Kauffman Art Appreciation ART 200 Unit 4 Study Guide: 19th century to present - Final Exam Samford 2015

Passage

(pronounced as though it rhymes with "corsage"). Passage is a deliberately inconsistent application of chiaroscuro used by Cubists to create a "push/pull" effect.

If I show you an Impressionist or Post-Impressionist painting, be able to identify aesthetic characteristics in the painting that typify Impressionism or Post-Impressionism:

- Symbolic and highly personal meanings were particularly important to Post-Impressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh. Rejecting interest in depicting the observed world, they instead looked to their memories and emotions in order to connect with the viewer on a deeper level. - Structure, order, and the optical effects of color dominated the aesthetic vision of Post-Impressionists like Paul Cézanne, Georges Seurat, and Paul Signac. Rather than merely represent their surroundings, they relied upon the interrelations of color and shape to describe the world around them. - Despite the various individualized styles, most Post-Impressionists focused on abstract form and pattern in the application of paint to the surface of the canvas. Their early leanings toward abstraction paved the way for the radical modernist exploration of abstraction that took place in the early twentieth century. - Critics grouped the various styles within Post-Impressionism into two general, opposing stylistic trends - on one side was the structured, or geometric style that was the precursor to Cubism, while on the other side was the expressive, or non-geometric art that led to Abstract Expressionism.

Evaluate the effect of American art created between the two world wars by analyzing two works in this chapter.:

American modernism, like modernism in general, is a trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their environment, with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology and practical experimentation, and is thus in its essence both progressive and optimistic. Marsden Hartley, Portrait of a German Officer: expression of artist personal loss.

Explain the Post-Impressionist painter Cézanne's theories on reduction of form (sphere, cone, cylinder), and the ways in which he confuses the viewer's sense of perspective in his painting Basket of Apples:

As part of the great campaign to break through to reality and express essentials, Paul Cezanne had developed a technique of painting in almost geometrical terms and concluded that the painter "must see in nature the cylinder, the sphere, the cone." A fuller, more thorough, view of the subject. The painter could view the subject from all sides and attempt to present its various aspects all at the same time, just as they existed-simultaneously. Asymmetrical, pleasing distribution of space, not about capturing reality, more about applying paint to a canvas

Explain how both Dada and Surrealism changed the form, content, and concept of art.:

Both, Dada and Surrealism artistic movements have changed the form, content, and concept of art. These "art movements sought both, to criticize artistic modernism and to realign avant-garde art with the practice of social life." Dada artworks represented a collapse of the bourgeois cultural values and art that were called avant-garde up until 1915. "Surrealism represents dissent from the restabilized bourgeois order in the 1920's and 1930's." Both, Dada and Surrealism no longer concentrated on artistic form, aesthetics, and completion of expression.

Journalism influence on Realism:

Depicted contemporary social realities and the lives and everyday activities of ordinary people.

Be able to give a summarization of Clement Greenberg's essay Avant Garde and Kitch as was covered in lecture (i.e. you are not required to read his essay):

Greenberg believed that the avant-garde arose in order to defend aesthetic standards from the decline of taste involved in consumer society, and seeing kitsch and art as opposites. He outlined this in his essay "Avant-Garde and Kitsch". One of his more controversial claims was that kitsch was equivalent to Academic art: "All kitsch is academic, and conversely, all that is academic is kitsch." He argued this based on the fact that Academic art, such as that in the 19th century, was heavily centered in rules and formulations that were taught and tried to make art into something learnable and easily expressible. He later came to withdraw from his position of equating the two, as it became heavily criticized.

What did the Realist painter Gustave Courbet mean when he said, "show me an angel and I'll paint one?"

Gustave Courbet was intent upon showing the world only as he saw it. He would not embellish nor would he paint something he had no personal knowledge of.

In what ways is Post-Impressionism similar to Impressionism? What are some of the ways in which they differ?:

IMPRESSIONISM- They painted contemporary landscapes and scenes of modern life, especially of bourgeois leisure and recreation, instead of drawing on past art or historical and mythological narrative for their inspiration. Interested in capturing transitory moments, the Impressionists paid attention to the fleeting effect of light, atmosphere and movement. They continued the break that the Realists began from the illusionist tradition by emphasizing the paint on the surface of the canvas, flattening the sense of perspective through a lack of tonal modeling, and using daring cropped perspectives which were influenced by Japanese prints. Confronting nature and modern city life directly, the Impressionists differed from their antecedents because they painted en plein air (in the open air) and used a palette of pure colors. POST-IMPRESSIONISM- Favored an emphasis on more symbolic content, formal order and structure. Similar to the Impressionists, however, they stressed the artificiality of the picture. The Post-Impressionists also believed that color could be independent from form and composition as an emotional and aesthetic bearer of meaning.

Explain why/how Alfred Stieglitz was influential in elevating the art of photography, as well as the role that he played in elevating the status of the United States in an art world that had historically been situated in Europe.:

Introduced many introduced many avant-garde European artists to the U.S. through the Camera Club and his publication Camera Work.

Japonisme

It refers to the influence of Japanese art on Western art. A French term that was first used by Jules Claretie in his book L'Art Francais en 1872.

Expressionism

Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.

Examples of Gauguin (Expressionism):

Mahana no atua (Day of the God), 1894

Evaluate the effect of the two world wars on the visual arts by discussing one work related to each global conflict:

One of the really Big Obvious impacts the wars had on art was the spark of the Dada movement and anti art. Dadaism questioned the concept of art itself and its use in a war-torn Europe and America. Berlin Dada was distinctive in its agitprop agenda, as well as its extreme use of collage and photomontage. Cut With The Dada Kitchen Knife Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany, which I previously mentioned, is a huge glaring middle finger to the war and Germany's government. Marcel Duchamp also contributed indirectly to Dada and the anti-art movement, with his "Fountain".

Explain the emergence of Pop art in the 1950s and 1960s. How and why did Pop art react to Abstract Expressionism? Who were the major figures in the movement?:

Pop art is now most associated with the work of New York artists of the early 1960s such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, and Claes Oldenburg, but artists who drew on popular imagery were part of an international phenomenon in various cities from the mid-1950s onwards. Following the popularity of the Abstract Expressionists, Pop's reintroduction of identifiable imagery (drawn from mass media and popular culture) was a major shift for the direction of modernism. The subject matter became far from traditional "high art" themes of morality, mythology, and classic history; rather, Pop artists celebrated commonplace objects and people of everyday life, in this way seeking to elevate popular culture to the level of fine art. Perhaps owing to the incorporation of commercial images, Pop art has become one of the most recognizable styles of modern art.

How is this Post-Impressionist movement defined?:

Post-Impressionism encompasses a wide range of distinct artistic styles that all share the common motivation of responding to the opticality of the Impressionist movement. The stylistic variations assembled under the general banner of Post-Impressionism range from the scientifically oriented Neo-Impressionism of Georges Seurat to the lush Symbolism of Paul Gauguin, but all concentrated on the subjective vision of the artist. The movement ushered in an era during which painting transcended its traditional role as a window onto the world and instead became a window into the artist's mind and soul. The far-reaching aesthetic impact of the Post-Impressionists influenced groups that arose during the turn of the twentieth century, like the Expressionists, as well as more contemporary movements, like the identity-related Feminist Art.

Industrial Revolution influence on Realism and Impressionism:

REALISM- Realist artist captured figures and objectives as they appear in real life. Realism rejects the ideals of classical art, and the emotional drama, imagination of Romanticism. Realism based on direct observation of the real and existing world. IMPRESSIONISM- Artist of these movements were observing nature directly. They captured the momentarily changing effect of the lighting.

Photography influence on Realism and Impressionism:

REALISM- They made pictures sharp and clear, showing textures and small detail--which after all is the advantage of photography over painting. Unable to compete with photography for true Realism, painters drifted away from Realism. IMPRESSIONISM- Photography made its appearance in the early nineteenth century at a time when scientists, philosophers and artists were intent on acquiring an objective and positive knowledge of reality. Photography exerted a powerful influence on the visual arts. Its ability to create a likeness had an immediate effect on portrait painters, but its influence soon spread to landscape artists. By the time of the Impressionists, technical advances had led to the development of the snapshot camera. Blurring, unusual juxtapositions and the accidental cropping off of figures in snapshots created the sense of movement and spontaneity that the Impressionist artists wanted to achieve.

Seurat's Sunday on la Grande Jatte (Pointillism):

Seurat's Sunday Afternoon is perhaps the most famous example of the painting technique known as Pointillism. Although the picture contains the impressionistic elements of light and shadow and depicts the leisure activities of the Parisian bourgeoisie, it is an early example of the artistic reaction to the Impressionist movement. Seurat composed the entire scene from a series of small, precise dots of color. If viewed closely, the painting becomes nothing more than a quasi-abstract array of colors, similar to a needlepoint. When viewed at an appropriate distance, however, Sunday Afternoon comes into focus. Seurat carefully placed each dot in relation to the ones around it in order to create the desired optical effect. He did so in order to bring structure and rationality to what he perceived were the triviality and disorganization rampant in Impressionism.

Examples of Van Gogh (Expressionism):

The Starry Night, 1889

Influences of the Post-Impressionist artist Cézanne on Cubism:

The art of Paul Cézanne was a major influence on Picasso and Braque in the development of Cubism

Expressionism(Post-Impressionist)

The movement ushered in an era during which painting transcended its traditional role as a window onto the world and instead became a window into the artist's mind and soul.

Discuss the impact Cubism had on subsequent avant-garde art styles in the early part of the 20th century by analyzing two works in this chapter:

There were many styles of Cubism, ranging from Analytic to Synthetic to Primitivism, but it was Synthetic Cubism that had a major impact upon the avant-garde. Synthetic Cubism, specifically with Picasso and Braque, brought assemblage and collage into the art scene, which then gave way into Dadaism and the anti-art movement. Not only Dadaism was affected, however. In France, Robert Delaunay took the monochromatic forms of Cubism and added explosions of color, as seen in his Homage to Bleriot. Fernand Leger painted a more static but brilliantly colored version of Cubism based on machine forms. An example of this style and mentality is his Three Women.

Oil paint prepackaged in tubes influence on Impressionism:

Tin tubes enabled the Impressionists to take full advantage of dazzling new pigments—such as chrome yellow and emerald green—that had been invented by industrial chemists in the 19th century. With the full rainbow of colors from tubes on their palettes, the Impressionists could record a fleeting moment in its entirety.

Japanese woodblock prints influence on Impressionism and Post-Impressionism:

Transformed Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art by demonstrating that simple, transitory, everyday subjects from "the floating world" could be presented in appealingly decorative ways.

Characterize the form and content of Impressionist paintings, focusing on how they differ from those of traditional European painting. Ground your answer in a discussion of specific works of art.:

Van Gogh's Starry Night-Painters would paint in a classical realistic style taking value structure as the first step. This would begin with an underpainting in a monochromatic palette. Using this step to lay out their subject matter and proportions. Once dry they would use a glazing technique to layer thinned out tints of hue to build up their warm and cool areas of their paintings. If something was green, they would use the closest green they could mix. Impressionist on the other hand would forego the underpainting, going right away with colors. For green they would paint blue and yellows strokes side by side. The eye of the viewer would mix the alternating color strokes and see green. For orange, red and yellow. Purple, blue and red. They would use warm and cool colors to give form and depth. Warm colors come forward and cool colors recede.

Dada

a movement in art and literature based on deliberate irrationality and negation of traditional artistic values

Surrealism

aimed at expressing imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control

Abstract Expressionism

an artistic movement of the mid-20th century comprising diverse styles and techniques and emphasizing especially an artist's liberty to convey attitudes and emotions through nontraditional and usually nonrepresentational means

Cubism

an early 20th-century style and movement in art, especially painting, in which perspective with a single viewpoint was abandoned and use was made of simple geometric shapes, interlocking planes, and, later, collage.

Pop Art

art based on modern popular culture and the mass media, especially as a critical or ironic comment on traditional fine art values.

Kitsch

cheesiness and tackiness) is a low-brow style of mass-produced art or design using popular or cultural icons.

Post-Modernism

is a body of art movements that sought to contradict some aspects of modernism or some aspects that emerged or developed in its aftermath.

Pointillism(Post-Impressionist)

is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism.

"Low" Art

is for the masses, accessible and easily comprehended. The concept of high and low can be traced back to 18th century ideas about fine art and craft

Purity (Avant-Garde)

is to be found either in the complete denial of the medium or else in its opposite, the complete embrace of that medium as form and content combined. The use and emphasis of media forms can, following the doctrines elaborated by, for example, Greenberg and the abstractionists, lead to purity within the chosen medium.

Synthetic Cubism

method of painting that emphasizes two-dimensional flat patterns, thus breaking with Impressionist art and theory. This style shows a conscious effort to work less directly from nature and to rely more upon memory.

En plein air

painting outdoors

Non-Representation (Avant-Garde)

refers to compositions which do not rely on visual references in the world. Abstract art, nonfigurative art, nonobjective art, and nonrepresentational art are related terms, indicating a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art.

Haussmannization

renovation of the city of Paris from narrow streets to wide boulevards. Modernized the city. New emphasis on modern identity and modern art. Introduced Japanese art that had flat expanses of color and floral patterns. Introduced photography and aerial perspectives.

"High" Art (Avant-Garde)

s a term now used in a number of different ways in academic discourse, whose most common meaning is the set of cultural products, mainly in the arts, held in the highest esteem by a culture.

Avant-Garde

term derived from the French military word meaning "before the group". Denotes those artists or concepts of a strikingly new, experimental, or radical nature for the time.

Impasto

textured build-up of paint, thickly applied paint that gives the quality of a three-dimensional surface to the painting.

Analytic Cubism

the early phase of cubism, chiefly characterized by a pronounced use of geometric shapes and by a tendency toward a monochromatic use of color.