subject matter
➢ Serial approach
➢ Context: The art of the Impressionists signaled a retreat into
urban bourgeois life after the terrors of the Franco-Prussian war and the Siege of Paris 1870-71

Courbet exhibition 1855

les 8

In 1855, Courbet’s works were rejected by the official jury for the Universal Exhibition. Out of protest, Courbet built his own pavilion outside the official Universal Exhibition, the Pavilion of Realism, asserting his artistic
independence

The Salon des Refusés (‘Exhibition of the rejects’) 1863

les 8

In 1863 the Salon jury refused two thirds of the paintings submitted (including works of Courbet and Manet)
▪ Result: protest of the rejected artists and their supporters
▪ Emperor Napoleon III decided to let the public judge the legitimacy of the complaints, and agreed to exhibit the refused paintings
▪ The Salon des Refusés became a huge success, and the attention of critics legitimized the emerging avant-garde
▪ The event challenged and ultimately weakened academic authority

First Impressionist exhibition 1874

les 8

In 1874 an exhibition was held of artworks rejected by the official Paris Salon, with works by Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro. The exhibition became famous following a satirical review entitled “The Exhibition of the Impressionists”, deriving its name by Monet’s painting entitled Impression, Sunrise

Japonism

les 8

Artists like Vincent Van Gogh took inspiration from Japanese woodcuts (ukiyo-e) that became available in Europe since the 1850s and 1860s

Neo-Classicism

les 9

Didactic function: educate artists and the public. Model function in artistic training

Carving (sculpture)

les 9

Subtractive sculptural technique. Starting with a solid block (e.g. stone, marble, wood), the sculptor removes material using chisels and other tools to ‘reveal’ the finished form

Modeling (sculpture)

les 9

Additive sculptural technique, in which material is steadily built up to produce the finished figure. Unlike carving, the sculptor often also has the option of correcting mistakes by removing or reshaping the material. Modeling requires a malleable or plastic material (e.g. clay, wax, plaster, papier-mâché) which can later be cured or fired to set it hard

Plaster casting

les 9

Casting is a method of producing one or more copies of a sculpture.
Typically, the original sculpture is modeled as usual and covered with a molding material that sets hard when dry. The mold is then separated to release the original sculpture. Once the mold is reassembled, the casting material is poured into the void and left to set

Clay model

les 9

the original model made out of clay, usually by the artist themselves

Bozzetto

les 9

A small terracotta sketch of a sculpture

Plaster mould

les 9

the mould made to pour plaster in, it’s in the negative shape of the clay model so a positive shape can be produced

Plaster model

les 9

the plaster model is what comes out of the plaster mould, it’s a plaster copy of the original clay model

Praticien

les 9

assistants, their tasks include: casting in plaster, transferring the model into durable material at definite size (stonecutting)

Salon d’Automne

les 10

breeding ground for modern art
▪ Created 1903
▪ Reaction to the conservative policies of the official Paris Salon
▪ 1905: birth of Fauvism
▪ 1910: launch of Cubism

Armory Show, New York 1913

les 10

Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, Duchamp
➢Shocking American audiences
➢Global spread of modernism

Symbolism

les 10

Reaction against naturalism and realism
▪ Artistic concept > naturalistic representation
▪ Artists often had academic training and adhered to traditional techniques
▪ But shift in subjects: Turning inward to myth, dreams, spirituality

Fauvism

les 10

Paris was the capital of modern art around 1900

Expressionism

les 10

Themes: Anxiety, love, death
Intense color, wavy lines, existential fear

Cubism (analytic / synthetic)

les 10

Inspired by imported, colonial objects (e.g. African masks, ritual sculptures)
▪ Simplification
▪ Fragmentation

Analytic: combination of multiple viewpoints, several angles,
overlapping planes
▪ Fragmentation of form and space
▪ Geometric simplification, flattened perspective
▪ Monochromatic palette, restricted use of colour, limited to muted tones like browns, grays, and blues

synthetic: collage and mixed media
▪ Brighter colors
▪ Simpler shapes
▪ Emphasis on flatness

Der Blaue Reiter

les 10

Artists’ group: Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Gabriele Münter, stood for spiritual abstraction

Dada

les 10

Anti-art and radical experiment
▪ Dada as a Reaction to WWI
▪ Political dimension: anti-rational, anti-bourgeois
▪ Embracing absurdity
▪ New media: photomontage, ready-mades, performance

Surrealism

les 10

Post-war desire for meaning

Key techniques
▪ Automatism
▪ Collage
▪ Frottage, decalcomania (“the art of transfer”)
▪ Dreamlike figuration
➢ Artistic theories are also reflected in how the
artists shape their persona and public image

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the modernist canon

les 10

Founded 1929 by the “Three Modern Women”:
▪ Abby Aldrich Rockefeller: philanthropist
▪ Lillie P. Bliss: collector, financial support
▪ Mary Quinn Sullivan: progressive art educator and collector

Pop art

les 11

Materials: everyday and popular objects; typical for consumerism
Techniques: reproduction, taking out of context
Questioning hierarchy of art
Meaning of the artwork

Conceptual art

les 11

Idea > finished art object
Materials & techniques: everything can be used
Anti-commercialization of art
Reaction to socio-political structures

Body Art / Performance

les 11

The body (of the artist) as medium
Actions
How to document and preserve: photography, video, relics, reenactment,…
→risk of creating a new artwork and loss of the artwork