Art Exam 2 pl

Ando Hiroshige, " Riverside Bamboo Market, Kyobashi"

The positions of the moon, the bridge, and the figure in a boat form three separate focal points Each shape commands our attention and draws more of our focus to the right side of the work The varying distances between the placements of the three focal points also create rhythm that adds visual interest

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

emphasis and formal point in action

artists can use direction, dramatic contrasts, and placement relationships to organize the elements in a work and draw our attention to areas of emphasis and focal points

comparison

compare the original Las Meninas by Velazquez with the reinterpretation by Picasso

formal analysis

considers the elements and principles used by the artist -elements of art: line, shape, form, mass, volume, color, texture, space, time, and motion and value -principles of art: contrast, balance, unity, variety, rhythm, emphasis, pattern, proportion, and scale

psychological analysis

considers the mental state of the artist when the artwork was being made and uses this to help interpret his work

using variety to unify

even while using a variety of different shapes, colors, values, or other elements, an artist can create visual harmony

rhythmic design and structure

how artists divide visual space into different sections to achieve different kinds of effect

symmetrical balance

if a work can be cut in half and each side looks the exact same then it is symmetrically balanced

contextual (mult choice)

looks at making and viewing of work in its context studies context that artwork itself represents

Jose de Rivera, Infinity

non-objective -unrecognizable subject matter -subjective: individual viewer creates his or her own interpretation

icongraphic (mult choice)

objects and figures in artwork as signs or symbols ex) religious or historical

feminist (mult choice)

role of women in artwork ways in which artwork reflects experience of women

gestalt unity

the complete order and indivisible unity of all aspects of an artworks design

emphasis and focal point in action: placement

the placement of elements within a composition controls rhythm and creates multiple focal points

proportional ratios

-"Golden Rectangles" is a technique based on nesting inside each other a succession of rectangles based on the 1:1.168 proportions of the Golden Section

Jules Olitski; Tin Lizzie Green

-Because abstract works can never directly evoke our memories of things or people, they frequently rely on compositional principles, such as emphasis -Olitski frames our attention on the color field in the center of the work with three colored dots on the right, red horizontal strokes on the top and bottom, and a tan-colored stroke on the left -These color shapes support the real focus of this work, which is the blue-green color in the center or negative space.

Henry Peach Robinson; Fading Away

-Henry Peach Robinson was a great photographic innovator -This image shows Robinson's attention to the coordinated ratios in artistic composition -Notice how the right-hand drape divides the photograph into two Golden Rectangles, and how the spiral draws our eye to the dying young woman

The Hummingbirds; Robert Lostutter

-Lostutter uses small scale to enhance the character of his work -he likes to create his works on the scale not of a human but of a bird -the tiny scale of the work-only one person at a time can see it properly-forces us to come closer, so viewing it becomes an intimate experience

Francisco de Zurbaran, The Funeral of St. Bonaventure

-Most of the lightest values in the painting are reserved for the clothing adorning the dead body of St. Bonaventure -These create a central focal point that stands out in contrast to the surrounding dark values -The whiteness of his clothing symbolizes Bonaventure's spotless reputation -Enough light value is distributed to the other figures to allow our eyes to be drawn away from the saint's body, making the composition more interesting

Raphael, The School of Athens

-Raphael's sensitivity to proportion reflects his pursuit of perfection -he indicated the importance of his masterpiece by creating it on a magnificent scale -he composed the individual figures so that the parts of each figure are harmonious in relation to each other and portray an idealized form -double emphasis on the center brings our attention to the opposing gestures of two famous Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle

Pieter Bruegel the Elder; Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

-The story of Icarus is one from Greek mythology His wax wings melt as he flies too close to the sun -Bruegel diverts our attention so that we barely notice Icarus plunging to his doom -Instead the artist's main area of emphasis is the plower in the foreground, possibly illustrating the proverb "No plow stands still because a man dies."

Gentileschi, Judith Decapitating Holofernes

-Through Gentileschi's use of directional line and contrasting values we are drawn irresistibly to the point where the climax of the story is unfolding -Judith's arms and those of her maidservant (visually connected to the sword itself) stretch toward the dark values of their victim's head -The light values of the five bare arms create strong directional lines that lead to the focal point where blood spurts from the violent attack on Holofernes' neck

Jan van Eyck, Madonna in a Church

-Uses hierarchical scale to communicate spiritual importance -In his effort to glorify the spiritual importance of Mary and the Christ child, Van Eyck separates them from normal human existence -Van Eyck has scaled them to symbolize their central importance in the Christian religion

motif

-a design repeated as a unit in a pattern is called a motif -they can represent ideas, images, and themes that can be brought together through the use of pattern -a strong unified design can be created by repeating motif

simple repetitive rhythm

-a repeating "pulse" of similar elements sets up a visual rhythm that a viewer can anticipate -such regularity communicates reassurance -the design of building is often intended to reassure us about the stability and durability of the structure -for this reason, architectural designs often incorporate simple repetition

Andrea Palladio, part elevation/section and plan of the Villa Rotonda

-although the term "radial" symmetry suggests a round shape, in fact any geometric shape can be used to create radial symmetry -Palladio wants people who live in this building to be able to experience four views of the surrounding country side from a single vantage point -loggias, or porch-like entrances,on all four facades; they are all equidistant from the center of the building -the element is repeating (radial balance)

scale

-artists and designers make conscious choices about the scale of their work when they consider the message they want to put across -a small scale work implies intimacy, large scale can be experienced by groups of viewers and usually communicates big ideas -practical considerations can affect an artists decision about scale too -cost, time it will take to execute the piece, and demands that a specific location may place on the work are all factors

action contrast

-artists look to create effects of contrast by positioning elements next to one another that are very different -ex. areas of diff value, color, or size

t'ao t'ieh- ritual container from Gui, China

-artists of ancient China designed a creature born of symmetry called the t'ao t'ieh -the image of the creature in an artwork is not immediately apparent, bc its form is "hidden" amongst many separate symmetrical shapes and forms -it is as if a symmetrical collection of elements coalesce to reveal a monster mask -on each side of this central ridge are patterns that mirror each other (symmetrical balance)

imitation and individual style

-artists often train themselves by studying and copying earlier masterpieces -by referring to earlier masterpieces in new artworks, artists associate themselves with other artists who preceded them -by studying other artworks, artist may learn how to differentiate themselves

human proportion

-carefully chosen proportion can make an art object seem pleasing to the eye -the ancient Egyptians used the palm of the hand as a unit of measure -the ancient Greeks sought an ideal of beauty in the principle of proportion -the models used by the Greeks for calculation human proportion were later adopted by artists of ancient Rome, and then by Renaissance artists

Compositional unity

-created by organizing all the visual aspects of a work -too much similarity or shape, color, line etc. can make us lose interest -too much variety can lead to a lack of structure and absence of a central idea

Modes of Analysis

-iconographic -biographical -feminist -contextual -psychological -formal (or visual)

The Dove; Romare Bearden

-in this work see snippets of faces and hands, city textures of brick walls and fire escapes, and other associated images assembled into a scene that, at first glance, seems frantic and chaotic -Bearden reflects order of the city with an underlying grid of verticals and horizontals in the street below and in the vertical street posts and buildings in the upper section of the work (compositional unity)

iconographic analysis

-interprets signs and symbols within an artwork -historical and religious references

the golden section

-is a proportional ratio of 1:1.618, which occurs in many natural objects -real human bodies do not have exactly these proportions but the this ratio is applied to making statues it gives naturalistic results -the proportions of ancient Greek sculptures are often very close to the Golden Section

balance

-just as real objects have physical weight, parts of a work of art can have visual weight or impact -if the amount of visual weight does not have a reasonable counterweight on the opposite side the work may appear unfinished or unsuccessful

Discuss ways that photography can mislead viewers about scale or proportion. Find an example where the photographer has made an object seem either bigger or smaller than it would be in real life. What might the photographer's reasons have been for doing this?

-photographers can use a technique called "golden rectangles", the shorter side of the outer rectangle becomes the longer side of the smaller rectangle inside it an so on, they could use human scale to distort what we might perceive as larger or smaller -

Unity

-provides an artwork w its cohesiveness and helps communicate its visual idea -3 types of unity: compositional, conceptual, gestalt

Conceptual unity

-refers to the cohesive expression of ideas within a work of art -expression of ideas may not look organized but can be communicated by selecting images the conjure up a single notion -conscious and unconscious ideas

hierarchical scale

-refers to the deliberate use of relative size in a work of art, in order to communicate differences in importance -almost always, larger means more important, and smaller means less important

content

-refers to the meaning and the subject of a work of art -identifying the subject of an artwork -abstraction

Biographical analysis

-relates artists life and experiences to artwork -considers gender, race, nationality, and class

Choose two artworks from the textbook: one that is an example of symmetrical balance, and one an example of asymmetrical balance. Why might each artist have chosen to create their artwork in this way? Which do you think is more effective?

-symmetrical: the t'ao t'ieh; to get the idea across there have been accounts that its a warning of overindulgence bc the monster is devouring itself -asymmetrical: six persimmons; to give the view more to interpret and understand rather than it be so straight forward

In Hunters in the Snow a number of rhythms and subsidiary rhythms draw the viewer's attention through the work. Can you specify where this is happening and how the artist is achieving these rhythmic sequences? Find at least three different areas of rhythm in the work.

-the first part of the rhythmic progression is the group of hunters(on the left) trudging over the hill that leads to the right, our gaze following their direction. our gaze then transverses to to the middle ground on the right where figures appear to be ice skating on a frozen pond. then the frozen pond reflecting the color of the sky draws our attention to the horizon and we look at the background of the work. -subsidiary rhythmic sequences are the receding lines of the trees and the winter activities of the townspeople

proportion

-the relationships btw the sizes of different parts of a work make up its proportions -by controlling these size relationships, an artist can enhance the expressive and descriptive characteristics of the work -the relationship btw the parts of an object and the whole, or btw the object and its surroundings

Discuss the Indian relief Vishnu Dreaming the Universe (1.118) as it relates to gestalt unity. How do the iconography and composition of the work create a wholeness that reflects gestalt unity?

-the repetition of the human shapes that attend Vishnu creates a compositional unity, a religious idea provides a conceptual unity -the religion an history behind the sculpture creates iconography -as we come to appreciate how these aspects combine so completely we get a sense of gestalt, an understanding of the whole

The many viewpoints in Marie Marevna's Cubist work Nature morte à la bouteille could produce excessive variety, but the artist was able to unify the composition. Discuss the elements that Marevna used to create unity.

-the unifying features are the angular lines and flat areas of color or pattern -the work becomes unified bc the artist paints a variety of different viewing angles using flat areas of color and pattern throughout, rather than relaying on a more realistic representation

Album quilt; probably by Mary Evans

-these carefully sewn quilts are named after the scrapbooks kept by Baltimore girls -like a scrapbook, these quilts use a variety of images and fuse them together into a finished work -bc a strong structure is imposed on the many different shapes through the use of a grid, the work holds together as a unified whole

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Mistos (match cover)

-uses monumental scale to poke fun while expressing admiration for the little things of everyday life -Oldenburg transforms the essence of everyday things as he magnifies their sculptural form -Oldenburg believes that the items of mass culture, no matter how insignificant they might seem, express a truth about modern life

scale and meaning

-usually a monumental scale indicates heroism or other epic virtues -war monuments for example

emphasis and subordination

-when an artist emphasizes different elements in a work of art, he or she creates visual relationships and connections btw them -the opposite of emphasis is subordination; draws our attention away from certain areas of a work

asymmetrical balance

-when an artists organize a composition they often use different visual "weights" on each side of it -this applies when the elements are not the same, but the combination of elements counters each other

Thomas Struth, Museo del Prado 7

Artist is studying the act of looking Discuss whether the students are viewers or are subjects of an artwork Consider the experience of looking at this photograph while it hung next to Las Meninas in the Prado

Diego de Silva y Velazquez, Las Meninas

Combining modes of analysis Formal analysis—Multiple focal points discovered: Princess Margarita King and Queen Velázquez painting Nieto in doorway Contextual analysis Identification of members of the court in scene Biographical analysis Artist's desire to be knighted Artist's relationship with King Philip IV Iconographical analysis Cross on Velázquez

Great Mosque of Cordoba

Each of the repeating elements—columns, arches, and voussoirs—creates its own simple rhythm The accumulation of these simple repetitions also enhances the function of the space and becomes a part of the activity of worship, like prayer beads, reciting the Shahada (profession of faith), or the five-times-a-day call to prayer

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque

Feminist analysis Objectified subject (nude woman in a harem) Male audience/viewer Pose is sensual and submissive

Picasso, Las Meninas

Picasso painted 45 paintings using a poster of the original Las Meninas (by Velázquez) as a model Picasso competing with earlier Spanish master Las Meninas in the Prado

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks

Psychological analysis Made during America's entry into World War II Emotion conveyed through figures and setting

Allan Houser, Reverie

Representational Can identify two faces Size of faces and positioning of forms suggest motherand child Abstraction To emphasize, distort or simplify forms The degree to which an artwork is less representationaland moves toward non-objective

Eva Hesse, Hang-Up

Representational Empty frame Materials are wood, cloth, steel tube, and cord Biographical analysis Title may relate to issue (hang-up) artist has not resolved: Born a Jew in Nazi Germany Mother's suicide Divorced The artist herself did not claim these associations

Audrey Flack, Marilyn Monroe

Representational: Marilyn Monroe Still life objects Symbols of vanitas (reminders of mortality): Time: Calendar, watch, hourglass Vanity: Cosmetics, mirror, jewelry, perfume Death and decay: Candle, fruit, flowers Wealth and fame: Marilyn, necklace Individual meaning: Our mortality Photograph of artist and her brother

action line

an effective way to focus a viewers attention in an artwork

formal (mult choice)

analyzes artworks use of elements and principles

focal point

the specific part of an area of emphasis to which the artist draws or eye

historical analysis

true

human statue

true

biographical (mult choice)

whether artists personal experiences/opinions effect the art or meaning of artwork in any way