Art Exam 2

Content

Content refers to the meaning and the subject of a work of art Identifying the subject of an artwork: Representational (one can identify the subject) Non-objective (unrecognizable subject matter)

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque

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

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

Rhythm

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

Motif

A design repeated as a unit in a pattern is called a motif Motifs can represent ideas, images, and themes that can be brought together through the use of pattern

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 get up close to a subject and make it appear larger than usual, or disproportionate by making it look significantly larger/smaller than another subject. An example is when photographers take photos where it looks like someone is pushing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We know that the tower is much larger than the person, but the photo becomes surreal when looking at a human push a building.

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks

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

Unity

gives art cohesiveness and helps communicate the visual idea

Andrea Palladio, Villa Rotonda

Although the term "radial" symmetry suggests a round shape, in fact any geometric shape can be used to create radial symmetry Palladio wanted people who lived in this building to be able to experience four views of the surrounding countryside from a single vantage point

Compositional Unity

An artist creates compositional unity by organizing all the visual aspects of a work Too much similarity can be monotonous and make us lose interest while too much variety can lead to a lack of structure and the absence of a central idea

Thomas Struth, Museo del Prado 7

Artist is studying the act of looking Photo portrays people looking at art which is what we are doing. Art Appreciation

T'ao T'ieh

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, because its form is "hidden" amongst many separate symmetrical shapes and forms. The meaning of this motif is mysterious, but it may symbolize communication with the gods

Imitation and Individual Style

Artists often train themselves by studying and copying earlier masterpieces

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.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

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."

Diego de Silva y Velázquez, 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

Romare Bearden, The Dove

Compositional Unity Bearden reflects the order of the city with an underlying grid made up of verticals and horizontals in the street below, and the vertical street posts and buildings in the upper section of the work

Album Quilt

Compositional Unity Because a strong structure is imposed on the many different shapes through the use of a grid, the work holds together as a unified whole

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 the work

Emphasis

Drawing attention to a particular point

Subordination

Draws attention away from particular areas

Great Mosque of Córdoba

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

Hierarchical Scale

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

Rhythmic Design Structure

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

Audrey Flack, Marilyn Monroe

Iconographic Analysis 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

Symmetrical Balance

If a work can be cut in half and each side looks exactly (or nearly exactly) the same, then it is symmetrically balanced Near-perfect symmetry exists in the human body

Iconographic Analysis

Interprets signs and symbols within an artwork Historical and religious references

Robert Lostutter, The Hummingbirds

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 Zurbarán, 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

Balance

Need art to balance for visual equilibrium. If the amount of visual weight does not have a reasonable counterweight on the opposite side, the work may appear to be unsuccessful or unfinished. If there are reasonable visual counterweights the work seems complete, and balance has been achieved

José de Rivera, Infinity

Non-objective Unrecognizable subject matter Subjective: individual viewer creates his or her own interpretation

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

Conceptual Unity

Refers to the cohesive expression of ideas within a work of art The expression of ideas may not look organized, but an artist can still communicate them effectively by selecting images that conjure up a single notion

Biographical Analysis

Relates artist's life and experiences to artwork Considers gender, race, nationality, and class

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

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

Scale

Size of an object relative to another object 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 works can be experienced by groups of viewers and usually communicate big ideas directed at a large audience

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: Villa Rotonda- Palladio used radial symmetry so the owners of the building could take advantage of four beautiful views. Asymmetrical: Six Persimmons- Uses lightness and darkness as well as shape to create an asymmetrical image. Muqi painted one shape lower to counteract visual heaviness. He painted this as a form of meditation with relaxed, thoughtful actions, in search of higher knowledge. I think the Villa Rotonda is more effective because the owner of the building really could take advantage of the design and symmetry. While we will never know if Muqi finds higher knowledge from his painting.

The Golden Section

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 when the ratio 1:1.618 is applied to making statues, it gives naturalistic results The proportions of Ancient Greek sculptures are often very close to the Golden Section

Human Proportion

The ancient Egyptians used the palm of the hand as a unit of measurement (6 palms=1 cubit) The ancient Greeks sought an ideal of beauty in the principle of proportion

Proportion

The relationship between the parts of an object and the whole, or between the object and its surroundings By controlling these size relationships, an artist can enhance the expressive and descriptive characteristics of the work

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 and pattern. The different viewing angles create unity. Dominant gray brown color, paint texture, angular lines.

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?

There is an abundance of human figures standing around a larger figure (Vishnu). The repetition of human figures creates compositional unity. The dualities of male/female, life/death, good/evil are illustrated by picturing the gods all around Vishnu which is another way of showing unity. This image illustrates a religious idea which is conceptual unity. All these aspects combine and work together to create gestalt, an understanding of the whole.

Henry Peach Robinson, Fading Away

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

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 Renaissance

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

Claes Oldenburg/ 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

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

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.

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 where there are people ice skating. The color of the ice is a reflection of the sky which draws our attention to the sky. As a result of following this rhythmic progression, our eye has circled round the whole picture

Asymmetrical Balance

When artists organize a composition they often use different visual "weights" on each side of it This applies when the elements on the left and right sides are not the same, but the combination of elements counters each other

Focal Point

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

Gestalt Unity

the complete order and indivisible unity of all aspects of an artwork's design