Visual Literacy

how to discuss an artwork in depth

1. label information

   • artist, title of work, medium, date and size

   • -three warrior men draped in red robes on the left poitning at a man also wearing red robes in the center of the composition who is holding swords. Barrel vaults in the background hint to it being set in roman civilisation. A symetrical balance is used. Bright colours in the foreground attract the viewers eyes. It depicts the leaving of roman soldiers to fight in war to kill the husbands of the woman on the right, who married the enemy.-

2. description

   • identify what you see

   • describe main objets in artworks and position

   • subject matter (still life, portrait etc.)

   • historical context, does the artwork belong to a specific movement

3. discussion (anaylse)

   • technique - how was the work created. (type of brushwork, lines, colours dominating, mark making, techniques)

   • style - naturalism, expressionism etc.

4. interpretation, meaning and message

Line

• emotions

  • vertical - dominating ; horizontal - calm ; diagonal - movement, unease

• why did the artist choose those lines, what emotions, feelings etc. did he intend to convey

when discussing

• type of line

• direction

• function

  • sense of flowing movement often, geomettric lines create a rigid feel or no movement.

  • implied line can guide viewers eye around artwork, form of movement itself.

Shape

• 2d area

• recognisable boundary

• geometric → man made

• organic → nature

Form

• 3d

• height, width, depth

• illusion of volume

Positive and negative shapes

• positive shape = main

• negative shape = background (surrounds positive)

Tonal value

• degree of Light and dark

• effect of light

• creates volume

Discussing shape

• positive shapes → actual eye focus

• negative → the space in between

• organic → often curvilinear and found in nature

• geometric → based of math principles

1. basic shapes → identify basic shapes and look at arrangement

2. organic shapes → how r they used to convey fluidity or movement

3. negative space → area around and between, creates balance

4. composition → how r shapes arranged, balance symmetry or asymmetry (harmony/ tension)

5. hierachy of shapes → size, colour/positioning

6. patterns → sense of rythm and unity

7. abstract vs representational shapes →

8. shape variation

9. negative shapes

10. cultral and symbolic shapes

Texture

• surface quality or feel of an object

simulated texture

• seen but not felt

real texture

• can touch and feel

Tactile

• you can feel it

• think paint on a canvas

Implied

• texture on a flat surface

• requires understanding of mark makings

Colour

Hue

• name of a colour

Primary

• red, yellow, blue

Secondary

• orange, purple, green

Intermediate/tertiary (6)

monochromatic - use of only one colour

polychromatic - random use of colours

analogous - groups of three colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel, each containing the same colour. yellow-gree, blue-green, green which all contain blue.

When discussing colour

• some colours are used for brightness, others for emotions

• you need to be able to identify the types and reasons for colour use

the overall hue of the painting is cool with greeny blue hues dominating. These colours make you feel sad and depressed. This is a reflection of how he feels about himself. Colours are used as a way to convey his personal feelings towards himself and the world.

Space

• refers to the area around, within, above or below an object/objects. Important to understand 2d and 3d art. Think of how the space occupies and interacts with the space surrounding it.

sculpture - 3d, can be viewed from any direction, has volume

linear perspective - observation that parralel lines meet at one or more vanishing points on a horizon. Objects closer appear bigger and closer together and vice versa

Breakfast in Fur, Meret oppenheimer

Composition

• arrangement of visual elements in a painting

• elements of art and design are organised/composed based on principls of art and design

• can also lead viewers eye

principles of composition and design

balance → refers to arrangement of elements to create stability

symetrical balance → when you divide artwork in half and both sides mirror

asymetrical balance → similiar in visual weight but not mirrored

radial balance → when artwork divided into 4 parts and all mirrored (also elements around a centre)

Rhythm and movement

• movement → path of the viewers eye

• rythmn → one or more elements repeated to create movement

• emphasis → the place where the eyes are drawn in an artwork

• unity/harmony → all elements of art come together

• contrast → opposite elements and effects put together. ie, light and dark.

• proportion → relationship of ratio of size of elements

• pattern → repetition of a motif (symbol)

Styles

• naturalism

  • realistic objects in a natural setting

• figurative

  • modern art that has a strong tie to real world (particularly human figures)

• Abstract

  • not attempting to depict real world, use of shapes, colours, forms, gestural marks

• expressionism

  • art where image of reality is distorted → inner feelings and ideas

• stylize

  • away natural forms and shapes

    • natural forms and alters colour, shape, lines and features. Looks similiar to real.

• decorative

  • patterns/decorations emphasized

The purpose or functions of art

• personal function

  • tries express his/her personal feelings through art

• social function

  • sense of family, community, civilization'

• spiritual function

  • support religous or spiritual beliefs

• physical function

  • objects used in everyday life, architecutre, jewelery

• educational function

  • used to pass on historical facts (teachers culture)

Contextual factors

• social and historical background

• important to gather info about historical background of artist/artwork to gain better understanding

George Pemba

• south african painter born in port elizabeth, 1912

• first break at 16 when his work was shown at feather market hall in PE

• in hospital, drawings caught attention of ethal symthe

• collection of books by Rembrandt van Rijn introduced him to spanish artist Diego Velazquez and impressionism

Pemba style is inspired by the movement of impressionism. Forms look decently real and mostly in proportion but the brushes strokes, reminiscent of that of van gogh, show us that he has curated his own style in terms of brush stroke. In terms of scale and perspective, we can see an attempt present by leading lines converging in to a point. Additionally, there is a mans face in the center of the composition who has a smaller face size indicating he is further away. Furthermore, his colour use is intriguing. As mentioned, van gogh seemed as if he has influence. It looks as if van goghs style has been mixed into his own. It could represent that black south africans are as advanced as the rest of the country, contrary to the racist beliefs of the white south africans of the time.This is further backed up by the subject matter. The lady left of center in the hospital gown, a worker in the clinic, is seen tending her duties, unaffected by the crying baby.

Neo-Classicism

characteristics

• logic and serious, political

• renewed interest in the classical civilisation in terms of art

• balanced and ordered composition, based on shapes

• line and drawing, hard and precise outlines

• no visible brushestrokes

• strong contrasts in colour

• intellectual, rather than objective

Pushback on Baroque and Rococo

Writings of Winchelmann

Excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Age of enlightment

Johann Joachim Winckelmann

Keypoints

• 18th enlighment era → early 19th century

• grand tour spread it

• France become a republic via french revolution, neo classicism become official style

• Napoleon rise to power → aided by neo-classicism to aid propoganda

• Neo-classicism directly opposite of Rocco

Subject matter, shapes and application

• renewed interest in classical civilisation

• consisted of a few calm figures

• figures usually related to Greco-Roman, or other attribitues. Idolised the patriotism of roman and greek civilisation

shapes and application

• balanced and ordered composition, triangles and rectangles

• straight lines, smooth paint surface, hiding brushwork, depicition of light and clear definition of form

• forms carved in colour

• strong contrast between colours and light and dark

• intellect rather than emotion

Jacques-Louis David

• one of greatest painters from this era

• involved in the revolutionary politics

  • supervised generations of painters

• position put him at risk, almost killed on guillotine

The Oath of Horatii, oil on canvas, 1784

• conflict of patriotic duty and family love

• Horatii brothers praised for patrioticism

• womans husbands are in the war on the opposite side, the brothers are going to kill them

• perspective in painting is perpendicular to picture plane, dark arcades (arches), several classic herious figures

• architecture in back geometric, front is triangle

Death of Marat, oil on canvas, 1793

• linen in bath, skin disease means he cant touch copper

  • ignored this skin condition when depicting him

• head ‘haloed’

• murdered in bath tub by woman

  • not the type of thing that is normally glorified

• writing a cordy letter to charity

• dark background places emphasis on Marat

• light shines in a heavenly way

answering

• refernce historical context, colour, light, figure etc.

• used for propoganda needs

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867)

• protege of Jacque-Louis David

• peculiar sense of ideal beauty through studying renaissance

• painted Napoleon 1803

Ingres, Roger freeing Angelica, oil on canvas, 1819

• roger saving angelica from a monster

• Angelica idolized and facing viewer to emphasis this

  • suffered emphasized by contorted face

• contrast between armour clad man, naked woman

  • playing on patriotism

• he enjoyed accurate depictions but often contorted people as he could convey meaning with that

• arms crossed as she is chained to rock

Discussing a typical neo-classical work

I key point of neo-classism was it was used as a tool for propoganda. This artwork, showing a idolized, relaxed female, is leering at the viewer. It aims to strike a sense of pride in terms of serving your country to protect these woman. It draws influence from the renaissance in terms of the fact that the subject matter follows what the renaissance aimed to do. The static-ness of the woman is meant to reflect a statue. The painting employs asymmetrical balance, and guides the eye to the face of the woman. The smooth application of paint is another key point of neo-classism and is clear in this artwork. Lastly, hard precise outlines and shapes give the artwork a naturalistic style.

Romanticism

• in europe 18th-19th century

• fueled by french revolution, reaction to the rationalism and classicism of age of enlightment

• Greatest → Francisco Goya

• focussed on historical events

• history painting → defined by subject matter rather than style

Cause

• back by french revolution and war, very violent

Experimentation

• new subject matter and techniques, capture personal ideas and expercience (unlike mythological stories)

Subject Matter

Spanish Romanticism - Goya

• greatest painter of the 18th century

• deaf

• black paintings were dramatic

• free, seen in handling of paint and application of paint

• terrfied faces contrast faceless soldiers

• large square lantern

• spanish rioters killed by french forces

• deviance → despair, range of emotions

• centre person christ-like

• uprising of people of madrid against Napoleons cavalry.

Disasters of war

• series of 82 prints

• visual protests of the violence

• crime strapped to chest

• genitals cut off

Diane Victor

Goya spoke about the evils of man in war. Where as, Diane victor talks about it in a south african context and the evils of what man has done. There subject matter overlap somewhat, with correlations between style and the evils of man, blinded by a variety of factors.