Study Guide Chapter 1.10 (Content and Analysis)

Iconographic Analysis

•Objects and figures in an artwork are interpreted as signs or symbols. •The meaning of the signs or symbols are relevant to their historical or religious context at the time the art was created. Meanings of signs and symbols change over time. If a symbol or sign is interpreted based on today's meaning, most likely the content will be interpreted differently than when the artwork was created or intended by the artist. Iconographic Analysis Identifies and interprets the symbolic meanings of objects and elements in artworks Reveals previously unsuspected insights into content Interprets objects and figures in the artwork as signs or symbols, often based on religious or historical contexts that would have been understood at the time when it was made.

Stylistic Analysis

•Particular characteristics that make the artwork distinctive •May be an art movement many artist participate in (i.e. Impressionism, Cubism) •May be a particular location or time period Stylistic Analysis Artworks have style, or specific characteristics that make them look the way they do Style can be individual or shared Used to categorize or identify artworks

4.5.15 Audrey Flack. Marilyn Monroe.1977. Oil over acrylic on canvas. 8 x 8'. Collection of the University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson vanitas

A representational painting. The subject is a still-life. The type of still-life is called a vanitas (know this term) Knowing the type of still-life is a vanitas, an iconographic analysis is used to derive the meaning of the painting. View video listed in this weeks' module: "History & Themes Video: 4.5 Audrey Flack: Photorealism and Vanitas" Next slide is an enlargement of one page of the book in background. First paragraph: "In ? Marilyn told the story of the powder puff to Sonia W?, a publicity women at ? Century-Fox and then confided, "This was the first time in my life I felt loved-no one had ever noticed my face or hair or me before."

What is the meaning of Las Meninas

After considering the various methods of analysis, scholars suggest Velázquez used Las Meninas to: Raise the status of painters Raise his own status in Spanish society

Biographical

Analysis of Biographical Context Considers whether the artist's personal experiences and opinions may have affected the making or meaning of the artwork

Historical

Analysis of Historical Context Considers historical events, either past or present, and the way they appear in an artwork

Religious

Analysis of Religious Context Considers the artwork in relation to the religious context in which it was made Often includes identification of narratives, key symbolism, and important figures

Formal Analysis

Analyze the artwork based on the Elements of Art and Principles of Design used by the artist. Formal Analysis The process of analysing 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 analysis of the form or visual appearance of a work of art using the visual language of elements and principles

The influence of Las Meninas

Artists often study and copy the work of those they admire At the age of 76, Picasso set his skills against the earlier Spanish master Thomas Struth used photography to create his view of the work

1.10.10 EdvardMunch, The Scream, 1893. Casein and tempera on cardboard, 35⅞ ×29⅛". Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway Psychological analysis

Edvard Munch, The Scream Tragic experiences and psychological disturbances motivated Munch's work Diary indicates the painting was based on an actual event: walking on a bridge with friends, he saw the sky turn red and froze with anxiety

feminist analysis

Explores ways in which the work reflects the experience of women. Considers the role of women as: Artists Subjects Viewers Feminist Analysis Considers the role of women in an artwork as its subjects, creators, patrons, and viewers Can reflect the intentions of an artist, the perspective of a viewer, the interpretation of a critic, or all three considers the role of women in an artwork as its subjects, creators, patrons, and viewers

Types of Analysis

Formal Stylistic Iconographic Contextual (Religious, Historical/Social, Biographical) Feminist Gender Studies Psychological

1.10.4aHans Holbein the Younger, Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve ("The Ambassadors"), 1533. Oil on oak, 6'9½"×6'10⅓". National Gallery, London, England Iconographic Analysis

Hans Holbein, The Ambassadors Rich in symbolic significance In 1533, England was breaking with the Catholic Church Globe, hymn book, crucifix, and lute all have specific religious meanings Skull signifies human mortality (memento mori)

Additional info on The Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch, famous for his fantastical, often monstrous, hybrid creatures, might in some ways be seen as a forerunner of the Surrealists. However, while the Surrealists played in the realms of dreams and the unconscious, Bosch was steeped in the religiosity of his age and the worlds he conjured up demonstrated what were believed to be the very real, and sobering, consequences of earthly behavior. Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights is a triptych, meaning that it consists of three parts—a central panel with one hinged wing on either side. Closed, the triptych depicts a translucent sphere encompassing earth, sky, and sea. The scene, rendered in monochromatic shades of grey (a style known as grisaille), is thought by some to represent creation. Others have linked it to the great flood by which God cleanses the world at the time of Noah. The interior of the triptych is the subject of even greater contention. The wings of Bosch's triptych open to reveal a colorful interior filled to the point of bursting with strange architecture, unnatural landforms, and all types of hybrid creatures. In the foreground of the left hand panel, God the Father stands between the naked figures of Adam and Eve, surrounded by various flora and fauna. This is, no doubt, the Garden of Eden, though the scene is not without a dark side. In the distance, an animal tears at the flesh of his prey while black birds circle around. The central panel of the triptych is the one from which the piece takes its current title. This "Garden of Earthly Delights" features hordes of nude men and women cavorting in a landscape that is home to enormous birds, oversized fruit, and bizarre vegetation. The scene is lively, chaotic, and orgiastic in tone. Although the uninhibited behavior of the figures seems at first glance to be lascivious, in fact, it is ambiguous. Despite the many naked congregations and couples Bosch places in the image, there are no sexual acts explicitly portrayed. Scholars have debated the meaning of this central image, arguing that it represents a vision of innocent pleasure, a cauldron of sinful excess, and everything in between. The leftmost panel of the work is, paradoxically, the most disturbing and the least enigmatic. Here are depicted the horrors of Hell, a place where sinners are skewered by giant hares, tortured on oversized instruments, and ingested by a grotesque insect-like being, only to be excreted moments later. Whatever the meaning of the triptych as a whole, Bosch reminds the viewer that damnation is a very possible (perhaps the only possible) outcome in this corrupt world. Although The Garden of Earthly Delights takes a form frequently used for altarpieces in the sixteenth century, documentation suggests that it was housed in a secular context, probably commissioned by a wealthy patron. Henry III of Nassau, a governor of the Habsburgs in the Netherlands, has been suggested as one potential owner. Garden of Earthly Delights » Hieronymus Bosch (Netherlandish, ca. 1450-1516) expert perspective Whitney ChadwickProfessor Emerita of Art History, San Francisco State University "In the first Surrealist manifesto, Breton identifies a history of Surrealism that he says goes way back, deep into history. But he actually names names in the manifesto too. In the artistic vein, he takes us back to the Renaissance; he mentions Hieronymus Bosch and the great Garden of Earthly Delights. Bosch was a Flemish painter of the late fifteenth, early sixteenth century. [He] produced this triptych that looks like an altarpiece that contains hundreds of figures in states of sexual excess, nudity, playfulness, horror, pain, fear. It really takes us sort of through the human condition in an imagery that's difficult to describe, difficult to characterize, and has proved actually resistant, for much of history, resistant to interpretation. No one can adequately and fully account for Bosch's intentions in this painting, although there are many theories and many of them have to do with religious beliefs, sex, sex, sex, alchemical and magical theories and practices—hard to decipher." The Outer Panels Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, c. 1480-1505, oil on panel, 220 x 390 cm (Prado) God (detail of outer panels) Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, c. 1480-1505, oil on panel, 220 x 390 cm (Prado) When the triptych is in the closed position (above), the outer panels, painted in grisaille (monochrome), join to form a perfect sphere—a vision of a planet-shaped clear glass vessel half-filled with water, interpreted to be either the depiction of the Flood, or day three of God's creation of the world (which has to do with the springing forth of flowers, plants and trees, in which case he's guilty of heedless over-watering). A tiny figure of God, holding an open book, is found in the uppermost left corner of the left panel, and the inscription that runs along the top of both panels can be translated to read "For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm," which is from Psalm 33.9. If one thinks of the outside panels as the end of the entire pictorial cycle, rather than its beginning, then this image could easily be a depiction of the Flood, sent by God to cleanse the earth after it was consumed by vice. Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, c. 1480-1505, oil on panel, 220 x 390 cm (Prado) Outer panels (detail), Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, c. 1480-1505, oil on panel, 220 x 390 cm (Prado) This path towards vice is mapped in the inner panels of the triptych. The outer panels are therefore intended to provoke meditative purgation, a cleansing of the mind. It should be pointed out that this work, like Bosch's Hay Wain triptych (also framed by a creation and damnation scene), is a triptych only in form; neither depict the conventional arrangement of a tripartite altarpiece because their center panels do not include religious figures or even religious scenes. What Bosch seems to have invented is an entirely new form of secular triptych, one that functioned kind of like a Renaissance home theatre package for wealthy patrons.

1.10.8 Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867). Grande Odalisque.1814. Oil on canvas. 35⅞ x 63¾". Musée du Louvre, Paris, France Feminist analysis

Ingres, Grande Odalisque Made for a male audience/viewer Objectified subject (nude woman in a harem) Pose is sensual but disproportionate: back is painted with extra vertebrae Read textbook. Some other information: the painting was commissioned by a woman. Feminist Analysis Biographical analysis usually takes gender, race, and societal position into account. Feminist analysis is a subset of biographical analysis when it studies the life experience of women artists in relation to their work. Feminist analysis has been expanded to include gender studies, which also considers the perspective toward gender of viewers, the treatment of women as subjects, and the role of women at the time the artwork was made. Grande Odalisque by the French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) was made in 1814 for a male French audience (1.10.8). Feminist analysis might compare this artwork to others made at the time and find that female nudes were often depicted as objects of desire and beauty. The woman is dressed as an odalisque (a woman in a harem), and so a feminist analysis might study the French view of women in Near Eastern society, who were considered fascinating for their exotic sensuality. Feminist analysis could seek an explanation for the interest in harem women in art during this period, and might find that women in France were demanding equal rights, causing men to pine for docile females. A feminist might also study this subject's demure gaze, whereby she accepts her status as an object of beauty. At the time when the picture was painted, critics complained that the figure's body parts were disproportionate: her back was too long, and her hips too wide . A feminist analysis would point out that Ingres believed that the back was a very sensual part of a woman's body, and that the painter claimed he could not stop himself, when painting, from adding what appear to be extra vertebrae .

contextual analysis

Interprets artwork in its context: historical, religious, political, economic, and other social factors. Considers the art relative to its time and place and sometimes the biographical aspect of the artist who created the art. Contextual Analysis Studies the atmosphere and ideas, often from a particular time and culture, that an artwork reflects Both artists and viewers play roles in providing content (meaning) Various contexts can be considered: religious, historical, and biographical

1.10.3 HieronymousBosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1500-1505. Oil on wooden panel, central panel 7'1⅝"×6'4¾", wings 7'1⅝ ×38¼". MuseoNacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain Stylistic analyis

Read textbook and follow the links below. On Annenberg Learner web site read the information about The Garden of Earthly Delight. Also click on "expert perspective" found to the left of the text and read Whitney Chadwick's statement. Or click here. Next go to the Khan Academy. Mainly look at the enlarged sections of the triptych. The text is by Dr. Sally Hickson, another (of many) interpretation of Bosch's painting. Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights Style is distinctive; works are known for their fantastical quality Humans, fruits, and futuristic-looking objects (in distorted sizes) mingle in odd, erotic, and nonsensical ways

1.10.9 Robert Mapplethorpe, Self-portrait (#385), 1980. Gelatin silver print, 20 ×16" Gender studies analysis

Robert Mapplethorpe, Self-portrait Mapplethorpe's photographs are carefully composed and elegantly lit His appearance in Self-portrait raises questions about the assumptions we make about the way people look Reveals gender as a construction

1.10.11a Diego de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660). Las Meninas. c. 1656. Oil on canvas. 10'5¼" x 9'¾". Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain •Formal •Contextual (historical-time & place) •Biographical (contextual) •Iconographic

See textbook -note four different methods of analysis can be used to determine the meaning of Las Meninas. •Formal •Contextual (historical-time & place) •Biographical (contextual) •Iconographic View video listed in this weeks' module: "History & Themes Video: 3.6 Diego Velázquez: Las Meninas" Velázquez, Las Meninas Formal analysis: use of various elements and principles Contextual analysis: identification of members of the Spanish court Biographical analysis: artist's desire for status Iconographic analysis: meaning behind the cross on Velázquez

vanitas

a still-life painting of a 17th-century Dutch genre containing symbols of death or change as a reminder of their inevitability. a theme in still life painting that stresses the brevity of life and the folly of human vanity

Gender Studies Analysis

explores ways in which the work reflects experience based on a person's gender. Expands the considerations raised by feminist analysis to explore ways in which an artwork reflects experience based on a person's gender Gender Studies Analysis American artist Robert Mapplethorpe (1946- 1989) used his own lifestyle as inspiration for his photographs . The issue of gender affects his imagery because he chose subjects that were highly sexualized and often related to his own interests as a gay man . His photographs are carefully composed, elegantly lit, and technically perfect, making subjects that might previously have been seen as deviant appear normal, even beautiful . A national controversy was sparked by the exhibition of Mapplethorpe's work that traveled to several museums across the US shortly after the artist died of AIDS-related illness in the late 1980s . Some museum officials and politicians considered the graphic sexual nature of Mapplethorpe's photographs to be problematic because the artist had been awarded a grant from public funds . Mapplethorpe, however, did not see a significant difference between a flower, a Classical sculpture, or a nude male figure . Mapplethorpe's non-conformist view can be seen in his 1980 Self-Portrait (#385) in which his hair is curled and he wears eye shadow, blush, and lipstick (1.10.9 ) . If one looks solely at his face, he seems to be a woman . His bare chest, however, tells us that he is a man . Mapplethorpe's appearance raises many questions about the assumptions we make based on the way people look . It also reveals the degree to which gender is a construction and suggests that not all people fit the conventional distinctions between the sexes . Mapplethorpe photographed what he wanted to see, the things that he considered visually interesting but did not find elsewhere in the art world . Interpreting Mapplethorpe's photograph from the perspective of gender studies encourages us to take his intentions into account, and to think about how gender affects our experience.

Psychological analysis

investigates an artwork through interpretation of the mental state of the artist Considers the artist's state of mind when creating an artwork Psychological Analysis Considers the state of the artist's mind when creating an artwork

content

meaning of an artwork Meaning or message communicated by a work of art, including its emotional, intellectual, symbolic, thematic, and narrative connotations.