Art Appreciation Lecture Notes

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards that capture definitions, movements, functions, philosophical perspectives, and key concepts from the Art Appreciation lecture notes.

Art

A profound, complex medium of human expression that communicates thoughts, feelings, and ideas through forms such as color, sound, material, words, or motion images.

Characteristics of Art

Based on experience, unique, not nature, reflects culture, has meaning, dynamic.

Elbert Hubbard’s View of Art

“Art is not a thing — it is a way.”

Oscar Wilde’s View of Art

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”

Thomas Merton’s View of Art

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

Michelangelo Pistoletto’s View of Art

Artists should sponsor thought in every human activity, not just in galleries or museums.

Aristophanes’ View of Art

“Let each man exercise the art he knows.”

Ars (Latin)

Means “craft” or “specialized form of skill,” the root of the English word art.

Subject (Visual Arts)

The topic, focus, or image presented in an artwork; what can be seen.

Artist

An individual who thinks outside the box to create original works.

Creativity

Thinking outside the box to solve new problems, merge function and style, and make life unique; the source of originality in art.

Originality

An artist’s personal flavor that distinguishes one artwork from another, avoiding imitation.

Visual Artist

Painters, sculptors, architects, photographers, filmmakers, and graphic artists.

Creative Artist

Writers, playwrights, and composers.

Performing Artist

Dancers, singers, musicians, stage performers, and choreographers.

Tasks of an Artist

Create purposeful places, extraordinary objects, records, tangible forms of ideas, fresh visions, and meaningful images.

Tips to Appreciate Art

Learn daily, try a project, take a class, write notes, visit museums, see through different angles.

Representational Art

(Objective/Figurative) Depicts people, objects, or events realistically, though it may include abstraction.

Non-Representational Art

(Non-Objective) Uses shapes, lines, and colors without referring to real-world objects; conveys feelings or concepts.

Sources of Subject

Human figure, animals, history, still life, religion, legends, mythology, landscape, seascape, cityscape, everyday life.

Content (Art)

The themes, messages, or moods expressed in a work, interpreted through subject and form.

Factual Meaning

Literal narrative content easily recognized by viewers.

Conventional Meaning

Culturally agreed symbolism embedded in objects, images, or colors.

Subjective Meaning

Personal interpretation based on one’s knowledge, experience, and values.

Function of Art

The purpose art serves: personal, social, or physical.

Personal Function of Art

Serves the artist’s own expression, entertainment, or therapeutic needs.

Self-Expression (Personal Function)

Art used by the artist to communicate personal ideas or feelings.

Entertainment (Personal Function)

Art intended to amuse or delight an audience.

Therapeutic Value (Personal Function)

Art employed to reduce stress, improve happiness, or heal trauma.

Social Function of Art

Addresses collective interests, influences behavior, and is intended for public contexts.

Physical Function of Art

Provides utilitarian objects that are also aesthetically pleasing, e.g., architecture or fashion design.

Telos

Aristotle’s term for the inherent end or purpose toward which a thing naturally strives.

Art for Art’s Sake

Victor Cousin’s idea that art needs no external purpose or justification.

Art as Imitation

Plato’s view that art is a copy of reality and appeals to emotion rather than reason.

Art as Representation

Aristotle’s stance that art imitates possible versions of reality, offering pleasure and instruction.

Art as Disinterested Judgment

Kant’s theory that beauty is universally recognizable through detached aesthetic judgment.

Art as Communication of Emotion

Tolstoy’s belief that art transmits the artist’s feelings to an audience, fostering social unity.

Realism (Art Movement)

Attempts to depict subjects truthfully and objectively, avoiding artificiality; flourished in 1850s France.

Abstraction

Departs from accurate representation, focusing on shapes, colors, and the artist’s feelings.

Distortion (Abstract Form)

Twisting or altering normal shapes to emphasize details beyond realistic depiction.

Elongation (Abstract Form)

Intentional lengthening or extension of forms for expressive effect.

Cubism

Early-1900s style (Picasso, Braque) presenting subjects as geometric shapes and multiple viewpoints.

Fauvism

Late-19th-century movement using spontaneous, extremely bright colors; name means “wild beasts.”

Henri Matisse

Celebrated French Fauvist known for bold color and fluid draftsmanship.

Dadaism

Anti-war movement using shock and absurdity; ‘dada’ is a French nonsense word for hobby-horse.

Surrealism

‘Super realism’ depicting dreamlike or unconscious imagery to make ordinary things extraordinary.

Scale (Surrealist Technique)

Altering an object’s size to create surprise or impossibility.

Levitation (Surrealist Technique)

Portraying objects floating that normally cannot float.

Juxtaposition (Surrealist Technique)

Combining two incongruous images into an impossible scene.

Dislocation (Surrealist Technique)

Placing an object in an unfamiliar environment for uncanny effect.

Transparency (Surrealist Technique)

Rendering normally opaque objects as see-through.

Transformation (Surrealist Technique)

Changing objects in unusual ways to defy normal perception.