GARTH Final
In his Le Pélerinage á I'Île do Cithère, Jean-Antoine Watteau created a new type of painting. What name was given to this new type? You may refer to this work by its English translation.
"Pilgrimage to the Island of Cythera" new type: Fete Galant
Why can it be said that Dutch still-lifes are "almost never straightforward depictions of actual fresh flowers?
- Artists made color sketches of fresh examples of each type of flower and studied scientifically accurate coor illustrations in botanical publications. In the studio they would compose a variety of flowers that could never be found blooming at the same time
Compare Michelangelo's David with the David by Bernini. One should very readily perceive what remarkable new direction Baroque artists have taken in their work. David is an example of a new type of composition. Explain.
- Bernini's: David intrudes forcefully into the viewer's space here. His body is twisted and contorted in action, ready to throw a rock at Goliath. He is caught in the middle of action, not right before like Michangelo's. - Michangelo's: David is seen as a pensive young man contemplating the task ahead of him. He is preparing himself for the fight ahead
what are the characteristics of baroque art?
- Evokes INTENSE EMOTION response from viewers - DRAMATIC theoretical compositions - Dramatic use of COLOR & movement - OVERLAPPING figures and elements - CONTRAST OF LIGHT/ shadows -New concept of time, capturing fleeting moment
The painting Still Life with Flowers, Goblet, Dried Fruit, and Pretzels by Clara Peeters is a still life of what type?
- It is considered a "Breakfast Piece" - showing a table set for a meal of bread and fruit
What are the hallmarks of the Rinpa tradition?
- Rinpa School: modern name given to a group of artists who reinterpreted ancient courtly styles. - Hallmarks: 1. asymmetrical composition 2. use of thick mineral colors in combination with soft, playful brushwork and sparkling gold leaf create the boldly decorative effect
In the text box "Foundations of Japanese Culture" you will find a brief discussion of Shintoism. Read and learn the characteristics of Shintoism. Shintoism and Buddhism shared what intense awareness? This material will be considerably augmented in the lectures.
- Shinto is a religion that connects people to nature. Rites are shamanistic, emphasize ceremonial purification. Include the invocation and appeasement of spirits - Shinto and Buddhism have in common an INTENSE AWARENESS OF THE TRANSIENCE OF LIFE...... goals :PURIFICATION = Shinto, ENLIGHTENMENT = Buddhism
In Jean-Antione Watteau's The Signboard of Gersaint may be found conventional momento mori and symbols of vanitas. What are they?
- The clock directly above the king's portrait, surmounted by an allegorical figure of Fame and sheltering a pair of lovers, suggesting that both love and fame are subject to the ravages of time. The two gentleman at the end of the counter also appear to gaze at the mirror, and are thus also implicated in the vanitas theme.
Landscape by Bunsei. What is represented and "illustrated" in this zen ink painting?
- The painting contains a foreground consisting of a spit of rocky land with an overlapping series of motifs - The middle ground is open space - emptiness, the void - SHUNYA - We are expected to "read" the unpainted expanse as water - Painting illustrates the pure, lonely, and ultimately serene spirit of the poetic landscape tradition influenced by zen
Still-lifes can commonly represent what moral concept? What features might represent this concept?
- commonly carried moralizing connotations or vanitas theme. Could also document wealth of the painter.
Study the text box "Technique: Etchings and Drypoint." In what ways do the two print techniques employed by Rembrandt resemble the character of drawing?
- the style of the finished print can have relatively free and spontaneous character of drawing... many steps to create a wide range of tones
What is Claude Lorrain's "favorite and much imitated device"?
- was to place one or two large objects in the foreground //shadowy foreground (tree, building, hill) past the viewers eye and often proceeds on diagonal paths into the distance
Jan Vermeer's Woman Holding a Balance may be considered a metaphor for eternal judgment and as a vanitas on what grounds?
-Eternal judgement: Her hand/scale are central, but directly behind is a painting of the Last Judgement, which highlights the figure of Christ above her head - vanitas: The woman pondering in front of the GOLD & PEARLS, which shimmers in the light from the window shows the theme of the TRANSIENCE of earthly life
Study attentively the account of the life and work of the powerful Zen Buddhist artist Hakuin Ekaku including the caption accompanying his Giant Daruma. How does his art differ from the work of earlier
-His work featured everyday Japanese subjects or Zen themes that conveyed his ideas in ways his humble followers could understand - the appeal of his art lies in its artless charm, humor and astonishing force
Certain features of Japanese aesthetics can be discerned that persist to the present, such as a love for the colors and textures of natural materials. This particular sensitivity appeared during what period? What are the aesthetic features that are presented in your text?
-Japanese art manifested a taste for asymmetry, abstraction, boldness of expression and humor. - Muromachi Period
Study very carefully Shen Zhou's Poet on a Mountaintop to gain an appreciation of and familiarity with those qualities that it shares with Ni Zan's Ronxi Studio. Compare it with Caspar David Friedrich's Wanderer above a Sea of Mist
-Shares FREEDOM and SIMPLICITY w/ Ni Zan - Similar mountainous landscape as Wanderer above a sea as mist, both pictures also include a figure enveloped by the nature around them
Carefully read about and examine The Ronxi Studio by Ni Zan. (Include the caption in the reading). The austerity and loneliness of the work are important features reflecting both Confucian and Daoist ideals. The connection with Confucianism and Daoism will be discussed in the lectures.
-the picture is done entirely in ink and depicts the lake region in Ni's home district, done with dry brush technique -Ni Zan shows restraint within the picture and control Confucian/Daoist Ideals: simplicity, purity, tranquility, lasting inner peace, sensitivity towards others and the world around them.
William Kent's design for the garden of Chiswick House is different from the typical Baroque garden in what way?
Abandoned the regularity and rigid formality of Baroque gardens. Winding paths, a lake with a cascade, irregular paintings of shrubs, etc to imitate a natural rural landscape.
What is the source for the iconography of Gianlorenzo Bernini's Saint Teresa of Ávila in Ecstasy?
An angel is piercing St. Teresa's body multiple times with an arrow, bringing her unimaginable pain. This is to show oneness with God and religious ecstasy.
Who was the leading Neoclassical sculptor of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?
Antonio Canova
What characteristics of the Baroque are to be seen in Saint Teresa of Ávila in Ectasy?
CONTRAST OF COLORS in the white marble and the contrast within the textures of the clothing between the angel and Saint Teresa. Everything about this painting is DRAMATIC/THEATRICAL- it is EVOKING AN EMOTIONal response
The pictorial themes in Rococo residences are often drawn from what source?
Classical love stories
By what means has Ruisdael represented the interplay of hope and transience in his Jewish Cemetery? Answering this question requires careful note taking as the relevant information will be presented in the lectures. The image is in MDID.
Decaying ruin = transience, rainbow = hope
how did role of spectator change in baroque art?
Deliberately evokes an intense emotional response from its viewers
Rembrandt explored the expressive possibilities of what two printing techniques?
ETCHING and DRYPOINT
In his later works, Rembrandt sought to portray profound, inner meanings of human spiritual experience. Explain how this pursuit can be exemplified in the differences between the earlier and later, fourth state of the Three Crosses. The fourth state is in MDID and will be presented in the lectures.
Each progressive change in the work increases the focal importance of the Christ figure, increase light & dark contrast @ each stage
What was Johann Joachim Winkelmann's opinion of the French Rococo style? Explain his thoughts concerning Greek art and why he is important for the history of art.
Felt French Rococo stye was decadent. Argued that modern artists could only claim their status as legitimate artists by imitating Greek art. He wrote The History of Ancient Art, which is considered the beginning of modern art-historical study. He analyzed the history of art for the first time as a succession of period styles, an approach which later became the norm for art history books.
Anton Raphael Meng's Parnassus is important for being the first true manifestation of what style?
First full expression of Neoclassicism in painting.
What about Borromini's design for the Church of San Carlo marks it as being "audacious"?
He used an overriding GEOMETRICAL SCHEME instead of the modular additive system that had been used by every architect before him. The subdividing units within the Church also had more complex rational shapes... strong contrast shadows
Las Meninas is one of the best known paintings of Diego Velázquez. In what way did he utilize the representation of light that was contrary to the classical manner? (Refer to the caption for the painting.)
He used minimum of underdrawing (didn't really sketch/plan) building up his forms with layers of loosely applied paint and finishing off the surfaces with dashing highlights. Rather than using light to model volumes in the time-honored manner, he tried to depict the optical properties of light reflecting from surfaces (light was hitting other things, then bouncing back)
Explain the way in which the Park at Stourhead, designed by Henry Flitcroft and Henry Hoare, manifests both Neoclassical and Romantic features.
Intentionally designed to look unkempt). The garden contains a rustic bridge, mini version of the Pantheon in Rome, chinese bridge, Turkish tent, etc. It has a variety of designs. Chiaroscuro bc arches. Fascination w/ ancient ruins, classical elements
Who is one "of the first French artists to treat the lives of women and children with sympathy and to honor the dignity of women's work"? He did so through his depiction of what subjects?
Jean-Simeon Chardin. Depicted young mothers, governesses, and kitchen maids.
Undertake a careful study of the composition and other formal features in Caravaggio's The Calling of Saint Matthew. The figure pointing to himself is Saint Matthew (Levi).
LIGHT! Directs eye. Contrast. Shadow. Natural light streams in from the left of the painting casting shadows and leading you to the focal point. Christ is cast in deep shadow, except for his face and halo, which is lit from the light coming in.
Study the formal structure of The Night Watch. How has he unified the work psychologically? How has he composed the scene so that it is full of life and vitality?
Line of sight, complex interactions, individualized likeness
The literati "developed their own ideas of what painting should be." Explain.
Literati painting reflected the taste of the educated class. Not needing to earn an income from their art, they cultivated an amateur ideal where personal expression counted for more than profession skill. Felt professional painters art was compromised since it was done to please others and impure since it was tainted by money. Typically: unassuming brushwork, subtle colors, use of landscape to convey personal meaning
Study the information on Goya's The Third of May presented in the text as well as in the lectures. Learn the content, formal features and the reason Goya painted the scene. What about the work marks it as Romantic in style?
Memorial of the slaughter between the French and Spanish. Image of blind terror/desperate fear, the essence of Romanticism- the sensational current event, the loose brushwork, the lifelike poses, the unbalanced composition, and the dramatic lighting. He painted it "to warn men never to do it again"
Although Enlightenment philosophes had different attitudes and opinions, many were unified by shared thoughts about the nature humanity, of the role of the state and the remedy for a failed state. What optimistic view did they share regarding the behavior of humanity if freed from their "past religious and political shackles"?
Men and women could and would ACT RATIONALLY & MORALLY. The role of the state was to protect and facilitate these rights, and when the state failed, the moral situation was to change it.
In the chanoyu one can observe significant features of Japanese aesthetic sensibility. In addition to quietude, restraint and the natural, find and learn two other aesthetic characteristics of the chanoyu. Then, find other Japanese works in this chapter that express the same aesthetic sensibility. Be sure to read about the chanoyu in its entirety the section titled "The Tea Ceremony" including "Senno Rikyu" and "The Tea Bowl."
Modesty, refinement and rusticity.. No western counterpart, very zen
What are the marks of the Rococo style?
Pastel colors - delicately curving forms - dainty figures - lighthearted mood.
The artistic portrayal of a landscape is always an act of selection. For what purpose would the artists portray nature as different from the observed reality?
Post impressionists saw nature as ever-changing... Artists like Cezanne saw art as "something other than nature", not a representation of nature but a "construction after nature"
Issues that divide the rubénistes from the poussinistes is very important for this course. What are the issues?
Rubenistes - Claimed that painting should deceive the eye - COLOR IS VALUED OVER DRAWING Poussinistes: - drawing appealed to the mind while color appealed to the sense - DRAWING SUPERIOR OVER COLOR
For William Blake, what did rules constrain, prevent and what were his ideas concerning the difference between the imagination and reason?
Rules hinder creativity. Imagination provided access to the higher realm of the spirit. Reason was confined to the lower world of matter.
One of the most beautiful architectural monuments in the world is the Taj Mahal. Study its history and the architectural features that comprise the Taj Mahal.
Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal. White marble dome, has a mosque and guesthouse on either side. Major Islamic characteristics include arches and domes. Has minarets and finials. Perfectly symmetrical. Lush gardens that used to symbolize life and death and symbolized paradise on earth.
For Shitao, every stroke of the brush was intended convey the creative force of the cosmos, the ch'i (also spelled qi). Study this work to see how Shitao expresses this vitalizing force as well as the emotion of loneliness (shunya) that characterizes many literati landscapes and that is an important element in Chan (Zen) Buddhism. The concept of shunya will be discussed in the lectures.
Shiato was an individualist: expressed his anger, defiance, frustration and melancholy in his work. - In Landscape a monk sits in small hut alone, onto mountains that appear to be in turmoil, the rocks seem alive as to swallow up the monk - Shiato identified himself with the fallen Ming, he felt that his secure world had turned to chaos with the Manchu conquest
Dong Qichang meant what by his famous statement: "Read ten thousand books and walk ten thousand miles"?
Statement about training for Literati painters. Meant that one must 1. study the works of the great masters , 2. follow "heaven and earth" the world of nature, then would be prepped for greater self-expression through painting
What aspect of Tantric (Vajrayana) Buddhism contributed to the development of iconographic images? The technique resonates with an aspect of the devotional practices of 13th -15th century Europe. Explain. (pg 772/773)
Techniques for visualizing deities. Encourages the development of images with precise iconographic details.
Considering the role of the viewer, in what general way are some subjects in Catholic and Protestant countries alike.
The art was intended to inspire its viewers. In Catholic countries, the viewer was supposed to be inspired to feel what was going on in the painting, not just think about it. Protestant Countries wanted to inspire pride in civic accomplishments in paintings.
In Baroque painting and sculpture, the interplay of strong light and shadow is a major expressive element. The visual drama this interplay creates is also to be seen in Baroque architecture. What are the means whereby Borromini created this drama in the façade of the Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane?
The buildings front was a sculpture filled area with large columns and deep concave and convex niches that then created dramatic effects of light and shadow. and cast deep shadows. The Façade has a strong vertical thrust in the center by placing statue filled niche over the doorway.
The Baldacchino by Gianlorenzo Bernini is an example of another characteristic objective of Baroque art. What is this objective?
To create MULTIMEDIA WORKS- combining architecture & sculpture that defy simple categorization. The corner columns symbolize union of Jewish Traditions. They support an entablature topped with an orb, that is to represent the universe.
How is William Hackwood's design for Josiah Wedgewood, "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" connected with Benjamin Franklin and the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
Wedgewood sent copies of the medallion to Benjamin Franklin. The image was so compelling that the women's suffrage mooovement in the US later used it to represent a woman in chains with the motto "Am I Not a Woman and a Sister?"
How does Shen Zhao's Poet on a Mountaintop "represent the essence of literati painting"?
With its harmony of mind and landscape, poet on a mountaintop is the essence of Ming literati painting: tight synthesis of poetry, calligraphy, painting and harmony of mind and landscape//enjoying scenery
capriccio
a painting or print of a fantastic, imaginary landscape, usually with architecture
japonisme
a style in french and american 19th cent. art that was highly influenced by japanese art, esp prints
fete galante
a subject in painting depicting well dressed people at leisure in a park or country setting - associated w/ french rococo painting
mudra
a symbolic hand gesture in buddhist art that denotes certain behaviors, actions or feelings
lacquer
a type of hard, glossy surface varnish, originally developed for use on objects in east asian cultures. can be manipulated or combined with pigments and other materials for various decorative effects.
mono-no-aware
an acute sense of melancholy
drypoint
an intaglio printmaking process by which a metal (usually copper) plate is directly inscribed with a pointer instrument. The resulting design of scratched lines is inked, wiped and printed.
engraving
an intaglio printmaking process of inscribing an image, design or letters onto a metal or wood surface from which print is made. an engraving is usually drawn with a sharp implement directly onto the surface of the plate.
momento mori
an object, often found in vanitas paintings, that refers to the transience of life, such as a skull, watch, hourglass, extinguished candle, flower (or arrangement of flowers) in full bloom
realism
attempt to represent subject matter truthfully without artificiality
What is the true subject of Poussin's paintings?
balance of ORDER and NATURE (not the writing evangelists)
ch'i yun
cosmic consonance
gopis
cowherd women
avant-garde
derived from the french word meaning "BEFORE THE GROUP" denotes those artists/concepts of a strikingly NEW, EXPERIMENTAL or radical nature for their time.
painterly
emphasizes the techniques and surface effects of brushwork
shunya
emptiness as a meditative state
nirvana
escape from samsara, i.e., from the cycle of birth and rebirth.. the highest state of enlightenment
moksha
escape from samsara- cycle of rebirth (hindu equivalent of nirvana)
Zurbaran's St. Serapion is a deeply moving, evocative and beautiful painting. What Baroque characteristics are to be found therein?
evokes EMOTIONAL response. His white rope greatly CONTRASTs w/ dark shadows. deep folds in the robe add more highlights and shadows. His limp hands add to the INTENSITY
In addition to the lively brushwork, what other formal features contribute to making Las Meninas a painting that is full of vitality and one that engages the viewer in an active dialogue? (rf. to the lectures)
eye contact, reflection in mirror, overlapping composition, good use of natural light/shadow
staffage
figures that set the mood, tone, character or theme of a painting, used especially in relation to landscapes
Closely observe the remarkable skill with which Clara Peeters has succeeded in representing numerous textures and the way light reflects differently from different surfaces.
her reflection is in the shiny objects, upside down & distorted.. v realistic
Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin represented nature in what way? The result is a style of landscape representing "Nature," designated with a capital "N" in order to differentiate it from a style representing nature "as it is," a nature indicated by using a lower case "n". (rf the lectures)
idealized view of nature, beautiful
vanitas
images that refer to the transience of life, to its brevity and the vanity of engagement with things of this world
veduta
italian for 'vista' or 'view'. paintings, drawings or prints, often of expansive city scenes or harbors.
ukiyo-e
japanese term for a type of popular 16th cent. art - color woodblock prints. often depicted the world of the common people of japan
Although the subjects are very different, Saint Serapion by Francisco de Zurbáran and Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber by Juan Sánchez Cotán share certain formal characteristics and convey a similar mood. Explain what these have in common.
light subject matter/contrast/black background... crescent shape... lots of texture, more somber
As exemplified in The Nightmare, Fuseli rejected what Enlightenment characteristics in favor of what themes? (from the lectures)
liked to paint dark-themed things. "painter of the devil"
genre painting
loosely categorize paintings depicting scenes of everyday life, (ex: domestic interiors, parties, inn scenes, street scenes)
A Thousand Peaks and Myriad Ravines by Wang Hui exemplifies what basic subjects of Chinese landscape painting? (rf. p. 793)
mountains, rivers, waterfalls, trees, rocks, temples, pavilions, houses, bridges, boats, wandering scholars, fishers
Portraits were the most favored types of painting in seventeenth century Netherlands. Frans Hals is especially known for his portraits and the life and vitality with which he imbues his subjects. Study the characteristics of his style with special attention to the character of his brushwork. Further very important features of the works of Frans Hals will be presented in the lectures.
noticeable brushwork, spontaneous brushwork, bold & erratic
sublime
of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe. goal to which many 19th cent. artists aspired in their artwork.
picturesque
of the taste for the familiar, the pleasant, and the agreeable, popular in the 18th/19th cent. in europe
grand tour
popular during the 18th/19th centuries, an extended tour of cultural sites in france and italy intended to finish the education of a young upper class person primarily from britain or north america
complementary color
primary and secondary colors across on the color wheel. when juxtaposed the intensity of both colors increases, when mixed together they negate each other
etching
printmaking process where a metal plate is coated with acid resistant rain, then inscribed, revealing the plate below. eats away exposed metal, resin is removed, leaving the designed etched permanently into the metal.
What features of the gallery ceiling of the Palazzo Farnese are derived from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling and what features recall the work of the Venetians Titian and Veronese?
similar to michelangelo bc the figures are heroic, muscular, and drawn with precise anatomical accuracy. similar to venetian bc ceiling glows with a warm light and seem to have optimism and lively engagement
bodhisattva
someone who has achieved enlightenment and who delays their entry into nirvana in order to help others reach nirvana
Dark, neutral backgrounds serve what function in still lifes?
strong contrast, emphasis on how the light falls
bhakti
the PATH OF UNION with god (or universal truth) by means of total, SELFLESS DEVOTION TO KRISHNA. the devotional practices of bhakti include traditional rituals, fetivals, image worship and pilgrimages
gopura
towering gateway to an indian hindu temple complex
tenebrism *also tenebroso
use of strong chiaroscuro and artifically illuminated areas to create a dramatic contrast of light and dark in a painting, coming from 1 light source
In Poet on a Mountaintop one finds a visualization of what aspect of Ming philosophy?
visual Ming Philosophy: the mind, not the physical world, was the basis for reality.
Who is Mahavira, what is a tirthankarai and what is the ultimate goal of Jainists?
● "Jainism traces its roots to a spiritual leader called Mahavira, last in a series of 24 saviors known as pathfinders (tirthankaras)." "Devotees seek through purification and moral action to become worthy of escaping the cycle of rebirth" EMPHASIS ON NONVIOLENCE
Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva, a type of being in Mahayana Buddhism. What is the goal of Mahayana Buddhism and what role does a bodhisattva play in achieving this goal?
● A bodhisattva is a "compassionate being who is well advanced on the path to Buddhahood (enlightenment) and who have vowed to help others achieve enlightenment" ● Mahayana = "great vehicle", as in a vehicle to enlightenment. Goal of Mahayana Buddhism is to become enlightened - you have the ability to reach enlightenment and experience nirvana, boddhisattvas help people achieve these goals
Examine closely the iconography and formal features of the Hindu manuscripts Krishna and the Gopis from the Gita Govinda (rf. long caption) and The Hour of Cowdust.
● Gita Govinda: Relationship b/w Radha and Krishna. Metaphor for the connection between humans and God. The poem traces the progress of their love through separation, reconciliation, and fulfillment. ● The Hour of Cowdust: The theme is Krishna. Wearing his peacock crown, garland of flowers, and yellow garment--traditional iconography of Krishna-Vishnu. He returns to the village playing a flute, while bringing the herd of cow back with him.. The woman watch him, the houses are pastel and the walls create a sense of space. A rim of dark trees softens the horizon and an atmospheric sky completes the aura of enchanted naturalism.
What social force contributed to the increase in the number and height of Gopuras?
● Gopuras are entrance gateways to temple cities. As the cities grew, they needed bigger walls and therefore new gateways. Sucessive rulers wanted to outdo those who came before them, so the gopuras became taller and taller
In opposition to Enlightenment "faith in reason and empirical knowledge," the proponents of Romanticism were attracted to what forms of experience?
● ROMANTICISM celebrates the INDIVIDUAL and the SUBJECTIVE (more private), while NEOCLASSICISM celebrates the UNIVERSAL and RATIONAL (a more public art form)
For this course and for understanding these works, the selection from the Bhagavata Purana is required reading. You will find it in Blackboard.
● The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the maha Puranic texts of Hinduism, with its focus on bhakti to Supreme God Vishnu, primarily focusing on Krishna.
