Art Appreciation : Chapter 2 - What is Art?

disinterested contemplation

Refers to looking beyond the actual, practical, and personal in search of beauty and pleasure.

representational

art resembles forms found in the natural world. The result is a recognizable likeness of objects and forms. -trompe l'oeil -naturalistic

stylized

artwork that conforms to a preset style or set of conventions for depicting the world

naturalistic

artwork that is very faithful to visual experience

installation

a work of art meant to be entered, explored, experienced and reflected upon

nonrepresentational/nonobjective art

art contains no reference to the natural world as we see it - style

abstract

art distorts, exaggerates, or simplifies the natural world to provide essence or universality - stylized

embodied meaning

art is always about something

trompe l'oeil

french for "fool the eye"

subject matter

general idea

media

materials used

message

more specific meaning

iconography

the story of a work of art (including symbols or references, people, events, etc.) requires knowledge of a specific time, beliefs, or culture

form

the way a work looks - media - style - composition

context

to understand a work of art as created by an artist, at a specific time, and in a particular culture

art and meaning

understanding art is a cultural skill and must be learned - embodied meaning - form - content

content

what a work of art is about or its subject matter - subject matter - message - iconography

art and beauty

- aesthetics - disinterested contemplation

artist and audience

- modern world includes schools, galleries, critics, collectors, and museums - features individual artists working independently expressing their own ideas - in the past, typically worked for client, patron, or collaboratively in a workshops - individual artists rarely known

art and appearances

- represented in a variety of ways in the west - representational - abstract - nonrepresentational

aesthetics

A philosophy of the nature and meaning of beauty, as it pertains to art.

art and objects

During the 20th century, artists began to question the purpose and role of art in contemporary society. A greater emphasis was placed on the meaningfulness of the art making process

composition

organization of design elements & principles

outsider/folk art

refers to artwork that is created by the nonprofessional artist

style

refers to characteristics recognized as constant, recurring, or coherent