Art Final

Pablo Picasso

(1869-1954) Spanish artist Left behind his academic training in representational art Explored experimental approaches Radical handling of form and shape.

Georges Braque

(1882-1963) French artist Worked with Picasso to develop Cubism

Jacob Lawrence, "Barber Shop"

Triangle shape, angle of arms, print from left cover to two right shirts, green in right cover and repeated in left vest. This points out the rhythm in the piece.

David Smith, "Cubi XII"

Worked with steel. Freestanding piece with different sized shapes

Etching

An intaglio printmaking process that uses acid to bite (or etch) the engraved design into the printing surface

Cubism

1908-1914 Emphasized geometry instead of illusionism

Marcel Duchamp, "Bicycle Wheel"

1913 (spirit of Dada predates the war) Assemblage of found objects Resembles a traditional sculpture with a base and main subject Made because Duchamp "enjoyed looking at it" Original lost, remade twice Subverts the institution and originality of art

Motif

A design repeated as a unit in a pattern

Performance Art

A work of art involving the human body, usually including the artist, in front of an audience

Vito Acconci, "Following Piece"

Acconci's intention for this art action/performance: "Choosing a person at random, in the street, a new location, each day. Following him wherever he goes, however long or far he travels. (The activity ends when he enters a private space—his home, office, etc.)" Documentation: Handwritten note cards with descriptions and photographs.

Editions

All the copies of a print made from a single printing

Allan Kaprow, "Women Licking Jam off a Car"

Allan Kaprow, was known for coining the term happening. was less interested in the art object (paintings) than in the way they were created: he was excited by the performative possibilities of painting.

Jackson Pollock

American artist His technique "action painting" elevated the importance of the process of making art Used sticks as well as brushes to drip and pour paint onto the canvas

"Dying Lioness" Limestone relief from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh

Assyrian kings ruled over a large territory and had powerful armies. They decorated the interior walls of their palaces with images depicting their strength and power. The artist who carved away the stone to create Dying Lioness intended to reflect the great strength and bravery of King Ashurbanipal as he hunted and killed the most fearsome beast known to the Assyrians.

Henri Matisse, "The Dance II"

Based on repetition of visual elements Is most obvious in music and dance and poetry In the visual arts, artist can use it to structure our experience

Craft

By the eighteenth century, certain media, notably painting and sculpture, came to be considered as art, while ceramics, weaving, and embroidery were termed crafts. Crafts came to mean items made to be used rather than simply looked at. The distinction between art and craft was unique to Western culture, and it has now broken down in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Henri Matisse, "The Red Studio"

Close observation: Artworks in the studio But what Matisse leaves out is as important as what he leaves in. Color intensifies experience of the space Filled with an intense red Flattens out the picture plane.

Judy Chicago, "The Dinner Party"

Collaborative project with over 300 women. Set for 39 places; each place represents an important woman. In the inside there are an additional 999 names of women; Constructed using domestic processes, Very feminist

Henri Matisse, "Joy of Life"

Color: Not naturalistic Matisse was not interested in copying nature A way to express emotions Bold rather than subdued Matisse said, "I did not create a woman, I made a picture."

Hans Arp, "Trousse d'un Da"

Dada reveled in absurdity, irrationality, the flamboyantly bizarre, and the shocking. Arp worked on creating "chance" arrangements. Arp claimed that the arrangement of the shapes happened by random placement.

Marcel Duchamp, "Fountain"

Dadaist Marcel Duchamp was making artworks at that time that challenged traditional notions of art. Fountain was rejected for an art exhibition in New York because of the fact that it was a factory made porcelain urinal, signed by the artist. He was influential to later artists in the 20th century because he opened up possibilities of making art with every day objects, imagery from pop culture and even ideas.

Alternative Processes

Describes artworks made outside traditional methods.

Julie Green, "The Last Supper"

Each ceramic piece represents the meal request by an inmate about to killed. Vast amount of plates that hang on the wall A political statement Traditional blue on white porcelain

Jackson Pollock, "Mural"

Enormous scale Non-objective Rhythms and cross-rhythms Result of improvisational process

20th Century Art

Experimentation using both representation and abstraction Many styles and approaches Formal elements and/or concepts and ideas Modern period (c. 1860-1960) Contemporary period (c. 1960-present)

Abstract Expressionism

First Modern art movement to originate in the U.S. Evolved in the 1940s and 1950s Sought to create a universal visual experience Artists include: Jackson Pollock Mark Rothko Barnett Newman (see ch. 1.4) Willem de Kooning (see ch. 4.9)

Giambologna, "Capture of the Sabine Women"

Free-standing See details in different perspectives; see different things as you move around the piece Demand movement of the viewer

Betty Woodman, "Floral Vase and Shadow"

Has 3D and 2D in the piece. The vase has very thin handles that almost look like paint strokes. Also in the background there is a 2D piece.

Georges Braque, "Houses at L'Estaque"

Houses become stacked golden cubes and pyramids Trees and shrubs recognizable but abstracted Houses all the same color Focus on underlying shapes and overall pattern Photographs of the same view indicate that placement and configuration of houses are accurate Houses at L'Estaque is an abstraction based on nature.

Marina Abramovic & Ulay, "Rest Energy"

In this piece, she and her partner stood in this stance for a number of minutes. They had microphones on their chest, recording the increasing in the beating of their hearts as well as their breathing.

Marina Abramovic and Ulay, "Imponderabilia"

In this piece, she and her partner stood naked in the doorway and wanted to see if people would go through the doorway

Suzanna Valadon, "The Blue Room"

Includes three contrasting patterns: The blue bed covering, in the lower portion of the painting. The green-and-white striped pattern in the woman's pajama bottoms. Above the figure is a mottled pattern. The differences in these patterns energize the work.

Joseph Beuys, "Coyote, I like America and America Likes Me"

Incorporates some of his life experiences; German heritage, Hitler Youth, German Air Force, Plane crash in World War II. Personal mythology and political symbolism recalled in this performance: Fat and felt and Coyote

Vasily Kandinsky, "Improvisation #30"

Inspired by talk of war in 1913 Reflects turmoil of the time, but not a specific event Made spontaneously without plan for final outcome Later artworks avoid recognizable objects Instead express inner spiritual necessity

Henri Matisse

Key figure in the development of Modern art. French artist (1869-1954) Explored the expressive nature of color and form. Influential and unique style: Expressive forms, Decorative style, Bold use of color

Peter Voulkos, "X-Neck"

Large, scale bottle neck structures Uses a wood firing process Went for a new look; didn't want a nice, clean work. Messed up the clay and literally put an X in it He was essential into moving crafts into fine art

Maria Matinez and Julian Matinez, "Jar"

Made by coil method Start from the bottom up and then smooth it out to create a smooth surface The very dark black color is made from cow poop Learned to make this work from her family, grew up in a culture where women made the art and men decorated it

A Happening

impromptu art actions, initiated and planned by an artist, the outcome of which is not known in advance

Marina Abramovic, "The House with the Ocean View"

Marina Abramovic was known for performances of extreme bodily endurance. Twelve-day performance: She did not eat, speak, read, or write while on public view, Isolated in three living spaces on display. Focused attention on everyday activities Interactions with viewers in ways other than verbal

Dale Chihuly, "Rotunda Chandelier"

Modular-multiple pieces that make up a greater whole Blown glass, very massive Floating and flowing

Surrealism

Movement began in 1917 in Paris Opposed rationality and convention (like Dada). Based on ideas of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud; Psychoanalysis, Unconscious mind Dreams. aimed to challenge the idea of objective reality

Donald Judd, Untitled

Ordered 10 boxes from a factory Installed the boxes to his specifications Downplayed traditional "fine" art Limited role of artist as creator

Louise Bourgeois, "Maman"

People walk around it and through it Big spider

Additive Process

processes of modeling, casting, or constructing, sculptors add material to make the final artwork.

Minimalism

Reaction against Abstract Expressionism and Pop art Characteristics: Non-representational Neutral textures and flat colors Geometric shapes Mechanical construction Strips away emotion and underlying meaning Artists include: Donald Judd, Dan Flavin

Rembrandt, "Adam and Eve"

Rembrandt van Rijn was a master of intaglio printmaking, especially etching. Rembrandt brings out details by marring the plate surface more in the areas that will appear darker in the print.

Pablo Picasso, "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"

Revolutionary experimentation with the human figure Simplified forms into abstract planes Blue planes of the background clash with area of the figures Female figures Two in the center: simplified features Two standing to left and right: heads are African masks Seated figure in bottom right: most abstracted Face with one eye seen in profile and one from. Although abstracted, the figures are still recognizable as people

Kara Walker, "Insurrection!"

She utilizes the use of 19th century silhouette technique showing imagery of a slave revolt in the antebellum south where the slaves go after their master using the very tools of their everyday life. Also has projections in addition the the cutouts—layers of information-What is most interesting is what happens when your shadow interrupts the projection—and you are on the wall as well. The viewer is implicated in the actions as they occur. You are part of that history.

Max Ernst, "Le Surrealisme et al Peinture"

Shows the imagination wandering in the mysterious realm of creativity Vaguely cosmic abstractions

Linocut

Similar to woodcut, made of linoleum, easier to cut/softer. Wears down easier which make smaller editions. Easier to use in a class setting.

Robert Smithson, "Spiral Jetty"

Smithson chose a spiral, a shape naturally found in shells, crystals, and even galaxies. The coiled artwork was made by dumping 6,550 tonsof rock and dirt, off dump trucks, gradually pavinga spiraling roadbed out into the salt lake. Over the years the lake has repeatedly submerged and then revealed the sculpture. The artwork is constantly evolving as it drowns and then rises with a new encrustation of salt crystals.

Michelangelo, "Atlas Slave"

Stone carving, an unfinished work, over 9 feet tall. He felt as if he was releasing the figure from the stone, worked from front to back to release the figure.

Historical Context

Technological inventions -Aircraft, automobile, radio, telephone, global communication Scientific expansion -Psychology, physics Societal changes -Large cities, world wars, ideologies, feminism, Civil Rights Movement, multiculturalism

Coil Built

The art of using coils to create a clay object has been a common hand-building method since ancient times. A coil is created by rolling the clay on a flat surface so that it extends into a long rope-like shape. When making a round vessel, the artist wraps the coil around upon itself and then fuses the sections together by smoothing.

Max Beckman, "Adam and Eve"

The artist probably chose drypoint because of its slightly uneven, irregular quality of line. More expressive line is created by the burr.

Printmaking

The earliest existing printed artworks on paper were created in China and date back to the eighth century CE. By the ninth century, printed scrolls containing Buddhist sutras (scriptures or prayers) were being made across east Asia. While the woodblock print remained the primary vehicle for the development of the print in Asia, in the West a number of additional techniques developed over time.

Susan Durant, "Memorial to King Leopold of the Belgians"

The figures sculpted in high relief—the lion and the reclining image of Leopold—protrude from the surface more than the angels in the background, which have been carved in low relief. Durant was unusual in being a successful sculptor in nineteenth-century England at a time when it was not easy for women to break into such a profession.

Randomness

The introduction of chance symbolizes anti-order. Artists who introduce this to a work try to avoid predictable repetition. Works made in this way purposely contradict widelyused traditional methods.

Registration

The precise alignment of impressions made by two or more blocks or plates on the same sheet of paper. Care must be taken to align each print color perfectly; this is done by carving perfectly matching notches along two sides of each block to guide the placement of the paper.

Glass

The process of applying intense heat to melt silica together with lead is the basis for most glass production.

Chuck Close, "Self Portrait"

Uses motif to unify his paintings. Uses a repeated pattern of organic concentric rings set into a diamond shape as the basic building blocks for his large compositions. There is a difference between a close-up view of the painting and the overall effect when we stand back from this enormous canvas. The motif that Close uses is the result of a technical process. A grid that subdivides the entire image organizes the placement of each cell.

Kitigawa Utamaro, "Lovers in an Upstairs Room"

Uses multiple colors and shows great graphic skill in controlling the crisp character of the print and the interplay of multiple blocks in different colors. Utamaro made images for the Japanese middle and upper classes of figures, theaters, and brothels, in a style known as ukiyo-e printmaking Ukiyo-e means "pictures of the floating world" Woodcut

Emil Nolde, "Prophet"

Uses the natural character of the wood to suggest the hardships of the life of his subject. The crude carving of the block has produced splintering. Printing has revealed the grain of the wood.

Pieter Bruegel, "Hunters in the Snow"

We see not only large rhythmic progressions that take our eye all around the canvas, but also refined micro-rhythms in the repetition of such details as the trees, houses, birds, and colors. The party of hunters on the left side first draws our attention into the work. Our gaze then travels from the left foreground to the middle ground on the right. We then look at the background of the work.

Slab Built

When artists use slab construction to make a ceramic object they first roll out a flat sheet of clay They then cut this clay into the shapes they need to make the object To make a three-dimensional object, the ceramist takes care to join the corners This style of working lends itself to making boxes and other forms that have large flat sides.

High Relief

a carved panel where the figures project with a great deal of depth from the background

In-the-round

a freestanding sculpted work that can be viewed from all sides

Clay

a natural material dug from the earth

Planography

a print process- lithography and silkscreen printing- where the inked image area and non-inked areas at the same height

Woodblock

a relief print process where the image is carved into a block of wood

Subtractive Process

a sculptor uses a tool to carve, drill, chisel, chip, whittle, or saw away unwanted material

Low Relief

a sculpture carved with very little depth

John Cage, 4'33"

a three-movement composition by American experimental composer, John Cage (1912-1992). This piece is made for any combination of instruments and performers as an ensemble work or can even be performed as a solo piece. The score instructs the performer or performers to not play at all. The actual "music" of the piece is the sounds that surround the audience.

Conceptual Art

a work in which the ideas are often as important as how it is made

Casting

adding a liquid or pliable material to a mold

Pattern

an arrangement of predictably repeated elements

Installation

an artwork created by the assembling and arrangement of objects in a specific location

Intaglio

any print process where the inked image is lower than the surface of the printing plate

Sculpture

can be made from many materials: for example, glass, wax, ice, plastic, and fiber. The materials of modern sculpture can include neon lights and even animals. exist in three dimensions and occupy physical space in our world. They invite us to interact with them: by looking at them, by walking round them, or by entering them and being immersed in an environment created by the sculptor, including sights, sounds, textures, and other sensory experiences

Expressionism

explored ways of portraying emotions to their fullest intensity. Exaggerating and emphasizing colors and shapes Departing from direct representation Focusing on inner states of being Depicting what they felt rather than what they saw

Traditional Materials

glass, wax, ice, plastic, and fiber.

Contrapposto

is an Italian term that means counterpose. It is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs.

Modeling

is an additive process; the artist builds up the work by adding material Because such materials as clay often cannot support their own weight, sometimes an artist will employ a skeletal structure, called an armature, to which the clay will be added; the armature will then later be removed (or burned away) when the work is dry Because the process produces a very dry and hard material, many works from antiquity made from claystill exist

Assemblage

is an artistic form or medium usually created on a defined substrate that consists of three-dimensional elements projecting out of or from the substrate. It is similar to collage, a two-dimensional medium.

Relief Process

made by carving away from a block of a suitably workable material, such as wood or linoleum, a certain amount of it, to create a raised image. The artist then applies ink to the raised surface and transfers the image to paper or similar material by applying pressure in a printing press. The areas of the block that remain print the imagebecause the carved areas are recessed and are not inked.

Albrecht Durer, "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"

most famous image in this series of fifteen illustrations. Dürer commissioned professional block cutters toperform the layering, and they also cut the highly detailed lines of his original drawing into the block. The Book of Revelation is a symbolic piece of writing that prophesies the Apocalypse, or end of the world The horsemen represent Death, Plague, War, and Famine. Woodcut

Dada

movement started in Zurich, Switzerland Reaction to World War I; Protested "rational" thought that had led to war. Name "Dada" was chosen at random from the dictionary; Anti-art and refused to be called a movement. Spread to the U.S., Berlin, Cologne, Paris, Russia, eastern Europe, and Japan Dada works: Sculptural objects, Performances and events, Publications, posters, and pamphlets, Critical and playful. Focus on individuality, irrationality, chance, and imagination

Monotypes/monoprints

print techniques where the artist means to produce a unique image. A monotype image prints from a polished plate, perhaps glass or metal Monoprints can be made using any print process

Repetition

refers to one object or shape repeated

Ceramic

requires the shaping of clay, a natural material dug from the earth, which is then baked at high temperatures to make it hard

Reduction Print

the artist develops all colors from the same block. For each color pass the artist removes more material from the block. Each color in printed on top of the previous. The artist must print the entire edition as he or she works, because the printable area of the single block is reduced with each pass.

Drypoint

the cutting tool is pulled, leaving a rough edge, or burr. The result is a less precise line that has more irregularities.

Glass Blowing

the process of forming a glass vessel by forcing air into molten glass, usually by blowing through a tube, was in use by the first century BCE in Syria and was later adopted and perfected by the Romans.

Rhythm

the regular or ordered repetition of elements in the work

Matrix

the surface upon which the design has been created

Earthworks

used the surface of the Earth itself as material: this was additive sculpture on a very large scale. Because of their enormous size, earthwork projects need the collaboration of many artists and workers. Many contemporary artists believe that earthworks should represent a harmony between nature and humanity

Kinetic Art

work with movement to express their ideas in ways that would not have been possible just a century or two before. These moving and sculptural works, like those of the Constructivists, rely on mechanical engineering as well as the creative input of the artist