art history final

William Kentridge: Drawing from Mine, South Africa, 1991, Charcoal, from film

Apartide - separated societies in Africa ‣ Dutch people that came and colonized ◦ He usually did animations talking about social problems in South Africa In South Africa for many years, the economic and political status quo was based on apartheid, a system of laws and social standards that repressed the native population. William Kentridge created charcoal drawings and film animations based on the causes and injustices of apartheid. Kentridge's work, however, goes beyond the specifics of the South African situation. The Drawing from Mine (Fig. 10.31), from 1991, shows the white businessman with tangled financial tapes wrapped around sculptural heads of Africans, very much like the Crowned Head of an Oni (Fig. 9.5). Kentridge's art points out the moral diffi- culties that attend all instances of power, ownership, and oppression on a grand scale. This charcoal drawing and others were photographed repeatedly, while Kentridge drew and erased, to create the short film sequence called Mine.

Colosseum, Rome, 70-82 CE + *Reconstruction

Architecture provides a framework and an appropriate setting for the drama and spectacle of sports events. Our focus figure for this section is again from Rome. In its original condition, the Colosseum, or the Flavian Amphitheater (Fig. 14.11), was a feast for the eyes. This huge structure covering six acres was faced with rich veneers of marble, tile, plaster, and bronze. The 160-foot-high outer wall is encircled by four horizontal bands, three with arches flanked by Greek Classical columns—a monumental celebration of Greco-Roman architecture. Emperors who succeeded the infamous tyrant Nero built it between 70 and 82 CE on the site of an artificial lake in Nero's private park where his colossal statue once stood (hence, the name Colosseum). Inside, a complex design of ramps, arcades, vaults, and passageways efficiently moved more than 50,000 spectators. Admission was always free to all; however, the seating was reserved by rank. The hot sun was blocked by a huge cloth canopy managed by a special detachment of the navy. The center area could be covered with sand for hunting sports and gladiator games or filled with water to enact mock sea battles. Complex underground passages, rooms, and elevators were added later so that animals, scenery, and prisoners could make dramatic entrances to the spectacles. The Colosseum was dedicated to blood sports, and thousands of humans and animals perished in the gruesome games, which continued until 523.

Frank Gehry: Walt Disney Concert Hall, USA, 2003. Los Angeles, California

Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall (Fig. 14.6), 2003, in Los Angeles, is a recent entry among world-class music centers. Trained as a sculptor, Gehry creates buildings that are often irregular, colliding, sculptural, and per- haps even disorienting because they are asymmetrical or have no apparent central point. The concert hall's structural systems are disguised under the curving stainless- steel surface. Such architecture is called Deconstructivist because its many unique viewpoints do not coalesce into a unified whole and there is a disconnection between inside form and outside structure. It is also Neo-Modernist, with its emphasis on abstract form.

Frank Lloyd Wright: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City, 1943-1959 Holzer: Untitled (Selected Writings), USA, 1989, Installation view at Guggenheim Museum

Frank Lloyd Wright's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (Fig. 14.5) is another example of organic architecture, here designed to exhibit art. Its rounded form encloses a ramp that spirals around an empty center that is 90 feet wide. Certainly, the museum creates a striking visual image. The viewer takes an elevator to the top and then walks down past individual bays with paintings, allowing closer focus on small groups of artworks. The design is memorable, but the space does not work well for showing paintings and sculptures. Artwork can be seen only up close or from all the way across the central open well. There is no in- between vantage point, and some works suffer. Rather than choosing their own course, viewers must see the works in the predetermined order. Because the floor slopes, the exhibition space does not work well for sculptures, and paintings appear askew against the curved wall

Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux: Central Park, New York City, USA, 1857-1887 Georges Seurat: La Grande Jatte, France, 1884-1886d

In the United States from the nineteenth century to today, the large city park offers a variety of diversions. Central Park (Fig. 14.8), in the middle of Manhattan, is a retreat from bustling New York City. With its artwork, performing spaces, and green setting, it is like the Roman Baths of Caracalla—but without the spa. The long, nar- row park is considered an outstanding example of land- scape architecture, and in 1965 it was declared a National Historic Landmark. Designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux worked with the natural setting rather than completely reshaping it. Hog farms, open sewers, and hovels had to be removed before millions of flow- ers, trees, and shrubs could be planted. Trails, roads, and bridges were added within the natural rolling terrain.

Musicians and Dancers, Egypt, c. 1400 BCE, fresco, from tomb of Nebamun, British Museum

Just as the Boy Playing a Flute reflects the northern European Protestant middle class from which it came, the Egyptian wall painting of Musicians and Dancers (Fig. 14.18) reflects its culture's style of entertainment and its fixation with funerary rituals and the afterlife. Traditionally, living relatives celebrated the anniversaries of the dead in their tombs, some of which were quite large and elaborate and featured fresco wall paintings. In Musicians and Dancers, from the tomb of Nebamun, dated c. 1400 BCE, four finely dressed women sit casually in the bottom part of the image, with one playing an oboe-like instrument while others clap in rhythm. The cone on top of each woman's head was made of perfumed animal tallow, which would melt and run down their bodies, covering them with fragrant oil. To the right are barely clad dancers and stacked wine jars.

The Great Ball Court, Chichén Itzá, Mexico, 11th-13th centuries. Stone, Maya-Toltec Ball Players, Mexico, 11th-13th centuries. Vase painting. Maya

On the North American continent, the Maya cul- ture developed a ball sport that was a form of ritualistic entertainment. The Great Ball Court in Chichén Itzá, Mexico (Fig. 14.12), from the eleventh to the thirteenth century, measures 567 feet by 228 feet. Compared to the Colosseum, its basic shape is an I-shaped court rather than an oval amphitheater. However, both the Colosseum and The Great Ball Court have an architectural grandeur because they were ritually or politically important. The Great Ball Court has 27-foot-high walls with two stone rings mounted near the top. In a game similar to contemporary soccer, the players used their heads and bodies to project the hard ball, which took much strength and skill through the long, arduous game. The Mayan people saw the ball game as a metaphor for the epic journey through the Underworld taken by the hero twins, the Sun and the Moon, with underlying meanings about the conflict between good and evil and the cycles of heavenly bodies. The game ended when the ball passed through the stone ring, and then one player (or perhaps one team) became a human sacrifice to the gods.

Julie Taymor (designer and director): scene from The Lion King, NYC, opened mid-1990s

Puppetry took a new form in the mid-1990s on the Broadway stage with Disney's The Lion King (Fig. 14.21), which featured a unique combination of human-puppet characters, created and directed by Julie Taymor. Her background includes Indonesian masked dance, Bunraku . puppetry, and Western opera. Because the puppeteer- actors are visible, both the story and the process of telling the story unfold simultaneously. This is especially appro- priate because the animal characters endure human-like rites of passage and a search for identity. In our example, the dancers perform high, graceful leaps, mimicking ante- lopes' movements, and their costumes are coordinated with those of the puppets. Again, the striking visuals add to the dramatic performance.

Kitagawa Utamaro: Komurasaki o the Yamaya

Teahouse, Japan, 1784. ◦ Standard of beauty for Japan at this time ◦ From a printed series abt reigning beauties ◦ Soft porn ◦ Geisha culture: Geishas were usually escorts, sometimes prostitutes ◦ The most erotic part of a woman wad the back of her neck ◦ Very white ◦ Mass produced, used for pleasure ◦ Femininity ◦ Arm sleeve looks vaginal

Matthew Barney: Cremaster 1: The Goodyear Chorus, USA, 1995. Color print in self-lubricating plastic frame

Television and movies have borrowed from art and vice versa. From 1995 through 2003, U.S. artist Matthew Barney created the Cremaster cycle of films, juxtapos- ing historical and autobiographical imagery with bizarre creatures, bodily orifices, and so on. Rather than pre- senting a narrative, the ravishing imagery promotes personal, free-associative meanings. Much of the films' content deals with gender identity, and many char- acters have mutant, ambiguous, or partially formed genitalia. Audiences are either repulsed or fascinated. All Cremaster films borrow from Hollywood types; for example, Cremaster 1 references the Busby Berkeley musical extravaganza. Barney also creates individual artworks related to his films, such as Cremaster 1: The Goodyear Chorus (Fig. 14.31), a color print based on a film still.

Allan Kaprow. Household, May 1964. Performance "Happening." Commissioned by Cornell University, New York

The first performances were 1960s Happenings organized by Allan Kaprow, who believed that art, like life, should be unstable, transitory, and ambiguous. What happened was what was important. This opposes much previous Western thought, which regarded artworks as pure, transcendent, universal objects meant to endure. Kaprow felt that art should mesh with life rather than interpreting life experience. During Happenings, participants and audience were often one and the same. For Household, Kaprow set the Happening to begin at a specific time in a dump area in Ithaca, New York, close to Cornell University. It began as male participants built a tower of garbage while women built a nest of twigs and string, suggesting the traditional domain of each gender. From inside the nest, the women began screeching at the men, who brought a wrecked car and smeared it with strawberry jam. The women left their nest and began licking the jam off the car (Fig. 14.23) while the men destroyed the nest. Afterward, the men wiped the jam off the car with white bread and ate it while the women retaliated by decimating the men's tower. The event continued with violence until the men demolished the car and set it on fire. In silence, all participants watched the car burn and then departed without words. Household was bizarre, surreal, and ambiguous like a dream, and Kaprow welcomed indi- vidual interpretations.

Joern Utzon: Opera House, Sydney, Australia, 1959-1972. Reinforced concrete; highest shell 200' high

Today houses for the arts often reflect modern values of innovation, bold movement, or future potential. The Opera House (Fig. 14.4) in Sydney, Australia, stands on the harbor's edge to greet visitors arriving by air, land, or sea. The Danish architect Joern Utzon thought of it as "functional sculpture." Called organic architecture, this style was rooted in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright (see Fig. 14.5). Utzon was also influenced by the platform architecture of Mesoamerica. The cascading vaults suggest the billowing of the sailboats in Sydney Harbor, and they are faced with gleaming ceramic tile, adding jewel-like reflections to the fluid forms. Windows are covered by two laminated layers of amber glass, creating a quiet interior with spectacular views of the surrounding harbor. The concert halls, theaters, auditoriums, and recording studio are all lined with rich natural woods, both for aesthetics and for acoustics.

Kevin Locke: Performing the Open Circle Dance, USA, 20th century. Sioux

Turning to dance, the North American Sioux Open Circle Dance (Fig. 14.26) was part of the annual celebra- tion of the springtime rebirth of nature. The dancer per- forms to a rapid rhythm, using twenty-eight hoops made of wood or reeds. All movements have spiritual significance and together are visualizations suggesting the unity of all things in the universe as well as individual growth, change, and metamorphosis. Some parts of the dance re-create the image of an eagle soaring in flight, suggesting that parts of nature (including human beings) belong to the spiritual world in the heavens. Another configuration represents the caterpillar, which, during the dance, will become a graceful butterfly. The rigorous performance climaxes with the "Hoops of Many Hoops," when all things of the universe come together as part of a hopeful Sioux proph- ecy for peace among all people. This dance is an elaborate variation of older forms that has been developed because of the interest

Temple of Ramses II, 19th Dynasty, Abu Simbel, Egypt (relocated 1968), c. 1275-1225 BCE

◦ 4 different manifestations of the pharaoh ◦ Made of stone ◦ Outside a tomb ◦ They moved the statue to the Met ◦ Egyptian artists knew how to make a naturalistic work but thats not what they wanted to do for pharaohs ◦ Completely stoic faces ◦ Expressionless

Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt, c. 2500 BCE

◦ 500 years later ◦ Pyramids created ◦ Used to bury the Pharaohs ◦ Completely dense inside, only a passageway and then the pharaoh ◦ Egyptians had a book of the dead that talked ant mummification ◦ Believed in afterlife, organs had to be nearby, had gold, games, paintings etc Like Newgrange, the Great Pyramids are very old, very large, very influential in style, and oriented to the sun. They are the tombs of the pharaohs, the rulers of Egypt who were believed to be the sons of the most powerful of all the gods, Re, the Sun God. The pyramids, standing dramatically on the edge of the Sahara Desert, are artificial mountains on a flat, artificial plane. They are part of a necropolis, composed of tombs and mortuary temples, that extends for fifty miles on the west bank of the Nile. The pyramids of pharaohs Menkaure (built c. 2525-2475 BCE), Khafre (built c. 2575-2525 BCE), and Khufu (built c. 2600-2550 BCE), shown in Fig. 8.4, are the largest among all the pyramids. The numbers associated with the very largest, the pyramid of Khufu, are often recited but still inspire awe: 775 feet along one side of the base; 450 feet high; 2.3 million stone blocks; average weight of each block, 2.5 tons. The Great Pyramids have interior chambers that are quite small and, when opened in modern times, contained only empty stone crypts. The tombs may have contained provisions, but they were robbed shortly after they were sealed. In an effort to thwart grave robbing, which was rampant in ancient Egypt, later pharaohs stopped build- ing enormous, expensive, ostentatious tombs like the pyramids. Instead, later rulers were buried in less costly chambers cut deep into the sides of mountains, with hid- den entrances.

Robert Motherwell, Elegy to the Spanish Republic XXXIV, USA, 1953-1954, oil o canvas

◦ About how sad he was abt outcome of a war ◦ Talks about a sad historic moment Later, between 1953 and 1954, Robert Motherwell painted the Elegy to the Spanish Republic XXXIV (Fig. 10.8), part of a series of more than 150 paintings that mourned the loss of liberty in Spain after the Fascist forces were victori- ous. Although the paintings do not tell a story, Motherwell believed that abstraction communicated, in universal terms, the struggle between life and death and between freedom and oppression. The large size of the painting makes these struggles seem monumental. Motherwell was influenced by Surrealism's process of expression called Automatism, which incorporates intuition, spontaneity, and the accidental when creating artworks, similar to Abstract Expressionism's style. His black-and-white forms suggest several Spanish motifs, according to Robert Hughes (1997:496). They are bull's testicles, the patent leather berets of the Guardia Civil, and living forms (rep- resented by the large, ovoid shapes) being crushed by the black bands.

Lamassu, Khorsabad, Iraq, 720 BCE Limestone, 14' high

◦ Another mythological creature ◦ Human head, animal of beast, with wings ◦ Mixture of at least three animals ◦ Hair is stylized ◦ Huge, usually two of them at an entrance, guarding ◦ Put in important places like palaces Our introduction to palace art is the mighty Lamassu (Fig. 9.10), from 720 BCE, an enormous sculpture from Khorsabad, capital of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians, known for their ruthlessness and brutality, dominated the Near East for more than three hundred years. With enormous size and glaring stare, two large Lamassu guarded the palace gate, intended to terrify and intimidate all who entered. A form of a divine genie, the winged creature is part lion or bull, with the head of a human being. The horned crown symbolizes the king's divine power. Notice the five legs that show movement and stability at the same time. From the side, the Lamassu appears to be striding forward. The front view, however, shows the beast at a stal- wart standstill, blocking the viewer's forward movement. Stylized and natural elements are combined, with hair and wings depicted with linear and repetitive patterns, while the strong, muscular legs and facial features are more naturally rendered.

Judy Baca: The Great Wall of Los Angeles, detail, begun 1976

◦ Artist uses community members and made an effort to create this wall ◦ She is a Chicano artist, wanted to talk abut chicano influence in LA ◦ This part is showing Dodgers stadium and it was built on an area that affected these peoples lives, created a division ◦ She is bringing attention to a situation ◦ They are still making this mural

Edward Hicks: the Peaceable Kingdom, USA, 1830-1840, oil on Canvas

◦ Artist was a Quaker, anti war, wanted to show peace between all people Hicks was also inspired by the Quaker William Penn and his treaty with the Indians, which is visible in the background as a copied detail from a famous painting by U.S. artist Benjamin West. This moment came to signify a utopian new world. Hicks' visual metaphors have become standard language for expressing the concept of peace. A luminous sky glows in the background, while lush vegetation frames the foreground figures. The animals are rendered in a flat, decorative, imaginative style. There is a feeling of innocence and peace, without strife and turmoil

Diego Velasquez: Las Meninas, Spain, 1656, oil on canvas

◦ At a museum in Madrid ◦ Very playful ◦ Portraying a young princess and her servants ◦ Also have religious aspect ◦ The artist is in the painting ◦ Layers on religion, class, royalty ◦ Hugely influential painting ◦ Picasso did his own renditions of the painting ◦ Very controlled space compared to the Fragonard ◦ representation of female by male ‣ girl shown as feminine, eye candy, etc ‣ Shows class, very wealthy people and situation ◦ Shows a lot of diff people to show power

Dorothea Lange: Migrant Mother, Nipomo Valley, USA, 1936. Gelatin silver paint

◦ Dust bowl ◦ Happened after the Great Depression ◦ Illuminated the need for funding in California during a huge drout ◦ During this depression, the government tried to Help people by paying artist to help stimulate the economy, and for information's sake ◦ Helped them get funding ◦ This shows a mother protecting her two children, comes across that she needs to survive ◦ They have very little money or hope, they're displaced ◦ This ones photography while the other is a painting ◦ Very dramatic black and white

Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of Dr. Gachet, Netherlands, 1890. Oil on canvas

◦ Post impressionism ◦ West being influenced by the east ◦ Called that because impressionists were very specific people, had very objectifely pretty art from France (Money is an example of an impressionist) ◦ Van Gogh came after them ◦ Post impressionists use very bold and bright colors, looking inside to themselves, their emotions ◦ We know that he commits suicide a few months after he made this ◦ When he killed himself, he shot himself in his thigh. Some people think he wasn't trying to kill himself ◦ Van Gogh had a good support system and he drank absynth which is poison

Lewis Hine: Leo, 48 inches high, 8 years old, picks up bobbins at 15 cents a day, USA, 1910

◦ Child in front of a robin machine used to create clothing ◦ Dangerous and sharp, kids would get hurt a lot ◦ Kids were used bc their fingers were smaller ◦ These kids were not educated ◦ Used as a social protest ◦ Wanted to protest child labor ◦ Hine went around america and took pics of kids working in terrible conditions, wrote articles to tell people what was going on ◦ An act of social consciousness, an active way of solving the problem ◦ He joined American organizations (National Child Labor Committee) that worked to end child labor laws ◦ Became a successful movement At the beginning of the twentieth century, sociologist and artist Lewis Hine pho- tographed miserable labor conditions and slum housing in the United States. He was particularly known for exposing child labor in mines and textile mills, where children were doing the lowest-paying, most tedious jobs. Leo, 48 Inches High, 8 Years Old, Picks Up Bobbins at 15¢ a Day (Fig. 10.12), from 1910, shows a young boy who dodges under textile looms to pick up loose thread spools. Children in these jobs ran the risk of injury or death from moving machin- ery. They typically worked ten- to twelve-hour shifts in the mills, six days a week, making schooling impossible. Child laborers were destined to remain illiterate, poor, and over- worked. Hine fully documented the youthfulness of the child laborers by giving his photos long titles, yet in some ways these titles were unnecessary. Hine's composition emphasizes the large scale of the weaving machines—their great length and height—that dwarf the child. Leo seems very young and apprehensive. The factory is gloomy, lit- tered, and staffed by women, another underpaid group. Hine's pictures are more difficult to forget than wordy ide- ological arguments, pro or con, on labor conditions. Hine worked with the National Child Labor Committee, a private group dedicated to protecting working children, and the loosely organized Progressive Movement of the early twentieth century, which sought reform for many problems resulting from urbanization and industrialization. He lectured and his images were published in magazines, making his work unusually successful in changing both public opinion and public policy. Child labor was eventually outlawed in the 1930s.

Cloak and Feather Hat, Hawaii, 18th century, Museo de America, Madrid

◦ Connected to a powerful ruler ◦ Ruler would wear a red and yellow cape and headdress ◦ Red represented royalty, yellow represented fruitfulness, prosperity ◦ Only the king of Hawaii and his royal family would be allowed to wear these colors Hawaiian royal objects were made of materials that were taboo to all others in the society, unlike the gold and gems in a European crown, which any wealthy indi- vidual could possess. Hawaiians considered feathers sacred and connected with the gods, so only royalty could own or wear them. The Cloak and Feather Hat (Fig. 9.7) is magnificent apparel made of red and gold feathers. Although feather work is common in many Pacific islands, the Hawaiian work is the most developed and intricate. Colors have symbolic value, with red rep- resenting royalty and yellow signifying a prosperous future. Hawaiian royalty also enjoyed large, elaborate feathered fly whisks called kahili, which were common objects transformed into luxury items and used for spe- cial occasions.

Moctezuma's Headdress, Aztec, Mexico, c. 1519, Quetzal and Cotinga feathers, gold, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Viennac

◦ Connected to a powerful ruler, Montezuma ◦ He was conquered by the Spanish, some say he was tricked or made a deal w them and his whole population was destroyed Nations seize art treasures as a sign of domination over another people. This has happened historically and contin- ues into the modern era. The last Aztec ruler, Moctezuma, gave his magnificent 1519 Feathered Headdress (Fig. 15.22) to the invading Spanish as a desperate measure to avoid his own demise. The Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortés accepted as tribute or took as plunder hundreds of Aztec works of art and sent them to the Spanish king, Charles V. It was an amazing treasure, as described by those who saw it. However, the Aztec art was valued less for its artistry than for its precious metal. While the Feathered Headdress survived to be appreciated by viewers today, almost every work made of gold or silver was melted down for its precious metal.

Umberto Boccioni: Unique forms of Continuity in Space, Italy, 1913, Bronze

◦ Depcting speed in a stagnant culture made out of metal ◦ Trying to capture speed, showing wind, his face is more of a war helmet ◦ Could've influenced Darth Vader's costume ◦ Futurist ◦ We don't have many of his works because in WW1 all the futurists enlisted In Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (Fig. 11.25), created in 1913 and cast in 1931, the artist Umberto Boccioni dissolves the conventional belief that the skin layer defines the body's outer edge. To him, the body is a mass of wave energy defined by its movement through a fluid atmospheric medium. Significantly, the body is considered less as a human and more as a form that is continuous with others in space. Muscle and bulk are implied, but the sculpture resembles a map of aerodynamic turbulence and the distorting effects of air currents on forms. Boccioni was part of an art movement called Futurism, which celebrated violence, speed, energy, motion, force, and change, which reflected his contemporary world.

Male Torso (Ancestor figure), Africa, c. 19th-20th C. Wood 20 1/2 inches high Baule. The British Museum, London

◦ Dignity being emphasized, stoicism ◦ Sound mind, sound body ◦ No expression on figures face ◦ Stylistic and fashionable ◦ Ancestral figure ‣ Reference to ancestors in many The marks on the face of the Male Torso (Ancestor figure) from Baule (see Fig. 11.15) may be like the scarification patterns that the Baule people created on their own bodies. In both cases, the body art has great cultural significance.

Ai Weiwei: Dropping a Han Dynasty Vase, 1995

◦ Disappeared by Chinese govt, no one knew where he went ◦ People signed petitions, art world was pissed ◦ He was released ◦ He was an activist, talked about the mistreatment of refugees ◦ Thats his most current work ◦ Points out injustices in society ◦ In this piece, he filmed himself dropping a Han vase, which was important to Chinese culture ◦ He said that the Chinese govt was destroying old neighborhoods to make way for olympics, said that a lot of priceless artifacts were not being preserved by the govt, said the govt wasn't doing enough to preserve important cultural items ◦ He also deals w Chinese mythology ◦ AI Weiwei is trying to show this ◦ "If a nation cannot face its past, it has no future."a

Tula Warrior Columns, Toltec, Mexico, 900-1000

◦ Divided into 4 For comparison, we see in the Toltec city of Tula in central Mexico the colossal Tula Warrior Columns (Fig. 9.20), which stand on a temple platform atop a pyramid dating between 900 and 1000. These 16- to 20-foot-tall figures once held up the temple roof; figuratively, they "supported" the religion. Stiff, blocky, and frontal, they are carved in low relief from four basalt drums attached with dowels and originally painted in bright colors. They wear Toltec garb with elaborate headdresses, and each holds an atlatl— spear-thrower—at his side. Thus, the warriors' attire is more than functional; it is also aesthetic to increase their power and prestige. The warriors' uniformity gives the impression of a formidable army that could crush anything. Stylized butterflies, carved on their chests, represent the souls of past warriors.

Rembrandt van Rijn: Self-Portrait, Netherlands, 1669

◦ Dutch artist ◦ After the Renaissance ◦ Dutch Boroque art (17th century art) ◦ Celebrated protestantism by - no art in church, didn't want to see religious subjects as much, no nudity, etc. ◦ Developing of a middle class ◦ Middle class has nice homes and nice items, and they want paintings in their homes ◦ They want portraits, images of fruit and flowers, etc ◦ Self portrait, very humble. The eyes are very vulnerable. Rembrandt is an old man, at the end of his life ◦ Same with Frida Kahlo self portraits, you really get to know artist Our focus figure is by Rembrandt van Rijn, who recorded his face as strong, vulnerable, cloddish, or sophisticated and at stages ranging from youth through old age. The paintings are emotional barometers as well, show- ing happiness, worry, sorrow, humor, or resignation. In Self-Portrait (Fig. 11.10), painted in 1669, Rembrandt records both a human face and a human soul. His lit face emerges from the void of the background. Light seems both to reflect off the surface of his face and to emanate from inside his head. His dark, piercing eyes express gentle- ness, pain, and knowledge. The left side of his face is in soft shadow, a fitting visual metaphor for a man of wisdom facing his own death. In fact, Rembrandt died later that year. Earth tones, blacks, dull reds, and luminous yellows predominate in this painting. The paint surface is rich and thick. Rembrandt studied himself in a country where both religion and the state promoted individualism

Jenny Holzer: Untitled (Selected Writings), USA 1989, extended helical LED electronic signboard, with writings, 17 Indian red granite benches. Installation view at Guggenheim Museum

◦ Electronic from the 80s ◦ In the 80s women were creating amazing work that changed the system for a while ◦ They are very well respected Contrast now another installation, this one by Jenny Holzer, who focused on the mass of implicit beliefs that are widely accepted in the United States today, in Untitled (Selected Writings) (Fig. 10.28), dated 1989. Holzer wrapped electronic signs around the spiral interior of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City and placed a circle of red granite benches below. The stream of words jumps out from the darkened interior of the museum, starting at the bottom and then swirling up until they disappear at the top of the spiral. The phrases seem familiar, but as a whole, they sound contradictory or even a little idiotic. As Holzer herself says, "They're about how we drive ourselves crazy with a million possibilities that are half correct" (Auping 1992:55). "A sincere effort is all you can ask" is countered with "Enjoy yourself because you can't change anything anyway." Another example is "Protect me from what I want," written in a culture where money can buy almost anything. The electronic signs flash words like a mass-media attack, and then they quickly slip away almost before we can grasp them. In contrast, the words carved in the stone benches below are permanent—but just as conflicting. The sheer number of phrases, the speed at which we see them, and their contradictory messages destroy thought, although we normally think of words as the carriers of meaning.

David: Oath of the Haratii, France, 1784

◦ French helped out the US a lot during the American Revolution and it lead them to have their own revolution ◦ This time period is right before the French Revolution ◦ Shows an ancient Roman story called the oath of haratii ◦ The story: Brothers have decided to go to war to fight for their town's freedom ◦ Wanted one family of brothers to fight another family of brothers ◦ Here is the three brothers promising their father that they will fight to the death to defend their city state ◦ Why does this have to do w gender: Men are seen as the warriors protecting the women in the corner who are timid ‣ Men are shown as brave and strong, women are shown as damsels in distress ‣ One reason why they're crying is because they are the siblings of these brothers and some are also wives of the other family's brothers, so either their brother will die or their husband will ◦ Red color: makes your eye go straight to these swords that are being thrown in an oath ◦ Neoclassical (ancient roman/ greek): stoicism, architectural setting, strict perspective, tightly painted, emphasis on line, not color, naturalistic

Georges Seurat: La Grande Latte (also called A Sunday on La Grande Jatte- 1884), France, Oil on canvas, The Art Institute of Chicago

◦ Group of people on a Sunday in the park ◦ Contemporary Paris ◦ You can see the fashion ◦ Umbrellas were the height of fashion ◦ This was at the height of the industrial revolution ◦ Pointillism ◦ All different classes of people shown ◦ Cane and top hat were a sign of wealth ◦ Leisure was a new concept at this time ‣ With industrial revolution, Sunday was the day off for people to have leisure and go to church ‣ This is also how parks were made for regular people ◦ The girl that looked the most wealthy on the right with the flower in her hair was actually a prostitute ‣ She has a pet monkey which was a sign of exoticism, sure sign she was a prostitute ◦ There is a kid of stillness to the painting ◦ Alienation: ‣ Karl Marx - Communist Manifesto: said factory work was bad bc eventually the workers would rebel ‣ Communist manifesto said that people didn't like doing "piece work" because they don't have a connection to their work, they feel alienation from they're work ‣ Shows that people are alienated from each other, no ones talking to each other ◦ This painting bothered people because it felt like the painting was not finished because you can see the dots

Justinian and his Attendants, c. 547 mosaic from the north wall of the apse, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy

◦ In Egypt (BC): there was a specific style of how Egyptians represented others (stylized, not naturalistic) ◦ In Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome (BC): very naturalistic, classical art, considered beautiful ◦ In western art, once we have the birth of Jesus, we have diff places converting to Christianity ‣ Once they start to convert, we have Middle Ages/Medieval art (also called dark ages) ◦ Renaissance comes after Middle Ages which is also naturalistic ◦ Some art historians don't like art from Middle Ages, not seen as beautiful, almost shunned ◦ This piece is from the Middle Ages ‣ This medieval artists did not want to paint the naturalistic body, for religious reasons • Happened after crusades (killing ppl who weren't christian) • The idea of individual creatives being praised for their art was not a thing here, only names of leaders because individual was not considered significant • Art was made in groups in the Middle Ages, there were no star artists • Emphasis was on religion, following God's law • Bodies ppl were in were considered sinful, no sexuality represented in art, very stagnant bodies ‣ Renaissance was the rebirth of the classical art after Middle Ages ◦ This specific part piece: very flat, was in a very important church, shows Justinian (roman emperor) in the center of the painting bc he was the center of the church. Clergy was on one side of him and military was on the other. A kind of propaganda ‣ He had this painting done to portray his power, and his divinity ‣ Shield on the left side: being held by military, symbol from Constantine's shield on there. (When Constantine converted he made everyone else convert as well) ‣ Clergy is holding book of gospels ‣ The feet are not flat on the ground, showing that they are on holy ground ‣ No reference to their bodies ‣ Little bits of glass or stone put together, not painted Compare another royal portrait, Emperor Justinian and His Attendants, from the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, built in the sixth century (Fig. 9.4). Justinian dominates this image, just as he dominated the Byzantine Empire, an outgrowth of the old Roman Empire that grew in power from the sixth century onward (see the History Focus on page 246). A devout Christian, he occupies the center spot between clergy to the right and military and state leaders to the left. As emperor-priest, Justinian wears a purple cloak and a magnificent jeweled crown and carries a golden bowl with bread used in Christian ritual. The solar disk or halo behind his head indicates divine status, a device used in Egyptian, Persian, and late Roman art. The emperor is flanked by twelve figures, alluding to Christ and the twelve apostles. The clergy hold sacred objects: the crucifix, the book of Gospels, and the incense burner. Even a soldier's shield displays the Chi-Rho, an ancient symbol of Christ. A similar mosaic (not pictured here), Empress Theodora and Her Attendants, faces the Justinian mosaic in the church's sanctuary. Theodora, Justinian's wife, was an able and effective co-ruler, and her image indicates her equal rank and power.

Felix W. Weldon: USA Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington, Virginia, 1954, Cast Bronze, over life-size

◦ Monument used to honor marines ◦ Memorialized the men from the photo taken by Joe Rosenthal ◦ Traditional war memorial The USA Marine Corps War Memorial (Fig. 9.29), sculpted by Felix W. Weldon and dedicated in 1956, commemorates the 6,800 U.S. soldiers who died in the victorious battle for Iwo Jima in World War II. This sculpture is a copy of an Associated Press photograph that captured the recreation of the flag raising after the Marines charged up Iwo Jima's Mt. Suribachi. Weldon's bronze sculpture is larger than life-size, grand, and dramatic. The soldiers form a triangle to indicate strength and solidity, while the numerous diagonals suggest tumbling haste. The past blends with the present, as every day a real American flag is raised and lowered on the memorial.

Picasso: Guernica, oil on Canvas, 1937

◦ In Spain ◦ Emotional painting ◦ Newsprint - a current moment, talking about the "now" ◦ Making his work current ◦ Guernica is a Bask city in Spain ◦ A lot of problems between the Bask and the Spanish ◦ As a result of this tension, there's a resentment and subjugation ◦ Bask were told not to perform traditions, etc ◦ A lot of artists and celebs advocated for the Bask ◦ Picasso was asked by govt of Spain to put in an international fair called the International Exposition ◦ He decided to make an anti government painting ◦ Bombing happened to Basks during WW2 ◦ Horse in the middle: screaming, tongue is a dagger ◦ Animal screaming is representative of Bask communities ◦ Conveys the chaos ◦ Woman who can't even run, legs are heavy from bombing ◦ Man holding a candle that's been broken, showing loss of hope ◦ The only thing he's representing is an arm at the top with a candle showing that there might still be hope ◦ Mother screaming holding dead child ◦ Such a horrible situation he can't even add color to represent beauty ◦ Picasso decided to give it to MOMA in NY until Spain became a democracy ◦ Picasso dodged the draft in both world wars ◦ Anti government ◦ Typical odd figures, abstracted ◦ Exemplifying pain very well Compare now one of the greatest twentieth-century paintings, Guernica (Fig. 9.28), by Pablo Picasso, which dramatized the 1937 destruction of the Basque capital during the Spanish Civil War. German Nazi planes bombarded the city, which burned for three days and left more than 1,000 people dead. In Paris, shocked and outraged, Picasso immediately set down sketches for the painting, blending the nightmarish aspects of Surrealism with his own style of Cubism. The bull represents Fascist Spain, doomed to be tortured and suffer a slow, inevitable death. The gored, dying horse is the Spanish Republic, while the fallen soldier holding the broken sword represents the spirit of resistance against tyranny. Other heads represent shocked witnesses to the suffering and carnage. The electric lightbulb shaped like an eye suggests that the world is being shown its inhumanity. A sense of agony pervades. Picasso experienced a conversion after the attack on Guernica. In earlier work, he was more concerned with the formalistic elements in art. Subsequently, he said, "Painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war for attack and defense against the enemy

Yinka Shonibare: Mr. And Mrs. Andrews Without Their Heads, 1998, wax-print cotton costumes, etc

◦ Inside joke, referring back to Mr. and Mrs. Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough ‣ Original painting supposed to show how rich they are, showing their nice clothing and big piece of land ◦ This artist references the original in a sociopolitical way ◦ British Nigerian artist ◦ Outfits were Nigerian fabric ◦ This is fabric that he grew up with ◦ Fabric originally came from Indonesia, Dutch took it, tried to make it popular and Brough it to Africa ◦ African people started wearing it as their indigenous clothing ‣ This is him talking about globalization and nationalism ◦ When you don have a head, you've been conquered ◦ He's saying they've lost their land, their snottiness, etc Yinka Shonibare uses historical quotes, clothing, and humor to protest the colonial past and to show the com- plexity of world trade and culture in his Mr. and Mrs. Andrews without Their Heads (Fig. 10.18), from 1998. A con- temporary British artist of Nigerian origin (Nigeria was a British colony), Shonibare has created a three-dimensional parody of the famous eighteenth-century painting in which the landed gentry show off their estate. In his version, Shonibare has beheaded the aristocrats, recalling the fate of the ruling class during the French Revolution. The most complex aspect of the piece, however, is the printed cotton cloth, the kind associated with idealized African culture, which Mr. and Mrs. Andrews are wearing. The cloth is not African at all but is made in the batik method that the Dutch and English manufacturers learned in Indonesia and then sold in West Africa. Shonibare shows that all cul- tures are intertwined and hybridized and that while many people may like the idea of cultural purity, it does not exist.

Paddy Dhatangu, David Malangi, George Milpurrurru, Jimmy Wululu, and Other Artists from Ramingining: The Aboriginal Memorial, Australia, 1988, natural pigments on 200 logs

◦ James Cook (Christopher Columbus of Australia) came and killed a lot of ppl ◦ This was a memorial for the aborigine people who died

Shimomura Kanzan: Study for the Portrait of Okakura Tension, Japan, 1922

◦ Japanese artist ◦ East being influenced by the west ◦ This is a portrait of a very important thinker ◦ This thinker believed that the east and the west part of the world should come together to create a high society ‣ The way this artist is painted is partly westernized, his face is more naturalistic and there's dimension to his face while his body is flat like eastern traditional art, he's shown wearing Japanese clothing and he's smoking a cigarette from western influence ‣ His face is this sort of contemplative melancholy expressionistic look is western influenced ◦ Japan was forced to open up to trade to other countries ◦ When Japan was forced open, beautiful prints were released throughout Europe ◦ Van Gogh was influenced by Japanese art - the characteristic that everything was flat, there was no dimension ‣ Even the way the Van Gogh painting flows is influenced by Japanese art

Marc Chagall: Over Vitebsk (after a painting of 1914), Russia/France, 1915-1920

◦ Jewish man that lived in Jewish neighborhood ◦ Fidler on the roof's imagery comes from this man's works ◦ He paints nostalgically about what his life was like ◦ He went to Paris when WW1 broke out and he couldn't go back to Russia, he lost hope and was very nostalgic ◦ Shows a man floating above a hill ◦ Not a realistic representation of his town, its how he dreams his town ◦ He would paint his dreams which would align him with surrealism ◦ Became part of the surreal movement and was also influenced by cubism ◦ He breaks up his forms in angular way ◦ Had a lot of feeling behind

Jules Hardouin Mansart and Charles Le Brun: Hall of Mirrors, Versailles, France, c. 1680

◦ Louis XIV, sun god ◦ Powerful men adopting rituals to maintain power, interesting that it is similar to diff time periods and places in the world ◦ Where people would have feasts, sign of decadence ◦ Before Marie Antoinette and French Revolution Like the Forbidden City, the palace complex at Versailles was both a sign of power and an instrument for maintaining that power. It was built by King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King who identified himself with Apollo. Louis moved his entire court from Paris to Versailles in 1682 in order to better control them. Originally Louis' grandfather's hunting lodge, Versailles was extensively enlarged and remodeled. Approximately 36,000 workers took twenty years to complete it to Louis' liking, with grand spaces, dramatic embellishment, and theatrical display in the Classical Baroque style. The connected buildings measure 2,000 feet wide and are surrounded by seven square miles of parks. Its scale is tremendous, as indicated by just one detail: more than four million tulip bulbs were planted in the parks' flower beds. Inside, the Hall of Mirrors (Fig. 9.14), 240 feet long, connects the royal apartments with the chapel. The ceilings were covered with marvelous frescoes, and the long, mirrored room was embellished with gilded bronze capitals, sparkling candelabra, and bejeweled trees. Just as Louis XIV dominated the French church, nobility, and peasants, he also controlled the arts, fashion, and manners.

• Shimomura Kanzan: Study of the Portrait of Okakura Tenshin, Japan, 1922.

◦ Masculinity as influenced by western culture

Jacob Lawrence: No. 36: during the Truce Toussaint is Decieved and Arrested by LeClerc. Le Clerc Toussaint to Believe That He was Sincere, Believing....

◦ No shadows, very flat blocks of color ◦ Very powerful facial expressions that explain the situation ◦ This artist made 47 paintings, explained in chronological order and create a story (this is number 36) ◦ Used to remember black history ◦ About a man that was a leader of the anti slavery movement ◦ He rose up against French govt to give Haiti independence ◦ First black led government on Western Hemisphere ◦ Story is in the title It is one of forty-one paintings made from 1937 to 1941 about François-Dominique Toussaint-L'Ouverture (or "Louverture"), a slave who led a revolt in Haiti that resulted in the abolition of slavery there in 1794. Toussaint then established a semiautonomous black government, resisting French, English, and Spanish attempts to control Haiti. He was eventually captured by French forces and died a year later in a French prison. Haiti finally overcame the French in 1804 and became the first black-governed country in the Western Hemisphere. Lawrence completed forty-one preliminary drawings and then worked on all of the paintings simultaneously, so that the series has formal cohesion with its bold, flat, simplified style. Colors are limited, with black and white punctuating the images, giving them strength and starkness. No. 36 shows the French soldiers' crossed swords that pin Toussaint in the center. The floor tilts up, and the walls of the room trap him at the intersection of colors. The black chair reads like bars of a prison. Broad sections of yellow and green in the background unify the image, while the center, with its greatest density of detail, provides a forceful focal point. In his use of space and color choices, Lawrence was influenced by Cubism as well as the bright patterns of handmade rugs.

Tula Warrior Columns, Toltec, Mexico, 900-1000

◦ On top of a temple ◦ Made out of basalt ◦ They were used to hold up a roof ◦ Toltec warriors representing power ◦ Abstract butterfly on their chest supposed to represent past warriors who died in battle ◦ We know some about this area but a lot was lost when colonization happened For comparison, we see in the Toltec city of Tula in cen- tral Mexico the colossal Tula Warrior Columns (Fig. 9.20), which stand on a temple platform atop a pyramid dating between 900 and 1000. These 16- to 20-foot-tall figures once held up the temple roof; figuratively, they "supported" the religion. Stiff, blocky, and frontal, they are carved in low relief from four basalt drums attached with dowels and originally painted in bright colors. They wear Toltec garb with elaborate headdresses, and each holds an atlatl— spear-thrower—at his side. Thus, the warriors' attire is more than functional; it is also aesthetic to increase their power and prestige. The warriors' uniformity gives the impression of a formidable army that could crush anything. Stylized butterflies, carved on their chests, represent the souls of past warriors.

• Imperial Throne Room, in Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City Beijing

◦ One room in forbidden city ◦ Dominant colors are red and yellow ◦ Where emperor would meet people and have important convos ◦ Everything has symbolic meaning The Imperial Throne Room (Fig. 9.13), part of the Imperial Palace shown in Figure 9.1, is one example of the interior decoration. The majestically high ceiling is covered with elaborate patterns subdivided by grids. The focus of the room, the throne, is framed by columns and elevated on a stepped platform.

Vermeer: The Kitchen Maid, Netherlands, 1660

◦ Painting around the same time as Rembrandt ◦ 17th century dutch art (golden age of dutch art) ◦ Depicting a regular woman, a maid ◦ At this time, Holland had this emerging middle class that ere starting to be art collectors, needed art to decorate their homes ◦ How is he representing her? ‣ Show her as humble, but there's a natural light coming through the window and it looks like she was blessed by god ‣ Almost like she's doing holy work ‣ Protestants general idea is about if you work hard and earn well you deserve it and its partly god's work ‣ Because she's working hard and making honest living, she's doing gods work ‣ Familiar to us as Americans with that same work ethic ‣ Illusion of social mobility ◦ Her details of her clothing and face are powerful ◦ Vermeer's are considered jewels in the art work

Imperial Palace, Forbidden City, Beijing, began 1406, Ming Dynasty

◦ Perfectly lined up on a grid ◦ No one was allowed in or out without the emperors permission ◦ For thousands of years people were not allowed in so it is cool that it is now like a museum ◦ Leader had all the power, authority unquestioned ◦ A lot of yellow, yellow is a royal color ◦ Has 999 rooms in it ◦ Also has a lot of red which means good luck and good fortune ◦ The south facing axis is good and north facing axis is bad ◦ Fire was the greatest danger to the city Magnificent Chinese royal architecture helped sustain the emperor's rule because historically Chinese emperors claimed to be the Son of Heaven, the father of the people, and the one who maintained Heaven on Earth. Compare now the Forbidden City, an enormous palace compound that once had 9,999 rooms and resembles a city unto itself within Beijing. No commoners were allowed to enter. The major structures have gleaming yellow tile roofs and rich vermilion walls. Pure white marble staircases connect one courtyard after another. There were also mansions of princes and dignitaries, lush gardens, artificial lakes, theaters, and a library, laid out in a symmetrical plan. The city's major axis is north-south, with most structures fac- ing south, the source of fruitfulness (north brought evil influences).

Menkaure and His Wife, Queen Khamerernebty, Fourth Dynasty, Gizeh, Egypt, c. 2600 BCE, Slate

◦ Places where people could come and pray to pharaohs, would pray hundreds of years after they were buried. ◦ Made out of strong stone ◦ Very compact bodies ◦ This work was meant to last in eternity and be prayed to for an eternity ◦ Wife and husband pretended in equal way, united, like the dogon seated couple ◦ Pharaoh wearing headdress, had fake beard, looks perfectly fit, taking a step forward but had a stillness to him We begin our focus here with an early example of a royal portrait, Menkaure and His Wife, Queen Khamerernebty (Fig. 9.3), dated c. 2600 BCE. The royal couple stand side by side, united by the queen's embrace, placing the same foot forward. Young, strong, and confident, they display the Egyptian ideal of beauty and maturity. Khamerernebty is shown as large as Menkaure, as pharaonic succession was traced through the female line. The compact pose makes the sculpture more durable and permanent, befitting the pharaohs as divine descendants of the Sun God, Re. The sculpture was carved from a block of slate, a very hard stone. One view was likely sketched on each side, according to the Egyptian canon of proportions, and then carved inward until all four views met. Traces of paint were found on the piece. Menkaure was the pharaoh who built the third and smallest of the Great Pyramids at Gizeh (see Fig. 8.4). This shrine-like statue was found in his valley temple.

• Olowe of Ise: Palace Sculpture, Yoruba, Ikere, Nigeria, 1910-1914, wood and pigment

◦ Power of royalty in fertility ◦ Children at the woman's feet ◦ Made of wood, abstracted body The Palace at Ikere, the residence of a Nigerian ruler, provides another example for comparison of artwork that symbolizes kingly power. Olowe of Ise carved the Palace Sculpture (Fig. 9.15), showing the senior wife, the queen, standing behind the enthroned king. Women are revered for their procreative power, so the royal female towers over the king while crowning him because she is the source of his power. His conical crown is topped by a bird, a symbol for the reproductive power of mothers, female ancestors, and deities. The interlocking forms of king and queen visually convey monumentality and elegance. Details, such as the pattern of body scarification, add authenticity to the sculpture. Yoruba aesthetic values are evident: "clarity, straightness, balance, youthfulness, luminosity and char- acter" (Blier 1998:85). Yoruba kings would seek the best artists to make art- work for their palaces as a way to increase their prestige. Olowe of Ise spent four years (1910-1914) at Ikere producing around thirty pieces (see Fig. 1.2 for another example). Songs or poems of praise (oriki) were composed about him

Jackson Pollock: Lucifer, USA, 1947

◦ Pure abstraction, where art and feeling completely mix together ◦ Captures his movements as he's painting ◦ Changes art ◦ Just pure paint on canvas When Jackson Pollock painted Lucifer (Fig. 11.38) in 1947, the motion of his entire body was very significant. This style of painting is called "gestural abstraction" or action painting. The "action" came from the movement of the artist. The canvas was laid down on the ground, and Pollock poured, dripped, and flung paint upon it as he stood at the edges or walked across the surface. He lunged and swirled about in furious outbursts, which were followed by periods of reflection. His body movements were fixed and recorded in the paint surface, which is a rhythmic mesh of drips, congealed blobs, and looping swirls.

Frida Kahlo: Self-Portrait, Netherlands, 1938. Oil on masonite, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

◦ She was involved in this accident when she was young and was bedridden, kind of how she got involved in art ◦ Has this proud look on her face, hasn't let any of what's happened to her stop her ◦ Self awareness, self knowledge, wisdom ◦ Monkey: supposed to be sort of her alter ego ◦ The monkey is in a lot of her works ◦ She has her hair braided in a traditional native Mexican way, she was involved with the struggle for equality for indigenous Mexicans who had been penalized by Europeans ◦ She wanted to empower native Mexicans abt embracing traditions etc ◦ She was also involved in communism and socialism ◦ Surrealism- art that embraced dreams, not using reality in paintings ‣ Sigmund Freud: wrote abt dreams. ◦ Spider webs and bones: referencing her spinal column that was damaged in the crash

Torso, India (Harappa, Pakistan), c. 3000 BCE. Red sandstone, 3 1/2" high. National Museum, New Delhi

◦ Super small ◦ Looks like there's some sort of breathing exercise going on ◦ Vedics- Indian writings We continue with our comparisons of ideal figures by turning to two examples from ancient India. Torso (Fig. 11.16), dated c. 3000 BCE, is a carving from the ancient Harappan civilization that was centered on the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. The sculpture is an idealized 11.16 Torso, India (Harappa, Pakistan), c. 3000 BCE. Red sandstone, 31⁄2" high. National Museum, New Delhi. In ancient India, the ideal body had a soft, supple, fluid quality. version of the human body, with a supple, rounded form. The arm sockets suggest that the figure originally included several arms, possibly representing a youthful deity. The somewhat distended stomach suggests a yogic breathing posture. The stone has been so sensitively shaped that it gives the impression of living flesh, smooth muscle, and a little pad of fat. In contrast to the crisply articulated forms in Doryphorus and in the Male Torso from Baule, here the outlines and forms are smooth and curving, suggesting grace, flexibility, sensuality, and even vulnerability.

Seated Scribe 5th Dynasty from Mastaba tomb at Saqqara, Egypt, c. 2500-2400 BCE

◦ Supposed to be intimidating ◦ A scribe is someone who writes and documents things ◦ Different from her pharaohs are depicted ◦ Every day people like this scribe were represented in a much more naturalistic way ◦ Scribe is shown much more naturalistically than the pharaohs ◦ Made out of limestone ◦ Hes sitting on the ground, cross legged ◦ Shows a difference in class in Egypt The result is more lifelike and thus less eternal and permanent than the monumental stone image of Ramses II at Abu Simbel. As befitting those of a lower class, there is much less formality and idealization in the portrait of the scribe. His pose is more relaxed, and the figure is cut away from all backing stone. His face is expressive and personalized rather than eternally calm and divine. He seems intelligent, alert, and aware.

Palette of King Narmer, Egypt, c. 3000 BCE, Slate

◦ Tells a historic event: ◦ Upper part os Nile river is called upper Egypt, lower part is lower Egypt ◦ Leader (King Narmer) of upper Egypt conquered lower Egypt ◦ Also a celebration of uniting both sides ◦ This object was used as a plate for the black makeup Egyptians put on their face ◦ Very gory scene ◦ The King is barefoot which shows that he is divine, saying he's killing ppl for a holy reason (to unite upper and lower Egypt) ‣ The Nile floods regularly, something ppl could count on. Enabled civilization to start. Here, we begin our focus in Egypt with the Palette of King Narmer (Fig. 9.23), from 3000 BCE, which was used for mixing black eye makeup worn by ancient Egyptian men and women. The carving records the forceful uni- fication of Egypt, when Narmer (also called Menes), king of Upper Egypt, was victorious in war over Lower Egypt. At top center, the horizontal fish and the vertical chisel below it are pictographs for "Narmer." Flanking Narmer's name are two images of Hathor, the cow god- dess of beauty, love, and fertility, who was the king's protector. Like Menkaure (Fig. 9.3), Narmer is shown in the formal, standardized pose typical of Egyptian art, but here he is larger than those around him because of his status. Horizontal divisions (or registers) separate scenes. On the right, a large King Narmer, wearing the tall white crown of Upper Egypt, is about to administer a deadly blow to the enemy he grasps by the hair. Behind him is a servant who is carrying his sandals, his bare feet suggesting that this is a divinely predisposed event. The falcon represents Horus, the god of Upper Egypt, standing triumphantly on a head and papyrus, both representing Lower Egypt. In the bottom register are dead prisoners. On the left, the triumphant Narmer wears the cobra crown of Lower Egypt. Preceded by standard-bearers, he inspects the beheaded enemies lined up in rows with their heads tucked between their feet. The intertwined necks of beasts may represent unification of Egypt.

Two photographs of Suzanne Lacy and Leslie Labowitz: In Mourning and in Rage, performed at LA City Hall, 1977

◦ Textbook left out feminist movement ◦ Most of 70s feminist movement art can't be bought bc its mostly performance art ◦ Another form of protest ◦ Hillside Strangler-man that raped and killed women in 70s in LA ‣ This created a moment of fear for women, they didn't want to be alone ‣ Took a long time to figure out who it was ◦ Two women had a group that decided they weren't going to be silent about it ◦ Was a kind of news conference/performance ◦ Chanting "we will fight back" and listing names of victims Figure 3.54 shows Suzanne Lacy and Leslie Labowitz in a feminist performance piece called In Mourning and in Rage. In this protest performance, ten women dressed in black drove in a hearse to a Los Angeles City Council meeting. They were expressing their grief and outrage both for the ten victims of the Hillside Strangler and for the overall violence against women that is sensationalized in the news media.

Kruger, Untitled (Your Body is a Battleground), 1989

◦ This can be used in many different contexts, bc bodies are widely talked about in pop culture ◦ Although it was dedicated to the women's movement it could be abs anything

James VanDerZee: Society Ladies, USA, 1927. Black and white photograph

◦ This is a photograph ◦ Representing money, femininity ◦ Four women who are dressed in a very feminine way ◦ Can also talk about race ◦ African Americans that are very successful ◦ About accomplishments ◦ 1927- pre depression ◦ Roaring 20s, Harlem Renaissance

Edvard Munch: The Scream, Norway, 1893. Oil painting

◦ This is one of the most popular works for parodies ◦ From a Norwegian artist ◦ Subject matter: fear, anxiety ◦ This artist painted this after they had a panic attack, he struggled with anxiety ◦ Not closely detailed, we just see big, bold, color strokes ◦ Color strokes make it very emotional ◦ Body movement showing strong emotion ◦ Brush strokes are also seen in Van Gogh (Munch was influenced by Van Gogh) ◦ Could be seen as post impressionist ◦ Also could be seen as an expressionist ◦ These colors are not shadowed, they're not clear, refined, detailed, etc. Much bolder bigger strokes

Zhang Zeduan: Spring Festival along the River (detail), China, hand scroll, sink

◦ This little part of the scroll is a minor part of something very big ◦ We learn a lot abt traditional China from works like this ◦ In China, they didn't have oil on canvas ◦ Supposed to show the city of Bianjing ◦ Most of their art was hanging and hand scrolls ◦ All different classes come together, intermingling of classes Scenes of its urban culture are recorded in the scroll painting Spring Festival along the River (Fig. 12.28), by Zhang Zeduan, from the late eleventh or early twelfth century. A painting this size was undoubtedly commissioned by a member of the aristocracy, so this image represents an upper-class concept of ideal middle-class life, animated with crowded, bustling activity. Details show merchants selling goods in booths, people eating in restaurants, farmers delivering produce, and so on. Friendly neighbors were helpful and involved with each other. For example, onlookers shout advice and gesture from the bridge and banks as boatmen steer their vessel under the Rainbow Bridge. Each small scene is rendered with the same amount of detail and similar color, and the accumulated scenes give a picture of busy, contented, unassuming middle-class life.

Ester Hernandez: Sun Mad, USA, 1981, color screen print

◦ This raisin company used a lot of deadly pesticides ◦ Ester wanted to show that the raisins were dangerous ◦ She took an every day object and villianized it ◦ Not much changed from this

Vigée-Lebrun: Marie-Antoinette de Lorraine-Habsbourg, Queen of France, and her children, 1782

◦ This versus Lewis Hine: contrast between wealthy and poor, ◦ Vigée-Lebrun was Marie Antoinette's personal painter ◦ Images of ppl in power are so important ◦ Almost propaganda, her kids in the photo supposed to make her look motherly

Arch of Titus, Rome, 81 CE, Marble on concrete, 50' high

◦ Titus built it to pay tribute to the capture of Israel ◦ Usually archs are built to mark acts of heroism ◦ Very violent • Triumphal Arch, Washington Square Park, NYC, 1892 (not in book) ◦ Created to celebrate 100th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration • Arc de Triomphe, Paris, 1836 (not in book) ◦ Represents victory of the French Roman triumphal arches commemorate military victories or major building projects. The Arch of Titus (Fig. 9.18) was built along the Via Sacra (the Holy Road) in Rome, by Titus' brother Domitian, to record Titus' apotheosis. The inscription at the top reads roughly ". . . dedicate this arch to the god Titus, son of the god Vespasian." This single-passageway arch (others have three) is a small barrel vault. Engaged columns have both Ionic and Corinthian elements, a Roman synthesis of Greek orders. The attic is the uppermost section with the inscription. "Winged victories" in the spandrels symbolize Titus' military successes. Under the vault, one relief depicts Titus being carried up to heaven on the back of an eagle, giving a visual image of his deification. Other relief carvings show his military victories.

• Holzer: from Truisms, (Protect Me From What I Want)

◦ Truism ◦ Put in the middle of Times Square

Bill Viola: Dolorosa, USA, 2000. Production stills from the video installation

◦ Using technology ◦ Videos of two people crying ◦ a lot more relatable when the image is moving ◦ Talking about your people: your family, your tribe Video allows artists to make moving portraits. Bill Viola's Dolorosa (Fig. 11.9) consists of two flat-panel monitors arranged like a diptych or a double-frame portrait showing a weeping man and woman. At first glance, the videos look like paintings because the color is so saturated, the picture so sharp, and the movement so excruciatingly slow. Only after a few minutes of study do we see the subtle changes in their faces, expressing a deep, almost unbearable sorrow. Viola made this study of emotional states and more than twenty others in a series titled The Passions, based on Renaissance and Baroque paintings of figures in sorrow, ecstasy, or astonishment. Rather than restage the old paintings, Viola sought to expand their emotional and spiritual dimensions. Viewers can examine faces as never before.

Maya Ying Lin: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1982

◦ Very powerful, in DC ◦ You can see your reflection in it ◦ Almost an anti monument, how there wasn't really anything to look at ◦ In response to negative criticism, govt made more traditional monument ◦ Now this is the most popular monument in the country ◦ From a birds eye view, almost looks like a big scar or cut in the ground ◦ Person who created this was an Asian woman, wasn't even an architect yet ◦ They had an open jury that chose an idea based on just the description of it, not showing the name so it was completely unbiased ◦ Maya Lin gets commission, created big gash in ground, said that this is was the war did to the American people ◦ Vietnam war was not popular war in the US, a lot of ppl were against it, started separation of us and them within US ◦ Wall made of black granite thats been polished ◦ Has names all over the wall of every single man and woman that died in the war ◦ 56,000 names ◦ Wall starts short, gets taller, than gets shorter again showing the timeline of how many people died at the certain time ◦ If you new the date the person died, you could find their name on the wall ◦ People were touching and interacting with the names ◦ Demands viewer to interact w it to have meaning ◦ Minimalist art ◦ Won a ton of awards For contrast in design, we look at another commemo- ration for Americans lost in war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Fig. 9.30), 1982, by Maya Lin, is located on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The names of nearly 58,000 men and women who died in the Vietnam War, from 1959 until 1975, are carved in chronological order on its black granite face. Its polished surface reflects the faces of the living and superimposes them on the names of the dead, which forces a personal connection between the two. Family and friends make rubbings of the names and leave all kinds of remem- brances, such as poems or childhood mementos. Visitors meditate or mourn rather than celebrate. This lack of glory made the Memorial very controversial, so figurative sculptures of heroic soldiers and nurses were added later near the site. Taken all together, these monuments create a powerful memorial to the Vietnam War. The long, V-shaped memorial is set into the ground with one end pointing to the Washington Monument, a symbol of national unity, and the other end pointing to the Lincoln Memorial, remembering a nation divided by civil war. This reflects the national anguish over soldiers who died in a war about which the general population was ambivalent. Magazine and newspaper coverage had brought the blunt realities of the war into U.S. homes, as evident in Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan summarily executing the suspected leader of a Vietcong commando unit (Fig. 9.31), a war photograph from 1968 by Eddie Adams. Its harshness contrasts severely with romanticized images of war.

The Great Wall, China, Qin Dynasty, 206 BCE (expanded Ming Dynasty 1368-1644 CE)

◦ Wall built to stop Mongolians from coming into China ◦ Emperor Chin had it built And, finally, outstanding among war architecture is The Great Wall of China (Fig. 9.22). Begun in 206 BCE during the Qin Dynasty, with major additions during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), this 1,500-mile-long wall is a "wonder of the world." New pieces of it are still being discovered, and the section near Beijing has been restored. The brick-faced wall averages 25 feet in height and width, and it creates a light-colored, undulating line on the brown and green hills. Strategically placed watch- towers provide points of visual emphasis. The towers contained embrasures for cannons and were used as signal stations, with smoke by day and fires by night.

Persepolis, general view, Peria (Iran), 559-530 BCE

◦ Where the king would reside, aren't sure what he did there ◦ Might have been used to celebrate certain holidays ◦ Quite vast and beautiful ◦ Persia was very powerful during this time ◦ Built by Darius the 1st, in power before Alexander the Great (who came and conquered different cities) ◦ Darius came from divinity, said that he was given power by the gods which is a power tactic used by many different countries in diff time period An outstanding early example of a palace comes from the Achaemenid civilization in ancient Persia, which pro- duced a body of monumental art of outstanding splendor. The palace of Persepolis, begun by Darius I in 518 BCE and destroyed by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, took fifty years to build (Fig. 9.11). The heavily fortified pal- ace citadel was located on an elevated, terraced platform measuring 1,500 feet by 900 feet, with mud walls reach- ing 60 feet high and sometimes faced with carved stone slabs and glazed brick. Interior spaces were large, wide hypostyle halls, with many carved columns support- ing the roofs. The windows were made of solid blocks of stone with cutout openings. Stairs were also chiseled from stone blocks and then fitted into place. The Royal Audience Hall was an impressive room in the palace. It was 200 feet square and 60 feet high and may have held up to 10,000 people. One hundred tall col- umns (some visible in the left background of Fig. 9.11) supported a massive wood-beam ceiling. On top were elaborate capitals with curving scrolls and foreparts of bulls or lions. Some had human heads. A grand staircase, cut directly from natural rock formations, was covered with reliefs depicting subjects presenting tribute to the king. Gates at Persepolis had guardian figures like the Lamassu.